OK, I have read the other reviews here and have not purchased the effect. However I still feel qualified to review it AS ITS ORIGINAL INVENTOR (to the best of my knowledge). Yes, I was using this in at least 1966 when you still had to apply a wet developer/fixative coating to the Polaroid print after ejecting it. I have seen and read about the methods for use of newer Polaroid cameras used by others that are not as good as my original method due to the newer technology, but they are essentially variations of my method. However, I stopped doing the trick in the 1970’s when the technology moved on and the old film hard to get. I have not seen the resulting CAPTURED photo as they do not show it in their demo video. In mine I had the person hold the selected card concealed in one hand on their chest and point upward with their index finger, hand at shoulder height. The thought of card appeared in jumbo size on their finger tip. My version was a closely guarded secret known only to a small group of insiders and never sold or marketed by my company, Mercury Magic.

Since, as the previous reviewer (in the WORST reviews section) mentioned, Polaroid cameras are expensive and hard to come by as increasingly the more modern film is too; eventually even the newer versions are likely destined to extinction. I will gladly, in my old age and with no knowledge of how CAPTURED does theirs, finally tip MY method for all who can acquire the needed supplies.

Here is what you need. 1) Either a Polaroid that does NOT self eject upon shooting OR a darkroom with a perfectly dead black zero reflection photography cloth or equivalent. If you use the latter, you will also need to know how to disable and re-enable the element on your camera that starts the development process. On some it will be the auto eject, on others the ejection will still happen but the chemical bar on the bottom of the photo will not be activated. If it is the second option, you will need to put the photo back into the film pack in the darkroom.
2) Tape the selected card to be forced to the photo-cloth and using the flash take the picture of the card where and in the size you want it to appear. Do not shoot too close or it will be too large and will reflect the flash as well. The advantage of the newer camera methods is that you can, at least in the ejected versions, prepare more than one shot at a time. With good records you can even force different cards. The disadvantage is that the darkroom is more essential. With either non-ejection method any darkish room will do (depending on what it takes to re-enable the developing mechanism), but you can only ready one shot ahead of time with the non-ejecting exposures.

The process is simple double exposure. Just be sure that in the picture of the one selecting the card that their background, at least in the area where the card will appear is both fairly dark and not too busy. The white of the card will show up better in contrast with a darker background and a plain background is less likely to show ghosting so the method will not be obvious.

Want to get “up to date?” There are several magicians selling apps for cell phones that apply a similar technology digitally. Some will let you choose from a variety of cards to superimpose so you can instantly repeat with the same audience. You can even e-mail or post the picture to their Facebook etc account and save money on film. One version even has the card appear in the black part of a close-up of their eye. Cool as long as you can see enough of thier face to prove it is them. I am not sure whether or not that is possible in that version.

Now if someone will only invent a way to do it using the spectator’s cell phone . . . well, there is a modern techo-challenge for you younger IT experts. I would buy one of those.

I gave it two and a half stars for the antiquity of the technology. The effect it has on people is beyond 5 stars. My wife just saw someone recently post a recollection on Facebook about a 1975 or 76 experience concerning the best trick they had ever seen. It was me doing this trick for them. Although I do not remember putting their name above their head too as they remembered it, I could and might have.

Magically yours, MagiKen

I purchased "Captured", received it and according to the DVD you should be able to purchase a Polaroid camera at ANY dept store between $25 - $40... not so.

First off no more stores carry that camera and the only one I can find are on e-bay for over $100 and used for about $15... I'm not into used equipment. That's first and foremost.

My other issue, every phone number I called for customer service does not exist. They are either out of order or ring busy. Finally when I found an email that worked, I did get a response back saying that James L. Clark who demoed "Captured", is no longer with Blacks Magic Group. When I responded back, with a thank you, that I still have an issue about the price of the camera, that it was false information, they never responded back to me. There are also no links that work to get to the Forum that they say exists.

Here is the kicker, if you go to Blacks Magic Group website, almost everything is half the price from the normal price... I paid Penguin $28.50 for "Captured" and Blacks Magic claim they are selling it for $9.99, seems a little fishy to me!

Anyway that being said, sounds like they are in the business of screwing both dealers and customers... just my opinion!