tsc baguio trip :)

baguio trip with the tsc certified members plus magic lecture with the baguio illusionist guild :D

here's the pictures to tell our stories.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=252322&id=608846764

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=252298&id=608846764

creativity in 9 steps

It's certainly not the only way, but this basic outline of the process may be helpful:
1. Knowledge -- Study, read, learn, ask questions, try to know as much as possible.
2. Preparation -- Decide on a small area or problem, focus, gather all the physical
elements you may need.
3. Relaxation -- Give yourself space, set aside time, clear your mind of other concerns,
eliminate distractions.
4. Play -- Be silly, stupid, have fun, approach the problem in every way you can think of,
even the dumb ones, especially the dumb ones, just let your mind wander, act like a
child, no one is watching.
5. Awareness -- Pay attention to your inner dialogue, ask yourself why you keep going
about things the same way, force yourself to break the rules.
6. Acceptance -- Embrace the stupid, weird, ugly, nonsense, pointless, just let it happen
without feeling that anything is wrong.
7. Record -- Write or draw or video everything, doodle, jot, make notebooks, carry a pad
or recorder with you.
8. Judge -- After you have all the ideas generated then you can begin to edit to try to
make sense of your foolishness, analyze, test.
9. Apply -- If something works even a little bit see if you can develop it further, put the
workable ideas in and play some more.
Repeat as necessary.
You don't have to do these things in order. Don't expect to have great results right away.
It takes a little time to break your mind free from the structure imposed by the outside
world.
--Dan Harlan

chad long close up magic

I really like his style in performing close up magic, watch this video clip where he performs live the coin two(by homer liwag), 4 (in his dvd) and other effects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rJSmcgJ_wA

the video can't be embed, so just go to the link.

history of fism

do you know what is the meaning of FISM? do you know where, when and how did it started? all your questions will be answered in this articles in genii magazine 1996 wrote by Max Maven.

enjoy researching :D

History of Fism

essencial magic conference (EMC) review part 2

session 5
the host for this session is mr. Marco Tempest

good practice makes good magician (Carlos Vaquera) - tips on getting more in your practice session and talks about the theory of Arturo Ascanio about study of magic


apollo robins performed and explained his close up coin production.

not my kind of coin magic but an interesting approach

the mind of doctor frost (david britland) - watch t.a waters do his mentalism routine in television

although this video performanced is very old its routine/effect is very nice

de'vo performed and explained "the ring" an extreme ring manipulation

he only explained the different kinds of rings and the basic ring move

five effects you never see in magic show (paul kieves) - he talks about different kinds of magic done in theater but never seen in any magic shows

dani da ortiz performanced another of his impromtu magic and a very nice triumph effect which i think can be found in fat brothers 2 dvd

panel discussion
max maven
topaz
helder guimaraes
richard macdougall
eric eswin

in this discussion hosted by max maven they talk all about the FISM, what they expect in fism and many advice if you want to join the FISM competition.

guy hollingworth performed his legendary torned and restored card effect called reformation

session 6
the host for this session is mr. stan allen

how to use internet to be popular/known (marco tempest) - many many tips on how to get many views. how to make your videos interesting etc. very informative after the he performed his version of sam the bell hop plus technology in 3D (you have to see this)

who was the first close up magician (max maven) - story of maven searching for the first close up magician

finn jon performed his beautiful smoking thumb & bubble magic

the mental path (helder guimaraes) - theory about deception. very interesting talk on why we fool laymans/magicians with our magic

the tricked brain: explorations into psychology and magic (richard wiseman) - about deception using psychology, plus many illusion diagram and videos. very entertaining even though its not magic you will still be fooled.

cyril takayama performed card manipulation as a tribute to his teacher mahka tendo

de'vo talks about the history of XCM manipulation

session 7
max maven is the host for this session

original magic (finn jon) - he talks about impromptu magic and when is the appropriate time you perform each of your effects

better than natural (gene matsuura) - he teaches the technique of slydini how hes misdirection works

paulino gil performed a beautiful string/cord magic. i want to learn that :D

7 lessons i've learned froma packet trick (guy hollingworth) - he talks about how can you improve a trick much better with what he learned.

anton lopez performed and explained his very elegant/beautiful effect called "the tenebrio". this is the very best performance in EMC (just my opinion). he makes an origami boat and swan then it moves by themselves. Also a chosen card outjog itself in the middle of a spread. note he doesnt use any I.T or MAGNET.

jason england told a story about the greatest magic he ever heard.

past, present and future of fism (eric eswin) - the president of the FISM talks about the history of FISM, what they do to improve it and their future plans to take it to another level.

session 8
my favorite card magician mr. guy hollingworth is the host for this session :D

miguel angel gea performed and explained a coin magic using an okito type of box & his coin through glass

barry and stuart performed and explained worlds coolest party trick :P

cyril takayama talks about performing his television magic into theater.

richard wiseman performed an iphone magic, nice idea :D

hokasen the 1764 japanese work on magic (ton onosaka) - he talks about the oldest japanese magic book he has and what its content

gaetan bloom performed and explained a selfworking russian roulette style magic. i like his idea mr gaetan bloom is really genius :P

panel discussion
eric mead
max maven
william kalush
mike caveney
they discussed how they got interested in researching the history magic

lennart green performed a card magic tribute to his friend

session 9
luis de matos is the host of this last session

ton onosaka performed a very visual card magic. too bad he doesnt explain it.

luis de matos shows some of the pictures of EMC subscriber

the secret way to secrets, or what i asked alexander(william kalush) - he talks and share his secret what tool hes using to research about magic, what site, its like a online library of magic books + google search capability. he gave a free 1 month trial to all those EMC subscriber.

mike caveney performed an egg bag magic routine

gazzo performed his cups and balls routine very funny hehehe

luis de matos performed his sand in the dessert effect(i think thats the name of that effect?)

after that luis de matos challege cyril takayama perform his cigarette routine live :D
and cyril does it beatifully.

thats the end of the EMC 2010 till next year :D

roll over aces

I am now concentrating on different kinds of shuffles, especially zarrow and riffle shuffle techniques. And as I was practicing, it came to my thoughts that I am in need to find an effect to utilize this shuffles… and that is when I remember, that derek dingle’s "roll over aces" is exactly what I was looking for.

here is the video, hope you like it :D

For those deck SEAL lovers

So you have a new deck of playing cards and want to open it without tearing the seal, then after that your cardcase have a sticky substance that's hard to remove: like the picture below.



I have a tip for all the seal lovers out there LOL.

first gently peel off half of the seal so that you can open the cardcase and stick the seal in the flap.

after that there's the sticky substance around the halfmoon cut in the cardcase, all you need to do is cut a small piece of scotch tape and stick it on the sticky surface of the deck then unstick it (what this will do is the sticky substance will stick to the scotch tape).

repeat this process until it is clean.

note: you can use any kinds of tape adhesive like masking tape, packaging tape, double sided tape, vhs tape, cassette tape hahaha

essencial magic conference (EMC) review part 1

SESSION 1

The host for the first session is mr. Luis De Matos
where he introduce each participants of the conference
and thank all the sponsors of the event with an
introduction video of the emc by mr. David Berglass

here are the lectures and performers of the first session:

puzzles, tricks and magic on the curious aesthetics of conjuring (Eric Mead) - he talks about different approach of magicians in presentation/magic and also what the audience thinks about our magic from skillfull to magical approach.

I like his lecture about this topic it
made me realize how my trick/effect plays for layman.

Ponta the Smith performed live from his matrix routine, ring on rope to cookie spellbound.

He performed all his act with music, i really like his coin effects
except for his ring on rope routine. the cookie spellbound is fun to
watch with a cookie bite effect :D. there's some flashes in his routine
because of the camera but you will still be fooled

dani da ortiz performed and explained one of my favorite effect in his dvd. he makes borrowed deck look like a marked deck

I like this effect a lot because its impromptu card magic
and it fools layman specially magicians :D

Lastly all the sessions end up with a question and answer
from the subscriber of the event. where you will find funny questions
with funny answers from the lecturers and performers.

SESSION 2

The host for the 2nd session is mr. Topaz

talks about creativity (gaetan bloom) - he talks about how to exercise
your creativity to come up with a different approach to magic and
create your original props.

This is the first time i saw mr gaetan bloom, i just knew him because of his
effect "escalator" where the chosen card rises top visually. All i can say is
he is really genius :)

helder guimaraes performed his variation of reset and invisible palm.

things worth thinking about (stan allan) - He talks about different kinds of FAQ and advices for magicians.

marco tempest performed his digital magic stick man drawing comes to life and even marco tempest
became an animation hehehe fun too watch.

everything weve learned so far (barry and stuart) - how they become successful, how they make new routine/effect. and also

dont do ambitious card routine 14 times LOL

carlos vaquera performs mime + magic = refreshing magic

PANEL DISCUSSION:
max maven
cyril takayama
tempest britland
marco tempest
luis de matos

they discuss about television magic, how they get and succeed getting into television

gazzo performs ambitious card 14 times or more. He made this performance for Barry and Stuart

lastly another question and answer.

SESSION 3
eric mead is the host for the 3rd session.

zigzag girl scandal (mike caveney)- story about illegal copying of magic (the zigzag girl) and some moral lessons about it

about attitude (james freedman) - He talks how you can change everything you want
just by chaging your attitude. Another topic i like.

max maven perform a two card divination to Barry and Stuart under inpossible condition
with a solo video explanation not in this session.

misdirection (apollo robbin) - He talks about theroy of misdirection, pickpocketing
and putpocketing techniques. He even putpocket some of his business card to almost all the magicians in the conference including the staffs like the cameraman.

use your imagination (richard macdougall) - like mr gaetan bloom topic but concentrates
not in your props but in your performances in giving details to make it more
interesting for your audiences

paul kieve performs marauder's map folding in itself like the folding bill. he is the only magician
consultant of the famous movie Harry Potter

lennart green performs master of chaos, with his clumsy style magician you will be
fooled how he shuffles the deck he even teach some of his techniques

again question and answerwith a funny question for
mr max maven "How do you make your hair and beard like that?"

SESSION 4
For the 4th session the host is mr. mike caveney

flypaper (luis de matos) - he talks about how you can improve/monitor your ratings in tv appearances. he talks about strategy to develop a magic content to attract a tv audience

idea society (topas) - He talks about being original with your magic performances. he also performed music using his deck of cards. isnt that original hahaha

miguel angel gea performed a coins a across with a glass then reverse the effect and lastly coin through table with the coin change into a chinese coin. sadly he didnt explained it :(

magic goes public (paulino gil) - history how the magic goes public like festivals, conventions, etc.

radical coin magic (ponta the smith) - teach his other effects not in his dvd.
he taught his other coin effect you see in his youtube channel :D.

anton lopez performed nice elegant performance with elegant music and an assistant frog :P (real frog)

magic and cardsharping (jason england) - He talks about crimps and different applications of it.
im currently studying riffling techniques and this is helpful :D

guess what????? your right Question and answers again hahaha

I will watch the other sessions and give you another review. subscribe hahaha

ULTRA CERVON

I was bored last monday so i decided to revisit/watch some of my magic videos and end up to watching ULTRA CERVON BY BRUCE CERVON. I fell in love again to his magic, all his effects are direct to the point, baffling and easy to do :D. I really liked his variation of card warp and his ace assembly. this dvd consist of 6 effects (5 card magic and 1 coin magic). im sure there will be effects in here that will suit you.

WARP II - his variation of card warp which uses 1 card and 1 bill. I like this variation because it only use 1 card to be ruin :P it is also a multiphase routine that will baffle laymans and magicians. i also like how you can show the inside of the card everytime. even though i know the secret of this effect i feels like real magic to me everytime i do it. *****

THE RED BACKED ACES - typical ace assembly routine with a twist, the aces have different colored backs :D. i also like this effect because of its directness, easy to perform and specially NO gaffs or gimmick. *****

the BC card across - bruce cervon favorite closer, under impossible condition while the spectator is holding the packet of cards with a hankerchief wrap around it, still it managed to get in the packet. i like how the effect is constructed and how fair it is to your spectators :D. i really dont do any card across effects but i think i will try this one. ***

TO PAY THE PRICE - A poker routine which involves 4 spectators. they will choose what card to give you but still the magician is still the winner. looks easy but needs a hard sleight (but its much easier in this effect). ***

A MATTER OF PSYCHOLOGY - this is like an ambitious classic effect but uses 4 cards. I really like the patter/presentation bruce cervon, even dai vernon and derek dingle liked it :P *****

HANKY PANKY - A hankerhief gag plus coin flurry plus mini misers dream and a kicker ending of producing a wine glass WITH WATER/WINE/SOFTDRINKS anything liquid hehehehe. If you want a comedy in your act and also want to avoid card magic then heres the trick for you. this is not just an effect its a routine that will get you an applause :D. *****

thats all the effect, enjoy and practice :D.

short and sweet coin vanish :P

My second blog post this june :P throw away the pasteboards and lets play coin magic :D heres ah simple complete coin vanish and production ive been playing with, also playing with my new downloaded music from sony proscore.

8th tsc level up jam :D

the 8th level up jam(luj) like the other luj is a success :D all the participants gave their best to their performance. after that jamming and kulitan time :D

here is the summary of the event


sorry for the bgm, the music i used is copyrighted so i was forced to used their audioswap :((

raise rise by ray kosby

every magician knows the ambitious card routine and everyone loves it :), the effect of the ambitious card is that you place a chosen card in the middle of the deck then magically its on top again, but what if you can do it visually that you will see the chosen card rise to the top slowly with one hand, no gimmick or gaff card? well yes can do it with the effect of ray kosby named raise rise.

you can learn it in his video called the impossible card magic by ray kosby, when they say "impossible" card magic they mean it. this dvd has lots of knuckle busting sleight of hand that you will never think that can be done, enough of the dvd this is not a review about that hehehe (but will make a video review soon). back to the raise rise, since its in the impossible card magic dvd then its alaso a hard effect but worth it. there's so many rising card effect in the market but this is really the best (maybe for me :P).

heres my take on the raise rise, still need to improve it but its performable so heres it is, hope you like it.

cups and balls? coin matrix? both :D

have you ever seen a cups and balls routine? how about a coin matrix? well if you've seen it all maybe you will appreciate this trick its a hybrid of the 2 effects, don't believe me? then watch and be amaze how clever the routine is.

211th tsc gathering

this is only one of the many gatherings that i really enjoyed. even though our forum is down still many members attended the gathering. the ambience of the gathering is really nice its like the old days pure magic and and laughing trips. i really appreciate the members that dont complain and just there to support the tsc even though the tsc is not really in good shape right now. thanks to sam thats always there to support the group (thanks for hearing my rants :P), the tm, and some of the members that not really always present but when they are, they're always tell me that their just one call/text away (you know who you are) also carl even though hes not present in this gathering i really appreciate your loyalty to tsc.

ok stop with my rants, i just need to release it :) heres the pictures of the gathering

the mechanic shift

The Mechanic Shift is created by Jo Sevau and Richard Hucko, if you are like me who likes hard moves then here it is :P. This shift is not like other shifts because it can accomplish many different things like controlling a card to bottom of the deck, to the top, to palm, mutiple shifts, palm to palm transfer and color change....... did i say that you can do this with only one hand :D.

heres what can i say about the contents:

The Basic Mechanics Shift - this is the basis of all the moves you will encounter here so practice this till your fingers ache hahaha

Covering Actions For the Basic Mechanics Shift - there are two covering actions that they taught using both hands and one using only one hand.

Control To The Bottom From Centre (With Covers)- if you know the basic mechanics then this will be easy for you

Two Handed Centre To Top Control - this is like a pass but not a pass, it can also done with one hand and some misdirection

Mechanics Shift To Palm - This is my favorite application of mechanic shift, imagine doing the diagonal palm shift with one hand.

Table Palm - if you can do the mechanics shift to palm then this is much easier with the cover

Palm Transfer - palm to palm transfer clean in the video but i think its hard to execute in real performance and its a little angle sensitive.

Colour Changes - think of it as a cardini change without a clean up :P

The Split - the one and only trick included in the video, a very visual card split that looks like a camera edit when done smoothly

Multiple Control - i dont like this multiple card control because it needs table or someone to hold the packets

the video production isn't the best like the other instant download out there, its like a homemade video from your neighbor but much better, they explain it thoroughly but i wish they add some videos about the common pitfalls of the moves :P

So for the someone who likes hard sleights that are versatile then this is for you, learn it and have fun fooling your spectators and friend magicians

THE MECHANICS SHIFT

roadrunner cull dvd by Kostya Kimlat review

So you want to learn a move that can do many things? Well then you should learn how to cull and "the roadrunner cull dvd" by Kostya Kimlat is the right material to learn it. he teaches you the basic of culling one card then four up to the full deck separation plus many applications of the cull like how to force a card, as a control, using special deck with cull and much, much more.

I like how he made the explanations, first the explain the method then followed by a performance (spectator view), magicians view from above and below. I also like the cards he used, he is using a tranparent card (acetate) so that you can see the proper mechanics of his fingers. still have a problem learning it? don't worry there is a section called troubleshooting, this is the section where he talks about the common mistakes that you will encounter and how you will solve that problem.

He also made a live performances of all his tricks using the cull, there are 6 sets of routine that will help you see how it should be performed and how powerful all this effects are. the tricks that he performed and explained afterward are:

Culligula Triumph: One of Kostya Kimlat's favorite don't try this one if you're still not comfortable with your culling techniques. i like this "HARDCORE" triumph because it is so direct, the spectator pick a card, then "really" shuffled it face up and face down then show the cards to be completely shuffled then booooom! it is fully restored except for the chosen card.

Shuffle first, ask questions later: Well i think they is a more friendly triumph than the culligula. what i like about this effect is your almost done while the spectator thinks you will be starting the effect.

Four 4 following: I like this effect but i still dont perform it, maybe i should try it later hehehe, this is a 4 card production of a named card in the spread. note its from a shuffled deck ;)

If all goes wrong: Its like the shuffle first, ask question later effect where you put back the 4 cards (this effect is a nice follow up to four 4 following) from a shuffled face up and face down cards. Then magically restore it. this effect is nice but i much prefer the shuffle first, ask question later effect.

Plus a bonus cd with an interview with adam rubin, michael ammar and vito lupo. and an ebooks.

All in all i will recommend this dvd to all card magicians, this sleight is a must have.

enjoy practicing :)
trycks

c3 Con, Ca, Coimcidencia by Paul Wilson

this is the latest "ondemand" effect by dananddave.com, c3 is the name of the effect which means Con, Cam, Coincidence created by Paul Wilson. this is effect is inspired by the effect of chad long named shuffling lesson. if you saw the performance video of the effect, that is what your audience will remember when they try to decipher the trick. the performance video isn't really everything they omit some parts so that it cant be decipher because it is a selfworking effect (swe) . dont be discourage to try this because of what i have said, it can fool layman and MAGICIANs too with proper presentation.

what i really like about this effect is that it can be done on a shuffled deck which means "impromptu magic" hehehe, also its a do as i do effect not only with 2 persons but 4 persons and they are really into the effect because they all handle the cards.
Paul Wilson also taught an alternative ending method this is also nice.

overall i really like this kind of effect, easy to do but it kills layman and magicians. also this effect isnt reall 100% swe you will still do something but its really easy if you know the method :P.

the storycircle & cerca trova convention sooon!!

guys dont miss this very special day may 22 sat at rotary center, q.c.
this will be a non stop jamming and bonding about flourishes and magic specially you will gain new magician friends

lets support this very special event made for us flourishers and magicians emoticon

-trycks

becoming a card magician

Once in a while i get asked by my friend magicians what does it need to be a good card magician. Well for me there should be a balance of nice presentation and technical skills.

On presentation part you should have a nice patter so that they can understand what you are doing. When i say patter it is not just limited to verbal but also in how you move, body gesture.

On technical skills you should learn at least one or more sleights in each category that i will mention: card controls, false cuts, false shuffles, different kinds of false counts, force, peeks and some palming methods. When i say you should learn at least one or more that means that you can do the sleights profficiently.

In my opinion thats the things you must get to be a good card magician. OT this is my first time blogging using a mobile phone, hope this works fine :)

hurricane change

this color change is created by harry levine and can be found in trapdoor magazine by steve beam issue #42. this is by far my favorite method of color change, not angle sensitive and you start and end clean.



enjoy :D

the strolling cow aces

there are many ace assembly routine out there but this is one of my favorite
its a progressive ace assembly routine which means its not the conventional ace assembly in which all the 3 other aces go to the leader ace one by one, the progressive ace assembly looks more impossible because the first ace travel from his pile to the second pile to join the second ace then the two aces travel to the third pile to join the third ace and lastly the three aces in the third pile travel to the forth pile to join the last ace.

the strolling cow aces is an progressive ace assembly created by dr. hiroshi sawa
which can be found in his book called "sawa's library of magic" written by richard kaufman.



hope you like it enjoy :D

preset, reset

one of my favorite card effect is the reset, the plot is the aces and the kings exchange places one by one then immediately exchange back again all at once.
since it was one of my favorite effect, i tried to do my own variation of it base on
offbeat and to change the traditional handling of the reset.

here is the outcome :D

preset reset

my first magic video review - SICK by Ponta the Smith

After waiting for a long time finally i got a copy of Sick dvd by Ponta the Smith
Sick is first released in Japan then after a month it is released nationwide by the ellusionist this january, and also murphy magic will release it too this february.

Sick is an advance coin magic dvd made by Ponta the Smith from Osaka Japan, yes he did it all by himself from the performing, filming and editing. In this video he made 11 no gaff coin routines that when you first watch it you will think that he did it with gaffs. The routines are spellbound, One Coin Routine, Tenkai Pennies, 3 Coins Across, Vanish, 3 Fly, Winged Silver, Matrix, Backfire Matrix, Quick Matrix, Backfire Assembly. The dvd only last 34 mins ='(.

The video quality is ok but not the best like the "coin one/two" 4/5

I like the music a lot, its an acoustic type music, very relaxing you will be surprized that the routine you are watching is already finished. All the music he used is from Kevin Macleod. 5/5

The teaching of the dvd is very poor in my opinion. First of all it has no talking in there, it is substituted by a text, if you own a xcm/flourish video like dan and dave trilogy or david stone real secrets of magic its like that. He teach the routines step by step in slow motion then a full performance view of the routine in slow motion followed by a full performance view of the routine in real time. 3/5

The routines that i really like is the spellbound routine its like his hands is dancing when doing the routine, also all the matrix he did (im an avid fan of matrix routine) also the vanish where the coin instantly vanish into thin air then appear suddenly in your fingers.

sick trailer


This dvd is a must have for a coin magician but i will not recommend it for a newbie to coin magic, almost all the sleights he uses are advance.

facebook - magic quotes

to all facebook addict! i made an application for us magicians that we can use in facebook, its a simple application where you get random magic/inspirational quotes for magician everytime you visit the application :)

heres the link: magic quotes

be sure to click "become a fan"

thanks in advance,
-trycks

my spellbound routine

last year, tong, andres and i are playing with the spellbound trick plot.
every one of us made our own variation of the effect. we started playing it when we saw ponta the smith spellbound routine.

here is my own variation of the effect with some of my original move. as much as possible, i tried to do the move differently from ponta and here is the outcome :D

spellbound


this spellbound is still in progress and evolving slowly

new magic video/book syndrome

everyone of us come to this point where we are not contented in what material(effects, sleights etc) we had and always waiting for a new magic video/book to come out in the market hoping that this will be the solution for us to be a great magician we dream of.

the truth is if this is our thinking in magic then you will not be as good as you want to be. why? think about it, if you are learning something like the pass for a month now but you still cant do it right then suddenly you saw a new move like the side steal which you think is much easier, your tendency is you will learn it then you will forgot to practice your pass and after another weeks or months again you see another card control which you also think is much better than the one you currently practicing and switch to it again.

if this is what you will always do everytime you see something new then you will not master any sleights/effects you like, instead you will only learn it and you will not perform it well because you didn't put much time in practicing it. i remember a quote from bruce lee that suits to this topic he said “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

to summarize it all, new material is not the answer to be a better magician instead practice what you have until you can perform it perfectly. i will assure you that you will be a better magician in the eyes of your audience and magician friends

elegant close up magician

if you are looking for an elegant close up magician also smooth polished sleight of hand effect then look for ponta the smith if your a coin magician and arnaud chevrier if your a card magician. when you watch them perform their effects you will swear that they used gaffed or gimmicked cards/coins but theyre not, they just use pure sleight of hand.

you can learn more from their videos just by watching and understanding their economy of motion, why they did this or that to make their effect smooth as possible

arnaud chevrier:

invisible palm


twisting reset




ponta the smith

winged silver


spellbound