I've been spending a lot of time on the web recently, just surfing through various magic/cardistry videos. So many beautiful performances have come out, I always seem to find a video when I least expect it. My question to you, what are your favorite magic/cardistry videos and why? It can be anything; was the video especially creative, was it produced well, was the concept interesting, anything that strikes a chord with you. I'd love to hear about it. Being a cardist, I usually lean towards cardistry videos as my favorites. I'll list a few videos that I just can't get enough of, for creative reasons and for overall presentation.
Motion by Bas John
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xpcgDZZQc
Bas John can make a damn good video. One of the few cardists that understands the importance of matching his video to his audio. He's also one of the smoothest flourishers ever, I can't spot a flaw in his performance. Bas can show the beauty and simplicity that lies in cardistry that so many people might miss because of flashy editing or excessive speed. Beautifully executed, great video.*
Drift by D4i
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmPmeGMDZJI
D4i has always been a bit of a mystery to me. I've never seen him comment on a video, I've never seen his face and I don't know his real name. Yet, this silent flourisher is one of the most creative minds in Cardistry. His videos are the epitome of "food for thought"; he can turn simple concepts into striking moves. Just amazing, such a great performer.
Radiant and HighSpeed Century by Franky Morales
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAZGeX0b_rI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBCpirgZHvU
I love these two videos, they were released only two days after one another. Franky was probably enjoying his new Virts deck, so the timing makes sense. Despite the fact that they're two videos, they feel extremely similar in terms of production, the moves and the overall vibes from the videos. I usually consider them as a sort of part 1 and part 2 to the same video. Franky is one of the most creative flourishers around; I can't pick at anything in these videos despite the occasional lack of focus on the camera's part.
TIMEFRAME by Ryuji Chua and Ambrose
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qznZuJHJIa8
Ryuji Chua is known for the production quality in his videos; I don't think any other flourisher can produce a video that's as clean as his, with the exceptions of Ladislas and Bas John. Ryuji also won the recent Burt Wonderstone contest, with his awesome entry Minute Vision. I prefer TIMEFRAME to Minute Vision because I feel like he really shows off his creativity in his flourishes rather than just the video production. All in all, another awesome video.
SEQUENCE by Aviv M.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_z1DK-vABE
I don't think any flourisher would be surprised to see this title on any "favorites" list. Aviv is easily one of the best flourishers in the community right now and Sequence is no exception to the creativity that Aviv consistently displays. Aviv is one of the few flourishers that can make just about anybody's jaw drop. Add Ladislas' production to this mix, and you've got a fantastic cardistry video.
Route of Ages by Pred Cipi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SSnpv4ABw4
Pred Cipi is one of the most mechanically talented flourishers in the community. The fact that even Pred has room to get better and better over time is just inspiring, it means that you can never really stop creating and perfecting your material. Route of Ages is a simple video in terms of production quality, Pred has a way of letting his moves speak for themselves.
Silent Transition by Dimitri Arleri
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGKYfYV6SIE
The name Dimitri Arleri is known by around 90% of the community; there aren't many people that can come close to doing what this guy can do. This guy has got creativity pouring out of every inch of his brain. Dimitri is also no stranger to Theory 11, considering that his debut cardistry project is due to release with Theory 11.
SKAER and Silverware by Oliver Sogard and Tobias Levin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBL76U2Cebw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcuST7c-ZyE
Some may ask why I chose to include these videos in the same set. Tobias filmed Oliver's performance of SKAER, and Oliver filmed Tobias' performance of Silverware. They were also released extremely close to one another, so it only made sense to put them together. Tobias and Oliver have a way of making cardistry videos in a lighthearted, quirky manner that people have been copying for months now. Two awesome videos, performed by two awesome cardists.
So these are just some of my favorites, listing all of them would take ages. I apologize for focusing on Cardistry videos, but that's really the only type of video that I have any real knowledge of. I'd love to see what you guys have to say and what videos you have to share. I will be periodically adding to my list.
-Patrick Varnavas
Motion by Bas John
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xpcgDZZQc
Bas John can make a damn good video. One of the few cardists that understands the importance of matching his video to his audio. He's also one of the smoothest flourishers ever, I can't spot a flaw in his performance. Bas can show the beauty and simplicity that lies in cardistry that so many people might miss because of flashy editing or excessive speed. Beautifully executed, great video.*
Drift by D4i
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmPmeGMDZJI
D4i has always been a bit of a mystery to me. I've never seen him comment on a video, I've never seen his face and I don't know his real name. Yet, this silent flourisher is one of the most creative minds in Cardistry. His videos are the epitome of "food for thought"; he can turn simple concepts into striking moves. Just amazing, such a great performer.
Radiant and HighSpeed Century by Franky Morales
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAZGeX0b_rI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBCpirgZHvU
I love these two videos, they were released only two days after one another. Franky was probably enjoying his new Virts deck, so the timing makes sense. Despite the fact that they're two videos, they feel extremely similar in terms of production, the moves and the overall vibes from the videos. I usually consider them as a sort of part 1 and part 2 to the same video. Franky is one of the most creative flourishers around; I can't pick at anything in these videos despite the occasional lack of focus on the camera's part.
TIMEFRAME by Ryuji Chua and Ambrose
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qznZuJHJIa8
Ryuji Chua is known for the production quality in his videos; I don't think any other flourisher can produce a video that's as clean as his, with the exceptions of Ladislas and Bas John. Ryuji also won the recent Burt Wonderstone contest, with his awesome entry Minute Vision. I prefer TIMEFRAME to Minute Vision because I feel like he really shows off his creativity in his flourishes rather than just the video production. All in all, another awesome video.
SEQUENCE by Aviv M.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_z1DK-vABE
I don't think any flourisher would be surprised to see this title on any "favorites" list. Aviv is easily one of the best flourishers in the community right now and Sequence is no exception to the creativity that Aviv consistently displays. Aviv is one of the few flourishers that can make just about anybody's jaw drop. Add Ladislas' production to this mix, and you've got a fantastic cardistry video.
Route of Ages by Pred Cipi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SSnpv4ABw4
Pred Cipi is one of the most mechanically talented flourishers in the community. The fact that even Pred has room to get better and better over time is just inspiring, it means that you can never really stop creating and perfecting your material. Route of Ages is a simple video in terms of production quality, Pred has a way of letting his moves speak for themselves.
Silent Transition by Dimitri Arleri
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGKYfYV6SIE
The name Dimitri Arleri is known by around 90% of the community; there aren't many people that can come close to doing what this guy can do. This guy has got creativity pouring out of every inch of his brain. Dimitri is also no stranger to Theory 11, considering that his debut cardistry project is due to release with Theory 11.
SKAER and Silverware by Oliver Sogard and Tobias Levin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBL76U2Cebw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcuST7c-ZyE
Some may ask why I chose to include these videos in the same set. Tobias filmed Oliver's performance of SKAER, and Oliver filmed Tobias' performance of Silverware. They were also released extremely close to one another, so it only made sense to put them together. Tobias and Oliver have a way of making cardistry videos in a lighthearted, quirky manner that people have been copying for months now. Two awesome videos, performed by two awesome cardists.
So these are just some of my favorites, listing all of them would take ages. I apologize for focusing on Cardistry videos, but that's really the only type of video that I have any real knowledge of. I'd love to see what you guys have to say and what videos you have to share. I will be periodically adding to my list.
-Patrick Varnavas
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