Essentials in Magic: Sponge Balls
Easton, Daryl
Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.
This DVD focuses on Sponge Balls, an amazing magic effect, that is easy to do! In it you will learn...
- Passe Passe Sponge
- Concealments
- Producing the Ball
- Sawing a Ball in Two - Poi Yung Chong
- Passes and Vanishes
- Retention Passes
- Ball to Spectator's Hand
- Routines
- And much, much more!
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Overview
Daryl was, without question an elite teacher in terms of magic. On this product, he has a nice, calm demeanor and comes across in his usual, very accessible styling. This one DVD is sort of intended as a pre-cursor for his multi-volume DVD set that does a DEEP DIVE into sponge ball stuff.This is a MUST HAVE for your library. While it is basic stuff, he also tips a couple of small routines on the tail end.
Effect
Essentially, you get a nice thorough review of many sleights, moves, false puts, false takes and many other things... from simple to low-level intermediate stuff.Method
The DVD does a great job of covering everything from the simplest moves up to relatively intermediate material.Product Quality
Great DVD case, good printing on the DVD, menus are excellent and technical production is solid.Ad Copy Integrity
Pretty lines up pretty well -- on minor comment: for the money, you get a lot a good stuff here.Suggestions
Not just for beginners: Even seasoned performers will take something out of this.(Top ▲)
I have been doing sponge magic for a long time and I love it - it is one of my favorite genres of magic. I have researched, read and studied many, many books and techniques on the subject and I have seen quite a few DVDs covering sponge magic as well. This is certainly one of the best resources I have ever seen for beginning magicians that want to start learning how to do sponge magic. Once again, this DVD shows exactly why Daryl is one of the best and most sought-after teachers in magic today.
The production quality is absolutely phenomenal - it is well-lit, the audio and video are both crisp and clear and everything is easy to see and understand. The ad copy is 100% spot on, including the running time of 1 hour and 11 minutes.
There are 16 chapters on this DVD and the contents by chapter are:
Introduction
Passe Passe Sponge
Why Sponge Magic is Special
Concealments
Bonus Tips
Producing the 1st Ball
Producing the 2nd Ball
Sawing a Ball in Two
Passes and Vanishes
Retention Passes
Ball to Spectator's Hand
Miscellaneous Effects
Passe Passe Sponge - The Details
Routines
More Bonus Tips
Final Thoughts
Daryl did a lot of great research for the material on this DVD and his crediting is fantastic. He starts each section by teaching the basics of that subject, then moves into the variations. He also gives the history of the moves and/or their variations where applicable - who came up with a particular move or variation and why, where the inspiration for a move came from and much more.
Because it is Daryl, everything is very clearly taught and very easy to understand and nothing is left out.
Even with all of my experience with sponge balls and sponge props, I found a few very nice ideas that I want to incorporate in my work - and this is a DVD for beginners! One example is the 'Passe Passe Sponge" effect. Over the years it has been called a few different names, the most common one being the "10 Count" which was popularized by Frank Garcia and Steve Dacri became very well known for his handling and touches on it. 'Passe Passe Sponge' was the original term and has long been a classic of magic requiring the use of a table, until now. Daryl shows a great way to do it in the hands with no table necessary!
The price point of this product is very good for what you are getting. Most DVDs with this much material go for $20-30/USD.
If you have ever wanted to get into learning and studying sponge ball and sponge prop magic, this DVD is the perfect place to begin and in using it, you will have a gradually progressing learning program. Once you learn the material here and can perform it well, you can move on to the next step in advancement with the Master Course in Sponge Balls Volumes 1, 2, 3 and 4 - also by Daryl.
VERY highly recommended!
(Top ▲)
For Less than $10 bucks you get an incredible deal. This series of DVDs is one of the best "bangs for your buck" in magic today.
First of All, you get Daryl . . . one of the best teachers in magic. He's fun to watch and he makes learning whatever he teaches very easy.
Here's how I look at it . . . if it only cost me $10 bucks to learn how to perform CPR on a gnat and Daryl's teaching . . . I'm buyin'.
The Sponge Balls:
Let me get one minor "negative" out of the first. The opening scene is a shot of Daryl standing in front of a table full of tons of different sponge things . . . bananas, mushrooms, etc. I think I even saw the unforgettable sponge ding dong there. I hope not. Anyway, the complaint is that the DVD never discusses the other varieties of sponges. I felt that it would have been a good thing to discuss some of the various sponge props and the pros and cons, etc. of using different ones. Daryl very briefly touches on this, but never really discusses it in any depth.
If you've been watching this series of DVDs, you might recognize that much of it "speaking to" the beginner. However, you'll also notice that even expert masters can glean a few tips as well. This particular one (sponge balls) was much more heavily geared toward the newbie. However, that said, there were still a few lovely gems and tips that I found very useful and think even the experts would find valuable. One example is the old classic Martin Gardner 10 count sponge ball transposition. It's beautiful and very deceptive, but it requires a table.
Well, not anymore. Daryl reminds us of a clever method taking advantage of all the benefits of the 10 count transpo without the need for a table. This tip alone (if you don't already know it) is worth considering this DVD. The DVD covers multiple vanishes, multiple productions, basic routine structuring, multiple transpositions, some basic history, tons of tips, pointers, ideas, and much more. Daryl has culled information from throughout the history of magic to bring together a darn near exhaustive list of beginner "stuff" and an excellent whetting of the advanced appetite as well.
As if that weren't enough, some Slydini secrets were slipped into the mix as well as some excellent general magic tips for the beginner. I felt a sense of nostalgia as Daryl showed pictures from magic books from my early childhood. For a few brief seconds, I truly felt like a kid being exposed to magic for the first time again. It was beautiful. Both this DVD and the Linking Rings DVD from this series had this effect on me.
Long story short, I highly recommend this for just about anyone. Ok, fine, Lance Burton probably won't gain much from this (unless he doesn't know that sans table version of the 10 count transpo).
Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of GEM!