This is probably my favorite YT channel, and I am a huge fan of Casey. But Van is like a life teacher, someone I see as my future me, someone who is giving us lessons about life in a unique and creative way. Thanks, Van
My friend and I were big fans of Van (and Casey). We’d often wonder where the hell he’d disappeared to and why he wasn’t on social media. When he released all his old videos on Vimeo a few years back, it was pretty amazing to see how much work he was still doing. But I’m so glad he decided to finally join TH-cam. There’s a refreshing aspect to him directly speaking to the camera. Every time there’s a new Van video, it’s always a nice little punctuation to the day.
Van. I’m living in a rural town for the summer with nearly no service and limited time, the quality and density of your videos make them some of the only ones I still watch. Thank you.
I always fell behind in life, always feeling that someone else is writing my life story for me. Being a muppet. Missing out on major life events growing up as a young man. The SURPRISE...i still have time te redirect, even at the age of 50 Thanks Van.
Van, I am a pragmatic man - a person striving to live a stoic life. I’m definitely an introvert who likes small about as much as you. Telling my own story doesn’t come naturally. Today I was relaxed with my decision not to bother with trying to tell/ share my story. Then after not watching your videos for about a year you showed up in my YT feed. Why? Who knows? Today you gave me a how and a bit of a why. So as I ride my bike off-road to all 7 continents with my dog Mira I'll be alternatively praising and cursing your name. Deséame suerte🤗💕🐕🌎🌏
I remember that. It was right before he fought off all those Nazis and escaped in that sweet Corvette. Clean 'vette too. Nice tasteful wheels. Good stuff
Oof. The whole-body goosebumps right when the surprise hit at the end, tying everything together with the neatest little bow. This. This is how it's done. Thank you for this week's lesson.
I was having a massive creative block for months. You cannot imagine the weight that this specific video had on me going back on trying to tell stories. Thank you very much for your service Van!
I love seeing these worlds collide. I'm a "mommy" of several years now and have been loving 2 Bears 1 Cave. I also know that Bert is a big fan of Casey's work, as he is obsessed with talking about the way Casey tells a story...which clearly comes from the history you two have telling stories together. I love how it all just perpetuates itself.
When i first started on youtube i learnt alot from Caseys Guide to Vlogging … and now Vans Guide to storytelling is gonna take it to the next level .. Thanks Van 💯🔥
To Get content like this for free is amazing. Watching this video a while ago i realised i often told the ‘’suprise’’ too early in a story. I’ve now tried the technique Van shows us in this video in the last days, and it’s amazing how well it works. Thank you Van!
Coming to this video seeking guidance on storytelling and how to do it authentically, and it is one year to the date since published, and I am very grateful. Thank you!
3:44 this is how I used to tell stories and I was conscious about it. You seem a lot more interesting when you hold details until they’re relevant rather than being excited enough to spew it out immediately. Building emotion is fundamental to telling a story. The way his wife told it doesn’t allow for much emotion to be exerted
Van does a great service in reminding us that great storytelling of the human condition comes from those that embrace it and take care in how they share it. Melanin has nothing to do with it, we are all human.
That cab driver's fact, dark and you feel a connection. The connection is the fact he risked a good relationship. You form deeper bonds by risking those bonds.
I learned about storytelling as a kid from the danish writer Jørn Riel. He wrote many tales about Greenland, both the danish living there and the Inuits. In one the characters talk about how to tell a story, and there is a master storyteller. That really resonated with me and I've carried it with me ever since. The importance of telling a story right. That's probably one of the reasons I became a writer.
This fulfilled man was always convinced that the spirited man and his artistic brother are great storytellers but to be able to hear how the element of surprise at the end of the story makes the delivery of the story more satisfying. I’ll definitely keep this in mind when I tell stories moving forward.
Wow Van, you never cease to amaze me. This video displays your excellent writing skills. A story within a story within a story, with a surprise at the end. Proud to be a Patreon. Keep up the great work.
Love your videos Van, I see you from Spain. It would be great a video about your clothing, I see there is a whole philosophy behind your blue de trevaille shirt, your pants and the boots you talk about once. Love your simplicity and style man! Saludos desde Valencia amigo!
The other trick of a good story teller - the call back to some fact or point used earlier in the story to link it all together and get you to remember it...
This is why Big Fish is my favorite movie, people don’t really get it when they watch it because they are distracted with the visuals and don’t catch on to the story about life it tells and how it tells it.
Not sure what just happened but I had a spare twenty minutes whilst waiting for my wife to get ready, I sat down at the tv to catch up on some news and glory be Van the man has uploaded a video for me to feast on. After what felt like an hour the story comes to its conclusion and I realise it was 9:46 minutes long and I feel like I have just viewed a satisfying feature film. Ok the wife’s calling we are off to celebrate Jonines, Happy summer solstice people ❤️
11 months late to this, and got distracted 50 seconds in because I had to much coffee, but the good thing is the distraction was the drawings in the background, they are amazing. 👌 Now, back to the video...
Funny little coincidence with the date when wrote that post-it note. The 11th of December 2019 (few days after my birthday too) was the exact date I went into rehab for alcoholism. It's been tough time since then, maintaining sobriety, during the pandemic, getting into education, brother's death, and mum's health issues but I've been sober since. That's been a surprise to me.
“Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.” I understand what you’re saying. But geez I can’t help but contemplate how this is the world we live in. All spin, all stories, but little substance.
I like how you used this short as a trailer for an extremely insightful video, I wish indie filmmakers did this to attract attention for their art.. it’s a medium that tends itself to vitality amongst the poorly attentive audiences who yearn for well produced movies that are not widely recommended by long form video recommendation systems like Netflix, Amazon and YT, broadly speaking.
Omg… I’m reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas. When you said Maryland and plantation in the context of a surprise, I literally said to myself, “It’s the Great House Farm, isn’t it?”
7:59 maybe it was something like release of tension of upcoming social captivity in realisation that in the same place in the past a particular great man suffered, like a place of purification for future, or like unravel of anxiety between going to vs being at the place of discomfort. just some loose thoughts.
Some people hate "Reports". ...While some people hate "Stories". (...particularly people who have excessively traumatic experiences of being "mislead" by "Stories", for example.) ...But yes, there are people who Love both "Reports" _and_ "Stories". (Maybe one more than the other, or maybe in equal measure, but loves both nonetheless...)
Imagine you Google-searched / TH-cam-searched for how to use a CAT-9 Tourniquet to tourniquet a limb gunshot wound, and you get a "Story" instead of getting a "Report". How would you feel?
And believe you me, there are Americans today living in America, who _do not_ like the way Whitney Houston sang the Star Spangled Banner in '94. For more details, ask Adam Neely or Chris Cornell. (But not that racist Ben whatshisface. _God, No,_ do not ask that racist, white-supremacist Ben guy whose full name I cannot recall right now as I'm typing this comment.)
Van, thank you for your video. I've been looking for an answer of what makes a story good for a long time. For some reason, screenwriting books did not provide me with one. But after watching this video I might have discovered once facet of it. Jigsaw fell into place.
This is probably my favorite YT channel, and I am a huge fan of Casey. But Van is like a life teacher, someone I see as my future me, someone who is giving us lessons about life in a unique and creative way. Thanks, Van
My friend and I were big fans of Van (and Casey). We’d often wonder where the hell he’d disappeared to and why he wasn’t on social media. When he released all his old videos on Vimeo a few years back, it was pretty amazing to see how much work he was still doing.
But I’m so glad he decided to finally join TH-cam. There’s a refreshing aspect to him directly speaking to the camera. Every time there’s a new Van video, it’s always a nice little punctuation to the day.
The legend himself explaining the legend. How lucky we are.
THIS IS YOUR BEST YET - WOW - CHILLS
Nesitat guide to making something new, look old. Putting a lot of effort into making it look like you gave 50%.
Van, you're literally the only person I follow on TH-cam where I audibly say 'yes, a new video!'
Never stop
MAN I SWEAR TO GOD I LITERALLY JUMPED AND GIGGLED AND CLAPPED IN EXCITEMENT SEEING VAN'S VIDEO APPEAR!!!
We have read at least half a dozen books on story telling. None were as helpful as the first half of this 9 minute video. Thank you, Van. ❤
The second half is the whole point!
More valuable than most of my college writing classes. Thank you Van, subscribing to your Patreon now :)
Van. I’m living in a rural town for the summer with nearly no service and limited time, the quality and density of your videos make them some of the only ones I still watch. Thank you.
I always fell behind in life, always feeling that someone else is writing my life story for me. Being a muppet.
Missing out on major life events growing up as a young man.
The SURPRISE...i still have time te redirect, even at the age of 50
Thanks Van.
Van,
I am a pragmatic man - a person striving to live a stoic life. I’m definitely an introvert who likes small about as much as you. Telling my own story doesn’t come naturally.
Today I was relaxed with my decision not to bother with trying to tell/ share my story.
Then after not watching your videos for about a year you showed up in my YT feed. Why? Who knows?
Today you gave me a how and a bit of a why. So as I ride my bike off-road to all 7 continents with my dog Mira I'll be alternatively praising and cursing your name. Deséame suerte🤗💕🐕🌎🌏
My grandfather always said “never spoil a good story with accuracy”
I remember that. It was right before he fought off all those Nazis and escaped in that sweet Corvette. Clean 'vette too. Nice tasteful wheels. Good stuff
Oof. The whole-body goosebumps right when the surprise hit at the end, tying everything together with the neatest little bow.
This. This is how it's done. Thank you for this week's lesson.
ooohohohohoo those coveted goosebumps. well said, brother. a cute little bow, with sparkles, too.
It’s an incredibly shallow story with no real depth
I didn't get any. Thought is was pretty weak tbh.
This is the best channel on TH-cam. In every video, I learn something and feel connected. Thanks, Van.
I was having a massive creative block for months. You cannot imagine the weight that this specific video had on me going back on trying to tell stories. Thank you very much for your service Van!
I love seeing these worlds collide. I'm a "mommy" of several years now and have been loving 2 Bears 1 Cave. I also know that Bert is a big fan of Casey's work, as he is obsessed with talking about the way Casey tells a story...which clearly comes from the history you two have telling stories together. I love how it all just perpetuates itself.
When i first started on youtube i learnt alot from Caseys Guide to Vlogging … and now Vans Guide to storytelling is gonna take it to the next level .. Thanks Van 💯🔥
The chef’s kiss will be when you get control of spelling and grammar.
To Get content like this for free is amazing. Watching this video a while ago i realised i often told the ‘’suprise’’ too early in a story. I’ve now tried the technique Van shows us in this video in the last days, and it’s amazing how well it works.
Thank you Van!
Coming to this video seeking guidance on storytelling and how to do it authentically, and it is one year to the date since published, and I am very grateful. Thank you!
This has to be my favorite story about how to tell a story. I like your smile at the end. It’s like your winking with that smirk.
3:44 this is how I used to tell stories and I was conscious about it. You seem a lot more interesting when you hold details until they’re relevant rather than being excited enough to spew it out immediately. Building emotion is fundamental to telling a story. The way his wife told it doesn’t allow for much emotion to be exerted
Van does a great service in reminding us that great storytelling of the human condition comes from those that embrace it and take care in how they share it. Melanin has nothing to do with it, we are all human.
This particular video is gonna help a lot of story-based channels in this platform 👏
That cab driver's fact, dark and you feel a connection. The connection is the fact he risked a good relationship. You form deeper bonds by risking those bonds.
I learned about storytelling as a kid from the danish writer Jørn Riel. He wrote many tales about Greenland, both the danish living there and the Inuits. In one the characters talk about how to tell a story, and there is a master storyteller. That really resonated with me and I've carried it with me ever since. The importance of telling a story right. That's probably one of the reasons I became a writer.
This fulfilled man was always convinced that the spirited man and his artistic brother are great storytellers but to be able to hear how the element of surprise at the end of the story makes the delivery of the story more satisfying. I’ll definitely keep this in mind when I tell stories moving forward.
This was a solid one ☝🏻
Wow Van, you never cease to amaze me. This video displays your excellent writing skills. A story within a story within a story, with a surprise at the end. Proud to be a Patreon. Keep up the great work.
you never fail to absolutely hook me into your videos.. Im always catching myself just lost in your productions
I haven't even started watching but I know I'll be playing this on a loop for a long time. You are my big inspiration Van
Це чудово! Надихаюче! Дякую вам
5:06 to skip the spirited ad, delightfully placed (certainly on purpose) after the sentence "never interrupt a good storyteller"
Ich freue mich jedes Mal, wenn mir ein neues Van-Neistat-Video angezeigt wird! Wie immer inspirierend 🙌🏼
ja, stimmt!
Excellent story telling about story telling. You Rock Van!!
Have a great weekend everyone!
This video is a masterclass in storytelling. I think this is my favorite video of all time on TH-cam.
This episode better have an AWESOME surprise.
Love your videos Van, I see you from Spain. It would be great a video about your clothing, I see there is a whole philosophy behind your blue de trevaille shirt, your pants and the boots you talk about once. Love your simplicity and style man! Saludos desde Valencia amigo!
SORRY HAVE TO POST AGAIN THIS IS INCREDIBLE - I’m currently on a creative writing masters and needed this SHOT IN THE ARM
That IS how you tell a story! Thank you!
So happy I found your channel. I am excited to see it grow and where it takes you.
Thank you, sir.
The timer on the ad is fire!
The other trick of a good story teller - the call back to some fact or point used earlier in the story to link it all together and get you to remember it...
This is why Big Fish is my favorite movie, people don’t really get it when they watch it because they are distracted with the visuals and don’t catch on to the story about life it tells and how it tells it.
Totally agree! #BigFish
Thank you Van. Year two has been a great source of wisdom for me and the idea of "the surprise" is one I hope to incorporate into my vlogs.
Van - that video from 2013 about you and Tom Sachs's boat race is *masterful* storytelling
Not sure what just happened but I had a spare twenty minutes whilst waiting for my wife to get ready, I sat down at the tv to catch up on some news and glory be Van the man has uploaded a video for me to feast on. After what felt like an hour the story comes to its conclusion and I realise it was 9:46 minutes long and I feel like I have just viewed a satisfying feature film. Ok the wife’s calling we are off to celebrate Jonines, Happy summer solstice people ❤️
You know, van only has about 15 subscriptions. And one of them is Bert. Shows what he believes in
Damn!! that ending is killer. The smile on your face tells me you knew it too.
Got the same emotions watching this as I did watching Life of Pi.
Thanks Van.
Your handwriting is the most human writing I have ever seen! 🎉
11 months late to this, and got distracted 50 seconds in because I had to much coffee, but the good thing is the distraction was the drawings in the background, they are amazing. 👌 Now, back to the video...
9:17 I will never forget that performance, magical!
Stunning video. Thank you!
Well done, sir!
Wow. First sentence already blew my mind.
I needed this more than you could know today, Van.
Funny little coincidence with the date when wrote that post-it note. The 11th of December 2019 (few days after my birthday too) was the exact date I went into rehab for alcoholism. It's been tough time since then, maintaining sobriety, during the pandemic, getting into education, brother's death, and mum's health issues but I've been sober since. That's been a surprise to me.
I need this video to be injected directly into my brain
Wonderfully told sir!
Thanks for making this, right up my alley atm.
Van you achieved Elite story telling status 🙌 Casey definitely learned from the best 🐐
This was amazing! I’m so glad I found you!❤❤❤❤
Oof. You punched me in the face with that wrap it all up surprise ending.
This is brilliant! So many TH-camrs should watch this…I watch so many videos that I call….”suddenly………..nothing happened “
Great episode, thanks! I'll be keeping this in mind every time I tell a story from now on.
Smashed it dude- that was so helpful ✨🙏✨
PLEASE NEVER STOP -
UNTIL YOU WANT TO, THAT IS
“Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.” I understand what you’re saying. But geez I can’t help but contemplate how this is the world we live in. All spin, all stories, but little substance.
You’re an amazing story teller Van. Without comparison to anyone else. I don’t see you to be anything like Bert.
I like how you used this short as a trailer for an extremely insightful video, I wish indie filmmakers did this to attract attention for their art.. it’s a medium that tends itself to vitality amongst the poorly attentive audiences who yearn for well produced movies that are not widely recommended by long form video recommendation systems like Netflix, Amazon and YT, broadly speaking.
Non-patreons are missing out! Just watched part one of their Respectability Tour...so much fun
loved the sound design on this one
So much info just right at the beginning!
Also Van, my friend is teaching over Summer video storytelling to middle schoolers and she loved this video
Van once again this is absolute gold. Thanks you for sharing.
Wish you were in my community so I could share a story with our vegetables and fruit, thank you for your craft
Now the surprise to our vision of Bert's version of LeAnn's vision is that it was George in the hospital with a broken jaw 😱
the goddamn smirk Van had when he mentioned whitney in the end, opened my third eye istg
Thank you for you're wisdom my friend. I will use these techniques next time a cop stops me
Wow! I'm silenced. Hats off. Bravo.
"A story, in its essence, is a model that connects us to the human experience." I wrote that down and saved it.
Boom, that's a good one. Changes the venue, thus the wedding.
Omg… I’m reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas. When you said Maryland and plantation in the context of a surprise, I literally said to myself, “It’s the Great House Farm, isn’t it?”
That was WONDERFUL!
Thank you for this. I hope to find the stories in my life experiences someday.
Yes! Bert is a legend.
7:59 maybe it was something like release of tension of upcoming social captivity in realisation that in the same place in the past a particular great man suffered, like a place of purification for future, or like unravel of anxiety between going to vs being at the place of discomfort. just some loose thoughts.
Excellent. Ready for the weekend. 😎
Promising start of the video!)
Wow and I am feeling that I want part 2 of this …
part 2 is the driver hopes never to meet a white guy who makes it all about himself and justifies attending a WEDDING AT A PLANTATION. geez.
This is the best crossover episode
Some people hate "Reports". ...While some people hate "Stories".
(...particularly people who have excessively traumatic experiences of being "mislead" by "Stories", for example.)
...But yes, there are people who Love both "Reports" _and_ "Stories".
(Maybe one more than the other, or maybe in equal measure, but loves both nonetheless...)
Imagine you Google-searched / TH-cam-searched for how to use a CAT-9 Tourniquet to tourniquet a limb gunshot wound, and you get a "Story" instead of getting a "Report".
How would you feel?
And believe you me, there are Americans today living in America, who _do not_ like the way Whitney Houston sang the Star Spangled Banner in '94. For more details, ask Adam Neely or Chris Cornell.
(But not that racist Ben whatshisface. _God, No,_ do not ask that racist, white-supremacist Ben guy whose full name I cannot recall right now as I'm typing this comment.)
I know the exact house he is talking about. It is in Easton Maryland and it is wild. I have been there a bunch of times.
Van, thank you for your video. I've been looking for an answer of what makes a story good for a long time. For some reason, screenwriting books did not provide me with one. But after watching this video I might have discovered once facet of it. Jigsaw fell into place.
Great video Van!
Ending hit me like a crashing wave 🌊
The Shel Silverstein backdrop...where...how? AMAZING
Bravo! Well done, sir.
Van, I think I can speak for all of us when I say we would love to see you back on Bert's podcast.
Tysm
Lesson from my Master - "Dramaturgy is distribution of information." JJK
I can’t wait for Bert to see this.
Thanks you for sharing this ❤