Vertical video is not a new idea. For years, vertical presentation has existed for specialty applications and experimental media. But today, vertical viewing has fundamentally changed how audiences experience moving images—especially on phones and social media platforms where viewers naturally hold their devices upright.

While digital cameras adapted quickly to this shift in viewing behavior, analog film formats have largely remained tied to traditional horizontal presentation.

At Pro8mm, we began asking a simple question:

What would happen if Super 8 film was reimagined for vertical storytelling—not in post-production, but from the moment of capture itself?

That question has quietly guided years of experimentation inside our company.

A Glimpse of the Future

As early as 2018, Greta Van Fleet experimented with a vertical version of When The Curtain Falls processed and scanned through Pro8mm. The project never fully lived online and was removed shortly after the final digital release. At the time, the idea may have simply felt too unconventional for the music industry.

Music videos were traditionally designed for televisions and computer screens—not for phones held vertically in the palm of your hand.

Looking back, it now feels like an early glimpse into the growing transition toward vertical cinema.

Phil Vigeant, Owner of Pro8mm

Pro8mm and the Evolution of Super 8

For decades, Pro8mm has focused on identifying shifts in media production and exploring how Super 8 film could evolve alongside them.

This philosophy has long been part of our company culture and legacy.

• In 1972, Super8 Sound (our former company name) introduced sync sound solutions for Super 8 filmmaking, helping educate generations of film students in professional production techniques.
  
• In 1993, Pro8mm pioneered color negative Super 8 film workflows, helping transform the format into a true professional filmmaking medium.
  
• In 2005, Pro8mm introduced MAX8, expanding the Super 8 image area into a widescreen format designed for the emerging HD world.
  

MAX8 also inspired and significantly contributed to the popular trend of showing the physical frame and even the film sprockets as part of the image presentation .  Max8 required new scanning workflows that embraced over scanning the entire film frame—this advancement ushered in the revolution of showing these as part of the  film as a visual identity of the format. The popularity of this has spread to all film formats and is used extensively today in modern filmmaking. 

Vertical Super 8 is the next step in that evolution.

Rethinking Super 8 for a Vertical World

For nearly a decade, we have been experimenting with 9:16 workflows for Super 8 film.

This involves shooting with Super 8 or Max8 with the camera held sideways to expose the negative  vertically and then  rotating  the negative in post to achieve a Vertical frame.  The exciting par of this evolution is it does not require and substantial camera modifications.  With an acceptance in the market more ergonomic ways to hold and function the cameras will develop but access to this world is simple a matter of choice not expense. 

What excites us most is how emotionally natural Super 8 feels when viewed vertically.

Because the frame is no longer panoramic, the emphasis shifts away from landscapes and toward people. Vertical Super 8 encourages close-ups, portraits, intimacy, and human connection.

It feels especially powerful for wedding filmmaking, documentary storytelling, and personal cinema—where emotion matters more than spectacle.

The grain, softness, texture, and authenticity that filmmakers have always loved about Super 8 suddenly feel incredibly modern again when paired with the way audiences now naturally consume media.

Traditional Super 8 invites you to frame a scene.
Vertical Super 8 invites you to focus on a subject.

Surprisingly Simple

While the concept may sound unconventional at first, the process itself is surprisingly simple.

Nearly every Super 8 camera is already capable of capturing a vertical image simply by rotating the camera body during filming. Once the film is processed and scanned, the digital image is rotated 90 degrees for vertical presentation.

In other words:

The film itself hasn’t changed—only how we use it.

Some Super 8 cameras naturally lend themselves to vertical shooting more comfortably than others. One example is the Pro518OG, whose removable handle and side run button make vertical shooting feel remarkably intuitive.

We are also developing new swivel-handle modifications that allow filmmakers to pivot the camera into vertical orientation while maintaining a stable and familiar grip. In some cases, shooting vertically almost feels like raising a pair of binoculars to your eyes—creating a more intimate physical relationship between the filmmaker and the subject.

Standard Super 8 vs MAX8 Vertical

Vertical shooting can be achieved with virtually any Super 8 camera simply by rotating the camera body during filming.

However, to maximize image area and achieve a true cinematic 9:16 composition, MAX8 becomes the ideal platform.

Because MAX8 expands the usable Super 8 image area, it creates both a wider horizontal frame and, when rotated vertically, a taller image area with greater resolution potential.

Standard Super 8 naturally translates beautifully into a 4:5 portrait-style composition. For this reason, we are introducing a new portrait-oriented digital frame option:

New Portrait Master Frame for Super 8 

• 1350 x 1080 (horizontal scan)
  
• 1080 x 1350 (vertical presentation)

This creates an excellent entry point into vertical Super 8 filmmaking without requiring camera modification.

For filmmakers seeking a true full-screen 9:16 experience, MAX8 provides the greatest vertical image potential.

We have intruded a new Portrait Max8 format 

   1600 x1080  which aligns perfectly with Max 8 

New Overscan Thinking

Vertical filmmaking also changes how we think about overscanning.

When the Super 8 frame is rotated 90 degrees for vertical presentation, the orientation of the entire film image changes. As a result, the perforations now appear at the top and bottom of the image area instead of along the side.

What once ran horizontally now becomes vertical.

Some overscan techniques that work beautifully in traditional horizontal cinema are less effective in vertical presentation. In our testing, top-and-bottom overscan often feels more visually natural than full-frame overscan when viewed vertically.

Vertical composition also changes the visual language of movement itself. Zooms, vertical motion, close-ups, and stacked compositions often feel far more dynamic in portrait orientation than traditional wide panning shots.

Like any new visual language, vertical Super 8 will require experimentation from filmmakers as the grammar of horizontal cinema continues evolving into a mobile-first world.

The Next Chapter

Super 8 has always been about capturing life in a deeply personal and emotional way.

Vertical cinema does not replace that tradition—it extends it.

By combining analog texture with modern viewing behavior, Vertical Super 8 opens a new chapter for filmmakers who want the timeless emotional quality of film within the format where today’s audiences already live.

And in many ways, this is only the beginning.

 

(C) Pro8mm 2026