Submodalities by Magicbox
Yes, I know this DVD is four-years-old, but there is no TM review and seeing as I have recently purchased it, I thought I would correct this glaring omission.
Before I start the review proper, I would just like to relay the experience I had when ordering this item from Magicbox; I think it's worth mentioning.
When I received my package, I was a little surprised to see that the disc was housed in one of those plastic wallets, and not in the original DVD case. However, I was even more surprised when I removed the disc from the wallet; it was quite scratched and scuffed and looked secondhand. However, having watched through Submodalities, the disc is not defective and playback is perfect. To their credit, Magicbox have offered to exchange the disc for a boxed replacement; my thanks to Michael Murray and the team. This is one reason I will continue to shop with Magicbox.
The Effect
Filmed on location at a haunted building in the North of England, "Submodalities" is an unsettling journey into the inexplicable mysteries of ESP testing. Nine routines using ESP cards are documented across 90 minutes; routines ranging from the effortless and direct to the infinitely perplexing. Then as a bonus the DVD features a further 7 performances of additional routines developed by Banachek, Lee Earle, Richard Osterlind and more...
The DVD contains:
Beyond ESP (Michael Murray) – The performer correctly names the order of an ESP deck shuffled by a spectator. The performer then goes on to correctly identify the symbol at any number named by the spectator.
Mexican Geometry (Max Maven) – First published in the Pabular in 1977, and included on this DVD with the kind permission of Mr Maven. The spectator correctly matches 3 symbols to the performers.
Hidden Influence (Michael Murray) – The spectator reads a short paragraph from a piece of paper, and then is asked to name any ESP symbol. The performer is then shown to not only have predicted the chosen symbol but to have influenced their decision with the written passage.
Jazz Mentalism (Dave Humphrey) – The Ambitious Card of ESP effects, this is a “do as I do” style effect with a variety of outcomes. Perfect for those mentalists who like to be a little creative with their routines.
ESP Impromptu Whammy (Steve Dela) – The performer places a prediction in an envelope and the spectator is asked to cut to an ESP symbol. Amazingly the cut to card matches the symbol in the envelope.
Pocket Calculator (Dale Shrimpton & Stanton Carlisle) – The performer gazes into the spectators’ eyes and divines their thought of symbol, and then the spectator is asked to choose another symbol that matches a prediction.
Elite (Dave Humphrey) – The performer is shown to have predicted which symbol the spectator would cause a pendulum to move over.
Stars of Gemini (Darren McGee) - A multi-phase mental magic routine that builds to a dramatic climax.
Direct ESP and Addition (Richard Osterlind) – An addition to the superb routine featured in the Beyond ESP 2 booklet.
Cost
£9.99
from
Magicbox (currently on sale and reduced from £14.99)
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)
1, 2 or 3
...depending on the effect
Review
Included in the package:
Submodalities DVD (duration: 99 minutes)
Business card prop (as used in Hidden Influence)
First off, the DVD is very well produced for the most part. Picture quality is excellent and the sound is, overall, pretty good. However, most of the explanation segments suffer a little as the assisting spectator does not appear to be wearing a microphone; I found myself having to increase the volume each time in order catch his comments. A minor annoyance, granted, but worth a mention nonetheless.
Photo courtesy of Haunting Breaks
Submodalities was filmed at the supposedly haunted Lumley Castle in County Durham. The introductory sequence on the DVD is suitably impressive and atmospheric and does a good job setting the scene. The linking shots show Michael Murray in front of a rather large and ornate-looking fireplace, but this is the only reference they make to the haunted castle. It's a shame they didn't take more advantage of the location when filming Submodalities; I wasn't expecting a sight-seeing tour or a documentary on haunted castles, but it would have been nice if they had included more shots of the castle as it certainly would have added more atmosphere to the proceedings. But I understand this would probably have increased the costs, and as we are all here to read about the actual ESP effects on Submodalities, I shall move swiftly on....
Nine effects are explained and without wishing to sound too gushing, I enjoyed all of them. I would list my favorites but I'd only end up repeating the list above, so you may as well read that again. The first effect, Beyond ESP (Michael Murray), uses a Faro shuffle but don't let that put you off as Michael explains that it doesn't have to be a perfect shuffle; all will become clear when you watch the explanation.
Another of Michael's creations, Hidden Influence, is next up and is the ESP version of effects like Killer Elite/Killer Elite Pro (Andy Nyman). The principle is very well known and very effective. The prop that comes with the DVD is used in this effect and contains an unintentional spelling mistake. (My use of the word "unintentional" may seem unnecessary, but in this case it is justified....) I think I will print up my own version and use that instead.
Jazz Mentalism (Dave Humphrey) is another great effect and reminds me of Derren Brown's ESP effect as seen on Something Wicked This Ways Comes.
I won't go through every effect (stay with me here!) as that would probably get very tedious for the reader very quickly. But suffice to say that if ESP effects are your thing then you will almost certainly find several effects here that you will use. Some of the effects are simple to perform while others require a setup (stacked cards), but all should be within the capabilities of most magicians and mentalists. There is even an effect using a pendulum which relies on the ideomotor response; fascinating stuff. The explanations are clear and easy to follow.
In the sleights section of the disc, the Charlier shuffle and Mexican Turnover are explained. The Charlier shuffle is a convincing false shuffle that is particularly suited to ESP cards and the Mexican Turnover is used in Mexican Geometry. Michael also explains how to read the markings on the Beyond ESP 2 cards.
In the bonus section of the DVD, every effect that was explained in the Beyond ESP 2 booklet is performed (no explanations). There is even an addition to Richard Osterlind's Direct ESP, which is explained.
Submodalities is the companion DVD to the excellent Beyond ESP 2 deck, but if you wanted to you could use an alternative marked ESP deck and still be able to perform most of the effects here.
Overall
For those of us who enjoy performing ESP effects and routines, Submodalities contains some excellent material; at £10, it also represents superb value-for-money. (Even £15 is a good price for this DVD). Owners of the Beyond ESP 2 deck will find Submodalities to be a very worthy addition to the collection. Quality contributions from Michael Murray, Max Maven, Dave Humphrey, Steve Dela, Darren McGee and our very own Dale Shrimpton, ensure you will not be disappointed. Minor issues with the sound aside, this comes highly recommended.
Score: 9/10