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Born to Perform Card Magic DVD (Oz Pearlman) - the new edition

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Born to Perform Card Magic DVD (Oz Pearlman) - the new edition
« on: January 03, 2018, 07:59:26 PM »
 

EndersGame

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Born to Perform Card Magic DVD (2013) by Oz Pearlman

An expanded and updated version of a classic introduction to card magic

The original version

Rather than diving straight into learning some tricks, people who are brand new to card magic should consider a more systematic approach.  By all means learn a few simple card tricks to get going. But early in your journey into magic, it's a good idea to learn some basic fundamentals, by mastering the essentials of card handling and some common sleights.  I wish I'd done this when I started out years ago, rather than focusing too quickly and too much on learning tricks. 

Fortunately there are some excellent videos available that will help you start your journey into card magic on the right foot, by teaching you some of the basics of card handling, along with around half a dozen strong tricks to get you going.  Ellusionist's Crash Course 1 is one such video, and Oz Pearlman's Born to Perform Card Magic is another.  They are very much geared to modern and young magicians, and tend to be filled with superlatives about how amazing your magic will be.  But even so, these are still terrific places to start if you don't want to make too much of a commitment to learning sleight hand of card magic just yet, and yet want to learn the essentials of some basic card controls, shuffles, and sleights, along with a few really good card tricks you can use to entertain family and friends.

The original version of Born to Perform Card Magic was released by Penguin Magic in 2003, and quickly became one of the most recommended videos suggested for newbies to start with. The overall instruction covers more ground than the Ellusionist DVD.  In slightly less than 2 hours of material, it includes basic card fundamentals like breaks, controls, forces, palms, cuts, and flourishes, along with four strong routines: Ultimate Transpo, Two Card Monte, Biddle Trick, and Ambitious Card.



The new version

In 2013, an updated and expanded version of the Born to Perform Card Magic DVD was released, and that's the one that's on the market today.

I was curious how it compared with the original DVD that was released in 2003, and in this review I'll summarize what the differences are, and outline what the contents of the new edition include.  The short version is that everything has been completely re-filmed, and it's now nearly twice as long as the original, and also includes two more routines (Card to Mouth and Slop Shuffle).

I bought my DVD of the 2013 version directly from Penguin Magic here.  The nice thing about doing this is that in addition to sending you the DVD of the new edition, Penguin Magic also gives you access to a digital download of both the 2003 version and the 2013 version.  This means that you get the best of both worlds, because you get the original video as well as the revised and expanded one.  Both videos are videos in *.mp4 format, with the 2003 video being 753 MB in size, and the 2013 video being 1.43 GB in size.

Here's the official trailer video for the new edition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlw5muZOiqY



Differences

So what's the difference exactly?  Well for starters, Oz himself is now 10 years older, and has a lot more professional experience under his belt.  He has a new look and even a new smile.  In recent years he embarked on a new career as a mentalist, and nowadays he calls himself "Oz the Mentalist".  The 2013 video must have been towards the start of this transition, and as a result he's a more polished and professional performer.

Everything has been re-filmed and the explanations have been re-done from scratch.  Most of the content covers the same material, but not exactly. I'll explain exactly what those differences are in the next section.

The new edition is billed as an updated/expanded version, and that's clearly evident when you compare the length of the two videos:

2003 version: 1 hour 44 minutes
2013 version: 3 hours 48 minutes



Content list of the 2013 edition

Here's are some screenshots of the menu of the new version, which show the entire contents that you'll find on the 2013 edition.  This should especially help those who are completely unfamiliar with the original DVD get some idea of what to expect.





Content only in the original 2003 edition

Not everything that was in the 2003 edition of the DVD is found in the 2013 edition, and several sections from the original have vanished.  These are the following:

Controls
● Classic Pass
● Hindu Shuffle Pass
● One Handed Top Palm
● Elmsley Count

Forces
● Riffle Force



Content only in the new 2013 edition

The new edition, however, is about twice as long, and that's because some of the explanations are more detailed and elaborate, but also because it has some new material.  Here's a list of all the new topics:

Routines
● Slop Shuffle
● Card to Mouth
● Blossom Production

Controls
● Gamblers Cop
● False Overhand Shuffle

Forces
● Dribble Force
● Spread Cull Force

Flourishes
● Swivel Change



Content comparison

It's a pity to see some material from the original version left out in the new version, especially the Riffle Force and the Elmsley Count.  Both of these are very popular, and are commonly used in a lot of card magic.  I'm also curious why a decision was made to eliminate the Pass, although this is a more advanced move that is typically beyond the scope of beginners, and perhaps that's why it was removed.  If material was going to be added, the Glide would have been an obvious addition as a fairly basic sleight, so I'm surprised that this continues to be an omission from what is intended to be a good introduction to fundamentals.

But the additional elements are very solid, and the increased number of routines in the new version will especially be welcome to many people.  I like the fact hat the sleights and moves are taught in a little more detail, and the more elaborate explanations here are very helpful.  The only down side of this is that it makes the video almost twice the length, and it starts feeling slightly less like an introduction for beginners.

Oz himself appears to have lost some of his youthful innocence, and comes across a little more brash and almost over-confident.  I'm still not quite sure what to make of his new business suit attired persona, or whether I prefer the younger Oz.  But he is still an excellent teacher, and that's really what this video is all about.  This video has always been a strong choice for relative beginners looking to get a good handle on the fundamentals of card magic, and overall this enhanced version only makes a good thing even better.



Recommendation

Oz Pearlman's Born to Perform Card Magic DVD has always been applauded for being a great introduction to the fundamentals of card magic, and is considered by many to be one of the better entries in this genre.  The updated and expanded 2013 edition takes something that is a proven success, and expands it for a new audience that may not be familiar with the original.  It still deserves to be a solid recommendation for new magicians, and continues to be an excellent starting point that will give beginners a good head-start with their card magic. Even intermediate magicians will benefit from the material here.

There certainly are more comprehensive places to begin, if you are more serious about card magic.  Roberto Giobbi's Card College 1 & 2: Personal Instruction, which is a companion video course to his famous books, is still my personal favourite.  But for something that gives you a quicker kick-start into card magic, the Oz Pearlman DVD is excellent value, and is hard to beat.



Want to learn more?  Check out the product page at Penguin Magic here: Born to Perform Card Magic DVD
« Last Edit: June 02, 2021, 12:26:58 AM by EndersGame »
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