A Few of My Creations

[yellowshoes44]

"Let's Face It"

-A bill change that focuses on the faces found on money. It ends with a customized handout (you can choose what you want to handout at the end of the effect.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-91uivhuiaA

"Flip, Squeeze, WOW!"

-A coin is flipped (Silver Half Dollar in my video) and it is caught several times. ONE COIN IS USED, it can be signed and handed out as a possible souvenir at the end of the effect Then the coin vanishes and reappears in a bazaar place. The video quality isn't great, let alone good, but you can hear the coin being caught and even see it somewhat. You start and end the effect with nothing to hide. You can have your pockets out since the beginning of the effect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLm0Lcr--Gw

"Sneak Peek"

-A card is randomly chosen by the spectator and then the card is visibly placed at the bottom of the deck. The deck is then placed into the completely inspectable empty pack. The card is shown to be on the bottom once more. The spectator then pulls the card on top of the deck forward and makes sure that they are only pulling one card. The card is shown and then places back on top. The rest is magic... as the original chosen card jumps to the top of the deck and then back to the bottom. The deck is in the hands of the spectator at the end of the effect and they are able to inspect the deck as they please.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCxtnrvRXy0

 

[Ashrei]

Hasn't the first one already been posted before...?
I don't know, man. From what I've seen before, it doesn't look like a whole lot has changed...
To be honest, it looks more suspicious then before...

 

[RikAllen]

"Let's Face it"
While being able to handout anything you want is novel (I suppose, I'm no bill change expert, and I'm not 100% what you mean by that) I prefer the look of Danny Garcia's Greed. The movements and cover of the bills was too much-the changes are nice, but the handling could be streamlined to use as little cover as possible and make everything cleaner.

You take out a stack of bills, show 4 bills only to put three away immediately. You then take the one and fold it (natural for any bill change) and then you pointed to GW's face. And then you covered and made what looked like a magical motion...only to show the other 1/3 of the face of the dollar...then you unfold it to reveal the 5. The changes were okay, but your hands look awkward before or during many of the changes; the way you hold your hand/bills for the final change being an example.

"Flip, Squeeze, WOW!"
I'm not sure if it would be better in person. If it's the same coin it's a pretty sweet move, kind of cool- and different, especially for a one coin routine. Not ground breaking on it's own, but I can see it working as both a great vanish and a cool revelation of a coin.

"Sneak Peek"
I don't know. If it's a gimmick or principle that can be used for more than what you just showed, it might be worth something...but as an effect I didn't like it. I might like it more with some sort of presentation behind it, but as it is I don't know. I know it would go faster with words in place of pantomime, which might help it, but I don't think putting it on the bottom and then having it transpose to the top and back is that strong of an effect in my mind; I don't know, maybe it is...I'd have to try it out though.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on the last one, maybe shed some insight and possibly change my mind. Hope you don't mind my honesty either, I'd rather tell you it's horrible (even if laymen dig it) then lie to you. Take everything I said with a grain of salt.

 

[yellowshoes44]

"Let's Face It"

Here is the patter/storyline that I use to move the effect.

1-If I showed you this side of the bill, you would almost instantly picture the guy on the other side of this bill.

2-Why? Because this is George Washington… probably the most recognizable face on money anywhere.

3-While I fold him a nice little picture frame, does anybody know how he died, anybody?

4-He died of pneumonia, because he was out in the cold for way too long; So let's cover him up and see if we can warm him back to life.

5-Will, he died, but many years later we had this guy. I know you know who he is...

6-That's right, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, but do you know how he died?

7-That's right, he was shot in the back of the head/ assassinated from behind (this explains the forward change)

8-What about this guy, do you know who he is, anyone?

9-A lot of people trip up on this guy, but this is Hamilton and I believe he was a treasurer. Do you know how he died?

10-He died due to complications of being in a duel. Do you know what bill he is on.

11-That's right, he is on the ten dollar bill. Now if you take this ten and this ten (while pointing at them) what do you get?

12-TEN you say? Will this was kind of a trick question, the answer is Andrew Jackson (as the head pops up).

13-Did you know that there were two assassination attempts on this man's life… and one involved two misfirings from two different guns by the same individual!

14-Many saw this as miraculous and that Jackson was meant to stick around… and he is here to do just that, Stick Around (as you show the whole bill and proceed to hand it out).

"Flip, Squeeze, WOW!"

-This effect is just so hard to capture with my limited camera quality (macbook). The effect does indeed use only one coin and you can be completely inspected.

"Sneak Peek"

-This is one of my very few card effects... and it allows one to put their own twist on the effect. It does not have to be used in the manner that I performed it.

 

[RikAllen]

I like the presentation. Not something I would use, how presidents died and all, but it does make more sense than a silent video. I would have to see a live video with you going through it to really capture it, but I can see some of the justifications now.

Yeah, it was impressive with the low quality, would kill in person.

I showed sneak peek to my girlfriend and she was confused, I'm guessing an actual performance would be less confusing (and not as slow, she also thought it dragged on...and she can watch Ricky Jay so it's not just flash-glitz that gets her attention). I think a run-through with a helping hand and without the over proving of everything would be remarkably better.

I also (even if just for the camera) think that showing the box empty right before the cards go in, instead of at the beginning, would lessen the disruption of the flow (I mean, you took cards out, it's empty...right?) and then proceeded. I'd find a different force, or make that one more natural. Your hand tensed up too much, making it obvious that Something was going on. Nothing all of us haven't dealt with and had to work on.

I still like the Flip Squeeze Wow the best, pretty killer effect, and I can see Let's Face It being workable. I still don't like pulling out the fan of bills prior to going into it, just pull out the one and go into the effect (personal opinion).

Great job creating, most peoples 'creations' are very lack-luster overall, yours have potential, and probably work better for audiences than for a group of magicians that over analyze EVERYTHING.

 

[yellowshoes44]

"Sneak Peek"

-This effect does run a lot more smoothly when it is done with a spectator for it is more of a hands on effect. For instance the spectator would be holding the empty box, the deck at certain points, and even pulling cards from the deck. I made the video the way I did just so you, the magic community, would see that I wasn't adding in anything off camera.

"Let's Face It"

-I like to have the bills fanned out in the beginning in order to offer a little foreshadowing to the spectator.

-Overall, thanks for your input thus far. I know people love the effects and it is always good to see what other magicians have to say about them, so there is nothing wrong with overanalyzing because nothing is ever going to be perfect for everyone.

 

[RikAllen]

It's like I said in my original, I am honest (some people don't think that's a good thing anymore) and I wasn't bashing the tricks at all. I still think I prefer the look of Greed, but I can see people who don't like Greed wanting something that looks more like Let's Face It. To be fair, the audience will say almost the same thing for both effects (The difference being the bill to coin at the end) and in the end Effect over Method is the key to success.

I do think the Toss Squeeze WOW! would work perfect in the middle of a routine, even if you vanished it and then had it appear somewhere else (adding coins into the routine) then vanishing it in an impossible way and having it in your shoe.

The card trick has some potential, I still would like to see it in a live situation first, and I actually realized I'm not 100% sure how you got the card to show on top and then vanish. I have an idea or two to accomplish it, but neither is practical or as clean looking as what you just did.

-Overall, thanks for your input thus far. I know people love the effects and it is always good to see what other magicians have to say about them, so there is nothing wrong with overanalyzing because nothing is ever going to be perfect for everyone.

Which is why there are so many variations in existence. If you could do a 'perfect' effect that everybody loves then you'd be making bank on every magician in the world. Fortunately there are differences in style and the way we approach magic, so there can be variations and new effects every day that many magicians will love and many will turn away from. I know almost 98% of the things I think of that seem awesome turn out to be flops.

Oh well, I like the handful of things I use regularly that are of my own design.