talkmagic.co.uk

There are a lot of mixed reviews circling the Street Package and NINJA videos by Brad Christian. There are endless discussions on his credibility involving magic plagiarism. However, I must say that as an instructional video and business that these tapes are second to none. The Street Package offers a variety of illusions ranging from the balducci levitation to mind blowing card tricks. There is even a bonus section including object levitation and flourishes with coins and cards. All of the tricks are performed for a live audience so that the viewer could witness how the performance is supposed to look. Then BRad breaks down the routine giving excellent instructions, repeating and focusing the important points. These videos are not for the magician. He is not trying to teach experienced magicians but those wanting to learn.
The NINJA series though are for skilled magicians because the sleights themselves require much skill. Brad uses the Vegas Cheat Routine theme to introduce different sleights and false cuts like variations of the PASS. This is a definite highlight considering the PASS is very confusing and difficult to learn from books. He teaches some FOUR ACE ROUTINES and the mind blowing One Handed Pass. This video alone would take countless hours to grasp and years to perfect. Intended for the experienced magician. As a bonus, NINJA members exclusively gain access to the Ellusionist Forum where experts share information and help each other.
Customer service is also excellent. Brad personally handles most orders. In my opinion his videos are worth every penny. I highly recommend them.

paul

One handed pass my *rse !!!!!!

It still gets a good response though. Admitedly you do get the impression from the preview that you are going to learn something incredibly hard, but the effect on an audience is still the same.

The web site is confusing, can anyone list the effects - I mean what exactly do you get for your money?

Done it myself - anyone recognise other sources for these effects?


The Street Package by Ellusionist - Trick List


1. "Burned" -

Spectator chooses a card, then thinks of the card. They draw a picture of the card on a slip of paper and

fold the paper into quarters. The paper is burned to ashes.

Performer takes the ashes and rubs them on his/her arm...

the image of the card slowly and perfectly appears on the performer's forearm. Performed by David Blaine in the Street Magic Special.

2. Glass Stinger -

Performer says he can make a coin disintegrate. Borrows a coin but says he has to cover the process so the spectator won't see it happen.

He puts a small glass over the coin but people can still see through it. So the performer wraps a paper napkin around the glass. The audience is getting skeptical, wondering if the trick will be any good.

The performer makes an "incantation" and pulls the glass off the coin but it is not gone. After a few more tries the coin is still not gone so... the performer slams the entire glass through the table. The audience hears it hit and go through.... performer pulls the glass out from under the table. The misdirection in this trick is perfect and creates sheer and total shock in an audience.

3. Sick Aces

Performer borrows a shuffled pack of cards and sets them on the table saying that during the entire trick he doesn't want to touch or come near the cards.

He instructs a volunteer to cut the cards into four piles.... the volunteer can cut ANYWHERE. The performer has the volunteer mix the cards at random, putting cards here and there and on the other piles - it makes no difference where. At no time does he even come near the cards. Then the performer asks what the four most wanted cards are in a game of poker. They say aces. The performer asks if he has touched the cards in any way. The answer is absolutely NO. The spectator turns over the top four cards and they are, impossibly, the four aces.

4. Trace Unseen

Performer takes a shuffled pack of cards and "riffles" through asking a spectator to stop ANYWHERE. When the spectator says stop, they remember what card they stopped at.... that card NEVER leaves the pack. The performer says "watch" as he slowly closes the pack on the chosen card (they SEE the card disappear into the pack) and then shuffles the pack. They never take their eyes off the performer's hands.)

The performer instructs the volunteer to think of the card and look at the cards as he turns over all the cards in the pack one by one. They go through the entire pack with the spectator watching to SEE his card but.... he never does. That card is the ONLY card now missing.... even though they have been watching the performer like a hawk.

The performer starts patting his pockets as if the card might be in one of them. He looks around the room. He starts looking at the people. He settles on one guy at the far end of the table, or room. He asks this man to check his jacket pocket. The man does, and pulls out the exact card that JUST VANISHED. Again, a version of this was performed by David Blaine in the Street Magic Special.

5. Merger

Borrow a business card from someone in the room. Fold it in quarters and tear the middle out of it. Show that there is a hole in the middle of the card and the four sides are intact. You thread the card onto a string, rope, shoelace, or whatever. You tell people that you are about to perform the impossible but for their own protection you are going to cover the process with a handkerchief. The ends of the string or rope are held by the audience at all times.

You reach under the handkerchief and in ten seconds remove the business card, intact, from the string. It still has the perfect hole in the middle! Everything may be examined. This is completely impossible. In videos on the Ellusionist site you will see a kid do it - we trained the kid for this trick in ten minutes.

6. Trick Switch

After picking a card and shuffling it into the deck, the performer says he is going to try to find the card but he asks the spectator to keep a strict poker face - not blink - and not give away the card "no matter what".

Performer pulls out three cards and puts them on the table one by one... each time asking the spectator if it IS his card. The third card IS the card - but since the spectator has been instructed NOT to give it away - he cannot say anything. The performer puts it on the table saying he's positive that these three cards are NOT the chosen one. (The spectators begin to get amused - thinking that the performer has blown it).

After playing around to build up the effect, the performer pulls out the chosen card from the DECK. Everyone DIVES for the card on the table - having seen it clearly placed there - but it is a different card!

When people ask you to do a card trick, do this one first. You won't believe how sorry they feel for you - that you are so dumb to blow it so badly. Then you will see them literally FREAK when the card on the table is not the card they thought it was, and they realize there is more to you than they thought. "DO ANOTHER ONE!! PLEASE!!!!"

7. Voodoo Zone ( also known as card warp)

The trick looks like pure magic. A card is folded in half, face in. Another card is folded in half lengthwise, face OUT. The face out card is pushed through the face in card and as it comes out the other side it changes to FACE IN. This all happens visibly and no "trick cards" are used. In fact, borrow a deck and do it - it's better that way.

8. Go Inside Sugar

You take a quarter on your hand. Place a sugar packet with the quarter and slowly close your hand around both. A spectator holds your wrist and another holds your hand and they squeeze. You open your hand and the quarter is gone but the sugar is still there. You rip open the sealed sugar packet and slowly empty it onto the table.... the quarter falls out of the packet, clanging on the table.

Do it in any bar or diner. Great to do for girls if you want them holding your hand.

9. George's Old Trick.

A. You show your hand absolutely empty and flick the fingers one by one. You instantly pull a quarter out of thin air, using just the one hand.

B. You put the coin on the table in front of you - everyone sees it in the middle of the table. You put a hand over it and gently rub in a tiny circle. Pull your hand off and the coin is simply gone. Another great one for a diner or dinner table.

10. Chance Zero.

You tell a spectator to take a shuffled deck and deal the cards one by one. If they think it's a red card they put it in one pile.... if they think it's black they put it in another pile. They deal the whole deck, face down, putting cards anywhere they want to. They can pull cards out and change them, whatever. You turn over the cards and the spectator has divided the cards between red and black perfectly..... this is magic at it's most amazing. You never touch the deck and it can be a borrowed deck. Inconceivable but true.

11. Print!

You pull out a stack of blank business cards and show all of them back and front. You pull out a single blank card and again, show it plainly back and front. Slowly you push it through your hand and as it emerges on the other side it comes out with your printing, name, address etc on it. Give it to the spectator... there is no better way to hand out your card.

12. Melted.

Borrow a solid ring and then borrow a shoelace, or string. You thread the ring on the lace and place it on a lady's outstretched hand. Slowly she closes her hand around the ring and lace and you can see the ring threaded right up to the last second. You take each end of the string and slightly pull it.... the lady can FEEL the string go right through the ring and off. She opens her hand and there it is. Off the lace.