Let me start out by saying this is the coolest gimmick I've ever seen/used/owned.
DVD length:
24 Minutes
DVD Quality: Not outstanding like T11, obviously, but it does get the job done.
I've never seen an ad for an effect as honest as this one is. Everything it says on that page
can be done.
At first, I was like, "There's no way the person's actual signature is on that
card in the photo." Well, after getting the DVD I had to remove my foot from my mouth. It can
actually be done. I was honestly surprised.
The second thing to stand out to me was the
fact that a FREELY thought of word can appear on the photo. I had the same thought as before, and
once again removed my foot from my mouth when he actually did it.
Andrew goes over all the
nuances of the gimmick perfectly and if you keep it preserved right, this thing will last a very
long time. I was shocked that Andrew actually invented this thing on his own. <---If you own the DVD
you will know why I say this. Do yourself a favor and buy this before it's no longer for sale. These
are handmade because of the certain "component" Andrew invented, so that's why it says limited
quantities on the ad.
Once you get this, ideas will just start flowing out of you. The
first one I had was to hand someone the photo, have another select a card, and then place it face
down on the table. The photo is now visible and shows a very blurry image of the card. Attention is
now brought back to the card on the table. It's flipped over to reveal all blurry pips.
Buy this DVD. I give it a 9/10
9 of 10 magicians found this helpful.
Overall, I love this idea. I believe that the concept is genius, and wish I had thought of it.
However, I have a couple of issues with using it on a regular basis. One of the issues I identified
pretty quickly, and the other took me awhile to put my finger on.
1) While this is a
spectacular effect, it isn't exactly something you want to attempt on every single person for whom
you perform. There's definitely a specific type of person you want to look for. This is not an
effect you're going to perform 100 times per week necessarily. I believe that this should be used
like a nuclear weapon. Instead of fired at every opportunity, it should be saved for the right
moment to bring down the house. Given the relatively obscure nature of Polaroid cameras these days,
and the fact that an extremely inquisitive person is going to want to look it over pretty
thoroughly, you seem to do better performing this for spectators who tend toward the naive in the
first place. If that sounds condescending, then let me put it a different way. Perform this when
you have spectators prone to big reaction, and willing to submit to your spectator control methods.
I would NOT perform this for anyone who appeared grabby or standoffish. It's simply too
"technological" to go over well in that instance. (I've had a few people think iPhone iForce style
technology was in play)
2) I touched on the second issue a bit at the end of the 1st. It
took me awhile to realize what was bothering me, but I finally decided that I believe it's simply
TOO gimmicky for me to be 100% comfortable with. Again, don't get me wrong, with proper care
towards your performance, it's excellent. However, it just makes me picture a man standing in front
of an LED television, waving his right hand around the screen with his left hand in his pocket on
the power button of the remote, saying, "In a moment I will make this regular run-of-the-mill black
box show you glimpses into a world different than your own. You'll see wonderous lands, amazing
people, and the 6:00 news, as soon as I complete my magical chant."
I suppose if anyone
still carried around a Polaroid camera, it wouldn't give me that pause, but I guarantee you that
when you bring out a Polaroid film someone is going to want to see it. You have to have control,
and be good at handling misdirection and "outs" to get through this without having to outright say,
"No no ... nobody touches it but me."
Overall I would recommend it, because the
presentation possibilities are simply endless, but don't be fooled, you need to be good at what you
do to make this really work well.
5 of 5 magicians found this helpful.
Purchased this March 22nd, 2013; used it about 20-30 times, but at least 16 people out of the 30
guessed the concept correctly (I even guessed how it worked before I had even received this
product). The gimmick is alright... I was extra careful when setting this up, however, it ripped a
little and if you accidentally bend the gimmick (even a little (NOT CREASE OT, BUT SLIGHTLY FLEX IT)
while it's in your pocket) the type of film used will develop bubbles (AGAIN I'M NOT REFERRING TO
CREASING THE CARD, BUT FLEXING IT) that will not go away when you use the photosynthesis gimmick to
reveal a card. As more of these bubbles form, the image of the card revealed looks... Well... Bad!
(I own the old Spider Pen as well as the new Spider Pen Pro and despite the negative reviews on the
old one (being made of cheap, easy to break, flimsy materials) it never broke on me because I was
extra careful, however, in the case of the gimmick for photosynthesis, I would have to say that this
is way more delicate/fragile, than the old Spider Pen that I have). The concept used for this is
decent, but it's a little difficult for a worker like me to hand out their signed card (as soon as
the effect is over) when I can't!!! I can't let them keep the photo either... So no signed card to
hand out and no photo for them to keep (unless I run away for 5-8 seconds, then I can give them
their signed card back). I gave this a 2 instead of a 1 because. In short, get this at your own
risk. If you're a worker like me, then this could be troublesome as it's not an instant reset and
the spectator's card CAN NOT be handed out right after your performance.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
Dont regret my purchase (especially since it was in the coolbox for next to nothing.
One
downside is that I didnt like Mayne's handling for the signed card as you need a special attire. I
need to buy an old camera in order to do what I want to do with the signed card version! I wont
perform this until I get that!
Nice concept .. good product! Beautiful, magical revelation
that is pure eye candy!
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
i have used it
but it is difficult to change colar
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
There isn't anything not to like about this illusion. The concept is simple, yet it really blows
peoples minds. This trick gets your imagination flowing right out of the box. I have had this item a
short while and I already have four or five different concepts on using it.The DVD offers an
excellent explanation. You can anticipate alot of fun with "Photosynthesis". I would definitely add
it to your arsenal.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
I got this effect and the first person I showed it to guessed how it work, although I should've seen
it coming, because I knew how it worked before getting it. The certain people I'm talking about, are
those with innocent minds. Naive or child-like adults. However, I do use it for just that, kids.
They have a ball with it and can really get into whatever story you want to present to them.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
When I first saw this effect, I thought it was cool, but I was a bit skeptical. From the looks of
how visual it was and the props it used, I assumed I would have to carry around a SUPER delicate and
fragile item and it would only be good for video.
That is the complete opposite of what I
got with Photosynthesis. The gimmick is well made, durable and most of all, EASY to use. It's going
straight into my show.
THIS is ultra versatile. You can make LITERALLY ANY image appear in
the frame. It's really crazy.
HIGHLY recommended.
2 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
a very nice idea but its not suitable for every month of the year...!!!
I have been performing this trick everyday all day ever since I got it. It's great... Only thing I
wish I'd known before I opened it though, is that the gimmick is extremely fragile. Other than that
I think it's a wonderful piece of magic that you can perform in the spectator's hand. There is a
nice mentalism angle as well. All in all - Two Thumbs Up!