Price$30.00
Media TypeDVD
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedDec 07, 2007
Final Fusion
Jay Sankey
Sankey Magic
(Based on 2 reviews)
After "warming up" a selected card and the card case (with the wave of a lighter or a quick rub on the performer's sleeves) the card and the case are brought together for just a moment and, inexplicably, the card VISIBLY FUSES ONTO THE CASE! Everybody freaks out and immediately want to examine the case - and THEY CAN!!!
An inspired combination of very cool gimmicks and extremely practical sleight-of-hand, FINAL FUSION is the kind of stunning magic effect you will always carry with you!
Includes TWO specially designed, custom printed Bicycle brand card cases and an exciting instructional DVD featuring a killer collection of handlings including 'The Drop Fuse,' 'Wraparound Fuse,' 'Bare Back Fuse,' 'Displaced Face,' 'Twice Burnt,' 'Close Encounter,' and the totally awe-inspiring 'Flash Fuse.'
Jay even teaches you the real work behind FIVE of his favorite card forces!
And as a KICK ASS BONUS, the DVD also features "The Defused Handling," the mind-warping follow-up effect to "Final Fusion" Jay performs in his stand-up shows!
Two custom printed cases, nine different handlings, and five card forces.
Running Time Approximately 55min
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Ok many of you probably know that Jay Sankey and I are good friends and that we've worked together on a project or two in the past, and we also are consultants to one another.
I get feedback from him on my stuff, and he gets feedback from me on a lot of his stuff. Additionally, I do not receive any sort of compensation whatsoever for reviewing or "pitching" his products (I was mildy involved in this project . . . some minor feedback on handling and methods).
I tell you that up front just to sort of clear the air and to let you know that when I give Jay feedback, I'm brutally honest with him. I tell him if I think he has a crappy idea or a good idea. He wouldn't have it any other way, nor would I. So I want to make it clear that Jay's products get the same level of scrutiny as any other products I review.
On to the review:
Three words: This Looks Real. Basically what you're getting is two specially printed card cases, and an instructional DVD. The DVD itself, teaches how to cause the card to "fuse" to the card box. It teaches how to defuse and it teaches you several forces, and multiple variations and handling ideas for everything.
Rather than simply showing you how the gimmick works, Jay shows you everything in great depth. Plus we get to see a bit of "Crazy Jay."
Just think, for a moment, about the effect. You have a card selected; then you simply fuse that card to the card box. First, it's a simple effect, which is one of the Vernon requirements for a good effect. Second, it's crazy visual, offbeat and something that lay people have never seen before.
Because there are multiple handling ideas, there will be a handling idea for everyone who wants one. I didn't like all of the handling ideas, but it would be weird if I did. The whole point is that Jay is trying to give you as many options to choose from as possible. My favorite is the "wrap around" fuse, and the sliding off defuse. You get two props, multiple methods, a crazy visual effect and one of the funniest and most clever teachers in the business. For all those reasons and more, this one goes on the 5 star GEM list!
(Top ▲)
Jay Sankey seems to love to create interesting and novel effects, then come up with a large variety of handlings, approaches and presentations for them. “Final Fusion” is no exception. In this DVD Mr. Sankey introduces the idea of a chosen card “fusing” to the outside of the card case, wrapping around 3 sides, a brand new effect in card magic (as far as I know.) The DVD also comes with both red and blue gimmicked card cases, allowing you to perform the effect utilizing your favorite color of playing card (as long as they’re Bicycle.)
One of the things I love about Mr. Sankey’s work is that he really explores his ideas before releasing them. For this project he came up with 9 very distinct approaches to this effect, 7 of which are actually different ways to have the card fuse to the case. My favorites were the Drop Fuse, a very visual effect with a nice convincer at the end, as well as Defused!, in which the card fuses to the box, then becomes unfused. (While Defused! is wildly impractical in any but a formal performance, in that context it would be extremely effective.) To make it a complete project, Mr. Sankey even includes explanations for 5 forces, a useful feature given that a force is required every time you perform the effect. Several of the forces are standard, but he does have some nice touches and subtleties on some that will make them far more effective.
One complaint I have had about Sankey’s more recent releases is that the methods are fairly straightforward. Compared to his earlier work, there isn’t a lot of subtlety or craftsmanship to the method. While that’s also true with a few of the handlings for “Final Fusion,” one of the main advantages to this effect is that there is no way the spectator will see it coming. While a viewer may expect you to find his card, or even make it jump to your pocket, there is no way he will expect you to fuse it to the card case. While I’m not an advocate of straight line methods, because of the element of surprise, I think in this case they can still be very effective.
The biggest drawback to this effect is the fact that anyone who sees this effect twice in a row (a highly probable scenario in a restaurant or walk-around setting) will see the same card fusing to the box. There isn’t really anything that can be done about this and it’s not an inherent problem with the effect. Just think carefully about where and when you will perform “Final Fusion” before buying the DVD.
So should you buy “Final Fusion?” It’s a simple answer. If you like the idea of finishing a card routine by causing the selected card to fuse to the outside of your card case, then buy it. The included cases look exactly as they should, and the DVD contains many solid ideas to get you started.
One of the things I love about Mr. Sankey’s work is that he really explores his ideas before releasing them. For this project he came up with 9 very distinct approaches to this effect, 7 of which are actually different ways to have the card fuse to the case. My favorites were the Drop Fuse, a very visual effect with a nice convincer at the end, as well as Defused!, in which the card fuses to the box, then becomes unfused. (While Defused! is wildly impractical in any but a formal performance, in that context it would be extremely effective.) To make it a complete project, Mr. Sankey even includes explanations for 5 forces, a useful feature given that a force is required every time you perform the effect. Several of the forces are standard, but he does have some nice touches and subtleties on some that will make them far more effective.
One complaint I have had about Sankey’s more recent releases is that the methods are fairly straightforward. Compared to his earlier work, there isn’t a lot of subtlety or craftsmanship to the method. While that’s also true with a few of the handlings for “Final Fusion,” one of the main advantages to this effect is that there is no way the spectator will see it coming. While a viewer may expect you to find his card, or even make it jump to your pocket, there is no way he will expect you to fuse it to the card case. While I’m not an advocate of straight line methods, because of the element of surprise, I think in this case they can still be very effective.
The biggest drawback to this effect is the fact that anyone who sees this effect twice in a row (a highly probable scenario in a restaurant or walk-around setting) will see the same card fusing to the box. There isn’t really anything that can be done about this and it’s not an inherent problem with the effect. Just think carefully about where and when you will perform “Final Fusion” before buying the DVD.
So should you buy “Final Fusion?” It’s a simple answer. If you like the idea of finishing a card routine by causing the selected card to fuse to the outside of your card case, then buy it. The included cases look exactly as they should, and the DVD contains many solid ideas to get you started.