Where to go from here?

[k1ng1992]

hi, i am a beginning/ intermediate magician, but i cant decide on what to do to raise my magic to the next level.

I realize that in many points in my routine, i have trouble continuing with my routine. I just start with mercury aces or something like that, go into some stories about card control while using the pass, shapeshifter, and various double-lift techniques. I just dont find this to be varied enough.

i was looking at symphony by DG, dangerous by DM, the art of magic by WH, or the trilogy set. i dont know which one will really push me to the next level, and which ones will just give me another set of tricks i wont use (i dont mean to say that any tricks of theirs are bad, they just sometimes dont fit my style and my level of being comfortable to perform with it)

but my main concern is that these multi effect dvds will be filled with too many tricks, and maybe it would be best to buy a dvd or book that is set around one trick. I was looking at search and destroy, surfaced, distortion, and other stuff along the lines of that.


see the thing i am looking for is powerful effects (i prefer cards, but i love all types of magic and i do perform with many different medias) but i also need diversity, and i need to know if whether buying a really good multi effect dvd, or a sinlge trick dvd that can be used in many applications would be the best path for me.

....thank you for your help..

 

[Shisaki]

Well, in Mystique by D+m angle zero and breach are AMAZING and in trilogy most of the tricks are mind blowing.

 

[revelation77]

I know you're looking for 'powerful effects' but what will take your magic to the next level is performing and presenting it. Seriously, once you learn how to make a so-called 'average' trick into a powerful effect, you on your way. There will always be tricks out there that you want to learn but really focus on your own style and how you present things as impossible or surprising or funny and learn how to 'make' the trick. ("The trick doesn't make the magician")
The more you perform, the more you'll see what style fits you and what comes naturally. Once you've discerned this style, you won't really be asking us broad questions on what to get next...You'll know the style of effect that you're after
Hope that makes sense. If you have any questions, don't hesitate.

Peace,
Rev.

 

[D ICE R]

I would recommend Art of Magic over the other ones that you have mentioned. Not because of the effects that it contains but because of the interviews and discussions of what magic is and how it should be presented. I mean there are 100 ways to vanish a cigarette but the best is still a TT. Just because the method is simple (French Kiss for example is only a mild variation on the classic two card transpo.) does not mean the effect is flawed. Look at what Blaine did in the first Street Magic specials. There was nothing too amazing from a methodology point of view but it became an instant classic because of how strong a performer Blaine is.

With AOM however you should only take it with a grain of salt and not the law. Wayne and the others do not go into incredibly deep topics but there is somethings that you will disagree with and if you have a good enough reason to do so then you will grow from that. And who knows one day you may go back and actually agree with what you initially thought so strongly against .

Also (from what I have seen) Wayne is the strongest performer out of the group. Watching someone who knows what they are doing is worth its weight in gold.

 

[Luka]

King, These guys know what they are talking about. If you are looking for card stuff, the I sugggest you get the book or dvd of royal road to card magic. Dan and Dave stuff may be a little to difficult for you at this point in time. Art of Magic is a great dvd, and yes Wayne is one of the best performers. I do not have any DM stuff. Symphony by DG is also great. But in the end, work on your presentation, and Royal Road is your best bet.

 

[k1ng1992]

thanks

That all sounds really good. After writing this i did notice how i love and try to incorporate Wayne's subtleties into the way i perform, but i dont really have many of his dvds. but i also will need to look at all the other options more carefully and maybe buy two or even three of them to be satisfied..

and rev, i really liked your reply and i completely agree. I try to do that all the time with my routine and it has really helped since about 6 months ago when i would just fly through my tricks and not care about building a trick into something more amazing. I really am blown away about how when i finish a card trick with something simple, like and Erdnase (i doubt i spelled that right) color change and it will blow people away when done in the right way with enough emphasis.

one thing i probably should have talked about more is my skill. I own andthensome by the buck twins, and from there i have learned the jones change, tivo 2.0 and its variations, and other tricks with relative ease. just for a rundown of what i own that i try to use in my routine is; andthensome, ninja 1, ninja 2, Fan2c (only sometimes), cc1, cc2, and army of 52.

i think i should buy art of magic first, and then probably pickup dangerous as well as surfaced later on. maybe even distortion just to have an effect that is more than card manipulation..

again thank you for all your help and it definitly made a big difference in my decision.

k1ng

 

[1412004]

not sure about the other, but i don't recommand to get "Trilogy-tricks", Dan and Dave are good teachers, their tricks are good; but people just won't call it "magic", it's more like something amazing that you can do with a deck of cards with lots of practice.

 

[AsherF]

If you want material that will take you to the next level. My main recommendation is to spend a good fortune and pick up TA. What you get is not just a batch of tricks. You also get a masterclass in magic. The interviews are worth the price alone in my opinion.

Other than that, Darwin Ortiz would be great to look into.

 

[Llero]

not sure about the other, but i don't recommand to get "Trilogy-tricks", Dan and Dave are good teachers, their tricks are good; but people just won't call it "magic", it's more like something amazing that you can do with a deck of cards with lots of practice.

You're insane. Card to Mouth is a brilliant, simple effect that looks entirely like magic, Deja Vu is one of my favorite effects of all time, and the Queens, when done properly, looks ridiculously clean.

You could always buy Surfaced and spend the next few months working on the Clipshift!

 

[LuseifHo]

Alright...
You say you are beginner/ intermediate... but that doesnt tell me jack... so ill just tell you what I recommend for anyone who asks me this.
Dont buy any of these new DVDs. They are great in some ways, but they are mainly tricks. You get tips and notes on performing but it is only the tip of the iceberg.
You need to see how you present and understand how to adapt to your style. I personally enjoy comedy more so I just watch performers and understand how they communicate and present. I would recommend you watch performances, you dont even need to buy DVDs. of David Williamson, Gregory Wilson, Lennart Green, and John Archer. These guys perform like a BAMF.
If you are looking for material to perform to real laymen rather than for self satisfactory. I highly do not recommend the Trilogy by Dan and Dave. That stuff is "mad cool" at most for laymen. The Buck's tricks do not pass as magic. They only pass as quick tricks. Sure their material may be impossible to explain, but honestly how often do you see people flip a card over to show it with it spinning between two piles of cards? never. thats when. You could change the routines to meet your own style but overall, I would say that their magic was made for magicians rather than laymen. I assume you would want to leave a magical impression rather than just a cool one.

Out of the ones you listed out... I would honestly go for DM's Mystique for tricks. Art of Magic teaches you tricks as well as some theory, but Mystique offers you a lot more to expand on. Angle Zero... one of my favorite tricks to perform. A basic concept, basic effect, has millions of possibilities and expansions. in Art of Magic there is a thing with a ring and envelope and string... its quite specific. Although you can expand a bit on the presentation, its not that flexible. If you learn the tricks in Mystique, then you easily put your own "essence" on them to make them you.

As for my opinions... DVDs/ Books that would give you some killer material and perspective on magic would to get really contrasted products. Get some with sock full of gimmicks and setups and get some on impromptu magic. Get views on everything so you can decide what you like and head towards wherever you want. You can then by taking this understanding of yourself and make a simple trick into something amazing. My Biddle trick is now a long routine where I get into subjects of poker, cheating, emotion and what not. By taking such a simple trick, I have actually gotten such a big reaction from it.

Joshua Jay is a great guy to learn from. I recommend his book Sessions or his Talk About Tricks Set. You get a lot of tricks and you get a bunch of conversations/ notes about performing. He is one of the few New guys who I actually find amazingly good. His material is use-worthy in all situations to magicians and laymen. He has gimmicks as well as impromptu. He has skill, he has charm, and he is not a sell out. I would also recommend picking up his Split Decision. I know this contradicts myself when I say dont buy single tricks (below). But goddamn... this trick has been in my repertoire for at least 3 years and it has killed everything in its path. Nothing ever has been able to compare to it. It is easy as ever and has the greatest effect ever.

David Stones' Real Secrets of Magic is a great one. Can introduce you to performing table hopping style.

Darwin Ortiz books give you a great amount of Knowledge on performing.

John Cornelius and Ray Kosby can introduce you to some hard core magic. Some may not be that practical, but their tricks are just classic.

I would recommend Paul Harris' Art of Astonishment book set. Do not get the DVD ever. the material on the DVD is like 1/12 of the books. The books have practically everything you can think of. Coins, cards, lip balm, oranges, paper, chocolate, wallets, everything.

Swami Mantra is a fun book to pick up. You wont learn much you can use, but you do gain a lot of knowledge from what you read and understand what "classic tricks" are and what the olden days used to be like.

Paul Harris also has a Stars of Magic DVD set that is just... chocked full of material. Its insane how cheap it is. It is almost the equivolent of the AOA books but still less material.

Alakazam Magic has a Sessions DVD. You get a lot of great tricks as well as interviews.

Once you get better, I highly recommend the material by Benjamin Earl. His trilogy I would say is better than the Bucks by atleast 3 times. You get actual material in all 3 DVDs that you can use to laymen. You learn everyting you would need. The DVDs are : Mentalism, Gambling, and Magic ( ithink... not sure). But everyting on it is golden. But Ben assumes you understand how to do some basic moves such as palming, some false shuffles, stealing, and so on. But once you get it. I guarantee you will love it.

You can pick up some Reel Magic Quarterly DVDs. its basically a magazine in DVD form...

Other performers to check out are... Lennart Green. Aldo Colombini. Wayne Dobson. Jeff Hobson. Simon Lovell, Allan Ackerman, Michael Ammar, Richard Sanders, etc.

I would not recommend buying single tricks at all unless you really really really want it and heard a lot of good stuff from it or it requires a gimmick that is not "findable" anywhere else. Some single tricks might be worth it, such as material by the great guys. But I would say majority of single trick DVDs would be a dissappointment. Even if it is that amazing, I would still recommend you to hold off. A multi-trick DVD usually costs 25-40 while a single trick costs 10-20... weigh the pros and cons...

I would also refrain from buying the newest products. You listed out pretty recent products and I would say that none of them would give you a great amount of knowledge and experience. Sure you get some cool tricks... but...what else do you learn? Do you rather spending 30 dollars on a lot of tricks and some theory as well as anecdotes or would you rather spend it on learning 1 single color change? And you said above that you basically planned out to buy all the new products, which you will benefit from but not as much as possible. You got Andthensome. How do you think that works with laymen. Do they love portal? cause... no laymen I met has deuced in their pants just yet when I perform it.

I would recommend you right now to try to absorb as much as possible. Who cares if you cant learn everything on the DVD. Just understand the concepts and thoughts behind everything so that you can develop some of your own to expand and elaborate upon.

 

[Cedric Taylor]

i personally don't like DG's methods to a lot of his effects.....his performance is bar none but his method to me are tailored for him only......wayne houchin has better stuff....and and crazy powerful....

 

[RyanH]

Get Card College 1-5 at your local shop or at
http://www.ellusionist.com/card-college-by-robert-giobbi.html
honestly it has to be the best investment I ever made

 

[wZEnigma]

If you get anything get Army of 52 or The Trilogy. The Trilogy is amazing sleight of hand, flourishes, and more, although I have the PDF packet that sort of corresponds to that. Army of 52, although it deals with gaffs, has so many sleights: Jack Carpenter Impulse Change, K.M. Move, JK Hartman Pop Out Move, Justin Miller's modified Erdnase....oh so much. Card College is also good, I've heard a lot about it.

Ian