talkmagic.co.uk

The Effect

This set of DVD's show you various ways to use loops (invisible string / elastic-like bands) to preform a variety of tricks and effects. Not only this you also receive the insight from 3 quality magicians (Garcia, Kranzo and Miller) in terms of loops. You learn levitations, card manipulations, self folding origami, linking rubber bands, and much much more.

Price

$50 USD from illusionist for all 3 DVD's, alternatively you can buy Kranzo and Miller's DVD's for $20 each, and Garcia's for $30.

Difficulty

(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

I would range this set of DVDs between 2 - 3 depending on the effect you do. All of them require practice to get the effect down smoothly.

Review

I have never liked invisible strings for when I do my effects, i Find its too hard to keep track of all the time and there are too many variables when using it on the street and impromptu, it just wasnt made for that.

I recently picked up a few loops and sort of forgot about them as they collected dust. I saw this set of DVDs which were being pushed HEAVILY by Ellusionist so I decided to give it a try, as I did love mind bender (by the way, if you need a review of mindbender let me know). So i spent the $50 and sat and waited.

It arrived and as I popped it in the DVD player I was very impressed. However, after watching and listening to all 3 DVDs my opinion was formed. I had mixed feelings.

There is no doubt that this is a great set for anyone who wants to work with loops. However, I find that it is very much repeated the same over and over again throughout the DVDs, using the same 3 or so concepts continuously. The only main difference I saw between the DVDs is that each one a signature move preformed by the magician.

Dont get me wrong, you learn A LOT from these DVDs, but I am not sure that it is all that different.

Bottom Line

Many effects, few concepts.

Overall

I think if you want to get into loops, yo ushould buy this package as I believe it is a good deal, not a good deal though to buy them individually. If you just are looking for ways or methods to use loops for interest, I do not recommend this.

Great review! I'm thinking about buying these.

.:Ham:.

i found it a pretty poor investment. shoulda listened to seige (i know sir - sorry!). you can learn all this from basic ideas you can find in a leaflet, and just messing around yourself.

ironically, the effect i perform most out of all of these is a bonus card effect that theyt included, that doesnt even use loops!

wouoldnt recomend the dvds. on a scale of bad to worse I would rate them:

Bad: Volume 2 - Danny Garcia
Worse: Volume 3 - Justin Miller
Terible: Volume 1 - Nathan Kranzo

wouldnt recomend these dvds. but thats just my opinion.

Get some Loops, and a reasonable ITR, and get Ammar's thread miracles, and you'll learn a whole lot more.

and nip along to cards4magic.co.uk in their books sections...a few old little booklets for two or three quid!

Glad I have just read this review - I saw the effect on Ellusionist for the first time yesterday and nearly got caught up again in their very good marketing hype.

I'll take your advice and stay clear this time. Thanks!

I watched these last night and thought they would rate about 'passable'. As Puppeteer says, it is more or less the same effects over and over again and a few reworked effects (such as the Haunted Deck).

Garcia has the best effect with 'Life', which barely uses loops!, but also the worst effect with 'Static' which doesnt even use loops! Why market a DVD to find about loops and then include a routine that doesnt even use them???

J

"this will make your reputation". anyone ever notice how every trick on ellusionist will "make your reputation"? i just started doing magic again after a year off and i had never seen ellusionist until just a few days ago . i must say i am a little confused because i ordered 2 tricks from them ... does that mean i get 2 reputations? lol. i just think its cr*p-ola and im starting just now to notice that the best magic sites are not the ones with the best web designers. and do they know the misspelled "illusionist" lol ( i know its a marketing thing, im not that dumb)
there is my "new guy" 2 cents for what its worth

and dont turn your nose up at "static"! I get good reactions with the way it I perform it

I bought these dvd's recently as a birthday treat for myself. I havn't got much stuff from ellusionist before, but i have to say, the quality is always high, and love them or hate them, their tricks do always seem to get good reactions.

I have been using loops for a while now, usually just for the haunted deck, and the odd PK move. It was Daniel Garcia's 'Life' which attracted me to the set, and i was not dissapointed.

Garcia's is easily the best of the 3 dvds, his use of a loop for a ring vanish is excellent, similar to the 'Gone' coin vanish, but much much more practical. 'Hair' is also another very strong use for loops, i got the best reaction ever with this effect last night, it isn't sopmething you could do all the time, but witht eh right people at the right moment this is a KILLER.

I would have liked to have seen more original ideas with object other than playing cards, Kranzo's elastic band routine is quite good, but like Garcia, i am not a huge fan of levitating objects.

i think someone else mentioned 'Static', which is another great little effect by Garcia which is completely impromptu. I have also developed a move for the final phase of the routine, which allows the card to rotate 360 while it is floating behind your hands. i dont want to blow my own trumpet to much, but im pretty sure this is a completly new move, which greatly improves the finale of the routine. I am dying to share it with someone so PM me if you would like to know the move, and give me your thoughts on it.

Loops Forever!

Atomo