Browsing the forums I keep seeing this recommended but noticed that there's no actual review so here's my attempt.
"You're gonna get a kick out of this".
Gregory Wilsons Double Take DVD
What Is It?
This is the frequently mentioned DVD by Gregory Wilson specifically designed to teach and develop DL techniques and even gives examples of the types of tricks which can be performed utilizing that technique.
How Much Does It Cost?
Available here at £22.99 which I think is quite reasonable.
How Long Is It?
Approx. 2 hours, although beginners wont have to watch any more than the first 30 minutes to have a grasp of the techniques and some basic tricks.
Is It Hard To Master?
Theres something on this DVD for everyone from complete beginners to people who are comfortable performing the dl but maybe want to improve on it or make it look more natural and unquestionably believable!
Is It Any Good??
Ok, first off, this was the first magic DVD I bought and so I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm not sure when this was filmed although I guess it was sometime in the early 90's or late 80's. This DVD is very obviously a direct port of the original tape format and as such there are moments all the way through it where the tape has tracked badly. Additionaly, the picture looks its age so basically you might as well be watching a video tape. Dont let any of that put you off though because (and heres the cliche) the quality of the material is worth every penny of what you've spent.
When you see this DVD advertised on magic sites, you'll probably see that there are in fact 25 double lifts on this DVD. For me this seemed daunting and I thought I'd be ignoring most of them. In actual fact, they are set out on the DVD in a sensible way.
Mr Wilson starts by showing 4 different lifts (in fact there are 3 actual lifts and a slight but powerful variation on one of them). There is then a "quick startup section" of tricks for you to practice. I felt this was a good way to learn since, although I was still repeating the same sleight over and over again, at least I had a few tricks to show off at the end of it! Beginners wont need to watch any further than this point since theres enough in this first half hour to keep you going although it's always interesting to watch the rest and I personally felt quite encouraged by the demonstrations of what will be possible after I have mastered the more basic lifts completely.
What follows are some slightly more in depth tricks performed to a small audience and explanations of each one in turn. In the explanations, Mr Wilson touches on some other essential sleights such as the elmsley count and some palming. What is taught of these additional sleights is brief but adequate considering this is a DL DVD!
More complicated lifts are left towards the end which is great as it means the DVD follows your progression from beginner to more advanced card worker. These lifts are still based on the originals but add even more of a believable dimension to your performance of them and as such are a tad more complicated.
At the end of the DVD you are even treated to some out takes! Nice!
The pace of the DVD is the other notable thing. At times Mr. Wilson seems rushed but this never affects the delivery of his explanations which are always as clear and concise as you could hope for. He always speaks of small details you might not otherwise think of such as finger positions and he never neglects to point out good and bad angles. I couldn't help but feel that alot of this DVD was improvised but even so, Mr. Wilson is clearly a man who knows his double lifts and he succesfuly passed that information onto myself and (I would think) to whoever else watches the DVD.
So should I buy it!?
Well do you want to learn the DL but you're not sure where to start!? Gee.. what's with all the questions!???!?
Personally I'd say YES!!! Buy this DVD!!!
For my early attempts to learn this sleight I used a book which I can't remember the name of. It had pictures and everything but I couldn't get it right! After a period where I gave up on magic (
) I bought RRTCM which helped a bit with the dl but I still felt incapable of performing it with confidence. I'm one of those people who needs to properly see things, a "visual learner" if you will. If you too are a visual learner and want to learn the dl then you need look no further than this DVD.
It may seem silly to splash out all that money on one sleight but you will undoubtedly end up perfoming that sleight better than you would otherwise and with more variation too. Besides, you get taught some great tricks along the way.
Thats another point: if you're looking to vary your dl more (if you use the same one alot) then this DVD might help you do just that, although I think it is aimed more at beginners!
At times I thought Mr Wilson was being a bit vague until I realised all he was forgetting to say was "practice".
To sum up, I really couldn't recommend this DVD enough.
Hope you enjoyed it,
Norm.
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