Showing posts with label Peter Reveen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter Reveen. Show all posts

30 August 2023

Checking in with David Merry and Switched at Death

We had the opportunity to check in with David Merry and learn more about his soon to be released film, Switched at Death.

 

Switched at Death movie poster


 

Who inspires you from outside the magic community?

I lived in Las Vegas in 1981 playing blackjack for a living, while I was there I went to see many comedians as that was what I truly loved when added to my magic. I saw Johhny Carson, Bob Hope, George Carlin and finally Don Rickles. Bob Hope, Don Rickles and Rodney Dangerfield had the biggest impacts on me. Eventually I went on to become a joke writer for Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers. I wrote jokes for Leno at the Tonight Show but not enough to say I wrote for him. I also love Apollo Robbins known as the world’s best pickpocket. He came to me and asked me to write a bunch of material for him… he’s off the charts good!

What is your first memory of magic?

The very first recollection of any magic I have was at a birthday party I went to as a child and watched the amazing Johnny Giordmaine.

I can’t put an exact date on it but I would guess I was 7 or 8 years old. I was mesmerized instantly. After that a friend who was quite a card guy even at 13 showed me tricks he could do with an ordinary deck. He actually is our last mayor’s younger brother, Michael Tory. He became very accomplished, very early (he attended several Tannen’s Magic Camps) and that got me hooked on close-up. Not a lot of people know I’m a hard core close-up card guy! I took private lessons from Ariel Frailich, Howard Schwartzman, and Derek Dingle.
 

Who from the magic community inspires you?

Doing comedy magic I had two people I looked up to, one was The Amazing Johnathan and the other was Mac King. Both became friends over the years and I truly respected their work as comedy magic performers. The difficulty with comedy magic is the extremely fine (and hard) line that needs to be found that brings the two disciplines together. I spent many years trying to figure out a way to blend the two together without having one overpower the other. I never wanted to be a magician that started one trick and after finishing it implied OK here’s my next trick. My lifelong pursuit has been to understand the importance in the subtleties of transition between the two. I have only seen a handful of people who grasp the concept. Mike Hammer is a great practitioner today as are a few others. I take my hat off to anyone who has studied the difficult process. Ali Bongo was a good friend who was excellent and of course Terry Seabrooke.

Doug Henning obviously had a huge influence but I think the man who made me want to try doing it for a living the most was Peter Reveen. After watching him many times years ago at his Toronto run as a kid I realized that’s what I wanted to dedicate my life to.
 

You've previously been on screen as part of the show Too Much Information and served as director and EP for the TV show Off The Hozzle.  What prompted you to make the transition from live comedy magic to television?

I had an idea for a short comedy video and asked a friend of mine who was a producer and cameraman to help me shoot it. We shot the video, had it edited and I put it up on my newly formed YouTube channel. I went out to perform at a corporate event that night and worked in front of 300 people. A couple days later I checked out the views on the comedy video and 80,000 people had seen it. I feel like I was given the gift of laughter and after 35 years of making people laugh at live shows I thought I should try creating more on screen comedic content. I’m trying to make the world laugh and if I can do it on a greater scale and leave a body of work behind when I’m gone that would have a bit of a legacy. I took shooting courses, editing courses, writing courses and finally directing courses. I stopped reading books almost altogether as I had to watch how content was shot and ultimately brought to life. I opened my production company Home Invasion Studios Inc. the following year. One thing that I always did on my “road days” was make use of my waking hours. Some comics would get up at 11 am and not be diligent in writing or creating. While I worked on cruise ships for about 10 years and had so much spare time I wrote everyday. When I got off the boats I had written 9 feature films and pilots and bibles for 6 television shows which I am very proud of.

 

Switched At Death logline: After his wife kicks him out, a self-centered computer analyst moves into the retirement home of the only person he hasn't pissed-off, his wife's grandma. As he starts learning how to play well with others, he uncovers a sinister enterprise, forcing him to try and save his marriage and his new friends without getting himself killed.

 

The Switched At Death logline and synopsis suggest a wildly entertaining plot!  The screenplay was a finalist in at least four international film festivals and it won Best Screenplay at the 2019 Canadian International Film Festival.  Where did the story idea come from?

My writing partner on this project is the very funny prop comic Marty Putz, an old and dear friend. We have written several screenplays together and have another in the works. We were spitballing ideas on a phone call one day (he lives in LA) and he said to me ‘How about a young guy gets kicked out of the house and moves into an old folks home.” That’s all I needed to hear, I loved the idea! Over the next eight months (on and off of ships) I hacked out the first draft which was originally called Senior Management. When I was done I sent the draft to Marty as he had forgotten the original concept. He couldn’t believe I had written the screenplay. This would have been about 8 years ago which gives you an idea how long it takes for an idea to come to the screen. Over the next 6 years we tweaked, re-wrote and morphed that first draft into what is now our movie called Switched at Death. We sent it off to the Canadian International Film Festival in Vancouver and basically forgot about it. Out of the blue I got an email saying it had won the screenplay festival. Immediately I sent it to several others and it did so well at all of them (placing in all) some of which had 1400 scripts we realized we needed to make it. By then I had already shot my TV show Off The Hozzle on CBS and A Little Sketchy here in Canada that I reached out to my two partners and we raised the funds needed to shoot it! CMF came up big for us which is the TV arm of Telefilm Canada. I’d like to thank them for their support as it’s not an easy feat getting a movie made anywhere.

 

 

 

Are there similarities in the work of writing a screenplay and putting together a comedy magic stage routine?  

Absolutely. I would say the greatest similarities are format and of course creativity. They both have to be formed in a way that follows some format conventions but also have no outer boundaries. In both scenarios we are telling stories really. Both a screenplay and live show typically need a beginning, middle and end. In screenplay writing it’s a little more complex. You need to hit certain notes by a certain page. You need to state your theme of the movie in the first few pages, you typically need your inciting incident (quite often around page 8) that is the moment that puts the story in gear. Next in both live shows and movie writing is the “middle” part. Some say the typical structure for film writing is three stages some say five. In either case the middle is the meat and potatoes of the story, as well as your act. In movie writing you are expanding on the inciting incident and plot point one to take the viewers on the story “journey” which will eventually resolve the conflict or issue at the centre. The last stage is the resolution (again quite often with stage shows as well). I have three pieces in my show that I do in the middle of my show that are called back at the very end as the climax to the evening. When I landed on this my shows had way more impact!

Here’s a golden rule of script writing, “Show, don’t tell” in other words if you have successfully written and shot a movie, you should be able to watch the movie with the sound off and still understand what you’ve seen. If the entire script has very little action and is all descriptive dialogue, it isn’t typically very good story telling. Magic quite often is the same, certainly an act to music with no verbiage tells its story visually, however, someone who only describes the action of what they are doing usually doesn’t connect with their audience. Example, "here’s a ball that I’ll put under this cup, it will now move to this cup.” If the trick does just that, don’t describe what they are about to see as it’s bad “storytelling.” With an act like mine (comedy magic) I use a combination of visual and the written word. I am a joke writer so I need the verbal aspect firmly ingrained in the backbone of my act hopefully heightening the visual optics.

 

 

Principal photography wrapped March 31st.  Where are you in the production schedule?  Where and when will we be able to see the final product?

The first process was seeing a full linear version of my film edited by my amazing editor (the editor’s cut). I then step in as the writer and director to make the changes needed from a comedic timing and (scene take) choice. I have final choice as to every aspect of what will eventually be seen on screen as I wrote, produced, and directed it. It then went to be colour graded. When you shoot the film it’s shot on very expensive cameras that capture everything in 4 K. The files are huge but when you review the scenes shot daily (dailies) they look uncoloured and drab. That process was done and I now see the vibrant colouring! The music score is being done now (we need) 59 individual pieces of music and so far 52 have been written. The composer is a friend of mine who went to Alert NWT with me a hundred years ago performing on an Armed Forces tour. The audio is being mixed by audio engineers so the entire film’s dialogue, sound effects and foley are constant all the way through. We are doing ADR (automated dialogue replacement) with a few lines from some actors that were not perfect in playback on the "picture lock" final cut. After that the visual effects will be added and I’ll go into the studio to see the final cut. We will make last changes as needed and can start shopping the movie! We are looking at a release date of Aug 31st downtown at the Royal Theatre if everything goes well. Then it will be sent to distributors, film festivals, and streaming services for worldwide sales.

 

 

 

Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers about you or your film Switched at Death?

The movie took 15 days to shoot in and around Toronto. I had an amazing crew of 30 and an equally amazing cast of 45 talented actors. The web site is SwitchedAtDeath.com and I’ll send further details as they come in!

I have been green lit for my next film THE CAGE which is like the movie SAW. A nasty revenge type thriller that basically takes places in one location! More details to follow, should go to camera this fall or next spring!.

 

 

Thank you David, for making the time to answer our questions, and for giving us a peek into the fascinating world of filmmaking! 

To learn more about Switched at Death visit SwitchedAtDeath.com.

Learn more about David at his website DavidMerry.com and follow him on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24 March 2023

Canada's Got Talent: Getting to know Dean Gunnarson

Next in the the series of Canada's Got Talent contestants is Onanole's Dean Gunnarson!

 



Who inspires you that is not an escape artist?
 
Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys has been a long-time friend and supporter. I have performed many shows for him over the years, and I admire his determination and willingness to take risks. Much like an escape artist.  I know there are people that don’t agree with him, but he will risk it all on what he believes is right for his team. I feel as an escape artist to have had to make many similar decisions.
 
What is your first memory of escapology?  How old were you?

When I was 10 years old and, in the 5th, grade my Mom bought me a book on Houdini. I was growing up in Texas at that time and everything was big there like Houdini was in my young eyes.  I read the stories of Houdini and how he could do anything. He was like a real life comic book hero.
 


Who from the escapology community inspires you?

James "The Amazing" Randi inspired me greatly. I remember an episode of Happy Days in 1978 where he played himself. That is true greatness when you get to play yourself in a fictional sitcom. In 1987 I met Randi and he believed in me enough to help get me on my first USA TV special, "In Search of Houdini." It was a two hour live special with many greats of magic on it. David Copperfield, Penn & Teller, Harry Blackstone Jr., Banachek, The Pendragons, and a young 23-year-old Dean Gunnarson from Canada. Randi got hurt in rehearsal and I went on live television to perform the Houdini Milk Can escape on live TV. It was the first time I ever attempted it. Randi later retired and named me as his successor and gave me all his handcuffs and escape equipment, including his Milk Can he used on Happy Days.
 



I’m always doing a variety of TV shows, corporate dates, and travelling. I will be performing in China again soon now that restrictions for performers have changed. Also, I will be back again at a great Magic Festival in Quebec City this September. I also have a film that we just finished taping being released later this fall. It is based on my book, "Dean Gunnarson : The Making of an Escape Artist" and my friendship in 1983 with a teenager named Philip [Hornan] who was battling cancer. We had such great adventures escaping from the RCMP detachments, performing magic shows at the Cancer Foundation for the other children, to trying to find the real magic to try and save his life. It’s an amazing story and one that I have carried with me for 40 years. Now I get to share it on the screen.

Was there anyone or anything instrumental to you becoming an escape artist?
 
Peter Reveen was the first true Showman I ever saw live on stage when I was 15 years old. The way he could stand on stage and command an audience! Wow. I thought that’s what an escape artist must be able to do. My time with James Randi over the years was always such a learning experience from a true master. My best friend and mentor for over 25 years was Bill Brace. He was a retired RCMP Officer that started the Society of Young Magicians (SYM) in Canada. I truly miss my friendship with all of them. Having a mentor is so important in life. People that we can look up to and ask for advice and information.  

I used to also travel to Minneapolis a lot in the 1980s and spent time at Eagle Magic Shop downtown. Toad Hall Toys in Winnipeg I also enjoyed when they started selling magic tricks and I would take some of the old magicians there for the afternoon and listen to their old stories of magic from another era.






Did you ever get discouraged and think about quitting escapology?  
 
Sure, many times. A life in magic is a tough choice. Being self-employed is a challenge. You go through periods of great joy, success, and triumph, then waiting and looking for your next show and paycheck. You must be truly passionate, dedicated, and believe in yourself to succeed in this world. Never surrender to your fears or those telling you can’t succeed. It has been a long journey of over 40 years of escaping around the world, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat. When you feel like quitting you need to remind yourself why you started in the first place. The only people that have never failed at something are those that have never tried !

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
 
I like to get ready early and be prepared. I don’t like to feel rushed before going on stage. I like to get my energy up. I always warm up by stretching and warming up my voice (even though I can't sing ... lol) I actually took singing/voice lessons in the 1980s because I was losing my voice on stage. My coach taught me to always warm up my throat before a show. And lastly, I love a shot of Dr. Pepper before I take the stage. Must be my Texas roots …

 
 
 
What inspired you to be a part of this season of Canada's Got Talent?
 
I have said no to "all" the "Got Talents" for many years. When they asked me this year, I had always wanted to go back to Niagara Falls. They told me about this season and how exciting it was going to be, and I really wanted to part of it.  I also have some really special memories there with Henry Muller and The Houdini Museum. I wanted to attempt a big escape at the original home of the Daredevil, Niagara Falls so this was my chance.  So I had to say yes and give it my best.


 
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
 
Magic has been a great career. I have travelled the world and seen and done many things people could only dream about. But most important to me are all the friendships I have developed from performing with so many great and wonderful magicians over the decades. Those friendships truly mean the world to me.

 

 

Thank you Dean, for making the time to answer our questions!  Break a leg on CGT!


Learn more about Dean at his website AlwaysEscaping.com or follow him on Instagram.

 
Was that Dean hanging upside down and on fire at the end of last week's episode?  Tune in next Tuesday to find out! 

 
Watch Canada's Got Talent Tuesday nights at CityTV.

 

 

 

 

03 October 2016

Ty Reveen in the Calgary Herald

From the Calgary Herald:
Ty Reveen was five years old when he first learned his destiny.

It came directly from his father, at the time becoming a star in Canadian theatre as Reveen the Impossibilist. He told his son that he too would one day wear the rhinestone tuxedo and wow crowds with his hypnotism and high-speed memory demonstrations. At the time, Ty remembers he was helping his dad make posters with a pair of scissors, a fairly menial task but one that made the five-year-old boy feel part of the show. While his dad was the ultimate showman, there was no grandeur or gravitas to his pronouncement. It was just a tender moment between father and son.

Read more.

13 April 2015

Reveen's Red Falcon Tuxedo

From Ty Reveen's Facebook page:

My father's famous Red Falcon Tuxedo was donated to The Arts and Culture Centre in St. John's Newfoundland today. I know...
Posted by Reveen The Next Generation on Thursday, 26 March 2015

22 February 2015

The Story of the Blaney Ladder Levitation

A little bird from the IBM head office told me that Walter Blaney turned 87 on February 11th.  If you haven't already, send him a happy birthday e-mail  (Walter AT walterblaney DOT com)!

In the video below, Peter Reveen speaks about the illusion, and if I'm not mistaken, Julie Eng has a cameo as well!

From the Walter Zaney Blaney YouTube channel:
The history of the famous Ladder Levitation Illusion as told by Walter Blaney himself. Guest appearance by David Copperfield, Lance Burton, James Dimmare, Jeff McBride, Peter Reveen, Steve Dacri and Stan Allen. A chapter in the documentary series Still Zaney After All These Years.





[via Carey Lauder and Ryan Joyce]


22 July 2013

Reveen: The legend continues

From YouTube:
The Reveen Legend Continues!

2013 Tour Dates begin on October 12th.

Reveen's show was without a doubt the most popular attended theatre show in Canadian history during the 20th century.

Now Ty Reveen; the son of the World's most famous Hypnotist, chosen by his father to follow in his footsteps is doing so with tremendous success.

On September 22nd of 2011 during a special ceremony in Las Vegas hosted by Jeff McBride during a Wonderground Event, The Great Reveen passed his Tuxedo on to his son Tyrone to allow the Reveen legacy to live on!

Read more and watch the video of Ty Reveen.





[via Perfect Magic]

08 April 2013

Broken wand: Peter Reveen

From Reveen's website:
Reveen had great respect for his audiences and became lifelong friends with many of the people who attended his shows.   He will be remembered for his extraordinary sense of humor, his willingness to share his knowledge and advice without expectation of something in return, his generosity and his humble dedication to charity. His incredible memory provided him with an endless supply of stories and jokes that he enjoyed sharing with friends and family.

 
The Reveen family takes comfort in knowing that he is now at peace.  We are proud to have shared him with countless fans, friends and family around the world and we are incredibly grateful for the kind words of support from the many people whose lives he touched.
A memorial service is being planned to honour the great entertainer.

Read more.

From the CBC:
Reveen the Impossibilist, a master hypnotist and illusionist, has died.

Born in Australia in 1935, Peter Reveen passed away Monday morning in Las Vegas. He died as a result of complications due to diabetes and dementia, according to the obituary posted on his website.

He was well-known throughout Atlantic Canada, presenting shows for decades in cities across the East Coast. Over his 50-year career he presented 6,000 live performances throughout Canada, the U.S., Australia and the United Kingdom. 

Read more.
 
From the Winnipeg Free Press:
After immigrating to Canada from Australia in 1961, he began his career knocking on the doors of businesses in small towns in British Columbia, offering free tickets to shop owners if they put up his poster in their windows, she said.

As a youth he was a stage magician, but he later studied hypnosis and developed a show that emphasized audience engagement.

He performed in front of packed theatres and campus audiences around the world. But Cathy Reveen said he was particularly fond of entertaining audiences in small communities in Atlantic Canada, where he made his final tour in 2008.

Read more.

From the Merlina mailing list:
Peter J. Reveen (born 1935 in Adelaide, Australia - Died 8 Apr 2013) was a stage hypnotist and illusionist who performed mainly in Canada. He was the "Impossibilist". Mr. Reveen toured as a performer for over 35 years. He came out of retirment in 2007 with a mini-tour which he called The Return of Reveen. He was a founding member of The Magic Castle, was awarded the DRAGON Award in 2000, was manager to Lance Burton and his biography of accomplishments goes on and on. He was married to Coral and had 4 sons, Wayne, Tyrone, Calvin and Peter Jr. His passing leaves a huge void in the world of magic and entertainment. May he Rest In Peace.


Our thoughts are with his sons Wayne, Tyrone, Calvin and Peter Jr as well as extended family and friends.