I've studied billet work extensively over the years, and have lots of books and videos on the
subject in my library, and I still learned some really great ideas I'd not seen before. Alexander
Marsh's Billet Masterclass is a high quality release in content and production values.
If
you are new to billet work, and are eager to learn, this course would be an excellent place to
start. If you have an extensive background in billet work, you probably do not need this program,
but you may still want to get it. I'm a big believer in continuing education, and love to learn.
Anyone who loves billet work and loves to learn will likely enjoy this program.
There are
so many methods, ideas, subtleties and insights shared throughout this program. There is something
for everyone. Many things for everyone.
Alex and Lewis both make the point repeatedly that
you do not have to do anything exactly as they show it. Learn the techniques then mix and match to
come up with handlings and routines that fit your style and preferences. I agree with this mindset.
The Q & A routine was not really a good fit for me. And that's okay. It might be a great
fit for you. I have studied the Q & A extensively over the past several years, and have purchased
just about every release on the subject. And I've come up with my own handlings that do fit me well.
I like to study everything that is available on subjects that interest me the most, then figure out
what works best for my preferences, including developing new approaches. And I advise you to do the
same.
Over-all, this is a fantastic course that I recommend highly.
7 of 7 magicians found this helpful.
Alexander Marsh is a great teacher and I can just tell if you give him a stack of billets, some
pens, and some envelopes, he could do three hours of walk around no problem and entertain everybody.
However, it is important to know what you're getting into.
I purchased this
download during the holiday season so I had the privilege of getting it half off. In my opinion,
based on my knowledge of billets before purchasing the download, knowing what I know now $45 may
have been a stretch. This is not because the information isn't that valuable. This truly is a
masterclass. It's just important to know that if you are already familiar with billet work, half of
the masterclass won't be applicable.
About seven of the videos go over the details of
switches like the Al Baker switch, Annemann switch, and using envelopes for switches. I skimmed
through these because I was already familiar with these methods.
These are the highlights
of the masterclass if you are even the most seasoned billet worker:
1.) The Discussions:
Lewis Le Val sits down with Marsh and they have multiple discussions about routine and presentation
ideas.
2.) The Marsh Peek and 4DT: According to Marsh, this is his own peek that he uses
often. I can confirm that he uses it often because I've seen him use it in multiple televised
performances seen on his YouTube page. It's a fantastic peek to use if you are using an envelope for
your routine. I will admit that the handling for this peek is very similar to a billet peek seen in
Richard Osterlind's 2nd Penguin Live Lecture. The best part of learning this peek is its application
with 4DT. I've performed Bob Cassidy's 4DT and it is a killer. The only criticism is it does take a
somewhat extensive set up. The Marsh Peek allows you to perform 4DT with just three billets and
three regular envelopes, that's it. Marsh's 4DT is not as deceptive as Cassidy's 4DT because in
Cassidy's routine the spectator can slide their folded billet into the envelope themselves. In
Marsh's 4DT you have be holding onto the billet and place it inside the envelope yourself for the
first billet. The next two spectators can slide the billets into their envelopes themselves. I still
think it's deceptive and I've added three envelopes to my Maverick EDC Carrier to do just this.
3.) Q&A: This part of the download was a goldmine for me. His use of the Q&A has inspired
me to structure future potential stage shows around his ideas. He goes through the design of the
cards he uses to get the most information possible. He then goes through a few effects utilizing
these Q&A cards that sit in a clear bowl. One is very similar to Christopher Carter's 3 billet
routine shown in his Penguin Live Lecture, but his way of marking the billets is wonderful and
clever. He then goes on to explain audience reading, extra bonuses, and has a discussion with Le Val
about how he uses Q&A with a slightly different style. He gives many tips on how you can expand the
Q&A over the course of a show. I won't go into detail, but it will allow you to pick volunteers in a
way true mentalists would and it can inspire routines.
As a whole, I feel that these
three parts of the download was worth a $20 download. Do I think it's worth a $45 download since I
already was familiar with about half the information?
I still think so.
If you
want to dive into mentalism for the first time and you're brand new to billet work this is a MUST
HAVE and would be ranked 10 out of 5 stars.
If you are a seasoned billet worker but are
looking for some more ideas, you should definitely still find some nuggets of information.
I am unfamiliar with the timeline of this release and the release of the official 1914 Billets,
but the biggest criticism I have is that Marsh doesn't ever use the 1914 Billets in this download.
He uses his own that are a bigger size. If the download was released before the billets then this
criticism is invalid, but if they were out it would have been nice to see him use the ones that the
1914 recommends using.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
Alexander Marsh is a great teacher and I can just tell if you give him a stack of billets, some
pens, and some envelopes, he could do three hours of walk around no problem and entertain everybody.
However, it is important to know what you're getting into.
I purchased this
download during the holiday season so I had the privilege of getting it half off. In my opinion,
based on my knowledge of billets before purchasing the download, knowing what I know now $45 may
have been a stretch. This is not because the information isn't that valuable. This truly is a
masterclass. It's just important to know that if you are already familiar with billet work, half of
the masterclass won't be applicable.
About seven of the videos go over the details of
switches like the Al Baker switch, Annemann switch, and using envelopes for switches. I skimmed
through these because I was already familiar with these methods.
These are the highlights
of the masterclass if you are even the most seasoned billet worker:
1.) The Discussions:
Lewis Le Val sits down with Marsh and they have multiple discussions about routine and presentation
ideas.
2.) The Marsh Peek and 4DT: According to Marsh, this is his own peek that he uses
often. I can confirm that he uses it often because I've seen him use it in multiple televised
performances seen on his YouTube page. It's a fantastic peek to use if you are using an envelope for
your routine. I will admit that the handling for this peek is very similar to a billet peek seen in
Richard Osterlind's 2nd Penguin Live Lecture. The best part of learning this peek is its application
with 4DT. I've performed Bob Cassidy's 4DT and it is a killer. The only criticism is it does take a
somewhat extensive set up. The Marsh Peek allows you to perform 4DT with just three billets and
three regular envelopes, that's it. Marsh's 4DT is not as deceptive as Cassidy's 4DT because in
Cassidy's routine the spectator can slide their folded billet into the envelope themselves. In
Marsh's 4DT you have be holding onto the billet and place it inside the envelope yourself for the
first billet. The next two spectators can slide the billets into their envelopes themselves. I still
think it's deceptive and I've added three envelopes to my Maverick EDC Carrier to do just this.
3.) Q&A: This part of the download was a goldmine for me. His use of the Q&A has inspired
me to structure future potential stage shows around his ideas. He goes through the design of the
cards he uses to get the most information possible. He then goes through a few effects utilizing
these Q&A cards that sit in a clear bowl. One is very similar to Christopher Carter's 3 billet
routine shown in his Penguin Live Lecture, but his way of marking the billets is wonderful and
clever. He then goes on to explain audience reading, extra bonuses, and has a discussion with Le Val
about how he uses Q&A with a slightly different style. He gives many tips on how you can expand the
Q&A over the course of a show. I won't go into detail, but it will allow you to pick volunteers in a
way true mentalists would and it can inspire routines.
As a whole, I feel that these
three parts of the download was worth a $20 download. Do I think it's worth a $45 download since I
already was familiar with about half the information?
I still think so.
If you
want to dive into mentalism for the first time and you're brand new to billet work this is a MUST
HAVE and would be ranked 10 out of 5 stars.
If you are a seasoned billet worker but are
looking for some more ideas, you should definitely still find some nuggets of information.
I am unfamiliar with the timeline of this release and the release of the official 1914 Billets,
but the biggest criticism I have is that Marsh doesn't ever use the 1914 Billets in this download.
He uses his own that are a bigger size. If the download was released before the billets then this
criticism is invalid, but if they were out it would have been nice to see him use the ones that the
1914 recommends using.
Alexander Marsh is a great teacher and I can just tell if you give him a stack of billets, some
pens, and some envelopes, he could do three hours of walk around no problem and entertain everybody.
However, it is important to know what you're getting into.
I purchased this
download during the holiday season so I had the privilege of getting it half off. In my opinion,
based on my knowledge of billets before purchasing the download, knowing what I know now $45 may
have been a stretch. This is not because the information isn't that valuable. This truly is a
masterclass. It's just important to know that if you are already familiar with billet work, half of
the masterclass won't be applicable.
About seven of the videos go over the details of
switches like the Al Baker switch, Annemann switch, and using envelopes for switches. I skimmed
through these because I was already familiar with these methods.
These are the highlights
of the masterclass if you are even the most seasoned billet worker:
1.) The Discussions:
Lewis Le Val sits down with Marsh and they have multiple discussions about routine and presentation
ideas.
2.) The Marsh Peek and 4DT: According to Marsh, this is his own peek that he uses
often. I can confirm that he uses it often because I've seen him use it in multiple televised
performances seen on his YouTube page. It's a fantastic peek to use if you are using an envelope for
your routine. I will admit that the handling for this peek is very similar to a billet peek seen in
Richard Osterlind's 2nd Penguin Live Lecture. The best part of learning this peek is its application
with 4DT. I've performed Bob Cassidy's 4DT and it is a killer. The only criticism is it does take a
somewhat extensive set up. The Marsh Peek allows you to perform 4DT with just three billets and
three regular envelopes, that's it. Marsh's 4DT is not as deceptive as Cassidy's 4DT because in
Cassidy's routine the spectator can slide their folded billet into the envelope themselves. In
Marsh's 4DT you have be holding onto the billet and place it inside the envelope yourself for the
first billet. The next two spectators can slide the billets into their envelopes themselves. I still
think it's deceptive and I've added three envelopes to my Maverick EDC Carrier to do just this.
3.) Q&A: This part of the download was a goldmine for me. His use of the Q&A has inspired
me to structure future potential stage shows around his ideas. He goes through the design of the
cards he uses to get the most information possible. He then goes through a few effects utilizing
these Q&A cards that sit in a clear bowl. One is very similar to Christopher Carter's 3 billet
routine shown in his Penguin Live Lecture, but his way of marking the billets is wonderful and
clever. He then goes on to explain audience reading, extra bonuses, and has a discussion with Le Val
about how he uses Q&A with a slightly different style. He gives many tips on how you can expand the
Q&A over the course of a show. I won't go into detail, but it will allow you to pick volunteers in a
way true mentalists would and it can inspire routines.
As a whole, I feel that these
three parts of the download was worth a $20 download. Do I think it's worth a $45 download since I
already was familiar with about half the information?
I still think so.
If you
want to dive into mentalism for the first time and you're brand new to billet work this is a MUST
HAVE and would be ranked 10 out of 5 stars.
If you are a seasoned billet worker but are
looking for some more ideas, you should definitely still find some nuggets of information.
I am unfamiliar with the timeline of this release and the release of the official 1914 Billets,
but the biggest criticism I have is that Marsh doesn't ever use the 1914 Billets in this download.
He uses his own that are a bigger size. If the download was released before the billets then this
criticism is invalid, but if they were out it would have been nice to see him use the ones that the
1914 recommends using.
Alexander Marsh has truly created a labor of (billet) love and given us all a sometime funny,
always thought-provoking analysis of billet work. The title "Master Class" is well earned as Alex
(aided by Lewis LeVal) covers over FIVE HOURS of moves, routines, structured choreography and easy
to understand analysis (no long-winded theory) on the topic. Most importantly, the class is well
organized, easy to navigate, and digestible in small (5-10 minute) bites, so you can avoid overload.
As a retired professor, I can say that the class is truly within the range of any level performer,
although an absolute newbie should probably tackle some of the books on the subject first before
diving in. Not essential, but some advance knowledge would speed the learning process. Overall, well
done, Alex!
Today, when you order "Billet Masterclass (Online Instructions plus Materials) by Alexander Marsh and The 1914", you'll instantly be emailed a Penguin Magic gift certificate. You can spend it on anything you like at Penguin, just like cash. Just complete your order as normal, and within seconds you'll get an email with your gift certificate.
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Highly Recommended
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