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Reel Magic Magazine - Episode 5

Various

(Based on 1 review)
Windows Media Video File View Clip

Features:

Andrew Pinard
-Continuum
legendary performer Johnny Thompson and Andrew sit down for Part One of a conversation covering his early years, character development, the creation of The Great Tomsoni & Co. and the importance of Vernon

At the Magic Castle
Kozmo interviews Gregory Wilson on creating patter: "from page to stage"

Columns:

Simon Lovell
- Simon Said It!
What's more important: the magician or the trick?

Garrett Thomas - Try This At Home
breaking down the moves to make your magic flow

Jon Armstrong - Small Things, Big Difference
On the "Biddle Grip"

Reviews:

David Regal
- Tricks of the Trade

Wayne Kawamoto - Choice Cuts
Eugene Burger discusses his new DVD -- Eugene Burger Presents: Exploring Magical Presentation

Bonus Tricks:

Johnny Thompson
- "The Biddle Trick"
from Johnny Thompson: Commercial Classics of Magic, Volume 3 published by L&L Publishing

Liam Montier - "Visual Voodoo"
from The Wicked World of Liam Montier, Volume 1 published by Big Blind Media

Gregory Wilson - "Kissing Up"
from Gregory Wilson: In Action, Volume 2 published by L&L Publishing

Running Time Approximately 120min

Reviews

Bryce Kuhlman

Official Reviewer

Apr 06, 2013

This is the first, and only, Reel Magic issue I've seen. I've considered buying other episodes but I obviously can't even keep up with the products I have to review. My "new magic" diet is very slim. But I wanted to review this one because it involves two of my favorite magic friends: Eugene Burger and Johnny Thompson.

I really like the idea of a video magazine. Whether we like it or not, people are learning more and more from video and less from print. The production quality is quite good, as is all of the content. The only thing that annoyed me is being forced to watch (or at least fast forward through) video ads before I got to the content. I understand that a portion of the income for this project comes from advertising (especially when the DVD only costs $10!), but I think giving the viewer a way to skip them would not have really hurt potential sales from the ads.

The interviews with John Thompson and Gregory Wilson were great, with both of them providing lots of food for thought. I cherish every moment I get to "spend" with John, even when it's just me watching him on video. Of particular interest was the number and variety of photos of John through the years.

Other than the interview with John, my favorite segments came from Simon Lovell and Garrett Thomas. Simon speaks passionately, and with his usual sense of humor, about the importance of your personality over your tricks. Garrett explains how he breaks moves into visual "freeze frames" and then analyzes these frames and their relationship to allow your magic to flow more effectively.
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