Price$30.00
Media TypeDVD
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedNov 24, 2008
Totally Blue It!
Ed Ellis
(Based on 1 review)
Ed has also performed his amazing close-up illusions at Las Vegas' Caesar's Place, lectured at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, and in 2005 was the star of the Ed Ellis TV show.
Totally Blue It! A full color changing deck routine (no gimmicks). A red deck and box are shown. A card is memorized by the spectator then placed in the center of the deck. An indifferent card is shown as if you blew it but then instantly changes to their card! You might have thought "I Blew It", actually "I Totally Blue It" as you ribbon spread the deck all the cards have turned blue! All that is left red is the spectator's card!
Wrist Kill and Brush Change Using a side steal, two variations are shown to perform a color change with different timings.
Pen Up Nose A shocking visual that cracks people up and creates a different mood during your act.
Cards From Mouth Another shocking visual which is taught in detail. A classic which will never be forgotten.
Bonus & Extras Vol 2 "You Blue It" add-on, a new ending to Vol 5's Ringnature, It's About Entertainment, ED's Promo Reel, Reverse Spring
Episode 3 of the Ed Ellis Cable TV Show produced in 2005 This episode features cards and rubber bands. I hope you enjoy this performance filmed live at Papa Bears Restaurant in Canton, Ohio.
Running Time Approximately 52min
(Top ▲)
There are plenty of color-changing deck routines scattered throughout magic literature, and while this sleight-of-hand version by the prolific Ed Ellis doesn't strike me as a grand departure from its predecessors, it's certainly an effective and commercial way to present the plot. It's also relatively easy to perform, requiring only basic to intermediate skill. Here's what the audience sees:
The magician displays a red-backed deck and randomly removes "any" card for the spectator (this card could also be "chosen" via a Riffle Force, though that method is not imparted on the DVD). Once the card is noted, the magician returns it to the center of the pack, then states that the top card might give him a hint as to the identity of the selection. He turns it over, but there seems to be no connection, so, in the blink of an eye, the magician changes it into the spectator's card, which is tossed to the table. The magician then says, "A few moments ago, when I didn't find your card, you might have thought I blew it," and at precisely that moment, he shows that the deck is now blue-backed. He continues - "In fact, I totally blew it" - as he spreads the face-down deck, confirming that every card (except for the tabled selection) has become blue-backed.
In terms of technique, if you can hold a pinky break, you can do this trick as described, though more knowledgeable card handlers might be inclined to substitute harder moves to enhance the visuals. For example, while Mr. Ellis teaches three possible methods for changing the indifferent card into the selection, several of the most eye-popping alternatives go unmentioned, including Hiro Sakai's Duck Change, Looy Simonoff's Flippant, and the DeSouza/Munoz Shapeshifter change.
Also on this DVD is a pot-pourri of widely used close-up bits Ed Ellis performs well, including the Pen Up the Nose (more commonly associated with cigarettes), the Cards from Mouth (popularized by Bill Malone), and an atypical method for springing a deck from hand to hand (you essentially dribble the pack, but with greater force). You also get a chance to watch Mr. Ellis perform walkaround close-up at a restaurant on an episode of a TV show he shot for a local cable channel, which should engage viewers who like to see magicians in their natural habitats.
Overall, with his varied vocations and interests, Ed Ellis strikes me as a bit of a renaissance man, and that eclecticism has made its way onto this DVD. Unfortunately, that also makes it harder to figure out who the DVD is for. My feeling is that the color-changing deck routine will be of greatest interest to beginners, since anyone who has been around in magic will likely have a version of the plot in his or her repertoire. However, several of the other bits require at least intermediate skill to execute, but magicians who have already attained that level will almost certainly be familiar with them. As such, like the color-changing deck routine, those additional techniques would also be of greater interest to beginners, though only ones who are prepared to invest the time to master them.
Having said all that, if any of the above-mentioned demographics sounds like you, I think you'll be happy with this DVD.
David Acer
The magician displays a red-backed deck and randomly removes "any" card for the spectator (this card could also be "chosen" via a Riffle Force, though that method is not imparted on the DVD). Once the card is noted, the magician returns it to the center of the pack, then states that the top card might give him a hint as to the identity of the selection. He turns it over, but there seems to be no connection, so, in the blink of an eye, the magician changes it into the spectator's card, which is tossed to the table. The magician then says, "A few moments ago, when I didn't find your card, you might have thought I blew it," and at precisely that moment, he shows that the deck is now blue-backed. He continues - "In fact, I totally blew it" - as he spreads the face-down deck, confirming that every card (except for the tabled selection) has become blue-backed.
In terms of technique, if you can hold a pinky break, you can do this trick as described, though more knowledgeable card handlers might be inclined to substitute harder moves to enhance the visuals. For example, while Mr. Ellis teaches three possible methods for changing the indifferent card into the selection, several of the most eye-popping alternatives go unmentioned, including Hiro Sakai's Duck Change, Looy Simonoff's Flippant, and the DeSouza/Munoz Shapeshifter change.
Also on this DVD is a pot-pourri of widely used close-up bits Ed Ellis performs well, including the Pen Up the Nose (more commonly associated with cigarettes), the Cards from Mouth (popularized by Bill Malone), and an atypical method for springing a deck from hand to hand (you essentially dribble the pack, but with greater force). You also get a chance to watch Mr. Ellis perform walkaround close-up at a restaurant on an episode of a TV show he shot for a local cable channel, which should engage viewers who like to see magicians in their natural habitats.
Overall, with his varied vocations and interests, Ed Ellis strikes me as a bit of a renaissance man, and that eclecticism has made its way onto this DVD. Unfortunately, that also makes it harder to figure out who the DVD is for. My feeling is that the color-changing deck routine will be of greatest interest to beginners, since anyone who has been around in magic will likely have a version of the plot in his or her repertoire. However, several of the other bits require at least intermediate skill to execute, but magicians who have already attained that level will almost certainly be familiar with them. As such, like the color-changing deck routine, those additional techniques would also be of greater interest to beginners, though only ones who are prepared to invest the time to master them.
Having said all that, if any of the above-mentioned demographics sounds like you, I think you'll be happy with this DVD.
David Acer