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Mercury52 Inner circle Kevin Reylek 2239 Posts |
Disc 9, the final disc in True Astonishments. Also the disc that comes with the most anticipated of all of the various included props, the TA pen.
The TA pen is a very versatile prop. Several presentational ideas are provided (my favorite being Short Term Memory, which is actually the least visual idea presented, but to my way of thinking, the most impactful) and I'm sure that anyone with an ounce of creativity will come up with a slew of other ways to use the pen upon viewing. I took Jason Messina's advice, and didn't mess with the pen until I'd watched the DVD. I also watched the performances of the effects before I watched any explanations or the Romancing the Pen section. The Romancing the Pen section is very thorough, and will cover everything you need to know about caring for and customizing the TA pen. The pen is well-built, and should last a long time with a moderate amount of care. Paul and Co were nice enough to include a "spare parts" pen, just in case you need them. The ink isn't some special kind of proprietary ink, you can refill it yourself as the need presents itself. The pen looks oridnary, and can be handled by the spectators within reason. Something as casual as handing them the pen in order to sign a bill is perfectly fine. I don't want to get into breakdowns of each idea presented with the pen, except one. Short Term Memory. Instead of a wild visual change or bill transpo (which are all really cool), Short Term Memory takes a different approach. You draw a few shapes on a bill, and show them to multiple spectators, asking them to remember them. You then tell one spectator that you're going to make her forget one of the shapes. After your magical moment, she names the shapes that she remembers seeing. The other audience members verify that she missed one. I love this idea. The fact that you can make a spectator simply forget something will really hit them hard. YOu could make people believe that you're the "real deal" with this effect. Angel Cake An interesting principle with a lot of applications. I'll admit that when I watched the performance section, I had a vague idea of what was going on, but I wasn't sure of the exact workings. Only when everything was explained, and PH shared his feelings of deviousness in the Phoote Note, did everything really click into place and make me grow just a bit more evil. I know that Jason and others have been careful not to describe Angel Cake in other areas, so I don't want to elaborate too much. I will say that you see a reaction to Angel Cake in the long preview video, and it's a strong effect. If you like applying your own presentations to your magic and playing with versatile concepts that let you achieve many varied effects based on one core principle, then you'll love disc 9. Kevin
Kevin Reylek
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B Hackler Special user 778 Posts |
Great review
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Andi Peters Inner circle 1330 Posts |
I'm still waiting for mine to arrive!
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sirbrad Inner circle PA 2096 Posts |
Good review. Although I wished you would have kept them all in one thread so they did not get spread out all over the forum over time.
The great trouble with magicians is the fact that they believe when they have bought a certain trick or piece of apparatus, and know the method or procedure, that they are full-fledged mystifiers. -- Harry Houdini
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WayneNZ Inner circle New Zealand 1013 Posts |
Any problems with overseas currancey ?
ie, our money is thin plastic type stuff. Can you still do Angel Cake etc ? |
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Nathan Pain Inner circle iowa 2825 Posts |
Wayne,
Can you fold your money? If so, you should be all right... Angel Cake can be used in numerous ways...the original is AMAZING! But if your money won't work...you can still use it for other things... Nathan
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WayneNZ Inner circle New Zealand 1013 Posts |
It wont keep the fold by itself.
So Bill Switch is not as easy as it used to be. But I've found ways to overcome most problems. thanks Wayne |
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Mercury52 Inner circle Kevin Reylek 2239 Posts |
Sirbrad - I was actually thinking of ease of finding specific discs over time, which is why I made separate threads for the different reviews. Right now, while everything's fresh, it does seem repetitive to have so many threads. But, at some point each disc will be released separately, and each disc really can stand alone to a certain extent. Since I wasn't reviewing the whole set at once, doing separate threads made sense to me.
A year from now, it will be much easier to find info on a specific disc rather than having to dig through a thread that's dozens of pages long looking for a review of one particular disc. With that said though, if the mods think that these would be better suited in a single thread, then they can feel free to merge them. As for using foreign currency with the TA Pen, that will depend on the currency. Stuff that's similar to US bills will work best. I think there will be some paper money that works, and some that doesn't. I suppose one solution would be to use American bills and fit your presentation around the "strange money used by Americans". You could also use blank paper the size of dollar bills. The Angel Cake principle does not involve the TA Pen, so it should be fine for international use. Kevin
Kevin Reylek
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Douglas Lippert Inner circle E Pluribus Unum 2343 Posts |
Anyone notice those weird little black dots on Disc 9?? When you hit select they just blink.
Best, Doug L.
Douglas Lippert
Former I.B.M. Ring #8 Secretary |
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Andi Peters Inner circle 1330 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-02-07 19:28, sirbrad wrote: I agree, it's really annoying having to flick backwards and forwards between threads. Should have combined them from the outset. |
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Up_in_smoke Regular user England 143 Posts |
Thanks for all your reviews on TA Mercury52, tey keep the twitches away until mine arrive
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synth_infusion Loyal user 210 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-02-08 02:00, Doug Lippert wrote: I have. I'm still trying to figure out what that is. |
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Steve Hook Inner circle Raleigh, NC, USA 1266 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-02-08 01:46, Mercury52 wrote: I agree 100% with your thinking, Mercury52. Not sure what the other guys are talking about!?? It would wind up being waaaaayyyyyy harder to find specific information on a trick if all the tricks from all nine disks were being discussed in one thread! =8-o - Steve H
Like Bonnie Raitt said, "I miss Little Feat more than I miss being 8 years old." Thanks for the concerts + recordings, Lowell, Richie, and Paul!
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Merenkov Elite user 412 Posts |
Kevin, thanks for all your initial impression reviews. Sometimes it's more useful to get one intelligent perspective on a video series like this, as compared to the chaos of 100 posters offering their views in a single thread. One final question, though. Now that you have seen the entire set, do you think it was worth it? I realize you obviously liked the set based on your reviews, but do you think the purchase of all 9 of these videos was a superior value to a comparable purchase of 9 videos from an assortment of well-known magicians and their pet effects?
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Nathan Pain Inner circle iowa 2825 Posts |
This IS an assortment of artist's routines....and VERY worth it...I know it was not my question to answer...but for what it's worth.
Nathan
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Merenkov Elite user 412 Posts |
Thanks Nathan, that's a helpful opinion, but I suppose the difference here is that the TA set selects the 9 videos (and combination of magicians) for you, whereas one could select 9 videos from 9 of one's favorite performers on one's own.
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Nathan Pain Inner circle iowa 2825 Posts |
Oh, I see your point...but it is really great!
Nathan
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Mercury52 Inner circle Kevin Reylek 2239 Posts |
Hi Merenkov, thanks for your comments. You've posed some great questions. In short, I feel the set is absolutely worthwhile. While PH is sprinkled all throughout the DVDs, this absolutely is a collaborative set that shows off the thinking and style of many different creators.
There are some effects that I would have bought in a heartbeat as single tricks based on descriptions alone. There are others that I probably would have passed up, but am glad I've now been exposed to. I've also had my first exposure to some magicians, and I look forward to exploring their future work. From a pure monetary perspective and the quantity of material here, it's worth it. With the going rate for single effects today being around $20-$35, if you add that up for all the effects on TA, you're coming out way ahead. There are certain tricks and principles here that could have sold for well over the normal going rate for a single trick. See my comments about Water Trap on Disc 7, for example. I believe that effect alone can generate thousands of dollars of income for a working performer. There is such a huge variety of material here, I really think anyone will find material they like, regardless of their individual styles or preferences. Of course, the set isn't all about the effects. The various Phoote Notes and interviews with other artists are really engaging and enlightening. Think of how much you'd spend to attend lectures or workshops with Jeff McBride, Eugene Burger, Michael Ammar, Eric Mead, David Blaine, Mac King, and Paul Harris to be able to listen to them talk about their thoughts on magic. More than $300 combined, I'm sure. If I were to buy 9 discs of material from my favorite magicians, I'm sure I'd enjoy them, learn some great magic, and be very happy with my purchase, so it's hard to make that kind of comparison. 9 discs from my favorite magicians will typically cost more than $300 though and won't include props for performance, so I guess TA wins there. Also, if they had broken the set up by "theme" and included the Cookies as "main bits" they easily could have made TA 12-15 discs, and charged $500 or more. TA does offer striking magic with real world impact that is fairly easy to do. But, on top of the effects, it offers some real insight into the aspect of performing, rather than just "showing tricks". There is a lot of great work here about connecting with an audience and making magic personal and emotional, which is just as valuable (if not more so) than any one method. With many magic DVDs, you'll watch them once, perhaps add a trick to your repertoire, and move on. With TA, people will be continually re-watching and studying the work presented. Just as AOA is a cornerstone for magic books, so will TA be for magic DVDs. Kevin
Kevin Reylek
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sirbrad Inner circle PA 2096 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-02-08 21:01, Steve Hook wrote: Um no it wouldn't, it is EASIER. No other set was reviewed like this, and all of the other information for large sets were all posted in one thread and are easy to find. Stars of magic 9 DVD set, Vernon's Revelations, Daryl's EOCS etc. Creating separate threads just spreads everything all over the place. I don't care about one disk reviews, I want to see what is on all 9 disks in ONE thread. Not go on scavenger hunts for each disk. Frankly, I have no idea what YOU'RE talking about.
The great trouble with magicians is the fact that they believe when they have bought a certain trick or piece of apparatus, and know the method or procedure, that they are full-fledged mystifiers. -- Harry Houdini
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jordanjohnson Special user Hiding in the Shadows 593 Posts |
Here you go sirbrad, nothing a little work wont solve. Ill even if you want copy all the text from the reviews into one word doc and send it to you. Just let me know.
1 & 2 http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......m=111&38 3 & 4 http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......m=111&12 5 & 6 http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......um=111&4 7 & 8 http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......um=111&4 9 http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......m=111&18 JJ Magicians Helping Magicians P.S. Just copy and paste into a word doc. on your computer and save it to your desktop under True Astonishments review links. |
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