Price$24.95
Media TypeVideo Download
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedSep 23, 2014
At the Table Live Lecture - John Archer 10/1/2014 - video DOWNLOAD
Archer, John
Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.
(Based on 3 reviews)
Blank Night - John's famous comedy Bank Night routine that fooled Penn & Teller! This effect is very well thought out, very fun to perform and is VERY funny.
Pushing the Envelope - This is a single billet and one envelope. The Spectator writes down a thought on a billet which is folded and placed into a single envelope. You INSTANTLY know the written down thought. This is a classic plot but with John's added touches! One billet, one envelope. That's it!
Semi Open - This is as close to an open prediction as you can get! An envelope is placed on the table and a card id named or selected. The envelope is opened to show a clearly written prediction of the named card. John will also cover a variation where a duplicate of the named card is removed from the envelope. Clean and devious!
The Laura Buxton Co-incidence - A story that questions what coincidence really is. Two decks of cards - one red, one blue. Despite both decks being handled and examined by the spectator, the performer and spectator repeatedly shuffle the same card to the top. As a finale, it is seen that the final choice of one of these cards had been predicted from the start!
Komedy Killer - John's hilarious routine and variation of the Kenton Knepper classic. This is a full 10 minute routine that plays for both close-up and stage!
DeJa 2 - This is a killer stage effect where a couple from the audience are tested for their compatibility and found to be perfect for each other. A lady picks a card and her partner somehow manages to find it! This is an effect where it seems as if the magician is hardly involved!
Zennerdoo - This is a strong and clean 'psychic experiment'. A spectator repeatedly matches dealt cards on to the table with their matching symbols.
Streets - This is John's book test that really isn't a book test. It's more of a remote viewing experience. This will hopefully whet the tastebuds! John will also discuss his thoughts on comedy writing, creating routines and comedy performance! This is going to be a STRONG & RARE magic learning experience!
NOTE: Due to the nature of live events, the trick list may change.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
PROS
John Archer is one of those rare entertainers that has the ability to capture people’s attention and keep it. There is much to learn from John, not just from his magic, which is good, but perhaps even more for how he has built an entertaining character and how he scripts his routines. Scripting is not just about what is said, or the “patter”, but about everything that is said and done, and the manner in which it is done. Just as a good salesperson knows that just little changes in a few words or a few actions can mean the difference between a sale or not. Learning from John Archer is learning how to be a master “salesperson” in the entertainment art through magic.
CONS
Unless you just have that rare natural talent, if you don’t expose yourself to people like John Archer, and think about how you might create your own character, you run the risk of being just another “hack” magician in front of people perhaps too bored to even roll their eyes.
VERDICT:
It’s my opinion that everything that John Archer has put out, this not being an exception, is worthy.
John Archer is one of those rare entertainers that has the ability to capture people’s attention and keep it. There is much to learn from John, not just from his magic, which is good, but perhaps even more for how he has built an entertaining character and how he scripts his routines. Scripting is not just about what is said, or the “patter”, but about everything that is said and done, and the manner in which it is done. Just as a good salesperson knows that just little changes in a few words or a few actions can mean the difference between a sale or not. Learning from John Archer is learning how to be a master “salesperson” in the entertainment art through magic.
CONS
Unless you just have that rare natural talent, if you don’t expose yourself to people like John Archer, and think about how you might create your own character, you run the risk of being just another “hack” magician in front of people perhaps too bored to even roll their eyes.
VERDICT:
It’s my opinion that everything that John Archer has put out, this not being an exception, is worthy.
Suggestions
If you watch John’s presentations, you will see that he has scripted and choreographed them to be a bit of an entertainment “skit”. I suggest you watch this element carefully, and see how you could turn your own routines into entertaining “mini skits”.(Top ▲)
John Archer is one of my favorite magicians. He is very funny, and very sharp. You will walk away from this lecture with some new ideas for sure.
Balloon Swallow: A long sculpting balloon is blown up and then swallowed like a sword. John explains every detail in this classic circus stunt. It is not incredibly difficult but it stil will take some practice and may be a little dangerous.
Stage Waltz: A husband and wife are called up, the wife selects a card and the husband is able to divine the selected card. This is very fooling for both the audience, husband and wife. This is very clever and completely fooled me and it is a good card effect for the stage.
The New Billet Envelope: This is a nice idea for a billet peak in an envelope. The spectator writes something on a billet. It is placed in the envelope and the spectator holds it the entire time. Even though they can feel the billet the entire time you are still able to divine the info on the billet.
Mind Reading School: This is a fun version of Kenton Knepper’s Kollassal Killer. A spectator names a card and it is revealed in a wallet, or in Archer’s version he mentions that you could do it with an envelope as well. This is a very funny version of the classic and he gives a nice way to streamline the effect as well.
ESP Prediction: It’s too bad but during the performance he flashes slightly, I think it would have completely fooled me if he hadn’t. Zener cards are used here, the spectator deals down and wherever they stop the card they stop at matches the predictions.
Blank Night: YES! This is the trick that fooled Penn and Teller! 5 Envelopes are displayed each envelope is eliminated by different spectators and the last envelope contains $100. This is a very fun routine full of funny lines and gags. What I love is that this could easily be performed on stage without the help of any assistants. He really didn’t hold back here, he teaches you how to make up your own gimmicks and everything.
Laura Buxton: Archer explores crazy coincidences here with a very nice impossible prediction. 2 decks of cards are used, handled by the spectator and each time a card is selected it impossibly matches a card selected by the magician. At the end the magician displays a beautiful impossible prediction bringing the story full circle.
Faux Confabulation: Three pieces of info are asked for 2 pieces the prediction misses and the last prediction matches a card that was freely named. This is definitely a fun little trick with more built in comedy from John’s routine. This is just a little bit harder than all of the other routines taught in this lecture.
The Streets: John uses a few map books and a road is selected from one of the books. He is then able to name the exact road that was selected. This is a fairly clean very logical book test. He explains how to make the gimmick here but it is so intense that you may need to just purchase his books.
There are so many great stage pieces here. If you are looking for effects that you can perform on stage this is the lecture for you. I loved all of the small pieces of information he gave on comedy and writing just as much as all of the magic. This was an excellent lecture.
Balloon Swallow: A long sculpting balloon is blown up and then swallowed like a sword. John explains every detail in this classic circus stunt. It is not incredibly difficult but it stil will take some practice and may be a little dangerous.
Stage Waltz: A husband and wife are called up, the wife selects a card and the husband is able to divine the selected card. This is very fooling for both the audience, husband and wife. This is very clever and completely fooled me and it is a good card effect for the stage.
The New Billet Envelope: This is a nice idea for a billet peak in an envelope. The spectator writes something on a billet. It is placed in the envelope and the spectator holds it the entire time. Even though they can feel the billet the entire time you are still able to divine the info on the billet.
Mind Reading School: This is a fun version of Kenton Knepper’s Kollassal Killer. A spectator names a card and it is revealed in a wallet, or in Archer’s version he mentions that you could do it with an envelope as well. This is a very funny version of the classic and he gives a nice way to streamline the effect as well.
ESP Prediction: It’s too bad but during the performance he flashes slightly, I think it would have completely fooled me if he hadn’t. Zener cards are used here, the spectator deals down and wherever they stop the card they stop at matches the predictions.
Blank Night: YES! This is the trick that fooled Penn and Teller! 5 Envelopes are displayed each envelope is eliminated by different spectators and the last envelope contains $100. This is a very fun routine full of funny lines and gags. What I love is that this could easily be performed on stage without the help of any assistants. He really didn’t hold back here, he teaches you how to make up your own gimmicks and everything.
Laura Buxton: Archer explores crazy coincidences here with a very nice impossible prediction. 2 decks of cards are used, handled by the spectator and each time a card is selected it impossibly matches a card selected by the magician. At the end the magician displays a beautiful impossible prediction bringing the story full circle.
Faux Confabulation: Three pieces of info are asked for 2 pieces the prediction misses and the last prediction matches a card that was freely named. This is definitely a fun little trick with more built in comedy from John’s routine. This is just a little bit harder than all of the other routines taught in this lecture.
The Streets: John uses a few map books and a road is selected from one of the books. He is then able to name the exact road that was selected. This is a fairly clean very logical book test. He explains how to make the gimmick here but it is so intense that you may need to just purchase his books.
There are so many great stage pieces here. If you are looking for effects that you can perform on stage this is the lecture for you. I loved all of the small pieces of information he gave on comedy and writing just as much as all of the magic. This was an excellent lecture.
(Top ▲)
John Archer is a very funny guy. If you have not seen his lecture, you have missed out. John was around well before he made an appearance on the UK television show called “Fool Us” with Penn & Teller, but that is what really catapulted him into the international magic scene. He was successful in fooling Penn & Teller with his handling of ‘Bank Night’ which he calls ‘Blank Night’.
He is well-known for his comedy magic but he is also very good at other types of magic. In this lecture you will see him demonstrate and teach you how to make up the envelopes for ‘Blank Night’ - which is a marketed effect still available from most dealers.
There is a very nice handling for a billet effect called Pushing the Envelope which can be used for endless applications such as drawing duplications, direct mind reading, etc.
Semi-Open is yet another contribution to the pool of solutions for the Open Prediction plot, and this one is pretty good! I found myself thinking the method was something else while I was watching it and it turned out to be something else - which was better. It will probably fool you and it is clean, though I would not say it is ‘the’ cleanest one out there.
If you are a fan of Kenton Knepper, chances are that you have read about, owned, played with and maybe even performed his classic effect called ‘Kolossal Killer’. Well John has come up with a way to make it a good filler piece and all the while reducing the amount of things necessary to perform it, and it looks great! His take is called ‘Komedy Killer’.
John also covers plenty of other things in this lecture, including scripting, comedy and evolving your magic. He also shows the workings of another of his marketed effects called “The Streets” which is not inexpensive, but seeing how it works would be a great way to know whether you would use it or not. I will say that the price for what you get with “The Streets” is very good, but that is subject for a different review.
One of my favorite pieces that John performed and explained was the ‘Laura Buxton Co-Incidence. Personally I would change the handling just a bit, but this is a fantastic effect which just happens to be based on a real event. The method is very versatile and can be used with many different ideas and presentations.
If you like John Archer you will enjoy this lecture and if you have never seen him before, you are in for a treat!
4 stars.
He is well-known for his comedy magic but he is also very good at other types of magic. In this lecture you will see him demonstrate and teach you how to make up the envelopes for ‘Blank Night’ - which is a marketed effect still available from most dealers.
There is a very nice handling for a billet effect called Pushing the Envelope which can be used for endless applications such as drawing duplications, direct mind reading, etc.
Semi-Open is yet another contribution to the pool of solutions for the Open Prediction plot, and this one is pretty good! I found myself thinking the method was something else while I was watching it and it turned out to be something else - which was better. It will probably fool you and it is clean, though I would not say it is ‘the’ cleanest one out there.
If you are a fan of Kenton Knepper, chances are that you have read about, owned, played with and maybe even performed his classic effect called ‘Kolossal Killer’. Well John has come up with a way to make it a good filler piece and all the while reducing the amount of things necessary to perform it, and it looks great! His take is called ‘Komedy Killer’.
John also covers plenty of other things in this lecture, including scripting, comedy and evolving your magic. He also shows the workings of another of his marketed effects called “The Streets” which is not inexpensive, but seeing how it works would be a great way to know whether you would use it or not. I will say that the price for what you get with “The Streets” is very good, but that is subject for a different review.
One of my favorite pieces that John performed and explained was the ‘Laura Buxton Co-Incidence. Personally I would change the handling just a bit, but this is a fantastic effect which just happens to be based on a real event. The method is very versatile and can be used with many different ideas and presentations.
If you like John Archer you will enjoy this lecture and if you have never seen him before, you are in for a treat!
4 stars.