hi guys,

i will have some spare cash next mth, & thinking of JSB's total eclipse DVD for my shopping list. Does anyone has it & kind to post a simple & general review for it? from what i read for the description, its sounds like using a thumbtip in a 'new' way. maybe i'm wrong. hope someone out there can enlighten me.

thxs

You are correct . It is using the TT in "new ways".
However , it is much more than a TT video.

As usual I find JSB's ideas to be interesting and stimulating (he will make you think of new ways of doing something, even if you don't do it exactly like him) . I have only watched a portion of the Total Eclipse DVD at a friend's house. Production quality was fine. I probably won't purchase the DVDs because I have the lecture notes that the DVD material is based on.

My only small criticisms of the Berry tapes and DVDs coming out are that it seems to me that JSB could have combined the info. on both the Eclipse Tip and the Cloaking Device (modified Sanada gimmick) onto a single DVD rather than two DVDs , also incorporating other ideas from his Illusioneering 2000 lecture notes . As far as I can tell both the Eclipse and Cloaking DVD's are based on material presented in the Illusioneering 2000 lecture notes.
There may be new or additional material on the DVDs that is not in the notes, but it doesn't look like it to me from reading the content of the DVDs .
(I believe that the JSB lecture notes are still available from Misdirections Magic in San Francisco) .

http://www.misdirections.com/exclusive/berry.htm

Of course, the advantage to the DVDs is that you get to actually see JSB in action with these utility gimmicks and it probably makes it easier to master the necessary moves and subtleties . He is quite amazing with these items. If you have never seen JSB perform then get the DVDs .

I found two sizes for the clever Eclipse gimmick at Jay's web.
How do I know what size I need?

http://www.jayscottberry.com/jsbeclipse.html

If you have the chance and if he comes to your town, go to his lecture. He just came here in Memphis on Monday. In the lecture he demonstates all of his effects and how they are done. He also sells package deals at the lecture. I did pick up the Eclipse tip, Cloaking device, and the F/S2. Even though like Dai said that the cloaking and f/s2 are a basis off the sanada gimmick, Jay's are a little better built especially for the effects they accomplish. I've had a sanada for 6 years and mine is quite worn out. And the eclipse is a new version of the TT. To Kjellstrom, at the lecture we found that if you have smaller fingers to get the first tip, and if your fingers are larger go with the second as it does not have to fit all the way onto your finger just to the first knuckle. And, as far as the DVD's go, I did not get any but I know they are good. Hope this helps.

I own all of Jay's products, and they are all wonderful. The Eclipse Tip is a great tool, and the DVD will really get your creative juices flowing. All of his products are well worth the money!

I have the DVD but not the lecture notes.

It would have helped if he spoke. It's hard to understand a mime teaching instructions.

The technique and routines taught on this DVD are top notch. They pack small and play very big. I saw him lecture last week and now have a new appreciation for clean looking magic.
His eclipse tip is a simple but very valuable enhancement to the thumb tip. His DVD teaches many excellent, clean, commercial routines. The mime teaching aproach is not my favorite, but does have the effect of teaching visual magic in a visual way. I think he does the mime thing so that he can sell material internationally without dealing with language barriers.

Great material, in any case. and inspirational by any standard.

Mike

I for myself really enjoyed the mime teaching because they were enough complete to be understandable and also because by this way you won't be tempted to copy his patter.

I saw him lecture at Hank Lee's a couple years ago and his work with the eclipse tip was extraordinary. I bought the lecture notes but not the DVD, and plan to get that too. Seeing him in action and seeing it repetitively is very important to me. It is truly amazing to see what Jay can do with such a simple device.