Autograph by Justin Miller
Hi guys, I'm surprised that it has been a little over a week since the release of Autograph and no review has been put up. I was taking my time with the DVD recently and since no one has stepped up, I believe I'll do a review. This is my first official review guys. I hope it helps you.
General Info:
Cost: $24.95 (DVD + Gimmick)
Total Run Time: With performances and all the DVD comes in at just around 1 hour and 2 minutes.
DVD Quality: The DVD is up to par with the usual production from Ellusionist. Not that it is a big deal, but the menus are a little... well, plain really. The sound is great and the filming of the explanation is also great.
Now onto the really good stuff:
Effect:
Autograph Product Page said:2 cards are signed and dated... Without any funny moves at all they VISIBLY see the two signatures change places. Then, both SEPARATE cards become one single card in their hand with your signature on one side, and their signature on the other.
I know that an experienced card worker looks at this effect and says, "Ok, yeah that's simple... No big deal."
However, this effect is a nice twist on a couple of classic card effects. Justin Miller has created something wonderful. I know that it may seem simplistic to some, but this really is a great effect.
Gimmicks required: Ok, unless you are flat out brand new to magic, you know what gimmick is needed. The DVD comes with a full set of the gimmicks and this will last you plenty of time. (You can practice quite a bit when learning and have plenty of gimmicks left for performing.)
DVD Contents: The DVD contains, I believe, four performances. Each are a little different in not only patter, but in a couple of performances some random things happen that Justin overcomes. If you watch closely you can learn a little something from how Justin either recovers from or gets set for something. If you have seen the preview video, the spectator asks if Justin can use their own deck. Justin agrees. Ok, this is where I've seen some issues with others who own the effect. Some say it is completely difficult to do it with a borrowed deck and others say it's simple. What it comes down to is your skill level and experience with misdirection. If you are good with misdirection, you can easily do this with a borrowed deck. Of course, I wouldn't suggest performing this with a borrowed deck unless you are put into a corner like Justin or you feel really.... well "gutsy" would be the word I guess.
Ok, we move on into the explanation which is the last half of the DVD. (We're looking at about a half hour of performances and a half hour of explanation. Personally I would have paid this price just to see Justin's performances. One can definitely learn alot from watching him.) In the explanation, Justin goes into every little as to explaining not only the sleights involved, but the psychology that is involved... and believe me, there is some wonderful psychology used in this effect. Quick little side note: Justin would sometimes begin talking about a small detail and then get sidetracked (IN A GOOD WAY) with giving some performance tips. The advice given is phenomenal and most of the younger magicians here could get some use from it. Alright, back to the explanation. Justin teaches a couple of sleights that can be used to accomplish parts of the effect. One is easy and one is more advanced. I would say if you have handled cards for about a year and you are comfortable with your sleights, then you can do the more advanced move. (Some of you probably already use it in other things.)
As far as other content on the DVD, it's packed with a bunch of trailers including Ringtone by Adam Grace. That one looks interesting. Anyway, I haven't found any Easter eggs, so I doubt there are any.
My Thoughts:
Alright, I've already decided that when I review something, I'm not going to give it a numeric score. I will tell you what I think about it though. This effect is killer. I've performed it only three times so far. All of the reaction are great. When the signature changes... that's really my favorite part. The reactions right there are great. Then when you go the extra step and both cards melt together... you just can't beat that. You have logic for doing that and everything just works out. I want you to know that not everyone shares my opinion. But I definitely recommend this to any card handler that loves to perform just a fun effect. Because I have fun just when I've practiced it. Autograph is just cool like that. Also, if you've owned anything else that Justin Miller has done, you realize that it's going to be pretty good. A note on difficulty: If you are very experienced with some card sleights, some of you may have some problems. So I recommend that you have some experience under your belt.
Closing
Guys, I hope this review has helped in deciding your purchase. I also hope that those who own Autograph agree with me. OK, I hope I've got everything in here. If I've left something out I'll go back and put it in. If you have any questions please feel free to post here or PM me. I'd be happy to help.
Thanks for reading and enjoy Autograph!!!
MagicZack