Price$4.95
Media TypeVideo Download
CategoryMentalism
Date AddedNov 04, 2014
A Forced Thought
Steven Himmel
Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.
(Based on 4 reviews)
Reviews
(Top ▲)
REVIEW
First, the pros:
The effect is good and the impact is strong.
The download is very inexpensive.
CAUTION
Now, the cons:
The problem is the method is very limiting and not easily reset. It also requires the purchase of something from a magic store that you may not already have, so the price just went up a bit, and you are going to have to wait for the mail or a run to the magic shop to perform this.
The effect requires a gimmicked deck. During the performance, you are going to disturb the deck in a way that you can’t immediately perform this effect again. In other words, this is not for workers.
As for amateur magicians, I think there are much better methods, either gimmicked or not to achieve equal or better similar results.
VERDICT
There are much more powerful and effective ways of accomplishing this sort of effect. If you are interested in a really easy way, using a gaffed deck that can be reset in an instant, I suggest you check out Vibe by Bob Solari. If you are interested in effects that have similar hard hitting results without gaffed decks, there are a ton of options, most will require some practice, and I suggest checking out any of David Williamson's DVDS, where you can learn not only good magic, but good entertainment as well.
First, the pros:
The effect is good and the impact is strong.
The download is very inexpensive.
CAUTION
Now, the cons:
The problem is the method is very limiting and not easily reset. It also requires the purchase of something from a magic store that you may not already have, so the price just went up a bit, and you are going to have to wait for the mail or a run to the magic shop to perform this.
The effect requires a gimmicked deck. During the performance, you are going to disturb the deck in a way that you can’t immediately perform this effect again. In other words, this is not for workers.
As for amateur magicians, I think there are much better methods, either gimmicked or not to achieve equal or better similar results.
VERDICT
There are much more powerful and effective ways of accomplishing this sort of effect. If you are interested in a really easy way, using a gaffed deck that can be reset in an instant, I suggest you check out Vibe by Bob Solari. If you are interested in effects that have similar hard hitting results without gaffed decks, there are a ton of options, most will require some practice, and I suggest checking out any of David Williamson's DVDS, where you can learn not only good magic, but good entertainment as well.
(Top ▲)
This is pretty slick. In Forced Thought a spectator thinks of a card as the magician flips through the deck, the spectator then deals cards until they feel like stopping, they stop on their card every time.
As far as I understand the force involved method wise is original. It looks just like the flip style force used by various tv magicians but it has been made a lot easier. In fact it’s virtually self working. The second selection method is also very clever. Both require a gimmick that you’ll need to make up yourself.
If you can do a faro shuffle then you’ll be able to do this easily exactly as performed on the trailer. He teaches an alternate handling if you can’t with virtually the same look of the original.
I love downloads because I can pick and chose specific effects and pieces that I want to learn. I don’t have to wade through all the fluff. If you like the trailer you will like the method, just know you can’t do it with any random deck.
As far as I understand the force involved method wise is original. It looks just like the flip style force used by various tv magicians but it has been made a lot easier. In fact it’s virtually self working. The second selection method is also very clever. Both require a gimmick that you’ll need to make up yourself.
If you can do a faro shuffle then you’ll be able to do this easily exactly as performed on the trailer. He teaches an alternate handling if you can’t with virtually the same look of the original.
I love downloads because I can pick and chose specific effects and pieces that I want to learn. I don’t have to wade through all the fluff. If you like the trailer you will like the method, just know you can’t do it with any random deck.
(Top ▲)
This is a really short video (6 minutes long) that details in interesting way to divining a “peeked card”.
There is a live one-on-one performance of the effect and the rest of the time is spent on instruction. You will require a certain type of deck and if you are like most experienced card magicians, you probably already have what you need. If not, it can easy be purchased for a few dollars from your magic shop or a little more than a few dollars at your local stores.
The main handling requires a Faro shuffle and is rather good, but he also explains a handling in case you cannot execute a Faro. The method for this effect, not counting the Faro for those that cannot do one, is very easy. Mr. Himmel does say that it may not work 100% of the time but on the other side of that same coin, it has only failed him once in 1,000+ performances - a pretty good average in my book. If you work at this and play with it, you will find certain fail-safes to use with this should you want to go that far. I do not really see a reason that this cannot have a 100% success rate.
The reset takes only seconds and if you want, you can easily carry the necessary gaffs and switch them in to your regular deck (you will have to switch out a small portion of your regular deck), or you can carry around a deck just for this effect. There are a lot of applications with this idea and it is basically an "unprepared" version of a standard gaffed deck that many magicians already have.
The video and audio quality is very good and if you like what you see in the trailer, get this - it is worth the bit of money even for a 6 minute video.
4 stars.
There is a live one-on-one performance of the effect and the rest of the time is spent on instruction. You will require a certain type of deck and if you are like most experienced card magicians, you probably already have what you need. If not, it can easy be purchased for a few dollars from your magic shop or a little more than a few dollars at your local stores.
The main handling requires a Faro shuffle and is rather good, but he also explains a handling in case you cannot execute a Faro. The method for this effect, not counting the Faro for those that cannot do one, is very easy. Mr. Himmel does say that it may not work 100% of the time but on the other side of that same coin, it has only failed him once in 1,000+ performances - a pretty good average in my book. If you work at this and play with it, you will find certain fail-safes to use with this should you want to go that far. I do not really see a reason that this cannot have a 100% success rate.
The reset takes only seconds and if you want, you can easily carry the necessary gaffs and switch them in to your regular deck (you will have to switch out a small portion of your regular deck), or you can carry around a deck just for this effect. There are a lot of applications with this idea and it is basically an "unprepared" version of a standard gaffed deck that many magicians already have.
The video and audio quality is very good and if you like what you see in the trailer, get this - it is worth the bit of money even for a 6 minute video.
4 stars.
(Top ▲)
A Forced Thought by Steven Himmel is as good as the instructional video is short. At 6 minutes this download is direct, clear and impressively concise – and that is a good thing so you can get going sooner.
In A Forced Thought, the performer asks the spectator to pick a card from a deck being fanned face-up. The performer stops before a card is chosen (and after several cards are displayed) and says that he should fan the deck face-down so the cards can’t be seen as one is chosen. As the performer is fanning the cards face-down, and before the spectator chooses one, the performer again stops the spectator and proposes a different way to pick a card. This time, the performer holds the deck facing the spectator and tells the spectator to pick a card that he sees as the deck is being riffled quickly. The deck is then Faro shuffled and the spectator deals the cards down one at a time and stops anywhere he wants to stop. And, amazingly, it turns out that the card the spectator dealt down is the card he named.
The DVD starts out with a minute-and-a-half live demonstration by Himmel which is well-presented and accurately demonstrates the impressive effect, which fries his spectator. The remaining four-and-a-half minutes consists of Himmel’s instructional video. He clearly and articulately explains the method and how to prepare for the trick. There is a one-time set-up which will require you to get more than just a regular deck, which any magician should already have in their possession. I could easily see this trick being sold with a pre-made gimmicked deck instead of just a video.
Although this trick is not guaranteed to work every time, something that Himmel acknowledges, the chances are very high that it will – and it has not yet failed me in my first few performances. In the event that the reveal is not the thought of card, you should probably have a back-up or repeat the selection phase.
Once performed, this trick can be reset in about 10 seconds, but should not be performed to the same audience. If you cannot perform the Faro, Himmel teaches an easy alternative. The deck cannot be examined by your spectator.
The ad copy and the promotional video are accurate, but a customer may be a bit put off when they realize that this cannot be performed with a regular deck since there is no indication that A Forced Thought is not an out-of-the-box trick.
This is an excellent trick that is worth downloading.
In A Forced Thought, the performer asks the spectator to pick a card from a deck being fanned face-up. The performer stops before a card is chosen (and after several cards are displayed) and says that he should fan the deck face-down so the cards can’t be seen as one is chosen. As the performer is fanning the cards face-down, and before the spectator chooses one, the performer again stops the spectator and proposes a different way to pick a card. This time, the performer holds the deck facing the spectator and tells the spectator to pick a card that he sees as the deck is being riffled quickly. The deck is then Faro shuffled and the spectator deals the cards down one at a time and stops anywhere he wants to stop. And, amazingly, it turns out that the card the spectator dealt down is the card he named.
The DVD starts out with a minute-and-a-half live demonstration by Himmel which is well-presented and accurately demonstrates the impressive effect, which fries his spectator. The remaining four-and-a-half minutes consists of Himmel’s instructional video. He clearly and articulately explains the method and how to prepare for the trick. There is a one-time set-up which will require you to get more than just a regular deck, which any magician should already have in their possession. I could easily see this trick being sold with a pre-made gimmicked deck instead of just a video.
Although this trick is not guaranteed to work every time, something that Himmel acknowledges, the chances are very high that it will – and it has not yet failed me in my first few performances. In the event that the reveal is not the thought of card, you should probably have a back-up or repeat the selection phase.
Once performed, this trick can be reset in about 10 seconds, but should not be performed to the same audience. If you cannot perform the Faro, Himmel teaches an easy alternative. The deck cannot be examined by your spectator.
The ad copy and the promotional video are accurate, but a customer may be a bit put off when they realize that this cannot be performed with a regular deck since there is no indication that A Forced Thought is not an out-of-the-box trick.
This is an excellent trick that is worth downloading.