Win all of these!
Drawing on April 1st, 2024
Details

Welcome To My World

Stessel, John

(Based on 3 reviews)
John Stessel is a strikingly creative magician. On this DVD, he invites you to take an intriguing journey into his world.

Abandon all preconceptions.

Inside this mysterious realm, you won't encounter common effects produced by familiar methods. Instead you'll discover seven innovative and unique phenomena crafted by arcane means.

Earthly laws of physics don't apply here... Watch as everyday items transmute and take flight, Ordinary objects behave in extraordinary ways.

These powerful, entertaining effects will cause your spectators to question their perceptions and reconsider their notions of the impossible.

Welcome to John Stessel's world...

Ice Breaker- One of the best ways to break the ice with a person... EVER! With Ice Breaker the magician visually changes an Icebreaker mint container from blue to green, or from mint to candy, this is easy, fun, organic magic at its best.

Merge 1.0- an extremely visual change of a playing card, done with no sleight of hand, and to make this even more impossible, the card is isolated in a rubber band and still visually changes!

Bendable- this is an organic miracle, walk up to a person at a party or in a restaurant, borrow a bendy straw, and visually have the bend of the straw begin to move across the length of the straw, with absolutely no cover, and impossibly end on the other side. The straw can be immediately examined, and the spectator is left with an amazing simple souvenir.

Black Hole- A gimmick that changes your card box into a secret vanishing weapon, audibly vanish coins, make objects vanish in the spectator's hands, make objects appear, the possibilities of the Black Hole gimmick are endless, oh and was it mentioned that at the end the box can be examined? Yeah it's the real deal. Three bullet proof routines are tough with the Black Hole gimmick, but the true potential of this gimmick is up to you to discover!!!

Popcorn- The name goes without being said organic easy and tasty! Popcorn is a situational effect where you borrow a piece of popcorn, you hold it at your fingertips and with the blink of an eye it visually and quickly jumps into the magician's mouth! Eat and enjoy!

Cap Off- Borrow a water bottle, borrow a cap, place the cap upside down on top of the bottle, without any motion of the hands, have that cap impossibly fall off! Everything is instantly examinable, and you are instantly reset!

Arrow- A modern day tribute to Robin Hood, one production, one shot, one stab, a whole lot of magic, and a big display of skill, with barely any skill!

Reviews

Doc Johnson

Official Reviewer

Nov 22, 2015

PROS

Some very clever new ideas. These techniques will take a bit of practice, but are within reach of intermediate or perhaps a beginner with a bit more practice.

On this project, John has a variety of effects, some using cards, some using other items, like an Ice Breaker candy box.

Black hole is a great gimmick for your card box. He teaches a few really great routines with this great gimmick.

The gimmicks are clever. None of the gimmicks are included, but the DVD gives the instruction needed to construct the gimmicks.

CONS

The DVD was a real eclectic mix of a variety of ideas. Many had little to do with each other. Some may deem this a problem, but I think it was a very nice mix of ideas from a very clever magician.

There is a bit of confusion at the beginning when he hints at how this concept of "my world" has changed his magic. However, "my world" is not a particular gimmick, or any other particular magic concept. Putting that confusion aside, the DVD was full of really good ideas.

At the end, he offers to email additional thoughts and routines for free.

VERDICT

Really nice eclectic mix of a variety of ideas including cards, a candy box, a straw, a bottle cap, etc. Very nice project.
(Top ▲)

Jeff Stone

Official Reviewer

Aug 25, 2014

Let me start by first saying that overall I liked this DVD and will be recommending it when all is said and done. However, I'm very confused about something. Let's take a look at a transcription of the intro on the DVD. Then I'll explain my confusion.


The following was transcribed verbatim by me from the DVD:



Hi guys. For those of you that don't know me, I'm John Stessel, and I wanted to thoroughly thank you for purchasing this project. This has been a work for a long time, and it's been an idea I've been wanting to put out for a very long time. The concept of "My World" is been something I've been adapting to all of my magic since I can first remember.


I created the concept about four years ago and it really sparked this different type of creative energy in me and it made me completely blow up every idea I had just to fit "my world." So without further ado, thank you for purchasing this project, and I hope you guys enjoy it. Let's get into it.



He then proceeds to perform and explain several effects which we'll talk about in a moment.


Then at the end of the DVD he gives some shout outs to some magi friends. Then says the following (again transcribed verbatim):



Before I end, I did not tell you guys yet the big concept to "welcome to my world" is that "my world" isn't a closing feature, by that I mean once you're in, you're in.


So um "welcome to my world" is actually an open-ended project. I have a ton of stuff that didn't actually make it onto the DVD.



After the above he continues on by letting us know that if you sign up for his list, he'll continue to send you more videos for free via email as a continuation of the project. I think that's a great and generous idea. However that's it. The confusion comes in when you hear (or read) the intro. When I first heard the intro, I was expecting the whole DVD to be about some principle or concept. He talks about adapting the concept to all of his magic, and how he created the concept four years ago. I'm just a bit confused about what, exactly, he is "adapting to all of [his] magic." I'm also confused about what concept he created four years ago . . . the idea to send out videos via email? Maybe I'm just missing the boat, but I just didn't feel or get it.


However, with that said, the effects and methods taught on the DVD (with one exception - Bendable) are "worthy." So let's take a look at a few things.



John Stessel


Based on this DVD, I like John Stessel. He's a smart guy who is creative and works on his magic to improve it based on experience. He seemed to work hard to give credit (though he actually missed a credit to yours truly) and recognition to those gone before. He's a very likable guy for sure.


Production Quality


The navigation menu was simple and clean - thank you! The video and audio quality were top notch . . . all studio quality. Each effect was quasi-performed for the camera. It was more like a patter-less walk through. I kind of like that because it was enough for you to see the effect (with one exception - Ice Breaker). However, you weren't exposed to crappy audience interaction with crap patter and put-and-take that we see so often these days. After each performance, we're given a very clear and easy to follow explanation immediately followed by another explanation from over the shoulder.


Make sure you don't skip the over the shoulder explanations because you'll find further tips, pointers and alternate handling ideas that weren't shown in the first explanation.


Overall production quality/teaching/etc - excellent. No complaints.


Ad Copy Honesty


As you know, this category (Ad Copy Integrity) is one of the most important factors for my review criteria. For the most part the ad copy is accurate. However, I will point a couple of things that are not. First, there is a lot of hype like, "Earthly laws of physics don't apply here" or hyperbolized claims like the ". . . effects will cause your spectators to question their perceptions and reconsider their notions of the impossible." I can live with that. It's hype, but it's not too crazy.


However, in one effect a claim of no sleight of hand is mentioned. That's not true. It's almost true, and the slieght of hand required is minimal and pretty easy, but it still exists. Finally, however, the biggest claim that I have a problem with is that the Black Hole card box gimmick can be examined. The way it is used in the DVD, it cannot be examined. Further, when Stessel explains what is needed to make it examinable, the gimmick becomes almost unusable, and the box still isn't examinable. However, I don't feel that it needs to be examined, so the fact that it's not examinable is not a problem. What is a problem is the false claim that it is examinable.


The video trailer shows a lot of footage of live performances. None of that is on the DVD, or if it is, I couldn't find it. I'm a little bummed by that, but it's not the end of the world. The DVD still gives you all that you need to learn the effects. Just don't expect to see the performances from the trailer anywhere on the DVD. Finally, the video teaser says that there are 9 new and organic effects. While I can pretty much agree that all of the effects are organic, there are only 7, not 9.


Effects


Below you'll find a brief mention of each effect and a few points on each one.


ARROW

Here is a simple yet visual card discovery that's been done before in different forms. However, you'll learn two utility moves that are kind of fun. The first, Arrow Shot, is a simple and pretty easy move to cause a card to jump/pop out of the deck into your hand. The second move, Arrow Spin, is a knacky yet cool move to cause a card to fly and spin out of the deck straight up in the air. Both of these moves are pretty practical and can be learned with a fair bit of practice.


MERGE

This is a very visual and clever color change that allows a card to visually and instantly change even while wrapped in a rubber band. You'll learn a couple of cool alternative handling ideas as well. You're also given some good tips on clean up. He kept referring to this as "the orginal handling of Merge." It wasn't until the end of the DVD during the credits where he explained that variations of the effect where published in a previous collaborative DVD himself and Justin Miller. This original version, however, was not on the JM collaborative project, so he published it here.


The move is easy, visual and very practical. You'll need to come up some reason why you're wrapping the card in the rubber band, but that's a small price to pay for something this visual.


ICEBREAKER

This effect was hard to see on the DVD. Changing a blue Icebreaker Mint container to a green one in not-so-good lighting isn't much of an effect. He should have (at least for the DVD) done a change from green (mint) to red (cinnamon). Other than that, the effect is pretty solid, but very angly. He teaches an alternative method that is 100% angle proof, but it's not as powerful as the angly version. He also adds a handling by Jeff Prace that I thought was very simple and effective. Though it's angly, it is visual and organic. The container is not examinable. However I don't think it needs to be, especially since you immediately can dump out mints from the container right into the spectator's hand.


BENDABLE

The method on this didn't look very convincing to me, and the gimmick is a little awkward to handle. It's a smart idea, and I'll certainly admit that the method may be more convincing that I think just because I'm seeing it as a magician not a lay person. Take a look at the video trailer. About 35 seconds in, you'll see the effect where the bendy part of a straw moves on the straw. If you feel that looks good, then you'll be happy with it. The gimmick works, but it'll take a little bit of practice to be able to handle it smoothly.


BLACK HOLE

Well . . . this is the one that I mentioned earlier where I was not credited. This is essentially the same thing as my Prometheus Box from my DVD Gemstones. I released this about 5 years before this DVD was released. However, Stessel does mention that he's been playing around with this idea since he was 12, so unless he's only 17, his predates mine. Either way, I'm not offended. I just chalk it up to independent creativity. I've done the same thing in the past, and frankly, someone probably fiddled around with this before both of us.


The construction of the boxes are ever so slightly different from each other. His has some pros over mine, and mine has some pros over his. Further, you are taught 3 different applications for the box on this DVD, all of which are simple and clever.


Just keep in mind that the box can NOT be examined (neither can mine) as the ad copy claims. Further, even though an "examinable" alternative is taught, it is still NOT examinable. But that's not an issue in my book. It's the kind of thing where the box is kind of above suspicion. Plus the spectator even handles the box in some of the routines.


CAP OFF

Before the performance on the DVD, Stessel makes a big deal about saying that this does NOT use loops. Then he does the effect. Ok . . . technically it does not use Loops. However it still uses the same basic concept . . . just a different hook up. Further, the explanation of how big to make the gimmick is never really clear. You'll get the basic gist of it by watching the explanation, but you'll have to fiddle around with it to get it exactly right.


POPCORN

This uses the exact same gimmick as Cap Off. In both cases, the effects are visual and easy. However, I'm not convinced that the particular hook up is the best way to go. However, the gimmick and hook up are pretty easy. So if you like the visuals (both are shown in the trailer), then I think you'll be happy with the method.


Final Thoughts


As I mentioned in the beginning, I am recommending this DVD. Nine effects that are pretty easy, pretty practical and pretty visual for only $30 bucks is a reasonable price. When you consider that you'll also be getting more videos via email for life (theoretically), this makes the $30 even easier to swallow. My only two real concerns are the few spots in the ad copy that were not quite as accurate as I felt they should be, and secondly, the confusion about the "concept." Frankly, I can just ignore the confusion about the concept in my rating. The errors in the ad copy are mostly forgivable.


Final Verdict:
3.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.

(Top ▲)

Joe Diamond

Official Reviewer

Oct 29, 2013

This is a wonderful project from a creator I had not heard of before.

John Stessel is a charming guy, with very smart ideas. He has a genuine likability, and a passion for his creations. He does trip over his words a few times, and says one thing when he means another, but these aren’t important issues for a first time DVD.

There are wonderful effects that fooled me,and some practical routines that will fit right into many magician’s repertoire’s.

My favorite effects included a visual color changing mint container, a piece of popcorn levitating up into the performer’s mouth, and an effect with a bendy straw that has to be seen to be believed!

All in all, I haven’t been this impressed with a debut project since Calen Morelli’s Function 9, and I think many of you who specialize in close up magic will get something of use out of this!
(Top ▲)