Description
Joshua tips the work on his twelve-minute act, including his Ambitious Card and borrowed ring routines. He's performed this award-winning act all over the world, and now you'll have a peek at the thinking behind it. Also included are performance clips from his acclaimed one-man show, a detailed study of his Discreet Displacement sleight, and a special screening of The Heckler, Joshua's magic-themed short film.
Volume 1:
Losing Diamonds: Visually flick the pips off the wrong card and change it into a signed selection.
The Remote Control: A signed card is controlled by a remote held by a spectator. The routine climaxes with the discovery of the same signed card inside the remote's battery compartment.
The Aspirin: The opener and closer to Joshua's act produce an aspirin bottle and later reveal a signed selection inside...without ever touching the bottle.
The Discreet Displacement: This easy-to-do sleight can be used as a control, force, or switch. You'll learn several possible effects, including...
Discreet Displacement Collectors: An in-the-hands version of this Roy Walton classic that takes place in less than a minute.
Ringin' Alarm: A borrowed finger ring (and a ring finger-no joke) is discovered inside an alarm clock...just in the nick of time!
Plus: The Jay Change, D.D. Thought-Of Card, and lots more.
Extra Feature: "The Heckler," a short, fictional film written, starring, and co-directed by Joshua Jay. This is what happens when you mess with a magician.
Volume 2:
The material in this volume ranges from close-up to stand-up, from easy to difficult, and from cards to coins to ropes to tape measures to bills. But from start to finish, it's all audience-tested and approved magic. Also included are performance clips from Joshua's one-man show, a detailed discussion of practical memorized deck magic (that won't disturb your stack), and a making-of featurette.
Shrunken Revelation: Joshua has performed this trick on national television in four different countries, and it won first place in the Marvin's Magic video competition at FISM 2000. Four Kings appear on four packets and then visually shrink to miniature cards.
Printing (Performance only): See Joshua's explosive handling of Dominique Duvivier's classic effect.
Inflated Transposition: A dollar bill transposition with a new kicker-impromptu, easy-to-do, and perfect for walk-around professionals.
Heightened Senses: Predict any spectator's height with an "X" on a tape measure. The method is as ingenious as the effect!
The Lampshade (performance only): Straight from his one-man show, this is Joshua's acclaimed chop cup routine to music using a lampshade and a bulb.
Pulling My String: The perfect opener to any rope routine. Stretch a tiny rope over seven feet...visually.
Dear Journal: This trick won the IBM creativity award in 1998. A "journal" deck is shown, each card bearing a different journal entry. Joshua divines a selected "journal" card and even what entry is written on it!
Plus: Princess in my Wallet, Invisible Coin Purse, Jumbo Homing Card, Prediction Piece, Combined Interests, and a detailed discussion on memorized deck magic from the point of view of a worker. You'll learn the work Joshua puts in the deck, an extremely deceptive in-the-hands false shuffle, and several routines that don't disturb the stack.
Extra Feature: A behind-the-scenes documentary detailing what happened behind the cameras at every stage of Close-Up. Up Close.
Volume 3:
Volume 3 explores Joshua's favorite genre: formal card magic. It's Joshua Jay, a deck of cards and an astounded audience. The range of effects is equaled only by the range of methods-Joshua use a clever blend of subtlety, sleight-of-hand, and gaffs for maximum impact. Also included is a detailed study of Triumph, the Bluff Pass, and extra footage of Joshua's gambling exposé shot in a live theater.
Trumped Triumph: A Triumph routine with an unbelievable climax. This utilizes a fascinating principle, and other ideas are included by Darwin Ortiz and Karl Heinn.
Silent Card Routine (performance only): See the formal, elegant, six-minute opening of Joshua's one-man show, shot live in front of the usual sold-out theater.
Triple Thought-of Card: Three thought-of cards. No questions asked. No preparation. No gimmicked cards. No sleights. Three thought-of cards. Works every time.
Back in Time: Joshua's workhorse Triumph routine. The presentation, the structure, the sleights, the timing...it's all worked out, ready to become your go-to card routine.
Pseudo Centers Transpo: Who said everything had to be easy? If you're willing to put in the time, this routine will have your audience convinced you're a master mechanic.
Overlap Hitchcock: A squeaky-clean assembly routine with a surprise kicker. Utilizes Joshua's ingenious Overlap gaff.
Bluff Shifts: Joshua's work on the Bluff Shift is raising eyebrows from magic's top practitioners. You'll learn three counter-intuitive approaches.
Plus: Triumph in Aces, Paradise Aces, The Book Cut, Déjà vu Collectors, and Joshua's thirteen-minute gambling exposé, shot live at his one-man show.
Extra Feature: Gambling Photos: Joshua's gallery exhibition of sleight-of-hand, depicted close-up...a combination of photography and magic.