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The Effect
On the Pass by Pete Cassford (DVD)


Cost
£24.99 from alakazam


Difficulty
4/5 Well, it's the pass.



Review
First off, I can't make any comparisons between this DVD and Kaufmann/Krenzel's efforts to teach the pass, because I haven't seen the others. I do know that Kaufmann teaches a number of different passes and covers whereas Cassford sticks to his take on the classic pass.

After building a fairly decent armoury of sleights I decided it was probably time to take a crack at the pass. I spent a bit of time trying to learn it from the Royal Road before deciding I wasn't going to get anywhere without actually seeing a pass in action. In fact I would advise anyone learning the pass not to waste too much effort trying to do it purely from a book: get someone to teach you one-to-one or invest in a video/DVD.

The DVD comes in sections that concentrate first on the mechanics of the pass followed by advice on angles and cover techniques, and a performance section with Pete Cassford performing on the street, demonstrating the pass at work in the real world. There are also 'practice loops' on the disk which are looping chapters showing the same motions over and over again. The idea behind the loops being that you can just set it going and watch as you practice the moves yourself.

The main section of the disc where Pete explains the pass tends first, to show Pete performing from a forward camera angle and then from a camera angle approximately corresponding to the performers eye view. These are all shot very well. The action is clear and the 'over the shoulder' shots are first rate, exposing every movement and subtlety. Pete is certainly proficient enough to make a good teacher and his analysis of angles and the covers he employs make for a very deceptive pass. The effectiveness of the move is demonstrated in the performance section, which serves to give confidence to the learner that this is a move that will work in front of a real audience. The teaching is very well done. every question you might have is answered in detail. Coupled with the great visual demonstrations of the pass in motion this is, in my opinion a very useful aid for learning the pass. It's always going to be a slow process, but mine is certainly coming along.

The 'practice loops' included on the disc are a nice little addition, but not exactly revolutionary. Watching this kind of looping while practicing is indeed a very good way of learning, but anyone who has figured out the A->B looping mode on their DVD player can create their own practice loop from the main programme. (Anyone who doesn't know what the A->B function is all about should check out their players manual. It's very handy when learning magic from DVD).

The disc does have some downsides, most of them common to a lot of magic discs and videos. The camera shots from the front, while great for teaching do look a bit dull and static a bit more dynamism and a couple of extra cameras pointed at Pete would have made it a lot more interesting to watch. Also, Pete himself while a good teacher is pretty wooden and unnatural looking while talking to camera. It's a pity he couldn't be a bit more relaxed and animated as he is when performing on the street. The chaptering on the disc is a bit odd too, and personally I get really annoyed by discs that go straight to the programme rather than presenting you with a menu first.

(One final thing: I do think having testimonials from Kenton Knepper on the box and in the advertising is a bit naughty. Pete and KK are friends and (I believe) business associates. Also KK markets this DVD from his own site. This kind of endorsement happens with a lot of products, but I still don't like it)


Overall
You might think that having a go at the production values of the disc as I have done above is nit-picking. Well, it is really. The thing is I liked the disc a lot and, as far as the actual job it does goes, I couldn't find a lot to crticise it for. The downsides mentioned above shouldn't deter anyone who otherwise likes the sound of the disk from buying it. I would recommend this DVD to people who enquire about learning the pass (and I already have). In value-for-money terms it's not bad. Some may say that £25 for one sleight and less than an hour in running time is poor value. I would say that compared to other video sources for learning the pass it's not bad. If you really want to learn the pass you have to pay for it unless you can make do with a book. I couldn't. You could probably get it cheaper though, if you wanted to order it from the US.

Great review Charles -

When thinking about DVDs to help with learning "the pass" I would immediately have thought of the Kaufman DVD, so it's nice to read such a well balanced review on another option.

From what I here though I am a long way off yet needing to learn the classic pass - I believe it isn't the easiest move in the world.

<Oops! Posted twice. Sorry>

Different people seem to have different opinions on the usefulness of the pass and whether/when you should learn it. Some people almost seem to get a bit religious about it...
I think it's a nice move to have. When you can perform it well it's a great sleight to have in your arsenal. I've got the point where I think I can spare the time to practice it now I've got a grounding in more basic sleights.
I don't think it's as much about difficulty as it as about the time taken to master it. If you haven't got the overhand shuffle, jogs, false shuffles & cuts, multi-lifts and a few forces sorted then your time could probably be better spent elsewhere. I know that I still won't be using it in performance for a couple more months yet.

Thanks for the encouragement btw!

I took a couple of months to learn the riffle pass, and use it fairly regularly in ambitious card routines and in an apparent gambling expose. In the gambling routine I get peple to watch my hands carefully as I do it, and find that about half the people I show see nothing at all when asked, and half see something but don't know what it was even when I pass a face up card to the top, they see it arrive but don't know how it got there. When using it in other routines I have never had a single person spot anything dodgy. The reason I mention this is that many people go on about having to have a huge amount of misdirection when you use the pass because it can never be made completely invisible and they therefore think that learning it is a waste of time. I completely disagree with this and think that it is a great move (so there!). If anyone still thinks that you can't make a pass invisible they should ask Mog to e-mail them the video of me doing the riffle pass with a face up card, apart from the slightly dodgy set up with my hand (I was still learning it at the time) you can't see the move itself, it looks like a fairly normal riffle (if slightly exagerated).

So I basically think that everyone should learn it, if only so that you can tell less experienced magicians that you can and have them look at you in awe.

(Nick waits for the sense of awe to emanate across the internet......gives up and goes elsewhere)