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Mustafa New user London 6 Posts |
Hi, this is Mustafa. I don’t usually post on Café but I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut about this DVD!
Not so long ago, Armando Lucero released a series of DVDs, Paper Cuts, with Sansminds. First of all, I feel like Armando is more an EMC kind of guy, so I don’t know why he released through Sansminds. It kind of surprised me. However, unlike most sansminds products, Armando’s DVD series, Paper Cuts, is a DVD that focuses on improving one’s ability to do better performances and magic rather than being a “let me teach you a trick and you are on your own” type of DVD. There are 18 routines shared in total of 3 volumes of Paper Cuts, but I personally think the most valuable things to take away from these DVDs are Armando’s theories, tips on performances, touches on sleights and movements, philosophies, and even his scripts! Even if you are not interested in his routines or anything, just being able to watch him perform with beautiful scripts and background music is a great experience especially if you haven’t seen him perform much. It is delightful. Watching Paper Cuts Vol. 1~3 is like watching a mini show followed up with an almost 8 hours of workshop. This is going to be a review on Paper Cuts Vol. 1, 2, and 3. I don’t usually do reviews, but this project completely caught me off guard. I have to say that I am extremely satisfied with it. ---------------------------- Before I dig in any deeper, if you are not serious about magic, then I don’t think you have to read any further. First thing I want to address is that his materials are not meant to be performed for cameras. In video performances, even though production quality is great and he has great presentations, I can clearly tell his body movement is more or less restricted within the frame. And maybe because I am watching it in a screen, it is very hard to get my attention manipulated by Armando. I am not saying his materials definitely needs misdirection. All I am saying is that if I watched it live, I could not have spotted a few awkward movements. Maybe it is just me think that certain movements seem restricted and awkward. When performing magic in real life, there are much more than just sleights and scripts. The reason I am addressing that is because I admire Armando Lucero from bottom of my heart, and I don’t want any of you who are not familiar with him watches his performance from Paper Cuts and that is what it is. In real life performance, you will be able to manipulate your attention so beautifully that you will only see what he wants you to see. Even he admits that his materials are not meant for cameras. That being said, this project is probably not for “bedroom magicians” since everything he is sharing is something that are meant to be performed in real-life and tips on improving performances. ---------------------------- Another type of magician who might not get much out of this project is a magician who usually learns a routine and does it exactly as taught and copy every single thing. The thing is, Armando has a very particular and unique style that only he can do, so if you want to perform his routines, then you might have to adjust those routines according to your own style if you don’t have exact same style of performance as him. It can be considered a bad thing for some, but I personally think it is a good thing for those who are serious about magic. I mean, you will have to find your own style if you want to progress any further in magic, don’t you? One of the most interesting thing is that Armando has shared all his scripts for his routines word by word in a file. They are beautifully written scripts that both enhances the impact of those routines but also covers mechanical or methodological downside of routines. You can memorize and use his script in your own performance to have beautiful moments in your show. If you don’t want to copy&paste his scripts into your show, then all you have to do is write your own in similar style. You already have 10+ scripts in front of you and all you have to do is study what makes these scripts so beautiful and use that as a guideline and write your own. ---------------------------- Due to personal style difference, I wouldn’t do most of his routines exactly as taught but with minor adjustments to fit my own style. However, even though I have learned some wonderful routines, they are not my favorite part of this project! For me, the most valuable part of this project is his tips, thoughts on body movements, touches on sleights, theories, philosophies, principles, and many other things I cannot even start to describe! I don’t remember what ad copy says, but I think this project is not a project that is merely meant to teach his routines. I think he uses routines as examples to share what he really wants to share with the community, which is how to perform better and do better magic. ---------------------------- Some may argue that $165 is pretty stiff, but in the right hands, you will get way more than what you have invested. If you think you are able to learn how to improve your existing magic as a whole and also learn 18 of his routines that he has put years of effort and ALSO get his very scripts for those routines for only $165, then all the sudden it doesn’t sound so stiff now, isn’t it? ---------------------------- If you are only looking for an eye candy and not interested in actually becoming a performer, then you might not need this project. You can always go get whatever cool thing is on the market and do it on Instagram or something and get views. Learning all these hard work is too much for just an instagram video. ---------------------------- At first, I thought this definitely cannot be a project that beginners can watch, but after watching them all, I have to say that I have changed my mind. His explanations are so detailed that even a 5 year old could understand. Every single move is explained with extreme clarity and he even explains why he does it so you can have better understanding of his routines. It will require some practice if you do not know basic sleights, but I don’t think you will walk away with an empty hand. However, I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t know the fundamentals of card magic in this place, so let’s just pretend that I didn’t say that! ---------------------------- Again, I don’t usually do reviews, but I just couldn’t not leave a review on Armando Lucero’s Paper Cuts! It is a such a great project for those who are looking to improve their craft that I cannot recommend enough to those who actually care about magic! I know Sansminds does not have the greatest reputation in our community, but Armando sure does have one of the greatest reputation as a magician, a performer, and a teacher. You can probably get it from any magic dealer. Each volume is $65 and there are total of 3 volumes at this moment. I personally got digital bundle from Sansminds’s website which is $165 because I don’t have a DVD player and getting it as a bundle also saves 30 bucks. This review is already too long, so I won’t put a list of contents here. If you want to check what is in it, then you can check it out at their website. ---------------------------- I won’t leave a pros & cons list because who am I to judge Armando Lucero and I can’t think of a single bad thing about this project. |
milamber Regular user California 130 Posts |
Thank you for your review.
I've ordered volume 1 and look forward to studying the material. |
Mustafa New user London 6 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 17, 2018, milamber wrote: I am sure you will love it!! |
Prahlad New user 96 Posts |
Thanks for the review. My four dvds are on the way
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Prahlad New user 96 Posts |
I have finished watching the first dvd and have tried out some of the tricks. I have to say that this has given me the kind of thrills I got when I read Lessons in Card Mastery or watched the first two volumes of the Classic Magic of Michael Vincent. I have to say that Mr. Lucero is a great thinker and I'm delighted with the concepts he has taught. I think that his work can boast that it uses ideas from Designing Miracles and Strong Magic. That's great. The major problem I have with this DVD is that he does not refer to the two aforementioned books. I understand that he may have come across these ideas independently, but I feel that mentioning that someone has articulated idea and published it earlier is important. (For instance, one of the ideas Mr. Lucero discusses is that of accidental convincers from Strong Magic.) Nonetheless, I feel that this is a great stepping stone in my quest for the magic rainbow
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