Issue 25 - March 09
Sprung and Dagger
Ryan Schlutz
Available from: www.jeffpiercemagic.com
Price: $14.95 (about £10.00)
Sprung
and Dagger is a method for finding a chosen card somewhere in the center of a
pack bound securely by a rubber band. At the performer’s command, a dagger
card springs from the pack, revealing the location of the signed chosen card.
For the spectator the manner of the discovery is quite surprising. For
the magician the method leaves you with no clean up and a regular deck.
The effect is ideal for small groups of friends or possible in walkabout
or restaurants.
The
method uses, with permission from the original author, a Pop-Out move that has
already been published. Along with a description of how to set up and control
the moveyou also get two copies of an especially printed dagger card and some
rubber bands. At first sight $14.95 might seem quite expensive for what you get,
but consider this:
First,
there is a well-produced eight-page booklet of instructions and suggested
patter. The key to the effect is the initial set up and this is carefully and
clearly described with key stages illustrated in the accompanying photographs.
In my first attempt, confident that I knew what I was doing, I bashed on, only
broadly following the instructions. A failure of course. The second time,
following exactly what was written, it all became clear. As with any method
there are often small bits of subtle handling, learnt from experience, that make
a big difference. So it is with the
Pop –Out move. Whilst the move is
not intrinsically difficult, Ryan Schultz includes advice and tips, which make
the set up, and especially the final spin out, easier to do and to control. To
perform the effect you also need to be able to control the chosen card and
several methods are suggested.
Second,
the rubber bands are not just any rubber bands! From experience the author knows
the characteristics that work best. The brand is described and helpfully a few
samples are included. Rushing ahead I, of course, did not read the introduction
first. Grabbing the first band available from the desk I gouged a big hole in
the side of my cards. Doh! To a non-magician concern about ‘the right sort of
bands’ might sound just a tad obsessive - but we know better! It is just such
attention to fine detail that makes the difference between success and
frustration.
Third,
you get two especially printed dagger cards and two suggested presentations,
granted though that the second is only one word long.
Fourth,
typically the pop-out move is used to spin out the spectator’s card. In this
routine the surprise caused by the sudden appearance of the dagger card, added
to the subsequent revelation of the spectator’s chosen card, extends the
effect.
At
face value this is conceivably a routine that you could put together yourself
– except that you probably wouldn’t. By the time you had prepared the gaffs,
found suitable rubber bands, sourced the move and worked out the handling tips,
you might as well have paid $14.95 and got on with your life. Sprung and Dagger
is not the most awesome effect you will ever see but it is fun. I liked the
attention to detail, from the referencing of the original move to the handling
tips. It is not difficult to learn, quite a good piece of magic and, I think,
would appeal to many lay audiences. SB
What’s
Hot: Thoroughly practical
What’s Not: The current $ to £ exchange rate.
Star Rating: ***
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