Along with Matthew Johnson's "The Secret Art of Monkey Business", (which I liked very much) I also viewed his "Color Blind" DVD. It is an easy to do card trick that just keeps baffling the audience over and over during the routine. The DVD includes the props, which makes it such a great piece of card magic. Check it out!

Dick Barry, thanks very much for visiting the Café and for posting your thoughts on Matthew's new DVD. Having a professional such as yourself share his thoughts, helps everyone here.

Chris


Matthew sent me the Color Blind DVD. I'm a big fan of the plot. Matthew is a full- time professional magician (yep, that's all he does), and I have a few of his other products and he designs routines for quick reset so you can perform them throughout the engagement.

In Color Blind, you remove a red deck from a red card case. The jokers are removed and placed face up on the table and you casually show all of the cards have red backs.

They select a card (free choice), and it's lost back in the deck.

First change: the color of the deck goes from red to blue. Except...the spectator's card, which is now the only red card in the blue deck.

Second change: The the magi changes the spectator's card from red to blue.

Third change: the two jokers that were placed on the table before the deck changed color are shown to have red backs. (I really like the look of this display because those cards show as having red backs). Instantly, the jokers also turn blue.

Most color changing deck routines end there.

4th change: the magician explains that he cannot put the blue cards in a red box as it would not look right. As he says this, he fans the card and waves them over the card case and it changes from red to blue!

The cards are placed back in the case. What's great is you are instantly reset and ready to perform the routine again.

You are supplied with a special Card case. It's folded flat, but you just open it up and tear away a strip and it glues together. I took the cellophane off a new deck and slipped the gimmick into that. It will last a very long time.

You also get a gimmick card and a DVD showing the performance and explanation.

What this has going for it are the displays, and the dramatic change of the color of the card box and the instant reset.

The DVD also has large crediting section on the history of certain color changing deck routines.

Murphy's distributes this, so all the dealers have it.

Well, I must have been one of the first to get a peek at the Color Blind DVD. I am lucky to have Matthew as a colleague here in Vancouver and have seen him in action for many years. Color Blind has been a staple in his act and to be honest I was quite surprised he when he told me he was marketing this gem. The effect is multifaceted and just keeps getting better every step of the routine. The props supplied are excellent and the video is great, I even got the Dora jokes! An added bonus is the fact that the routine is designed to reset so it truly is a workers dream.

If you check out the Café you will see I rarely endorse a product. I do this to ensure that when I do speak up ... it's clear I believe in the item. Color Blind is visual and best of all easy ... and I like easy!

Like Shawn Farquhar, I rarely endorse products. I don't know Matthew, and I'm not associated with him in any way. But I have to say that Matthew's DVD's are some of the best that I've seen in years. His style, simple approach and originality, are just great. Nice work Matthew!

Mad Hatter has the DVD in: Color Blind.

Matthew has a fun routine, but I always think you improve if you make up your own to fit your style.

Sleights are basic: DL, double undercut.

This is a very commercial effect. Color Changing decks play very big and this one has many phases to it.

Guys,

Thanks so much for all your nice comments. It truly means allot when great magicians have great things to say :o)

MJ

Again, agree with what you have all said. Color Blind is fantastic. I performed it in my close-up show on a cruise ship (along with some material from Matthews other recent DVD Monkey Business) and the reaction from color blind was amazing. This is such a great routine and the fact that it instantly resets will appeal to every magician who performs walk-about and close-up magic. Again, thank you so much Matthew for releasing this great routine. I can't wait to see what else you are going to release in the future.

I just watched Matthews color blind and it was great!! Really impressive and a lot of magic happens.

Very well explained as well.

thanks Matthew!
Ken

I just got my DVD of Colorblind. I know Matthew quite well as we are both full time magicians here in Vancouver and I have always been impressed with his packet effects that he has released and couldn't' wait to see his new DVD. Two words only...

Totally awsome!!!

This is a fantastic trick that has lots of magical moments and actually looks like magic. I love the fact that Matthew has worked this routine to also instantly reset. The handling is easy and should be well in the reach of even those who have just started out performing card magic.

The gimmick is extremely well made and this is one routine that is definitley going into my working repetoire.

Well done indeed!

Paul, Ken, Zany zack,

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your comments!

Ken did a lecture in Vancouver a few months ago and he rocks! Great lecture Ken, I make my living from both Corporate and Kids, your lecture was a breath of fresh air :o)

MJ

Color Blind is wonderful. I had the pleasure of watching Charlie Frye use this at the LVMI Convention. He took us all down with it. He did not use it for the color changing deck routine. He use it in a way that took us all down.
Contact Charlie for the details.

Great Job Matthew. I love this thing a lot.
All my best to you,
Dean Dill

Hi Dean,
I'm not familiar with Color Blind, but I look forward to looking into it. The switch I did is something I came up with a long time ago. I just wanted a good switch that would pass by unnoticed. I so enjoyed doing it for you.

Charlie Frye

Color changing box aside, to me the trick performed in the demo didn't really have many differences from Paul Curry's color changing deck routine as performed on ETMCM #7. Maybe I'm wrong?

Matthew has a full section on credits that goes from the inventor of the color changing deck plot ( Henry Crist ) through Paul Curry, Harry Lorayne, Marlo, Vernon, etc.

Using the gaff card is a Paul Curry idea that can be seen on Johnny Thompson's L&L set and Mike Ammar does use it on his ETMCM set. They don't have the color of the box change, which I think adds a great kicker to it.

I don't think the Ammar routine changes the color of the jokers in the visual, dramatic fashion Matthew does.

You can use any routine you'd like, although Matthew's has 4 phases, which makes it quite the performance piece.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your posts and your comments.

Dean, Charlie PM'd me (super nice guy) and it appears that lightning struck twice for both Charlie and I, and I know (as per the credits on my DVD) that lightning has struck at least twice more :o)

Futureal, thanks for your post. I do not claim to have reinvented the wheel, merely to have re-structured it and added some extra pressure to the tire! This routine has worked for me for many years and I wanted to share it with others. Each to his or her own and if the routine on ETMCM #7 works for you then stick with that (it's a great routine).

As Christopher mentions in his post, there are many credits on the "Color Blind" dvd as I always strive to give as much credit as I myself am aware of (and then some).

Cheers,

MJ

Greetings Guys;
As someone who makes a color changing card case gimmick ala acrobatic card, I sat and watched this dvd with much interest.

I have to say that if you are going to do a color changing case, Color Blind is the one to use. Color Blind is so well thought out, and the moves needed are in no way hard at all for any magician. There is nothing to wear out with this, and if it ever does end up showing war down the road, you can always make yourself another.

What I like about Matts dvd is that you are purchasing a first class package all the way. From the layout of the case insert, to the gimmicks, to the very detailed instructions, with full credits, a lot of time went into making this a must have.

I also like Matts style of performing and the fact that when you finish, you are reset and ready to go on to the next table. For a working magician, this is priceless.

When I first opened the package, the first thing that hit me with the case was, wow, perfect for the brainwave deck, then after watching the dvd, sure enough reference was made to others using the case for brainwave. (see great minds think alike.lol)

In short, if you want the best color changing deck and case routine out there, get Color Blind, you will really be glad you did.

All the Best
Marty

Hi Marty,

Thanks for the great review of Color Blind. I have great respect for your work so your kind words are very much appreciated!

By the way guys I came across this review on itricks and thought you might like to see it http://itricks.com/reviews/?p=570. I think Derek does a great job of offering an unbias view of my product, thanks Derek.

Cheers,

MJ

I just got this yesterday and sat through the DVD today. I'm not the most experienced magician out there but I think this routine will work perfectly for me. One of the things I love is the DVD, which explains it all so well. Most packet tricks that sell for the same price come with a booklet that take me a while to figure out, but this DVD explains it so well that it will immediately be put on my practice and rehearsal list. I really appreciate the way that Matthew explains some of the moves that others just take for granted that we all already know how to do. You know, like "control the card to the top using your favorite method". I don't have a favorite method, I don't even have a non-favorite method ;-). Matthew explains exactly how he does the moves required for this routine in a way that I can understand and follow.

Seems like a great routine for the experienced guys, but also for people like me.

Hi Gordy,

Thanks for the nice review! I am so glad you like Color Blind and that you will use it!

I am glad you touched on the fact that this is easy to do but great for the experienced pro's too. That was my intention. You see I use this in my close up set but I wanted it to be accessible for the novice or intermediate level too. Just because something is easy to do does not mean it's not a great piece of magic! I always strive to find the easiest solution to an effect or problem and then go with that. Like my father always said to me as a youngster "The easy ones are the best ones!". Easy to do and instantly reset, that's my motto :o)

Cheers,

MJ

This is a solid piece of magic! I like the color changing card box very much, visual and nothing that's going to break.