Welcome! This is my review for Jeff Praces brand new DVD, GUM. Gum is a collaboration of
different tricks with pens
just kidding. It of course uses chewing gum. To be clear, 4 effects use
Gum. There is also an easter egg which contains a card trick by Jeff. So lets elaborate on the
different things Mr. Prace teaches and what makes this an awesome DVD.
TEACHING 4/4. What I
think made this DVD so good, is the teaching. Usually you get tricks on DVDs and all the way through
you hear the uuuuuhhhs and aaaaaaaaannds. Jeff is very deliberate with the way he teaches
these tricks. Every now and then there was a slight studder, but a wide portion of the DVD is clear.
Not only that, but he remains CALM which I feel is an important virtue to have. Magic is difficult
to teach and Jeff really took this seriously
PRODUCTION QUALIty 3/4. Kozmo has never
disappointed be with the way he makes his DVDs. He knows clarity. If theres one thing we hate,
its when things arent clear (on top of the others). I just thought that one thing I got a LITTLE
frazzled with, was the menu screen. Its weird to say, but let me explain. There were a lot of
spinning circles and colors on the menu. It was a little difficult to read. That shouldnt turn you
off of the DVD, but just keep it in mind. They were laid out nicely other than that. One other
honorable mention is the DVD case. I dont know why, but this thin little case is really cool. Cant
explain much about that. Wrapping that up, comes the artwork And editing. Tim Feher designed the
cover art and he did a very good job. Probably one of the better ones Ive seen in Magic. The
editing was really simple and didnt take away from the DVD at all, like most do.
THE EFFECTS
Orbit ¾: I loved this effect. It looked like a little simple trick (dont underestimate those)
in the demo, but I realized much more of it in the actual DVD. The effect is really cool. The
Magician kindly offers his audience some gum, but uh oh. Only one piece left! Dont worry though,
Jeff snaps his fingers and the rest of the pack fills up completely with chewing gum! Oh, and it can
be handed out
This deserved to be first. Not only, did it catch my eye and intrigue me, but it
made me want to learn more! The gimmick is simple, but very difficult to construct. It will take
some time and you might mess up a little. Jeff constructs the gimmick for you on camera and explains
everything he does. As for practicality goes, this will hold up for a long time and it can be
moved around a little bit.
Re-wrapped 4/4: A 4 seems pretty fair. This one resembles that of
Jay Sankeys Wrap it up most probably. But dont worry, this one is better! You are pretty secure
on angles unless you are performing for a whole lot of people. Jeff teaches you how to get out of
that situation though. The Magician removes a piece of gum from his mouth and stretches is a little.
But when he clumps it up a little, it wraps up perfectly into an unchewed, unwrapped piece of gum!
Jeff made this one really cool. The visuals of it are astonishing and it fooled the pants off of
me. The gimmick is definitely the easiest to make, and it really doesnt involve any construction
at all. You will probably have to buy something, but thats ok. Clean up it also a cinch.
Insta-Wrap ¾: Essentially the same thing as Re-Wrapped but with a completely different
gimmick. You remove the gum from your mouth, give it a squeeze, it wraps up, and then you hand out
the gum.
Jeff went beyond the beyond with this one. He had me completely baffled when he said
what the gimmick will be. I was like No way, I need to see this! Its legitimate! But also very
hard to make and you need a lot more to do it. I suggest going with Re-Wrapped over this one, but
thats me.
Back in Time 4/4: This is my favorite effect with gum now. It fooled the crap out
of me too. Its a little complicated to set up and pocket space becomes a little bit of an issue,
but its completely sensible and very magical. The Magician doesnt want to be rude, so he removes
his Gum and puts it inside a container. Offering to show them a photograph that was taken of him,
you see that he was chewing gum at the time it was taken. That wont do. So you bring them back in
time, and the gum wraps itself up. THEN the photograph changes into one of you smiling.
This one
is a full routine almost. Its great for an opening effect and thats what Jeff uses it for in a
restaurant. The setup is a little time consuming and it might not last a long time, but its worth
it. You also need the most for this trick. But dont worry, its worth it! Even if you dont have
some of the props required. Its clean too! You dont want to miss this one!
No More Cards
Tricks! 4/4: Closing this up is No More Card Tricks. This is the segment Jeff used in an issue of
Reel Magic Magazine. Its a full performance and explanation of the effect. Keep in mind this is an
easter egg and you will have to find it! But the effect looks great and it fooled me. The Magician
closes a set of tricks by magically making the deck of cards wrap itself up in electrical tape.
Jeff goes over how to wrap up the deck in the explanation and its really simple. Its also a
functional deck of cards which merits some consideration. You really can do tricks with this which
is great. You will love this one.
SO I suppose thats really it. Over all I give this DVD a
great 4/4. The performances are great to watch and the explanations are thorough. I look forward to
seeing some more from Jeff. OH! And for those who watch, some of the outtakes were the most
hilarious things Ive seen! You will know what Im talking about when you watch :D
