Nick Eagleston shoots ads adapted to a vertical format with AJA ROI-SDI as a key tool

The converter between a Region of Interest (ROI) and SDI ROI-SDI environments AJA allows director of photography and camera assistant Nick Eagleston to streamline social media advertising shoot workflows.

He DRIVE ROI-SDI allows Eagleston rotate, crop and scale a 16" live camera feed:9 to one dedicated 9:16 vertical output, which gives you the possibility of monitoring the material captured in your advertising productions on set. This workflow was recently put to the test when she worked as a camera assistant on a sunscreen spray ad campaign starring makeup influencer Patrick Starrr, directed by Andy Valentine and filmed by the director of photography Nick Ramsey. In their own words: "Managing images for both horizontal and vertical formats was one of the most difficult aspects of this project, but AJA ROI-SDI made it easier. It helped us ensure the ad turned out perfectly, while giving the director, producer and client confidence in the vertical shots for distribution on social media."

The first half of filming was spent capturing a beach scene constructed on a set for a traditional advertisement that would also be shared on social platforms. The influencers then created content on set. They participated more than 100 people and a lot of social media content was captured alongside the main announcement.

Instead of relying on overlapping framing lines in a monitor horizontal To preview what the ad would look like on social channels, Eagleston was able to offer a signal of vertical video in real time in a 24-inch dedicated HD display. Stakeholders were able to clearly monitor the composition as it would appear in the final results and record a copy of that version for use on social media: "ROI-SDI was a lifesaver. It gave us an accurate vertical signal without the guesswork. Framing lines can be distracting, but when you have a full vertical monitor, everyone immediately understands what they're seeing."

The workflow was simple but efficient. The camera's wireless signal is sent to a monitor, se routed via SDI to ROI-SDI and then configured using a notebook computer to set the exact crop values. Once set up, the laptop was disconnected and the converter was mounted on the back of the vertical monitor. The system, which ran on AC power, operated reliably throughout the day.

“The vertical is what prevails right now. On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, framing is everything, and it's easy to crop too much or lose important details. ROI-SDI allows you to show clients exactly what the final vertical product will look like on set,” explains Eagleston, convinced that in a commercial world that continues to mix cinematic art and social media-focused storytelling, workflows like Eagleston’s illustrate how the right tools can help bridge the gap between tradition and innovation.