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The Effect

2 cards are signed and dated... Without any funny moves at all they VISIBLY see the two signatures change places. Then, both SEPARATE cards become one single card in their hand with your signature on one side, and their signature on the other.

Autograph takes the classic Anniversary Waltz to a new level, with a twisted ending that no one expects.

Reset is instant
So powerful you almost have to close your act with it

Beautifully routined, not difficult, uses standard card handling methods

Full gimmick included with DVD, ends clean, leave the signature card with your spectators

Cost
£19.99 for one DVD and a pack of gimmicks

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)

The easy end of 3 - watch the demo and you'll know what you have to do

Review

I've often been warned off Ellusionist stuff and bought this almost to prove a point. Having watched the demo I couldn't believe how obvious and basic the routine was - surely there's something more to it than that?!? Well, no. It is exactly as basic as you'd expect. I've only been doing card magic for a few months and from the demo knew exactly what was going on all the way through. It's quite a good effect, but definitely a one-trick pony. You can leave the spec with the final card to keep, which is always a positive, and the DVD has a few nice little pointers about the routine and crowd management, but that's about it.

Now I really like Justin Miller and his Army of 52 (gaff deck) DVD is an excellent buy with a number of tasty routines. But for the same money you could make a big mistake and get this DVD which includes just one very straight-forward routine of his - I recommend that you don't! Get Ao52 instead!

I must admit that the production values are generally pretty good and the DVD looks nice. Justin has abandoned his previous Neo/Matrix look for more of a grunge/slacker feel which seems to work better. Unfortunately in some shots the camera is slow in looking at the right place and one small section is all annoyingly hidden behind Justin's hand.

On the DVD there are a number of very similar performance run-throughs that don't really tell you very much.

There's then a description of the set-up, routine, clean-up, etc but these include loads of padding - it could easily have been done in ten minutes or less.

The demos of a DL and a couple of other basic moves that you all know already are poor - you can easily see the second card or the pack has an obvious "step" or there is a major "ski-jump" in the corner. I suppose it's done to show you what's going on more clearly (or make you feel better about your own lousy technique!).

There are some nice moves taught, but during the descriptions Justin mentions that most of them are covered in more detail on Army of 52, just to rub it in.

Having said all of the above I'll probably start doing Autograph in my routines because, done cleanly, it will be impressive to the layman. But for what you get on the DVD it's just not worth the money and there are many many better purchases out there (like Ao52!).

Overall

There are lots of reviews on TM that rave about a product and give it 10/10 or whatever. As you can see this is not one of those! I'd love to know if I've been unduly harsh and if anyone else can see real value in this DVD, but I'm struggling to justify the £19.99 it cost. I think I've learn my lesson - if the demo looks really obvious and you think you know how the trick is done then you may well be right!

3/10 - poor

An almost identical, but much better version of this effect is explained as one of the approximately ten effects on Darwin Ortiz's Scams & Fantasies volume 2 DVD, and while excellent it's not even the strongest effect taught on that DVD.

Scams & Fantasies volume 2 is £9.99 from MagicBox.

I think you've learned your Ellusionist lesson, eh, Stoner?

I watched that and I can't believe you bought that. That's just... They selling that !? Wow... Ellusionist really needs to stop...

Yeah I know, I know...

Lesson is learnt and I think my copy of the DVD will be on evilBay shortly.

But to be fair to ellusionist. Where else can you get eluusionsit brand rub on tattoos?

I had heard of this coming out, but havn't seen a demo of it. Surely it's just a version of Anniversary Waltz isn't it!? Selling for 20 quid! With almost every project these guys put out, they really do out-do themselves and this, unfortunately, is no exception.

I can't believe they have the cheek to release something like this for £20. They are doing themselves and their reputation no favours, but I guess your average TM member is not who they are aiming this kind of tosh at. Stoner, nevermind; 5h!t happens. We all make mistakes (God knows I have made a few!) and perhaps next time you will look at Ellusionist with a more critical eye.

babyshanks wrote:I had heard of this coming out, but havn't seen a demo of it. Surely it's just a version of Anniversary Waltz isn't it!? Selling for 20 quid! With almost every project these guys put out, they really do out-do themselves and this, unfortunately, is no exception.

You're absolutely correct. Everything Ellusionist puts out is just a tackily stylised and over-priced version of an already existing method/effect. Stigmata is just blood writing, this thing is just Anniversary Waltz, and Flow and Factory Sealed are also both methods that have existed for decades. And that's just four off the top of my head.

Hell, I think Paul Zennon performed what is now known as Flow to Carol Vorderman on Countdown years before "Flow" was released as revolutionary.

I'm not giving Ellusionist another thin dime, such has been my experience of them - and I learned the hard way, too. Buying their sh*te.

Everyone here has to remember that 'E' is a business and its target market is not people who have been doing magic for a long time but the beginners and the people who want to try a few things. I for one like some of the older teaching they offered a couple of years ago when I got Ninja 1 & 2. However now people have to look beyond the "MTV style footage" and they should be looking up and creating their effects from better sources, if I wanna learn about say for example Swamis, then I would buy Corinda (and advise all others to do so as it is excellent), I would not look to 'E' for their latest offering od a "revolution in mind reading magic" (what I imagine they would put to sell a DVD on the subject).
Anyway 'E' is here to stay, use it or don't but please remember what the first shop you looked at online when you wanted to start magic, assuming the internet was around at that time!

Chris Tennant

Embarrassingly when I ventured into what I thought was a more serious stance in magic, I came across Ellusionist and ended up buying the Ninja1 (or was it 2) DVD. I seem to remember it being described as the definitive guide to learning the pass, or some tosh like that.

Before he started teaching it, he says that I really should know the pass by now, spends 2 minutes teaching the damn thing, then goes into detail about the mechanics grip!

I could rant all day about this website, but I would end up writing a small book!

Infact, I might illegally download all their DVD's, just out of spite.

Woo-hoo!

If you put this...

"justin miller" autograph

..into Google then my review above is currently the top search result shown! It's even above the Ellusionist page selling the DVD and the YouTube demo clip. Maybe that will warn people off.

Received an email today from a magic shop informing me of a few new releases (this being one of them), so I thought I'd check it out and see what it was all about.

After viewing the video twice, I'm fairly sure I've sussed out the method (this was not my original intention, but I'm sure we're all guilty of this to some degree or other). If I'm right (and I'm fairly sure I am) - I cannot believe that this is being sold for £20 ish .......... sheesh .........

........ and one thing that really annoys me, is them annoying videos that are soooooo misleading ........... "Here, let me show you a trick with my cards. What's that?? You want me to use your cards - not mine?? Fine!!"

.......... it's just as well your cards happen to be the same design and colour as mine ..... innit ??

This vid, in my opinion, seems to suggest, although it never actually states, that this trick could be done with a borrowed deck of cards ....... kinda sneaky in my opinion .......

Well, the routine can be done on a borrowed deck. As long as it's the right colour and design. And you have the gimmick in your pocket. And they don't mind you writing on their cards. And you have to either keep their deck at the end of the trick or they'll be able to look at it and say "hang on a moment..." and work out what you've done.

Otherwise yes you can do it with a borrowed deck!

TheStoner wrote:Well, the routine can be done on a borrowed deck. As long as it's the right colour and design. And you have the gimmick in your pocket. And they don't mind you writing on their cards. And you have to either keep their deck at the end of the trick or they'll be able to look at it and say "hang on a moment..." and work out what you've done.

Otherwise yes you can do it with a borrowed deck!

Sounds pretty common to me!

Actually I was joking. This is the world's best magic DVD and you should all buy it RIGHT NOW. It is totally awesome! Don't miss out on the greatest thing ever! Justin Miller is a genius. And the hidden bonus routine of finding any card at any number in any room on any day under any circumstances is amazing (but it is VERY well hidden on the DVD and I wouldn't be suprised if no-one ever finds it). BUY NOW!!!

(Will this do Justin? Send the cheque to the usual address please)