Magic Tricks

Eric Jones is one of the most prominent coin magicians in the planet, but in this particular lecture, he showcases more than just coins. He showcases his philosophy, his approaches, and even creative process. This lecture is one of the best lectures that I have observed in the past months. From the format to the effects, to the audience, to even the host, this was one of the finest lectures I have had the pleasure of viewing.

I, honestly, had been searching for Eric Jone's material for months now, and I am glad that 3 of which were in the lecture. Peregrination, Speedfly and Impossible Coin Across. These three effects alone is well worth the lecture. Eric Jones explains each effect thoroughly and even offers insights and additional subtleties in each, which I greatly appreciate. I don't really mind that Impossible Coin Across was the effect that fooled Penn and Teller. It was heavily emphasized as such. All I saw was an elegant construction of moves and strategic timings that make use of gimmicks. Eric proves that once you have played with a toy long enough, and studied its features hard enough, you are able to use that knowledge to manipulate even the spectator's perception of them. It's kinda confusing, but view the lecture and it will make perfect sense. His selection of effects in this lecture was good. He has an organized set of effects to present and explain, and he tackles each with precision. He, however, has the tendency to go overboard with the explanations and starts branching alternatives from one effect to another. This is not necessarily a bad thing because the audience can get more than what they expected to get.

I am not sure about the time constraints for this lecture, because, I downloaded the lecture, and Speedfy performance was cut from the first phase directly into the last phase.I would like to have seen the full performance of that effect. Other magicians might only care about the method and explanations, but there are a few who would like to study an unedited performance.

The format is pretty direct and smooth. The first part of the lecture were the effects, and the second part was an interview with Dan Harlan. It was pretty clean in execution and it felt very professional and organized. I would love to attend an actual lecture just because the organization was flawless. I really loved how the flow of the lecture went.

I also appreciate the audience for this particular lecture. The audience was a mix of veteran magicians and younger generations, and I think I stopped a couple of females as well. More importantly, each magician interaction with the audience was very beneficial for any student. This is an example of a very intelligent audience. They had asked all the right hard hitting questions in this lecture. They would ask things overlooked or needed clarification. They would explore steps and concept thoroughly urging Eric to explain further. They would ask these questions with novices in mind, or even with a veteran in mind. I love these kinds of audience in magic lectures. They allow for so much input for those who could not attend it personally.

I would like to also address "dead time" in the lecture. I would like to stress that there is minimal dead time, and what dead time was present, either Dan Harlan, or Eric Jones managed it. There are times wherein nothing happened, but Eric and Dan gave some input to help fill in those times strategically. I appreciate that compared to lectures wherein the magician, host or even the audience are shown in the camera with their eyes open waiting for something to happen. For me, that is not appropriate for a downloaded version. Eric is not seen pulling out his props from his bag, or scanning a laptop. He had things prepared, which saves time, and whatever further preparations he needed was edited away.

I would also like to address the host, Dan Harlan. I had been following some of his work, and he has a sort of vibe that when he talks, you listen. And he has the ability to communicate that makes you understand clearly what he means. His trailer in youtube was well done, and I never felt bored listening to him talk for 5 minutes straight about Eric's lecture. And he has done a great job in hosting it as well. He is less a nuisance to the lecture, but more of professional handling a professional event. When he comments on something Eric presented, it all has sense and direct to the point. He has a good mix of humor and no nonsense in his traits as a host. He even makes sure that not one second is wasted. On instances that the microphone was passed around, he would ask Eric a question to fill the time. This I greatly appreciate in him as a host. I pray that he will be the host for every lecture that comes out in Penguin Magic, because he adds direction, urgency, and organization to a lecture.

What I didn't like about his hosting was during the interview section. He has the tendency to talk for the interviewee about him rather than let the interviewee explain it himself. There are several times in the lecture that Dan would explain a funny story about Eric, and I was like, why is he telling that? It would be better for Eric to recount that story to us himself. Then another issue was at some moments, he would overlap Eric's answer to one of his questions. What I mean by this is that when Eric would answer a question, Dan would talk at the same time as him. This is not only distracting to the viewers but also quite annoying that we could not get to listen to his full answer. His tendency to interrupt was present in this lecture.

But aside from these minor tendencies, and flaws, this was one of the greatest and well worth lectures in Penguin Magic. Because of the quality, organization, and relevance of this lecture, I am considering purchasing another one very soon. I don't care if you are a coin man, card guy or a generalist. There is something in this lecture you can always find helpful. Inspiration and enlightenment can be found in each relevant frame.