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lumberjohn Special user Memphis, TN 626 Posts |
Ready, Set, Guastaferro! (Part One: Effects 1-6)
I’m only half way through this twelve effect e-book, but wanted to post Part One of my review, covering the first six effects. INVISIBLE OPENER: This is a short opening routine to magically produce a couple poker chips and a deck of cards (which John uses for a standard “Invisible Deck” effect) with a couple rubber bands wrapped around it. This is not the type thing we’re used to from John. It is pure slight-of-hand with no revolutionary techniques, gaffs, or gimmicks. Most of the explanation involves the production of the poker chips, so this could be classified primarily as a two coin production sequence. The real value here is to working pros who want a magical way to set up a routine involving a deck (invisible deck), some coins (transposition effects), and rubber bands (crazy man’s handcuffs). As always, John provides some excellent presentational points that will make this more memorable and interesting for the audience. The routining here also provides an opportunity for a deck switch for your next effect. RWB: A color changing deck effect that is John’s attempt to streamline his own “Ballet Stunner” to its strongest moments. As with many such effects, you will need a stranger card, so it is not impromptu, but it is very well structured. A card is selected from a face-up deck and turned face-down. With a flourish (John’s impressive Ballet Change), the remainder of the deck changes back color. Finally, you show that the back color of the selection has changed as well. John provides a couple options involving a blank faced card in which you can apparently show all the faces of the deck blank (white) for a very patriotic effect. MR. E RETURNS: As the title suggests, this represents John’s return to the “Mystery Card” plot first popularized by Bro. John Hamman’s “the Signed Card.” While John’s previous shot at this plot, “Mr. E takes a Stroll,” combined it with a transposition similar to “Dr. Daley’s Last Trick,” this time John combines the plot with “the Ambitious Card.” John has attempted to provide a motivation for the sandwiching of the mystery card (often argued to be contrived, but necessary for the method), and has come up with one that makes sense as far as it goes in a whimsical way. What I like about this presentation is that it sets the spectator up as the magician, which I believe to always have an advantage over the alternative. SPECTRAL: Reading this, it seemed an homage to John Carey, which is no insult. The basic effect is that a card is selected from a small packet, made to apparently vanish from that packet, revealed by the performer, and then made to reappear at a position selected by the spectator. The beginning of the effect is virtually identical to Carey’s “Impossible Conclusion,” but midstream, it veers in another direction. John G. has provided an additional convincer (also favored by Carey) of the card’s disappearance immediately before the reappearance which also allows for some additional spectator involvement and apparent control over the outcome. If you liked Carey’s “Impossible Conclusion” and “When Nyquist Met Lorayne,” (which I do, but let’s just say, you wouldn’t perform these three together) you are sure to like this. CENTERFOLD: A prediction is introduced in the form of a folded notecard held closed with a paperclip. A card is selected, signed, and lost in the deck. The prediction is opened and (in my preferred handling) found to contain the gag line “your card,” after which it is closed and clipped shut again. After a further magical flourish or two, the spectator is invited to open the prediction again where he will find his signed card inside. Basically, this is an idea for using a folded notecard as a poor man’s card-to-wallet. What I really like about this is the added convincer of the notecard being shown empty (as you reveal the gag prediction) just before you reveal the selection inside. This does involve a discrepancy, but it is routined such that the discrepancy is very unlikely to be noticed. A great idea incorporated into a nice effect. TWIST OF FATE: The performer openly removes and displays two cards from a shuffled deck which he references as “the future.” He explains that one represents value and one suit (as in Daryl’s “Untouched”). The spectator is invited to select any card from the deck without looking at it. This card is sandwiched between the two face-up future cards and the three card sandwich handed to the spectator. When she flips her selection face-up, it is the card predicted by the future cards. The performer invites inquiry into whether the future can be changed and suggests reversing the positions of the prediction cards. The selection is now shown to have changed into the newly predicted card (suit and value reversed). This is a very nice effect with a great premise and an excellent process-to-effect ratio. |
Martino Special user Manchester, UK 928 Posts |
Nice review lumberjohn. I look forward to part 2. I've bought the ebook but not read it yet as I've printed it out and want to get it bound before diving into it!
"There's a difference between not knowing how something is done and knowing it can't be done!" - Simon Aronson
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lumberjohn Special user Memphis, TN 626 Posts |
REVIEW: Part Two
I didn't mention it before, but the ebook is divided into five sections: Openers, Mysteries, Triumphs, Multitudes, and Four-Closures. The first two effects are Openers and the last two are closers. The next two are the Triumph routines. BOUND TO TRIUMPH: This Triumph effect is a cross between Jay Sankey’s “Back in Time” and J.C. Wagner’s “Bandorama.” A selected card is lost in the deck, which is then mixed face-up and face-down. A rubber band is placed around the deck, and the banded deck is placed between the spectator’s palms. The spectator confirms to the audience that the deck is moving between her palms. When she opens her hands, the face-up selection is protruding from the deck while the remaining cards are all face-down. John has built a nice dual-reality into the effect such that those watching will assume the entire deck is shuffling and rearranging itself between the spectator’s hands. This and the incorporated spectator involvement set this Triumph apart from others which generally all occur in the possession and control of the performer. UNTOUCHABLE: As per the name, this is a mostly hands-off Triumph effect that, like "Bound to Triumph," has the advantage of spectator involvement. The advantage to this one is that many people can be involved in apparently mixing the deck face-up into face-down, but at the end of the mixing, you can immediately spread the cards to show only the selection face-up among a face-down deck. If you like powerful effects in which your participation is minimized, this is a great option. INSIDE AND OUT: Two selections are lost in the deck; the card box is shown empty; a magical gesture is performed; one of the selections is pulled from the previously empty box. Spectator two shuffles the deck and places it into the box after it is again shown empty. By simply pressing on the box, the second selection drops into spectator two’s hands, apparently through the box. This is a pretty straightforward card to box / card through box effect, but true to form, John has dressed up the presentation by incorporating byplay about the spectators being “in the box” or “out of the box” thinkers. TRIPLE POCKET DISCOVERY: Three selections are lost in the deck; one is magically brought to the top and then placed in the pocket. Suddenly, the pocketed card penetrates to the outside of the pocket. You offer to cause the next card to magically teleport to your pocket and ask the spectators which one they would like to travel. The chosen card is magically retrieved from the pocket. Finally, the shuffled deck is placed into your pocket; you reach in and remove the deck with the last selection protruding. This is a very nice triple revelation with no required setup. ASSEMBLY LINE: An assembly in which four spectators hold the packets throughout. Four jacks are removed from the deck; the spectators divide up the remainder of the deck into four packets; you insert a jack into each packet after displaying it; you allow the spectators to choose (in my preferred handling –though the process is referenced rather than explicitly taught) the target packet; the jacks are shown to have all jumped to the target packet. For an added kicker (if you choose), all the remaining cards can be shown blank. This is a great idea for creating audience participation in what is traditionally a “watch me” trick done on a table. The fact that it is done entirely in the hands is an added bonus. I’m not generally a huge fan of assemblies, but this version addresses several of my reservations with such effects, and I think it would play very well. PICKPOCKET ACES: After noticing the deck to feel lighter, you accuse a spectator of stealing one of the aces and find it in his pocket. You then find an ace in your pocket – accusing the spectator of trying to frame you for the crime. The spectator removes the third ace from his own pocket. Finally, you reveal that the entire deck has disappeared with the exception of the now four aces. This is basically a vanishing deck routine with some added by-play with a spectator. The pickpocketing/accusation angle would, I suspect, make the effect fun to perform for you and the audience. There’s a lot to like in this collection. The effects are generally impromptu with little to no setup and the difficulty level is typically low. Other than the slight heavy “Invisible Opener,” most will be within the grasp of those that can hold a break, control a few cards, and execute a multiple lift, though a few do involve cops and palms. Overall, while I wouldn’t classify any of these effects as self-working, this is some strong magic for relatively little effort. Finally, the price on this is definitely right. While you may not use everything, there is no filler here. You are getting twelve very good effects for twenty dollars ($20). In a market filled with $30-$35 one-trick DVDs, the price-to-effect ratio is excellent. If one or more of the effects I’ve described seem like things you might want to perform, then I guarantee you won’t be disappointed with READY, SET, GuastaferrO! |
JohnG V.I.P. 372 Posts |
Thanks, lumberjohn!
Appreciate the kind words and detailed review. John G
John Guastaferro
Website: www.MagicJohnG.com Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/MagicJohnG Twitter: twitter.com/johngmagic YouTube: www.youtube.com/johngmagic Email: johnGmagic@mac.com |
magicmaninsd Regular user San Diego, CA 199 Posts |
This is a great ebook. Wonderful material! This is acual usable stuff for magicians who really work.
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John C Eternal Order I THINK therefore I wrote 12945 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-02-15 13:21, magicmaninsd wrote: I'd get it if I worked. But I don't so thanks for the heads up magic. |
escherwolf Regular user 126 Posts |
I love the book - my only thing is that I would've gladly paid for a physical book. The material is worthy of it.
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TonyPorter Regular user 180 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-02-15 15:24, johncesta wrote: It's also good for those who are broken. |
tomcards Elite user San Francisco 403 Posts |
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Scott F. Guinn Inner circle "Great Scott!" aka "Palms of Putty" & "Poof Daddy G" 6586 Posts |
John's stuff is always clever, magical, and USABLE (the last being the most important to me)! He's also one of the truly nice guys in magic. I've never been disappointed with anything that had his name on it.
"Love God, laugh more, spend more time with the ones you love, play with children, do good to those in need, and eat more ice cream. There is more to life than magic tricks." - Scott F. Guinn
My Lybrary Page |
JohnG V.I.P. 372 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-02-29 13:45, tomcards wrote: Tom, Thanks for the review on Genii online. As a result of your review, Richard Kaufmann requested a copy of RSG for review in the June issue of the magazine. Thanks! John G
John Guastaferro
Website: www.MagicJohnG.com Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/MagicJohnG Twitter: twitter.com/johngmagic YouTube: www.youtube.com/johngmagic Email: johnGmagic@mac.com |
tomcards Elite user San Francisco 403 Posts |
John,
You're quite welcome. Congratulations on producing a fine product. Tom |
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