Before I Forget by Mark Elsdon video DOWNLOAD

Give your close-up set a gravity-defying opener, an ambitious card routine with an eerie finish, and plenty more to keep an audience wondering. In Before I Forget, Mark Elsdon teaches the methods and psychology behind a varied collection of card magic and performance pieces in a video download.

Use the material for close-up audiences, or draw on “Memorisation” to open a formal show or stand-up performance. The routines range from light-hearted moments to escalating coincidences and personal storytelling.

• Striking card effects: “Balance” features a deck that appears to defy gravity twice, while “No Moves” ends with a selection creeping out of the deck when it is out of the performer’s hands.
• Several card plots: “Chaos” is a self-working triumph effect with an alternative ending involving entropy throughout the universe.
• Show-opening piece: “Memorisation” builds from recalling a shuffled, cut deck to a finale involving a participant’s voice patterns; it packs small and plays big.
• Audience-friendly presentations: “Celebrities” offers a commercial take on the “Fred” trick that can also provide a way to hand out your business card. “Swindl-esque” wraps a number revelation in binary mathematics, laughter, and a possible new hat.
• More routines and handling: Learn Elsdon’s “Pre-prefiguration,” based on a Jennings effect, plus his timing and blocking for card-in-mouth and his presentation for a one-on-one or large-audience rubber band trick.

The download also includes “My Grandfather’s Book,” a personal-history routine built around an old book, commemorative playing cards, and unusual coincidences. Its charm is best experienced without knowing what comes next.