Thank you, Casey. After shooting video with phones for a while, it's really amazing what you can do with the device already in your pocket. A film isn't about the equipment, it's about the message.

+Canoopsy haha Canoopsy, when I saw this video in my subscription feed, I totally thought about your "How I make my videos" video that was shot on the LG G4.

+Canoopsy Totally true..your "How I make my videos" video is living proof of that!

hope i win

I enrolled into film school. After months of classes, I can say that Casey pretty much summed up everything that I am learning in this video. My mentors even use his work as an example sometimes lol

@Glip Klopsyiop I apologise i dont remember what this is about and why i said this.

Yikes

@Surya Gurung he's saying if you spend $300 then you might as well get a phone. No $300 camera will be much better than an iPhone or Pixel

@Marauder that's applicable only as long as you are a beginner or just an instagram dude. You need larger sensors, RAW footages, focal length choices and lot more that smartphones can't give you.

Casey is my bible to vlogging

5 years later and still relevant

6

Always 💯

fax

Nah phone are way better these days

Yes even now I agree .

thankyou so much casey! you're one of my inspirations!

Always feeling super motivated to create after these kinds of videos

It's true, story is the pinnacle of film making. So many film makers don't understand this, and that's why their not great film makers. Great vlog Casey, even though it's old(ish) it's still very relevant and informative!

watched this(and many other of caseys videos) back in 2015...got really interested in filmmaking and content creation in general. borrowed my moms phone learned framing and composition.learned editing.treid vlogging,shot and edited something somehow.later got myself a budget dslr and learned more and more of this craft....now in 2020 i started to completely focusing my life around filmmaking, i always find myself always coming back to casey...his videos speak to me in a different way...just finished my first client work and more to go! thankyou casey for inspiring all of us!!! -a 16 year old with crazyass dreams!

Casey is the type of guy to put tape on an unbroken mirror for aesthetic purposes

I was gonna say Preparing, or Prerepairing🤔 I mean, eliminating 7 Years Bad Luck from breaking a mirror, well that’s some smartness right there, that is!

Isaac G. Its for prediction

So cool that you are so willing to share, help and get others to your level! Bravo!

something about casey's videos....they're unlike any other videos...i just can't figure out what it is.

change

It’s him

101 comment

Good youtuber

casey's

Thank you casey for your great videos! I love the way you tell stories through them and I really appreciate it! Love&Peace, Mike

This guy has now made his own film school... He is literally my inspiration! Thank you Casey! You are the filmmaking king

It's great to re-watch this video after 6 months of getting into YouTube. I feel this is one of the factor that I am missing out on...The Story! Thanks Casey 🤗

You are amazing Casey, I love your storytelling ability...👍

I wached this 5 years ago when I was 10 and I didn’t really believe Casey... but the more I get into Filmmaking the more I can see how right he is🙈 Casey this is one of the best videos ever made on this platform and i will definitely wach this again in a couple months/years

This is awesome, most youtubers make it look like you must use the best equipment to start. I love that you've broken it down to this level

Dude... Casey, I love your stuff man. I've been subscribed for several months and I myself love to vlog and edit short things as a hobby. Really aim to develop my style just has you have and thanks so much for your vlogs! I'm not going to film school or anything, I'm actually studying medicine lol. But love your stuff man.

Absolutely love how you cut this together, Casey. The whole mirror showing which camera you're using was a cool touch to telling their story as you're recording from them! Just getting into filmmaking & you have definitely inspired a different point of view that's more raw & authentic than most others! Thanks dude! - Brian (Erin too!)

5 years and am still rewatching this to teach me how Filmmaking works. thanks Casey

Thanks Casey I love you videos I watch them every day. I shoot on my DJI spark and my dads cannon 100d. I am 11 years old and I love Film Making and Editing. You are very inspiring! When I am older I would love to be like you! Thanks for sharing your content! - Sammy

I have a Canon 5D Mark III that I bought two years ago when I started going to Film and TV Directing school. A photographer with no video/film experience convinced me into buying it, and he said it was the best, while cheapest DSLR for video shooting. Thinking back, he was the store owner's friend, and took a nice cut of the money I paid for bringing me there as a client and actually selling me the camera. The store owner didn't really talk, this photographer guy was the one who did all the talking, showing me the "amazing" features of the 5D. It's a heavy ass camera that will make everybody turn around and look at you. It can record a maximum of 1080p with very lousy dynamic range. Even when I get the urge to go out and take some pictures, I change my mind because it's really cumbersome and I don't have anybody to come with me. I am scared of shooting photos or videos out in the streets because I can get mugged. Uneducated people in my country think cameras cost tens of thousands of dollars. I've had numerous people come to me while filming, asking if I work for some TV channel, how much the camera costs, what am I filming and so on and so forth. It's really problematic, and the overall quality of the videos is BAD! Photos are wonderful, but you can find smartphones nowadays that shoot way better videos than my Canon 5D Mark III. Gear matters, in many different ways. If you're creative and want to shoot something at all costs, you can do it with anything, even a smartphone. But if you want to make quality content, you need the right gear. This applies to audio too, so don't be scared to invest in a good handy recorder and a shotgun mic or some cheap lavaliers!!! I am going to sell my Canon 5D Mark III as soon as I can, to buy a Panasonic GH5!

@Astral'o Pithecus im late but that camera is high end asf you lack knowledge on how to use the gear lol

​@Astral'o Pithecus Hi, since it seemed like you were able to afford a pro-camera without putting any research into buying it yourself, I just assumed you were well off. It was never a dig at people coming from less well-off places, it was merely an observation about what I feel like is a wrong representation of the Canon 5D Mark III, which even today is a very potent video camera.

@Ole I kinda appreciated your first comment, but judging by this second one it appears like you just want to argue. Ok, I'll indulge. I live in a small, corrupt country where the average monthly wage is less about $250. I'm a lot luckier than most of my peers, but I'm sorry if I wasn't willing to risk bricking my expensive camera. I looked into Magic Lantern, and even if I were willing to install it, a friend told me he had a lot of trouble selling his own camera...most people around here think magic lantern limits the camera's capabilities or shortens its lifespan... I wish I had the Hollywood knowledge and experience on colour grading mate...it'd be a priceless skill. Smartphones are the worst cameras you can use to shoot narrative work; No depth of field and most of them don't even allow you to shoot in 24FPS. Steven Soderbergh shot an entire film with one (bad choice in my opinion), but it shows that it's possible and that it can help you practice the art until you can shoot with a real camera. I mentioned it because many people have started that way, and it's the right way to start if you can't afford a camera. But how can I expect you to know how that feels? You were apparently born with a silver spoon up your ass and can't understand how most of the world struggles to get into filmmaking and videography. Part of the world even struggles eating a proper meal most days...but I've never had that problem so I can't say or even imagine how hard that can be. Be aware that there's not just a US, and a Canada, and an EU...there are almost 200 countries out there and most of them are full of issues you can't even begin to comprehend. Take care...

@Astral'o Pithecus Great to hear, I hope you enjoy the GH5, it's a great camera as well. I just didn't want people to get the wrong idea about the 5D Mark III, especially now when it's more affordable on the 2nd hand market. It's still a great video camera with some tweaking to it's firmware!

@Ole You're right. Nonetheless, I bought the GH5 and I've started shooting some stuff with it. Strangely enough, it brought back my passion for photography as well. I've been making focus stacking stills, macro, street photography. I shot photo and video of the BTS of our films (my classmates') and a couple of paid projects. It's great, but my computer can't edit smoothly even with proxies...but in this case I'm not obsessing as long as my current PC can't manage the footage properly. Anyway, I'm done justifying myself...but your perspective is correct as well. If you don't go out and start shooting right now, you won't in the future, regardless of the gear you have :)

Thanks for the tips Casey. Although we differ on some mainstream issues you are still my “go to” YouTuber. Cheers.

The most interesting aspect of this is how Casey keeps hold of his old gear. It’s like a mini history archive of video kit. I tend to sell on my old gear but it’s nice to see the progression through the cameras.

Probably the most ‘significant’ video Casey every made. I know there is no way to tell but this video will probably be one the fundamental building blocks to hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of creatives and the ‘ah-ha’ moment for so many more. Myself included.

Pretty late to the game with your videos, but I'm totally in love with your style. I could watch your vlogs, etc, all day long. So well shot and edited, very inspiring. I love when you do the time lapse and b-roll stuff of NYC. such a feeling of excitement. Your comments about the story being everything, really makes me think we've just scratched the surface of this medium. There are so many stories out there to be created and told. Awe-inspiring to think about this new era of technology we are in. I showed my wife this particular episode. She has a degree in film, is a middle school teacher now, and often incorporates film and video creation in her classroom. She found this really compelling and is considering showing some of your vids to her kids. Realize you get thousands of comments a day, but we really get a kick out of, and enjoy your videos a lot.

It's a very motivating video, it encourages me to do more , Thank you Casey

Thanks for the help! I'm young and heading to college, one of the things that I enjoy and my creativity just exploits is with recording stuff, so hopefully I can make myself a filmmaker even if I don't go to film school

Thank you for this. I’m not a filmmaker, just a guy with a channel and older, inexpensive gear Even so, I see myself improving over the last month. It’s not what you’ve got, it’s what you do with what you’ve got. Thanks again for the encouragement! 😎👍

I’m pretty sure I’ve watched this video more than 5 times now. Casey has so much to say and it’s interesting to hear all that he has to say. “Just watch the video over and over and you’ll be alright”-Casey Explains why I’m still watching this video😂 You’re awesome Casey!

Hi Casey! Can't you do a one time video in which we can see your full editing process including the software you use? That would be really great! 🙃

Casey, you inspire us all. On behalf of many... Thank you.

@Strivin apparently

So this is where it started

Crazy to see how this video is already at 4 MILLION VIEWS! Insane! This filmmaking community is growing, and it's soooo cool to be able to see it!

Thanks Casey! You make it seem so possible. Much appreciated.

Story is KING, I am so happy to find out this early in my film making career, thank's Casey 🙏

10th time watching this video and I can still learn something from it, best story teller on YouTube hands down

I hope this will turn into a series and will be continued someday

+Walkuerus most of us are here bc of his filmmaking

@Walid Elmergawy Oh, really ❓❓😜

+Walkuerus Yes! Good idea! Additional videos to the vlog.

+Walkuerus Yes. I was just getting excited... then it was over.

@CSapienza I know :/ But this video just felt too short. It endet so abrupt...

Years later and still relevant. I am watching all the old Casey Neistat vlogs, as I run my 3rd PC into a blue screen and cannot work myself anymore, instead I just watch you. Keen on getting back into editing, hope I can soon. xx from Australia.

You are so helpful and super inspiring. You have been such an inspiration to me.

Awesome stuff! I've been wanting to start a YouTube account about mountain biking and trips out and wanted some kit to get it going (70d sounds perfect). This is a really helpful vid Casey! (Plus I'm coming to NYC and wanted a new camera to film the trip)

@CaseyNeistat It was this episode that inspired me to start my own Vlog, I started with nothing using my cell phone and over time I started I learn something new everyday I will try and experiment with different things ultimately leaving meat to my biggest feat in a very very long time!!!! I have made it to 200 episodes of my vlog and it all started from this episode right here giving me the fundamentals or how to begin and I just wanted to say thank you!!! I'm quite sure you might not see this because you have over a million subscribers but if you do I'd like nothing more than you to stop by my channel and just say hello!!!! Thank you for giving me my start to being a YouTube creator

I've learned SO MANY lessons from this video. End of 2020 and timelessly relevant.

after watching 5 in a row of ur vids casey i can say I'm now a fan. Keep doing what you do man! One love brotha 👊🇵🇭❤

I've seen articles in respected photography magazines where working professional photographers were given a $200 or $300 camera and 24 hours to produce the best images they could, using natural light and no Photoshop or other post-production tools. Some of the images they produced were breathtaking in their emotional power, composition and artistic style. It ain't the tools. It's all about the creative imagination and the soulful expression of that vision by the guy/gal behind the camera and the endless hard work they put in learning their craft. End of story.

My husband and I watch your videos every evening after dinner. I never realised that there's a creator in all of us until I started watching your daily vlogs. Your commitment and drive is inspiring and has motivated me to create my own channel here on YouTube. I'm a textbook introvert and shy by nature, but creators like yourself have shown me that I can be an artist and do what I love without having to jeopardise who I am, or give up my sacred privacy. I guess I just wanted to thank you - whether you see this or not - and let it be known that you've touched a persons life. So thank you Casey, you're such a dude. x

same thing goes for art, you can buy the most expensive art supplies but that won't necessarily make you a better artist

@Tommy NYC go back to what he used to do, he was still famous before vlogging 

Casey. If you could never Vlog again...EVER... What would you do?

Stop Creepy on the site tools

@Luis Navas​ ... hey brother - I hear your sentiment... BUT I think the message Casey is sending and Guy is hammering home IS ... no excuses. If you want to shoot, create, document or experiment then pick up what you have and have at it... fuck employers. No excuses if you are truly an artist or creative. Don't let an " employer and people" take your power. Don't live by their expectations. Live by yours. That's Casey's and Guys way of life. I'm coming from a loving place man. Just don't let social and cultural trappings OR gear hold u back. Do YOU!

Best explanation ever. Literally helped so much. I personally use the Canon Rebel t3i not the t6i :)

Extremely thank you for your valuable teaching... I am an aspiring short film & webseries maker... Nearly new to this .

I've been making videos for about a year, and was finally starting to look for something beyond my iPhone 6s. This was extremely helpful. I was looking into an $800 camera, which is kindof over the top for a 15 year old who doesn't work yet. This was really eyeopening for me. I'm still gonna get a camera, but it's a good reminder that fancy gear wont get you very far, and it's totally fine to get a camera that (while functional and good) doesn't break the bank.

First thing to say, this vlog wont be for everyone, dont watch lol. Love that confidence!! If it was down to equipment then all the rich people would be the best at it. Obviously not the case, well said Casey ❤

I'm gunna go make a story now...

+chaseontwowheels ♟♞♝♜♛♚ David Cortese - Manga Chess ♙♘♗♖♕♔

+Noah Omar I figured it out, That's a bot accounts posting millions of the same comment they then use 16 other bots to thumb it up and make it more believable. sad really.

+Tearra Paige No. Reported.

Haha, or two. I think you should buy a motorcycle first.

Thank you so much for sharing some tips with me, its going to make my future job so much easier.👍💪

Love the videos Casey! Always entertaining

You put this into such a clear perspective Casey, I hope there are young kids out there still filming mini movies on cheap point and shoots and camcorders like me and my buddies did when we were 10! The world needs that!

This guy, is a true genius, he really is, something about his work that no one else can copy

You might get bored by getting told that this is incredible content - but it's true

True.

Thumbs up.

Story is king. Thank you! I am new to content creation and I think this just put me in the right direction!

Thanks Casey , Your work is really motivating

You are awesome! Finally i will not bother myself with money and cameras, and just focus on a story! Thanks for relief and inspiration!

Thank you so much. I'm not struggling with the gear but rather the editor. I moved up from iMovie to FCPX and the transition is rough, I am feeling stupid. Thanks for your videos)))

THIS is your most important video ever made. The true golden nugget in the stack. Thanks Casey

Very sincere Casey! Great lessons!

dude i really like your way of explaining things, you are a hell of a teacher

I keep watching this over and over again to remind me what is important. Thanks Casey

I bought the Sony Rx100 M3 a few months ago and love it. I actually prefer it to my Canon 60D. The M4 looks insane!! Really great advice Casey. I think you can have the most expensive camera and equipment on the planet, but if the content isn't good or engaging, who's going to watch it!?

"gears doesnt matter" and "story is golden", Wow, im just a new vlogger from the Philippines and i have learned so much from this video today. Thanks Casey for sharing. I only have a smartphone i used in my vlogging and sometimes i feel frustrated if people will watch and love my videos because i dont have the best gears .. But after watching this i believe someday my channel will grow too like yours.

FRED_ship Club create create create :) one day you will have the gear that you have been wanting. Best of luck, kabayan!

This is one of my favorite video's you've done Casey!

This is amazing! I hope to get better and better! It was very helpful!

Just watching it today April 27, 2020... this is so helpful, it motivate me.. it inspire me.. 👍😊 why I didn't see this video years ago?! Well, it's ok.. I just think it this way... My appointment with Casey is scheduled today! 😊 This video just came at the right time for me! Thank you Casey! This is super awesome! 👍😊🎉🇵🇭♥️

This is by far one of the most awesome videos you have made Casey! Who else remembers that feeling almost 200 days ago when Casey announced he would be making a video a day!? Man, so much has happened because of that!

There is actually a formula for telling stories kind of lol. There is the "periodic table of storytelling" definitely worth checking out.

A complete rolemodel! BIG INSPIRATION Casey!

the first cannon (T6S) SLR you showed us is in way more focus then the 70d, and way more saturated which makes me feel like I should opt for the first unless i wanted to spend to get the 5d mark 3

I love how his videos are, definitely worth watching

Did this take longer to edit since you used so many different cameras? Cool to see the difference (or lack there of) between them all!

+TheSUPERHAPPY1 for the most part, it was probably the same sd card, not a new sd card for every camera...

+SirBabyCakes HHHHHIIIIIISSSSSSSSSS

+TheSUPERHAPPY1 HISSSSSSSSSSSSSS

HISSSS

@Barnabro Yeah sry, I meant tape!

Thank you Casey. I'm learning from you Sir, just by watching your videos. Thanks.

Watching this over and over gave me a basic idea of how I want to film. It's a work in progress, but I want to evolve and eventually create my personal style of filming for youtube.

Thank you Casey for this video. It’s so easy to fall for the “I need better gear” trap. From our experience the more expensive the gear becomes, the more it will come in the way of telling the story (if we’re creating content for YouTube)

Yes!! I want to become a better story teller. That's the key to keeping people engaged. Thanks Casey!

Creating a video story is like typing a good story on a computer. At first you're going to get all caught up on the technical bits like what computer to use and what operating system and what the heck is word processing. But in the end, you're going to have to learn to use words to build sentences that follow a theme and tell a story - and figuring out that story is every bit as hard as writing up a truly first rate essay. Most people are going to hate it and give up. The rest are going to put together some really painful to watch videos that will get better with practice. Lots and lots of practice... and rework - just like that essay class that most people hate so much. Stick with it, and you'll get good at it. And then you'll realize you could have written just as good an essay using a pencil and paper from the bin. That is to say, don't buy fancy camera gear until you can tell a good story using just your phone.

lmao I've watched this specific video probably more than 10 times... you totally should have switched the axis on that chart, $ is the independent variable, quality is the dependent variable because it depends on how much you spend.... love the fact that you still got your point across and that you are successful in this space.. wish you nothing but the best, looking forward to EVERY vlog to come!!!!!

6 years later and still re-watching. You don’t know how hard it is to do what this guy does until you try. Props Casey.

Hey Casey, Im shooting drone shots and making videos, my biggest question is, where is the best place for copyright free music. And if your using copyrighted music how do you go about getting the rights to use the music in the videos your creating. Love your work by the way, great stuff

4 years later, and this is still so useful!

Nicely done as always Casey

The Art of Photography ii

The Art of Photography q

The Art of Photography awesome as always! Learning so much!

Let's be honest. Casey is a Genius, but real filmmaking belong to others ( Brandon Li, Yuri Palma, Taylorcutfilms, Ben Brown...).

now u have 999 likes :D

Really great video! This was really helpful. I just started my YouTube channel. So I'm trying to learn from you and other Youtubers. You do an amazing job!

I would LOVE to hear how and where you started getting your music from. This video is the reason I started to fiddle around with a simple Point and Shoot camera. I'm just having fun - but I'm looking for a way, to find 'better' music. I'm using epidemic sound, and they're great. But, I'm currently trying to make a tutorial on how to make a owl only using a pierce of wood, a chainsawsaw and a anglegrinder.. But the speaking parts is'nt really some 128 MP electro fun stuff. - Ya. I quess my question is - How do you find your music is my question? Thanks for changing lifes. Do what you can't!

I cannot stress how many times I have come back to this absolutely brilliant video.

Casey thank you soo much. Been overthinking it lately but ill focus more on story versus my lack of gear!

THAT WAS SO HELPFUL!! THANK YOU CASEY!!

I still get inspired watching this video and it's downhill to 2020!! Maybe the GoPro bit might be out of date with the release of the new Hero 8 as I believe you can set it to NOT look like typical GoPro footage. I (as many do) miss Casey's daily vlogs but I am made up that he's very happy with his new life chapter in California.

Whats amazing is that I bought a camera and my parents take me places maybe once or twice a month I have a GoPro but its perfect for me because I do action films fishing/hunting and I take pictures. This helps slot because I'm hitting the point to where I can go myself

Just found this channel a few days ago and i can say you are totally my favourite Casey, love from India!

You can seriously hear the audio difference

Yes, Tarnation is "amazing" but also incredibly "depressing." So here is the thing - with ANY artwork - you as an artist have to ultimately choose where on the "joyful-depressing spectrum" to place your work. Lots and lots of artists make depressing art because they mistaken think that sorrow makes the art somehow realistic or truthful or revealing or even profound. But it is not. It does - however - show that the artist is not getting enough nutrition, sleep and peace of mind. That sounds overly simple and a bit of a leap - but that is why it is true. Joyful art is just better art in the same way that joyful life is just better life. I enjoy your videos Casey because they have way more joy than sorrow.

i've seen every video in order from the beginning to the end and he has raised so much, I want to be just like him but so much more

You're right about the gear. I created a short film "Sour!" with the following gear: Smasung HMX-Q10 (720p60fps) NO Mic (FreeSound Effects) Hama tripod (Cheap) Sony Vegas Pro 0.13.0 (You can use trial) And the result was amazing. Yeah, gear dosen't matter but sometimes does. If your movie is 480p, it's still watchable. But if it is blurry and 144p, get a upgrade.

Casey I can relate. My parents used to film me on those old camera's as well, for like my 3rd birthday.

thankyou for inspiring the people around the world. god bless you with loads of success. long live beme and Casey neistat ❤

@***** very, haha

@Aspen Naoki but true :p

+mrlozmoore savage

+Aditya Bansal he worked hard for his success, your god myth played no part.

yes he is inspiration to many and am one in em .. its really good to see his vlogs

Love how he explains how gear doesn't matter. I want my videos to look like his.