This is my little review for the singularity, by Alvo Stockman (obviously)
So my initial
thoughts on this DVD were a little iffy, as were almost everybody's. The Demo really shows nothing,
the product page is a little skippy, and it wasn't advertised as much as I thought it would. I
remember hearing all the hype on the forums and everywhere else over it, and in the end I had to
just trust my fellow Magicians on this one.
There are 2 demos up. One of which really is just a
teaser, and the 2nd is an actual performance speed performance of the actual effect. I think the
reason to show almost nothing is because there really is NOTHING to see. The most physical thing you
do in the routine is just spreading the deck. That's almost all the action required, and it just
looks SO clean! There's nothing more to be said on that
Now for the teaching. I have a few of
Alvo's books and some of his downloads. I personally love his teaching style. He slips a few
"uhhs.." and "aaaaands.." every now and then but it's really well thought out and nothing distracts
the learning. Keep in mind though, that this is a VERY difficult effect to do.
The bonus section
was amazing. It had pretty much nothing to do with the actual singularity effect, but Michael Weber
is AWESOME. He goes through a really cool mindreading routine in full detail with Alvo. That runs
for almost an hour. Plus, afterwards, Alvo goes back to the studio to teach some bonus clever ideas.
PLUS, after that he has a full practice session with a really nice instrumental score.
Overall,
I would rate this DVD a 4/5. It seems like the packaging and "inside" work lacked something I can't
pick apart. And it's VERY difficult to perform and it's not advertised as so. SO there it is. Nice
work!
17 of 17 magicians found this helpful.
I usually only write reviews if the products meets the aforementioned hype...or to warn magicians of
a product.
Honestly, as a working magician, I gave it the practice it should require, but
it's wayyyyyy too damn difficult! And its not even CLOSE to practical for even the nicest audiences
I work for!!! And I can do the normal "version" (that being the roadrunner cull) of this technique
in my sleep!!!
Sure, I bought this DVD in an open box, but I wish to save some magicians
some cash. Buy Roadrunner Cull by Kostya, buy a couple of the instant downloads you see at the front
page of penguin, you learn more from an instant download than you will here.
I really
don't want others to suffer. Let the good magic live, and all else fade away.
-Dan
7 of 7 magicians found this helpful.
the invisible deck is one one of the most used effects in both close up and parlor magic. if your
like me and dont like carrying around gimmicks then singularity is perfect for you. as you should
know, its a non gimmicked version of the invisible deck. your not going to pick up the move in one
sitting. its like learning the pass. takes you a while to get the move down, takes you more time to
get it perfect fifty percent of the time, then takes you even more time to get it perfect one
hundred percent of the time. people are going to catch you when you first start. thats all i can
say. if you have the patience to learn the pass, then get singularity. if you dont want to carry
round gimmicks with you, get singularity. if you want an amazing trick thats totally practical, get
singularity.
6 of 6 magicians found this helpful.
Invisible Deck is a classic.The fact that it is gimmicked is not a problem because the specs are
blown out of their minds they dont think to check the deck. Singularity is the ungimmicked version
and if you practise enough, you will get this effect and it will truly be a great effect to do in
your shows.
HOWEVER
[edited to protect secret]
his teaching is great but
it is all over the place. he uses these words a lot: "ok so i should explain that before you do xyz,
you need to do abc" He has already discussed xyz in length before discussing abc!
Nice
trick - too many what ifs and sloppy teaching.
Nice memory trick at the end tho
5 of 5 magicians found this helpful.
This is not a practical effect. It sounds like it is the ultimate dream, but I was never able to get
it down, and I put hours of practice. I don't recommend it.
3 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
As a full time pro I am always on the lookout for a trick that creates an impact and be usable
under almost any circumstance. It is a definite plus if that can be used as an 'out' in the slim
chance that something has gone wrong during another trick (or with difficult spectator!). Singuarity
certainly meets that criteria. It is clean and direct. Alvo teaches you everything that you need to
know and doesn't miss a thing.
This DVD also has an incredibly solid effect taught by
Michel Weber. This hidden gem is a strong piece of magic taught by a true master.
Nice work
Alvo!
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
The invisible deck is a great trick but to have an invisible deck with you at all times ungaffed is
unbelievable!!!! Buy Now
2 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
As magicians, we need to understand no matter the effect, every effect takes some amount of
practice. This one is hard, but very achievable if you put in the practice. Anytime I'm waiting in
line somewhere, I pull out my cards and practice this effect. It probably has taken me several hours
of practice, but it's well worth it for such a good effect.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
I'll just start off by saying this trick is a little pricy. That being said though, I love it. The
material is great and the DVD has 2 hours of great teaching. There's also a cool bonus trick taught
by Michael Weber. I'm so happy after buying this DVD that I don't have to carry me invisible deck
around with me anymore. You should definitely buy this DVD!
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
Using a stack with the singularity method is a good combination.
Michael Weber's
kindergarten stack is a wonderful surprise that's been included in this disc. MW's routine
demonstrates how to get a lot of mileage out of it - way beyond just having a named card ending up
being reversed the deck.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.