Whats wrong with the KR clip?

If originality is the case then almost all magicians should be locked up.

The video isn't really teaching the 2 card monte, it's just using the two card monte, which is taught almost as an aside at the beginning. He goes over a lot of clips and breaks down what worked and what didn't in various videos of the trick done by ellusionst forums people, and I think it's helpful stuff. There are a range of magicians that are on the clips, from some very good ones to some very amateur ones, and I think that the variety of different faults that are pointed out and discussed (in the terms of how to avoid/correct them) is very good. I haven't seen any other videos that use this method, but I think it's definitely got it's place as a teaching technique.

The best of the bonuses (the others being a card to pocket, card to wallet, a sybill-y cut and a five minute routine by a contributor) is a PDF file which contains a number of written thoughts on the effect by some of the people whos videos were analysed in kard klub. There are some good essays in there, and it's an interesting read. The effect (2CM) is credited properly and completely in a little history section on the video. As to permission, I have no idea, but there are some variations on the effect in the video that seem new and original.

Overall, for me in the UK the download version worked out at £25, which is around the price of a DVD, and in my opinion it was worth it. Where the comparative price is less favourable, you may want to look at what you're going to get out of this. I think that a fairly wide range of magicians will be able to see something of themselves in one or other of the presentations, but it is very much an ellusionist product, lots of interstitials with women draping themselves over trailers and Brad waving cards at reflective things. This is more of a amateur magicians video, but I wouldn't say it was a video for layman.

Regarding the download, it's a DRM protected windows media video, which means that you have to enter a code (fine) but you also have to use windows media player (annoying). The quality isn't as good as the previous downloads, due to the format. I would imagine the DVD looks very nice, as when the codec gets something it can chomp effectively the video looks lovely.

As for ellusionist themselves, I am impressed by this and CC2, and I think they are moving in the right direction as a company.

The KR clip is misleading. This has already been discussed several times. Just compare this clip to the one of the Elevator, for instance.

You know when something ludicrous is going on a film, like everyone is bowing down to a toaster and its through subliminal messages and you can't believe it...... same thing here.

I really cannot believe people are buying this. You're learning one effect and learning about presentation from a magician who stays silent for a lot of his routines and renames effects.

Shaun,

Why are you so fired up about this? And who are you to judge someone who calls themself a magician?

I would suggest that the hallmark of a true magician is humility and professionalism - something your last post lacked.

Granted, and editted.

I am some one who is trying to save some kids some money. Go buy Ammars stuff kids, he isn't nearly as irritating and he teaches more than one effect!

Brad teaches many effects on his other videos but this is not what this video is for. Also I don't find brad irritating at all I find him a much better teacher and a very nice guy.

Guess he doesn't like Ellusionist products.

Shaun, why don't you let the people decide whether they want to buy E's products or not.

Now that, my friend, is true professionalism!

That being said, and all respect to the ETMCM series and other Ammar vids, he does everything with an L&L audience and at a table. Kard Klub has, for example, performances with people turning over cards, grabbing them out of other people's hands, and it has people doing exactly what the magician says, most importantly it looks at WHY they are doing these things. That simply isn't on ETMCM, and as I said before, I think it's a different style of video than is available elsewhere at the moment.

EDIT: Also, I believe the proper put down is that Ammar doesn't wear half as much eye shadow

I find that the less experienced of the magi breed go with ellusionist.

No offense

Of course ellusionist has beginner videos hence the beginners are there.. but there are also alot of VERY good magicians over there and for good reason. Again brad is a great teacher and makes a magic video like others should be made.

I can't even see how you can compare ETMCM to Kard Klub. The videos are two different things and are focused on two different things. ETMCM teaches classics of the card magic world while Kard Klub teaches showmanship, presentation and spectator control.

At this stage in my magic I no longer want to drown myself with trick after trick after trick. I want to learn how to be a better performer and entertainer and the is what Kard Klub is for.

Brad Christian isn't a street performer, street performance is a far cry from going up to people in the street (camera/lighting/sound crew in toe) and saying "hey, can I show you something?"

Jim Celini is a street performer, if you want to learn about what it's actually about try getting hold of some of his material.. He's at the top of the ladder as far as street performace is concerned..

--Euan

I agree with that there are certainly 2 different kinds of street performing celini and blaine style. Although I don't think one is any better than the other.
Brad is most certainly a street performer in inside magic he does a little street show showing many things that counts as a street show for me.

Does anyone actually have a review of "Kard Klub"?

Kard Klub Underground Classroom Training
A Formal Review by RT Showmann

The Introduction
Brad Christian constantly strives to outdo each of his own projects at Ellusionist, aiming to satisfy a diverse audience of new-era magicians. Each installation to the E line provides a breakthrough display of visual creativity and advancements in video instruction. Christian never fails to offer some of the most intriguing and insightful information available for magic and entertainment. Ellusionist's newest release, Kard Klub Underground Classroom Training, showcases several of Ellusionist's own loyal members out on the streets performing for random passerby to aid the viewer of the DVD to improve in all aspects of technique, presentation, and creativity.

The Effect
The performer displays two cards upon the top of the deck: the ace of hearts and ace of diamonds. Handing each card to the spectator one-by-one, he offers to display an impossible feat of speed and precision as he claims to switch the two cards' positions "so fast that they spectator can't even feel it." After a brief, amusing byplay, the spectator guesses as to which card is on top of the other, holding both the aces between her own fingers. When she turns the cards over, she screams in utter astonishment, wondering how the two red aces she was holding in her own hand... transformed impossibly into two black jacks.

The Instruction
Watching the video from beginning to end will definitely offer an excellent grasp on an effect that's become popular within recent years: "The Two-Card Monte," as performed by David Blaine on national television. The entire DVD focuses primarily on this close-up card illusion, and Brad Christian undergoes several performances on the street to capture how hard it hits random audiences in the real world. Interspersed between these real-world performance clips, Christian carefully walks the viewer through each sleight and subtlety to make the illusion flawless. Similar to the other products Ellusionist puts out, Christian leaves out no details, and guides the viewing student through every single step of the effect.

Real Performances by Real People
What makes this particular video so orginal, however, is not the quality instruction Christian offers-- it's the actual performances of nine individuals who the world generally never heard of before. These nine performers are loyal fans of Ellusionist's work, and took a camera out on the street to showcase their own talents and ideas on film. Within the footage offered here, Ellusionist provides the most down-to-earth, gritty material ever caught, and emphasizes the real-world values of individual showmanship and technique. Some of the camera angles even expose certain sleights and effects, making it much easier for the viewer to comprehend all the actions taking place. After the performances of these underground members of Kard Klub, Brad Christian talks about each of their clips, analyzes each student and thoroughly breaks down the pros and cons of their performances. There is no other instructional aid that will offer such direct advice from an instructor; Christian speaks very informally to each of the performers on an individual level. This was something I liked and valued very much. He offers praise and constructive crititcism on a very professional level, inspiring people to learn from their mistakes and improve throughout their own experiences.

Bonus Material
The bonus section section of this DVD is made up of hard-hitting, real world material. David Sun's and RT Showmann's creativity shine with the collaborative attempt at producing an amazing effect entitled LOADED, where a signed selection vanishes from the deck, and reappears inside the spectator's own wallet. Combined with Jonathan Bayme's fancy Triple Z Rotation Cut, the bonus section of the DVD offers reputation making stuff for any magician of any experience level. And that's not all... Brad Christian also offers a classic Card to Pocket effect utilizing the moves found in LOADED, making for a promising effect that can almost be added into any magician's repertoire right away.

Another bonus that comes with Kard Klub is a set of lecture notes, written by various members featured within the video. The notes offer how to gain more reaction utilizing the Two Card Monte effect, how to begin and end the routine differently, and also gives thorough instruction to the effect found in the bonus section. While slim in size, the content of the notes are worth at least half the price of the Kard Klub package.

Professionalism
Ellusionist offers full credit to where credit is due within this video, and even gives a brief history into the origins of the supposed Two-Card Monte effect. The effect was originally an Eddie Fechter illusion enitled, "Be Honest, What Is It?" Later streamlined with Johnny Ace Palmer, the effect was renamed "Be Honest With Me." David Blaine's presentation of the "Two-Card Monte" fit the effect so perfectly on national television, that amateurs and newcomers to magic automatically assumed what they saw was a genuine 'Two Card Monte'. More details to the effects history is found within the DVD.

Flaws
While the DVD definitely over-delivers, a few flaws come to mind. Ellusionist likes to experiment with different approaches to video instruction, and it's this type of thing that deserves them some well-earned respect. But Kard Klub emphasized one effect that takes no longer than three minutes to perform. The DVD is at least two hours long, and watching Two-Card Monte over and over again eventually gets boring, despite the fact all the footage was very entertaining and educational. While the Two-Card Monte is a great effect that should be in many people's repertoire, I personally don't believe it deserved an entire DVD to teach its mechanics and different presentations. The written notes were just as informative and would have done the effect its justice. It would not be recommended that Ellusionist release another two-hour product devoted to a single effect in the near future.

Also, the raw footage of other people's performances were obviously shot with hand held camcorders, and while this added to the gritty, underground feel of the product, it was rather dizzying to fully watch all the way through sometimes. Without a professional camera crew, the audio of certain clips were really bad, but the vibe of the footage still got the general message through, and the effect could still be understood. Perhaps Ellusionist could have chosen certain clips more carefully, and spoke about the mistakes in other people's footage without actually showing the shaky audio and video for people to try understanding.

There has never been another magic video so focused on presentation and showmanship. Because such theories are so difficult to convey with visual media, Ellusionist tries capturing the essence and importance of such concepts through other people's high and low points in their own performances. While this does educate the viewer, it has a tendency to bore him a little bit as well. This is true primarily because it's such a difficult task to truly deliver in video. Theory, in personal opinion, belongs in the books and notes-- not on film. Perhaps because Two-Card Monte was so overplayed, this flaw was emphasized more than the others; videos require more diversity and versatility to keep the student's interest. The fact Ellusionist produced a product emphasizing the values of showmanship is a respectable attempt in itself, however.

Keep in mind these are very minor flaws and do not even remain consistent throughout the professionally made, broadcast-quality video. This is an amazingly produced product, but not Ellusionist's best.

Conclusions
For those who have never produced the reactions they wanted from Two-Card Monte, this is definitely a worthy buy. The bonus material of Kard Klub offers some of the most offbeat thinking by some of magic's newest upcoming performers, exclusive to the Ellusionist Team. On a scale from one to ten, I'd personally rate this product an 8.5. It was awesome work that deserves two thumbs up, but because it emphasized one effect, it all seemed to be overkill for me at times. Still recommended, nonetheless.

RT

http://www.ellusionist.com/order/Ka.../Kard_Klub1.htm