Paul Harris is at it again! His new series called "Hand-Picked Astonishments" is bringing some of the best instruction in magic. Best of all, you can get access to the first two volumes of this series TODAY, because they are only being offered as a DOWNLOAD right now. (DVD release will come at a later date, but why wait when you can literally begin watching these volumes today!)
What is Hand-Picked Astonishments?
To put it simply, these are the absolute BEST five or six effects possible on each topic. No filler - just the ultimate routines you can perform with thumbtips, loops, the Invisible Deck, and card forcing. Taught by expert magician Joshua Jay in meticulous detail and clarity, this is the Tarbell Course for the digital age!MJM Magic has been handpicked to offer these first two volumes to the magic community, and you can download them RIGHT NOW to begin learning.
---------------
Volume 1: Thumbtips ($19.95 +2 Reward Points Earned)
LINK: http://www.mjmmagic.com/store/paul-harris-handpicked-astonishments-vol-1-thumbtips-download-p-15921.html
We begin our series with Volume 1, which is perhaps the greatest assemblage of magic possible with the humble thumbtip. Not only are all the basics covered, but you’ll learn how to make a "nesting" thumbtip, several effects you can perform anytime and anywhere, and even two larger routines suitable for bigger audiences.If you have never used a thumbtip before, this is the perfect primer. If you consider yourself a thumbtip expert, there is still a selection of brand-new, unpublished routines and concepts.
CONTENTS:
- An introduction to thumb tips
- Thumb tip handling (management, angles, steals and loads)
- Metal Bending
- Salt & Petter
- Saline Solution
- Fortune Cookie
- Dollar Bill
Volume 2: Card Forces ($19.95 +2 Reward Points Earned)
LINK: http://www.mjmmagic.com/store/paul-harris-handpicked-astonishments-vol-2-card-forces-download-p-15922.html
Volume 2 is dedicated to the wide world of card forcing. Joshua Jay will share with you a variety of forces for every occasion: in the hands, on the table, on the go, or with a setup. Then, he shares several new, unpublished routines utilizing the forces taught, as well as three mind-blowing classic of card magic that should be in every magician's repertoire.CONTENTS:
- Fiedler's Flyer
- Half Time
- Drop Shot
- Cross Cut Force
- Slip Cut Force
- Swing Cut Force
- Touch Force
- Riffle Force
- Discrete Displacement
- Classic Force
---------------
Use the links above and DOWNLOAD THESE TODAY! You will get instant access to the files once we process your order!
HERE ARE SOME GREAT REVIEWS ON THE HANDPICKED ASTONISHMENTS:
Max Krause – Magician/Mentalist –
Thumb tips – Vol. 1
This is something that every magician from beginner to professional should get something out of. The coin bend alone is worth the price of the entire video. There are several contributions from some very well-known creators and all of them are strong enough to be added to anyone’s performing repertoire. Two TT up and for good reason
Card Forces – Vol. 2
If you have ever needed to use your "favorite force" to perform a card effect and didn't have one, this video will solve that problem. The teaching is thorough and easy to follow. The effects that are explained to demonstrate the different techniques are all very solid and should get you great reactions if you choose to implement any of them. I look forward to seeing more of this series.
Paul Romhany/VANISH MAGAZINE:
HP Thumbtips:
Forget everything your granddad taught you about thumbtips (unless he was Dai Vernon). This DVD should be considered THE MASTERCLASS with a thumbtip, and will elevate any performers ability using this secret weapon. It features some of the most astonishing magic from magicians around the world, using one of the best tools a magician could own, and taught by one of the best teachers in the business, Joshua Jay.
Like other DVDs in this series the quality of filming and visuals are of the highest quality making it easy and fun to learn.
The material covered is hand picked to provide the viewer the best of the best when it comes to effects you can perform with a thumb tip and there is something for every type of perform the beginner to experienced.
As Joshua explains, a thumbtip is a secret pocket that is in plain sight and if used properly can take a piece of magic to a higher level. He makes a great point when he says, “Having a thumbtip is like a golf club. Just because you have the best golf club doesn’t make you the best golfer. It’s how you USE the club that counts”, and the same can be said with the thumbtip.
There are many facets of thumbtip techniques taught including thumbtip management and how to look and feel comfortable wearing one, as well as the importance of relaxing while wearing one. It’s these small nuances that make this such a powerful tool if used properly.
The section on stealing or loading the thumbtip in to an empty hand is one of the highlights – it enables you to cleanly load a thumbtip in to your hand without any suspicious or awkward moves. By using these techniques you’ll even fool those who know about thumbtips. I LOVE the David Williamson steal of the tip – it’s typical Williamson and I can see this becoming the standard move used by many.
As well as technique and handling you’ll also learn some highly commercial and powerful tricks. There’s a real variety of magic from a bent coin in a spectators hand routine, a powerful sugar packet routine based on a David Williamsons routine, Garret Thomas’s bill to sugar packet, and a routine called Salt and Pepper which offers something new in the world of thumbtip technology, as well a very clever idea incorporating a fortune cookie.
This DVD covers all the basics plus a lot of extra work that will make both the amateur and professional want to re-think the way they use a thumbtip. There is no reason why you should ever feel conspicuous when you have the thumbtip on after watching this. This is VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
HP Card Force:
Professionally shot and edited footage that makes learning the classic forces taught in this DVD easy and fun, and will change the way you view many of the standard forces. Joshua Jay is the perfect person to host and teach this as he explains both the technical and misdirection aspect of each force.
It is obvious the research behind this has been very involved with twists on every force by some of the top card workers in the world. This is what makes this such a great DVD, because even if you already know how to force a card, you will want to learn the subtleties and many variations that will take your card force to a higher level. One example is the Cross-Cut Force – if you thought it was just for amateurs then this will change your mind! There is a great idea by Jon Armstrong where the spectator can shuffle the cards yet you can still perform a Cross-Cut Force.
Paul Harris’s cell phone Cross-Cut Force makes this a modern miracle, especially if you use the spectator’s phone.
Personally my favorite was the handling on the Split-Cut Force, which I’ve been doing for over thirty years. The handling taught on here is far superior to any other split-cut force I’ve ever seen and I’m now using it. This version does away with all unnecessary movements and looks exactly like it should if a spectator were to stay stop and look at a card. This is one you WILL WANT TO LEARN!
One of the key points of this is that as magicians we need to start thinking about our magic, whether it’s forcing or controlling a card in terms of pictures, and pictures we paint in the minds of the audience.
If there is ONE force on here everybody should know or learn it is the Riffle Force. It can be performed anywhere, without a need for a table and the working conditions are perfect for every performing situation. This will take you step by step through the CORRECT way to do this force so it looks natural and go unnoticed by your audience.
There are also live performance shots so you can see Jay in a bar situation performing the forces in the real world.
One of the highlights is the work on The Classic Force. This force is dissected and every nuance discussed to give you a more successful force each time. Just as important as the force is an out should you miss – so you never look bad should you miss with The Classic.
Every major force is taught on this as well as some you may not be so familiar with, such as Feilder’s Flyer using a driver’s license which is demonstrated with a very strong card to wallet effect. The secret is diabolical.
To add to the mix there are some highly commercial routines taught by Jay, which involve the force, and again performed in a live bar situation. The reactions are real and not staged.
This DVD is one every performer would get benefit from including both amateurs and professionals. There are nuances and twists in here on every major card force that make this very highly recommended. Every single person who calls themselves a magician should know how to do one good force – and with this you’ll have plenty to choose from.
BRYCE KUHLMAN/My Lovely Assistant
HP Card Forces-
“Even if you already have a favorite force in your arsenal, I think this work is still worth checking out. Chances are, you'll either learn something to make your force better, or learn one that's even better than what you've been using.”
HP Thumbtips-
“I wish it were around when I was just getting started in magic. All of the details you need to start performing and become confident with a thumbtip are expertly covered.”
Jeff Stone – MagicReviewed.com
Vol. 1 Thumb Tips -
“The effects are easy and very impactful. The information about the uses for this fun little gimmick is solid. The methods and handling are very simple and straight forward…I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who is new to magic…. I would also recommend it for anyone who is more seasoned.” 4 Stars with a Stone Status of GEM
FULL REVIEW HERE : http://www.magicreviewed.com/reviews.php?review=432
Wayne Kawamoto – About.com/Magic & Illusion
“With “Handpicked Astonishments,” Joshua Jay and Paul Harris offer a tremendous introduction to each topic area and even experienced magicians can learn a thing or two from the detailed nuances and subtleties that are discussed.”
Andreas Sucker – MAGIE MAGAZINE/ MAGISCHE WELT MAGAZINE (translated from German)
Hand Picked Astonishments, Paul Harris Presents
Vol. 1 “Thumbtips”, performed by Joshua Jay
With the flood of new products that are being launched every day on the magic market, it's good to go back to the basics of magic once in a while. Paul Harris launches a new video series that is aimed both at beginners and at advanced students. As a protagonist he has recruited Joshua Jay, one of the few magicians with a comprehensive knowledge in almost all fields of magic. He picks the best for us out of the vast magic cosmos. The first episode deals with the thumb tip. In only 36 minutes Joshua Jay covers different models, manipulations such as loading and stealing, critical angles, psychological subtleties and application examples for this ingenious tool. For a beginner, this concentrated filtration provides an entry at a high level, which is very motivating to study intensively with this topic. The pro will be enthused about the subtleties that are contributed i.e. from the creative mind of Garrett Thomas. With him Joshua has a fabulous thinker at his side when it comes to justify motivations and to improve retracted movements. This is one concern of this DVD series: to guide the magician to gain relaxed and flowing movements. In four performances Joshua demonstrates, why it is worth the intense scrutiny of the thumb tip. For this purpose he uses everyday objects such as a coin, which bends magically in the spectator hand, a bill that travels invisibly into a sugar pack, a prediction in a fortune cookie or an empty coffee cup in which sugar appears. Joshua has obviously chosen the walk-around situation in a noisy bar to demonstrate to the beginner how little effort is required to produce magical moments. Of course we know that the use of the thumb tip provides endless possibilities also close-up and on stage.
Conclusion: After watching the DVD , you’ll never leave the house without a thumb tip again.
Hand Picked Astonishments, Paul Harris Presents
Vol. 2 “Forces”, performed by Joshua Jay
DVD, English, running time approx. 55 min
Forces are the topic in the second episode of the new DVD series by Paul Harris. A complex issue, which easily can fill volumes of books. Even more astonishing is what Joshua Jay is presenting us here on one DVD: In 55 minutes he presents eight strong forces, covers psychological finesses and demonstrates in three routines, how the forced card turns into a thought of card in the spectator’s mind. Only by manipulating the perception of the audience, the "normal" force turns into a strong weapon. Joshua Jay demonstrates the Cross Cut Force, Slip Cut Force, the Swing Cut Force, the Touch Force and the Riffle Force. Even though he has picked out the jewels, beginners should not fall into the delusion to think that all has been said. The further study of the extensive literature is inevitable. Joshua motivates to do so by his enthusiasm for the force techniques. He also underlines the importance of rhythm, timing and body language, so that the viewer cannot remember all the details afterwards. And that needs to be practiced! If you stick to your favourite methods for ages, you should review your techniques from time to time and have a careful look when Joshua Jay puts his finger on the wounds of typical mistakes, which he observes with magic colleagues. With the Touch Force he presents a method by Gary Ouellet, which is rarely used, even though it is incredibly bold and effective. In his routines that he shows and explains in the end a card disappears from a deck and appears in the wallet of the magician; a chosen card appears separated into two halves in two card decks; the index of a card ends up in a glass and is missing on the previously selected card.
Conclusion: This is a compact master class about one of the strongest weapons of magic. Highly recommended!
Professionally shot and edited footage that makes learning the classic forces taught in this DVD easy and fun, and will change the way you view many of the standard forces. Joshua Jay is the perfect person to host and teach this as he explains both the technical and misdirection aspect of each force.
It is obvious the research behind this has been very involved with twists on every force by some of the top card workers in the world. This is what makes this such a great DVD, because even if you already know how to force a card, you will want to learn the subtleties and many variations that will take your card force to a higher level. One example is the Cross-Cut Force – if you thought it was just for amateurs then this will change your mind! There is a great idea by Jon Armstrong where the spectator can shuffle the cards yet you can still perform a Cross-Cut Force.
Paul Harris’s cell phone Cross-Cut Force makes this a modern miracle, especially if you use the spectator’s phone.
Personally my favorite was the handling on the Split-Cut Force, which I’ve been doing for over thirty years. The handling taught on here is far superior to any other split-cut force I’ve ever seen and I’m now using it. This version does away with all unnecessary movements and looks exactly like it should if a spectator were to stay stop and look at a card. This is one you WILL WANT TO LEARN!
One of the key points of this is that as magicians we need to start thinking about our magic, whether it’s forcing or controlling a card in terms of pictures, and pictures we paint in the minds of the audience.
If there is ONE force on here everybody should know or learn it is the Riffle Force. It can be performed anywhere, without a need for a table and the working conditions are perfect for every performing situation. This will take you step by step through the CORRECT way to do this force so it looks natural and go unnoticed by your audience.
There are also live performance shots so you can see Jay in a bar situation performing the forces in the real world.
One of the highlights is the work on The Classic Force. This force is dissected and every nuance discussed to give you a more successful force each time. Just as important as the force is an out should you miss – so you never look bad should you miss with The Classic.
Every major force is taught on this as well as some you may not be so familiar with, such as Feilder’s Flyer using a drivers license which is demonstrated with a very strong card to wallet effect. The secret is diabolical.
To ad to the mix there are some highly commercial routines taught by Jay, which involve the force, and again performed in a live bar situation. The reactions are real and not staged.
This DVD is one every performer would get benefit from including both amateurs and professionals. There are nuances and twists in here on every major card force that make this very highly recommended. Every single person who calls themselves a magician should know how to do one good force – and with this you’ll have plenty to choose from.
Total Running Time Approximately: 55 min
No comments:
Post a Comment