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Details

Never There

Strebler, Morgan

SansMinds Productionz

(Based on 2 reviews)
What if you have the ability to go back in time and erase your past?
From the mind of Morgan Strebler, we present "Never There."

Imagine taking a picture with a spectator. But before the spectator wants to post it on any social media platforms, you erase yourself from the photo.

An insane illusion that is done with a borrowed phone.

*No special app is required
*Borrowed smart phone
*Works on any smart phone brand

You have to check out the live performance in the trailer now!

Note: *TV rights not included with purchase. Please contact SansMinds for TV rights.

Reviews

Joe Diamond

Official Reviewer

Apr 27, 2016

Twenty dollars for a twenty minute DVD.

If you watch the demo video, the effect is that you ‘vanish’ from a photo in a spectator’s phone. The reality is that it’s not an identical photo with you ‘missing’ it’s simply a photo of just the spectator staring, not smiling.

The trick is NOT as clear as the ad trailer makes it look. You have to handle the spectators phone IN FRONT OF THE SPECTATOR before doing the effect. Also, if they access a certain area of their phone’s history, they can bust you on this effect. Now, the DVD DOES go over how to ‘clean that up’ but it requires you to monkey around with the spectator’s phone even more!

Another aspect of the method involves you pretending to be ignorant of how a smartphone works. Personally, I don’t want to act as if I just got out of a time machine from 1985 and pretend that I don’t understand how a smartphone camera works.

All this said, I think that there is a time and a place for everything, and I think this CAN work in SOME social, non-professional situations. You can’t do this with any phone for any spectator.

I think this would have been a better ten dollar download. This is a good IDEA but the execution is not the best value for twenty dollars. Personally, I think there are much better books and one trick DVDs out there for twenty bucks!
(Top ▲)

Doc Johnson

Official Reviewer

Feb 28, 2016

PROS

Really nice routine. This effect is very impromptu. It only requires the use of a borrowed smartphone. Any smartphone will work. The effect is you take a selfie photo of yourself and a participant and then you “erase” yourself from the photo.

What you get is a DVD explanation. That’s it. No gimmicks, nothing to make.

The value in this DVD is the handling. This effect is all about the way you present it. You will need to become familiar with a few different types of phones or select participants with a phone you are familiar will. The effect is all about pretending to be a bit ignorant about their phone while you secretly set up the effect. The handling he teaches is very good, and worth the price.

The DVD is true to the ad copy. Well, the ad copy does say: “What if you have the ability to go back in time and erase your past?”. Of course, the DVD is not going to actually teach you how to go back in time. However, the effect sure can feel like going back in time. It is absolutely true that you can perform this with any borrowed smart phone and it doesn’t require any app.

CONS

You must become familiar with whatever type of smartphone you are going to perform with. There are some secret moves that are carried out and you will need to be familiar with how they are done on different phones. He demonstrates with an iPhone. I have tried this with an Android phone and while the moves are slightly different, it works just as well. Just practice with a couple types of phones in advance.

AT A GLANCE

Skill level required: 2 of 5.
Audience management skill required: 4 of 5.
Performance angles: 180 to 360 degrees depending upon handling.
The reset time required: 2 minutes (Note: You are not likely to reset in front of your audience)
The DIY time involved in advance: No prep time, but you will need to practice your delivery and handling until you get it down. The entire routine is dependent upon good delivery.

Sansminds has a similar at a glance rating system and they rate the audience management skill require as a 2 out of 5. I think the audience management portion is key to the success of this effect and so I would rate it 4 out of 5. If you don’t get the audience management part down, this effect will not only fall flat on its face, but you will likely reveal the method as well.

VERDICT

Very good routine. Very impromptu. However, you must get the audience management part down pat or the effect will fall flat on its face.
(Top ▲)