Magic Tricks

The tricks: This is a very fine collection of card magic, with some genuinely strong tricks. Sometimes a collection only has a couple of standouts, but with Effortless Effects it's hard to pick just one or two "best" routines. I think the first five are all super strong, with "Forget to Remember" being one of my personal favourites. The fact that Penguin Magic has been selling "No Hassle Hof" as a separate digital download for $10 gives you some indication of the strength of the material here. The effects aren't all just variations of the same theme, and there's plenty of variety to choose from and work with. Despite the relative simplicity of the methods, there's really nothing here about endless counting and dealing, and all the deception lies in Ryan's clever thinking.

The GAP principle: If there is a common thread through this particular video, it is the GAP principle which Ryan teaches and applies to most of the tricks. Magicians will know that it's usually a bad idea to string together as part of a routine multiple tricks that have the same structure or presentation. Fortunately that's not the case here. You get enough variety in the types of effects that you could combine several of these tricks into a nice little routine if you wanted to. But "under the hood" there is very nice principle that he works with and uses, and it certainly is something that you can get mileage out of in many other settings as well. This can really help make your magic seem more powerful, because in your spectator's mind their selection will be far more random, free, and fair than it actually is.

The presentation: What I love about most of the tricks on this DVD is that they really allow you to have fun as a magician. Of course magic needs to be entertaining for your spectators first of all, but performing has to be enjoyable for us too. Tricks that are fun for both spectators and the performer tend to be ones with good presentation. The presentational approaches of many of the tricks in this collection allow a lot of scope for acting and engagement, e.g. lie detector test, reading poker tells via body language, pretending a card is "invisible", and muscle reading. I love these kinds of presentations, and you get some good variety in this collection.

The difficulty: The ad copy goes a little overboard in suggesting that there are "no sleights to worry about". Beginners will be able to manage with some practice, but these are not completely self-working tricks. Despite the title, they're not entirely "effortless", and you will have to put in some effort - as is the case with nearly all magic. But they are certainly in the category of "Easy Moves". If you can hold a break and know the very basic card handling fundamentals, you'll have no problem at all. Some of the tricks rely on pencil dotting and key cards, which even beginners can manage. New magicians will certainly find several tricks here they can do, so it is a video that most people will benefit from.

The teaching: Ryan is highly regarded for his skill in teaching magic. After coming across his work, I did some reading up about his credentials and reputation, and found that he is consistently applauded for this. I was pleased to discover that the general consensus of opinion is that the teaching sections of his video are clear and concise, while remaining as detailed as necessary. I also like the fact that with several of the tricks he offers two different ways of handling each routine, with an easier method and also a more advanced method for those with more experience.

The production: Effortless Effects was produced by BIg Blind Media, a top producer of instructional magic videos. While BBM makes everything as effortless as possible for us as viewers, it's clear that they put in an enormous amount of effort themselves with the production! As with all their videos, the visuals, lighting, and sound is all top notch. So is the format of the DVD itself, which is easy to navigate and sensibly put together. I especially liked the "Bullet explanation" feature employed here, where for each effect you get a brief run-down on the key elements of how to perform a trick. This is very handy if you just want a quick refresher without sitting through the entire teaching section, and I wish more magic videos had this!

The fact that these tricks are extremely light on sleights, and are very easy to perform means that this collection will have a wide appeal. While being straight-forward to do, the actual "magic" will seem quite impossible in the minds of your spectators, and of course that's exactly what you want. There's also a solid range of different tricks, with some very fun presentational possibilities and plots. And the teaching by Ryan is excellent. Finally, it all comes together in a polished package from Big Blind Media, with top notch production values.