David Stone's The Real Secrets of Magic Volume 2.
David Stone is a French magician and though he has an accent, I watched the DVD three times in English before writing this review and not once did I miss anything that he said.
First: The advice
David goes into detail about performing conditions in table hopping magic. He talks about where the performer should stand, what is the most appropriate time to approach a table and the different ways to begin performing for a group of people. This is not only applicable to tables as he explains how to approach a group of people in any situation (i.e. street magic).It is worth mentioning that David's advise is geared towards those who want to make some money doing magic, as he even goes in-depth about how to get tips.
Second: The Routines Overviewed and Reviewed:
#1 French Kiss: This is a fairly straight forward card to mouth routine. The magician asks an audience member to choose a card. The magician then proceeds to lose the card in the deck, and follows with some small flourishes, including a vanish on the leg, ending with the card coming out of his mouth. (i.e. it is not palmed). Wonderful routine, you get great reactions from the audience, and you can perform any flourishes you like. On versatility this deserves a 9/10.
#2 Sam Card: The magician has a spectator select a card, and again the card is lost in the deck. The magician then performs some flourishes. Then, he shows the card not being on the top, he grabs the top card and while holding it with his hand the card visually transforms onto the selected card. This routine is also very simple and very effective. If you have been practicing magic for a while you are almost certain to know the one knacky move used. David does explain the move very well in case you do not know it.Very simple yet visual routine 7/10 (because of the move and because it is a fairly common effect).
#3 Ca$h Ca$h: The Magician starts dealing cards out of a deck, he asks four different audience members to call stop, and he puts the card that he stopped at face up on the table. Now visibly, and without any funny moves, the magician slides the cards toward himself, to reveal a coin under each on of the cards. This is magnificent routine that plays fairly strong. It also teaches a handy slight with coins. 8/10 for being a great coin opener.
#4 Cigcoin: Quick and effective. That sums up this coin routine. The magician appears a coin. He proceeds to put the coin in one hand while he grabs a cigarette. He moves the cigarette from one hand to the other, again with no funny moves the coin has disappeared from the magicians hands and its now being held by his lips... What? he he, this is a very fast routine that you can perform as long as you have a coin on you and a cigarette is available. It is something I have done when asked to do a quick trick. 6/10 the four points are lost because it uses a cigarette and I do not smoke, however the cigarette does not need to be lit.
#5 Duncan: The magician grabs a glass of water and puts it in front of himself on the table. He then proceeds to burn a small piece of paper with his lighter and in a flash a small live goldfish appears in the glass! One of the strongest tricks, it is very organic and visual. The handling is simple, and the utilities and psychology behind the trick can be modified to be used with other objects or small animals. 10/10, really beautiful trick, as effective as the preview makes it look. Great closer!
#6 Reset: The magician pulls the four aces out of the deck. Slowly and visibly the four aces turn into kings and are put face down on the table. When the magician lifts the kings from the table they are the four aces again. The magician proceeds to take the kings out of his pockets! When the kings are pulled out it is revealed that the aces are gone! the magician then proceeds to pull the aces from his pockets. This would be the way I would end a 4 ace routine. 10/10 for the visual nature of the changes.
#7 Mulberry: This effect does not need much explanation. The magician simply produces four coins. The first one he produces out of fire (with some very special paper) and then he continues to produce the other three coins. This is a very effective way to start a coin routine. If you need more than one coin you can go through the one coin routine and merge it into this one. 8/10.
#8 Misglass: The magician has an audience member choose a card. He then proceeds to lose it in the deck. The magician tells the audience that the chosen card has turned over in the deck. He then spreads the deck to reveal a turned over card and he says "this is your card" but it is then revealed that it is not... The magician then proceeds to deal out cards asking what the card was and when the audience tells him he then points out that the selected card is under a drinking glass. This effect is very funny for the audience. The effect itself teaches some strong misdirection (with a glass, hence the name). 9/10
#9 Cocoon: This is another production of 4 coins. The magician picks up a coin purse form the ground and reveals there is a coin inside. He transposes the coin from one hand to the other and then, as he lays it down on the table, three other coins appear! This is a very good effect when you have a table available. Cocoon uses a similar principle as mulberry and is just as effective to get into a coin routine. 8/10
#10 Billswitch: This is a very straight to the point bill switch routine. It uses a small gimmick (the same as in many other bill switches) but the patter in this trick is designed to get the audience thinking about giving money, and giving you tips. Very simple, entertaining and useful effect. 9/10
#11 Ringbox: The magician borrows a ring and proceeds to pull out a small box from his pocket. He then makes a magic gesture over the ring, which changes into a small key. The key is revealed to open the box the magician produced earlier, and inside the box is the borrowed ring. This is a nice effect for something like a wedding but it is not really all that practical because it requires a somewhat uncommon gimmick. It is a good trick, but I am unlikely to use it again. 6/10.
#12 Soubock: The Magician borrows a coaster, folds it, rips it in half and inside is revealed a folded bill. The effect is pretty visual, but you have to destroy a coaster (has to be an easily destroyable material). I performed it and it got good reactions (not that strong really), but I did not feel right destroying a coaster (cheap as it was). 7/10
#13 William: This is a neat card effect. The magician has an audience member choose a card. The magician then inserts the card into the middle of the deck. He then shows that the card is not on the top, but with a snap of his fingers the whole deck has turned over, except for the selection. This is a very nice visual effect. David has added a small "proof" move to this classic effect. The misdirection is very effective. 8/10 because it is pretty common.
#14 Guess Card: This The magician provides a card and a pencil, and he makes a prediction about to the amount of money a person has in their pockets. The person proceeds to count their money. Once they arrive at the total, the magician reveals his prediction: it is the exact amount of money the audience member had!. This is a very good mentalism effect. It uses a gimmick very common in mentalism (I had one because I do a lot of effects by Corinda and Ostelin). 7/10 because it needs a gimmick.
#15 Encore: The magician produces a coin, and uses a table napkin to make it vanish. The then reaches over and finds the coin under someone’s plate. The magician then says he will do it again, with a wine bottle that he produces out of thin air!, he then proceeds to produce his own shoes to hilarious effect. Very good effect, it requires some good misdirection but at this point your audience should be eating out of your hand anyways (it helps to have loose shoes). 10/10 for presentation.
And there you have it folks, descriptions and small reviews for all the routines on the DVD!
Third: The value
The routines are very visual. I have performed all of the effects to test/ lay audiences and they were floored. The advice, in my humble opinion, is priceless. David speaks to the camera like he is speaking to a friend. He is sincere in how to handle a group of people and he always seems to enjoy what he is doing (which is the point of magic, if magic is not fun for you then why do it?). I have to acknowledge that David is using friends on the video, but as I mentioned, I posted the reviews for all the routines AFTER I performed them to an actual audience (strangers) and I can tell you, if you know how to work a crowd, angles are a none issue.
Fourth: The comedy
David Stone and his crew are hilarious. He explains some things that should never be done and the DVD immediately goes in to an exaggerated "Scrubs" type flashback to outrageous and very funny results. There are many funny aspects to the entire DVD, which make it a joy to watch.
Fifth: The recommendation
I honestly highly recommend this DVD. Truly, E is doing everyone a favor by making both volumes available. Do yourself a favor and grab both, since the advise is excellent and the routines are all different. Figure you are getting about 34 routines in all, invaluable advice regarding getting and keeping gigs and working for restaurants, cocktail parties or doing street magic. You get to watch a master at work and you will laugh at some of the over the top gags that occur throughout the DVD. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.
This DVD gets a 9.0/10,
if you buy both, 9.9/10,
David Stone is a French magician and though he has an accent, I watched the DVD three times in English before writing this review and not once did I miss anything that he said.
First: The advice
David goes into detail about performing conditions in table hopping magic. He talks about where the performer should stand, what is the most appropriate time to approach a table and the different ways to begin performing for a group of people. This is not only applicable to tables as he explains how to approach a group of people in any situation (i.e. street magic).It is worth mentioning that David's advise is geared towards those who want to make some money doing magic, as he even goes in-depth about how to get tips.
Second: The Routines Overviewed and Reviewed:
#1 French Kiss: This is a fairly straight forward card to mouth routine. The magician asks an audience member to choose a card. The magician then proceeds to lose the card in the deck, and follows with some small flourishes, including a vanish on the leg, ending with the card coming out of his mouth. (i.e. it is not palmed). Wonderful routine, you get great reactions from the audience, and you can perform any flourishes you like. On versatility this deserves a 9/10.
#2 Sam Card: The magician has a spectator select a card, and again the card is lost in the deck. The magician then performs some flourishes. Then, he shows the card not being on the top, he grabs the top card and while holding it with his hand the card visually transforms onto the selected card. This routine is also very simple and very effective. If you have been practicing magic for a while you are almost certain to know the one knacky move used. David does explain the move very well in case you do not know it.Very simple yet visual routine 7/10 (because of the move and because it is a fairly common effect).
#3 Ca$h Ca$h: The Magician starts dealing cards out of a deck, he asks four different audience members to call stop, and he puts the card that he stopped at face up on the table. Now visibly, and without any funny moves, the magician slides the cards toward himself, to reveal a coin under each on of the cards. This is magnificent routine that plays fairly strong. It also teaches a handy slight with coins. 8/10 for being a great coin opener.
#4 Cigcoin: Quick and effective. That sums up this coin routine. The magician appears a coin. He proceeds to put the coin in one hand while he grabs a cigarette. He moves the cigarette from one hand to the other, again with no funny moves the coin has disappeared from the magicians hands and its now being held by his lips... What? he he, this is a very fast routine that you can perform as long as you have a coin on you and a cigarette is available. It is something I have done when asked to do a quick trick. 6/10 the four points are lost because it uses a cigarette and I do not smoke, however the cigarette does not need to be lit.
#5 Duncan: The magician grabs a glass of water and puts it in front of himself on the table. He then proceeds to burn a small piece of paper with his lighter and in a flash a small live goldfish appears in the glass! One of the strongest tricks, it is very organic and visual. The handling is simple, and the utilities and psychology behind the trick can be modified to be used with other objects or small animals. 10/10, really beautiful trick, as effective as the preview makes it look. Great closer!
#6 Reset: The magician pulls the four aces out of the deck. Slowly and visibly the four aces turn into kings and are put face down on the table. When the magician lifts the kings from the table they are the four aces again. The magician proceeds to take the kings out of his pockets! When the kings are pulled out it is revealed that the aces are gone! the magician then proceeds to pull the aces from his pockets. This would be the way I would end a 4 ace routine. 10/10 for the visual nature of the changes.
#7 Mulberry: This effect does not need much explanation. The magician simply produces four coins. The first one he produces out of fire (with some very special paper) and then he continues to produce the other three coins. This is a very effective way to start a coin routine. If you need more than one coin you can go through the one coin routine and merge it into this one. 8/10.
#8 Misglass: The magician has an audience member choose a card. He then proceeds to lose it in the deck. The magician tells the audience that the chosen card has turned over in the deck. He then spreads the deck to reveal a turned over card and he says "this is your card" but it is then revealed that it is not... The magician then proceeds to deal out cards asking what the card was and when the audience tells him he then points out that the selected card is under a drinking glass. This effect is very funny for the audience. The effect itself teaches some strong misdirection (with a glass, hence the name). 9/10
#9 Cocoon: This is another production of 4 coins. The magician picks up a coin purse form the ground and reveals there is a coin inside. He transposes the coin from one hand to the other and then, as he lays it down on the table, three other coins appear! This is a very good effect when you have a table available. Cocoon uses a similar principle as mulberry and is just as effective to get into a coin routine. 8/10
#10 Billswitch: This is a very straight to the point bill switch routine. It uses a small gimmick (the same as in many other bill switches) but the patter in this trick is designed to get the audience thinking about giving money, and giving you tips. Very simple, entertaining and useful effect. 9/10
#11 Ringbox: The magician borrows a ring and proceeds to pull out a small box from his pocket. He then makes a magic gesture over the ring, which changes into a small key. The key is revealed to open the box the magician produced earlier, and inside the box is the borrowed ring. This is a nice effect for something like a wedding but it is not really all that practical because it requires a somewhat uncommon gimmick. It is a good trick, but I am unlikely to use it again. 6/10.
#12 Soubock: The Magician borrows a coaster, folds it, rips it in half and inside is revealed a folded bill. The effect is pretty visual, but you have to destroy a coaster (has to be an easily destroyable material). I performed it and it got good reactions (not that strong really), but I did not feel right destroying a coaster (cheap as it was). 7/10
#13 William: This is a neat card effect. The magician has an audience member choose a card. The magician then inserts the card into the middle of the deck. He then shows that the card is not on the top, but with a snap of his fingers the whole deck has turned over, except for the selection. This is a very nice visual effect. David has added a small "proof" move to this classic effect. The misdirection is very effective. 8/10 because it is pretty common.
#14 Guess Card: This The magician provides a card and a pencil, and he makes a prediction about to the amount of money a person has in their pockets. The person proceeds to count their money. Once they arrive at the total, the magician reveals his prediction: it is the exact amount of money the audience member had!. This is a very good mentalism effect. It uses a gimmick very common in mentalism (I had one because I do a lot of effects by Corinda and Ostelin). 7/10 because it needs a gimmick.
#15 Encore: The magician produces a coin, and uses a table napkin to make it vanish. The then reaches over and finds the coin under someone’s plate. The magician then says he will do it again, with a wine bottle that he produces out of thin air!, he then proceeds to produce his own shoes to hilarious effect. Very good effect, it requires some good misdirection but at this point your audience should be eating out of your hand anyways (it helps to have loose shoes). 10/10 for presentation.
And there you have it folks, descriptions and small reviews for all the routines on the DVD!
Third: The value
The routines are very visual. I have performed all of the effects to test/ lay audiences and they were floored. The advice, in my humble opinion, is priceless. David speaks to the camera like he is speaking to a friend. He is sincere in how to handle a group of people and he always seems to enjoy what he is doing (which is the point of magic, if magic is not fun for you then why do it?). I have to acknowledge that David is using friends on the video, but as I mentioned, I posted the reviews for all the routines AFTER I performed them to an actual audience (strangers) and I can tell you, if you know how to work a crowd, angles are a none issue.
Fourth: The comedy
David Stone and his crew are hilarious. He explains some things that should never be done and the DVD immediately goes in to an exaggerated "Scrubs" type flashback to outrageous and very funny results. There are many funny aspects to the entire DVD, which make it a joy to watch.
Fifth: The recommendation
I honestly highly recommend this DVD. Truly, E is doing everyone a favor by making both volumes available. Do yourself a favor and grab both, since the advise is excellent and the routines are all different. Figure you are getting about 34 routines in all, invaluable advice regarding getting and keeping gigs and working for restaurants, cocktail parties or doing street magic. You get to watch a master at work and you will laugh at some of the over the top gags that occur throughout the DVD. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.
This DVD gets a 9.0/10,
if you buy both, 9.9/10,
