A review of

"Perform Like A Pro" DVD by Quentin Reynolds
by R. Shane

In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Okay, let me get this out of the way: there are no real tricks described on this disc. If that's what you're looking for, it ain't here. Please go check out some of the other discs out there. Thank you.

Now, if you've stuck around, it's safe to say you know there's a helluva lot more to magic than tricks. And it is that vaporous "lot more" that Quentin Reynolds addresses in his disc, "Perform Like A Pro", which was taped live at the World Magic Seminar in Vegas.

There's been a spate of these types of videos out lately, all looking to explain how to make us better magicians, better performers, better business-people, better entertainers, and so on and so forth. When it comes to such things, I have a very simple rule:

Teach me one thing -- just one thing -- which I didn't know which would make me better at what I do and which is out to me in such a way I'm motivated to do it.

That's it. Simple enough. I figure it this way: if I learn one thing, then other people may learn one thing, too. Or more.

Quentin Reynolds taught me a truckload. And right when I thought I knew it all, too.

Reynolds starts off easy enough by asking a question a lot of us ask: how come some magicians, truly great at what they do, get so little audience reaction when others, maybe with lesser all-around skills, have audiences go nuts?

Sometimes this is dismissed as jealousy and sour grapes, but sometimes -- probably often than we know or think about -- there's another reason. Reynolds explores some of those reasons, and teaches how to incorporate techniques in our magic to get those wonderful responses from an audience.

I can give you the short answer: it ain't about the magic, it's about the experience. For the long answer, you'll need to take a look at this disc. After all, Reynolds does a masterful job of explaining how to create that experience, and I'd hate for you to miss it.

Now I have to come clean.

When I first heard about Quentin Reynolds, I was just barely interested in this disc. Why? Because Reynolds is a wonderful children's performer and, well, I don't do those types of shows anymore. Been there, done that, didn't like, won't be back. I'm not slighting Reynolds here, or any other children's show performer -- anytime you can bring good magic to anyone, you're aces in my book -- but looking at what I routinely perform, I just didn't figure a children's performer, who would naturally lecture mainly about children's shows, would be able to help me much. So I put off this disc for quite some time before I ever gave it a look.

Yeah, well, we all have the right to be ignorant sometimes.

Don't make the mistake I did. Reynolds advice, while it uses children's shows as examples at times (Reynolds went with what he knows; can't fault the man for that), can be used for and by anyone. Moreover, some of his advice not only can but should be used by everyone. Close-up, stage, strolling, platform, comedy... you name it and there's sound, practical, logical advice which will help you raise the bar a bit in your performances.

And that makes this one very valuable disc and Quentin Reynolds one very wonderful contributor to the art of magic

"Perform Like A Pro" DVD by Quentin Reynolds
In A Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
Very little trickery in sight, but probably one of the greatest collections of material available. Reynolds teaches some of the best advice, taken from years of experience, for improving your performances, starting from a single trick and finishing with adding power to your act.

Practicality: 10
Do you perform magic? This this disc is extremely practical. True, it's geared toward children's performers, but if you never perform before kids and never will, you'll still learn a great deal about making your own shows more memorable.

Quality of Production: 10
When I see the words "lecture from" anywhere on the disc, I cringe. Inevitably, I know the video will be bad, the sound will be bad, and I'll spend my evening rewinding instead of learning. Not so here. This is how "lecture videos" need to be shot. While not as crisp as a staged shoot, this is definitely a quality product.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Again, no tricks described, but that's not what this disc is about. It's about improving you and your shows, and Reynolds does an incredible job of teaching just that.

Presentation: 10
This is a fudge-factor here, since all Reynolds concentrates on is presentation and little of it in the trick-variety. Still, I have to give points to the man for taking a dry subject and making it engaging and educational.

Originality: 10
Reynolds draws on so many sources here, inside and out of magic, that's it's tough to say his ideas are thoroughly original. However, he gets the points for applying some of the ideas from other performance arts strictly to magic; I wish more people would make that effort.

 Find out more about Quentin's latest show, a fun filled after-dinner presentation for corporate functions