Web Notes
by Mike Durant
Review of Reel Magic
Things certainly are changing quickly in this ‘information age' and that is especially true in the world magic. When I first started dabbling in the magical arts, printed books and magazines were the only ways to ‘distribute' magic knowledge. Video tape came next and then the Internet, replacing books for many people. But magazines continued to ‘hold their own'. Sure there were electronic newsletters like Alan Watson's excellent and, despite the name, very international Magic New Zealand. (Read More)
Well, now "periodicals" have taken the next step. Ted Brainard, better known as Kozmo, has been quietly changing things with his periodical ReelMagic Magazine. In many ways it is very much like the traditional magazine. It has some of the best "columnists" around; David Regal, Jon Armstrong, Simon Lovell and several others. There are trick reviews and tricks taught. And of course there are the features. Feature interviews have included talks with such luminaries as Paul Harris, Jonathan Pendragon, Jason Alexander, Johnny Thompson, Bill Malone, Jay Sankey and Dean Dill. There are a few other fun ‘bits' to fill in the cracks. And finally there are ads.
So far, it sounds like a pretty traditional magazine. But that is because I have not mentioned the thing that sets Reel Magic Magazine apart from the others. The whole thing comes on a DVD and you watch it on your TV or PC. In the beginning, it was just a quarterly venture. But as of the second year, starting with the June, 2008 issue, it has gone to bi-monthly, so now you get 6 issues a year for the same price.
I ran into Kozmo at this year's Combined Convention in Louisville. He had started his grand project the previous year and he was celebrating the first anniversary of publication. He was talking up the project and I took a look. I liked what I saw. My favorite part was the ‘featured interviews'. They give you a chance to listen to the greats talk about their art. Often there are clips included. For example, during the Jason Alexander interview, there were clips from his acclaimed ‘stint' at the Magic Castle interspersed with the interview to help make a point. It is very enjoyable way to get to know our luminaries better.
While the features are great, it is the columns that are the things I tweaked my interest. It was hard to pick just two of my favorites. First, Jon Armstrong's column is called "Small Things, Big Difference". Jon doesn't teach any tricks. Instead he wants to show you that the last 10% in any slight makes the 90% difference. Those small things are the difference between tricks and real magic.
My other current favorite is Garrett Thomas' "Try This At Home". Garrett doesn't teach any tricks either. Instead he offers some ‘exercises' that will help you build your skill level and individual confidence in your magic. So far, he has been focusing on card and coin based moves. But then that is a large part of magic.
Reviews are an important part of any periodical. They are helpful to any magician that wants to get a better handle on what is out there. The two reviewers (so far) are David Regal and Wayne Kawamoto. Wayne's reviews are more traditional. He does a great job of presenting the strengths and weaknesses of the effects he is reviewing in a straight forward and professional manner without ‘tipping' the method. David takes a more casual and ‘fun' approach to his reviews. He has taken the wind out of some of the over hyped magic and done it in an entertaining way. At the same time, he is careful to show where some of these effects might actually work for a magician that has a specific sort of need.
I couldn't finish this review without mentioning Simon Lovell's great column. This is pure Simon and while individual columns maybe a bit ‘over the top' (well more than a bit, if you know Simon), there is a serious ‘truth' at the heart of each one.
I mentioned earlier that there are ads here too. These are more like TV ads. I was getting a bit burned out on them... but, in all fairness, that is at least partly because I watched the first half a dozen DVDs in a short amount of time. In truth, the ads are not really so bad. Many of the ads include performance footage of featured tricks and really well produced.
Stop by Reel Magic's website. You can find them at http://www.reelmagicquarterly.com/. Enjoy.
