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Well different people will pick things up at a different pace. I can't see how it would take anyone months to learn the basic cull move, but then again, everyone is different.

Thanks everyone for your comments and support. It is truly appreciated.

storm01 wrote:Can I just say this has got to be the worst DVD I have bought this year.

If you want to learn the art of culling stay well clear.

Hello storm01 and thank you for your comments too.

I am truly sorry you didn't enjoy The Cullfather and even more so that you feel it's the worst DVD you've bought all year. I too buy lots of DVD's and am always disapointed when I receive one that doesn't meet my expectations - so my apology is most sincere.

I have received several (at least 20) emails from magicians all over the world saying that The Cullfather DVD HAS helped them to master the cull. In fact some have said that the cull has eluded them for years until they watched the DVD. I'm not saying this to blow my own trumpet (not my style) but merly to point out that the DVD has helped lots of people to "learn the art of culling". In fact if you take into account the many positive comments received here on Talk Magic & The Magic Cafe not to mention the positive reviews in magazines such as: Magic, Genii, The Linking Ring and MagicSeen (see below) I think it would be fair to say that MOST people have found it useful.

Obviously it is impossible to please everyone and even the very best magic products still get negative comments. I'm very proud of The Cullfather and truly believe it's a good product. If I didn't it wouldn't be on the market.

If you see me at a convention please come up and say hello. I'd be very happy to sit down with you and go through the cull with you over a pint or two I hope that will go some way in making things up to you.

Thanks again for your feedback.

Iain.

Here are some comments taken from reviews for The Cullfather DVD:

“Moran is an excellent teacher and handles the cards beautifully throughout. Simply put, this is the best instructional DVD I have seen on the Cull”
Peter Duffie - Magic Magazine (December 2007)

“I had never heard of Iain Moran – a subject of the British Empire – until I received this DVD. As a result, I was unaware of his qualifications for teaching these concepts. I’m happy to say that having heard of him or not doesn’t matter, just watching him work proves he’s got the chops and it turns out that he’s a pretty good teacher as well."
Dustin Stinett - Genii Magazine (September 2007)

"I would say that this is a must-have for beginners and a should-have for advanced workers (you will be surprised at what you "thought" you knew). For pros, there is no question The Cullfather will add some jaw-dropping pop to your repertoire. Highly recommended."
Rolando Santos - The Linking Ring (November 2007)

"I have known Iain since he was a teenager (he used to buy tricks off me in those days!) and so it was great to see him present the magic on this DVD with such skill and lucidity."
Mark Leveridge - Magic Seen Magazine (July 2007)

"Can I just say this has got to be the worst DVD I have bought this year. If you want to learn the art of culling stay well clear."
Storm01 - Talk Magic (December 2007)

Wow from the man himself, good job I said some good things then

I had never heard of the cull before this DVD. Now it is something I use in all of my performances, even though I should perform more than I do

And can I just say Concrete Sandwich is one of my favourite effects to perform out of everything. Kills magicians and non-magicians alike.

Thanks for dropping by Iain!

Iain

Thanks for the post. Maybe my post was born out of frustration for culling and the fact that its obviously a complex move to master. I may take you up on the pint offer one day.

Thanx again

kev

Out of interest, what would you recommend as an alternative culling resource?

The RoadRunner Cull by Kimlat?

Any plans for a Cullfather part two? Maybe "Natural Born Cullers?"

queen of clubs wrote:Any plans for a Cullfather part two? Maybe "Natural Born Cullers?"

With music provided by 'Culling Joke'? *sighs*

Culling In The Name Of - Rage Against the Machine
Culling Me Softly - Roberta Flack

The Cullfather by Iain Moran is truly outstanding in showing how the cull can be used to great effect by a master practitioner.

What is does rather poorly is teach the cull: I am a relative newcomer to card handling and I found the explanation inadequate.

The DVD devotes only 4 minutes to explaining a complex move that I suspect takes a few weeks of practice to master. Contrast this with Ian Kendall's Work 4 on the pass which has 7 pages, 16 photos and 4 video clips and takes around 20 mins to go through, just on the mechanics of the sleight.

The various components of the move can only be gleaned by watching carefully and re-running the demonstrations. It would have been very helpful to have some additional explanation.

Three examples. When spreading the cards the left fingers are normally straight to support the spread. To do the cull however, at least one of the fingers on the left hand needs to be curled under against the stack in the left hand in order to straighten it to push the cull card into the right hand. This is not mentioned.

The first demo shows the left fingers "walking" the cull card into the right hand which does not appear to be how it is done in practice.

An important card in the spread seems to be the card below the cull card which has to go above the cull card - the cull card needs to clear the right hand edge of this card. Closing the hands to avoid the cull card being seen to disappear makes this more difficult and it would be good to have an explanation of how to deal with this.

Iain, please give us another DVD which goes through the basic sleight in much more detail, perhaps broken down into a series of exercises.

Hi.
I have bought the Cullfather DVD some weeks ago and I like the style, the contenct and the quality of this DVD. Thumb up.

But yes, personally I must agree with "horse" that the basic technique is not taught very well. Only three times in a rush is not what I (as a beginner) have expected.

Where are the different camera views? Where the in-depth explanation how to hold and move each finger exactly? Thumb down.

The tricks indeed are really really good and in my opinion the card control where the spectator can push in the selected card is AMAZING. Both thumbs up.

If there is a DVD with only one sleight (which I really prefere) then the basics should be taught much more deeply.

So... Iain, please give us another DVD which goes through the basic sleight in much more detail, perhaps broken down into a series of exercises.