So I started watching “Masterpiece: The Making of Migrant Mother [1]” and right off, I'm annoyed that the creator, Evan Puschak [2], is using a vertical orientation for the video, as if he filmed it with a smart phone. But after a few minutes I stopped noticing the odd aspect ratio as I was engrossed in the top of the video. By the end, it was clear that the vertical aspect ratio was a design choice, to reflect the subject matter, an iconic portrait from the Great Depression.
He filmed a video about Dorothea Lange's portrait “Migrant Mother” in portait mode! Yes, it's jarring to see video in portait mode instead of the normal landscape mode, but ultimately, I think it works.
It was also interesting to note just how much manipulation went into that photo. It wasn't just a quick shot of a mother with three kids, but artfully staged as government propaganda to promote one of President Roosevelt's social programs during the Great Depression. Jason Kottke [3] goes into some depth about the subject of the photo [4], Florence Owens Thompson [5].
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgZPQMyzKiE
[2] https://www.youtube.com/user/Nerdwriter1/videos
[4] https://kottke.org/19/01/the-making-of-an-iconic-photograph-dorothea-langes-migrant-mother