Photo: Courtesy of Vertical Vision International Film Festival
Vertical Vision International Film Festival
Nothing screams “cinema” like the term “widescreen,” which likely conjures up visions of packed theaters and drive-ins, and of larger-than-life wonders that only the movies can provide.
The
Vertical Vision International Film Festival doesn’t seek to change how people see film, but to reframe it. Touted as the first festival of its kind in the United States, Vertical Vision aims to amplify and highlight films shot in the 9-by-16 format, aka vertical filmmaking. Taking place Sat., Oct. 5 at Point Park University's GRW Theatre, the event highlights vertical format filmmakers and
provides "a stage to celebrate their creativity while pushing the boundaries of cinematic storytelling in the digital age."
"The history of filmmaking has always been largely defined by innovation led by filmmakers with pioneering attitudes. Orson Welles challenged cinematic conventions with his opus
Citizen Kane," Vertical Vision co-director and PPU cinema arts assistant professor Jason Georgiades stated in a press release. "I hope this festival inspires our student filmmakers to do the same."
Vertical Vision adds Pittsburgh to a global community of vertical filmmakers, with similar festivals in Australia, the Czech Republic, Mexico, and Italy.
While widescreen filmmaking has become the predominant format, vertical filmmaking has roots in cinema's early days — the first moving images of a cat ever recorded were short vertically in 1894. In 1930, influential Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein made his case to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences that theaters should have a screen that allowed for any aspect ratio to be shown, including vertical, and that films shouldn’t be confined to one idea of how they should be displayed.
Despite this, the Academy soon adopted a universal aspect ratio and widescreen has been the dominant form in the medium ever since.
Even so, filmmakers have continued to play with the concept of vertical filmmaking, with the scene peaking in the 1960s and 1970s. The format has gained traction in countries across the globe
— Sonic Arts’ Vertical Cinema premiered in 2013 at an Australian film festival and has since presented in different cities, including at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Prague, Korea, and other countries have seen similar festivals blossom over recent years.
The proliferation of smartphones has given this method of filmmaking a whole new life, as the users behind music videos, Instagram, YouTube reels, sports highlights, and other online content have adopted the vertical format. “In countries like China and Japan, vertical filmmaking is already booming, with commuters using apps to watch short-form TV series and movies during long train rides," says festival co-director and PPU East Asian Cultural Studies professor Rosita Grigaite. "We believe it's only a matter of time before this trend reaches the U.S."
The festival also features a fundraising component, as a "substantial portion of the ticket sales" will go to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
Some of the films playing at Vertical Vision include
Cryptochrome, a short from New Zealand that was shot using two non-camera apps on the iPhone 13;
Cascade, an experimental film of refracted images accompanied by an improvised musical piece; and
Without a Second Thought, an Indonesian film about the pressures of social media.
The idea that filmmaking, at its core, is a medium that invites exploration and experimentation can include the very nature in which it's projected. As Georgiades says, “Vertical filmmaking may be the natural evolution of cinema, and the festival aims to be a platform for this concept. It challenges both audiences and filmmakers to think differently about how films are made and distributed and that's a very exciting notion.”
Vertical Vision International Film Festival.
6:30 p.m. Sat., Oct. 5. Point Park University-GRW Theatre. 414 Wood St., Downtown. $10. verticalvisioniff.com