Blind Date (DVD and Gimmicks) by Stephen Leathwaite

Here’s a fun concept and the effect has a humorous premise. With Blind Date, it's all about setting up the perfect blind date for a lady with one of several eligible men depicted on "dating" cards. And when a  lady makes a free selection, it’s the most eligible and attractive of all the men (you). And you can show that you predicted this outcome from the start.

Read my full review here. 

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Review of At the Table Live Lecture - Kostya Kimlat

Here’s another great lecture in Murphy’s “At the Table Live” series. Kostya Kimlat’s lecture is strikingly different from others in that its emphasis isn’t on tricks but on the business of magic, particularly with respect to restaurants. If you’re serious about making a career in magic, this may be an important lecture to study.       

Lots of Information
Kimlat has his material organized, but the meandering lecture ultimately covers a wide span of useful information. Generally, he covers: 1) the business of restaurants (how to get gigs, pricing guidelines, how to work the gigs and be successful, approaching tables and more), 2) performing magic on television, 3) how to create a business of magicians performing at gigs, and 4) how to develop and perform stand-up magic.

There’s only two tricks, both of which require props that you will need to purchase. The close-up effect is a great opener that Kimlat himself uses. With this routine, you’ll learn a great variation on the paddle move. There’s also a stand-up effect that Kimlat demonstrates and sells.

The Techniques
Don’t expect any “magic” guidelines that will have clients knocking at your door and calling you. What Kimlat presents is the techniques that worked for him to succeed at restaurants, stand-up and forming a national business that markets magic. The accompanying work will be up to you.

I think that anyone who is serious about making money with magic will find useful information in this lecture. In addition to the helpful advice, Kimlat offered one amazing marketing idea that had never occurred to me and could offer some definite possibilities (hmmmm - food for thought).  

At press time, this lecture was only available as a download but Murphy's says it will be available later as a DVD.

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Review of At the Table Live Lecture - Karl Hein
Heiny 500 by Karl Hein - Magic & Illusion - About.com 
Review of Definitive Guide to Restaurant Magic by Wayne Goodman

Wizard Wars: Magic Meets Reality Programming?

It’s a magical summer and the latest TV show to debut is Syfy’s “Wizard Wars.” The reality style program has teams of magicians that are given sets of random objects and then asked to create a routine that employs each of them. The teams compete against each other and the winner of the set then challenges a team of resident wizards with a new set of objects.

A judging panel provides commentary and decides the winner. Lending credibility and recognition to the show are Penn & Teller. Other judges include Christen Gerhart, who is best known for her Theory 11 “Expose” web series, and magician Jason Latimer. The resident wizards include: Gregory Wilson, Angela Funovitz, Justin Flom and Shimshi.

It’s not clear how much time the teams have to create their routines. Also, it’s not clear how much help they receive. I noticed in the credits that there are magic consultants that include: Johnny Thompson, Don Wayne and Dan White. 

Random Objects
It’s a great idea to have magicians compete with random sets of objects. In the first episode, the objects include Spam (the meat-like product, not junk email), a mannequin, water pistols, playing cards (really? I’d be surprised if magicians didn’t break out playing cards), chalk boards, glasses, and more. 

It’s a formula that has long worked on reality shows such as “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Iron Chef,” where aspiring chefs are offered random foods and asked to create a dish in a limited time.

Predictions and Existing Routines
As I expected, predictions are the “go to” effect as magicians can take any object and make a prediction come from or through it. Predictions are the easy route but there are lots of other magic effects to perform (levitation, destruction and restoration, escape...etc). But I understand given the time constraints.  

Furthermore, I think that the magicians may be simply adapting their existing routines. For example, resident wizard Gregory Wilson practically performs his pick-pocket act in his challenge round with Justin Flom against the contestants. The routine, the moves, the jokes are all things he has performed thousands of times.

Sure, one can say that the performers are playing to their skills, as is the case with the chefs in “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Iron Chef.” But when experienced magicians simply adapt their own routines to the props at hand, is this truly “thinking outside of the box?” 

TV Magic Wars
Wizard Wars is pleasant and fairly entertaining. It’s stronger than CW’s “Masters of Illusion” which doesn’t allow for any personality on the part of the performers. But for my money, Penn & Teller: Fool Us is the best of the bunch as we get to experience the polished routines of accomplished magicians. Consider the breakout performances one can enjoy on that show that includes Piff the Magic Dragon, John Archer and more. 

Personally, I prefer to watch magic that has been practiced, polished and perfected. Not cobbled together under pressure. Will "Wizard Wars" be good for magic? We'll see.

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Review of Dots to Die 2.0 by Sumit Chhajer

Here’s a great, visual trick for stand-up and stage that has lots of potential. 

Multiplying 
You bring out a square almost six-inches on each side. You show one dot on one side, turn it over and show five dots on the other side. When you turn back to the first side, it’s showing two dots, and the second side shows four. 

You keep turning the square over to show three dots on the side that formerly had one, and then six dots on the side that formerly showed four. The numbers keep changing. For the grand finale, you toss the square into the air and it turns into a jumbo die. 

The beginning part has some relation to the dot trick that's taught on this site here.  

On the Dots 

The prop looks and works great. Most of you are probably familiar with the “What’s Next?” stage effect where dots multiply in various ways. "Dots to Die" is similar in feel but with a different finale. If you’re familiar with “What’s Next?” you’ll like the method employed by Dots to Die. Let’s just say that this one can be performed without looking away from the audience and no adjustments are necessary.

 

This one is easy to learn and perform. Angle-wise, you'll need your audience in front of you but this is not an issue with most stand-up situations. 

Props 
The prop looks to be well made but I have to wonder if breakage will be a problem in the long run. With similar props that I know of, breakage is an issue. 

There are extra materials provided to fix the prop, but these will only address the aspect of converting the square into a cube. The product even comes with its own carrying case which will help to keep it in working order.

Dots To Die For 
Reasonably priced, "Dots to Die" is a great effect that offers lots of opportunity for themes and presentations. I like this one.

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Review of Capsoul by Deepak Mishra and SansMinds Magic

Have you ever wanted to make a card appear from the rim of your baseball cap? This is the premise behind Deepak Mishra’s “Capsoul.” Using the technique taught on this DVD, you can easily alter a ball cap to visually produce a playing card on your hat, or change one card to another.

Read the entire review here. 

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Review of At the Table Live Lecture - Karl Hein

Murphy’s magic now offers its “At the Table Live Lecture” series that features talks and demonstrations from well known magicians. I’ve been perusing these lectures that begin as live, scheduled, online events and then are made available to own and watch via a download or DVD.

I have found all of the lectures to be professionally shot and edited and well done. But for me, Karl Hein’s outstanding lecture on mostly card magic particularly stood out.

A Miracle

That Would Be A Freaking Miracle offers Hein’s multiple card selection routine. Here, three cards are selected by spectators and lost in the deck and then revealed in surprising ways. At the end, there’s a significant kicker in that the entire deck is shown to consist of jokers.

I like the simple, but very practical manner that Hein teaches to have the cards selected and controlled. The selection technique is particular suitable for restaurant/table situations. 

He also teaches a relatively easy and visual color change. If you like, you can reveal the cards from a baseball cap with a technique that Hein calls Hat Trick.

Triumph

The second routine that caught my eye was his Transformer Triumph. This is an in-the-hands triumph routine that does not require the use of a table. As part of the routine, Hein teaches his amazing Heinstein Shuffle, a false shuffle that maintains the entire deck and looks and sounds like a riffle shuffle with a bridge.

You can learn the Heinstein Shuffle to perform Hein’s routine, but it’s a technique that you can use in all of your card magic.

While I can’t imagine enjoying yet one more version of Paul Curry’s “Out of This World,” I thought that Hein’s Out of Your Mind was worthy. This is a version that can be performed impromptu with a shuffled deck, and Hein adds improvements that streamline and simplify the routine and plot and still creates the well-known, stunning ending.

Hein also offers useful advice for working restaurants.

Bringing it to the Table

Hein’s lecture teaches some great tricks and techniques – a crucial balance that makes his “At the Table Live Lecture” one to watch and learn from. This one is truly good. 

More Reading:Heiny 500 by Karl Hein - Magic & Illusion - About.com 

Review of Prophet by Tom Isaacson - Magic & Illusion - About.com

 

Review of The Undercover Wallet (DVD and Wallet) by Andy Nicholls and Titana

This wallet offers a great means to load a signed playing card into a zippered wallet that doesn’t require palming, and comes with built-in “peeking” capabilities that let you view a playing card or a spectator’s drawing on a business card.

And best of all, it looks like a normal, leather wallet that a man would carry around in his back or front pocket. 

You can read my entire review here:

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Review of Any Signed Card to Any Spectator's Wallet - Magic & Illusion

Card to Wallet - "SuperSlim Hip Pocket Mullica" - Magic & Illusion 

Card To Wallet (World's Greatest Magic) - Magic & Illusion - About.com 

Mesika's Wallet (Card To Wallet) - Magic & Illusion - About.com

This Week in Magic - August 11, 2014

The biggest news in the past few weeks is the amount of magic that is airing on television. 

America’s Got Talent

It’s summer and although I’ve found little time to watch TV, I know that “America’s Got Talent” is running. You see, at my weekly restaurant magic gigs, my “regulars” are constantly asking me about the magicians and illusions featured on the show. 

Several magicians featured this season include: Mike Super, Smoothini, and Mat Franco.  What’s most notable is that much of the magic is close-up. The magicians walk right up to the judges and perform much as one might when table-hopping. 

This is such a change from several years back when the magic category was something of an arms race with the bigger the illusion, the better. This culminated with Murray Sawchuck vanishing a massive train on stage. 

It’s great to see close-up magic being showcased, but the celebrity judges are beginning to question whether the routines can play at Radio City Music Hall during the next level. You can watch recent performances by Mat Franco here and here, Mike Super here and Smoothini here.

Penn & Teller Fool Us

In the States, the UK program “Penn & Teller Fool Us” is currently airing on the CW Network. The show is immensely entertaining and features excellent magic performances.  You can watch the show online here.

Masters of Illusion

Also on the CW this summer is the latest season of the “Masters of Illusion” magic variety show. While I normally welcome any positive presentations of magic on television, I’ve soured on this show since its last iteration. And I don’t see much improvement with the current season. 

This season, gone are the close-up street segments and in the first two episodes, the emphasis is on big stage illusions. The problem is, many of the illusions have been performed in earlier seasons by other artists. Also, many of the illusions and even the magicians have been seen on “America’s Got Talent” in recent seasons.

This biggest problem, however, is that the show offers little means for a performer to establish character and personality. There’s a short introduction by the host, the illusion is quickly and efficiently performed, and during the bow, there’s a virtual, on-screen explosion/transition, and the show moves on. I challenge viewers to recall the name of a single performer. “Masters of Illusion” can learn from the short introductory segments shown on “America’s Got Talent” and “Penn & Teller Fool Us.”

Illusions are great. But in magic entertainment, personality is everything.  You can watch the show online here.

Magic Reviews
I reviewed three products this week. Infamous, by Daniel Meadows and James Anthony, is an excellent mentalism routine that employs an intriguing Stroop test which is combined with a powerful book test. I really like this one and you can read my review here. 

If you like to levitate objects in close-up situations, you’ll enjoy the Defiance system by Mariano Goni. It’s not impromptu, but you’ll learn some excellent techniques. You can read my review here.

Finally, there’s the self-capping marker of Frea-capped by Kieron Johnson. The problem is, to perform the trick you have to stick the gimmicked Sharpie marker into your mouth and turn away momentarily from your audience. I think that there are well known sleight of hand bits that will get reactions just as strong or stronger. I recommend that you pass on this one. You can read my review here. 

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Opinion: What Makes Great TV Magic?

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Review of Defiance (DVD with Gimmick) - Mariano Goni

Floating an object in midair is perhaps one of the most stunning things a magician can perform. While I’ve seen some great close-up illusions in this regard, Defiance offers some amazing effects. It’s not for table hoppers – unless you’re willing to put up with a lot of inconvenience and pre-setup – but Mariano Goni has created an excellent system and some clever, visual floating illusions.  

Spin and Float
With the aptly named The Incredible Spinning Card, you throw a borrowed credit card several feet away and it hovers –still spinning - in midair a few feet in front of you.  And this is without you being any where near it. On your command, the card returns to you. If you like, there’s a version with a hoop that you can pass over the spinning card.

The setup is involved and the kit comes with a quality device (it’s "reel" nice) and some material to make the illusions happen. I like the open nature of the device that makes it easy to change out material when it inevitably breaks. Also, it’s easy to adjust the tension to your liking. 

The main setup has to be done ahead of time. Goni teaches you how to setup on the fly in front of spectators, but even in this case, you’ll need to scope out the room and pre-plan the enterprise.

Got Change?

There’s a stunning in-air change. You crumple a piece of paper into a ball and it begins to levitate. You pull out a lighter and set the paper on fire, and it turns into a floating (crumpled) dollar bill. And yes, you can perform the classic “floating bill” as well. The bill floats from hand to hand and Goni teaches a way to borrow a bracelet and pass it over the bill. It’s brilliant handling.

Unrelated to the device that’s provided with the kit, there’s a floating cigarette effect that is quite impressive. You cause a cigarette to float in mid air and can borrow a finger ring and use it as a hoop to pass over it. This one requires additional materials that you’ll need to purchase from a craft store. It looks great and magicians will love this one.

The System
Defiance offers a fantastic system for floating objects. It’s not practical for strolling or walk around, but if you have situations such as a formal close-up or intimate stand-up shows, or any where you can check out a room and setup ahead of time, and are willing to put in the work, you’ll probably enjoy Defiance. And even if you don’t use the system, you’ll appreciate the tremendous secrets and brilliant adaptions found within.

Review of Frea-capped (DVD and Gimmicks) by Kieron Johnson

At times, I look at a marketed effect and say to myself, “what?” It’s not that I was fooled or bewildered, but I just can’t wrap my mind around the practicality or entertainment value of an effect.

There’s an old adage/joke about magicians that says, “how does he do it? why does he do it?” This is the case with the oddly named “Frea-capped.” (If there’s a pun or hidden meaning with the name, I just don’t get it.)

To Recap

“Frea-capped” is a gimmicked Sharpie marker that allows you to perform one fast effect. You uncap the Sharpie and stick the pen and cap into your mouth – side-by-side and with both protruding from your mouth. You slowly turn around 360-degrees and when you once again face your audience, the marker has somehow re-capped itself.

You can watch the marker in action through a video at the Murphy’s Magic site here.

Good Pen

The gimmicked Sharpie works just as advertised (yes, I stuck the pen and cap in my mouth and tried it). One thought, with the gimmick that I reviewed, I had to stick the pen into my mouth further than I cared to. The kit comes with materials so you can fix the Sharpie should it break, as well as gimmick other pens of your choosing. 

The accompanying DVD offers various handlings to ring in the gimmicked Sharpie after using a real marker to sign a card or other task. You can’t allow spectators to examine the Frea-capped Sharpie and you can’t use it to write with.

Worthiness?

I truly don’t see the worth of this effect and even if it plays, I think that there are other fast effects that rely on sleight of hand that will potentially get the same or stronger reactions. How about a vanishing and reappearing Sharpie using a famous move to vanish wands? (I do this and it gets great reactions.) Or how about a quick thimble-style vanish and reappearance with the cap on a fingertip?

Why am I so negative? I hate close-up effects where I turn away from my spectators and stick things in my mouth during performance (and in my restaurants at gigs?). You can watch the video and decide for yourself. 

More Reading:
Review of SansMinds Sharpie - Magic & Illusion - About.com
Review of How to Make a PK Sharpie - Magic & Illusion - About.com

Review of Infamous (DVD & Gimmicks) by Daniel Meadows and James Anthony

A mentalism effect where you seemingly plant an idea into a spectator’s mind, Infamous is a wonderful routine that is compelling and baffling, and it’s not difficult to learn and perform. I particularly enjoyed the fresh angle that’s employed in the routine’s beginning.

The Stroop Effect
The routine starts with an exercise in the Stroop effect. It’s a demonstration where subjects are shown a series of cards with misleading words and are asked to name colors. It’s a fun activity that encourages lots of interaction and provides an excellent lead into the main routine. For this, the kit comes with cards to present and test the Stroop effect.

The second part of the routine involves a book test. A spectator freely chooses a word in a book and the cards from the earlier Stroop test are shown to represent the selected word. For this, the kit includes a card to make a gimmick. The gimmick is easy to construct - it probably doesn’t take more than five minutes - and it only requires household items. The DVD teaches a method for the book test that is not difficult to learn and master.

Standard and Deluxe
The kits are sold in “Standard” and “Deluxe” packages. Both contain the DVD and special cards that allow you to perform the core routine, but with the Standard package, you will need to supply your own book. The gimmick should work well with a wide variety of books.

The Deluxe kit includes a book that works well with the routine. On the other hand, the Standard version allows you to use a book of your choosing if you want to have a theme. There is a $50 difference in price between the Standard and Deluxe kits which is significant.

Walkaround
The creators of Infamous says that the effect can be used in walk around as the book from the Deluxe kit will fit in a jacket pocket. This is true, but I think it’s unlikely that a book test is the best effect for most strolling situations. You’ll have to deal with lighting issues, and I don’t think that it can effectively capture and keep the attention of distracted spectators (I’m thinking about my restaurant situations).

In all, I found “Infamous” to be a compelling, fun and ultimately baffling routine. It’s worth the look.

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Houdini Book Test - Magic & Illusion - About.com
Book Test Resources - Magic & Illusion - About.com

Review of Close Culls by Harapan Ong and Vanishing Inc.

If you’d like to learn how to cull cards in a deck, Close Culls by Harapan Ong offers an excellent means to do so. Culling is the process of spreading through a deck and secretly isolating cards that you wish to use.

The book teaches you Ong’s technique - it’s actually only a few pages long - and once you have this information, all you have to do is practice. And practice. The book features good, clear explanations and lots of pictures.

Once you’ve mastered the cull, the book teaches variations on the technique, as well as effects that employ the move. Most of the effects are assemblies and transpositions - there’s even a take on the old “robbers” card trick (one robber goes to the basement, the other the roof...etc).

No surprise, there are sandwich effects, which traditionally rely on culling. Among the techniques, I liked one that allows you to secretly fold a card into quarters. Can it replace your mercury fold? Maybe.

Oil and Water                
Of course, the ability to separate a shuffled deck into red and black cards is a natural for an oil and water style effect. For this, Ong teaches a procedure to create a finale where the entire deck is separated into blacks and reds.

Interestingly, Ong doesn’t teach an “oil and water” routine to lead up to the finale. He tells you the name of  the routine that he uses (it’s not his to teach) and encourages you to perform your favorite “oil and water.” Interestingly, I just encountered a similar routine (using a different method), which was taught on the “Series of Unfortunate Effects” DVD (click here to read my review).

Cull Moves
If you haven’t yet learned a cull, you’ll find that it’s a useful technique to have in your arsenal of  moves (even if you don’t learn to cull an entire deck, it’s useful for finding and isolating four of a kinds and even single cards). And if you want to learn how to cull, “Close Culls” is a worthy book that can teach you how. The culling techniques alone are well worth the price of the book.

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A Mechanical Approach to 3 Card Monte?

Review of "Simplex Monte"
While "monte" is part of the name, Simplex Monte is not just another magic version of classic three card monte. Like many of the marketed packet effects, this one relies on gimmicked cards, but it offers the means to make some visual transformations that just can't be done with the other methods out there.

Follow the Face Card
In classic Monte tradition, you invite a spectator to follow the "different" card - a face card among two jokers, but it just can't be done. And at the end, the "different" card vanishes and appears in another location. It's a strong three-phased routine with the first two in the hands and the third on table.

You can watch my video of the trick where I perform two of the three phases.

Straight-Forward
This one is not difficult to learn and perform, the cards do most of the work. The gimmicked card can't be examined but it hides itself nicely. There's one routine that leaves you clean.

The effect relies on a well constructed gimmicked card. The gimmick will no doubt wear out with use and the kit provides no materials to create new gimmicks.

There are lots of Monte routines out there that rely on gaffed cards: Bob Sheets' Killer Kitson Miracle (based on a Pat Page gimmick), Michael Skinner's famous version and Garrett Thomas' Stand-Up Monte.

Perhaps all have equal impact on lay spectators. But none look like and play like Simplex Monte. Again, check out my video to see the effect in action, here.
 
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