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Cervier Inner circle France 1274 Posts |
MY MINDSET
Corinda wrote "you should try and master is ONE good way to switch (or exchange) say a billet, one good way to switch an envelope, one good way to switch a pack of cards and so on. Never mind about variations". Without knowing it, I've always gone by that advice. I have a very good billet switch for standard situations, and another one for when I'm sitting, and a last one for when I'm holding another object. According to Corinda, that's already two too many. Being a compulsive searcher for new stuff (a tendency I try to fight, I promise!). I bought the excellent and absolute must-have"Switchcraft" and kept my eyes open whenever I would see a new technique. As often, it's mainly a matter of taste, of feeling comfortable with something and I had never come accros a switch that appealed to me enough I would add it to my arsenal --let alone replace one of my own with it. That's a long introduction I hope you'll forgive, I want to make it clear I wasn't expecting ground-breaking stuff from Julien Losa's video. THE SWITCH(ES) I knew it was going to be based on existing moves, just like a musician would say there are only so many notes. And just like some composers, using notes others have used for their piece, are able to write a song you instantly start to hum, Julien put together basic bricks to build something solid and really nice looking! Not the Taj Mahal, not a masterpiece one would compare to what Mozart wrote, but not just another variation slightly different from already existing switches. His (the first of the two he shows) has the beauty of simplicity and efficiency, the kind of good ideas that seems so natural one thinks "Man, I could -I should!- have thought of that one! Nice!" That first switch is brilliant. About the technique, I've seen and tried many switches that require the billets (original + dummy) to be placed in a certain fashion (look for the bank notes switch from L. Vosburgh Lyons in the "1938-39 Winter Extra" issue of the Jinx if you want to know what I mean). So far, I'd always thought that way of placing the billets was an unecessary precaution and one that made separating one from the other not as easy. Julien's techniquee made me change my mind. His "extraction" move is a "hat trick": easy, natural looking and efficient! One day I'll make a list of everything I invented that had already been published either a week or a millennium before So I sympathyze with Julien: the second switch, one he invented while he was cast away on a boat (well, a cruise ship ) had been discovered and published about a year ago by Jay Di Bias. Who gentlemanly accepted that Julien publish it anyway. THE ROUTINE Really, [S]Witch is a complete routine you can do almost impromptu, as long as you have two pieces of paper (e.g. two business cards) a pen and a spectator. It's simple and strong, like, in the same league as a CT, for instance. It's simple and used mainly to showcase the switches, but Julien provides us with the complete choregraphy and timing. That routine has been tested and done dozens of times, it shows! There are two versions of the routine on the video: one tabled and one standing, and he also gives ideas of other effects that can be performed with those moves, like Q&As for instance. MY CONCLUSION Those switches are definitely going into my "toolbox". I will keep my "old" ones, because I'm used to them, but also because there are situations in which they are better suited. But there are other situations, such as the ones described in the above routines, where Julien's take the cake without any doubt, because they look nice, because they fool even skeptical spectators who "burn your hands with their gaze". Aside from the product itself, what I like about that author: - he goes out of his way to give proper credits, I appreciate that, - he doesn't overprice his stuff to make it look like it's the "ultimate shmigabling", my wallet appreciates that Even if you already have switches you're happy with, you'll use that one. I have, I do
"A friend is someone who know you well but loves you anyway" H. Lauwick
The Lynx Deck, http://jmmaries.free.fr/cervier/ Grapheeteez, on GooglePlay Telemos the peek envelope, on SkywardMagic Telemos en Francais sur TheMysteryStore |
John C Eternal Order I THINK therefore I wrote 12945 Posts |
Where?
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Cervier Inner circle France 1274 Posts |
Oups, it seems I forgot that:
it's on Penguin (English version), $14.90 or on www.secretstudio.tv (French version).
"A friend is someone who know you well but loves you anyway" H. Lauwick
The Lynx Deck, http://jmmaries.free.fr/cervier/ Grapheeteez, on GooglePlay Telemos the peek envelope, on SkywardMagic Telemos en Francais sur TheMysteryStore |
John C Eternal Order I THINK therefore I wrote 12945 Posts |
O easy enough.
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John C Eternal Order I THINK therefore I wrote 12945 Posts |
OK I got it. But I've come to the conclusion that billets are not my cup of tea.
I'd rather and feel more comfortable just using plain flat biz cards and placing them back in the stack. etc. Maybe the only slight being a dl. Or a simple imp pad. I don't get all the work that needs to go into a BS. Although if a bs is your thing this is a good tool. J |
Waters. Special user 703 Posts |
Julien's billet work is absolutely beautiful (or invisible, I mean).
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JulienLosa New user France 92 Posts |
Hi guys !
@John C : no prob ! There are so many ways to "read people"s thought" that it's normal that some would fit our needs and some won't ! I'm still glad you gave it a try... PM me, I'll send you another routine of mine with pleasure ! @Sean Waters : Thank you so much ! much appreciated coming from you ! (yeah, I'm a fan boy. ) Best, Julien |
Johnsypoppins Regular user 134 Posts |
Really like this, don't know many billet switches but this one looks oh so innocent and is easy to boot.
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JulienLosa New user France 92 Posts |
Thank you !
Really glad you're enjoying it! |
pacozaa Loyal user 273 Posts |
Pros,
- The structure and video "quality" are great. - Teaching is great. He is funny and not boring. - Techniques are also great. They are invisible. Cons, - Jacket or Loose pants required, if you perform without table. - Work best with table - Specific type of billet. Thank you Julien Losa. I enjoyed your work. |
JulienLosa New user France 92 Posts |
Hey !
Thank you very much ! I appreciate ! If anyone who bought my switch is interested in a way of reading the info without table, without jacket : I've been working on a lot of billet techniques lately and I came with a few ways of reading, and one that I'm willing to share with the people who purchased [S]Witch ! Just pm me ! Best, Julien |
Greg Arce Inner circle 6732 Posts |
Just bought this at Penguin. Wow! Julien does put his own spins on billets and switching. I loved the open hand display and the unfolding switch.
He is an excellent teacher and shows you all the angles. Plus he always adds other ideas with it. Great stuff! Greg
One of my favorite quotes: "A critic is a legless man who teaches running."
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dafin77 Regular user 140 Posts |
Penguin seems no longer to have this. Is it available in English somewhere?
David Finkelstein
dafin77@hotmail.com |
Nestor D Special user France (Paris) 830 Posts |
You can find it (in English) on Julien's website: https://the-mystery-store.com/product/en......-switch/
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252life Inner circle Ninth Circle, Hades 3243 Posts |
This is absolutely worth picking up. Whole heartedly recommended. Julians a treat as well.
10 thumbs up
Look for all the world like you're counting the brain cells in his cranium.
-Theodore Annemann |
hbwolkov Inner circle 2947 Posts |
When you order Switch, does this come electronically or in the mail ?
Northern California
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domclarke Regular user Windsor, UK 146 Posts |
Electronically. There are two video downloads. One which has the 'tabled' routing and also the standing routine. And a shorter one which has a standing version without a jacket.
It's excellent stuff. Very pleased with the purchase, and also his quality of explanation. |
dafin77 Regular user 140 Posts |
I had trouble finding [S]witch at Penguin, because when I type "Losa" into their search engine, it doesn't come up. Losa's other work does come up, but not that. I eventually found it by searching instead for [S]witch. Odd.
David Finkelstein
dafin77@hotmail.com |
JulienLosa New user France 92 Posts |
Hello ! a quick update : it's up on Lybrary for those who prefer to buy through Lybrary !
Best, Julien |
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