talkmagic.co.uk

[disclaimer: the title should read "Zippo-style lighter", but it wouldn't fit; though, you can PROBABLY fit the gimmick inside a genuine Zippo]

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THE EFFECT

Here's the official spam...


Full 52 Productions is proud to present 'The Light' by Chris Congreave.

At any time during your set you can cause a signed playing card, bill, business card or billet to appear inside the inner fuel chamber of this specially gimmicked petrol lighter.

'The Light' is a close-up magicians dream! The prop itself is completely above suspicion - it is the epitmoe of an 'everyday item'. It is small and convenient to use and it instantly re-sets. And, you are not limited to using just cards. The Light works equally well with money or business cards meaning the breadth of what's possible with this professional prop is limited only by your imagination!

Lay audiences go wild for 'The Light'. It just seems so impossible that you could have caused their signed card/bill to end up inside the lighter! They may even have been holding onto the lighter the entire time - yet their signed object still appears inside! This is a FOOLER!

You will love how it functions, providing an absolutely killer illusion that leaves the prop far from the minds of the audience when they go searching for an answer to how you could possibly have acheived the teleportation of their card or bill into the hermetically sealed inner chamber of the lighter which has been in full view throughout!

'The Light' also includes a full length DVD featuring no less than SEVEN complete routines! There is something for everyone, from beginner to amateur, included on this DVD and no stone is left unturned when it comes to the in's and out's of the specially machined prop itself. Everything you need to know is fully explained in minute detail so you can confidently go out and start frying peoples minds with your new weapon of mass destruction!

The DVD also includes 'in the trenches' performances where you'll see Chris absolutely destroy random strangers time and again with 'The Light'. These real life performances are testament to the power of the magic that is possible and will leave you in no doubt that 'The Light' is a solid gold worker that you won't want to leave home without!

Here's the official video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCrjzMZLamQ

Cost: £39.99 from Chris's website (buy direct!) http://www.christophercongreave.co.uk/shop.htm


RATINGS

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)
1-3: Some sleights likely if you use with a playing card, though this depends on your routine. More or less sleight free with a signed banknote, though again this depends on your routine.
Instructions: 5/5 (highly detailed DVD)
Presentation: 4/5 (loses a point for the annoying music on the DVD, though this is a trivial matter, and it's rare to find a magic DVD that doesn't play irritating music every few minutes)
Gimmick build quality: 5/5 (the lighter itself is a cheap Zippo knock-off, but the gimmick is as good as you need it to be, and I'm pretty sure it will fit inside a more expensive authentic Zippo; the lighter doesn't light but I doubt there's a way around that, I personally I think the effect is better with the lighter just sparking)
Reset: None required.
Angles: No significant issues.
Card restrictions: Any brand, as it's easy to alter the gimmick.
Pocket space: Minimal.
Nudist colony rating: Can be performed naked, but as to where you'll store the lighter, you'll have to use your imagination!
Mucky pup rating: Start and end with clean paws. "Good doggy!"

Overall: 10 out of 10. Loses half a point for the annoying music but gains half a point because Chris is quite possibly from Wolves, where I used to live.


REVIEW

This is now one of my favourite effects. It's easy to do, it's practical, it's instant resent, it takes up very little pocket space and it's high impact and highly visual. What's not to like?

It's also versatile. I already have enough card routines so I'll be using this with a signed banknote.

How easy is it to adapt the gimmick for a different brand of playing cards or a banknote? If you can stick a passport photo to a driving licence form, you can do this.

ANY brand of cards and any banknote can be used, from a $1 bill to a UK £50.

The lighter doesn't light, but personally I think this is a good thing. The lighter sparking but failing to light indicates that something has gone wrong with the lighter. It makes perfect sense to then open the lighter and look inside.

I've read elsewhere that it's possible to get the lighter to work, but that you'd only get about ten lights out of it before needing to refill. Personally, I intend to carry two lighters with me, this and a matching regular lighter. More pocket space, but pocket space is still fairly minimal. When I need a flame, I'll use the regular lighter.

The DVD includes:

SIGNED CARD TO LIGHTER
Performed live twice, with an ACR and pocket to pocket routine, then explained.

SIGNED BANKNOTE TO LIGHTER
Performed live twice, then explained.

THE FOLD
How to fold a signed card in your pocket, so you don't need to learn the Mercury Fold.

THE REVEAL
Four or five different methods of producing the banknote or folded card are explained, all of which look entirely awesome.

THE CARD ROUTINE
Chris's ACR. Various moves explained such as The Tilt and the Illogical DL.

BONUS IDEAS
Fun with flash wool (not instant reset). Gags with an engraved lighter (you can get the lighter engraved).

PURSE ROUTINE
Banknote vanish/appearance in more detail. Easy vanish with a purse (ungimmicked) and a TT.

WAND ROUTINE
A comedy banknote routine with a mini magic wand.

PHOTO ROUTINE
Inspired by Heirloom. You can download the photo from the full52 website.

ONE LIGHTER
Kind of a mentalism routine, perhaps more mental magic than mentalism. Relies heavily on equivocation, and you don't end clean.

IAIN'S ROUTINE
Banknote changes into another banknote and the original appears inside the lighter.

CARD UNDER LIGHTER
This routine is AWESOME. It's just so simple. And it's easy to do, almost sleight free. Relies more on misdirection than sleights. And it has three phases. Card appears on the lighter, under the lighter, then inside the lighter. Just beautiful.

I'm thinking there's nothing overly new in method here; would that be accurate?
The one that's springing immediately to mind [modern wise] is David Stone's "Cell" (though it's all covered in Hugard and Braue no doubt too)

Don't get me wrong, I think it looks the business; just want to establish what's actually being purchased: method, gimmick or both?

Well, I guess there's some specifics that are unique to this, but the general overall principle isn't new.

I'd say don't buy it with the hope of learning a concept that you can apply elsewhere. But do buy it if you want to make a signed card or banknote appear inside a lighter.

Not familiar with Cell.

The Devil's Tailor wrote:Not familiar with Cell.

PM'ed rather than clogging up the thread with talk and links to other effects.

I'm pretty excited about this, as I ordered this in the Alakazam sale, but have heard Craig Petty uses this as a finale to Chop. Whilst waiting for The Light to arrive, however, does anyone who has this know whether a scrunched up balled note a la Chop could work, as I'm pretty sure from seeing the demos to The Light that it is usually a flat (i.e. a folded note for example) object that is the revelation, but this would make it incompatible with Chop, as I think it would be difficult to get the Chop gimmick to work with a folded up note rather than (as intended) a balled up note.

I second the Devil Taylor's thoughts that pocket space IS gold dust, and having The Light as the final revelation would be absolute killer, and I agree that a note rather than a playing card would make this more special than the dozens of excellent (marketed) card routines I currently use. Anyone able to shed some - ahem - light on this?

Also, without having the product yet (annoying Alakazam are shipping sale items after 3 January, but can't complain as got 15% off) I imagine to use in conjunction with Chop I guess you could unscrunch the note and then fold it up again, but for me this would seem a tad illogical, although that's just me over analysing in typical magician's guilt (yes, why run if not being chased), but on a practical level, having to pause whilst doing the unscrunching and folding would lessen the organic, off the cuff and spontaneous feel if the two routines (Chop and The Light) could flow smoothly.

Also, as above, this review does mention how his gimmick works, and the reviewer mentioned how he had been in touch with Full52 with the small possibility that an update may be released in future as to how to go about modifying the gimmick. Ideally if this comes in the form of instructions for existing owners (e.g. if proving they purchased the effect), rather than having to repurchase the effect (as I understand this has already been remarketed when it was previously "Well Lit"), then such would be spangly.

The review which mentions this is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym5IgPr04Uc

Rufio wrote:Also, as above, this review does mention how his gimmick works

Rufio isn't refering to my review, I want to point out, but the review at the metootube link.

Rufio wrote:I second the Devil Taylor's thoughts that pocket space IS gold dust

This effect can take up ZERO pocket space if you buy a lighter holder with a belt loop. Usually leather, large enough to hold a Zippo-style lighter (and no larger), flap on the top/front with a press stud, loop on the back to attach it to your belt.

You can buy them Gauntleys.com [EDIT: THE SERVICE FROM GAUNTLEYS IS APPALLING. WILL NEVER USE THEM AGAIN!]

Rufio wrote:I imagine to use in conjunction with Chop I guess you could unscrunch the note and then fold it up again, but for me this would seem a tad illogical

I think you'll be able to find some middle ground. I don't know exactly how 'round' the scrunched note needs to be for Chop, but if you could maybe fold it a few times before scrunching it... well, I don't want to say too much because I don't want to expose the method, but I think you could effectively have a 'scrunched' note that would fit inside the lighter. Then you'd only need to un-scrunch the banknote a bit before the vanish and the appearance inside the lighter. Just sort of straighten it out a bit maybe?

But as I said above, ultimately whatever is revealed inside the lighter does need to be more or less flat.

To put it another way: it could be folded in a very scruffy, scrunchy-way, but it does have to be more or less flat.

I haven't tried this though, I've never used Chop, so don't blame me if you find that it doesn't work!

The Devil's Tailor wrote:

Rufio wrote:Also, as above, this review does mention how his gimmick works

Rufio isn't refering to my review, I want to point out, but the review at the metootube link.

Yes, just to clarify as well, the Youtube review referred to how his gimmick actually worked as a lighter. I wasn't suggesting any exposure on The Devil's Tailor's part.

Thanks for the pointer as to scrunching. I'm pretty confident I could straighten it out before the revelation and fold the previously scrunched up note to prepare for the final lighter revelation. This could be pure gold! Have actually stopped using Chop for some time, mainly as, like with Cups and Balls, the final lemon load is probably the most magical phase. But a lemon is pretty bulky, whereas this is perfect, and sounds equally impossible.

If you haven't used Chop I highly recommend it.

Rufio wrote:Have actually stopped using Chop for some time, mainly as, like with Cups and Balls, the final lemon load is probably the most magical phase. But a lemon is pretty bulky, whereas this is perfect, and sounds equally impossible.

Even hollow latex lemons? I've never used them, but have heard of them...

Got this today Devil's Tailor. I really like it, although mine came in gold, which I think looks somewhat naff compared to silver, so I have emailed Alakazam to see if they could replace the gold cover for a silver one. The lighter itself, I agree, is an innocent prop: my reservations are purely for cosmetic reasons, and being utterly pedantic. If replaced into silver I will be as happy as Larry and see this as a staple.

The gimmick and thinking behind is really clever though, and would have quite an impact as it does seem fairly impossible. My first thought of application was to combine it with The Extractor for an absolutely impossible climax, although it does seem a waste of two individually excellent effects, but then again if time is short it would be amazing to combine for an impossible location plot.

I envisage using this for when The Extractor is out of use due to no jacket, or indeed, performing a variation of the full routine when doing multiple revelations. His ambitious routine with the card appearing in pockets is quite well thought out, and I'm sure at some point all the numerous variations of the Ambitious Card plot I've seen could combine and could well create an epic card marathon, although I'm sure spectators would lose interest after the 27th time the card popped to the top.

Good stuff.

You can buy them on Camden market for £5. I expect you can get them in lots of places.

I bought two, one to switch. That was before I decided to order a posh one, a genuine Zippo.

I stopped using the Extractor as I can't spare the pocket space, but I always loved using it.