First the praise. The Outjog Hermann Pass is great, and Aaron's explanation is clear and concise. His handling of the pass masterful (I'll start practising now. Catch up with me in five years to see how I'm doing!) His additional references to other magicians and background on the effect, illuminating. What more can I say? - Oh and the price is right, which is why I'm sure this site is going to grow from strength to strength.
The criticism? Please fire the cameraman.
The following is a plea for better presentation. After 17 minutes of the cameraman deliberately and constantly focusing and then defocusing (at least one can only hope it was deliberate) I was left with a headache. (That's a real, physical headache, not a metaphorical one for the purposes of making a point). Why is it that no-one has faith in magical effects alone? It's a great slight, well presented, but appallingly let down by the cameraman and/or director. OK, so we're all having to come to terms with documentary style shaky camerawork (well, actually not all of us. See the stunningly good Tivo2 for a presenter who has faith in straightforward, ungimmicky clean presentation), but to constantly focus and defocus for over 17 minutes..... It's mind-boggling. Does the cameraman understand that we buy these videos for the information they are meant to convey, and that clear, sharp and steady pictures actually help this process?
The editing was thankfully restrained, but there is one bad moment (at 6.53 minutes in) where instead of letting the demonstration play out on the one shot, we get three cuts in quick succession. I urge Theory11 to take a look at this moment and resist it in future. For the experienced magician I'm sure it looks like a slick and sexy throwaway moment, nothing more, but for someone who actually wants to learn the effect, those cuts come at EXACTLY the wrong moment, destroying the continuity of the move at a crucial junction. Anybody well versed in editing for dramatic effect, will tell you - the mind's recovery time from those cuts is not sufficient to take in what's going on at the same time. That cutting technique is widely used in film drama to obscure, speed up and condense time. This is the very reverse of what's needed here.
Aaron is obviously hugely talented so I find it difficult to believe that he would need to dress his piece up unnecessarily - but perhaps he's not aware of the frustration it causes? Surely he's aware that we are going to add all the mood and atmosphere and throw in our own diversions and personalities (the equivalent of the restless camerawork) once we have mastered the moves? But maybe not. Maybe I'm completely wrong - hey, maybe he should get some rappers in on his next session, let's drown all his great work out with some hip-hop while we're at it and if the camera focuses on him occasionally - well... That's a bonus!
So please. Joking aside, a plea to everyone at Theory11, from someone who thinks the magic is great. Resist going down the MTV Music video, attention-span-of-a-goldfish-route. Resist pretending you are doing street magic and being jostled at every turn! You're in a teaching environment, trying, on occasion, to convey some very complex moves. Leave the jostling to us!! From the youngest to the oldest of magicians we are all hard-working dedicated souls, always prepared to put the extra time and effort into the craft. So i say to Theory11, be brave. Resist the nonsense (and save my headache) and everyone will stay with you.
I was on the point of making a serious commitment and purchasing Dan and Dave Buck's Trilogy. All three discs. It really looks great. The quality of this site tells me the tricks will be fantastic, but I need people's advice; how much of it is shot by a cameraman with the flight co-ordination of a Kamikaze pilot and the wish to reinvent him/herself as a lurching toddler straight out of diapers? Seriously, this may come over as a flip remark, but I genuinely would like to know.
And for those of you who are happily wedded to the music video generation of camerawork, revisit the Outjog Hermann Pass video. Honest, sharp and clearly shot it aint. It's a great slight of hand, but the camerawork persistantly gets in the way.
The criticism? Please fire the cameraman.
The following is a plea for better presentation. After 17 minutes of the cameraman deliberately and constantly focusing and then defocusing (at least one can only hope it was deliberate) I was left with a headache. (That's a real, physical headache, not a metaphorical one for the purposes of making a point). Why is it that no-one has faith in magical effects alone? It's a great slight, well presented, but appallingly let down by the cameraman and/or director. OK, so we're all having to come to terms with documentary style shaky camerawork (well, actually not all of us. See the stunningly good Tivo2 for a presenter who has faith in straightforward, ungimmicky clean presentation), but to constantly focus and defocus for over 17 minutes..... It's mind-boggling. Does the cameraman understand that we buy these videos for the information they are meant to convey, and that clear, sharp and steady pictures actually help this process?
The editing was thankfully restrained, but there is one bad moment (at 6.53 minutes in) where instead of letting the demonstration play out on the one shot, we get three cuts in quick succession. I urge Theory11 to take a look at this moment and resist it in future. For the experienced magician I'm sure it looks like a slick and sexy throwaway moment, nothing more, but for someone who actually wants to learn the effect, those cuts come at EXACTLY the wrong moment, destroying the continuity of the move at a crucial junction. Anybody well versed in editing for dramatic effect, will tell you - the mind's recovery time from those cuts is not sufficient to take in what's going on at the same time. That cutting technique is widely used in film drama to obscure, speed up and condense time. This is the very reverse of what's needed here.
Aaron is obviously hugely talented so I find it difficult to believe that he would need to dress his piece up unnecessarily - but perhaps he's not aware of the frustration it causes? Surely he's aware that we are going to add all the mood and atmosphere and throw in our own diversions and personalities (the equivalent of the restless camerawork) once we have mastered the moves? But maybe not. Maybe I'm completely wrong - hey, maybe he should get some rappers in on his next session, let's drown all his great work out with some hip-hop while we're at it and if the camera focuses on him occasionally - well... That's a bonus!
So please. Joking aside, a plea to everyone at Theory11, from someone who thinks the magic is great. Resist going down the MTV Music video, attention-span-of-a-goldfish-route. Resist pretending you are doing street magic and being jostled at every turn! You're in a teaching environment, trying, on occasion, to convey some very complex moves. Leave the jostling to us!! From the youngest to the oldest of magicians we are all hard-working dedicated souls, always prepared to put the extra time and effort into the craft. So i say to Theory11, be brave. Resist the nonsense (and save my headache) and everyone will stay with you.
I was on the point of making a serious commitment and purchasing Dan and Dave Buck's Trilogy. All three discs. It really looks great. The quality of this site tells me the tricks will be fantastic, but I need people's advice; how much of it is shot by a cameraman with the flight co-ordination of a Kamikaze pilot and the wish to reinvent him/herself as a lurching toddler straight out of diapers? Seriously, this may come over as a flip remark, but I genuinely would like to know.
And for those of you who are happily wedded to the music video generation of camerawork, revisit the Outjog Hermann Pass video. Honest, sharp and clearly shot it aint. It's a great slight of hand, but the camerawork persistantly gets in the way.
