Price$24.95
Media TypeTrick
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedNov 21, 2014
Voices
Prace, Jeff
(Based on 1 review)
Filtering through hundreds of murmurs, I have extracted four astonishments, each one unbelievable in effect and innovative in method.
FLAVORLESS :: A chewed piece of gum becomes new again in a fraction of a second.
CONTAINMiNT :: A container of orange-flavored mints transforms to those of a different color. *gimmicks included*
CLASPED :: A borrowed finger ring melts away and arrives secured on the magician's necklace.
FUEL :: The logo on a standard lighter dematerializes and travels before multiplying in the spectator's hand. *gimmicks included*
Additionally, I perform and explain three bonus tricks utilizing drinking straws, headphones, and lighters.
The disc also includes a 15-minute session on creativity, in which I present in-progress ideas with the hope of inspiring original thoughts.
The voices have been quieted.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Voices by Jeff Prace is a collection of tricks using everyday objects presented on a well-produced DVD. These tricks will resonate with magicians that want to appear as if they are doing impromptu magic with ordinary everyday items such as gum, tic-tacs, a bic lighter, a cup of soda, a necklace or headphones. Voices has four main tricks, three “bonus” tricks and a fifteen minute “creative session” with Prace. With the DVD you get a small envelope that has some of the materials needed to build some of the gimmicks, but you will still need to buy materials needed to complete the gimmick building.
As referenced above, you will not be able to hit the ground running. You will need to run to the local store to buy the materials necessary to build the gimmicks and then you will need to engage in some art-and-crafts construction for most of the effects. You may not be able to find everything you need at a local store, but with some poking around you will be able to locate all the necessary items needed to create the gimmicks. This should probably be disclosed in advance to avoid the disappointment of not being able to perform any of the tricks without first creating a small shopping list.
The four main effects are described below:
FLAVORLESS: The performer takes a chewed piece of gum out of his mouth, puts it in his hand and offers it to a spectator. Once refused, the performer taps the gob of gum with the blister pack and the chewed gum instantly transforms into a new piece of gum, ready to be chewed. The effect is good, but the chewed piece of gum looks a bit funky and not exactly like a real chewed piece of gum. It looks more like 3 or 4 pieces in a large chunk. If you like the way this trick looks in the promotional video, then you will have fun performing this effect. This trick uses a basic sleight.
CONTAINMINT: The performer turns a box of orange colored tic-tacs into white colored tic-tacs. This is a clever and simple effect, but as the promotional video shows, the transformation takes place when Prace places it under the bottom of his T-shirt, for a split second, which weakens the effect. You probably could do the same transformation without the need to hide the box for that quick instant. There are some angles that can be managed by the handling of the box and you will need to clean up before handing out some tic-tacs.
CLASPED: The performer borrows a finger ring and vanishes it after “polishing” it under the bottom of a t-shirt. You can’t have a tucked in shirt to do this trick as taught. The ring then reappears on a necklace around the performer’s neck. This trick is great in concept but will require you to build the necklace from a specific type of rope, which may not suit many people and will look like a cheap rope. Prace indicated that the type of material is hard to find and did not give any leads to find it. You will also need to buy other items other than the necklace, which can easily be bought on the internet. Also, the handling of the necklace looks a bit funky, which was edited out of the promotional video. There are serious angle issues with this trick. The spectators must be directly in front of you and no one can be behind you. I was disappointed because the edited snippet of the promotional video, whether intentional or not, led me to believe that the trick was something different than what I perceived it to be. Clean-up of this effect can also be a bit cumbersome. Note that I did not build this gimmick based upon the issues presented above.
FUEL: The graphic logo on a bic lighter moves, vanishes and multiplies on the lighter. This is an update to a paddle routine and can be very fooling. As in all the other effects, you will need to buy a certain item, which in this case is easy to find, to perform this trick.
Prace credits several magicians for the above-tricks that have created similar earlier effects.
Prace also describes three additional effects that he calls “bonus” effects, although I am not sure why they are bonus effect as opposed to regular effects. Strawsome is an effect in which your friends see you drinking one color liquid from a fast-food type cup and then the drink visually changes into another color, which can be seen in the transparent straw. A pretty neat effect and one that Prace distributed for free on the internet. Although Prace covers the straw during the quick moment when the drink changes colors, you may want to try it without obstructing the straw. Iflite is a ring vanish in which the spectator’s finger ring appears on a headphone cord that is plugged into your phone which is in your pocket. Although this is a clever trick, the handling raises some questions and it is not a killer effect. Light Flight is another trick with bic lighters in which you “remove” the logo from one lighter and magically “throw” it onto another bic lighter. This is similar in working and handling to Fuel, described above.
Prace then has a “15 minute creative session” in which he explains how he creates and updates old magic tricks using everyday objects. He gives as example of the stiff rope trick trick, but uses headphones, instead of a rope. It is interesting to see how Prace goes about his art and his creative process.
The DVD is detailed and clear in gimmick construction and trick instruction. Prace is very methodical and slowly takes you through each trick. The entire DVD is shot in a basement and has some spooky, horror film-like music running in the background throughout to match with the theme that he hears voices that help him create magic. I could have done without the haunted music as it is not necessary and somewhat annoying to listen to after a few minutes. These tricks are not spooky or scary so although the themed idea is creative, it does not 100% match the tricks. The DVD is easy to navigate with distinct performance and explanation tracks. The DVD also has some printable image files to create a gimmick.
The promotional video is mostly accurate, with the exception of the editing I referenced above. Some people make take issue with the ad copy claims, which are vague sales assertions such as “insanely good tricks” or that the tricks are “astonishments, each one unbelievable in effect and innovative in method.” This is a bit of an overstatement, or perhaps just puffing, but notwithstanding that, Voices is a creative project.
As referenced above, you will not be able to hit the ground running. You will need to run to the local store to buy the materials necessary to build the gimmicks and then you will need to engage in some art-and-crafts construction for most of the effects. You may not be able to find everything you need at a local store, but with some poking around you will be able to locate all the necessary items needed to create the gimmicks. This should probably be disclosed in advance to avoid the disappointment of not being able to perform any of the tricks without first creating a small shopping list.
The four main effects are described below:
FLAVORLESS: The performer takes a chewed piece of gum out of his mouth, puts it in his hand and offers it to a spectator. Once refused, the performer taps the gob of gum with the blister pack and the chewed gum instantly transforms into a new piece of gum, ready to be chewed. The effect is good, but the chewed piece of gum looks a bit funky and not exactly like a real chewed piece of gum. It looks more like 3 or 4 pieces in a large chunk. If you like the way this trick looks in the promotional video, then you will have fun performing this effect. This trick uses a basic sleight.
CONTAINMINT: The performer turns a box of orange colored tic-tacs into white colored tic-tacs. This is a clever and simple effect, but as the promotional video shows, the transformation takes place when Prace places it under the bottom of his T-shirt, for a split second, which weakens the effect. You probably could do the same transformation without the need to hide the box for that quick instant. There are some angles that can be managed by the handling of the box and you will need to clean up before handing out some tic-tacs.
CLASPED: The performer borrows a finger ring and vanishes it after “polishing” it under the bottom of a t-shirt. You can’t have a tucked in shirt to do this trick as taught. The ring then reappears on a necklace around the performer’s neck. This trick is great in concept but will require you to build the necklace from a specific type of rope, which may not suit many people and will look like a cheap rope. Prace indicated that the type of material is hard to find and did not give any leads to find it. You will also need to buy other items other than the necklace, which can easily be bought on the internet. Also, the handling of the necklace looks a bit funky, which was edited out of the promotional video. There are serious angle issues with this trick. The spectators must be directly in front of you and no one can be behind you. I was disappointed because the edited snippet of the promotional video, whether intentional or not, led me to believe that the trick was something different than what I perceived it to be. Clean-up of this effect can also be a bit cumbersome. Note that I did not build this gimmick based upon the issues presented above.
FUEL: The graphic logo on a bic lighter moves, vanishes and multiplies on the lighter. This is an update to a paddle routine and can be very fooling. As in all the other effects, you will need to buy a certain item, which in this case is easy to find, to perform this trick.
Prace credits several magicians for the above-tricks that have created similar earlier effects.
Prace also describes three additional effects that he calls “bonus” effects, although I am not sure why they are bonus effect as opposed to regular effects. Strawsome is an effect in which your friends see you drinking one color liquid from a fast-food type cup and then the drink visually changes into another color, which can be seen in the transparent straw. A pretty neat effect and one that Prace distributed for free on the internet. Although Prace covers the straw during the quick moment when the drink changes colors, you may want to try it without obstructing the straw. Iflite is a ring vanish in which the spectator’s finger ring appears on a headphone cord that is plugged into your phone which is in your pocket. Although this is a clever trick, the handling raises some questions and it is not a killer effect. Light Flight is another trick with bic lighters in which you “remove” the logo from one lighter and magically “throw” it onto another bic lighter. This is similar in working and handling to Fuel, described above.
Prace then has a “15 minute creative session” in which he explains how he creates and updates old magic tricks using everyday objects. He gives as example of the stiff rope trick trick, but uses headphones, instead of a rope. It is interesting to see how Prace goes about his art and his creative process.
The DVD is detailed and clear in gimmick construction and trick instruction. Prace is very methodical and slowly takes you through each trick. The entire DVD is shot in a basement and has some spooky, horror film-like music running in the background throughout to match with the theme that he hears voices that help him create magic. I could have done without the haunted music as it is not necessary and somewhat annoying to listen to after a few minutes. These tricks are not spooky or scary so although the themed idea is creative, it does not 100% match the tricks. The DVD is easy to navigate with distinct performance and explanation tracks. The DVD also has some printable image files to create a gimmick.
The promotional video is mostly accurate, with the exception of the editing I referenced above. Some people make take issue with the ad copy claims, which are vague sales assertions such as “insanely good tricks” or that the tricks are “astonishments, each one unbelievable in effect and innovative in method.” This is a bit of an overstatement, or perhaps just puffing, but notwithstanding that, Voices is a creative project.