talkmagic.co.uk

Hey, I'm a novice magician, and I've been sorely tempted by an effect called "White Star".

It's £30 and at the moment I can't afford to be forking out 30 quid a trick, so my main question is is it worth buying? Or should I get 3-4 tricks for the same price by looking for cheaper tricks?

I bought Out Of This World by someone Curry at some point, but the handling there was quite tricky for me, and I wondered is White Star the same?

Can the spectators decide what cards they are keeping and discarding and the magician need not make ANY switch of ANY sort WHATSOEVER?
And can it be done by someone who is a newcomer to magic (Svengali, Stripper and RaMa deck is usually my routines, so you get an idea of skill-level)

Many thanks in advance,
Whoosh,

This is about as straightforward as it gets.

The spectator has a totally free choice throughout the performance and the handling is very easy to do,although you need to understand that the whole presentation is not a magic trick! It is not a deck of cards!

I do this on a regular basis,usually as a closer to an intimate dinner performance (most recently in Hertford) and the reaction was superb. It was nice to build up to this demonstration. I have my two objects (a ruby ring and a victorian coin) in a small box that I put on the table before the meal started. It sat there for two hours while my guests ate and wondered about its contents. I then performed it over coffee. The guests were relaxed,full of food and wine, and ready to participate.

One guy at the end of the table literally gasped during the revelation and said..'that is the best thing you did tonight...'

So, I really think this is a good investment if you are worried about the expenditure. The book that comes with it is chocked full of ideas, and the handling is simply not an issue.

Hope this helps!

Dr T

I must confess, I had never heard of White Star, but now that I have googled for it ( http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/sutra254639.php amongst others) it looks pretty good and I fear it may well end up in my repetoir....


But, if it's not an impertinent question, if £30 is outside your budget why not buy a book that has lots of tricks in it? If I'd actually paid the copyright holder / creator for OOTW I might be inclined to watch someone else's handling and become a master at that? I understand that it can have very impressive results I think I saw a vid of that blaine chappie on youtube doing it .

I'm tending to agree with aporia here, I've heard alot of good things about White Start but if you're a novice you're probabaly better off getting yourself a book like Royal Road which will teach you a lot more about card magic as well as plenty of brilliant tricks.

This in my opinion is not something you can perform in every situation, as in table hopping, or working a restaurant or a wedding.

It is more as Dr Todd said, more of an effect for a more intimate audience, it reaqlly can't be rushed so you can perform it at the next table!
The whole effect is based on your ability to 'create' the mood and atmosphrere.

So you must consider if you want to spend £30 on an effect that only works best in these conditions!

Hello whoosh (i didnt think id be typing that anytime soon...)

I was in a similar predicament when i started out, with the similar from hell.
Looking back now, it would have been pointless getting it, as i would not have appreciated the effect for what it was, not sure i can yet...
I did buy a few effects and they didnt meet my expectations not because the effects were poor, but my general understanding was.
My suggestion would be to not buy "tricks" as you call them, but spend your investments on books or dvd's if your the visual type of learner.

If you really really want a trick, so you feel you can start putting into practice what you have already learnt, try the self working magic books from fulves.

FairieSnuff x

i dont think that your at the right stage in magic, to get the best out of something like white star.

the sucess of a piece like this, is in the presentation.

Im woried that, with little experience, you may take it and treat it like just another magic trick, and this is way more than that.

as others have sugested, look at getting a few books. Also, please dont give up on Paul curry's out of this world...its perfectly safe to do it using no sleights .

good luck..
D.

As has been suggested, it's not really a "magic trick", and it would be a real shame if it was treated as such. In terms of "is it worth thirty quid", yes, it is, but if you're looking to broaden your repertoire as a new magician I would steer away from it for now. All the power is in the build up and the atmosphere - you need to be able to make things serious, and chilling... just presenting it as a form of out of this world with picture cards is no good at all.

I'd suggest that you'd be better off getting some good books to start with, Royal Road and Karl Fulves have already been suggested another good one to have a look at is Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic.

actually, go check out sankey's site - he posts up free card tricks every day it seems...and he's offering discounts too...

Don't buy this trick.

Buy a combination of the books mentioned and a brick of Bicycle Poker cards or one of Michael Ammar's Easy To Master Card Miracles DVDs and just a couple decks.

The effects you can learn from these resources are not 'kids stuff' or effects that spectators will see through at all.

You will have an armoury of magic that will see you through for years.

Someone Curry...

IAIN wrote:actually, go check out sankey's site - he posts up free card tricks every day it seems...and he's offering discounts too...

apparently Sankey paid a visit to the gents a few weeks ago... and invented 3 new tricks between shakes.

did he do a twirl vanish before it went back inside his flies?

There's a joke here somewhere about the Magus Capsule but I can't quite get it...