Miracles With a Short Cardhttp://www.pacmagic.com/products.htmlProduct DescriptionOn this DVD Peter Cassford will teach you to control, force, and glimpse selected cards with little or no sleight of hand.
You will also learn how to control a card under incredibly fair conditions, card effects that will look like they take incredible amounts of skill, and mind-blowing mental effects that will leave your audience astounded.
"I know from experience that Peter's effects using a short card astound people. I have seen the public's jaws drop, and quite literate performers be spun on their heels, fooled by Peter's use of the short card. Most of what Peter does is very easy and simple to do, but it will fool you badly if you do not know his work."
-Kenton Knepper
First ImpressionsLately I've been pretty satisfied with my bag of tricks with a deck of cards. I'm by no means a master with a deck of cards (the most difficult move I do is a pass), nor am I striving to be--I just don't like knucklebusting moves or routines with 20 sleights that go on forever. I like direct effects that have simple, short plots. I haven't been able to find anything that suits my taste lately.
So now, after already very being impressed with Peter Cassford's Pass with Care DVD, I didn't hesitate in buying his second project, Miracles with a Short Card.
Honest to God, this is what I've been looking for for months now.
The Short CardPeter starts by teaching how to make a short card (different than the corner short card). After watching this DVD, I definitely like the short card more (both in application and because it looks less gimmicked).
Sleights Taught/Utilized-Double Undercut
-Spread Cull Control (not taught but referenced--if you know a cull the rest is taught.)
-Speed Glimpse (the quickest, most deceptive glimpse in existence I think. It looks like nothing happens and yet you instantly know their card. Absolutely brilliant.)
-Prophecy Move (This move is so cool and could be used in so many different ways. It's rare that I geek out for a card move, but this is just awesome.)
Methods/Applications with a Short CardPeter goes over methods for how to:
-Find a short card lost in the deck
-Bring a short card to the top or bottom
-Control a card using the short card
-Force a short card (either the short card or any other card)
*Riffle Force (2 ways)
*Behind the Back Force (very cool, very fair)
*Visual Force (this is almost worth the price of the DVD alone. You riffle through the pack and ask the spectator to just see one card--any card--and remember it. Blaine popularized this force on TV a few times, performing it for the camera. I think this just became my favorite force.)
RoutinesThis is the meat of the DVD. The routines taught are just awesome, and all of them can be done walk-around. In fact, before each trick is taught a performance is shown of Peter doing the trick to random spectators on the street. Peter is great with people; aside from learning tricks and methods from this DVD, you can learn a lot about performing by just watching Peter work with people. He's personable, friendly, and he really comes across as a guy who's performing for his spectators rather than himself (like so many magicians seem to).
It's rare that I buy a DVD and want to learn every single trick taught, but with this DVD I do. All the tricks are so commercial and direct. I can't say enough about the magic Peter puts together with a short card in ways that the short card is enhancing the magic, making it seem even more impossible rather than just using the short card as a crutch to replace sleight of hand.
There are seven routines taught:
1. Ace Production - Spectators cut the deck however they want, yet you still are able to produce two aces. For the next two the spectator stabs one of the aces wherever they want and, lo and behold, the last 2 aces are found above and below the stabbed card. Awesome production that really involves the spectators.
2. Spelling Made Easy - A card is selected and returned to the deck and shuffled. The spectator holds the deck and deals out one card for each letter of their name--the last letter in their name is their card. They spell their own name to find their card in their own hands--that's great magic.
3. Coincidence? - One spectator reads another one's mind. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to expose it, but this is trick is one of my favorites. I'm going to be using this non-stop, I know it. It uses the Visual Force.
4. Impossible Mindreading - While your back is turned the specator cuts the deck ANYWHERE THEY WANT, memorizes that card and replaces it, yet you're able to instantly divine their card. This is as fair as it gets--there is nothing to see as far as sleight of hand goes.
5. The Difficult Spectator - You turn your back, the spectator selects a card, takes the deck and shuffles it in, yet you can instantly either name their card or produce it. Peter says he uses this trick when he has a difficult spectator and wants to make the conditions as impossible as he can.
6. Triple Threat Mindreading - Three spectators select cards in very fair ways, yet you're able to tell them what cards they chose. Very cool effect that builds off Impossible Mindreading. Great when you got a group and you want to get more people involved in the magic.
7. Red Hot Momma - What a gem. I don't like color changing card effects at all--not once have I ever seen one I wanted to perform. They just never make sense to me--the reasons for the card/deck changing color is either non-existent and is done for shock value ("and look, it was the only red card in the deck" or "and look, the entire red deck is now blue."), or the reason is flimsy. But with this effect the color changing card is built into the effect.
The spectator selects a card and returns it to the center of the deck. You teach them about how magicians mark cards by making the back of their selected card turn the opposite color of the deck (one red card in a blue deck or vica versa) right in the center--Peter really knows how to get the most out of the visual appearance of that opposite color card popping up too. You toss the card aside and say you will repeat it, only when you try to you can't find the new marked card in the deck--because if there's only one marked card, and it's on the floor...BAM--killer transposition. Great suspense the way Peter does it too. Awesome trick. Peter says he performs this at every walk-around gig he has and I can see why. Very commercial effect, very magical looking, very strong, and it's easy too.
ProductionThe production is very good. Clear sound and picture, easy to operate menu, good graphics.
TeachingPeter is an awesome teacher, as those with Pass With Care already know. He's much more himself (which is good because he's very likable) in front of the camera than he was in Pass with Care and seems to be having a good time teaching his material. I really enjoyed learning from him off the DVD--he made the DVD fun to watch with his passion for magic.
ClosingI loved this DVD. If you're looking for something new with cards, and you like hardhitting, direct magic, I strongly urge you to check this DVD out. The material is pretty easy to perform, but it's very strong. And the methods are so unique--the short card has so many applications I can't even believe it took someone this long to discover the secret weapon potential of this. Peter said he fools more magicians with methods involving a short card than he does anything else and I can see why--it can be so deceptive. If you want to add this secret weapon to your arsenal here's a link:
http://www.pacmagic.com/products.html.
Personally, and I mean this, I know that from now on one of the very first things I'm going to be doing when I open a new pack of cards is making a short card.
Thanks for reading. Happy magic.
