Project Zero

Forrest, Dave

David Forrest

(Based on 1 review)
Dave Forrest is back with 'Project Zero' - the amazing new double disk set featuring fifteen incredible new effects involving holes!

Imagine punching a hole in a card and then casually plucking the hole off. You toss it into the deck where it lands on a signed selection! Or, sliding a freshly punched hole right across the face of a signed card! What if you could take a small 'disk' and attach it to a card where it instantly becomes a real, genuine hole!

All this and more is possible and you can find out how in 'Project Zero'

Dave Forrest has obsessed over the 'moving hole' plot for years and 'Project Zero' brings together the cream of the crop from his extensive notebooks. On this new double disk set you'll find holes that move, jump, slide, multiply, appear and disappear. Occasionally though, the hole is just for watching the magic through!

And, 'Project Zero' also includes incredible contributions from some of Dave's friends in magic: Peter Duffie, Cameron Francis, Liam Montier and James Went!

'Project Zero' - you've quite literally got NOTHING to lose!

DISK ONE CONTENTS
1. Sink Hole - Visually pluck a hole right off a card and toss it into the deck where it lands on a signed selection!
2. ACME Bar bet - How to get the coin into the glass? Just make a hole appear in the card of course!
3. Holy Business - Visually slide a hole across your signed business card!
4. Hole in One - Instantly and visually, a hole jumps to a different location on a signed card!
5. Shadow Zone (By Peter Duffie) - A signed selection becomes impossibly stapled to another card that's inside an envelope with a large hole in it. In a word? INCREDIBLE!
6. Holy Hofzinser (by Cameron Francis) - A classic plot with a holy twist from the creative super-nova himself!
7. Carpentry Hole - An ultra visual 'moving hole on signed card' effect using Jack Carpenters amazing Impulse Change!

DISK TWO CONTENTS
1. Hole Card - How to smuggle 'casino gift shop cards' into play? Just move the punched hole from one card to another!
2. ACME bar bet too - A super-charged gimmick makes this version of the bar bet look like trick photography.
3. Business Card Merger (by Cameron Francis) - Merge two signed business cards with holes punched through them into one business card with two holes in it!
4. White Hole - Visually slide a hole right across the face of a signed card!
5. Void Voyage - A 'portable hole' appears on a spectators selection whilst they are holding it between their palms!
6. Holy Thoughts (by James Went) - A thought of card, placed between two Jokers with holes in them, transforms into a freely named card - they actually see it happen thanks to the holes!
7.Hole Odyssey (by Liam Montier) - An ink dot becomes a real hole which is then visibly pulled to a new location on the card!
8. Holy Ambition - An ambitious card finale. A signed card is seen to materialise on top of the deck through a hole cut in the case!

Reviews

Dr. J. M. Ayala De Cedoz

Official Reviewer

Jun 18, 2013

I had spent some time going back and forth with the decision of whether or not to purchase this DVD and after having seen it, I can honestly say I am glad I did!

I am not nearly as 'obsessed' with the moving hole plot as Dave Forrest, but I really, really like it and the possibilities that it presents. Many of the effects on this 2 disc set look very magical and impossible.

Quite a few of the effects are not considered to be "economical" - that is, you will be throwing away a card every time you perform those particular effects. Most of them are worth it! There are others, however, that in performing the effect, it automatically prepares itself and sets you up for the next time you perform it. Those of course are the most "economical" ones.

My favorite effects on the DVD are Holy Business, Holy Hofzinser, Business Card Merger, Acme Bar Bet Too, Hole Odyssey and Holy Ambition.

In my opinion, the 'Acme Bar Bet' (on the first disc) looks good, but even with the nature of the effect (being playable as a magic effect or a magical "bet"), some of it might seem or feel contrived. 'Acme Bar Bet Too' (on the second disc) looks exactly like the DVD case claims - it truly does look like trick photography in real time.

'Holy Business' and 'Business Card Merger' are both done using business cards, as one might guess from their titles. Both of these are excellent ways to hand out your business cards with a magical memory attached to them. With some thought, they can be signed too.

'Holy Hofzinser' is quite the fun effect and a spin on the classic Hofzinser presentation. I like this one because the revelations catch the spectators off-guard in a surprising way.

In my humble opinion 'Hole Odyssey' is one of the best effects in this set. It is surprising, it is magical and quite clean; it can be a short and quick effect or it can be longer if you choose. Some of the phases can be taken out to make it shorter. Dave gives you some suggestions to help make this even more visual as far as what decks to use. In reality any deck can be used, but due to the nature of ink colors and designs, some decks will make this more visual.

'Holy Ambition' to me is much more motivated than something like the "Wow", "Wow 2.0", etc. As visual as they are, they (the "Wow" gimmicks) still look out of place when you have to bring them into play in order to use them. With 'Holy Ambition' you already have the card box and besides, this one is very visual when performed correctly. In fact, you can even replicate the face-up/face-down variations of the "Wow" gimmicks, although it is instantaneous in this case and does not have the slow materialization appearance that "Wow" has/can have.

Everything is clearly explained on both discs and the audio is very clear. Now, one of the things that made me take away a star was the fact that you never see faces on this entire set. It is all shot from one viewpoint, looking down at the table and all you ever see are hands. That said, the visual quality is very good, but it would have been nice to see Dave and his face now and again.

The other thing that made me take away the other half star is more of an annoyance and in no way detracts from the quality of any aspect. In the menu you have a choice of viewing everything straight through or viewing each effect and explanation before returning to the menu. The menu is easy to navigate, but between every single segment (one performance, its explanation, the next performance piece, and so on) a graphics display of 'Project Zero' pops up and the accompanying sound 'woosh' plays. It is the same image/sound every single time and after two or three times, it gets really annoying.

Another thing that I thought could have been shown and demonstrated are the actual tools that were used to cut out the larger holes in the cards. He does tell you what he used (a compass cutter) but if you do not know what that is, you may get lost in looking for one at your local craft shop. With compass cutters you have to hold the cutter and the card snugly as you rotate the blade around in a circle.

Just for the information of the reader, I found and use what is called a "long-reach hole punch" with a 1" diameter. These come in different diameters but are not big and bulky and they can reach the exact center of a standard poker-sized playing card.

To his credit, if you ever have any issues with understanding anything on his DVDs (making the "props", a move/sleight, etc.), Dave Forrest makes himself very available to those that e-mail their questions to him. He is a very nice guy, a great teacher and wonderful performer.

The content of these discs is fantastic and everything well explained, and if the camera looked at more than just a pair of hands, some cards and a green table top, I would have given it a higher rating.

Even so, if you like the moving hole plot you will definitely not be disappointed if you decide to purchase this set!
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