Title: Speak Easy
Artist: Dan Harlan & Jen Weston
Producers: Anatomy
Link: http://www.papercranemagic.com/speakeasy.htm
Retail Price: $99.95 USD for DVD or Instant Download $131.95 for both.
Learning Difficulty: *Moderate.
Length of DVD: 2 hours 7 minutes
*Notes: The Speak Easy system is easy to learn but will require practice and repetition to make it natural. Fortunately Dan has included flashcards on the DVD to make learning the system even easier.
Includes:
• Instructional DVD
DVD Features:
• Play All
• Chapters
◦ Intro
◦ Basics
◦ Coding
◦ Teach
◦ Perform
◦ Fair 2
◦ Fair 3
◦ Code More
◦ Practice
◦ Ex. Perform
◦ Fair 5
◦ Fair 6
◦ Fair 7
◦ Fair 8
◦ Stage pt. 1
◦ Stage pt. 2
◦ Stage Exp.
◦ Stage Exp. Cont.
◦ The Blind Fold
◦ More Options
◦ The Alpha Code
◦ Other Sources
◦ Good Night
◦ Credits
• Other Drinks (other Dan Harlan products.)
• Demo
• Credits
• Fair Psychic (short film)
Dan Harlan teaches you the basics of a two person spoken code act in his refined easy to learn system called “Speak Easy”. Learn the system in under five minutes, master it within a couple hours and start amazing your friends with the powers of your mind!
The two person mentalism act has been around for a very long time, dating back to Robert Houdin who may have been the first person to utilize the spoken code method. Since then there have been numerous different spoken code methods that have come out onto the market, but the major downfall to almost all code systems is the amount of work that is needed to master them. Long hours of practice, coupled with long lists of key words and an almost unnatural way of speaking is generally what you can expect when trying to master the spoken code act. That is unless you’re working with Dan Harlan and his Speak Easy system! Speak Easy, as its name cleverly suggests, is a fun and easy way to master a two person spoken code act that will give you flexibility in what you can hit on, and yet still remain natural and fluid with your normal way of talking.
This DVD is a complete course in spoken code. Weighing in at over two hours long this monster will arm you with enough material that you should have no problems getting yourself, and your partner up to performance speed in no time. A weekend with the DVD and flashcards, and you’ll be ready to start amazing friends and family. Dan is an amazing teacher who is fun to watch. Mnemonics can be a dry and boring subject, but Dan manages to keep it fresh, and hold your attention throughout the entire DVD. One of the nice things about this product is that you get so much live performance clips so you can see the system at work as you are learning it. This just helps reinforce the lessons being taught.
This system will allow you to communicate to your partner the identity of numbers, symbols, colors, dates, names, and more in a calm natural modern speaking voice. The only downside is that the Speak Easy system isn’t built for the guy who wants to hit on intimate details. Such details require long and complex lists, which was something Dan explains he wanted to stay away from when designing Speak Easy. Of course Dan does provide you his Alpha Code system which can be used to hit on absolute impossibilities, but it’s a good deal harder to master than the Speak Easy system yet well worth the effort.
The Speak Easy system isn’t going to be for everyone. For starters, you’ll need a partner. But for those who dare to master it then the information taught in the DVD is well worth the meager asking price for something this powerful. This is the kind of act that religions get started from. It’s that powerful.
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
Not the cheapest DVD out there by any means but the information on it is well worth the price of admission.
Teaching Quality: 8
Dan is a great teacher who helps you learn a memory system in a way that doesn’t cure insomnia. My hat’s off to Dan for making learning a memory system fun and engaging.
Video & Sound Quality 7
Not studio quality, but not bad either.
Overall Quality: 8
If I ever wanted to do a two person spoken code act then I would use Speak Easy. If you have ever wanted to learn a spoken code act then Speak Easy is a GREAT starting place. Regardless of whether or not you use the material on the DVD this is one of those products that should be in your library if for nothing else than for reference. You don’t have an excuse to not own a copy. Well done Dan! Speak Easy is awarded the Draven Seal of Approval!