Hello people of the interwebs Steven back yet again with
another blog post and in today’s post I am going to do something a little
different.
Well as some of my readers will know at the end of the year
I usually do a review of the entire year where I break down every month and
pick out the highlights of my year. Well this year I am going to do something
different.
This year (2012) has been a great year for me and I have achieved
so much magic wise. I got to meet one of my magic heroes (Dani Daortiz) way
back in June and to be honest it was great.
Meeting Dani DaOrtiz (June 2012)
I also did more magic gigs this
year than I have done in my life and it’s been great. I even got to perform at
Live@Troon which was one of my favorite events to perform at this year and
hopefully I will be invited back next year.
Click here to see some photos of my performance at Live@Troon
I also attended the Scottish Association of Magical Societies
(SAMS) convention which was a great weekend. Review of the weekend can be found
by clicking here. I also became a full member of Kilmarnock magic circle. So as you can see it’s been great magic wise and I have had a
ball doing it. I can’t wait to do it again next year.
As well as all the magic related stuff I also did a load of non-magic
related stuff like going on holiday to Turkey, went to the BBC goodfood show,
seen the Hairy Bikers live, went to the Edinburgh fringe festival, passed my
college course and started the higher level. These were all great.
For 2013 I have set myself a few goals and aims and I have come
up with some great things for the blog. So 2013 is going to be a busy year on
the blog.
As always my new year’s resolutions for 2013 are:
Perform more magic for the public at events
Join the gym and get my health and fitness back
to 100%
Pass my college course
Learn, create and improve my magic
Eat healthier
Work on my stage show and get it to the level
that I am happy with
Work more on the business side of magic as opposed
to the trick/ performance side
Gather more live video clips and performance
photos
Marry Katy Perry (ok maybe that wont happen but I can always dream)
Well that’s it from me for 2012 I hope to see you all in
2013 and I wish you all a happy new year.
Hello people of the interwebs its Steven again with yet another blog post.
In today’s post I thought I would share a video I recently added to my YouTube channel and a little bit about how I came up with the concept.
Well I was thinking to myself as it’s the festive season I should treat my readers so I thought what better way to treat them than to post a video as I haven’t done that in about 8 or so months. I then went and thought about what I could do in the video. Would I do a trick to the camera, film some live magic or even do a video that is a little like this one. I then went and ate my dinner which incase you are wondering was pork chops and chips. I then sat at my computer and wrote down a few ideas on what I could do. None of the ideas stood out that much so I was at a dead end.
I then thought why not do a video that showcases both my style of magic and the type of magic I like but never really get the chance to perform. I then wrote down a list of tricks and flourishes that I enjoy practicing but never perform and I then went and got the materials needed for the video. I spent the next few hours in my bed room filming the clips for the video and as I am a little OCD they all need to be perfect so I kept refilming the clips until I was happy with them. I then went back to my computer and started editing the video and I was shocked to find it only took me an hour I thought it would take me ages.
Screen shot of the editing proccess
The next day I woke up with a few ideas about the editing I then Went to my computer and made the final edits before I headed out to go to college. I left the video rendering as I went to college. Once I got home from college I uploaded the final project onto YouTube but once it was finalized etc. I realised that there was a minor editing mistake basically I had used the wrong intro for the video and the intro was not in widescreen. I then replaced the clip with the right one and rerendered the video.
So you will probably wonder why in the video is it not that well lit. Well the answer is really simple I wanted the video to look as if it was shot late at night and under electric light. So when I filmed the clips I only used the light on the ceiling of my bedroom instead of setting up some proper in studio lighting.
Well guys that’s enough rambling on about how I made the video. So without any further ado I present to you After Dinner.
Well that’s really it from me for this post but if you have any questions feel free to contact me on any of the ways below.
Hello people of the interwebs its Steven again with yet
another blog post.
Wow has it been a while since I have posted anything hat wasn’t aimed at either magicians
or clients and was general ramblings and I apologise
for that but I have been super busy with big changes in my life so I thought I would
a short post to bring you up to speed and explaine where I have been hiding.
So the last time I did a post that wasn’t aimed at either magicians
or clients and was general ramblings was way back in august and that was me explaining about my summer
(click here to read the post) since then I have been busy with college and some
other stuff. Lest start with college this year is a big year for me college
wise as I am now studying ICT technical support at a university level so I have
to work hard with that but I don’t
As well as needing to do loads of college work I have also
been busy with magic I have recently became a full member (was a junior member previously)
of my local magic club Kilmarnock Magic Circle which I am really proud to call myself
a member of one of the best magic clubs in Scotland.
As well as that I
have also been working hard performing for the public. Back in September I
performed cabaret and tableside magic at a music festival called Live@Troon this
was a great night and I am sure everyone who was there would agree. Photos of
me performing at Live@Troon can be found by clicking here .
I have also been performing at
a few other events such as charity fundraisers and private party’s. On Wednesday just
there I was also performing at Elliots in Prestwick as part of their 10th
birthday celebrations this also was an amazing night and I had an amazing time entertaining their guests.
I also have some more public shows lined up but I can’t say much just yet but
when I can my readers will be the first to know about them.
As well as college and working hard on magic and business I
have been busy planning some really cool things for my blog. One will be a little
weekly video series that will be coming early 2013 so look out for that. I have
also come up with some ideas for posts that all my magician readers will enjoy.
Well that’s really it from me for this post but if you have
any questions feel free to contact me on any of the ways below.
Hey people of the inter webs Steven back again with yet another blog post. Hello people of the interwebs its Steven again with yet another blog post. This post is going to be 100% aimed at magicians so apologies in advance to my non magician readers.
In today’s post I will be reviewing a NON card trick from the mind of Cody Nottingham. The trick I will be reviewing was released a few months back on magic web over at Themagicplace.com. if you haven’t heard of magic place check them out they have some really good stuff on their site and loads more of great stuff to come (I have seen some of the new stuff and all I can say is WOW can’t wait for them). Anyways that’s enough of the jibber jabber now on with the review.
Cody Nottingham brings you one of the most visual coin in sugar packets ever devised! Sugar allows you to take a signed borrowed coin and toss it into a SEALED sugar packet. With absolutely no funny moves the sugar is opened and poured out with the coin INSIDE the packet. Sugar is as sweet as it gets!
Quality of the product: This download is shot at what looks like a kitchen table. The download is explained really simple and even the dumbest people could easily learn this trick. The production quality is also really good and it’s not got all the added CRAP most downloads/DVDS from other companies have. Such as pointless music while the “artist” is speaking and you can’t even hear what they are saying and I think this is how all explanations on DVD`s/downloads should be done. Over all I would give the quality a 8/10
My honest opinion on the effect: I really like this effect because it’s not another card trick. I have performed this as both a piece of magic and a more throw away peeice and I found out doing it as a throw away piece gets better reactions. The best reaction I got was when I was out for lunch with a non-magician friend (no it wasn’t a date) and she had sat her change from the meal on the table so I performed this trick and I used one of the sugar packets from the table that she had selected and she freaked out and I think it got such a great reaction because it was done kind spontaneous and she didn’t expect it to be a magic trick. Overall this is a great trick.
Rating out of 10: I really like this trick and if you are considering getting this trick then I would get it. If you have seen the demo video and you don’t know if there will be a nasty surprise then get it what you see in the demo is what your spectator will see. 8.5/10
Well that’s it from me for just now any questions regarding anything in this post feel free to contact me on any of the ways listed below. I will be back soon with another post.
Hey people of the interwebs Steven back again with yet another blog post. This post is going to be 100% aimed at magicians so apologies in advance to my non magician readers.
Before I just start I want to say a huge thanks to everyone who came out to see me perform close up magic and cabaret at Live@Troon it was a great night and I had good fun performing for the crowd. Check out some photos from the event by clicking here.
In today’s post I will be reviewing a magic effect that has only been on the market for less than 2 months and already is on the way to be one of the biggest selling tricks of the year and this trick comes from Theory11 and my friend Edward Boswell. In case you haven’t heard of Edward (who was featured in a previous post) before check out some of his work on his website for magicians by clicking here.
Edward Boswell
Today the effect I am reviewing is called Rapture. First I would like to say the following review is my honest opinion so if it is a bad review I am just speaking my mind. Secondly just because Edward is friend of mine it doesn’t mean I will be nicer to him in my review. So let’s get started.
Name of product: Rapture (an effect so impossibly visual, it looks like trick photography)
Rapture by Edward Boswell
Price: $19.95 for the DVD, $19.95 for the download and $24.95 for the DVD and Download
Imagine an effect so impossibly visual, it looks like trick photography.
This is what we imagined when we first heard of Rapture. We didn’t think it could be possible. If you could perform REAL magic, this is what it would look like. Rapture is a miraculous change, where a card box can appear and disappear in the blink of an eye. You show the front and back of a card box. Suddenly with a jolt, the entire box disappears, leaving only the cards - a normal deck - in your hands.A practical method created for the performer. This isn’t just a trick to be performed for your webcam. Rapture was born for the performer.
It uses a simple and practical method that allows you to perform it anywhere and everywhere. The Rapture gimmick utilizes household items and can be constructed in a few minutes. It’s durable enough to be used for hundreds of performances, yet small enough to fit in your pocket.
One Hour of Instruction: 3 Routines + Bonus Effect “UPRISING”
In over an HOUR of instruction, Edward Boswell will teach you multiple applications using the Rapture gimmick. You’ll learn how to make the box appear, disappear, and even teleport. Also included is a bonus effect UPRISING: a chosen card is placed on the bottom of the deck, sticking out. Then, as if melting through the deck, it slowly and visually rises to the top.
Trailer:
Quality of the product:
The DVD runs for around 60 minutes and is shot in what looks like a penthouse apartment and uses multiple cameras. Everything is explained really well from the construction of the gimmick to the handling of the effect and Edward also goes on to give you the history of the effect. When you hear it’s from Theory11 you know that it is excellently produced and it lives up to my expectations. 9/10
My honest opinion on the effect:
I remember Edward showing me the original concept of this trick about maybe just under a year ago and it fooled the crap out of me. I have since seen this trick develop into the effect it is today. I eventually after watching Edward perform this 1001 times I had a brief idea of what was happening but wasn’t 100% sure. This trick is great it’s so practical I use it as an opener to a card set where the box vanishes and goes into my pocket I then follow this with any card trick because I am left with a regular pack of cards. This would work great as either a closer, an opener or even in between. Edward explains the construction of the gimmick really well my only advice would be to watch the full construction section of the DVD/Download just so you don’t make a mistake not because it’s hard to make but you could get lost if you don’t know whats coming next. The routines on the dvd/download are not amazing but they are just to get you started. The routines I like on the DVD/ Download are the box penetration and the deck and box transposition which is the one I use but with some imagination you would be able to come up with a routine to suit your style. As well as rapture the DVD/download also includes a bonus effect called uprising if I am honest I don’t really like this effect that much it looks great but I just don’t like it and I don’t know why. Over all this is a great effect and has a lot of possibility’s I can’t wait to see what people come up with using the gimmick in the future.
Card case to deck
Rating out of 10:
As you can see above I really like rapture and I have since the early stages of this effect. If you want to do a vanishing card box effect or you want a magical way to put your cards back in the card case at the end of your set then this is perfect for you. This trick is one of my favourite tricks to practise in the mirror because it fools me every time. The bonus effect uprising I don’t like that much but if you want a visual rising card then I think you will like this. Overall I give Rapture 8/10
Well that’s it from me for just now any questions regarding anything in this post feel free to contact me on any of the ways listed below. I will be back soon with another post.
Hey people of the interwebs Steven back again with yet another blog post. This post is going to be 100% aimed at magicians so apologies in advance to my non magician readers.
In today’s post I will be reviewing a magic effect from the man that is known as Jay Sankey. In case you have been living under a rock for the past 25 years and you haven’t heard of Jay Sankey check out his work by clicking here.
For those of you who have heard of Jay Sankey you may have heard that at
the recent FISM convention held in Blackpool England Jay along with the
team at Vanishing Inc (Andi Gladwin and Joshua Jay) have released a
mega 3 book set called The Definitive Sankey this is an amazing 1600
pages that includes 500 tricks. Check out the demo for the books below.
Well I am not here to review the books maybe I will do them sometime soon. So Steven what exactly are you reviewing I hear you ask. Well in today’s review I will be reviewing a really old trick that was released maybe 5 or 6 years ago called Bigger Finish so let’s get into the review.
Ideal for restaurant and walkaround work! A card is selected and returned to the pack. Four cards are then removed from the deck and the spectator is asked if her card is among them. It is! All four cards are given to the spectator to hold between her closed hands, but when she opens her hands she finds that they have melted into a SINGLE JUMBO CARD! When she unfolds the jumbo card, it's found to match to her selection!!! Comes complete with two specially-printed jumbo cards, illustrated instructions and an incredible instructional DVD with brand new handlings and bonus material!
Trailer:
Quality of the DVD:
The DVD runs for around 18 minutes and is shot is a studio using multiple cameras and the menus are easy to navigate. Everything is explained really well and jay also goes a little in to performance theory and Jay also explains some routine ideas. The DVD as well as coming with the DVD has written instructions included so if you don’t like learning from video then you can read and learn from the instructions. 9/10
The Main menu on the DVD
My honest opinion on the effect:
This effect is great and it is one I have done for a number of years. The handling can vary from beginner level all the way to advanced there is a handling for everyone on this DVD. It is also one of the tricks that people remember me for. I have a friend who whenever I do magic she asks me to do the one “with the 4 cards” and she is referring to this trick. Whenever I go to do a gig I will have this trick with me because it gets me great reactions and I really enjoy performing it. I have used a few of the handlings from the DVD in the past but one of my favourites to do is the classic handling. One of my other favourite handlings is one called “The Box Load Handling” this is a cleaver switch that can be used in a number of routines. The DVD comes with 2 gimmick cards I got 2 red rider back gimmicks. I have over the years worked through only one of these so they will last you a very long time.
Rating out of 10:
This is a great trick/product my only problem is that the DVD includes a section of adverts for a few of Jays other marketed products but if you don’t want to watch them you don’t need to. Over all this is an amazing effect taught really well, excellently made and is one of my favourite tricks to perform. 9/10
The trailers for other effects that are on the DVD
Well that’s it from me for just now any questions regarding anything in this post feel free to contact me on any of the ways listed below. I will be back soon with another post.
Hey people of the interwebs Steven back again with yet another blog post. In today’s post I will be let you all know what I have been up to over the past 2 months or so.
Last time I posted about something I had been doing I was just back from Aberdeen for a magic workshop. You can read the review by clicking here. Well since then what have I been doing? I have been rather busy with a lot of magic stuff learning, practising and performing new material. I have also started to work more on the business side of magic, things such as advertising and promotion. As well as magic stuff I have passed my college course and got accepted for college after the summer. That’s the boring stuff out the way now on to the good stuff.
Some of the new promo material I am using.
I have also been on holiday to Turkey again but this time we went to the resort of Kemer near the city of Antalya. I had fun and did lots of stuff such as going to the second largest market in Europe this was fun and bought some weird things. I also went on a jeep safari which was more like a jeep cruise and was a little disappointment but I did enjoy it. As well as that I also went on a party boat that had a foam party in the middle of the sea this was one of the highlights of the holiday for me. I also went and got lost 3 times in the city of Antalya which was fun good thing is we got to see things we wouldn`t have seen if we never got lost. went to 2 other foam party’s in the hotel (so 3 foam party’s in 2 weeks) by the end of the holiday my legs were sore from all the dancing. Another highlight was when we went to a beer festival which was great fun had some live music one of the biggest DJs in Turkey can’t remember his name. Overall it was a fun 2 weeks and I had a great time. If you want to view my holiday snaps click here.
Chilling on the balcony in the hotel
Well that’s just a little bit of what I have been up to over the past 2 months or so. What have you been doing over the summer leave a comment below or contact me on any of the ways listed at the end of this post sharing your holiday stories.
Well that’s it from me for just now any questions regarding anything in this post feel free to contact me on any of the ways listed below. I will be back in a few weeks with a new post. Until then enjoy the summer while it lasts.
Hey people of the interwebs Steven back again with yet another blog post. This post is going to be 100% aimed at magicians so apologies in advance to my non magician readers.
In today’s post I will review a magic effect from my good friend Edward Boswell. If you keep up to date with the latest magic release you will see that Edward release an effect with Theory 11 today called Rapture. This is a deck to box routine that looks like camera tricks. When Edward first showed me this trick I was stunned at how visual it was over all this is a great trick check it out here:
Well that was not what I am reviewing today the effect I am reviewing is called Cheaters Monte. First I would like to say the following review is my honest opinion so if it is a bad review I am just speaking my mind. Secondly just because Edward is friend of mine it doesn’t mean I will be nicer to him in my review. So let’s get started.
Name of product: Cheaters Monte By Edward Boswell
Price:FREE Yes it really is FREE
Available from:http://www.sleightjournal.com/Just sign up on the website and recive it for free Quick Description: Three cards are shown, two black and a red queen of hearts. The queen is turned face down and put on bottom. It then appears in the middle. So you flip it face up. And again it travels from the bottom to the middle. You keep the cards in a spread, and it jumps from middle to bottom. You finally explain that you cheat in cards. And all the cards are black.
Trailer:
Quality of the PDF: The PDF is really well produced all the photos are shot in great quality and the explanation is really easy to follow and the patter Edward uses is also included. Overall a really well produced PDF. The crediting in the PDF is very simple but credits those who need to be credited 8/10
My honest opinion on the effect:
This is a great trick and is very visual which doesn’t happen often in 3 Card Monte style effects which is a bonus. When I do walk around or table hopping I carry this trick with me and I perform it with a presentation about how street hustlers will cheat you out of money usually to a group of guys because I have found that men like this style of effect better than women. It is also not very hard to do and you will have it down in a very short time. The effect also has a great kicker which shocks the audience. Also included in the PDF is an extra ending by my friend Casey Rudd which I use and kills the audience.
Rating out of 10
Overall this is a great trick and is super visual I will give this a 8/10
Well that’s it from me for just now any questions regarding anything in this post feel free to contact me on any of the ways listed below. I will be back in a few weeks with a new post. Until then enjoy the summer while it lasts.
Hey people of the interwebs Steven back again with yet another blog post. This post is going to be 100% aimed at magicians so apologies in advance to my non magician readers.
On June 10th I had the honour to attend a full day workshop held by one of the best card magicians in the world Dani DaOrtiz in the Scottish city of Aberdeen . The workshop was held in the lovely CraigHarr Hotel. The following is a short little write up of the day.
The venue of the workshop
For me the day started off at 2am and the reason for this was because I had over 170 miles to travel in order to get there and I was doing all my travelling by bus there and back in just one day. The bus trip was rather relaxing up until I got to Dundee at around 5:15am where the bus broke down. The bus driver said that it would be a few hours until we would be on the road again. I was panicking because I was thinking that I would be late for the workshop. Lucky enough there was a spare bus near by so I was only running 10 - 20 minutes late. I arrived in Aberdeen at around 7:00am so that gave me a little time to grab something to eat.
I arrived at the hotel at around 8:15 and no one was around so I sat in the bar for a little bit until some people turned up at about half past 8. Up until about 9:30 I spent my time just hanging out and chatting to people and sharing magic. At around 9:30 Iain McCarron one of the event organisers shouted me over to where he was chatting with Dani DaOrtiz and he introduced me because he had been telling Dani about me travelling all night via bus to see him. I spent the next 10 minuets watching Dani showing tricks to some of the other magicians.
At 10am Steve Truglia introduced Dani and the workshop was under way. As the workshop started Dani invited a few people to join him at the table and I was one of the lucky chosen ones. The workshop started off with Dani performing a 30 minuet close-up show this was amazing even though I had the best seat in the house I was still blown away.
Dani DaOrtiz doing what he does best
After the little show Dani started by explaining his concepts and psychology behind his magic. This covered everything from being your self to getting into the spectators world to expectations of the spectator. This was really interesting and I feel it has changed the way I look at magic and I will be applying these ideas to my magic. After the chat about the concepts Dani then went on to explain one or two tricks he had did in the little 30 minuet show earlier. After the explanations of a few effects it was time for a break. I spent this break chatting to some people and showing some magic.
After the break it was time for me to take my seat at the table with Dani and he then went on to explain his handling of the classic force. The force he uses is amazing I think I will start using it more often. After this he went on to explain a few other forces such as his handling of the timing force then Dani went on to explain some tricks using these forces. Some of these were amazing such as his classic force done without any cards. Then after this Dani performed some freestyle magic in which he made up as he went along and all I can say is it was amazing to sit and watch. After this it was time for lunch in the hotels restaurant.
Sessioning during the breaks.
During lunch I had the chance to chat with my friend Tom Crosbie who showed me his work with a memorised deck from his new DVD Recall. The stuff he showed me was just amazing. As well as seeing Toms work on memorised deck I also had the chance to sit down and session with some other magicians.
After lunch it was time to take my seat at the table again. In this session Dani performed and explained some self working tricks that used no or very little sleight of hand. I am not really a fan of self working tricks but these may have changed my mind. After the self working tricks Dani then took requests of tricks the people who attended would like to see. This included his mini oil and water, open triumph, the self working trick and loads more. This part was really entertaining once this was done Dani then performed what I think was the best trick I have seen in ages a trick called "Triple Intuition" this trick fooled everyone who did not know how it worked in the room including myself. This then concluded the workshop and Dani then offered some of his products that he has on the market for sale and I managed to pick some of them up.
Me and Dani DaOrtiz after the workshop.
Over all it was an awesome day of card magic and well worth travelling
over 170 miles to attend. If you ever get the chance to attend either one of these
workshops or even Dani DaOrtiz`s lecture I would make sure you attend
you will not want to miss it.
Lastly I just want to say a big thanks to Dani
DaOrtiz for the amazing workshop and huge thanks to Iain McCarron, and
the Aberdeen Magical Society for there hosting and for an amazing day. Big thanks to Radek Makar for the first three photos.
Well that's it from me I hope you
enjoyed my little write up. I will be back sometime soon with another blog post until then enjoy the summer.
The life and times of a teenage boy who enjoys the history of magic , performing magic, making videos , editing pictures and is studying computing at his local college.
For more info click the about me tab at the top of the page.
