Ryan Trahan beats an old man at the airport 👴⚡️🏃🏻♂️
a YouTube Short showing the healing powers of choosing enemies
YouTube Short of the Week #007
Howdy, friend 👋
Enemies are underrated.
Whether it is your anti-vaccine colleague, your bestie’s dickish boyfriend, or the gym bro giving you looks before the HIIT class starts.
Enemies are everywhere.
And one must love them dearly because they can bring out the best in us.
So today we have a good one on the topic:
Welcome to Ryan Trahan's masterclass on establishing antagonists and drama in 31 seconds.
The “auto walk” YT short structure goes like this:
1. Setting the scene
2. Introducing the opponent
3. Add tension
4. False victory
5. All is lost
6. Climax
7. Result, reflection, back to normal
Watch the short and I'll see you in 31 seconds 🏃🏻♂️
Jan 27, 2022
119M Views / 10.5K comments / 4.94M likes
31 seconds / 118 words
Let's break it down:
Storytelling beats:
1. Setting the scene
"This is called an auto walk and they scare me so every chance I get I race strangers that ride these to prove that I don't need it"
Why it works:
Crystal clear goal, context, and motivation. Perfect hook.
Ryan’s irrational fear of auto walks and the need to prove himself against them is a relatable conflict.
For the record, as a kid, I was afraid of escalators.
So thank you, Ryan. You make me feel seen.
2. Introducing the obstacle
"my opponent today is this older gentleman
a quick Google search suggests his top-end speed is 6.2 miles an hour"
Why it works:
Ryan builds anticipation with a surprising opponent.
Silly? maybe.
But he's taking this seriously. So I root for him; this old man is the enemy. I want Ryan to smoke him badly.
Also, the detail of the top speed is hilarious and makes the story feel real and grounded.
3. Add tension
0:06 - 0:08
"he came out of the gate hot he was off to an early lead"
Why it works:
Gramps taking an early lead is unexpected, which makes it funnier but also adds tension. This race won’t be easy.
4. False victory
0:08 - 0:12
"but that lead quickly vanished when I turned on the jets"
Why it works:
A shift in the race. Action, drama, simplicity.
As expected, Ryan has this in the bag.
Or does he?
5. All is lost
0:12 - 0:20
"about halfway through the race, the unimaginable happened
my calf started cramping :("
Why it works:
Alas. The dark night of the soul.
It could be a cramp racing gramps at the airport.
Or an unanswered email from your potential client.
Heck, this morning I waved at a neighbor who didn’t wave back at me and I felt emotionally body-slammed.
Point is:
Ryan clearly stated a fear, a goal, and why this is important.
So the leg cramp feels cataclysmic.
If we know from the beginning why you care about the thing, we'll feel the impact of the obstacles regardless of how silly they might seem.
6. Climax
0:20 - 0:24
"this race was over...over my dead body that is"
Why it works:
Determination.
✅ You sent a fifth follow-up email to that client.
✅ You tapped that neighbor's shoulder and wished him a “Good day, sir!” an inch away from his face.
You’re showing resilience.
You’re showing the sweat.
You're going for it.
7. Result, reflection, back to normal
0:24 - 0:28
"I shifted gears and found myself neck and neck with someone's grandfather and, just like that, I was still undefeated
and still insecure"
Why it works:
Ryan won, yes. But what did he win?
Our deepest insecurities don't disappear with a single victory.
Self-acceptance is an life-long journey.
Mind over matter.
There’s no spoon, Neo.
One love.
Kumbaya.
But I digress.
There's beauty in having an impact regardless of your results.
If anything, auto-walk away with this:
Enemies and antagonists are challenging. And any challenge is interesting to watch if we know what it means to you.
Some of my enemies:
myself
global warming
the guy speeding his bike inside my compound
every person who hasn’t waved back at me
raisins
List your enemies. It's a balm for the soul.
Do you know who will never be my enemy?
You 🫶
For making it all the way here.
That's my time for today.
Still working on my second long form YT, but here's my first:
See you next week
Matias Ruiz-Tagle
Founder of Atomic Stories