The Draven Reviews- Official Thread

[William Draven]

Welcome to the Draven Reviews. What are the Draven Reviews and what am I all about you ask? That's a good question.

I'm a performing magician who has been blessed to find work within our industry these past ten years. I've been blessed to travel the nation, and perform for audiences ranging from intimate street corners, busking for my bread, to large theme park stages, I've even got some film and TV experience under my belt. I'm no one special, per say. I'm certainly no Houchin or Copperfield, but what I am is interested in magic. I have been my entire life.

That being said I spend my hard earned money collecting magical books, DVD's, props, and what not for recreational and performance use I want to make sure I make every dime of mine count. After all we don't exactly live in the best economy right now. I've made some purchases before, and I'm sure we all have, that I've regretted. How many times have you found yourself saying "If I had only known that ONE thing about this product then I'd never bothered?" Frustrating isn't it? Magic is unique because it's one of the few times all sales are final. You can't very well return the product after it's opened, you know the secret! So you just get stuck with it. It's almost like you could use a friend that will give you the strait up honest opinion about something before you get it.

This is why I started writing the Draven Reviews. I wanted to provide the magic community with a reliable source of honest, open, and transparent information about the magic that is popular, interesting, or new to the market. I try to provide in-depth information in my reviews and explain why I loved or hated the product. My opinions are not paid for, and my reviews are always written in my spare time. They are a labor of love. I know you don't want to just throw your hard earned money away on crap. So I do my best to give you as much information as I possibly can to make your purchasing decisions as easy as possible.

So going forward I'll be posting all my reviews here in this thread, and on my blog site. I don't want to clutter up Theory11's boards with nothing but my review threads. I don't want to hog the spot light so to speak. So make sure you check back here for my latest reviews. You could always also subscribe to my blog by liking it.

Thanks everyone!

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: 3Sixty by Wayne Dobson

Title: 3Sixty
Artist: Wayne Dobson
Producers: Dtrick
Retail Price: $59.95
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Notes: Includes online video instructions.

Includes:
• Gimmick
• Clear box with lid
• Velvet carrying pouch
• Online Video Instructions

I’ve been playing around with the idea of having a mystery prediction box for a while. I had the original wooden box version which was a very beautiful prop, and I remember how much of a reaction I got out of my co-workers the first time I pulled their folded up signed card out of that box right in front of them. You’d think I parted the Red sea or something.

We’ve come quite a long way from that original wooden box. On the market now are several prediction style boxes that you can purchase and they are all pretty good. You’ve got “The Box” by Mark Southworth, David Regal’s “The Clarity Box”, you have David Penn’s solution to the Mystery Box problem with “Mystery Solved” and then like the fat kid running behind everyone else in gym class you’ve got Wayne Dobson’s “3sixty” wheezing and trotting well behind the pack brining up the rear.

As far as props are concerned Dobson’s 3Sixty is quite elegant. You get a clear acrylic box, and lid, card gaff, and a beautiful black velvet carrying pouch. I love it when magic creators go that extra mile to give you something nice to keep your props in. It keeps them in good condition, and if you choose to incorporate the storage device into the act it adds an element of prestige. It’s like you’re telling the audience that whatever is inside this bag is so fricking valuable I don’t just throw it into my case like I do my cards and other props. No. This thing is special. What I don’t like is when magic creators make the entire trick dependant on the use of said storage device because while I like having the option of using it, I don’t want to need to depend on it. And this is what separates Dobson’s 3Sixty from everything else.

Really when it comes down to it, I’ve not yet seen a poorly made Mystery Box. They all have their selling points, although admittedly I’ve not had the chance to purchase or review Regal’s, and Penn’s. What I have seen is different boxes attempting to solve the same problem and coming up with different solutions. The classic wooden Mystery Box, while made of nice wood, is suspicious because it looks like a prop. The Box is very unassuming because it’s made from a cheap plastic jewelry box, but that’s all its charm too. That it’s very unassuming. It almost doesn’t look like a prop at all. 3Sixty handles smoothly, and looks good, but is completely dependent on that stupid carrying pouch. So really I think it just comes down to finding one that fits your preferences.

One of the more frustrating things about 3Sixty is the inability to adapt it to your personalized performance needs. Other Mystery Boxes on the market allow you to change the loads. You have the classic folded card sure, but you can load in billets, or bank notes as well with other ones. The Box, The Clarity Box, and Mystery Solved all allow for this customization so not including that as an option for 3Sixty just seems like a dunderheaded move by Dobson. Why?

Forget about learning from a DVD. This trick comes with video links to a unlisted Youtube channel. So you’ll need to go online after you get home to see a couple short videos on how this device works. I’m really not that impressed with the Youtube video approach. Sooner or later those links are going to be all over the net, and the secret is going to be exposed. Just telling someone not to share these links publically is only inviting some idiot with no respect for magic to try it. As far as handling the Mystery Box it handles pretty well. The method for which the trick is accomplished works, and it is deceptive so that’s good at least. You’ll need to know how to do a Mercury Fold to perform this trick. If you don’t know how to do a Mercury Fold there is a section in the videos that teach it.

The Mystery Box is a beautiful close up illusion that has been proven to be effective on audiences time and time again. Dobson’s addition to the Mystery Box lineup certainly isn’t a bad one. But consumers are going to need to figure out what their needs are when it comes to a Mystery Box prop, and go with the one that best suits those needs. For my own personal needs Dobson’s 3Sixty is a failure. I don’t want to be limited to being required to use that pouch, nor do I only want to do card loads with it. I’d love to do other kinds of loads too. Sure I could probably build a custom gimmick to work for other load types, but for the price you pay to get this thing you’d think they’d at least include those other gimmicks with it. So I’m at a loss on this one. The magic works, and it’s a good illusion, but the method isn’t something that I’d personally use. Others out there may be okay with it. So if it works for you, and you’re okay with only doing card reveals, then you’ve got yourself a nice little trick. If you’re looking for more versatility and less extra necessary items, then you’re probably better off with something else.

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: 7
The props are beautiful, and the trick is a great illusion. I hated the required pouch.

Teaching Quality: 7
The tutorial videos were about as good as you’d expect from something on Youtube.

Video & Sound Quality: 8
No issues for it being Youtube quality.

Overall Quality: 7
For some people this maybe a great trick. This isn’t what I’d want to use personally though. So take this review with a grain of salt and keep an open mind.


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.

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: Total Recall by Manuel Llaser

Title: Total Recal
Artist: Manuel Llaser
Producers: Vernet
Retail Price: $30.00 USD
Learning Difficulty: Hard
Length of DVD: 80 minutes
Notes: Spanish with English dubbing.

Features:

Languages
Spanish
English
Performance
Explanations
Interview



With Total Recall you are able to learn a system that allows you to memorize and recall any card at any number, the position in the deck of any card named, and the position of any four of a kind given by the spectator without the use of Mnemonics, and using any deck shuffled by any spectator. Sounds almost too good to be true doesn’t it? This is Total Recall.

As brilliant of an effect as this could be Total Recall suffers from the same affliction other Vernet products have before in the past and that’s with the post production. Specifically I’m talking about problems with the voice over.

Total Recall could very well be a gem of a find if you know how to understand Spanish. But for us non Spanish speaking magicians we have to rely on either subtitles, or dub over to help us understand what is being taught. Unfortunately Subtitles aren’t an option with this product, and they would be preferable over the dub for sure.

Vernet relies on a single voice over actor who dubs their DVD’s with this wonderful smooth masculine sounding voice. The voice is pleasant to hear, but the actor speaks with a mono toned delivery with no inflections in voice pitch, or augmentations to natural conversation that we would otherwise use to keep people interested in what we are saying. I’m referring to the natural dips and rises within our voice tone as we talk or the natural pauses between sentences or the emphasizing of key words, etc. Instead the voice actor plows through dialog like a runaway freight train with reckless abandonment to the interest of keeping the home viewer remotely attached to the program. The worst problem the videos Vernet produces suffers from is that the one voice actor speaks for all the people on screen making it very hard to follow dialog during the interview portions. The DVD becomes stale to watch within minutes, and the material, because of the format it is presented in, becomes worthless because the learning process is so greatly handicapped. It could be the greatest trick in the world, but unless you can learn it it’s useless to you.

Vernet would do well to either hire a production manager who has experience and understands how to produce quality foreign dubs or just switch to subtitles and be done with the actor they currently use.
The quality of the magic on this DVD has been entirely too hard to determine because watching it was so frustrating for me. Unfortunately just muting the DVD and trying to follow along with what’s going on didn’t work. It brought back memories of trying to watch the Doors DVD and mucking my way through the Trick that Can’t Be Explained.

There can be an argument made for the quality of the magic being “protected” by crappy production choices and thus only falling into the hands of the select few “worthy” of sitting through it long enough to learn the material, but I challenge that point of view. The entire point of producing magic is to sell it right? The entire point to buying magic is to learn it right? So it would be in the best interest of the producers to make the consumption of the material by the consumer as easy as possible.

Total Recall promises some pretty amazing things. For example one of the claims it makes is that you could give the deck to a spectator, have them call you at any time, and you’d be able to recite the entire order of the deck! This is a fantastic claim, and certainly would be something fun to do to impress that special client you like to take care of. I just wish it was easier to learn from.

The magic in this DVD remains locked away from me. I did not have the patience or the will power to sit through this horrible dub and learn this routine. There’s a lot of magic out there to learn, and I felt that my time was better spent on other projects. Juan Tamariz speaks highly of this product though… so that means it can’t be all that bad. Maybe someday I’ll come back to this. But for now this is a complete failure and waste of time and money.

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: 2
The quality of the magic was hard to determine because the dub made it impossible to watch.

Teaching Quality: 2
Horrible teaching quality. The dub ruined this DVD.

Video & Sound Quality: 2
Good sound and video, lousy dub over.

Overall Quality: 2
Fix the dub issue, re-release the product with a better dub or subtitles option over spoken Spanish and then we’ll talk. Otherwise Fail.


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.

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: String Theory by Vince Mendoza

Title: String Theory
Artist: Vince Mendoza & Eric Jones
Producers: Murphy’s Magic
Retail Price: $34.99 USD
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Length of DVD: 1 hour 30 minutes
Notes: This will require additional purchase of a specific type of string. String Theory does include a good amount of this string to get you started.

Includes:

Instructional DVD
Special String


Features:

Play All
Chapters


There are certain tricks that I would teach if I were to write a curriculum for a first year student in the art of magic. These are tricks that embody the fundamental skills that a student would need to master in both sleight of hand, and misdirection, as well as teach performance skills they would need for further advancement in the art. These tricks would include, but not limited to, the Cups and Balls, the Chop Cup, Sponge Balls, Linking Rings, Ambitious Card, Card to Impossible Location, and of course the Gypsy Thread. It’s the last one that is of particular interest because it’s what this review is going to focus on, specifically Vince Mendoza’s spin on the subject.

I think I first was introduced to Gypsy Thread via Eugene Burger. It’s his use of a candle burning the thread so it snaps in two, and the discussion of life and death that drew me in. Such heavy subjects to discuss! Yet the master story teller magically blended both life and lesson into such a spell binding experience that left me mesmerized. Talk about your first impressions! Since then I’ve seen many other magicians add their own unique spins on the plot. Tony Clark has his “Gypsy Balloon”, Mike Wong has his “Dragon Thread”, and now Vince Mendoza introduces his sleightless version he’s calling “String Theory”.

String Theory, a name sounding more like it should be about IT work than a Gypsy Thread plot, is an interesting venture into this classic plot in so much as it takes a unique property of certain kinds of string and exploits it for a near slightless handling. I say near in so much as you’ll need stronger audience management skills than sleight of hand skills. Vince is joined by sleight of hand super star Eric Jones who often feels like he’s taking over control of the conversation in the tutorial section instead of participating in it.

The effect is self working, and will require some setup pre-show in order to perform it. Regrettably this is NOT a trick that you’ll be able to do in any situation. This is certainly not impromptu and though angles aren’t a concern, per says, you won’t want anyone behind the spectator or yourself during your presentation. This really narrows the field down to where you can perform this, which would be either for parlor shows, small stage work, intimate close up work like where you’re at a table and the audience is seated around you, or the like. You can’t do this table hopping, and certainly not on the street. Which I feel the DVD is misleading in that regard because it says on the back “great for strolling”, which it is not. Strolling environments you can’t always control where people are watching from, and as I’ve pointed out you have certain spots you simply don’t want people looking at.

The DVD is too long for this effect. There’s dumbing down a subject so it’s easy enough for everyone to learn and then there’s milking it for all its worth. Eric is obviously a master at teaching a subject and it feels like he’s constantly pulling Vince through the tutorial, almost forcefully in some areas, to explain specific points that Vince doesn’t really touch on that much by himself. It’s like they had a script but only one of them bothered to read it. Honestly with the DVD being nearly an hour and a half long I just felt like a lot of this was really needless overkill.

The art direction on the DVD is masterful. It’s very beautifully put together, scored, and edited. The post production quality of this product has, and should, set the bar for all future magic DVD releases.

Vince has entered into the magic fraternity a good look at a classic effect. His method is certainly something a student should consider, but it’s hardly superior to other methods. Reviewing this DVD has reminded me that sometimes the classics are classic for a reason: They work! Even after years of innovention, reinvention, different handlings, and approaches, I still think the classic handling for the Gypsy Thread stands out as the best handling for it, or at the very least far superior to this version.

The price to pay for having a sleightless version of the Gypsy Thread makes this impractical to perform in some situations, and due to the moves required this will not resonate well with other magicians. This is either going to be one of those methods you’re going to love the second you watch it, or hate thus sending this to rot in the bottom of your magic trunk. For me it’s the latter. The old saying really is true: If it ain’t broke- Don’t fix it. I think I’ll go back to Eugene’s handling for now.

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: 4
Functionally, it works. Practicality though is questionable. Not suitable for every performance environment.

Teaching Quality: 4
Over taught. Way over taught. This should have been a thirty minute (tops) DVD.

Video & Sound Quality: 9
Great sound and Video!

Overall Quality: 3
The Gypsy Thread is a routine you should learn, and by all means perform. Thankfully you’ve got many other options I’d recommend looking at well before this one.


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.

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: The V.S. Project by Paul Pickford

Title: The V.S. Project
Artist: Paul Pickford
Producers: Alakazam Magic UK
Retail Price: $40.25 USD
Learning Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Length of DVD: 1 Hour 36 Minutes per disk. 2 disk set.
Notes: This is a 2 disk set.

Features (Identical for both disks):
• Play All
• Chapters

The VS Project is an interesting two disk look at how many different ways a single utility move created by Paul Pickford can be used to accomplish some pretty insane magical moments. One move, and over three hours of instructions on different applications, if there ever was a Swiss Army knife of card moves then the Versatility Switch would be it.

The move itself is a little knacky, but it’s pretty easy to learn. It’ll take some fiddling to get the timing down with the moves and all. The move is a bold card switch done in the off moment and right under the spectators noses. They could be burning your hands and they’d never see anything. It’s angle proof, and can be done one handed. Not only that but its applications are endless, which is a huge plus in my book. I just love magic tricks that have a wide range of applications.

Performing the Versatility Switch is kind of like performing a second deal, but you’re tossing the card onto the table instead of dealing it down. The casual nature of the move is what makes it so bloody deceptive. This move really doesn’t work so well into the hands as on the table I’ve found, so I guess there’s a reason why Paul performs this on a table during the DVD. So table hopping and close up won’t have any issues with this move, but you’ll want a flat surface nearby if you’re going to be doing this on the streets.

The V.S. Project is a full on two disk DVD set. The first disk teaches the move, and goes on to suggest several different applications for it, while the second DVD picks right up where the first one leaves off and continues right along with more ideas. All in all The V.S. Project packs in 15 different routines fully performed and explained plus the Versatility Switch itself, and then just because three hours of additional ideas isn’t enough there’s an online registration code that you can unlock a special section on Alakazam’s website with to get even more thoughts, ideas, presentations, etc from other magicians. Thus making the V.S. Project more than just a utility move, or a magic DVD, it’s a living entity that will grow with the community as people use it and give feedback on it.

I’m not going to go into a lot of detail on the different routines included in this product because frankly you can read them for yourself in the product description. Also this is more about the power of the move itself and its wide range of applications, and less about the specifics of those applications because you’re going to come up with your own stuff I’m sure. However of all the suggestions given in this two disk set I personally loved Paul’s Fourway presentation and his Psychic Ace of Spades.

Fourway is a fun presentation where you try to find a spectators selected card but get it wrong three times in a row. In the end you finally get it right but the other three cards have all turned into the selected cards mates! With the Psychic Ace of Spades you put the Ace into the card box and have the spectator think of a card. Amazingly enough, the thought of card and the Ace of Spades switch places!

With a card move as versatile as this switch, and easy to perform, you’re going to have a lot of fun coming up with your own applications for this. This DVD really only starts a journey into this subject and it’s on you to take it the rest of the way until the final destination. What will you do with the V.S. Project? Check it out, go online and then share with the rest of us who are already there waiting on you.

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: 8
The price is a bit out there for a single utility move, but the applications are endless and the online aspect makes it a real treat.

Teaching Quality: 9
The teaching in this DVD is top notch.

Video & Sound Quality: 9
Crisp clear sound, good solid video. Well done production.

Overall Quality: 9
There’s a lot to like about this product. The move is very versatile and very easy to master. It’s a bit knacky at first but that’s quickly over come. The end product is a powerful go to move that card magicians everywhere are going to love.


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.

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: Extortion by Patrick Kun

Title: Extortion
Artist: Patrick Kun
Producers: SansMinds Magic
Retail Price: $29.95
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Length of DVD: 40 Minutes
Notes: Some Assembly Required

Includes:
• Gimmick
• Instructional DVD

Features:
• Play All
• Menu
• SandsMinds Products
• Credits

Extortion is Patrick Kun’s ultra visual solution to the classic bill change that takes place at your finger tips. No more fancy folds, thumb tips, or sleight of hand required. Extortion happens real quick, is real visual, and is a real attention getter!

In the field of close up magic there’s often a debate that finds people siding over if they should use gimmicks or not. Honestly I don’t see what the big deal is. If it works, and you get a good reaction from your audience who really cares how you do it, or how examinable everything is right? It’s the results we’re after not always the method. Extortion, as far as bill changes go, is gimmicked to the hilt, but the gimmick is so easy to use, and so deceptive that the results justify the use.

The DVD tops out at just around forty minutes long, and the bulk of that is spent teaching you how to build the Extortion gimmick. Though the gimmick itself isn’t anything too difficult to build it is however time consuming. There’s a lot going on with this gimmick that will require finesse and precision during construction. Once you have it built though, and you’ve worked it in a little, this thing handles like butter. It’s smooth and dear god is it visual!

You can do one of a couple different things with Extortion. You can either do a transposition with it, or you can do a at the fingertips bill change. The transportation from a bill held in the spectator’s hands to the bill in your hand is nice but I loved the bill change. Dear god is it just so visual it’s almost impossible. You obviously can’t let the spectator handle the gimmicked bill, but that’s easy enough to switch out for if you need to.

I’ve seen a lot of bill changes on the market this past year, and every time something new comes along it raises the bar just that much higher. Patrick’s contribution to the subject matter has done nothing less than this. He’s met the bill change challenge head on and produced a simple to use, relatively easy to make, gimmicked bill change that is super visual and super easy to perform. The gimmick does the work for you meaning all you have to do is just focus on the performance. It’s practical for almost any situation where close up magic would work. Extortion has quickly become one of my new favorite bill changes, and it’s one that I’m sure is going to live in my wallet for many years to come.


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: 9
The price isn’t bad, and the magic is very visual, and easy to perform.

Teaching Quality: 9
Everything from the construction to the performance is well taught.

Video & Sound Quality: 9
Good sound and video. I’d expect nothing less from SansMinds.

Overall Quality: 9
There is a lot of options for bill changes out there. Do yourself a solid and make Extortion one of the ones you personally use. You won’t be sorry you did.


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.

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: PS I <3 U: By Steven Shufton

Title: PS I <3 U
Author: Steve Shufton
Publicist: Steve Shufton
Link: http://www.shufton.com/Magic/PS_-_I_Love_You-/ps_-_i_love_you-.html
Retail Price: $20.00 USD
Effect Difficulty: Easy
Number of Pages: 21
Notes: This will require the use of your business cards, and a pen or marker. This product is also available in many stores worldwide.


Features:
• Soft Cover

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I got PS I<3 U: A Prediction System You Will Love. I haven’t read any existing reviews on it and by the name alone I wasn’t sure if this was going to be some pick up magic thinly wrapped in magic to somehow make it less creepy. Delightfully it was none of that! PS I <3 U is quite a useful and versatile prediction system created by the crafty mind of Steve Shufton and it has quite a number of interesting uses.

If this is your first review of mine you’ve read then I’ll tell you something my readers who have been with me longer already know: I love utility things. Props, moves, gimmicks, if it’s something that can be taken out of the box it comes in, and applied to a wide range of applications I am usually head over heels over them. The nice thing about PS I <3 U is that it falls into this kind of omni-use category. The system is simple enough to use for the basic trick it comes with that you’ll impress spectators but veritable enough to be applied to your own routines or creations. Steve even invites you to email your ideas to him and if he gets enough he’ll publish a follow up companion.

Every now and again when you’re learning new magic tricks you come across a new idea that makes you slap your forehead and wonder why you didn’t come up with it first. I had one of those moments looking over Steve’s material. The method involved in this system left me thinking “Well duh, and why the @$^# didn’t I think of that!?” The mechanics of the system are easy enough that you’ll pick it up pretty quickly meaning you have more room to worry about presentation.

Another brilliant thing about Steve’s prediction system is that you get a perfect excuse to not only use your business cards but get them into the hands of potential clients. Everyone should have at least one magic trick they do with business cards. Out To Lunch seems like the usual favorite, but failing that now you have PS I <3 U as well. Use it well!

The system comes complete with five different tricks you can perform using the PS I <3 U system. They are:

The Star Gazers: A Magi mixes up six business cards after numbering them one through six on the backs and drawing a star on them. The Magi places a prediction aside, and the spectator picks a card, any one, and it matches the prediction!

The Star Gazers Second Divination: You draw out another prediction, place it down on the table and repeat the effect being right a second time.
The Power of Colors: You make a prediction based upon reading the aura of the spectator. They name six primary colors and you write them down one at a time on the backs of the business cards. They are mixed up, the spectator picks one, and you match their selected color with your prediction!

What’s in a Name: You have two spectators help you with this effect. You have them give you their names, and then you write other random names, including the other spectator on the remaining cards. You turn them all face down and mix. Both spectators pick a card, and both cards picked have their names written on it!

The Invisible Coin: A spectator is asked to choice between an imaginary quarter, nickel, and dime. Toss it into the air and call out what side it lands on. Before they do so you pull out a business card and place it on the table as a prediction. They call the coin and side, you turn the business card over and it matches!

I found all the tricks to be pretty easy to pick up and practical to perform. You’ll need to set up your next business cards to be printed in a way specified in the instructions, if they aren’t already but that shouldn’t alarm anyone. It’s not really anything too special and any place you get your business cards from already will be able to do it for you.

All of the magic suggested in this book is fairly practical for anything from casual walk around to intimate close up. I think the biggest asset it provides, is as I’ve already said, a solid reason to introduce your business card in a way that is sure to make an impression with the spectator. It’s a win – win. This product has earned the Draven’s Seal of Approval. Make sure you check this out, because you’re going to want to use this.

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, Readability and Overall Quality.

Product Quality: 8
This is a fun little product. It’s flexible, and can be applied in more ways than what is covered in the book.

Teaching Quality: 8
The effects are easy to learn, and fun to play with.

Readability: 8
This is a quick read.

Over All Quality: 8
I liked it. It was a pleasant surprise, and I plan to use this with my business cards in the future. I recommend PS I <3 U!

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.

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: Rubber Bang by Sean Yang

Title: Rubber Bang
Artist: Sean Yang
Producers: Magic Soul
Retail Price: $29.95 USD
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Length of DVD: 2 Hours (aprox)
Notes: You’ll need some good rubber bands for these tricks.

Includes:
• Instructional DVD
• Small Package of Colored Rubber Bands

eatures:
• Play All
• Chapters
• Subtitles


Playing cards have been the signature weapon of choice of the magician for many years. Everywhere you perform from intimate close up settings, to smoke filled (or not so much so anymore these days) bars, to the crowded bustle of a city street you can always create powerful magical experiences with just a few pieces of pasteboard and some fancy moves. Rubber bands have also been a standard tool of the trade too. Now, with the material in Rubber Bang, rubber bands will have a whole new level of usefulness as you combine them with your card magic to create some pretty visual moments.

Rubber Bang is quite possibly one of the coolest video’s I’ve seen on incorporating rubber bands into your close up magic in a long time. The material on this DVD is not only practical, but it packs a visual punch! This is one of the few products that I was as excited to get as I was after I finished watching it the first time through.

You’ll have to pardon the video’s art direction because it tries so hard to be some kind of James Bond homage that it’s laughable. Right down to the sexy female assistant in the tight fighting short dress who brings nothing more to the table than her sex appeal. Rubber Bang is Chinese spoken dialog with English, and Japanese Subtitle options, and runs about two hours.

The teaching style on the DVD may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but speaking personally, I’m no stranger to reading subtitles. A lot of the magic on the DVD requires the use of false shuffles and card control. If you’ve already got a few methods you like doing then all you really have to do is just follow along with Sean’s hands and figure out how to set up the rubber band so the tricks work.

I would say that most of the tricks in this DVD are mostly self working but I feel that “self working” would be a bit of a misnomer. Perhaps “automatic” would be a better word for it. They all require you setting the deck up with the rubber band in such a way that when you release tension the springy quality of the rubber band cases the effect to take place. The visual aspect of the magic is quite gratifying. I found it just fun to play with over and over.

The problem I foresee anyone having with the effects in Rubber Bang is memorizing the exact process to each effect because if you don’t set the deck up in the right way, the results aren’t going to be what you’re looking for. Fortunately though the DVD does a brilliant job at teaching because of how it is formatted. You’ll see a live demonstration, a tutorial run through, and then there are focus sessions that slow things down to expand on sensitive issues you may have trouble with. For a DVD with no spoken English, and only subtitles to work off of I found it fairly easy to get the effects to work.

Rubber Bang also comes with a small package of colored rubber bands so you can start learning the effects as soon as you get home. Just open the DVD box, pop the disk into your player, grab a deck of cards, and follow along with the show. The DVD teaches 9 tricks plus a shuffle and card control. The nine tricks are:

Yang Gun: The spectators signed card is lost into a shuffled deck which is made to look like a gun. The trigger is pulled and their card comes shooting out with enough force to knock over a an empty soda can.

G Spot: Pressing the invisible button on a rubber band wrapped deck of cards causes the spectator’s signed card to shoot out switch blade style.

Snap Shoot: Set the deck on the table, stretch a rubber band between your hands and let it snap against the deck apparently flicking only one card out in the process. The spectator’s signed card.

Just Blow: A signed card is lost into the deck, and the deck shuffled. A rubber band is placed around the deck. By just blowing on the cards the rubber band jumps from around the deck to inside the deck wrapped around a single card- their signed card.

SeanWich: A rubber band is wrapped around a deck of cards. With a flick it jumps off the deck taking a pair of jokers with it. Between the jokers is the spectator’s signed card!

Sy Pyramid: The use of a rubber band, and some magic causes the deck to pop up into a pyramid. The visible cards forming the three sides of the pyramid are three aces. The fourth ace jumps out of the deck as soon as it pops.

SeanSwitch: A Four Ace assembly routine using two jokers. The first ace is found sandwiched between the two jokers. A rubber band is wrapped around them, another ace appears between them. The rubber band is tightened and nothing appears to happen. When you turn the jokers over they’ve changed into the other two aces!

Challenger: A multiphase four ace production.

Bang! Bang! Bang!: Another Four Ace Production. The first ace is found much in the same was as in G Spot, the next two aces are revealed in a very visual snappy color change. The last ace is made to appear on the bottom of the deck with just a tap of the other three aces.

Sy Change: This is a bonus effect included which doesn’t use any rubber bands. A spectator’s signed card is put into your pocket. The corner of an indifferent card is put into your mouth. By wiping your hand over the card you cause it to visually change into the signed card, and the indifferent card has now switched places and is in your pocket.

I’ve fought with myself over this next note as to whether or not to include it in the review. At length of contemplation I’m going to include it as a foot note. I’m not sure if it’s just me but I couldn’t help but think how unnatural Sean looked during his live performances for the different moves. Everything he did was so obviously telegraphed, from his double lifts, to his get readies. I don’t think this really is a problem with the magic per-say as it’s a critique on the individual performer.

I found the magic in this DVD to be quite fun to perform and I can see a lot of card guys and gals getting some good use out of it. This is the kind of material everyone just loves. Magicians are going to love performing it, and your audiences will love seeing it time and time again. This is the kind of stuff that people will say to you at parties “Remember that one thing you did with the cards and the rubber bands? Can you show my friend that?” This material will work for you. I recommend you check it out!


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: 8
The price is good, and the tricks are fun to do. They are also the kind of thing you’ll get a lot of mileage out of.

Teaching Quality: 6
The tricks are all pretty easy to learn despite the DVD being subtitled but I personally found Sean’s “secret” moves to be anything but subtle. He telegraphs what he is doing way too much for my personal taste.

Video & Sound Quality:
The sound and the video both had no issues that I could find.

Overall Quality:
The cheesy art direction and fun visual magic combine to make for a great DVD full of material that you’ll use every day. I recommend you get Rubber Bang!


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.

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: Alchemist Screwdriver by SansMinds

Title: Alchemist Series: Self-Bending Screwdriver
Artist: Taiwan Ben
Producers: SansMinds Magic
Retail Price: $129.95
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Length of DVD: 25 Minutes (aprox)
Notes: Includes two self-bending screwdrivers.

Includes:
• Two Gimmicked Screwdrivers. One that Self-Bends and One that Unbends by Itself.
• Instructional DVD

Features:
• Play All
• Menu
• SandsMinds Products
• Trailers
• Credits

What an interesting time we live in! Magic previews are starting to get to the point where they almost look like movie trailers and that’s certainly the case with the trailer for SandsMinds new Alchemist series effect: Self-Bending Screwdriver.

The name leaves a little bit to be desired. It’s not as flashy as some of the other products being put out by younger magicians. I would have expected something that sounded more edgy that had nothing to do with what the effect was but Self-Bending Screwdriver has at least a mote of honesty in the name. There’s no doubt at all to what you’re buying, a screwdriver that bends itself.

Self-bending items have been around for a few years now and other companies have put out products that behave similarly. I’ve seen products like this take the form of paperclips, keys, nails, and of course silverware. But a self-bending screwdriver… now that’s new. The ideology behind why SandsMinds chose to make a screwdriver into a self-bending effect was interesting. They say that when you think about a tool like a screwdriver you think of something that is used to manipulate other metal, and not something in itself to be easily manipulated. I suppose they’ve got a bit of a point with that.

The screwdrivers themselves are pretty well made. You get two of them in the set. You get one that bends itself, and one that unbends. They look identical so it’s possible to take out one, bend it, switch it, and then unbend it in one full unbroken routine. The only thing that bothers me a little about the screw drivers is that they look a little small to me. They both fit inside the DVD case the video comes in. Then again I don’t really work a lot with screw drivers so this maybe the right size for an all purpose flathead around the home general use. I prefer the unbending one more just because it actually looks strait when you finish. The bending one, once you’ve got it set up, even if you are careful about the setup, still has a sleight bend to it. It may just be me but I think that’s a bit telling.

The method behind why the screwdriver bends itself works like a charm. Sometimes products like this have to be kept in certain temperatures, but these seem to work just fine at room temperature where I live. The plastic handles on the screwdrivers actually make it easier to handle them without causing the metal to bend. Resetting them is fairly quick and easy. I will throw in a word of caution though: If you are under the age of 18 you may need your parents help with the resetting process as it involves using a product in a way that is expressly ill advised on the product label. The metal holds its form quite well. I’ve carried them around with me in my close up case for a couple hours now and I’ve not had any problems with the metal bending itself without my direct influence.

The DVD is well taught, and I don’t feel it ran too long with trivial extra information. I feel the boys over at SandsMinds did a good job of putting together the information, discussing how it is used, and giving you some ideas with how to play with it.

Whether you do this routine as a standalone, or you incorporate it with your other metal bending stuff the Alchemist Screwdriver is going to be a crowd pleaser. The magic can happen in your hands or in their hands, which I think is even better. There’s nothing to suspect, you start and end as clean as you can, and it will as good on stage as it does in close up. The product does look like a small screw driver and has the right weight, feel, and texture that you’d expect to find from a real screwdriver.

If you are into self working metal bending effects this maybe the one to get. If not for anything other than the amount of product you get for the price. For a $130 bucks you get two screw drivers, where as other similar products are selling at anywhere from $100 to $200 dollars depending on where you look and what you are looking for.

Overall I have to say that I’m pleased with Alchemist: Self-Bending Screwdriver. For what it is, what it does, and for how much you pay for it I think it’s a solid product. I don’t do a lot of metal bending in my work, but this is certainly something that I’d add into the act if I wanted a little extra bang. If you do perform metal bending then I would strongly encourage you to take a look at this. You’re going to love it!


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: 8
Good price for what you get. Well made. Works, and stays stable in room temperature until needed to bend.

Teaching Quality: 8
Not a lot to say here. It’s a tutorial. It’s complete, and it doesn’t run on with too much needless information.

Video & Sound Quality: 8
Great sound and video. Amazing trailer!

Overall Quality: 8
This is a fun little product. I think metal benders are going to get some good use out of it, and it may just inspire others to start exploring metal bending as an act as well.


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.

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: Looking Glass 2.0

Title: Looking Glass 2.0
Artist: Romanos
Producers: Magic Tao
Retail Price: $29.95
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Length of DVD: 1 Hour 8 Minutes

Includes:
• Instructional DVD
• Two Gimmicks

Features:
• Play All
• Props
• Chapters
• Credits


Looking Glass 2.0 by Romanos and Magic Tao is a great introduction to the use of Shiners for anyone who hasn’t worked with them before. It even comes with a couple inside the DVD so you can start practicing right away.

The difficulty in writing this review is trying to describe the quality, and what you get without giving too much away. Shiners have been used for many years and are referenced in a lot of work. They’re a rather simple device to use, easy to conceal, and devastating in the amount of information they can give you when used proper. Shiners were a tool of the crooked gambler long before they were secret devices used to aid magicians in their act.

Looking Glass 2.0 takes the subject of Shiners and gives you a great starting point for using them in your own act. You’ll get a chance to see how they can be used for peeks which can translate into a whole range of different presentations. Card tricks, to drawing duplications, to mentalism. Shiners are a great item to have in your magician’s tool kit.

Included in the DVD are two different versions of a Shiner. One is the standard version you may already be familiar with, and the other is a magnetic version that can attack to a PK ring, or any other magnetic sensitive ring you may have. I understand that with the magnetic one they’re going for ease of use. “Let the magnet do all the positioning work for you” kind of simplicity but honestly it’s not an improvement on the classic handling. If anything the magnet just makes it more awkward, especially if you’re trying to conceal the “click” sound it makes when it attaches to your ring.

The quality of the Shiners included in the DVD is decent. They are made from a hard plastic, so they won’t break or shatter the way glass would, and they don’t have particularly sharp edges the way metal ones might. They are sized to fit perfectly into finger palm for most people, and take up very little pocket room. Texture, and weight makes them easily identifiable by touch when you’re going into your pockets to retrieve them. Since the Shiners are made from a thick hard plastic they don’t appear to be subject to being scratched easily. I’ve rubbed them together against each other, against coins, and dropped them several times to test that for myself. Without deliberate intent to try and break or scratch these things up they seem to hold up pretty well. So for general use with proper attention to care and handling and I think you’ll have a product that will last you many years. As for storage I keep mine in a small felt bag that was originally used to hold dice. You can probably find these bags at any craft, hobby, or game store.

Shiners are kind of like a Swiss Army Knife when it comes to utility devices. They are designed to help you peek at information without the spectator realizing it right from under their own noses. This along with their compact size makes the range of applications infinitely useful from close up, to street, walk around, parlor, and even stage. It’s really up to you to figure out what kind of magic you can create with the device, the DVD only gives you some good starting points to jump from.


If you’ve never worked with this kind of peek device before, pick up Looking Glass 2.0 and give it a chance. These are quite useful little things and I think you’ll enjoy what you get.

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: 8
DVD is good, product holds up well under use, easy to use, and has a wide range of applications.

Teaching Quality: 8
There are a lot of different ways to apply this device to magic. The DVD gives some great suggestions to get you started.

Video & Sound Quality: 8
Good sound and video. No issues.

Overall Quality: 8
A solid 8! This passes the Draven’s Seal of Approval with flying colors.


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.

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: Cards 'N Logics

Title: Cards ‘N Logics
Artist: Nicolas Pierri
Retail Price: NOT OUT YET!
Learning Difficulty: Moderate
Length of DVD: Aprox. 40 Minutes
Notes: This is a preview review of an upcoming trick!


Cards ‘N Logics comes from the working repertoire of magician Nicolas Pierri. I’ve never heard of Nicolas before but after reviewing this material I’m interested to see where he goes from here. The young man has quite a lot of talent and an eye for creative detail.

Cards ‘N Logics is a multi-phase complete card routine that could be preformed either in a formal setting, as part of a show, or in intimate impromptu close up. The advertisements suggests that you don’t need roughing fluid, or have angle issues to worry about, which admittedly after watching the performance portion I wonder why these would even be items of concern in the first place? I suppose this was included as sort of a way to make this sound more impressive. I don’t know. At any rate yes this is correct. Angles are not a problem and you will not need roughing fluid for any of this.

The effect is called Cards ‘N Logic because the performance is structured like a bit of a sucker gag. The magician prompts the spectator to answer simple questions based on observation that always turn out to be inaccurate because the magician has done a bit of sneaky business beforehand; ala Three Card Monte, Cups and Balls, Hopping Halves, Chop Cup, etc. The performer corrects the spectator in their observations being logical, but not magical before revealing the changes that take place.

The routine opens with a psychological force that couldn’t be any more obvious even if you printed the answer on a baseball bat and beat the spectator over the head with it. Nicolas teaches two different ways to do this force. Saying his preferred method is better than his original one is like saying you prefer to be beaten with a wooden baseball bat instead of a metal one. Fortunately the psychological force is really just a moot point. In theory you could work with four of any kind of card the spectator mentions, you’d just prefer the force because it’s frankly less work.

So you start with a four of a kind assembly. Now the way Nicolas does it is pretty casual and very open. The deck is shuffled and ribbon spread face up on the table, a card is named (via psychological force), and he just picks up the deck, squares it, and then turns four of a kind over from the top of the deck. There will be those who will love how incredibly casual this is. I mean the spectator just shuffled the deck and somehow managed to shuffle four of a kind to the top of the deck before they even named them. When you think about it it’s a pretty stunning revelation, but sadly the punch this should carry just seems to fall flat when he just flips the four top cards over revealing the four of a kind. I really didn’t like this approach at all. There are hundreds of ways to assemble four of a kind, so why not do this a little more magically than just turning over the top four cards? I feel like a magical opportunity was missed here.

In the next phase of this routine we see selected cards magically turn over in the magicians hands as he just moves the cards from the top of the stack to the bottom ala Twisting the Aces. It doesn’t seem to matter how many cards the magician has that are face up when he starts, they all end face down. It defies logic that he should have this kind of control over these cards.

In the third phase of the routine the performer has three of his spectators’ select a single card each, holding back the spade for himself. The performer shields his eyes to prevent accidently seeing the selections being made. The performer returns all three cards to the stack, and turns them over showing his/her card (the spade) showing on the bottom. The performer explains that rubbing the spade somehow makes it magical, and then magically causes their spade to turn into each of the other cards one at a time.

In the final phase of the routine the performer puts a single card on the table showing the spectator which card it is, and another matching in color is placed next to it face down. The performer asks the spectator to identify which of the two cards on the table was the card shown to them. They are of course wrong, it’s the other card. The magician does this again only this time the two on the table switch places with the two in the performer’s hands while the spectator’s finger is still on them.

There is nothing new magic wise in Cards ‘N Logic. It’s a psychological force into four of a kind assembly, with a variation of Twisting the Aces, and a splash of a four card transposition thrown in for good measure. All of the different phases seen have been in existence before, and the sleights used to perform all of these miracles are all well known in the magic community. What Cards ‘N Logic succeeds at is not providing a piece of card magic, though it does do that, but instead it does a better job at giving the viewer a prime example of how you can take fundamental sleights, classic routines, and blend them together into a single performance that can be quite enjoyable to watch.

Cards ‘N Logic suffers from some questionable scripting, which admittedly many magic tricks these days do, in so much as it relies on playfully challenging the spectators concept of reality and using sneaky business to ensure they have the wrong answers. This of course is done in a tongue and cheek kind of way so it’s still fun and no one really feels like an idiot they are being made out to be. Personally I’d throw out the entire logic of magic premise and just write a new script to suit my own personality. But it is a fun routine from start to finish, and it is loaded with lots of magical moments that your audiences will marvel at.

The tutorial on the video is a little over a half hour long, and is crammed full of sleights. Routine wise this is going to be quite heavy on the magical monkey business compared to some other card effects out there. I think that is mostly because this is an amalgamation of multiple other card plots structured together into a single routine. Fortunately I don’t think any of the sleights used are going to be too difficult for a beginner let alone someone who has been doing card magic for a while. The video is in spoken Spanish with English subtitles.

I liked Cards ‘N Logic. I thought it was a fun way to look back at some classic effects and figure out how to put a personal spin on them. There is a lot to be gained from watching this video. For the magicians who have been around card magic for a while you may enjoy seeing how Nicolas blends together classical effects to make something that is uniquely his own, while newer students of magic will find a treasure trove of essential utility moves. There’s a little something for everyone in this product. Nicolas has some creative ideas, and I do expect to see more from him in the future. If you haven’t already, take a look at Cards ‘N Logics. I think you’re going to like it.




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: 7
I enjoyed the routine from front to back. I think there are some obvious areas for improvement such as the four of a kind assembly, but I’m sure those will come on an individual level.

Teaching Quality: 6
I think the tutorial was well taught. There’s a lot to learn here. Great video for newer students of card magic. There is a lot going on here.

Video & Sound Quality: 8
The sound and video wasn’t the best. Certainly wasn’t studio HD quality.

Overall Quality: 7
Not a bad find. It’s worth checking out especially if you are newer to card magic.


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.

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: 52 Pieces of Paper

Title: 52 Pieces of Paper
Artist: Idan Kaufman
Producers: Big Blind Media
Retail Price: $29.95
Learning Difficulty: Easy to Difficult
Length of DVD: 1 Hour


Features:
• Play All
• Introduction
• Productions
• Moves
• Routines
• Goodbye
• Extras

52 Pieces of Paper is the brain child of Israeli magician Idan Kaufman (pronounced ‘He-Done’) and is based off a small paperback book of a similar name that he wrote. This DVD features a varying range of card magic from productions and utility moves to routines you can perform. Idan’s skill level is amazing in this DVD oh and did I mention he’s only 17? Grab your deck of cards, and let’s put 52 Pieces of Paper to the Draven Review test.

Honestly I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into this DVD. Card magic really is hit and miss for me anymore, and speaking personally I’ve become less of a fan of card magic over the years. I personally find card magic to lack inspiration, creativity, and purpose. To me it’s just the same plots over and over to the point that if a magician asks you to pick a card I would be more impressed if the trick screwed up and he didn’t find the right card than if he did. Considering that I started out as a close up magician mostly focusing on card work I’ve already got a fairly impressive library of card material as is. But there was something about 52 Pieces of Paper that caught my attention and it wasn’t the magic. It was the talent. Here I’ve got a 17 year old kid who has some serious performance skill putting out a DVD on one of the most beaten into the ground subjects in magic. Either he’s naïve, delusional, or he’s got something to say on the subject. I put my bets on the later and couldn’t have been more happier with the results.

The DVD follows the typical Demonstrate, Review/ Teach formula common with most magic DVD’s with a bit of an artistic flair. After you see the demonstration the first time the video does a rewind complete with sound effect to repeat the demonstration over again before teaching the trick. I’ve already said that I was impressed with Idan’s technical skills, but what I’m not overly impressed by was the material he’s teaching. For the bulk of the DVD it wouldn’t appear that Idan is teaching material that he created. Rather he’s teaching his variation of others material that he has been inspired from. Granted he’s nice enough to site his sources of inspiration on everything he does but I’m not sure saying where you got the move from is the same thing as having permission to teach it. Ethics start to get a little blurry here. But since I’m not intimately familiar with all the original works he cites so I can’t say for myself if what he’s teaching is original enough to be his own or if he’s basically teaching the same thing, and since I write a review blog, not an ethics blog, I’m going to leave it at that. His sources are well cited, and he’s clear (or at least his editing crew is) on whether or not the move he’s teaching was printed somewhere else or just inspired by something else.

Idan teaches you five different kinds of productions, five different moves, and five routines. They range in difficulty levels, and I’m sure there’s going to be something in here for everyone. This may not be a DVD you use every last bit of material in it for your act, but I’m confident that you’re going to find something in here you’ll like. Personally I loved his Bazinga routine because of its comedic moments on the off beats. Just to give you an idea of what this routine is about a card is selected, lost, and shuffled through the deck. The top four cards on the deck are used to tell the performer something about the selected card. The questions these top four cards reveal answers to are: Red or Black, Odd or Even, Spade/Club or Heart/Diamond, and finally what the card is. All four cards turned over is the same identical card, and what is better the card is the spectators selected card. Each time the card is revealed answering a question it is then turned face down, and pitched onto the table. At the end the four cards on the table have become the four aces! The effect ends with the spectators selected card becoming a card to impossible location effect.


I enjoyed 52 Pieces of Paper. There’s a lot of great material in this DVD, and the bonus section has a couple palming variations that Idan talks about during his Moves portion of the video. The tricks in this DVD range from the kinds of things you’d expect to find in a formal close up show, to things that you could do around the kitchen table to amaze your friends and family. If you are into card magic, you may want to check this out.


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: 5
The price isn’t bad, and the magic is certainly usable. Lower than expected marks due to the ethics issue I personally have with teaching other peoples published work without expressing permissions were given. Citing source is not the same as having permission, unless it’s public domain. I don’t know enough about the source material to make any further judgment calls other than raising a cautionary eyebrow.

Teaching Quality: 7
Easy enough to follow along with. The material ranges in difficulty.

Video & Sound Quality: 8
Sound and Video are both good.

Overall Quality: 7
52 Pieces of Paper is a solid card magic DVD, and Idan is a very skilled young magician. Well worth taking a look at if you’re into card magic.


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.

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: Space Shifter by Nicholas Lawrence

Title: Space Shifter
Artist: Nicholas Lawrence
Producers: SansMinds Magic
Retail Price: $24.95 USD
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Length of DVD: aprox. 36 minutes


Features:
• Play All
• Menu
• SansMinds Products
• Credits


The classic Torn and Restored card trick. The plot has been around for ages and everyone from David Copperfield on down has at one point in time played with this concept. At its heart it really is about warping reality, time and space. It’s truly impossible to take an object, destroy it, and then slowly restore it back to its full original self. Space Shifter is kind of like that but takes the concept out of the box and then runs as far away with it as it can. Instead of tearing a piece of the card off and visually restoring it, you’re going to tear a chunk of the card off and then move that missing chunk into the middle of the card with the missing piece still fitting perfectly back in. This is Nicholas Lawrence’s Space Shifter.

So now you know what the effect is let’s talk about the product. Space Shifter is one of those kinds of magic tricks that you slap your forehead hard enough to give yourself a headache when you learn how it’s done. The mechanics are brutally simple, and require next to no skill to operate. I think the hardest sleight you’ll require for this trick maybe a double lift. However you will need to construct a gimmick so go grab your art supplies.

It takes less time to build the Space Shifter gimmick than it takes Herman to explain what he’s doing. I mean from the second he shows the gaff revealed you pretty much know what you need to do. This is a great example of way over explaining something. I get that a lot of newer magicians maybe watching this DVD but they are new, not stupid. I think the explanation was over killed with this one.

Performing this trick is a hell of a lot of fun. The reactions it gets are fairly strong on a consistent basis. The only thing you have to take into consideration is the constant need to keep preparing cards to be ripped up. Space Shifter isn’t going to be something you just do on the fly. For ease of performance I’d recommend keeping a small envelope in your close up case with several of these cards prepped for show ready to go. The downside to performing Space Shifter is, and like with many card tricks that utilize a specialized gimmick, you’ve pretty much got a one trick pony in your pocket. While it’s possible to do other things with the deck you’re going to need to figure out a way to either load the gimmick onto the deck or ditch it after depending on if you plan to open with Space Shifter or run it later in your set. This could be as simple as palming it off, or just boldly changing decks, but none the less it’s a bit of busy work that will need to be done.

So overall Space Shifter is a fun visual card rip and I absolutely love to play with it. It was one of those tricks that I just started to like the more I performed it. The gimmick is easy enough to make and the reactions you get are well worth it. It makes for a great souvenir to give away at the end and for me that is important. Space Shifter is light on the performance side in the DVD but this doesn’t really need a lot of story. I think for this effect less is certainly more, and simply having a card selected, signed, ripped, and the ripped hole move to the center of the card says enough on its own. You could certainly apply your own script to it if you wish, but I really don’t think it needs that. Space Shifter proves that you don’t need knuckle busting sleight of hand to create powerful magical presentations that will defy a spectators’ logic and leave them with a lasting memory of the truly impossible. Check this one out. This earns the Draven Seal of Approval.

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: 8
Good magic for a good price.

Teaching Quality: 6
Overkill on the gimmick construction, and probably the entire DVD as a whole. There isn’t a lot going on with this effect that you couldn’t intuitively figure out for yourself.

Video & Sound Quality: 8
Good sound and video. Seems standard for SansMinds products.

Overall Quality: 8
Fun trick to perform! You need to check this out.


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.

 

[William Draven]

Draven Reviews: Forces Project

Title: The Forces Project
Artist: Liam Montier
Producers: Big Blind Media
Retail Price: $35.00 USD
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Notes: none.

Features:
• Play All
• Techniques
• Tricks
• Trailers

The Forces Project is a great introductory DVD into the art of forcing cards in close up magic. Big Blind Media in combination with the talent of Liam Montier take you through an impressive list of card forces ranging from the easy to the more advanced moves. The DVD breaks down not only the mechanics by the theory behind why each force is deceptive and what conditions you should use the force in. Then just to make sure things are complete Liam teaches you a couple great routines using what you’ve learned that will surely impress your friends and family.

I remember learning my first force from Mark Wilson’s Complete Course in Magic. I’m pretty sure I used his riffle force verbatim from the book for a number of years before changing my handling. From there I think I picked up a few new forcing techniques from Royal Road before I settled into using the current set of forces that I have today. This DVD isn’t going to be the one stop encyclopedia on forcing. There’s a lot of ways to force a card that aren’t in this project, but this is a great place for a newcomer to start.

Liam teaches 24 different forces on this DVD and the tutorial is quite nice. He walks you through slowly so you can perform the moves with confidence yourself. Some of the forces are very easy to do, others like the classic force will take some time to master. Liam leaves you with the confidence that you’ll be able to learn this stuff. I don’t think anyone will feel flustered or confused when watching this DVD. The format follows the classic formula of demonstration followed by explanation.

Learning how to force a card is pretty much one of the most important things you can learn to do in card magic since so much magic deals with this concept. And while this DVD certainly isn’t the be-all-end-all final chapter in the book of forcing it is a great resource and reference point for a magician of any skill level. It doesn’t matter if you’re new and wanting to find something that you can work with or expert and want something to challenge you. Liam also teaches six different routines using the forces taught in the DVD which I thought were pretty cool.

Without going into too much detail this DVD teaches great forces like the Cross Cut Force, Riffle Force, Dribble Force, Classic Force, Back Slip Force, Swindle Force, among many others. All of these moves are utility devices and as I’ve already said a nice touch is that Liam gives you some insight into some of the psychology behind why you should use a specific force for what situation you may find yourself in. I really liked how he shows you what the tools are, AND how to use them effectively. It’s a win- win.

So who would I recommend this DVD to? Anyone. Everyone. This is a great DVD to have in your library and as a reference source it’s filled with tons of useful moves and performance theory.


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: 8
At a price of $35 bucks this DVD is a little more expensive than on average, but it’s worth it.

Teaching Quality: 8
I liked watching Liam, and he found a way to keep the material fresh. One of the problems with working on a single topic, such as forces, is that the material can get dry and repetitive. Liam found a way to keep my attention from start to finish.

Video & Sound Quality: 9
Sound and Audio were both great.

Overall Quality: 8
This is an excellent DVD, and I highly recommend you look into it.


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.