I have had almost no experience whatsoever with Invisible Thread and I would like to know where is the best place to learn the basics. Also, what gimmicks/reels should I purchase? Once I learn the material, what can I accomplish with it. Thanks for all the help.

Cody

Cody, Michael Ammar's "easy to master thread miracles" volumes 1-3 teaches you everything you want to know about invisible thread. Different hookups, loops, lighting, types of thread reels, many effects, how to strip your own thread, where to get the thread, pros and cons over elastic and non-elastic. He goes over everything.

LeClair also has a nice video "who's afraid of invisible thread". He has one specific hookup and teaches you tricks only using that hookup.

I enjoy the booklet called the Art of Close-Up Levitation (by Jon Jensen with many contributors, including Dan Harlan). The first effects I learned with IT (many years ago) were Steve Dusheck's Wunderbar, followed by Frank Pemper's (aka Ricardo) Floating Silver Cube (same as Wunderbar but I actually liked the apparatus a bit more, if you can believe that. You might also enjoy Cosmosis, by Ben Harris, and even better is the booklet Cosmosis Pro Tips which teaches you how to make your own Cosmosis cards (for the record, Tenyo also released a version of this in 2006 called The Floating Broom which is a cool, if not gimmicky, Harry Potter version of Cosmosis). I hear many people favor the kevlar thread but I personally use elastic more often than not. I suppose it depends upon the effects you prefer, and I rarely perform with IT (other than Cosmosis under certain circumstances, and a few items from AoC-UL). I do like to play with it, though.

Best of luck!

So if I get the Ammar videos, I should be set for basic IT work?

I have the Ammar set and the LeClair DVDs. I recommend Ammar. He covers EVERYTHING including a lot of the LeClair work.

You will probably want to pick up an ITR (Invisble Thread Reel) although it is not needed. Watch the first DVD and he will explain where you can get IE (Invisible Elastic). I per the IE over Non-elastic thread.

Note that both Ammar and LeClair cover making your own thread so there may not be a need to buy your own upfront.

Cody, not only will the Ammar videos hit the basics, there are some awesome advanced routines too. It covers everything in the 3 videos. By the way, Ammar is the special guest on the Café tomorrow.

I will be picking those up. Also, what does the Ammar video "Close Up Animations and Levitations" cover?

Cody, I never saw that video so I don't know. I'm sure someone else will give you some input on this video.

These vids (now DVDs) contain almost everything you'd ever want to know about IT.

EASY TO MASTER THREAD MIRACLES - CLOSE-UP ANIMATIONS & LEVITATIONS

VOLUME ONE:
Section One - Introducing Elastic Thread

Section Two - Accessing the Threads

Section Three - Magic With Invisible Elastic
Tahoe Tessie and the Magic Postcard; The Rising Business Card; Whirling Business Card; Dan Harlan's Financial Attraction; Ammar's Portable, Permanent Wallet Hookup

Section Four - Finn Jon's Elastic Loops
Phenomenon Fork; Finn Jon's Bill That Falls Up; The Floating Bill; Electrostatic Straw; Things That Affect Thread Visibility

Section Five - Visible but Hidden Threads
Stefan Schuster's Self-Folding Bill with Kicker, featuring Ammar's Self-Contained Wallet Hookup; Acrobatic Matchbox

Section Six - The Traditional Reel
Knot Absolutely Instant; Knot Automatically Undone; Clearly Penetrated Mike Stand

Section Seven - James George Interview
Comparing Every Available I.T.R.; Care and Management


VOLUME TWO:
Section 1 - Magic Using the I.T.R.
Finn Jon's Mystery Nut and Bolt ala I.T.R.; The Chop Cup Application; Dave Nelson's Dollar Bill Flight; I.T.R. Floating Bill; The Perfect Practice Hookup; Open Face Hookup; Z Grip to Lock the Thread; Hoop Pass; Rotating Hoop Pass; Bloom's Balancing Card; Robert Henry's Ashra Coin; I.T.R.áWhirling Card

Section 2 - The One-Hand Hookup; Al Baker's Erectile Bill; Socrate's Personal Chi Power

Section 3 - The LeClair Hookup
Floating Bill; The Whirling Card

Section 4 - The One Point Hookup
The Animated Straw; The Coin in Beer; Baker's Card from Hat; Whirling Card; Baker's Ring on Pencil

Section 5 - John Kennedy's Stealth Retractor; Ammar's Threading the Needle; Care and Feeding of the Stealth Retractor; Rising Business Cards; Rising Card; Self-Turning Page

Section 6 - Bonus Guest Star: James George
The Floating Pencil; Tips & Theory; Why Threads Break and How To Avoid; Practicing with Threads; Controlling Your Space; The Hierarchy of Astonishment



VOLUME THREE:
Performance
Floating Bill; The Super String Theory

Section One - Thread Strength According to Similar Diameters

Section Two - Securing the Ends, Separating Individual Strands

Section Three - Storing and Transporting
Simple Playing Card; Finn Jon System; John Kennedy's Z-Webs & Mini-Z-Webs; The Pin & Straw System; Sticky Mat Solution;áJohn Haar's Deck Gimmick; Clear Plastic Sticks; Lifesaver Holders; Wine Bottle Hookups - Corks, Ribbons, Clear Tubes; Under-Bar Bobbins; Mike-Stand Holders

Section Four - The Horizontal Two-Point Hookup Explanation
The Floating Bill; The Super String Theory

Section Five - The Steve Fearson Hookup
The Floating Lifesaver; James George's Floating Spinning Ball


http://www.llpub.com/zenshop/index.php?m......miracles

Thanks for that great information.

Leclair has a book called The Art of Invisible Thread, that covers all of what's on his DVD and much, much more.

Steven

So is Frank Pemper's floating sliver cube the same thing as http://youtu.be/w1MI4QrCcbY

I recommend Magick Balay's Centrifugal as a great place to start.