Trilogy’s Tricks DVD (Sleights and Teaching): Should You Purchase This?

Sep 2, 2007
87
0
Las Vegas, NV
This is my first review and if anyone has anything cool to add as this thread grows, I’ll add that info to this first post so 1) the shopper will be able to have great info his first read and not have to dig thru the entire thread , and 2) this will eventually turn into a Forum Contributor’s post vs. just my opinion.

This is meant to compliment the other reviews on the product. Search the site for critics personal opinion, usefulness, trick descriptions, difficulty, visual impact, reactions, etc. After all, most people reading a review are doing so to see if they’re going to get a good buy for their money, whatever that means to them (tricks per dollar; how many tricks can you actually place into your routines per dollar; I’m a DnD fan and will pick up anything they produce; # of sleights taught, etc.).

13 Tricks Are Taught on this Volume. Time shown are the length of 1) The Performance Reel and 2) The trick’s Teaching Section.

*69 (0:22 / 6:58) Transform 6’sto 9’s
*Collectors (0:44 / 8:13) Production using Aces
*Déjà vu (0:58 / 7:24) Transposition of 2 sandwiches
*Cards Across (0:25 / 8:21) Teleportation
*Hand to Mouth (0:22 / 3:17) Teleportation
*Hedberg’s Peak (0:23 / 4:00)
*Hofzzy Ozzborne (1:02 / 7:07) Teleportation
*Subway (0:29 / 4:12) Teleportation
*The Queens (0:38 / 15:57) Vanish / Production
*Tivo Transpo (0:24 / 3:52) Transposition
*Tivo 2.0 (0:21 / 8:04) Transposition
*Twinslit Remix (0:25 / 4:55) Transformation / Resortation
*Bonus: Fission For Aces extra application for principles taught in Twinsplit Remix(4:58 for trick and explanation)

That's $2.31 per trick.

(hoping for others on the forum to correct / contribute basic type of effect)

Note the 2 longest effects are 44 and 58 seconds long, which means if you perform the tricks as is, you’re getting a bunch of quickies. Still, there’s no reason one can’t make any one of these tricks last longer with some pixie dust, elbow grease and creativity regarding patter and presentation. I’ve heard multiple stories of magicians captivating an audience for a full 60 to 90 minute set performing 4 to 7 tricks, because the magician knew his role was, NOT to do tricks, but to entertain. The actual mechanics of my Triumph routine takes about 26 seconds, but I stretch it out to a 3 minute performance…

From a performance/routining perspective, ask “Do I need or can I fit another transposition (or that type of effect) into my show?”

Effects that I use often are Déjà vu, Hofzzy Ozzborne (my favorite effect to perform), Subway and Tivo 2.0.

Slieghts Used and Taught (in no particular order)
Snap Change
Jog (in jog, angle jog, out jog)
Pinky Break
4th finger flesh break under 1,2 or 3 cards
Bluff Pass
Erdnase Break
Tenkai Palm
Super Flip
Flippant Move
Half Pass
At the Sleeve Change
Shapeshifter
Duck Change
Riffle Force
Elmsley Count
Dracula Count
Double Undercut
Top Shot
Double Lift
Center Double
4-for-4 Switch
Dai Vernon Replacement
Grave Turnover
DMB Spread Control

$29.95 for 24 sleights - that's $1.25 per sleight

When I purchased the Trilogy Set, I still considered myself a beginner in card magic and I knew that I’d be learning some pretty serious sleight of hand. I planned this purchase to be a year long project. Of these sleights, I knew how to get a break, the concept of double lifts, the pass, Shapeshifter, the “at the sleeve” change, the bluff pass, the Cardini Change and the Tenkai Palm. With that as my foundation, I really didn’t have any problem with the Buck’s teaching of the other sleights and feel they were pretty thorough in how they explained things regarding the other 2/3rds of the sleights taught. They might preface a sleight by saying, "...a brief explanation" but more often then not its a quick move that doesn't need a bunch of explanation. Or in the case of the 4-for-4 switch and the Cardini Change, they're explained better during another trick explanation.

This is NOT the best place to start learning magic. A little insight into my Magic Journey at the time: DVD’s in my collection that gave me my foundation before buying the the Trilogy teaching these sleights or variations were: Ellusionist’s Shapeshifter $24.95, Crash Course 1 $24.95, Crash Course 2: the Ambitious Card $29.95, Ninja 1 $29.95 and Paul Harris Presents' Daniel Garcia Project Vol 1 for his Ego Change $33.50. As a beginner, you could look at either spending $140 bucks before getting this, or see it as "Look at all the money I'm saving by getting this!"

Being exposed to the teaching found on these other videos, AND having small hands, I was already used to adjusting grips and finger positions to make sleights work for me. Plus I had the advantage of other learning sources and other teachers' finesses on the moves.

Where explanations were not thorough enough, technically and verbally, I’d then have to review the video and study the EXACT position of every finger at each stage of the trick, and pick up nuances of handling that way. Moreover, I already got into the habit of reverse engineering sleights when needed. If there were 4 steps to a slieght, I’d start with the position of the card on the last sleight, then ask “Where does the card need to be in Step 3 to arrive at the right spot in Step 4?” and I’d do the same process with every step until I got to the beginning of the trick. I last did this with Ricky Smith’s Cherry Control and went from struggling in the learning process to “Getting It” in a snap, then all I had to work on was actual practice.

Beginner be forwarned: with any DVD you're seeing the product of years of practice and hundreds of performances. You're not going to get relatively instant gratification with many of these effects. You're not only going to have to spend the time practicing, but you have to have a strategy in your approach to how you learn, practice and adjust your technique in order to get these sleights down. That's the difference between having work ethic vs. an effective work ethic.

One other comment: Sleights first, Tricks second. Tricks are built on sleights. Creators can’t come up with tricks unless they know the sleights. The gold in any DVD is in the sleights, because from there you can put together new tricks and effects. The wisest comment I’ve ever heard regarding the Dan and Dave’s Trilogy recently came from Sinful (which inspired me to write up this review): “There is a lot of magic I don't like on the Trilogy. I never perform Queens. Ever. The sleights taught though are invaluable.”

I purchased this product upon release (two years ago now?) and can now do every effect, flourish and everything else except the restoration of the 3C at the end of Twinsplit Remix. You WON’T be implementing every effect into your act. Most of what’s in here, you’ll only do when someone asks you for something quick on the fly.

All things being equal, I would absolutely purchase this again,. I won't recommend it to everyone from an effect perspective, but I would definitely recommend it to everyone from a sleight perspective.

As you can tell, this is a review on the product, but I'd like to contribute insights on how to learn magic, and how to approach purchasing products so to get the most out of your dollar.
 
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Jul 14, 2008
936
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I think it's a very well thought out review because this tricks section is certainly not for begineers because they may have a hard time adjusting the sleights from the trilogy.
 
May 25, 2009
23
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I've always thought that if you're sort of new into magic but are quite au fait with the basic card handling techniques, you should start off with everythingelse, followed by either the tricks section or the flourishes section, whichever you fancy.

The Trilogy was one of my first purchases when I first started out and I'm still getting a lot of mileage out from it after so long.

I fully agree with the comment about the sleights taught in this DVD. They are impeccable and are a wonderful addition to your arsenal.
 
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