talkmagic.co.uk

The DVD
John LeClair's "Who's afraid of IT"

Cost
Both of these sources have it for $35 (~£18)
Magic Depot (spend $40 (£21) and get free worldwide shipping)
Ellusionist

Difficulty 1~3
(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)


Review
John LeClair produced this DVD as a visual reference to his book, The Art of IT. The DVD was intended as a tutorial on the performance of IT, while the book is much more comprehensive technical manual on IT.

This DVD will cover how to harvest IT, and demonstrates a variety of effects using IT, including the Hummer card, the spectator's card rising out of a deck, and quite a few more for a total of 10 effects.

John LeClair carefully teaches each effect thoughly, demonstrating the technique and covers a variety of tips. The DVD comes with enough IT to start you off, as well as a special flesh colored putty for securing IT.

After spending a hour after watching the tape, I was able to do most of the effects easily (although you'll have to put in more time to get the full finesse of each effect).

Moneywise, its 35 dollars for 10 effects and enough IT for a few performances. Very cost effective and, in my opinion, worth alot more than its sticker price.

Compared to others (like Michael Ammar's DVD series), it the same sort of thing, so if you already have a DVD on IT, this isn't worth it. But if you are just starting out and want one this, this should be at the top of the list.

Overall 7 out of 10

Compared to others, LeClair is not the best teacher, but you will learn alot from this DVD. At $35 (~£18), this DVD, which comes with IT, is a bargin for those starting out in IT.

I would recommend this DVD for anyone wanting to start out in IT with a single purchase.

-James Physit

As an added bonus, Ellusionist has a combo offer to get a spider pen with the DVD for an extra $40 (£21).

That's 5 dollars off of a normal spider pen, giving you not only the spider pen, which this fourm seems to like, but also some effects easily adapted to utilize this tool, with tips on performance and the such.

-James Physit

The LeClair hookup is fantastically practical but will require plenty of practice.
Think a bit laterally about how to secure the top anchor (eg piece of clothing if you are so inclined) as the putting putty where he does can be a bit tempramental. Can't be more specific on an open forum but you should get my meaning if you know the hookup.

Shanester

I have owned this DVD for quite a while but I have never bothered with the set up (not that it's too complicated). I think LeClair does a good job teaching the effects but I have not watched Michael Ammar's video to compare. His live performances are quite enjoyable to watch, even though he doesn't seem to get a huge reaction, probably because he doesn't try to get to serious instead he performs in a very light hearted manner which seems appropriate for working in a restaurant.

The only important information he seems to leave out on this DVD is regarding the lighting conditions to look out for when working with IT. Apparently he goes into this in one of his books. Some information about this subject can also be found on his website.