Price$65.00
Media TypeDVD
CategoryMentalism
Date AddedJun 06, 2014
E.S.P.
Royal, Jonathan
Jonathan Royle
(Based on 2 reviews)
Egg, Sausage & Peas (E.S.P) Revealed
(RECIPES FOR KILLER MENTALISM & MIND MAGIC)
Within these 3 amazing DVD-ROMs Psychic Chef Jonathan Royle reveals to you every ingredient for Mind Reading Success.
Through over Ten Hours of video footage, of which 5 hours is of live performances and the rest is detailed teaching of the Secrets and Psychological ploys used, you will learn every nuance of Royles complete two and a half hour "Egg Sausage Peas" (E.S.P) Mentalism & Mind Reading Show.
Learn Arguably one of the most impressive ACAAN routines ever devised (which has 3 killer endings) through to several variations and methods for Spike Russian Roulette including a Completely Safe method that has had Experienced Magicians and Mentalists Scratching their heads wondering "How The Heck is That Done?"
Other routines include a Long Distance Mobile Phone Telepathy effect where an audience members friend called on the phone becomes the mind reader through to an amazing Book Test Style Routine that has a unique ending that is both Surprising and Hilarious to the audience and often results in standing ovations!
The Unique & Truly Entertaining Chair Test with no Chairs that turns audience members into A-List Celebrities will be a favourite of many who study this set, whilst others will grab themselves lucrative T.V. Shows and Extensive Publicity (as Royle Has done for years) using the Psychic Belly Button Reading & Psychometry Routines taught within.
Larry Becker's "Make The Cards Match" is brought to life for the stage in a manner that makes it even more impressive and mind-blowing to the audience, whilst also helping to ensure you Maximum Applause and even Standing Ovations at the end of your shows.
With a Varied mixture of Completely Original Material and highly Original Slants & improvements on the Classics this will prove to be an invaluable set for all Mentalists and Magicians, not least for its extensive training and examination of how to "Pack Small and Play Massive" and also how to routine and structure your acts and shows for maximum effect and audience response.
Studying the contents of this video package and the bonus Ebooks and Audios you will also learn dozens of other reputation making effects and feature routines and in many cases templates for actual props are included, in all cases you are granted Legal Performance Rights.
You will also receive secret links to online viewing Access to another almost 40 hours of liquid gold information packed Mentalism & Stage Hypnosis Training Videos which usually sell separately for many times the small cost of this unrivalled package alone!
Jonathan Royle has travelled the World Performing for high profile clients and regularly been featured on Television Shows and in the Media for well over two decades and now within this set he Reveals all (and we do mean all) of the main Secrets of his Unique Approaches to Mentalism, Cold Reading & Hypnosis.
Not only will you learn every element of his Stage Mentalism Show, but as a bonus you will also learn every Secret of his Comedy Stage Hypnosis Show, together with Exactly how for years he gave profitable and highly accurate Tarot and Astrology Readings.
These Secrets Are Supplied under License and these DVD-ROMS and their contents may not be re-sold, hired out, given away or shared in any manner.
A Few Reviews On Contents of This Unique Package:
"Royle's ACAAN stage routine is a simple, but effective version of this normally difficult-to-execute routine. I can honestly say that in all my years, I have never seen so much quality material offered for so little money!"
Stephen Tucker Budget Magazine (IBM - British Ring)
"Royle has some unique, creative and entertaining takes on such classics as the Chair Test, ACAAN, Hoys Tossed Out Deck and the Russian Roulette Plot which are certainly worth a closer look and take them to the next level. At times he had the audience on the edge of their seats and overall this show was top notch"
Peter Turner (The Devil In Disguise, Jinxed & Bigger Fish)
"A collection sure to upset many Mentalists and Psychic Entertainers with its revelations and details!"
- Kenton Knepper
"Mr Royle's suggestions, advice and routines are solid, practical and seem to be grounded in experience! Someone who tried this approach would probably recoup their investment quite quickly!"
- Michael Close Magic Magazine Review
"Thanks for "The Holy Grail of Mentalism". There is some seriously good thinking here, I particularly like the section on how to create "real miracles". I have always believed that truly inexplicable Mentalism is only achieved by going that extra mile; you obviously believe the same"
Marc Paul - (Voted Worlds Greatest Mind Reader)
"I have always had my doubts about mixing comedy and mentalism until I watched Royle's Egg, Sausage & Peas Show. I really enjoyed your lie detector routine, I feel this always plays well with a large audience. Your psychometry routine was absolutely hilarious. I have never seen belly buttons used before to give character analyses. This is an absolute gem. The finish with the specs ring was also strong. The book test was well positioned in your show. As Cassidy says you should never open with a book test otherwise your audience will think you are using a confederate. The spectator synchronicity with cards was very baffling and the magic square made for a very strong finish. All in all a very enjoyable show."
- Roger Curzon (Creator of The Miracle Signed Card in Envelope)
3 DVD Set
Reviews
(Top ▲)
REVIEW
Wow! I have never seen such poor production quality in my life! Normally, if I can understand the performance and explanation, I can deal with it if it isn't the best production.
However, the production quality of this DVD was so bad, it made learning anything from this project nearly impossible. The DVD starts with a series of never ending live performance segments, with many repeat routines, apparently taped from a camcorder in the audience without appropriate sound recording. As much as I tried, I couldn’t make out anything he was saying. One of the segments was 20 minutes, consisting of five minutes of him cleaning up his props and 15 minutes of watching people waiting for a show to start!
The second DVD launches an audio that warns you to read a PDF first. I launched the PDF and up came an explanation video. Unfortunately, this was also apparently recorded on a handheld camcorder without proper sound, and again, very difficult to make out any of what he was saying.
The third DVD had tons of files. When I launched the DVD player, it went through many files and then started playing random clips of explanations of hypnosis.
In addition, while the rights you are purchasing have confusing limitations, Mr Royle has taken the liberty of using copyrighted material in his DVD, such as performances from others, and copyrighted images such as Kermit the Frog and SpongeBob, without any mention that he has obtained permission.
This project was such a convoluted mess of stuff just thrown on DVDs with no organization and without proper video or sound.
As much as I tried, I couldn’t even find performances and explanations of some of the effects touted on the ad copy, like “one of the most impressive ACAAN routines ever!”
I didn't find anything of value on these DVDs and was completely turned off by the lack of respect he showed for the viewer who has to attempt to get through volumes of total garbage and the high probability that this DVD has broken copyright laws.
CAUTION
This is one of the worst releases I have seen.
VERDICT
I was so turned off the by whole thing. I can’t recommend this at all. Complete waste of time and money.
Wow! I have never seen such poor production quality in my life! Normally, if I can understand the performance and explanation, I can deal with it if it isn't the best production.
However, the production quality of this DVD was so bad, it made learning anything from this project nearly impossible. The DVD starts with a series of never ending live performance segments, with many repeat routines, apparently taped from a camcorder in the audience without appropriate sound recording. As much as I tried, I couldn’t make out anything he was saying. One of the segments was 20 minutes, consisting of five minutes of him cleaning up his props and 15 minutes of watching people waiting for a show to start!
The second DVD launches an audio that warns you to read a PDF first. I launched the PDF and up came an explanation video. Unfortunately, this was also apparently recorded on a handheld camcorder without proper sound, and again, very difficult to make out any of what he was saying.
The third DVD had tons of files. When I launched the DVD player, it went through many files and then started playing random clips of explanations of hypnosis.
In addition, while the rights you are purchasing have confusing limitations, Mr Royle has taken the liberty of using copyrighted material in his DVD, such as performances from others, and copyrighted images such as Kermit the Frog and SpongeBob, without any mention that he has obtained permission.
This project was such a convoluted mess of stuff just thrown on DVDs with no organization and without proper video or sound.
As much as I tried, I couldn’t even find performances and explanations of some of the effects touted on the ad copy, like “one of the most impressive ACAAN routines ever!”
I didn't find anything of value on these DVDs and was completely turned off by the lack of respect he showed for the viewer who has to attempt to get through volumes of total garbage and the high probability that this DVD has broken copyright laws.
CAUTION
This is one of the worst releases I have seen.
VERDICT
I was so turned off the by whole thing. I can’t recommend this at all. Complete waste of time and money.
(Top ▲)
Overview
A butt load of digital files, a lot of chaos, 50 hours of video and $65 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.Effect
What you're getting is 3 DVD-ROMs that you have to put in your computer. The three disks contain a ton of digital videos, PDFs, PowerPoints, MP3 files, Word documents, Images, etc. You also receive a whole bunch of links to a whole bunch more content. So you'd think for all that stuff, $65 bucks is a reasonable price, right? Far from it. I'll give you more info on that in a moment in the "Product Quality" section below.Basically, the videos contain the show and the explanations. There are a few different videos of the full show in different venues. The images included are the props that he used in the performances. The PowerPoints and Publisher files, are also some of the images he used in the show. The Word documents and PDFs are either instructions on how to use the DVD-ROM set or ebooks. In a few cases, the Word document content is the same as the PDF file.
Some of the audio files are music from his show, and others are "advice" - Jonathan Royle talking into the microphone. Just a brief overview of some of the effects you will see on the performance: Belly Button Reading (Cold Reading), Design Duplication, Magic Square, Will the Cards Match (Larry Becker) with ESP cards, ACAAN, Pseudo Psychometry, Tossed Out Deck, Smash and Stab (Russian Roulette with spikes under paper cups), A "Chair Test" without the chairs and more, but that's most of it.
Ad Copy Integrity / Method
The ad copy claims that the teaching is detailed . . . far from it. In many cases during the explanation, he simply says that he cannot teach the method because it's not his trick; it's a marketed product of so and so.The next claim is that this is "arguably one of the most impressive ACAAN routines ever devised." I might agree with that statement. The method is clever. It won't fool a magician - I wasn't fooled by it, but I think it may have some potential with the lay folk.
Next is mentioned a phone call effect for a "book test style" effect. I'm not sure what they're referring to. The only phone call effect was for a Tossed Out Deck effect. That method is also a bit clever.
Then comes the claim at how awesome the non-chair chair test is that "turns the audience members into A-List celebrities. The only thing about this routine that is decent is the concept of being able to do a chair routine without the chairs (i.e., it's portable). Other than that, the routine is confusing, messing, cluttered, unorganized, etc. There are a couple points in the routine that are supposed to be successful predictions, but they're nothing but confusion. I saw it, and you could see it (the confusion) on the audience's faces. Further, in one of the performances, Royle screwed it up and got the so called grand finale wrong, and so the entire performance was about 10 minutes of wasted time of a bunch of people up on the stage.
Will The Cards Match (by Larry Becker) with ESP cards is hardly revolutionary. If you know Will The Cards Match, you've likely seen many others apply it to other things (Max Maven comes to mind). In fact, if you want to do something along those lines, spend the $7 dollars and buy Max Maven's book Redivider. It's full of tons of material, much of which employs the Becker concept.
The next claim in the ad copy is that it's a mix of completely original material with "highly original slants & improvements" on the classics. This is the most inaccurate statement in the ad copy for sure. The only thing in this set that is "completely original" is the belly button reading, and even that is just a spin on things like palm reading, body language reading and cold reading in general. The rest of the stuff is pretty much other people's material. In fact, a lot of it is just his outright purchase of the product and therefore he was unable to explain/teach the method.
The only thing that was even a slightly original addition to an effect was the phone call method he used for the Tossed Out Deck. It is clever and is probably an improvement, but it also relies on your spectator being able to call a friend during the show - a friend who is willing to take a few minutes to participate in the show.
Next is this claim: "Studying the contents of this video package and the bonus Ebooks and Audios you will also learn dozens of other reputation making effects and feature routines and in many cases templates for actual props are included, in all cases you are granted Legal Performance Rights." I would not consider any of the material on here reputation making, but I admit that this is a subjective thing. However, the claim that "in all cases you are granted Legal Performance Rights" it a complete lie.
There are multiple effects on this set that you are not allowed to perform because they are marketed products by other magicians. On the videos in various other places, he very specifically points out that you do not have the legal right to perform those effects that he performed from other marketed product unless you actually purchase the product. In one case (Randi Rain's Smash & Stab) the product is two hundred dollars. Some of the methods for effects require very expensive props as well (for example the billiard ball prediction device used to do the ESP card prediction).
The ad copy mentions 40 more hours of downloadable stuff. I did not watch any of that. It was other "Secret Links" found elsewhere, mostly YouTube videos. A further claim is "Not only will you learn every element of his Stage Mentalism Show, but as a bonus you will also learn every Secret of his Comedy Stage Hypnosis Show, together with Exactly how for years he gave profitable and highly accurate Tarot and Astrology Readings."
I learned no secrets of Comedy Stage Hypnosis. I found no video with that content anywhere on these three DVD-ROMs. I found nothing about his Tarot and Astrology readings. The DVD-ROMs are so confusing (more on that in the "Product Quality") that the material might actually be there, but just lost in the mix of stuff, probably in the PDF with all of the YouTube links. There were so many of the links that I did not watch them, so it's possible that it's in there.
Lastly, regarding the ad copy, I'll address the included endorsements.
Stephen Tucker's claim about ACAAN is accurate, but his claim about "so much quality material" I just don't understand. It's Tucker's opinion, so I can't say he's right or wrong; it's opinion, but in my opinion, there is very, very, very little "quality material" if any on this set.
Michael Close said that Royle's advice and routines are solid and that someone using them would quickly recoup their investment. I just cannot agree with any of that statement. I found no solid advice and no solid routines. In fact, during the performance, he looked lost and confused, and cluttered.
Marc Paul thanked Royle for the Holy Grail of mentalism (i.e., ACAAN) along with that he mentioned that Royle went the proverbial "extra mile." I'm not sure where he went an inch, let alone mile. As for the ACAAN, as mentioned before, the method is decent, but I wasn't blown away by it.
Next we have Roger Curzon's endorsement. He seemed to find hilarity and strength in some of the routines where I simply did not.
The only "endorsement" I agree with is Kenton Knepper's statement "A collection sure to upset many Mentalists and Psychic Entertainers with its revelations and details!" Yep. I'm a mentalist, and I was very upset with the revelations and the details.
Product Quality
If above wasn't enough to turn you off, the following will likely be the last straw. Poor camel.Watch the video trailer for this product. It's a performance of the ACAAN. My guess is that you'll find the performance boring, lackluster and very cluttered. You may find the trick itself a fooler, but I doubt that too. Now, after watching it, know this: it's the "best" part of the entire product.
The footage is terrible. It's poorly lit, poorly mic'd, unclear, and unedited. The first video is literally 20 minutes of nothing. The camera is just sitting there pointed at the stage recording an empty stage. I'm not exaggerating . . . 20 minutes. Most of the videos had similar problems: huge empty spaces at the beginning and the end.
As you know, I typically focus more on the method than the effect when writing a review. I typically don't let poor performance, etc. effect the review. However, in this case, when part of the selling point is the "live performances" I have to consider it.
Here's what I found. First, his stage presence is terrible. He's boring, unscripted, extremely un-refined and overall just not entertaining at all. Further, between each effect, he was constantly re-organizing the stage props, tables, stands, chairs, etc. You'll see a little bit of that in the video trailer. On top of that, as proof that some of his methods don't work, in both performance videos, he screwed up the ESP card reading (an effect where five people each take an ESP card while he's blindfolded). In both shows he "guessed" wrong as to who had the cards.
He also screwed up (in both performances) the design duplication effect using two spectators. Further, his chair-less chair test failed in one of the videos. He's just not that good of a performer.
Toward the middle of the show he has an effect where he asks a spectator to think of a celebrity, a song and a venue. Then at the end, he "reveals" that is was (let's say) David Letterman, Somewhere over the Rainbow at The Roof Restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah. He simply reads this prediction out loud and claims that it's right. The original spectator who thought of the the items never says them out loud, never writes them down, and never reveals what they are. That spectator is just later ignored as Royle says out loud "Letterman, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Roof Restaurant." It's never verified that he's right.
It was one of the most ridiculous things in the show. There were many places where the music was too loud, and he was yelling over the music. The few effects that were "taught" (i.e., the ones that he didn't say, "I can't teach this because it's not mine to teach") were mostly not taught in depth. In many cases, he just glossed over parts of the explanation and said, "refer back the video performance."
Included with this is a Word document and a PDF that is titled "Read This First." When reading it, it's very confusing and attempts to tell you how watch the videos, read the PDFs and listen to the audio files. It tells you what to read/watch/listen to first, second, etc. However, in many cases the name of the video he says to watch is not found on the DVD-ROM. It turns out to be labeled as something else - a different file name.
I could go on and on, but I'll wrap up the "Product Quality" with this. One of the effects he does is another performer's (Kennedy) effect. In the Read Me First file, he mentions that you do not have permission to perform this effect unless you purchase it from the creator, yet he includes the needed files to perform it on the third DVD-ROM. Further, there are images of copyrighted and/or trademarked characters such as Thomas the Train, Sponge Bob, Kermit the Frog, Shrek, Bob the Builder, Smurfs, etc. Also included you'll find recordings of the Muppet Show Theme Song and I'm a Believer by Smash Mouth. In other words, this means that you are given pirated stuff with this set.
Final Thoughts
I took copious notes while watching this. It was one of the most grueling things I've ever endured in my life. Everything about it was boring, dry, un-entertaining, un-inspiring, etc. So let me sum it up with a few bullet points.The performances were terrible, boring, cluttered, un-practiced, un-scripted, and in many cases, failures (i.e., he screwed up the trick).
The methods are not very original, and many of them are expensive marketed products of other magicians that he did not teach.
The video (and overall product) quality was terrible.
I do applaud that effort to include the files for the props, etc.
The belly button reading was original, but it clearly made some of the audience members uncomfortable when he asked them to reveal their navel, and then he proceeded to stick his finger in it.
He included pirated copies of stuff
The ad copy is mostly inaccurate and in one case contains an outright lie.
One final note: Assuming that the content (effects and methods) were better than they actually are, this product could have been decent if they spent a few minutes editing. They could have cut out all of the dead space in the videos, then edited the performance footage into one video instead of four. Further, the show itself has too much stuff that could be either streamlined or removed completely. His so called 2.5 hour show should really be about 1 hour or maybe a little more.
One further editing "thing" they could have done was to put text overlays during the explanations whenever he mentioned a website. The quality of the audio was terrible, so it was hard to hear what websites he was referring to. Further, he would then spell it out orally, and in many cases the url was so long that the only way to get it would be to stop and replay the video multiple times. A simple text overlay would fix this.
A huge chunk of that 2.5 hours was dead space in the video in the beginning, end and middle. This has to be one of the worst products I've reviewed in a long time. There are plenty of other mentalism resources.
Final Verdict:
half star with a Stone Status of complete and utter RUBBLE.