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The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Dvd, Video tape, Audio tape & Compact discs. » » Draven Reviews: Conscious Magic *1 & 2 (1 Likes) Printer Friendly Version

William Draven
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Las Vegas, NV
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Title: Conscious Magic Episode 1* & 2
Artist: Andrew Gerard & Ran Pink
Producers: Andrew Gerard & Ran Pink?
Link: Available At Your Favorite Murphy’s Magic Dealer
Demo Video Link:
Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POlTTmqhOws
Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6_oHjN6Wzw

Retail Price: $35.00 USD each
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Length of DVD:
Episode 1: 1:05:08 (approx.)
Episode 2: 1:19:08 (approx.)
Notes: *Episode 1 is limited edition and comes with a set of brand name Loops.


Conscious Magic is a brilliant two disk DVD set (thus far) of hard hitting effects designed for the casual environment. Whether you find yourself performing in bars, clubs, restaurants, on the street, or just about anywhere else you may need to impress people with your super powers the material covered in Conscious Magic will certainly come in handy.

Nothing in Conscious Magic is too difficult that it can’t be learned with a little practice. Making all the routines viable for instant insertion into your working repertoire. Honestly at first glance a center tear and a version of Paul Curry’s Out of This World may not seem ground breaking because let’s be real how many books and DVD’s are there out there dedicated to teaching these two things? But Andrew and Ran have put this material to the test thru thousands of performances in real world situations. This isn’t magic theory, this is their working stuff! And does it work? Oh baby you bet it does!

Out of This World has got to be one of my favorite card tricks, and I have a version of it in my working closeup act that I perform. I’ve seen versions of this trick that require serious devotion to sleight of hand, and the beauty of Real World is that it’s almost self-working. The bonus is that Andrew ties in the effect with The Law of Attraction which will endear this effect to mystics and bizarrists alike. This handling is easy, and suitable for anyone of any skill level.

T-Rex is Ran’s center tear. It’s deceptive. The peek happens right under the spectator’s nose, and it works every time. Names, Words, or pictures, it’s up to you to decide what you want to reveal; which makes this more of a utility move than a full routine onto its own. Of course, user must proceed with caution, you could start religions using stuff like this, but the important thing to know is that there is nothing more personal than reading the thoughts out of someone’s mind. On that note, there’s nothing more invasive either.

Optika is Andrew’s opening effect using two borrowed bills. It’s a simple levitation using Loops but once again it’s Andrew and Ran’s thinking that stretch this out and morph it into its own thing. Buskers take note! If you’re looking for an alternative way to draw large bills out of an audience without having to carry around a lot of produce, this is a great way to introduce money into your act and segue into tipping!

Conscious Mind Episode 2 Continues Andrew and Ran’s work by adding on even more hard hitting, but easy to learn magic tricks designed for work in the real-world environment. The DVD starts off with Get Lucky which is Ran’s handling on the classic lottery routine. It’s easy to do, and the supplies needed can be acquired at any gas station that sells lotto tickets. Oh… and the marker is real too. Just in case there’s any magicians reading this. In this routine a spectator marks a lotto ticket unseen. At the end the marks are reviewed and then it is revealed that a lotto ticket was purchased earlier that day which has the same exact matching numbers on it! This is a killer routine.

Becoming is Andrew’s take on the Ambitious card. A signed card is pushed flush into the middle of the deck while in the spectator’s hands before rising to the top. It’s dressed up with some nice feel good messages about helping the spectator find themselves, but for me this was probably the weaker of the effects. If only because I prefer my own ambitious over this. Having said that the Ambitious Card Routine should be something in every working closeup magician’s arsenal. If you don’t have an ambitious yet, then you very well may like Andrew’s.

Radio was a bit of a disappointment for me. The entire idea is that the spectator thinks of a song, and then transmits that song telepathically to the magician. If it wasn’t for the necessary writing stuff down, peek, and switch this would be cool. However, given that it is what it is I think I’d almost rather prefer to use Adam Wilber’s “Earbuds” or “Radio Active” by Titanus.

50/50 is Andrew’s take on the old coin toss routine “heads or tails” which involves a prediction to which the ultimate outcome is foreseen. 50/50 ups the ante, literally, by putting a crisp $100 bill on the line just in case the magician gets it wrong. The wager becomes which hand the spectator picks the bill up with, and of course the magician is never wrong! For busking, walk around, or just about any other environment where tips are part of the normal social decorum I love tricks that involve a plot of losing or gaining money. More often than not I walk away with borrowed bills in the form of gratuity which is always nice. 50/50 is a great one off trick that you can do to win drinks or impress friends, and it requires very little in the way of props.

Conscious Magic, both episodes one and two, are great additions to working magician’s tool boxes. You’re not going to find ground breaking new material here though. Most of these routines have been time tested, and around in other incarnations long before Andrew and Ran took a swing at them. However, what you do get is solid material, unique handling, an empowering message for your spectators, and all requiring very little props. Or at the least props that you can easily acquire and for cheap. These routines are built and designed to work for the real world and I’m sure they will do you service. Over all I’m glad I picked these two DVD’s up. I know that there’s at least two routines going into my street act, and the rest I’m sure will follow in time. Check out these DVD’s!


When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The four points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, Sound & Video Quality and Overall Quality.

Product Quality: 8
The price is fair considering the material, if it were anymore I’d bulk at it a bit more.

Teaching Quality: 8
Very well taught on both DVD’s.

Video & Sound Quality: 8
Great sound and video.

Overall Quality: 8
Solid, real world, working man’s material here. No complaints. Highly recommended.

Do you have a product you want reviewed? Want to see if it will stand up to the Draven Seal of Approval? Contact me directly at thewilliamdraven@gmail.com to find out how your product could be on the next Draven Reviews! Don't forget to like my blog where all my reviews are posted at www.williamdraven.wordpress.com.
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Dvd, Video tape, Audio tape & Compact discs. » » Draven Reviews: Conscious Magic *1 & 2 (1 Likes)
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