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Killer Gaft Magic

Cameron Francis

Big Blind Media

(Based on 2 reviews)
"Cameron - you are nuts! You could have sold the effects one by one separately! Very good my friend... The material is excellent!"
- Aldo Colombini

Cameron Francis (star of The Omega Mutation, Rehab, Red Hot Prediction, Twists & Turns, Fresh Mint etc) is BACK! And this time he is armed with GAFF CARDS!

You want easy magic that will make your spectators eyes pop out... well, Killer Gaft HAS IT IN SPADES! (And Clubs, Hearts and Diamonds too!).

Eleven routines, SIXTEEN Gaff cards (printed by the USPCC), over TWO HOURS of content.

Pipeline - 'Oil and Water' meets 'Travellers' meets EASY in this stunning three-way cardboard orgy!

Tele-print - Send a spectators selection through two 'teleporters' ala 'The Fly', and then see what visual madness happens on the way back!

Boxy - Want a dynamite 'card to box' that's high on impact but low on sleight of hand. WE GOT IT RIGHT HERE! If that's not enough, you will also learn the plural for 'shenanigans'!

Side by Side - A great twist and commercial presentation on a classic effect where a double blank card prints to match a signed selection - one side at a time!

Switch Jack - Perform a devastating routine with two selections that takes in sandwiches, transpositions and kickers aplenty!

What the Blank - Slowly print duplicates of three selections in a clean and visual manner, and then shock them with the kicker, which is more shocking than a shocking thing with extra spicy shockers!

The Following - Sure to be a favourite from the set, this awesome effect sees three Jacks visually vanishing to appear with the leader not one but TWICE!

Washout - Use a small packet triumph to reveal a selected card, which is just odd, considering that the other cards never even existed...

Paan - So called because it hits with the impact of a frying pan! An EASY, clean and novel take on the legendary Card At Any Number, you will love this! With tongues!

Do the Wave! - A fresh and exciting new twist on B'Wave that can sit in your wallet, ready anytime. This one is a KEEPER!

Halfusion - This is a rare and exotic blend of card plots, mixing torn and restored card, some kind of card-warp awesomeness, and then an Anniversary Waltz piece of lovely for an ending NOBODY saw coming!

The Flying Four - What starts as a transposition between four signed Queens and four blank cards ends as an ASTONISHINGLY clean 'cards to pocket' routine with no palming related shenanigans!

But there's more - included free on Killer Gaft is 'Sleight School'. Cameron takes you through EIGHTEEN different magical sleights. This is like ninja school (if magic was martial arts and Cameron was a ninja, which it isn't and he isn't - but you know what we mean).

Learn -

Double Lift
Elmsley Count
Touch Force
Tilt
Jordan Count
Hammon Count
Vernon Substitute Transfer
Flushtration Count
Mercury Card Fold
Diminishing Lift
Diminishing Count
Braue Reversal
Thru The Fist Flourish
Erdnase Colour Change
Atfus
Twirl Change
Paddle Move
Alignment Move

Reviews

Joe Diamond

Official Reviewer

Jun 29, 2010

I had heard some good things about Cameron Francis and Big Blind Media, so I was really hoping I would enjoy this DVD. I didn’t.

I believe if you are going to use a gaffed card, it should be to eliminate moves, or create an effect not possible with normal cards. I have nothing against moves or gaffs on their own, but the whole point of using either is to convey the impossibility of a great magic effect.

This project does not deliver any great magic effects. What it does deliver is 2 hours of material that feels unfinished. Don’t get me wrong, there are some good ideas in the midst of all the crap, but not good enough for the thirty-five dollar price tag. These are just random packet tricks and goofy card tricks to perform for magicians. One effect called The Flying Four is loaded with moves, looks fishy, and uses five, yes FIVE gaffed cards. None of this material should ever cross the eyes of a layperson. This is magician’s magic, and it should stay that way.

The product itself is well produced. This is a very slick DVD with high production values, that end up being wasted. Why try to present material that is not entertaining in an entertaining way? It doesn’t work. Cameron is also trying way too hard to be funny, and not trying hard enough to have top notch material to share on this DVD. He spaces at several points during the explanations of several effects. I got the feeling that he was trying to be like Jay Sankey, not just because he was trying to be funny, but in the style of his material as well.

The Sleight School section of the DVD is where all the particular moves are taught. This is a good idea because he doesn’t have to stop mid routine to explain a move. However, the moves are barely deceptive enough in Cameron’s hands to fool a layperson. He’s not bad, he’s just not a technically proficient magician, and thus not a very good teacher. He’s no Aaron Fisher, we’ll put it that way. He covers each move just enough so that people who may not know the move will be able to pull it off for their magic buddies.

The other good point is that fourteen gaffed cards are included with the DVD so you don’t have to go out and buy them. For the thirty-five dollar price tag, I’d hope they’d include all the gimmicks necessary. However, if you want to perform all the effects listed, you are going to have to buy some extra gaffs. For certain effects, you have to alter gaffs by writing on them or tearing them, thus making them unusable for other routines. This isn’t a major problem because no one in their right mind should want to perform ALL of these effects.

I’m not going to go over all the effects, because many of them are too confusing to explain in a sentence or two. However, I’ll list couple of effects that have some kind of potential in them. This is for people who are forced to watch the entire disk, so they can have some kind of silver lining in this very dark cloud.

Boxy is an interesting, no palm, signed card to card case effect. The moves aren’t very natural, but someone who knows how to make moves like these look natural would be able to fix this with very little effort. Best of all, the effect is clear enough to describe in one sentence: A joker in the card box changes places with a freely selected signed card in the deck.

PAAN is a little confusing in effect, but simple in method. No layperson could EVER describe this, but it’s a neat method to toss out during a session while you and your magic buddies are going over card at any number effects.

Side by Side is the only other effect on here that a layperson would understand. A blank card changes into a signed card. It’s another effect where it seemed like the kind of thing Jay Sankey would come up with. Except when Jay creates an effect like this it’s better, and when Jay performs an effect like this, it actually IS funny.

If you are between the ages of thirteen and seventeen, love card tricks, have read Royal Road to Card Magic, and have thirty-five bucks to spend, you are going to LOVE this. You may even find Cameron funny. Just please keep this material to yourself and your session buddies.

Unless you want to make a layperson hate card tricks forever. In that case, you have a very wide selection to choose from on this DVD.

One Star
(Top ▲)

Jeff Prace

Apr 27, 2009

The Quality:

Like all other Big Blind Media productions, the quality on this DVD is excellent. It was filmed with multiple cameras and they are very high quality. Also, the menus are set up nicely, and unlike some DVDs, there is a ‘Play All’ button that everyone loves. Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better production job.

The Teaching:

Judging from all the other Cameron Francis products I own, I knew the teaching on this DVD was going to be excellent. And I was right. Cameron goes over everything multiple times and really gives you detail. Everything is explained clearly. You should not have any questions when you finish watching this DVD.

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The Content:

Pipeline- A magician shows eight cards, four red spot cards and four black spot cards. They are in alternating color. The magician places four of the cards inside the box, leaving him with two red and two black. With no moves, he is holding four black cards. The only logical place is that the red cards are in the box. The box is opened and the red cards have seemed to disappear. The magician, with empty hands, reaches into four different pockets and removes all of the red cards.

This is sweet. I really like the moment when they see you holding two red and two black, and then only black. There is no possible explanation. The cards are shown front and back and the magician’s hands are empty. I also really like the surprise ending. I think having the red cards appear in the box would be too expected; the audience would know where the red cards were before you told them. Also, this is super easy to do. You should have this down in no time. A great effect.

Tele-Print- The magicians shows five cards: four blue backed, blank faced cards, and one blue backed ten. The ten is pushed in between two of the face down blanked faced cards. The ten disappears from the small packet. It then reappears between the other two blanked faced cards that were resting on the table. The magician offers to do that again, this time a little differently. This time, the ten is inserted in between the blank cards the opposite way. This time, it doesn’t appear inside the other cards. You now have four blank cards, and no ten! The packet is squeezed, and the ten comes back. Then, all four cards change into tens.

That’s a long description, but this is a killer effect. This is by far my favorite effect on the whole DVD. It’s just so magical. One of the greatest points is that after the ten vanishes you are super clean. You have pretty much nothing to hide. And then the ending is killer. The blank cards are seen throughout the effect, and then with no switches they are all tens! When I first saw this I thought there was no way. It was like the next NFW. This is killer!

Boxy- A magician is about to start his card trick when he sees the Joke. UH OH! He states that the Joker always ruins his card tricks. He puts the Joker into the card box. Any card is selected and signed on the face. The magician then signs the back of the card. The card is lost into the middle of the pack. When you spread the cards, one card is reversed. It turns out to be the Joker. The card box is opened and they see a face down card with the signature on it. It is turned over and it’s the signed, selected card.

This is definitely my second favorite effect on the DVD. I might perform this more than Tele-Print because this is not a packet trick. When I first saw this I thought great, this is like every other card to box routine I’ve seen. But I was wrong. I love this. The additions Cameron has added make this a wonderful routine. I really like this because they clearly see the Joker go into the box, with no signature on its back. Also, any card really can be selected, there is no force. This has an easy reset and a very quick one. I encourage everyone to check this out.

Side by Side- A card is selected and signed on the back. It is then lost into the middle of the pack. The magician has a blank cards, and starts to gather an image from the spectator’s mind. It would be impressive if the blank card says their card. And it does, written on the card is ‘Your Card.’ How lame. The magician rubs the blank card, and it changes into their card. But, the writing ‘Your Card’ is still on the card! The signature is not on the back, though. With a snap and a wave, the card really turns into their card!

This is more confusing to describe than it is to watch. It really is a great trick. The most magical moment is when the blank card morphs into their own. The killer part here is that what you wrote on the blank card transfers over to their selected card. And did I mention there was no force? I love tricks in which a gag turns into a magic trick. That’s exactly what this does. It turns a lame gag into a miracle. This is great.

Switch Jack- Four kings are shown. The two black ones are separated from the two red ones. A card is selected, and then another card is selected. Both are memorized. They are both lost in different parts of the deck. The black kings are placed underneath the card box. The red cards are placed face down onto the deck, and the magician snaps his fingers. When he spreads over the cards, one of the selected cards is in between them. The kings are then turned face up. With another snap, they trap two cards. This time they are the two black kings. Under the card box is the other card they selected.

This is a great effect. It reminded me of the Luke Dancy effect, and he is credited. I really like sandwich routines like this one. Ones in which there are no moves, and cards appear in between them. You literally put the cards on the deck, and a card just appears. It looks so magical. And then you have a great kicker ending in which no one would ever expect. This is pretty easy to do, but will require some practice. A great part is that the black kings are clearly seen going under the card box, and then they change into a selected card. It’s just so magical.

What the Blank- The cards are shuffled by the spectator. Four blank cards are placed onto the table. Four cards are selected from the center of the deck. The blank cards are shown to be blank on both sides. One of the cards that was selected is then printed onto one blank cards. It is done again with a second card. You now have a duplicate of two different cards. This is done again. With the last card, the four of the cards are rubbed and change into the selected card.

I must have done a terrible job explaining what that looks like. Once again, it’s hard to describe, but looks great. Within the first part, it looks like every other printing effect. The kicker ending makes this effect great. It really is a highly unexpected ending. I never liked printing effects, so I won’t be performing this much, but I know others will. A great part is that the blank cards are shown front and back, and then they print one by one. Even though it’s not for me, I think everyone should give this good one a chance.

The Following- You ask what Jack is the most powerful. It turns out to be the Jack of Diamonds. The other Jacks will do anything to be with the other Jack. The Jack of Diamonds is placed into the card case. The three Jacks are shown, and one vanishes. The next Jack vanishes as well, and then the last one does. Inside the card box is four cards, the four Jacks. It is done again. The Jack of Diamonds is placed face up inside the deck. The three Jacks disappear as well. The spectator doesn’t think you’re telling the truth, because you’re holding them! The Jacks really did go, you’re holding four blank cards. Inside the middle of the pack are four face up Jacks.

I really like this one again. Once you think the effect is over, it gets better. The vanish of the three Jacks is great. It’s kind of like a sucker effect; the spectator thinks they know what’s going on when they have no idea. Also, the appearance inside the card box looks great. When I first watched it I was fooled very badly. This also has a great story line. One Jack is the most popular and powerful that all of the other Jacks want to follow him. That makes sense of the fact they the travel with him into the box and the middle of the pack. A fantastic effect.

Washout- Six cards are taken from the back. They are random colored spot cards. One of the cards is touched and memorized. It’s lost inside the middle of the packet and the packet is mixed. Three cards are turned face up and mixed into the face down. With a shake, all the cards are face down except for their card. The odd thing is, all of the other five cards are blank! They picked the only printed card.

When I first saw the first half of the trick, I thought it was okay. When I saw the kicker ending, I thought it was terrific. They see other printed cards when they are turned face up, and then the turn blank. A highlight of this effect is that there are no funny moves. There are no funny moves to get the cards all facing the same way, and there are no funny moves to get the cards to turn blank. Another great effect from this DVD.

PAAN- A prediction has been made on the back of one card that is in the middle of the deck. The deck is shuffled and the spectator cuts the cards. The card the spectator cut is looked at and memorized. The spectator names any number between 1 and 52. The magician counts down to that number and shows the card. It’s not the one the spectator selected. On the back of that card is the written prediction. The prediction is the card they selected. The deck is shown to have no other writing on the back.

This is a great effect. Right when the spectator names a number, they think they know what is going to happen. Boy, are they wrong. The prediction on the back of a card is a great addition to the ACAAN plot. I really like this and have performed it a few times already. It has gotten great reactions every time. Everyone should check this effect out.

Do the Wave- A small packet of cards is shown. You pretend that they are the four Jacks. The spectator removes one of the imaginary colors. Then they eliminate one of the cards, leaving them with the selection. Inside the packet, there are four cards. The Jack they selected is face up. People think this is sleight of hand. To prove that it’s not, and the magician really did know this in advance, the other three cards are shown to be blanked faced. And written on them is ‘Jack of Clubs.’

Finally! Someone made sense of why the cards are blank at the end of B’Wave. I’ve always loved the classic Goldstein effect, but I never understood why the cards are blank at the end. It just never made sense to me. Finally, Cameron has made sense of it. And I applaud him for that. This is a super duper great effect and everyone should add this ending to their B’Wave routine. This is simply fantastic. My third favorite on the DVD.

Halfusion- A card is selected and folded in half. It is then ripped along the crease. The two half pieces are placed face to face. To restore the card, the magician puts a staple holding the two pieces together. The pieces are placed inside the box. When opened, the pieces have reversed. The two halves are now back to back, still stapled together. With a little squeeze, the pieces fuse together. They are one solid half card!

I can’t really describe what is given away here at the end. It’s kind of like a mis-made card but only a half card. It’s a very good souvenir. I love T&R tricks. I have some of my own and some created by others. But, this is a great addition to the T&R plot. When I first saw it I got very interested. It has a great method and it’s easy to do. I can’t wait to try this out. It’s simply fantastic. I think it’s great because it leaves the spectator with a souvenir to remember what you did, not just a card that has creases in it.

Flying Four- The four Queens are shown. Four double blank cards are shown as well. Four stickers are marked with the spectator’s initials, and one is placed on the back of each Queen. The four blanks are placed underneath the card box. One by one, the Queens turn into the four blank cards. The blanks are shown front and back. Underneath the card box is one blank card. On the back of the blank card is says to check the magician’s back pocket. In the back pocket are the four initialed Queens.

This is very, very good. It’s a great card to pocket routine. When I first saw it, I thought there must be some duplicate signatures. There aren’t. I really like the change from the Queens to the blanks. It’s so clean. All the blanks are shown front and back after the change. I have performed this a few times already and it KILLS. This is something everyone should try out.

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Overall:

This is a fantastic DVD. Usually, I find things on a multiple trick DVD that I think are bad. I didn’t find any here. Everything presented on this DVD is great. Aldo said it right, these could have been sold separately. This is a must have DVD. A solid 9.5/10. 10/10s are rewarded for real magic.
(Top ▲)