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Preston Burt New user 55 Posts |
I just saw that Penguin magic released a new set of DVDs called "Complete Card Magic"
http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=769 Although it is a bit pricey, I think it offers tons of information. However, the instructor on the DVD is Gerry Griffen. What can I expect from him? From the overview, the series seems pretty comprehensive. Anyone care to share their opinions? |
wisdomIII New user 6 Posts |
I have no information to give you about your question but I was wondering the same thing.
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strmagiceet New user 75 Posts |
I wouldnt reccommend it, after watching the preview and looking at the price, I said NO!. I don't know the guy, and it is mean to judge him on just a small preview but, I didn't think it was all that good. If you are a beginner, I would reccommend Daryl's encyclopedia of card sleighs video.
the guy performing was doing everything all different methods. from my opinion, I'm a flourisher/magicican, his flourishes were terrible, he needs so much more work to make them look smooth, as for his magic... it was "okay" the stuff on the video doesn't cover as much as Daryl's videos. stick with daryls videos |
maxwell New user 93 Posts |
Hi Guys and Gals, Maxwell here from Penguin.
We carry both products (and we're not the manufacturer of either product). Daryl's set is excellent, but I give the edge to Complete Card Magic. It contains many more effects and routines than Daryl's. It's also $80 cheaper! Since Complete Card Magic is brand new (released yesterday), almost nobody has actually seen it yet... so it'll be a while before the reviews come pouring in... but I expect them to be excellent. Again, I love the Daryl, but Complete Card Magic is in my opinion a better set at a better price. I'm very interested to hear what everybody else thinks once they've had a chance to watch them both. Maxwell Murphy Penguin Magic |
Dennis Loomis 1943 - 2013 2113 Posts |
I live very close to Gerry Griffin and have seen him work with cards many, many times. He is awesome! I plan to buy the complete set, and if you are into cards I recommend that you do the same. I recommend that you get them direct from Gerry at http://www.calmagic.com
Dennis Loomis http://www.loomismagic.com
Itinerant Montebank
<BR>http://www.loomismagic.com |
Marcus K New user Bay Area, California 96 Posts |
I have had the honor to call Gerry Griffin my friend and teacher since 1997. He has been performing magic for the public every day at his magic shop for 25 years - and every single person who has the pleasure of seeing him perform is thoroughly entertained, delighted, and says good-bye with a smile on their face, happier than they were when they walked in. His style is simple and elegant; a combination of a gentle nature and an intelligent imagination that allows him to present powerful, stunning, and entertaining magic.
Early in his life, after spending time with Derek Dingle, Gerry began to refine his style and his magic for maximum impact, often saying that "My job is to entertain the least interested person in the room." In later years, Gerry spent much of his time with the great Vic Kirk, who left Gerry his library upon his death in 2000. Gerry invited me to session with him and his friend Terry LaGerould in Lake Tahoe a few years ago, and for those of you who know Terry’s work, it will be obvious why these two men think so alike – their magic is refined, reduced, stripped down of all that is illogical, unnecessary, and tedious for the audience, often using new handlings of old sleights to invent experiences that are so straightforward and powerful that real magic must be the only explanation for what they have just seen. Paul Harris includes some of Gerry’s Magic in “The Art of Astonishment” where he writes “Gerry’s true passion is for crystal-clear moments of pure astonishment.” (Vol 1, Pg. 251) This is the best description of Gerry I could imagine, and from Paul Harris, is indeed high praise. In these DVD’s, Gerry presents most of the card magic that he has been performing for the past 30 years. Some are effects that will be new to you, and those that you are familiar with offer new handlings and subtleties that Gerry has generously and thoroughly explained. The patter is good, clear, and minimal, as Gerry’s goal was to demonstrate these moments of “pure astonishment” and allow you to bring your own personality and performance skills to the table. The DVD’s are organized by skill level, but even the seasoned veteran will find things of value on the first DVD. Since my goal here was more to answer the initial question of “Who is Gerry”, I will end here and allow those less biased than I to review the DVD’s in more detail.
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
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maxwell New user 93 Posts |
Gerry is a respected inventor and a fantastic card magician.
In 1991, Paul Harris, while working on his 5th video for Tannens Magic, consulted Gerry Griffin to correct the one shortcoming of an otherwise magnificent effect, the Balducci Levitation. The secret was too easily detected by spectators. It was Gerry Griffin who offered an easy method for perfecting the placement of the magician relative to the spectator. Using Gerry's method it is possible to significantly decrease the chances of the spectator catching on. Mr. Harris used Gerry Griffin’s improvements to the Balcucci Levitation on his teaching video #5, giving the magic community one of the most powerful “impromptu” effects ever created. Mr. Griffin deserves our humble support. He's poured out his life's work in card magic in this wonderful new set of DVDs. Maxwell Murphy Penguin Magic |
Dennis Loomis 1943 - 2013 2113 Posts |
I now have the complete set of Gerry's DVD's. They are excellent. I have not watched them all start to finish, but I've sampled most of them. The shooting is clean and clear with lots of close up shots of the action making everything easy to follow. The explanations are shot from the back to facilitate easy learning.
What I like most about Gerry's magic is that it is so clean and direct. Everthing extraneous is eliminated and even the patter is direct and to the point. Unlike the Mike Ammar series, these DVD's start with effects for beginners. Then each DVD is more technically demanding. Ammar would have you believe that all of his effects are "Easy." But, in fact, some are a lot easier than others. If you purchase this series you will have an incredibly valuable addition to your library. It's a great collection of clean, direct card magic. Dennis Loomis http://www.loomismagic.com
Itinerant Montebank
<BR>http://www.loomismagic.com |
trulymagic New user 91 Posts |
Hey,
Dennis Loomis. Where do you live because I also live very colse to him. I havnt seen the DVDs but I think they look great. He is a great worker with cards. Im gonna pick them up when I can but I don thave any money so I can't right now. Gerry is a great guy and an awesome teacher. I have his other set of DVDs Gerry's Lucky Sevens which is a great set I think. he teaches slowly and thoroughly and takes him time so you don't have to worry about watching the same clip over and over and over maybe you will have to watch it 2 or 3 times before you have a basic idea and can perform the sleight or effect decently. Anyways I know I'm gonna pick these up ASAP. |
Dennis Loomis 1943 - 2013 2113 Posts |
Itinerant Montebank
<BR>http://www.loomismagic.com |
JHodgeCMI Veteran user Washington State 352 Posts |
Thanks, Marcus!
-Jay |
martini Special user delta, pennsylvania 548 Posts |
Greetings; Strmagiceet, if I may ask? How long have you been in magic? I do not ask this to be critical of your judgements regarding flourishes, but Gerry Griffin has worked the trenches for years.
I have found that no one can really judge a person by a brief preview, and without seeing the DVD's you cannot get the overall impression about someone. I only ask this because I noticed that you were also critical about Card College in a previous post. Years ago, my good friend Frank Garcia brought Tony Slydini down to one of my conventions. It was good seeing Tony especially since his health was not that good at the time, yet Tony insisted on doing something. It was a surprise for everyone who was there and Tony was very cordial and friendly with everyone even though you could tell how much his health had deteriorated. At one point in a routine a couple of younger guys were commenting,quote"This is the Great Slydini?" To say that I was P***** is to put it mildly. Here was a giant in the magic community, who loved his art so much that he performed even without being booked, and took the time to talk with anyone who had questions, and yet three people who had been in magic for only a short time, felt they needed to comment in the way they did. We all get old, and we are not always what we used to be, but we oldsters are always the first to help in any way we can, especially those just starting. I have not seen the DVD's yet as my set is arriving next week, but you can be sure that I will appreciate the time, energy, and hard work that went into putting together this set. Even at my age, I know that there is tremendous value here from years of WORKING experience, and I look forward to enjoying the DVDs. All the Best Marty |
holytoledo36 New user 56 Posts |
I really enjoyed all the DVDs and have learned a lot. Just one technical thing that I didn't understand was that the order the slights were layed out on the cuts DVD didn't make sense. For instance, they have the triple lift first, then the double lift later on. They start with a cut that uses the swing cut and then later teach you the swing cut. I know this isn't Gerry's doing, but did anyone else notice this?
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