Magic Products Review
VOODOO by Liam Montier
This effect by Liam Montier was inspired by Albert Spackman’s Voodoo described in The Art Of Close-Up Magic, Volume 1.
This is how Liam performs it. After talking about voodoo and its ritual to a spectator, he brings out his name card which has a stick drawing of a man. This card is placed face downwards conspicuously on the table.
He then shows a small packet of what seems to
be Polaroid photographs. Each photograph shows
a voodoo doll with a pin stuck onto a certain part
of its body. For example, one photograph will show a pin stuck into the voodoo doll’s head, another one shows the pin stuck in its right arm, one with the pin stuck in its chest and so on. This packet of photographs is place face downwards on the table.
The spectator is told to think of the first name of a person she would like to cast a spell on. She writes this name on a piece of paper. Liam screws it into a small ball. The name of this person is then spelt by dealing the photographs, one at a time, one photograph for each letter spelt, onto the table. The photograph at the last letter spelt is turned face upwards to reveal that the chosen photograph depicts the voodoo doll with a pin thrusted into its right hand.
Liam picks up the paper ball from the table, and holds it above the flame from a cigarette lighter. The ball of paper vanishes with a flash. This can be quite startling to the audience. When his business card on the table is turned over, it now shows an “X” being etched onto the right arm of the stickman.
You receive a set of 14 “Polaroid photographs of the voodoo doll and an instructional DVD.
In the DVD, Liam performs and then teaches his routine. This set of voodoo photographs can be used for other routines. They are written up by Liam in a printable pdf document also provided in the DVD.
In this pdf document, Liam mentions several routines as well as describes numerous method of revealing where the pin has struck onto the voodoo doll. Once you understand the working principle, you can come out with your own routines too.
Effects involving voodoo dolls create a mysterious and sometimes eerie atmosphere, and are bound to captivate an audience’s attention. This effect involves awesome looking voodoo photographs and allows you to perform either in a serious or light- hearted manner. It is easy to do, involves much participation from the audience, and the props can be reset easily and quickly. (8 out of 10 stars rating)
MENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY DECK
There are a lot of gimmicked deck of cards available to magicians.
They are specially constructed to enable the performer to achieve a particular effect otherwise not possible with sleight-of-hand.
The Mental Photography deck enables the performer to achieve the following effect.
The deck of cards is taken out of its case and spread widely to show that all the cards are blanks on both sides. The printer has forgotten to print faces and backs on these cards.
With a magical gesture, a card appears in the middle of the spread. This card is cut to the face of the deck. When the entire deck is turned over, a back shows.
The cards are then riffled from one hand onto the other hand. The entire deck now can be seen to comprise cards with faces and backs, just like in a normal deck of
cards.
But this is all an illusion. With a magical gesture, the face card becomes blank.
The entire deck is spread between the hands and, like before, every card is shown to be blanks on both their faces as well as on their backs.
You are supplied with this special deck in poker sized cards.
The instructions are in the form of a small printed note card. You are also provided with a link to a short video performance and tutorial.
With some practise, you will soon get the knack of handling this deck. It is easy to perform and has no performing angle problems.
The effect is fast and surprising. For a well-made deck of cards, $15 is a small investment. But a special discount off this price is available at the meeting.
Recommended!
SON AND DAUGHTER by Higar
This is an unusual name for a magic trick. It is also an usual magic effect. Martin Lewis, the creator of Cardiographic, said of this trick: “I think this is a very commercial effect with wide appeal and easy to do. Also I like the presentation. I think it is great for a family audience.”
Let us take a look at the actual effect. The performer tells his audience that when he was a young magician, he used to work during weekends and holidays. His young daughter used to ask him to stay at home and play with her.
When she found that it was not possible for her daddy to stay at home and spend time with her because he has to perform for his clients, the little girl asked that she goes with him to the performances. Her daddy replied that he would bring her along when she was a little older.
The performer has a member of the audience select a playing card. Continuing with his story, the performer says that his daughter reluctantly stayed at home. The performer brings out a box and opens it to show that it contains a set of 16 children’s wooden building blocks. He would ask her daughter to play with these blocks and build a proper picture.
The performer shows that the 16 blocks are presently all jumbled up. He picks up the 16 pieces and holds them as a block between his hands. Without placing them on the table, the 16 wooden blocks magically rearrange themselves in his 2 hands to form a complete picture of a child’s drawing of the Queen of Hearts.
The spectator turns over her selected card – it is indeed the Queen of Hearts! The performer concludes the story by saying that his daughter is now ready to follow
him to his performances!
The performer shows that the 16 blocks are presently all jumbled up. He picks up the 16 pieces and holds them as a block between his hands. Without placing them on the table, the 16 wooden blocks magically rearrange themselves in his 2 hands to form a complete picture of a child’s drawing of the Queen of Hearts.
The spectator turns over her selected card – it is indeed the Queen of Hearts! The performer concludes the story by saying that his daughter is now ready to follow him to his performances!
Martin Lewis is right – this presentation has an emotional hook in the magic. You receive the special set of wooden blocks. Each block is about 3 cm cube and the entire set can form a picture measuring 12 X 12 cm. This is large enough for parlour presentation. The blocks are not loose by themselves, but are specially interconnected such that they can be held as a block between the 2 hands. They can also be transformed from a jumbled drawing into the revelation of a proper playing card without the need of a
table. There is an English language instruction in the form of a sheet of printed paper. However, you do not need much detailed instructions as it is very easy to transform the jumbled up blocks to form the playing card revelation block. All the effort should be spent in putting up an emotional presentation.
The presentation can be enhanced by playing the correct music score which will help to build up the dramatic atmosphere leading to the final revelation of the selected card with the blocks of wood.
There is a choice of the revelation of the selected card. The blocks can be assembled to reveal the Queen of Hearts or the Jack of Clubs. Please mention which revelation you want when you place your order. The Jack of Clubs blocks can be used to refer to your story about your son, and the Queen of Hearts blocks, to your daughter.
The transformation of the jumbled up blocks is very easy to do, but it has a mostmagical effect on the audience as they see all the 16 blocks re-arranging themselves in mid-air inbetween your 2 hands.
A most unusual but very easy to do effect that never fails to enthrall an audience.
(9/10 stars rating).
PUSH CARD by Mickael Chatelain
“Push Card” is Mickael Chatelain’s version of rising card from deck where the selected card rises out of the deck of cards at a lightning speed.
In effect, a card is freely selected and signed. It is then lost in the deck. The deck is put inside its card box.
A special card with a picture of a red button and a white writing surface is shown. The spectator writes the name of her selected card on this writing surface. The card is then inserted into the outside transparent wrapper of the card box.
The performer uses the tip of his pen to press onto the picture of the red button on this card. Immediately, a card shoots up from the deck. It gets trapped in the deck when about two-thirds of its length has extended from the end of the deck. It is taken out and shown to be the signed selected card. The deck of cards, the selected card
and the Push Card can be freely examined.
You receive the special gimmicked Push Card, a white- board writing pen, and some small accessories to repair the Push Card if this gimmick is worn through repeated use. You will have to supply your own bicycle deck of cards complete with the card box. There is no problem if your card box no longer has the outside transparent wrapper. The
Push Card can be simply held onto the box with your hand.
You also get a link to a video tutorial by Mickael Chatelain. Mickael teaches you how to prepare your card box and set up your gimmicked Push Card. Both are very easy to do and hardly take up any time. The writing on the Push Card can be easily wiped off.
The effect is easy to do and has no performing angle problem. Reset is also very fast.
The differences between Push Card and the usual rising
card trick are:
The selected card shoots up instead of rising up slowly from the deck.
The card rise is activated only when the red button is pushed.
After the performance, the Push Card as well as the deck of cards can be freely
examined.
If these are what you are looking for in a rising card effect, Mickael Chatelain’s Push
Card is a good investment for you. (8/10 stars rating)
SMART ESP by Matt Smart
The name of this effect is right smack on. It is a trick with ESP cards that is very clever and it justifies the use of the word “smart”!
The performer shows 5 ESP symbol cards laid out in a straight row. Each of the cards has a different symbol and different colour. The performer tells a spectator that she will choose a symbol at random, and this symbol will be the only one that is different from the rest.
The spectator is asked to name a number above 10. Let us say she chooses the number 14. Using this number, and starting from either end of the row she wishes, she counts to the 14th card. Let us say that she lands on the red square. She is also shown what happens if she counts from the other end of the row. This time, she lands on, say, the blue cross. She is given the flexibility to choose whether she wants the blue cross or stick to the red square.
Let us say she goes for the blue cross. The performer explains that this is a fair method of choosing one of the 5 symbols. Had she simply pick one from the 5 cards, her choice may be influenced either by the colour or the symbol she sees.
The performer declares that she has indeed picked the only card that is different from the rest. He shows that there is only one blue cross – the other 4 cards depict different colours and different symbols. The spectator is perplexed because, to start with, each of the 5 cards is already unique and different from the rest of the other 4
cards.
The performer turns over the 4 cards that she did not select. Each of these cards has a circle printed on its back. The blue cross card is turned over – it has another cross on its back. It is truly the only card (cross) different from the rest of the 4 cards (all have circles).
As you can see, this effect contains a joke, a free choice of number and which end of the row of cards to count from, a mystery and an unexplainable ending! It is also easy to do – it is practically self-working. You receive the 5 well-produced ESP symbol cards, printed instructions, and a link to a video tutorial.
There is an interesting bonus idea printed in the instructions. It mentions the possibility of using 5 different items on the cards, like 5 different words that mean “different”.
This brings the presentation to a whole new level as there is a play on the word “different”. You can make up these 5 cards yourself as the instructions give you full details of presentation.
If you like ESP tricks, “Smart ESP” provides you a unique and clever effect. (10/10 stars rating).
SHRINKING GLOVE
This is a 3-piece shrinking glove set. It enables you to shrink a glove 2 times.
You receive the 3 gloves in decreasing sizes. They are in bright red colour. The second glove is about 60% of the size of the first glove. The third glove is only about 25% of the size of the first glove. The gloves compared well in the differences in sizes when held next to a large glove.
The instructions are in the form of a nicely printed colour folded piece of paper.
The recommended effect is as follows. The performer, wearing a pair of red gloves, picks up a paper bag and shows that it is empty and has nothing inside it.
A spectator points to one of the 2 gloves on the performer’s hands. This glove is taken out of the performer’s hand, crumpled into a loose ball, and placed inside the
spectator’s 2 hands. She is asked to squeeze the glove in her hands.
The performer takes out the glove from his other hand and waves it over the spectator’s hands. The spectator opens her hands and shows the glove.
When placed side by side to the performer’s glove, it is seen that the spectator’s glove has shrunk considerably. The spectator places her shrunken glove inside the
paper bag. The performer waves his glove over the paper bag. When the spectator’s glove is taken out of the bag, it is seen to have shrunk into a tiny glove!
None of the gloves is gimmicked. The shrinking effect is performed by special handling of the gloves.
This effect can be performed solo by the performer, without the need of involving a member of the audience.
The performer displays the gloves on his 2 hands. He takes one glove off his hand and displays it by nipping one end of the opening of the glove with his lips. This
glove is fully shown hanging downwards from the performer’s lips.
With his free hand, he takes off the glove from his other hand. He crumples and squeezes it between his 2 hands. He opens his hands and compares the glove by
placing it side by side with the glove on his lips. This glove has shrunk! One more time, the performer squeezes this smaller glove between his 2 hands.
When he opens his hands, this glove now becomes a tiny one!
This makes it a very good effect for the opening of a stage show. Everything is self- contained in the smaller glove.
This is the method I use when performing The Shrinking Glove in my stage show. I make the entrance into the stage by wearing a jacket, a black scarf around my neck, and the red gloves on my 2 hands. I carry a colour magic cane.
I transform the colour of my cane into another colour, and change it into silk scarves. I take off the black scarf from around my neck, flick it around and change it into a
multicolour scarf. I show the red gloves on my 2 hands, and then I perform The Shrinking Glove. It is done as a silent act (without pattering) to background music.
Highly Recommended!