Price$84.95
Media TypeVideo Tape (VHS)
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedAug 06, 2006
Expert Coin Magic Made Easy Library, Volumes 1-3
Roth, David
A-1 Multimedia
(Based on 1 review)
All three volumes.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Before we begin, let's get this out of the way: The premise that any video can make the process of becoming an expert magician "easy," a premise stated in the title of this DVD and on the videos themselves, is patently absurd. David Roth has attained total mastery of this material through decades of hard work and practice, and that's the only way such expertise can be achieved. Full stop.
The Expert Coin Magic series was originally released on videotape by A-1 in the mid-1990s. I reviewed several subsequent volumes in the series when I wrote for Genii magazine. The re-release of David Roth's A-1 videos on DVD is good news for all aspiring coin magicians, because Mr. Roth is truly an expert in his field -- he has earned that designation -- and he is a very capable teacher of sleight-of-hand.
The first volume begins at the beginning, with various means of palming and concealing coins: Classic Palm, Finger Palm, Thumb Palm. Mr. Roth patiently explains not only the fundamentals but also the subtleties and finesses learned through experience, as well as common errors to avoid. These techniques are then put to use in vanishes, loads and switches, including the French Drop and the Bobo Switch. By the end of the volume, these basic skills are incorporated into brief routines, such as a simple Coins Across routine. Even if one is not a beginner, this video is worth watching just to appreciate the perfection of Mr. Roth's Shuttle Pass, a lesson in timing that would be impossible to convey in print. (How he could develop such skill with coins and still find time to be the lead singer for VanHalen is beyond comprehension.)
Assuming one has learned the techniques on volume one of the series, the second volume expands into intermediate territory, beginning with a Visual Retention Vanish. Roth's Retention Pass is a wonder to behold, even on video. His fingers close around the coin, we see the coin until the very last moment, but when he opens his hand the coin is gone. Though one could spend years just perfecting this move, the video also offers tutorials on the Click Pass, Spellbound Change, Curl Palm and a number of classic coin routines, including the venerable Coins through Table.
The third volume is dedicated to advanced coin routines. These include the "Tenkai Pennies," Jack Chanin's "TV Surprise" coin production, and an advanced version of the "Chink-a-Chink" coin assembly. My favorite piece on this volume is a fab little Copper/Silver routine by none other than Robert-Houdin. Though it is assumed that the viewer possesses a certain degree of skill and experience in coin magic, all the material on volume three is explained with as much clarity as on the previous volumes.
That is not to say that these videos are perfect. Mike Maxwell's introductions quickly become tiresome, as does the bland and unchanging living room "set." At times the camerawork leaves something to be desired. For instance, every time Roth attempts to demonstrate the Kaps Subtlety, the camera cuts to an angle that reveals the coin in his palm. And then there's poor Monica, the spectator/assistant on all three videos. Her brave efforts to respond with surprise and delight to coin sleight after coin sleight are rather painful to watch. Particularly when one realizes that only a few of the routines on the DVD require the presence of a participant to hold a coin or a scarf. They tortured that pretty young woman for no reason!
Slow-motion replay sequences that appear throughout the DVD are a bit bothersome as well. DVD technology has rendered slow-motion replays superfluous. With DVD, we can play any sequence we want in slow motion, and we can choose how slowly to play it. Slow-motion replays and "Super Practice Sessions" should go the way of the dodo. Luckily, DVD technology also enables us skip these redundant sequences in an instant.
These minor grievances vanish in the face of David Roth's complete command of the material. If coin magic is your obsession, this entire set of videos should be on your shelf both as a reference source and as a means to admire what can be achieved through dedication, toil, persistence and attention to detail.
Four stars
The Expert Coin Magic series was originally released on videotape by A-1 in the mid-1990s. I reviewed several subsequent volumes in the series when I wrote for Genii magazine. The re-release of David Roth's A-1 videos on DVD is good news for all aspiring coin magicians, because Mr. Roth is truly an expert in his field -- he has earned that designation -- and he is a very capable teacher of sleight-of-hand.
The first volume begins at the beginning, with various means of palming and concealing coins: Classic Palm, Finger Palm, Thumb Palm. Mr. Roth patiently explains not only the fundamentals but also the subtleties and finesses learned through experience, as well as common errors to avoid. These techniques are then put to use in vanishes, loads and switches, including the French Drop and the Bobo Switch. By the end of the volume, these basic skills are incorporated into brief routines, such as a simple Coins Across routine. Even if one is not a beginner, this video is worth watching just to appreciate the perfection of Mr. Roth's Shuttle Pass, a lesson in timing that would be impossible to convey in print. (How he could develop such skill with coins and still find time to be the lead singer for VanHalen is beyond comprehension.)
Assuming one has learned the techniques on volume one of the series, the second volume expands into intermediate territory, beginning with a Visual Retention Vanish. Roth's Retention Pass is a wonder to behold, even on video. His fingers close around the coin, we see the coin until the very last moment, but when he opens his hand the coin is gone. Though one could spend years just perfecting this move, the video also offers tutorials on the Click Pass, Spellbound Change, Curl Palm and a number of classic coin routines, including the venerable Coins through Table.
The third volume is dedicated to advanced coin routines. These include the "Tenkai Pennies," Jack Chanin's "TV Surprise" coin production, and an advanced version of the "Chink-a-Chink" coin assembly. My favorite piece on this volume is a fab little Copper/Silver routine by none other than Robert-Houdin. Though it is assumed that the viewer possesses a certain degree of skill and experience in coin magic, all the material on volume three is explained with as much clarity as on the previous volumes.
That is not to say that these videos are perfect. Mike Maxwell's introductions quickly become tiresome, as does the bland and unchanging living room "set." At times the camerawork leaves something to be desired. For instance, every time Roth attempts to demonstrate the Kaps Subtlety, the camera cuts to an angle that reveals the coin in his palm. And then there's poor Monica, the spectator/assistant on all three videos. Her brave efforts to respond with surprise and delight to coin sleight after coin sleight are rather painful to watch. Particularly when one realizes that only a few of the routines on the DVD require the presence of a participant to hold a coin or a scarf. They tortured that pretty young woman for no reason!
Slow-motion replay sequences that appear throughout the DVD are a bit bothersome as well. DVD technology has rendered slow-motion replays superfluous. With DVD, we can play any sequence we want in slow motion, and we can choose how slowly to play it. Slow-motion replays and "Super Practice Sessions" should go the way of the dodo. Luckily, DVD technology also enables us skip these redundant sequences in an instant.
These minor grievances vanish in the face of David Roth's complete command of the material. If coin magic is your obsession, this entire set of videos should be on your shelf both as a reference source and as a means to admire what can be achieved through dedication, toil, persistence and attention to detail.
Four stars