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Ben Cardall: Sherlockian Review

Two DVDs, ten effects and $60 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble?

Effect/Method/Ad Copy Integrity

I'm going to defer to the ad copy for the effects. Take a look over there, and make sure you read them. They do a pretty good job at explaining the effects. We'll discuss any points of clarification from the ad copy and mix it in with the method discussion.

The following discussion assumes that you're looking at and/or have read the ad copy. First, 3 Truths and a Lie claims to be a propless lie detection system. This is true. However, it relies on essentially really being able to do it which he briefly discusses. However, with the addition of a pen and paper, you can get it 100%. And in case you were wondering, they don't actually write down the lie or the truths, even with the pen and paper version.

With Speed Deduction, you get a very smart concept that lets you divine (easily) very specific information about a spectator (or more). It is done with no pre-show work, and is the kind of thing that would work extremely well in a close up setting. It's one of the simplest methods you could imagine, yet it's totally deceptive.

The Psychometric System ad copy says that it allows you to divine what's in the spectator's pockets. This is true, sort of. You have a bag that you hold out (while blind-folded) and have several spectators place an object from their pocket into it. You are then un-blindfolded and able to reveal what objects were placed in the bag and who put them there. The method relies on a aimple and cleverly gimmicked bag that you make. Though it's gimmicked, you are still able to hand the bag to them to hold while you divine its contents.

The ad copy claims that Rainmen is a borrowed memorized deck routine. This is true. Ben Cardall teaches a very simple way to "prove" that you've memorized a borrowed shuffled deck's order. The system is super simple. In fact, as he was teaching it, he did a sample shuffle and I was able to remember the "stuff" needed as he was walking through the shuffled deck. It's very easy.

In Sherlockian, you kind of actually do use real observation techniques. There's room for error on the first two phases. However, the third and most powerful phase is foolproof. This combines (the appearance of) deductive reasoning and prediction for a very believable demonstration of your powers of deduction. Psy-do is a Clue-like game/effect where you are able to divine the location, weapon and victim's name. There is a lot of impossible predicting of stuff in this routine.

The Sensory Perception is a clever concept for allowing spectator "A" get a "feeling" about what spectator "B" is thinking of. He discusses both a pre-show work version and a not-pre-show version. Up next is 3 Point Problem where you have a spectator write down a word that sums up their problem. You are able to guess where she hides the problem (i.e., which hand); you're able to divine what the word is, and lastly, you're able to cause her to not be able to see it for a moment. The method on this is easy and powerful.

The first part where you guess which hand relies on one of two methods. Both require some very solid observation on your part. If you're not comfortable with those methods, it's okay, because this part of the routine can be left out until you've mastered those skills.

With The Twitches Theory you become a regular Cal Lightman as you are able to read the faces of a spectator as they think of different emotions. You also are able to divine what memory they are thinking of that relates to each emotion. Lastly, the spectator is able to divine which envelopes contain which emotion (i.e., pictures of you expressing the emotion). The method is super simple and easily learned.

Finally, Becoming The Man is a clever technique for giving the spectator, temporarily, the ability to use deductive reasoning to ultimately predict the outcome of a crime. Again, very simple and very effective.

As you can see, the ad copy is very accurate. There were a few points here and there that required some clarification, but it's all solid. The effects a little bit different from much of what's out there, and the methods are very doable and legitimate.

Product Quality

The DVD menus are easy to navigate. I like that they had full performance clips of each effect. However, the audio was pretty bad, and the lighting was pretty rough too making it a little bit difficult to see what was going on. The teaching segment also has bad lighting. Anything white seemed to get a bit washed out. In some cases, it was so washed out that you couldn't see it at all.

Also, during the interview segment, the host's face was very much washed out. However, in general, the effects are still covered well, and you'll have the information you need. On that note, however, in some cases I felt that he was not as thorough as he needed to be. There were a few situations, where I really felt like a little bit more in depth explanation was needed.

For example, in the effect Sherlockian, he explained how it's done, but he didn't explain exactly how he applied that to the performance clip we saw. It wasn't quite clear how it was used in that scenario. So, there were a few issues like this that were of note, but again, you'll be able to learn everything you need to know by watching the DVDs. There were a few cases where I had to rewatch a segment a time or two to get clarity, but after doing so, I got it just fine.

Also included is an 86 page PDF file that has further thoughts on different principles in play on the project. It also has print outs of some of the props used in the various effects throughout the DVDs. It's full of information that will help supplement the DVD information.

Final Thoughts

If you're looking for some simple-prop mentalism effects that are a little bit different from what you're probably used to, I think you'll be happy with this set. The methods range from dead-simple to simple-in-concept-but-will-take-some-hard-work-to-master, and everything in between. If you like the idea of the character of a "Deductionist," then this stuff is right up your alley.

Final Verdict:
4 Stars with a Stone Status of gem