Cherry Picked Cuts.

[Gabriel Z.]

Hello All,

I filmed some Up The Ladder Cuts today and tried to take out my best out of like 60 takes. I narrowed it down to 4 types(I'm sure there are more)..... So I just wanted peoples opinion on which type of cycle appeals to your eye the most.

Cycle 1: Standard Slight Spreading During the Cutting Action
Cycle 2: Standard Last Packet Casually Dropped on Top
Cycle 3: Standard Last Packet Placed on Top
Cycle 4: Standard Last Packet sort of slid on Top

Point being that each cut has a different personality if you will: Interested in hearing your thoughts.

 

[boychestermagic]

They all look quite similar - I’m not sure the spectator would notice the difference. However in cycle three your injogs between the packets were less obvious, so I’d say it looked the best.

 

[Scodischarge]

I agree with the above - they look quite similar. However, as you said, they can convey different personalities. I think it depends on the situation. If you're performing - to exaggerate - in a castle, with all the gents around dressed up in their penguin suits and the ladies looking like they robbed a jewellery shop (as I said, exaggerated, but you get my meaning), then you want to look elegant. This is achieved best, I think, by a clean handling of the deck, quick handling of the deck and overall looking like an expert. In this case that would mean: Perform the Up-the-Ladder cuts very rapidly and clean, don't slap the packets on top etc.
However, Daniel Madison is a good example of somebody who slaps the last packet on the deck aggressively; when he completes a cut it looks like he wants to punish the cards for something. And this fits his persona: With his tattoos, his beard, his voice, and his behaviour he wants to appear badass, and this aggressive, maybe even sloppy handling of the deck supports this image.

Long story short: See to it that it fits the character you want to be and that it fits the environment you perform in.