I was really taken by this effect and the "cleanness" of it. I was looking for a "quickie" effect
to learn and use in short order, as are most of the "deal of the day" inexpensive downloads. This
ain't that.
First of all, I do like the effect. I have no doubt it works if mastered.
Would have preferred much more info as to the level of expertise and setup required. That is the
major reason for the low rating: lack of disclosure on the requirements of the effect.
I
don't think this is giving anything away because I won't go into actual details. However, this
effect requires a memorized, marked deck, and not just any marked deck. You have to mark it
yourself using a "Braille" technique according to his system. This is tedious at best even if you
have a device made for such work (and trust me, hardly anyone will!), but if you have to do it by
hand, it will be difficult to do consistently and not mess up the cards until you learn the knack.
Not to mention memorizing the deck - he says you can learn it in a week and teaches you his
approach. Maybe.
Then there is some Binary math involved in the markings and their
interpretation.
He teaches you how to do all of the above as part of the download, but
sheesh...even HE gets confused trying to predict the card which will come up, and gets confused more
than once with his own system that he has used for years and years. Given the ease of
re-filming/editing, not sure why the failed attempts were even included, but glad they were.
So if I go to the trouble to make this deck up and learn the routine, what chance do I have to
get a confident and successful performance in less than a year or two?
If you can get past
the above and want a refresher in binary and work diligently, you may be able to do this effect in
due time, and it will be something no other kids on your block are doing...
Before the
flames start, let me say that I have been doing magic for over 30 years and have a minor in math. I
LIKE math and already know binary. I like combining principles and I enjoy practicing and working
on effects to get them down properly. You have to weigh the time investment versus audience
entertainment value and decide for yourself. If I had known the above, I would not have bought the
download. If the balance of effect vs. technique is right for you, go for it!
Hi,
I'm sorry that you found the routine requires more effort than you expected. I'll amend the description to explain that it is not self working.
I'll try to address some of your concerns, but please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.
Firstly, setting up the deck is a one time thing; I have two decks that I use - one for close up and one for stage. Once you get the hang of the marking method (which takes a moment, if you think about it), setting up a deck for the first time might take ten minutes (someone did just that at the stand at Blackpool yesterday). When you have done it a couple of times, it takes less time, but you really don't have to do it that often.
Using my method, it is absolutely possible to learn a stack in five days (I know because I've done it twice). If you already know a stack, or you want to use a different method (Aaronson's peg words, or Tamariz's song for example), you can do that. I included my method for completeness' sake.
Learning to read the marks is not that challenging; several people grasped the system in less than five minutes on the weekend, often in the middle of the night and after drinking!
I didn't edit out the slight bobbles I had in a couple of the segments because I am not a fan of over edited videos; were I to do that, it would have been a disservice to you, the customer. This is why I included the complete presentation in the trailer videos.
As for the timescale to performance, obviously we all work at different paces. However, if you already have your stack in your head, fifteen minutes' practice a day for a couple of days is all you really need - you are just getting used to reading the marks, and then it's presentation.
It's a shame that this routine is not for you. Sometimes the effects that you found so clean as a spectator require a bit more effort than you might want to expend, but that is often the price of a deep method. For me, the reactions I get with this routine is absolutely worth it.
Thanks for your comments, Ian
One lost magician
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