talkmagic.co.uk

Effect - This dvd 'teaches you how to bring more of your self to your magic while discussing 28 key creative principles behind unlocking your own unique "magic imagination"' (editied 'blurb' from back cover)

Review - Personally, I love this dvd although there are mixed reviews at penguin magic (who shouldn't be selling it anyway, but thats another story).

I'v always been a creative person but had never applied this skill to magic. As an unskilled 'newbie', I knew very few slights and so felt that i was not 'qualified' in a sense to create anything. I stuck rigidly to tried and tested routines because I thought that was best. This dvd changed my whole perception of magic!

It explains the processes involved in being magically creative and things that you can try yourself to encourage yourself to think differently and create fresh ideas. NOTE this is not an 'instructional' dvd exactly (which dissapointed some people). It does not teach slights or handlings, except the 4 bonus routines. It teaches ways of thinking and exercises to increase creativity. Chapters include:

Any effect is possible
Imagine tomorrow night
Remove what you can
Wear magic glasses
New is nothing
I like it except
Plus many more....

Each chapter is thoroughly explained and the headings are printed on a free mini poster that you can put on your wall to inspire you.

Overall - I'v watched this dvd many times because there is so much to take in. I'v been able to create many effects (although some I cannot perform myself because I can't do the slights) lol In short, it helped me think in new ways.

Cost £19.99 from www.magictricks.co.uk
Runtime 62 minutes
Difficulty - n/a
My Rating 5/5

I've heard lots of good things about this DVD....

I may even get it
Will help me come up with some new tricks, and doubtlessly will give me a laugh at Jays expense

I have this but didn't watch it yet

'I have this but didn't watch it yet' - there's a constructive use of typing time!

Anyway, here's my take on this DVD. I got given this as a freebie when I spent far too much on a visit to a popular NYC magic shop, so it wasn't something I actually sought out to buy.

With that in mind, I thought it might go straight onto eBay, especially as I am new enough to magic to seriously doubt that I could create anything.

I was pleasantly surprised. The production values of the DVD are nothing special. mostly consisting of slowly moving images or footage (clocks, pedestrians, candles, that kind of thing) while Sankey voices his thoughts, advice and encouragement over the top. This works just fine, as more than most magic videos it is the words that count here rather than the visuals.

Much of the advice seems quite obvious when you think about it, but the point is you mostly WON'T have thought about it. And then there are many quite insightful points and pointers that don't seem so obvious.

To my surprise, the end result was that only a short way into the DVD I found myself hitting 'pause' because I had come up with an idea that seems rather neat to me. (It may well not actually be original of course, but that's not really the point - I came up with it myself, something I hadn't done before watcing this presentation).

In addition, the DVD features four effects performed and explained for you. These are described as being new, though I have no idea if they have appeared on any other Sankey DVD. I'll outline these in case it tips the balance for you:

'Final Countdown': Spectator takes a card from the deck, looks at it, reinserts it. The deck is shuffled (by spectator if you like, with a small risk), the spectator then names any number from 1-52, counts down the deck to that number, turns the card over and it is theirs. This is pretty good.

'Houdini's Touch' (or something like that). A think string is tied into a mash of tight knots by the spectators. The magician takes hold of it and instantly pulls it back into a smooth, unknotted state. I thought this was quite weak, with the commo-sense explanation that many spectators will suspect being exactly correct.

'Synchronicity' is a 'do as I do' effect. Deck divided in half, spectator and magician both turn one card face-down under table/out of sight. They prove to have selected a matching pair, eg 9 of hearts and 9 of diamonds. This is very clean and fair-looking, a good effect.

Can't remember the name of the last one but it's a moderate marked-coin-vanishes-and-appears-in-soda-can effect. I didn't like the look of it at all, but it's not my kind of effect so I may not be the best judge.

I don't really like to give marks out of 10. My view is that this is a very worthy DVD that can kickstart your creativity. The effects are a nice bonus, with 'Sychronicity' being particularly strong.