Easy to Master Card Miracles (ETMCM) Volume 3
Performance and Instruction by Michael Ammar.
Quick note on the series:
ETMCM is a series of 9 DVDs released by Michael Ammar between 1994 and 2004. It covers 99 (I counted them
) classical effects with playing cards, from a wide range of creators. It targets beginners, but the tricks and their effect are by no means basic, and you can see that a great deal of thought and collective experience has gone into streamlining them. Simplicity is often the hardest thing to achieve, isn’t it? 
The Man:
The man needs no introduction, world famous, award winning magician and in my opinion one of the best teacher out there. An article about him on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ammar
He is one of my favourite magicians.
What it says on the box:
… “Michael has searched through thousands of card effects to bring you the true gems of card magic. Filmed close up and surrounded, Michael takes full advantage of detailed video instructions as he performs and teaches. These exquisitely produced videos contain the finest magic instruction available. The performance, the teaching, the material and the production are all first rate and professional. Every effect delivers maximum impact, yet are surprisingly easy to master. When needed, you’ll hear the rhythm of classical music, as you see, from several angles, what the hands should be doing and why. Michael’s exclusive Super Practice sessions give you the easiest path to mastery possible. So, grab a deck of cards, get comfortable and put a little thought and time into the secrets revealed here and soon, you will be astonishing people”
I agree
What you get:
A DVD containing 11 effects, plus a simple prop to perform the last bonus effect.
You also get instructions on the sleights necessary to perform the effects: Riffle force, Gemini Count, Prophecy move, Elmsley count, Darwin Subtlety, Olram subtlety (sp)…
The Effects:
Haunted Pack (Al Baker):
A card is selected and returned to the deck. The deck magically separates itself in two halves in the magician’s hand. While the top half of the deck returns slowly to its original position, one card is left protruding. The Spectator takes the card to find it is his selection. A classic, extremely visual.
Requires set up, but is very visual and impressive.
Between the palms (Alex Elmsley):
1 card is selected and kept secured by a Spectator. 3 more are chosen, and one of the 3 is signed and time stamped. The 3 cards are returned in the deck. The first card is found in 3 seconds, the second in 1 second, the third is found between the first Spectator’s hand.
Requires quick set up. It’s a little hard to describe this one. It is nicer to watch it.
Twins (Brother John Amman):
Using four cards, the magician tells the story of 2 black haired ladies, their two black haired husbands, and the trouble the latter get into when they start eying the two red haired lady sitting at the bar.
No set up required. This is a very entertaining colour change, supported by a great story. I love this effect.
Title Bout (Martin Nash):
2 halves of the deck are shuffled face up / face down. The Magician cuts to 1 card, and announces he will find the next 3 to form a 4 of a kind. He successfully finds 2, but fails on the third. Instead of trying again, he changes magically the first three cards to form a different 4 of a kind. The magician then shows that all face up / face down cards have righted themselves.
Quick set up. I like this presentation a lot, Michael Ammar puts a humorous spin on it, and the effect is really interesting with its double kicker ending.
Opening Stab (Steve Beam):
The spectator inserts an envelope in the middle of the deck. Upon inspection, the envelope has been inserted in place of the only missing card in the deck (in new deck order)… Checking inside the envelope, the spectator finds the only missing card, proving that the magician knew all along the location the spectator would choose.
Set up required, but very easy, and impressive result.
Card Stab (Nate Leipzig):
Two cards are selected and returned together in the deck, which is wrapped in a paper towel. The magicians takes a knife and stabs randomly in the deck through the towel. Ripping the towel, the magician shows that the knife is in between two cards: the original selections.
Requires no set up, very visual and striking, partly because of the introduction of a lethal weapon in the middle of a magic routine!
; I love this.
Card in Wine Glass (Navio Martini / Michael Ammar):
1 card selected and returned. Another card, is placed into a wine glass, face showing. The glass is covered for a fraction of a second by a handkerchief, the card it contained has magically transformed itself into the Spectator’s selection.
Requires no set up, very visual and quick colour change.
Jazz Aces (Darwin Ortiz / Peter Kane):
The 4 aces are placed on the table, 1 face up, 3 face down. Four additional cards are brought into play. The first one is added to the face up ace, the three remaining ones added to the first face down Ace. As the magician turns over this last packet, the face down ace has disappeared, and is found on top of the first face up Ace. This is repeated until all Aces have assembled onto the first face up Ace.
No set up. My description of the effect is poor, in that it doesn’t carry the impact this has. It is simply a beautiful, impossible effect.
Card in Wallet (Gary Plants / Michael Ammar):
1 card is selected and torn into pieces. The pieces are paper-clipped together, apart from one piece, which is handed to the Spectator. Trying to restore the pieces together, the Magician finds a credit card in his hand instead! Which must mean that the selection has travelled to his wallet…? It has, apart from a missing piece which matches the one in the hand of the spectator.
Requires some small set up. This effect is amazing; I think it is one of the best on the DVD. It is very streamlined and a great opportunity to practice misdirection and linking of moves.
Colour changing deck (Dai Vernon):
Two cards are selected. Their back changes colour. Then the whole deck changes colour.
Xeroxed deck (Michael Ammar):
1 card selected, found to be the only one reversed on the photocopy of a spread deck.
Cost:
I purchased mine directly from Michael Ammar’s web site http://michaelammar.com/. The cost is USD 27.98. I should point out that when you receive the DVDs, you get a 10% discount on your next purchase. International shipping from the US with USPS cost me about USD 20, but I ordered several DVDs at the time. Lead time from the US to the Czech Republic was about 1 week, very good.
The publishing company L&L Publishing sells it for USD 35. www.llpub.com
Local supply for you Guys and Girls in the UK is GBP 25.99 at http://www.worldmagicshop.co.uk/
Difficulty:
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)
There are no knuckle busting moves here, but some sleights are used. They are introduced at the appropriate time and in the context of the effect. I would therefore have to give the DVD a 3 rating because sleights are used, although based on the simplicity of most of them I would lean towards a 2.
Review:
This is an amazing DVD, full of classics and very well taught. I’m sure most of you already include some of this material in your routines, and if you don’t have it yet and decide to purchase it, I am sure that you will.
Overall:
Whereas The Royal Road to Card Magic focuses its chapters around techniques and provides effects to illustrate each of them, Easy to Master Card Miracles follows the opposite approach. While it is also a DVD series for beginners, it focuses on hard hitting effects and streamlines the technical side to leave the student with approachable miracles. The sleights are introduced to support the effects, not the other way around. If you haven’t already guessed, I love this DVD series. If you are looking for strong, magical card effects, you could do worse than investing in these little jewels.
Other Volumes of ETMCM also reviewed on Talkmagic:
ETMCM Volume 1:
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=2548
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=2719
ETMCM Volume 2:
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic26672.php
ETMCM Volume 6:
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1833
