Browsed by
Tag: magic roadshow

OMEN – Chris Congreave – A Review

OMEN – Chris Congreave – A Review

OMEN, by Chris Congreave, is a multi-faceted effect that achieves a goal.. and then presents a kicker that is the true stunner.. One spectator is asked to think of a card.. and name it. A second spectator is asked to cut to a card in a tabled deck, and following a fair reveal of the second spectator’s card, there is a second reveal that makes the first reveal… well… just the first reveal.

The Ad Copy reads like this:

“Chris Congreave’s Omen is a self-working powerhouse of playing card mentalism with three jaw-dropping moments of magic. Omen is perfect to perform on 1-2 spectators.

Two Person Presentation – Two spectators are invited to take part in your demonstration of the strange!

Spectator number one names any playing card (let’s say they name the 9 of Spades). They are told to keep that card in their mind.

A second spectator is asked to freely cut a deck (which has been on view from the start) and remember the card they cut to.

Now for reveal number one. You pick up the deck, look at your spectator and without asking any questions, find the selected card.

Now for reveal number two. With an empty hand, you reach into your pocket and remove a matching card! So now not only have you found their card, but you have also proved you predicted which card they would freely cut to! Sounds good, right? But I know what you’re saying. What about the thought-of-card card? Well, let me just say your final reveal is a show stopper!

Omen comes complete with:

Special Omen deck

Full DVD instructions

This is what I would call an ‘intelligent trick’. It required a lot of thinking to develop and is not something you’ll perform straight out the box. There is a fair amount of prep before you’re ready to perform, but once the prep is done.. you’ll have something you can impressively perform for anyone, including your magic friends.

If there is a downside, as pointed out in other reviews, you must ‘mark’ the cards in preparation for the second reveal. This will take some time and must be performed exactly as taught.. or the effect won’t work. There’s always a trade-off to this bit of DIY… if the developers had to take the time and expense to do it themselves, the cost would be somewhat more. So it’s a two-edged sword… do some work, but save some money.

This effect is not immediately repeatable. It’s one of those effect’s you put away in your arsenal.. and wait on the right moment, with the right two spectators. I am not a fan of ‘reputation maker’, as I think that’s something you accomplish over a period of time.. but OMEN is definitely an ‘attention getter’, and will leave your spectators with something unique to talk about when you’re finished.

You will notice the performer uses a black envelope in the video to achieve a reveal. This effect is taught with the use of four small envelopes -or- a wallet. Neither is provided, but I think you’ll work through it. You’ll figure out on your own that neither envelopes or wallets are truly needed, but do add a little something to the routine.

Otherwise, you receive everything you need to perform straight up, aside from marking the cards. The deck is a custom deck, designed to enable you to instantly know the second spectator’s cut-to card. It can be shown to be a random selection of cards.. but cannot be examined. Although the first spectator reveals their thought-of card to you at the beginning, if you time OMEN properly, half the spectators will not remember they told you their card. This adds considerable to the mystery. You also receive a detailed DVD that explains the handling in great detail. You will probably have to watch it more than once, but it’s time well spent.

The best way to get a good grasp on the mechanics is to watch the video at Murphy’s Magic. This will lay out the performance for you and give you a very good understanding of HOW the effect develops.

I recommend OMEN to all my magic friends. It’s unique enough to stand out from anything else you’re probably doing.. and unexpected enough to surprise those who are accustomed to typical card and mental magic effects.

$40.00  Available from dealers who carry the Murphy’s Magic line of products.

http://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=61809

Review by Rick Carruth

Blink Of An Eye – A Review

Blink Of An Eye – A Review

Blink of An Eye – By David Luu – A Review
Rick Carruth
$9.00

This is a super quick and very visual card change that occurs while a card is extended from a deck.
Here is the ad copy from the download..

Description:
Instantly change the faces and the backs of your playing cards — even restore a torn corner! This is modern visual card magic at its finest. Learn this lightning quick, hyper-visual card change today! Download this video and begin performing these impossible-looking feats of magic!

Created by David Luu and sold as an instant download by Murphy’s Magic, Blink of an Eye is a visual card change, designed to change one card for another, or one color back for another. Unlike most effects I normally review, this is utility device that does the work for you.. and you provide the story.

I cannot compare this to any other device right off. If there is something similar, I’m not familiar with it. You show approximately half a card, extending from the deck, and with a very gentle movement, the card changes from one to another. It’s quick.. and the movement isn’t necessary to achieve the change. It only helps mask the change.. a la Vernon..

I can tell you what happens.. but I can’t tell you HOW it happens, other than to say there is a device (gimmick) used to effect the change. One card is made to recess into the gimmick, quickly, revealing a second card. There are a number of uses for David’s gimmick, limited only by your imagination… Vanish a card, change a card, change the color of a card, restore a corner on a card, and other magical possibilities.

The upside and downside:

I almost hate to mention this, as it’s not an issue with many users. You do have to build the gimmick. The download is about 45 minutes long and goes into great depth as to the creation of the gimmick. It’s not highly complicated and well within the ability of the average customer. Folks who read my reviews know I am not a DIY guy, as I’m on of those people who will pay a premium to have someone else build it for me. BUT.. this is a nine dollar download. It would be a $25-30 gimmick if all the work were done for you. So.. I can’t say anything. Forget I mentioned it.. Buy it, build it today, and be the focus of attention tonight.

Someone is going to buy it.. and complain that I didn’t tell them the deck couldn’t be freely examined after you vanish or change a card. Remember, there is a gimmick involved… and the gimmick is inside the deck. Many great effects use gimmicks, so this isn’t a problem, unless you aren’t paying attention to what I’m saying.

Honestly, the best way to get a good grasp of what David’s device will do is go to this link and watch the video. I like what it does, and the possibilities that are presented. I think you will too.

https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=62070

17 Secrets of Magicians

17 Secrets of Magicians

Interesting article in Mental Floss by Judy Colbert……

Whether they’re performing a big illusion that makes a tiger disappear or showing off card tricks on a table, magicians spend years perfecting their performances. We spoke to several from across the country (and beyond) to find out how they learn their trade, the type of resource they spend thousands of dollars on, what they hate most at shows, and the one question they really wish you’d stop asking.

1. THEY DON’T GO TO MAGIC SCHOOL.

Surprise: There’s no Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry out there. “There’s no real training,” says Dave Taylor (a.k.a. Magic Dave) from Southend-on-Sea in England. “It’s all personal experience, lecture notes, DVDs, books, etc. You can go to workshops, but for most things you have to be self-taught.” One big asset, he notes, is a local magic club, which can provide feedback on shows.

Randy Follis, a magician from southwest Missouri, agrees: “The training is mostly independent. Researching books, DVDs, and—if you’re fortunate enough to find them—fellow magicians.” After that, all that’s left is a lot of hard work and practice, practice, practice.

2. THEY SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON BOOKS.

“Most magicians are serious scholars,” says Las Vegas magician Xavier Mortimer. “I don’t know any professional magicians who don’t have their own extensive libraries about our craft.” (One notable example, Harry Houdini, assembled close to 4000 books on magic and spiritualism, now held at the Library of Congress.)

The costs of those books can add up, though: “Most books are small print runs, for a small audience, which can lead to high prices,” Mortimor says. As an example, Denny Haney, who owns the Denny and Lee Magic Shop in Baltimore, Maryland, says that one book he sells—Soirees Fantastique by the French illusionist Christian Fechner—goes for $3000.

3. THEY MIGHT SPEND A YEAR PERFECTING ONE TRICK.

Magicians are nothing if not obsessive. Danny Whitson, a comedian and magician from Knoxville, Tennessee, says he spent a year in front of the mirror mastering one particular move. “It sounds insane,” he says, “but a great magician is always learning.”

All that rehearsing can take a toll on loved ones. “You spend most of your time rehearsing a trick over and over again, to the point where it annoys everyone else around you,” Taylor says. “My wife threatened (jokingly) to leave me if I kept playing with a Rubik’s Cube after I spent a solid two weeks learning the ins and outs of a trick.   Read More….     http://mentalfloss.com/article/533621/secrets-of-magicians