Price$35.00
Media TypeDVD
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedJan 04, 2009
BLANK: The Magic of Craig Petty
Craig Petty
(Based on 1 review)
Included on this DVD is a full explanation of Face Off, the routine that Craig has used to close his close up card set for years and is a real magician fooler.
As a special bonus all the blank cards that you need to perform these effects have been included in with the DVD. Now there really is no excuse to start learning these routines immediately.
Misprint - Possibly the most visual packet trick you will ever see. Four cards blank on both sides become printed in slow motion. First the back print one by one and then the faces. At the end of the routine the cards become blank again and then vanish into nothing.
Face Off - The routine that has become an underground sensation. Probably the cleanest version of Anniversary Waltz you will ever see. Two signed cards fuse together into one card whilst in the spectator's hands. As an added bonus this is a total magician fooler.
The Spade Trick - A signed card is lost in the deck. A double blank card prints front and back to match the spectator's card. Strong visual magic with a kicker nobody will see coming
Mistique - A table hoppers dream. Everything is examinable before and after and this routine can be performed anytime, anywhere. A signed card gets replicated four times until the magician has four duplicates of the signed card. To end the magician proves that everything was an illusion and the signed card has been in his pocket from the beginning.
Speed Camera Cards - This routine is what you get when you combine a clever plot, great visuals and a killer presentation. A multi phase sandwich routine that delivers kicker after kicker right in front of the spectators eyes. A real reputation maker.
Wild Blank - Four blank cards are shown and in the blink of an eye change to match a card selected from a deck. This routine hits them hard.
Doctor Who Card Trick - If you perform for children close up this one routine is worth its weight in gold. Adults and children love the plot and the ending of the routine creates an impossible object that everyone cannot help but to be blown away by.
BONUS ROUTINES
Wipeout -Four cards are named and removed from a deck and then turn completely blank front and back. This is followed with the rest of the deck turning blank in slow motion in the spectator's hands. The best part? No rough and smooth and an instant reset.
Back To The Factory - This is a reputation making effect that will leave your audiences stunned. A killer version of the Brother John Hammond Dream Cards plot, the routines delivers magical moment after magical moment right up to the ending where the entire pack turns blank and is instantly examinable.
Clone Card - Three cards are chosen and one by one a blank card magically changes to match the selections. For the finale the magician attempts to clone the entire deck with hilarious results.
Running Time Approximately 2hrs
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Many of you may be familiar with funny man Frank Caliendo. He has a his own show on TBS. He's a funny guy. I remember the first time I saw him do impressions, I was hysterical. So I started "YouTubing" him. I found several segments and clips of him. Some of them were different performances of the exact same material. What I noticed was that some of the clips Caliendo seemed to be almost bored with his own material and was nowhere near as enthusiastic as he had been in other segments.
You could tell he'd done the routine too many times. It was no longer fresh.
That's kind of how I was left feeling during many of Craig's performances on this project - He's just done them too many times and has slipped into a mindless routine. Rather than going through each effect, I'll just cover some general things and maybe highlight a couple of things from a couple of effects.
Broad stroke:
Almost every effect, required a great deal of explanation to the spectator. An opening monologue to each effect that never ends through the entire routine. It was kind of hard to listen to and watch. I had this experience, however, when I was watching/reviewing the Ed Marlo/Bill Malone DVD set. After a while, Malone's high speed rambling kind of got on my nerves. He was a bit overwhelming. I kind of feel that way about Craig Petty's performances. I feel like he talks and overly explains stuff too much, too often and too fast.
If we were dealing with an everyday activity like drinking a glass of water it would go like this:
I'll open the cupboard and reach up with my right hand like this and grab a glass from the cupboard. OK, now I'll shut the cupboard and walk over here to the tap and turn it on like so as I fill my glass up with water. OK, now that I've got my glass, turned on the tap and filled it up with water, I'll turn off the tap like so. Now that I have a full glass of water and the cupboard is closed and the tap turned off I'll bring the glass to my mouth like this and pour the liquid in my mouth. Of course while I'm doing that I'll not be able to talk, so let me explain what will be happening as I pour . . .
You get the idea? I promise you that I am NOT exaggerating. It is just like that in almost every trick. Additionally, he has a tendency to insult - albeit in a joking manner - his audience . . . a lot. In his effect Face Off He insulted his spectator a dozen times (yes I counted). He opened with three insults in a row before he spent 2 or 3 very long winded and boring minutes explaining everything.
Just about every trick on the DVD follows this formula:
- Insult the audience
- Ramble on about what he's doing, going to be doing and what he has been doing
- Describing everything in excruciating detail.
- Over Emphasize every move and action using meaningless patter.
- The he does a really good trick with some really nice moments and moves
Generally speaking, if you can get past the unfortunate problems above, the tricks are pretty good. Unfortunately there is no magic . . . just tricks.
Speaking just for the tricks, there was no trick that I hated and no trick that I loved. They were all "pretty good." There were some fun premises that had potential. There are also a few decent moves that you'll learn. For $35.00 you get a hand full of blank cards needed to do some of the effect plus 9 effects that are "pretty good." There's supposedly a tenth on on the DVD called "Doctor Who Card Trick." But I couldn't find it anywhere.
If you feel like you can over look everything I've mentioned above and that you could take Craig's tricks and ideas and turn them into magic, then you may find your money's worth. Just please do not use his patter, presentation, jokes, insults, etc. Find your own groove and let the effects speak for themselves . . . or at least let them get a word in edgewise.
Final Verdict: 2.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Grubble (leaning toward rubble, but maybe a gem).