An anamorphic lens mounted rotated by 90° so the squeeze falls along the vertical axis — producing a portrait format with genuine horizontal anamorphic flares.
In classic anamorphic shooting, the lens compresses the image horizontally to achieve a widescreen format from a 4:3 or open-gate sensor. With a vertical anamorphic setup, this squeeze is rotated by 90 degrees: the camera and lens are mounted vertically, so the compression runs along the vertical axis. The result is a portrait format that retains all the optical characteristics of the anamorphic look—oval bokeh, falloff, and most importantly, the characteristic horizontal flares, which remain correctly oriented in the final edited footage.
The Practical Cost
Hardly any monitor or camera supports a vertical custom desqueeze out of the box, meaning the viewfinder displays the compressed image. Monitors must be physically rotated 90 degrees, making the live image smaller—critical focus for the 1st AC becomes a challenge. For post-production, the vertical desqueeze must be clearly documented, otherwise the image will collapse incorrectly.
Classification
Vertical anamorphic is not a workaround for social media portrait formats, but a creative decision: to combine the confinement and verticality of a portrait format with the optical character of true anamorphics. It clearly distinguishes itself from the simple cropping of a landscape format—the squeeze happens in the optics, not in the edit.
Related terms
Quiz
1. Was beschreibt „Vertikales Anamorphot" am besten?
2. Zu welchem Department gehört „Vertikales Anamorphot"?