The Effects

MBZ – I presume stands for matchbox to zippo – and that is exactly what you see. With no cover, a matchbox waved in the hand turns into a zipper lighter. Very neat.

Post X – An ‘x’ drawn on a post it note jumps to a previously signed post it note held by the spectator. The method here is fairly obvious to a magician watching – but fooling for a layperson. And, as explored in the extra thoughts section, you could use this method for a whole variety of effects depending on your presentation style.

Mini Bar – a 2 stage (mini) bottle production. A small clear bottle appears in your hands – and then suddenly a label appears and it turns into a proper bottle of vodka (or the spirit of your choice!). A novel idea though not one that really appealed to me.

Refresh – Torn and Restored stick of chewing gum. I found the optical illusion here not very convincing – but I haven’t tried it in anger so I’m prepared to believe it is stronger in performance than on the DVD. But again, I appreciate the simplicity and subtlety of the method.

Lotto Wallet – A bank note is produced from a lottery ticket. The handling looks slightly awkward to my mind, but it is a simple idea.

Travel Transpo – This is a great effect where a train ticket held in your hands swaps places with an Oyster card [non British/London readers – this is a kind of travel card used in London) in a ticket wallet held by the spectator. This could easily be adapted to your local train system if you don’t happen to live in London. This is one of my favourite effects on the DVD – since it is really visual and seems to happen in their hands.

ATM – You pull a bank note out of a credit card. This is probably my favourite item on the DVD. It looks so sweet and the plot just makes great sense. What you would do if you could do real magic.

The final section is in discussion with Stephen Leathwaite (of Psyborg fame) who shares a few subtleties and extra ideas for some of the routines.

Worth noting

All of the items on Storyteller require some craft work to create the gimmicks. None of this is too taxing – but you won’t be able to perform the minute you get the DVD. Making your own gimmicks is an advantage here because you can make them to fit your local products/tickets/etc

I think it is fair to say that there are no ground-breaking new principles here – in fact the majority of the effects actually use the same essential method. But I think what you’ve got here is some really creative and yet natural plots. Ravi has a knack for spotting what would make a good magical moment with the sort of items many of us carry around all the time.

I found the ‘introduction’ sections on each item fairly redundant. They pretty much just named the effect. I think they would have been more use and much more interesting if they had explored maybe the inspiration or background/credits for the effects.

My only other minor criticism would be of the sound quality which was a variable – and at different points on the DVD the level was quite different. It was much harder to hear Stephen Leathwaite, for example. But if needing to change the volume on your speakers a few times is the biggest problem with a DVD then you’ve not really got many complaints!

Final Thoughts

A final observation on the ‘style’ of the effects. Most of the effects are quite quick and visual – almost throw away items. The exceptions are Post-X and Travel Transpo which are slightly longer routines which to mind therefore involved the audience a bit more. But depending on your performing context they would all be strong.

If you like strong visual magic and aren’t intimidated by a little bit of craft-work, then Storyteller is well worth a look – and may well inspire you to create some similar routines of your own.

Storyteller is available from the Merchant of Magic for £27.99 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

Ravi Mayar – Storyteller – review

3.8 / 5 Reviewer

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The post Ravi Mayar – Storyteller – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

What is it?

The effect is simple – you appear to pull full sized dollar coins out of the ‘hole’ in a Chinese coin using a pair of tweezers! It is a lovely premise and when done well looks amazing.

What do you get?

All the necessary props (coins and tweezers) and a link to an instructional video which lasts only around 11 minutes.

The video tuition is necessarily limited (at that length) and has been shot with a single camera angle. The quality of the video is fine, but I would say that most magicians would benefit from a little more time and detail in the explanation since some of the moves are a little bit ‘knacky’.

If you are hoping for some special gaffed coins – which Tango has an amazing reputation for – you will be disappointed since this relies entirely on sleight of hand. That may also mean the price tag surprises you slightly…

What do we think?

You need a little set up to get in to the routine – and although a method is taught for getting into that in the middle of a longer set, I would have thought this works best as an opener. Not least because it is an excellent way of producing 3 (ordinary) coins for any other routine (3 Fly etc.) that you perform.

I love the whimsical nature of the effect – especially the little touches like the tweezers disappearing through the same hole – and when it is performed with competence it really is fantastically visual. (I’ve put the demo video at the end of this post so you can see for yourself.)

You will need to put in the practise to get it really good; and I would say that it was a little bit angley (the demo appears to show people all around – but I don’t really think that is possible).

If you like coin magic and are prepared to put in a little practise I think this is a visual gem.

Chinese Tweezers is available from the Merchant of Magic for £47.75 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

The post Mario Lopez/Tango Magic – Chinese Tweezers – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Praemovo is an extremely visual effect in which a drawing on your (or a spectator’s) phone magically animates. For example, you draw a picture of a man holding a kite, and the kite flies to the top of the phone. The kite can be rubbed off and the phone examined.

It’s a simple effect to describe – beautifully visual – and in the right circumstances should get an amazing reaction.

You’re provided with a DVD which teaches the effect and some materials to enable you to make up the gimmick. There are enough materials to make more than one gimmick if you’re careful. Construction is straightforward but will take some care to do a neat job – and you’ll need a couple of regular craft materials you will most likely already have.

I love the concept and the video demo is honest. However, in the real world there are a few minor performing restrictions to this. You will need a little bit of care for angles and will also need to watch lighting and even (can’t say too much without exposure) weather! The gimmick is simple – building on a concept you will almost certainly already be familiar with.

For me, the nature of the gimmick means I am actually unlikely to perform this – since I have an inbuilt predisposition against this kind of thing. However, please don’t let that put you off – since if you’re prepared to put in a little bit of handling practise to get this smooth – I can really see this having a great impact.

Instruction is clear and straight-forward – everything is explained in plenty of detail and is well-shot and easy to follow. In this instance, the ‘DIY’ required is not a negative because it means you can make the gimmick for whatever effect you want – a rising kite, a rising card, a flying saucer – anything you can come up with for the routine.

I quite like one of the supplied ideas which is to perform it as if it is a prediction – then even if that is a ‘miss’ you get the visual effect afterwards. This also overcomes another possible minor limitation – by making it into a more substantial effect.

Since this requires you to draw on the back of the phone, it definitely works best with a white (or at least light) phone or cover – and ideally one which allows you to use a dry-erase marker. My phone has a black back and is rather smaller than would be ideal for this effect – but most modern Iphones would be suitable. And according to my extensive (I asked one teenage girl) research lots of girls have white Iphones! So you could probably borrow one for the effect.

In summary I think I like the concept for the effect more than the execution – but that is more down to my own hang-ups on the gimmick than anything else. In the right hands this could be a powerful demonstration of visual magic – and if you like the idea of magic with your phone then it is definitely worth a look.

Praemovo is available from Merchant of Magic for £29.99 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

The post Alan Rorrison – Praemovo – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

C/M is an insanely visual transposition of a signed and folded chosen card into a bank note – the card appearing in the previously shown wallet. I like the premise of the ‘bet’ and the routining is good so that this is easy to do. It does require you to make a gimmick. You are supplied with one element of this which you may not have lying around, but you’ll have to supply some other bits. Construction is not complex but will take you about 20 minutes. Well worth it for the effect involved. I can see this working really well at restaurants or any close up situation.

Spec-Tic-Tacular A ring through tic-tac box. It does what it says on the tin (on the box?). You borrow a ring – and it penetrates into a tic-tac box. You will need to make a gimmicked box (which is relatively straightforward) – but the handling allows for you to hand everything out for examination. Two slightly different versions are taught, though I’m not sure that what he calls the ‘advanced’ version adds much to the effect really.

Change for good 4 quarters visually change into a 1 dollar bill. This is a lovely bit of magic, but for our UK readers you’ll have to work out how to make this work currency wise. Perhaps 5 pound coins could turn into a fiver – though I think the coinage might be a bit thick? This is very straightforward to do, though is quite angle sensitive. But a nice quickie. As with other items some construction of a gimmick is necessary – but very easy to do that.

Fresher Transformation A deck of cards turns into a real packet of (chewing) gum. As with the previous effect, you may have to explore a bit to find the right kind of chewing gum box – though I’ve got to say it’s a long time since I’ve bought any chewing gum so maybe this is what chewing gum boxes look like nowadays! Not got much to say about this one. Its not really the sort of effect that I would use, but if you are young and trendy and chew (and share!) gum – then it’s definitely worth a look. Quite involved in construction for this one – though Casshan describes it as “a lot of fun”!

Boxin’ It Up – the whole deck of cards penetrates the box which can then be shown freely. Again, a fair bit of construction required, and for me, this is one of the weakest effects on the disk. The handling is somewhat awkward and angle-sensitive.

True Link – is a beautiful visual paperclip linking and unlinking routine. The routine is nicely constructed with links and unlinks – including a link in the spectator’s hand and a visual unlink they perform. And you end clean. This is a great little routine which has been nicely constructed to cover all the moves. I can see you having a lot of fun with this if you’re happy to spend the 5 minutes needed to make the gimmick.

Nest of Tech – described as a bonus routine – which always makes it sound like you’re getting something for nothing. A signed coin (or similar small item) visibly turns into a mobile phone battery. When you open your phone there is their coin or ring where the battery should be. You’ll need a suitable phone with a large enough battery (he uses a Galaxy S5).

The verdict?

The strength of all the routines is that they are simple to follow, the methods are direct and they are all very visual – many of them really do look like real life camera tricks! This is the kind of magic I love. The amount of craft work might put some people off, but compared to some releases we’ve seen recently the craft skills required aren’t high – nothing requires much more than a craft knife and some sellotape.

Explanations are at a good pace and very clearly shot, though I dearly wish he said ‘go ahead’ slightly less than he does. Hardly any sleight of hand is required – though many of the effects utilise some kind of shuttle pass to help in clean up.There are some extra hints and wrinkles at the end of the disk which are also helpful.

Casshan comes across as a really nice guy – and is very open to people connecting with him if they have questions or ideas. The stand out effects for me are C/M, Spectictacular and True Link. And the gimmicks supplied and the routines taught may well inspire some of your own creations. Well worth a look.

Available from the lovely people at Merchant of Magic for £27.99 (at the time of writing – and don’t forget they price match!).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

The post Casshan Wallace – Camera Tricks – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Switch Up promises to be an extremely visual transformation of some writing on the back of your card case – in most of the examples revealing a thought of card or prediction in a very magical way. And, with a few reservations, we have to say it delivers.

The common factor in the Danny Weiser routines we’ve seen have been somewhat fiddly gimmicks and very visual effects. The way in which this particular gimmick works certainly gives the great visual, and to my mind is just a little less fiddly than some of the others.

You are supplied with a gimmick ready-made (though you will need to customise it with a sharpie) and some materials to help you make a new one (or repair it). As with a number of recent releases distributed by Murphys you get no physical teaching media – only a link to an online video (which you can download). Given the widespread availability of high speed internet this shouldn’t be a problem for most people – but depending on where you want to learn it you should bear that in mind.

The gimmick is well made and should be fooling at quite close distances. As with all these kinds of things, I have some concerns about how long it would last if you were performing with it day in and day out, but what you receive has been well made.

The teaching (by Chris Webb) is clear and easy to follow. It covers all you need to know (even teaching a basic card force) with a number of variations and ideas given. For me, one of the strongest points of the routine is the clever clean up at the end which effectively leaves you clean making the visual magic even more baffling.

I don’t know whether I like this enough to do it all the time, but it would look great on a showreel, and once I’ve sampled the real-world reactions I might find it becomes more regular. Especially if I can get over my slight concerns over the long-term resilience of the gimmick.

Available direct from Merchant of Magic (with thanks to MagicTao who kindly supplied the review copy) – £24.99 at the time of writing. Also available in Red.

The post Danny Weiser – Switch Up – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Let’s start with Card-Toon!  If you didn’t see Jamie Raven’s incredible performance of this effect on Britain’s Got Talent, where have you been?  An animation when you riffle through a pack of cards reveals the spectator’s chosen one – whimsical and easy to do.  £14.50

On the subject of whimsy, Arthur is a new release (out today!) which has a lovely plot around the legend of King Arthur which makes a really memorable effect where the spectator’s card ends up stuck in a solid deck of cards like the famous sword in the stone.  £28.79

If you want to create special effects like magic up close and personal you’ve got to take a look at P’Ink by Ran Pink.  Watch the trailer for some ideas to whet your whistle for some of the possibilities here – as ink moves and changes at your command.  Some amazing mentalism applications too.  We hope to review this properly soon – but if it is half as good as the trailers it is well worth a look.  £22.99

From one incredible trailer to another.  Imprint from Sans Minds magic looks equally amazing – again almost like camera tricks.  Objects visually imprint themselves on bank notes.  If you can get past the annoying person introducing it, you’ve got to watch the trailer!  £25.49 (may be on backorder still since it sold out  pretty quickly first time!)

What new and visual magic tricks have you been enjoying recently and why?  Comment below or on our Facebook page.

The post Trick of the Month – May 2015 – visual magic appeared first on Bicycle Cards.