The Magicanada Project

Michael Kras

LEGEND: A GHOST STORY BY STEVE FEARSON

Effect: This is a new Animated Deck effect from Steve Fearson... a cased deck of cards eerily moves as the spectator touches it the entire time. This is all accompanied by the legend of famous Mexican gambler Pancho Diablo, who never lost and was accused of cheating. Because of this accusation, he was killed, and it's said if you call his name 3 times, he will appear.

Review: Steve told me about this one months ago, and from the description it sounded rather hard to believe. It sounded like an effect that would require some sort of electronic system to accomplish. Then, when the product page appeared and I saw the price of $20, I knew that couldn't be the case. Later on, a demo emerged, and it looks just as unbelievable as it reads. The part that especially threw me is the claim that the spectator touching the deck as it wiggles out of the cellophane will actually feel a great deal of pressure, like a force is pushing the box out. I was literally clueless.

Finally, last week, mine arrived in the mail. Naturally, the first thing I did was rip open the DVD and put it in my player. The method is incredible. Really. It's not electronic in any sense. In fact, the gimmick is made of 4 primary materials... it can be made in under 15 minutes with tools you already have in your house. The three props that might be harder to find have been graciously included in the DVD package. The gimmick is hidden in plain sight the whole time. The spectator can burn the box, the cellophane, anything, and they will never see a single thing.

The gimmick isn't necessarily difficult to construct, but it isn't too easy either. It will take a lot of precision at certain points but nothing too challenging. Steve provides enough material to make 2 gimmicks and on the DVD offers many additional sources to restock on the materials.

On that note, we are brought to the DVD. The DVD is nicely produced, with clear picture and sound quality... there's nothing note-worthy but nothing to complain about either. Steve provides the entire script for the Legend of Pancho Diablo to accompany the effect, but if you're like me, you won't use it. It's not that it's not a good script or premise, it is, but I personally hate performing a routine the same way others perform it. As such, my scripting is considerably different.

Anyways, on topic... Steve performs the entire effect, including all three phases he uses plus his script. It looks amazing. Immediately afterwards, he takes you through all of the materials you will need to construct the gimmick and how to get them if you don't already have them. Although his detail is appreciated, this part dragged a bit for me and I found myself fast forwarding a bit. Finally, we get to the construction of the gimmick. Steve actually constructs a brand new gimmick real-time, making it easy to follow along. I particularly like this about the Construction portion of the DVD... unlike a lot of other how-to projects in which they do not show you how to make it in real-time, Steve's approach is a nice touch.

This effect, like many of Fearson's effects, is quite flexible in regards to appropriate performing conditions. It can be creepy, spooky, magical, or fascinating, depending on how you approach it. It can also be performed in a variety of venues, from restaurants to formal parlour shows. It is not, however, suited well to stage performance for obvious reasons... a single deck of cards moving a few inches isn't going to be all that impressive to spectators 100 feet away.

Should you buy this DVD? If you like levitation and animation effects, this is a must. If not, it's still worth your consideration... even if you don't use it, you will still appreciate it's clever method.

Overall, on a scale from 1 to 10, I give Steve Fearson's LEGEND an 8/10. This is a solid, powerful piece with an extremely unique method from one of today's leading inventors in levitation and animation effects. If you hate do-it-yourself projects, do not get this. If you don't mind a little effort for an effect of this nature, by all means get this.

Legend can be purchased at http://emagicsupply.com/112-LEGEND-82-custom.html

Michael Kras

_________________
Michael Kras
Forum Administrator