Title: 7 Remastered
Artist: Lyndon Jugalbot
Producers: Skyember Presents
Retail Price: $29.95
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Length of DVD: 37 Minutes
Includes:
Features:
Every now and again you take a gamble on a magic product. You tell yourself that the warning signs such as bad grammar on the back of the DVD is only because it’s probably foreign produced and something got lost in the translation. You tell yourself that the magic on the DVD is going to be good magic because you’ve never heard of the production company or the artist before. Maybe it’ll be something new? Something exotic? Maybe there will be some gem stone on the DVD that you’ll end up using as a staple in your act for the rest of your career? Or maybe you’re just fooling yourself into believing that the product is going to be a lot better than it is. Sadly with 7 Remastered the warning signs of a bad product were written all over it, and yet I fell for it hook line and sinker. Before I dig into this DVD let me first at least dig into the ad copy that’s written on the back of it.
The DVD starts off with “After long days of discussion with… Lyndon… finally managed to re-release 4 of his effects in a DVD with us.” Red flag numbers one and two. It took them long days, plural, to re-release four original effects. Since the title of the DVD is 7 Remastered I’m going to assume that there is something about these effects that aren’t quite what the artist originally presented them as.
The DVD next says: “These four effects are remastered where the effects and handlings are enhanced.” Ah! Well then guess my deductive reasoning skills aren’t as shoddy as I thought they’d be.
And incase these four remastered effects aren’t enough value for you they’re also going to throw in three of his underground signature effects, red flag number three- underground can mean untested, for good measure.
Add in two more red flags for an unknown artist, and unknown production company and consider the final red flag being the bad grammar of “never let it limited by your imagination” on the description of the final effect on the DVD “Mystique”, and you’ve got the signs that this could very well be a mistake.
Sadly, despite Lyndon’s very creative mind the magic you see in this DVD isn’t anything special. A lot of this stuff is just home brew solutions to plots that have better, and equally more commercial solutions to. I applaud the artists accomplishment on being published, and it’s very clear that he possess a very creative mind, but none of the effects in this DVD really has any working potential that, as I’ve already said, can’t be done better with more popular known methods.
Let’s take a look at what he teaches, and I’ll give you my opinions on each.
1) Haunted Wallet 2.0 This effect is reversible in that you can cause bills to either rise out of your wallet or sink back into your wallet all by themselves. Surprisingly this is one of the better tricks on this DVD. The gimmick needed for this, like everything in this DVD will require some construction. With some proper production power behind it, some cad skills and a 3D printer, you could actually probably construct a more durable gimmick that will work better and last longer than the one suggested in the DVD. At any rate this effect is salvageable.
2) Gravitation: This trick just doesn’t hold up well in practical use. The gimmick used to animate the bill is so simple but it doesn’t give you the best animation compared to other methods like using ITR for example. Other methods, like ITR, could achieve the same results with the added bonus of levitation. The method on Gravitation is just inferior to other solutions that are out there.
3) Fortuna: Folded card placed outside a folded bill instantly penetrates the bill and appears inside the bill. I have a few problems with this effect. For starters a few years ago there was a card trick titled “I hate David Coperfield” that did something similar using three playing cards, and in my opinion once again, does it better than Fortuna. The gimmick for the two are also quite similar with the older version being better in my opinion. Secondly the gimmick you have to construct is obvious. Even during the presentation the gimmick flashes to the camera and that’s never a good thing. Lastly considering you have to switch in the gimmick, you’d also have to switch out the gimmick too because you can’t examine it. So it’s a great idea. It’s just not the best method I feel.
4) Fraction: A card that is blue backed is pushed behind a card that is red backed, and when it comes out the other side, the color has changed. After some really awkward transitioning of grips a quick flick and the red portion of the card instantly turns blue again. This kind of reminds me of the classic “Card Warp” effect, which not only looks better but ends cleaner. Also Fraction once again uses cards that can’t be examined by the spectator, and given how the gimmick is constructed may not be very convincing close up which is the only place you’d be performing this trick from.
5) Dispense: This is a version of a Torn and Restored card effect that loads the torn corner into the spectator’s wallet after a very sudden and visual vanish with it laying on top of the deck. Many of the effects on this DVD really overuse the method in this gimmick construction and this effect is no different. This is possibly another salvageable effect because it IS visual, and you could always switch out the gaff card for a duplicate… but honestly at the end of the day it’s a TNR plot and there are just so any of those out there on the market as it is already. Some are much cleaner than this. This doesn’t really bring anything exciting to the table that would make it more preferable to another version.
6) Iswitch: A utility move that switches a card in your wallet for the card that you want. Say a spectators card. Nothing special here. It needlessly involves a prop for no real reason other than originality of the move. A top change would do the same thing. Again I find myself asking “Why would I use this move over others that I know?” Hell I’ve got switching wallets that are better built than this.
7) Mystique: A picture that is drawn on a card with marker instantly snaps off the card and appears on another nearby. It’s a visual effect and it looks pretty, but SandsMind has produced a similar trick that just has a better and cleaner handling. Once again the gimmick can’t be examined and you end somewhat dirty.
So you’ve got seven effects that all rely on homemade gimmicks, that for the most part can be accomplished cleaner or better by using other published methods. There just really isn’t anything useful or horribly original here. I’m sure Lyndon is a very creative guy, but this DVD isn’t his best work. At least I hope it’s not his best work. The gimmicks can be easily constructed from the items included in the DVD, and a few spare playing cards. You’ll need to use a hobby knife so younger kids will need adult supervision. Considering the money spent to buy the DVD, the time spent making the gimmicks, and the time spent, more like lost, learning to perform these tricks you could have instead mastered something that you’ll actually use for something other than youtube magic. None of these effects I’d consider too practical, and over all this was just a waste of time and money. Avoid 7 Remastered. You won’t miss a thing if you do.
When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The four points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, Sound & Video Quality and Overall Quality.
Product Quality: 3
Really expensive for a bunch of home brew magic. Heavy reliance on gaffs to the point where you can’t have the objects examined.
Teaching Quality: 2
The teaching is non existent. You get to see him create the gimmicks, or run through the motions of performing, but no words. You have to read a lot of text on the screen to understand what’s going on.
Video & Sound Quality: 5
The video is okay but the back ground music gets annoying after five minutes.
Overall Quality: 3
Nothing in this DVD is of value. Every effect can be done better, cleaner, and sometimes more visually using other methods available on the market. I’m glad to see that Lyndon is being creative and putting himself out there but there is no commercial value in the magic taught on this product.
Have a product you want reviewed? Want to see if it will stand up to the Draven Seal of Approval? Contact me directly at draven@williamdraven.com to find out how your product could be on the next Draven Reviews! Don't forget to like my blog where all my reviews are posted at www.williamdraven.wordpress.com.
Artist: Lyndon Jugalbot
Producers: Skyember Presents
Retail Price: $29.95
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Length of DVD: 37 Minutes
Includes:
- Instructional DVD
- Necessary Gimmicks
Features:
- Play All
Every now and again you take a gamble on a magic product. You tell yourself that the warning signs such as bad grammar on the back of the DVD is only because it’s probably foreign produced and something got lost in the translation. You tell yourself that the magic on the DVD is going to be good magic because you’ve never heard of the production company or the artist before. Maybe it’ll be something new? Something exotic? Maybe there will be some gem stone on the DVD that you’ll end up using as a staple in your act for the rest of your career? Or maybe you’re just fooling yourself into believing that the product is going to be a lot better than it is. Sadly with 7 Remastered the warning signs of a bad product were written all over it, and yet I fell for it hook line and sinker. Before I dig into this DVD let me first at least dig into the ad copy that’s written on the back of it.
The DVD starts off with “After long days of discussion with… Lyndon… finally managed to re-release 4 of his effects in a DVD with us.” Red flag numbers one and two. It took them long days, plural, to re-release four original effects. Since the title of the DVD is 7 Remastered I’m going to assume that there is something about these effects that aren’t quite what the artist originally presented them as.
The DVD next says: “These four effects are remastered where the effects and handlings are enhanced.” Ah! Well then guess my deductive reasoning skills aren’t as shoddy as I thought they’d be.
And incase these four remastered effects aren’t enough value for you they’re also going to throw in three of his underground signature effects, red flag number three- underground can mean untested, for good measure.
Add in two more red flags for an unknown artist, and unknown production company and consider the final red flag being the bad grammar of “never let it limited by your imagination” on the description of the final effect on the DVD “Mystique”, and you’ve got the signs that this could very well be a mistake.
Sadly, despite Lyndon’s very creative mind the magic you see in this DVD isn’t anything special. A lot of this stuff is just home brew solutions to plots that have better, and equally more commercial solutions to. I applaud the artists accomplishment on being published, and it’s very clear that he possess a very creative mind, but none of the effects in this DVD really has any working potential that, as I’ve already said, can’t be done better with more popular known methods.
Let’s take a look at what he teaches, and I’ll give you my opinions on each.
1) Haunted Wallet 2.0 This effect is reversible in that you can cause bills to either rise out of your wallet or sink back into your wallet all by themselves. Surprisingly this is one of the better tricks on this DVD. The gimmick needed for this, like everything in this DVD will require some construction. With some proper production power behind it, some cad skills and a 3D printer, you could actually probably construct a more durable gimmick that will work better and last longer than the one suggested in the DVD. At any rate this effect is salvageable.
2) Gravitation: This trick just doesn’t hold up well in practical use. The gimmick used to animate the bill is so simple but it doesn’t give you the best animation compared to other methods like using ITR for example. Other methods, like ITR, could achieve the same results with the added bonus of levitation. The method on Gravitation is just inferior to other solutions that are out there.
3) Fortuna: Folded card placed outside a folded bill instantly penetrates the bill and appears inside the bill. I have a few problems with this effect. For starters a few years ago there was a card trick titled “I hate David Coperfield” that did something similar using three playing cards, and in my opinion once again, does it better than Fortuna. The gimmick for the two are also quite similar with the older version being better in my opinion. Secondly the gimmick you have to construct is obvious. Even during the presentation the gimmick flashes to the camera and that’s never a good thing. Lastly considering you have to switch in the gimmick, you’d also have to switch out the gimmick too because you can’t examine it. So it’s a great idea. It’s just not the best method I feel.
4) Fraction: A card that is blue backed is pushed behind a card that is red backed, and when it comes out the other side, the color has changed. After some really awkward transitioning of grips a quick flick and the red portion of the card instantly turns blue again. This kind of reminds me of the classic “Card Warp” effect, which not only looks better but ends cleaner. Also Fraction once again uses cards that can’t be examined by the spectator, and given how the gimmick is constructed may not be very convincing close up which is the only place you’d be performing this trick from.
5) Dispense: This is a version of a Torn and Restored card effect that loads the torn corner into the spectator’s wallet after a very sudden and visual vanish with it laying on top of the deck. Many of the effects on this DVD really overuse the method in this gimmick construction and this effect is no different. This is possibly another salvageable effect because it IS visual, and you could always switch out the gaff card for a duplicate… but honestly at the end of the day it’s a TNR plot and there are just so any of those out there on the market as it is already. Some are much cleaner than this. This doesn’t really bring anything exciting to the table that would make it more preferable to another version.
6) Iswitch: A utility move that switches a card in your wallet for the card that you want. Say a spectators card. Nothing special here. It needlessly involves a prop for no real reason other than originality of the move. A top change would do the same thing. Again I find myself asking “Why would I use this move over others that I know?” Hell I’ve got switching wallets that are better built than this.
7) Mystique: A picture that is drawn on a card with marker instantly snaps off the card and appears on another nearby. It’s a visual effect and it looks pretty, but SandsMind has produced a similar trick that just has a better and cleaner handling. Once again the gimmick can’t be examined and you end somewhat dirty.
So you’ve got seven effects that all rely on homemade gimmicks, that for the most part can be accomplished cleaner or better by using other published methods. There just really isn’t anything useful or horribly original here. I’m sure Lyndon is a very creative guy, but this DVD isn’t his best work. At least I hope it’s not his best work. The gimmicks can be easily constructed from the items included in the DVD, and a few spare playing cards. You’ll need to use a hobby knife so younger kids will need adult supervision. Considering the money spent to buy the DVD, the time spent making the gimmicks, and the time spent, more like lost, learning to perform these tricks you could have instead mastered something that you’ll actually use for something other than youtube magic. None of these effects I’d consider too practical, and over all this was just a waste of time and money. Avoid 7 Remastered. You won’t miss a thing if you do.
When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The four points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, Sound & Video Quality and Overall Quality.
Product Quality: 3
Really expensive for a bunch of home brew magic. Heavy reliance on gaffs to the point where you can’t have the objects examined.
Teaching Quality: 2
The teaching is non existent. You get to see him create the gimmicks, or run through the motions of performing, but no words. You have to read a lot of text on the screen to understand what’s going on.
Video & Sound Quality: 5
The video is okay but the back ground music gets annoying after five minutes.
Overall Quality: 3
Nothing in this DVD is of value. Every effect can be done better, cleaner, and sometimes more visually using other methods available on the market. I’m glad to see that Lyndon is being creative and putting himself out there but there is no commercial value in the magic taught on this product.
Have a product you want reviewed? Want to see if it will stand up to the Draven Seal of Approval? Contact me directly at draven@williamdraven.com to find out how your product could be on the next Draven Reviews! Don't forget to like my blog where all my reviews are posted at www.williamdraven.wordpress.com.