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Ender's Review: All Signs Point to Yes (Caleb Wiles)

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Ender's Review: All Signs Point to Yes (Caleb Wiles)
« on: February 21, 2018, 09:09:28 PM »
 

EndersGame

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​All Signs Point to Yes (Caleb Wiles)

A fun visual effect with a Magic 8-Ball plot

Overview

A skilled and creative card magician with a background in math, Caleb Wiles has a rare ability to produce effects that are truly clever.  You may have seen him when he appeared on Penn and Teller's Fool Us (Season 3 Episode 9) in 2016 (link). But he's known in the world of magic more as a creator rather than a performer, and with ​All Signs Point to Yes we have opportunity to learn one of his ingenious routines.

Caleb first appeared on the radar almost ten years ago, when he published a 70 page book called High Spots.  This book included around a dozen great effects, two favourites for many being his magician fooler 26!, and his remarkable version on the Paul Harris classic Reset entitled Reswindled, about which even Paul Harris says: Caleb Wiles' Reswindled is my new favorite version of Re-Set

Since then Caleb has produced three instructional videos available as digital downloads, including the two above-mentioned effects, but now also an effect that isn't in his book, namely ​All Signs Point to Yes.  This trick was published in MAGIC Magazine, and also in Caleb's 2010 book, Six Pack.



Effect

​​You begin by introducing the concept of a magic 8 ball, which you shake to reveal answers. The spectator selects and signs a card which is returned to the pack. Then the 8 of Spades is introduced as the best a card for a magic 8 ball, which is drawn on its back. Now you ask it a series of questions; and with a shake it reveals first the colour (red or black), and then the suit. Finally the spectator himself shakes the 8 ball, and then turns it over to discover that it is in fact his signed card!

View Caleb demonstrate the effect in a video clip on youtube or vimeo:

https://player.vimeo.com/video/71673508



Video

What you get for around $10 is an instant digital download of the video which teaches the effect.  I got the video from Vanishing Inc Magic, where it is available here as an exclusive. 

The entire file is only around 25 MB in size, and runs for around 8 minutes, of which the first couple of minutes has the performance. Caleb does a good job of performing the routine to his spectator Blake, who appears genuinely and increasingly amazed as the routine progresses. There are close-ups for some of the moves required, so no complaints whatsoever as far as the video is concerned.



Teaching
​​

Caleb does a fine job in explaining everything needed to perform the trick, including the set-up, sleights, and patter. It's not a complicated trick as such, and while some sleights are required, these are all briefly taught and explained.



Difficulty

​Competence with several sleights is required, including a f****, DLs, and a twirl change. I especially love the fact that the shaking of the 8-ball provides a great justification for the moves required for the change, and helps hide it. The multiple lifts need to be performed completely cleanly, but that is of course well within the competence of intermediate magicians. If you don't know the twirl change, Caleb does briefly teach it, and it is an essential and important part of the routine, so if you can master that, you should be able to do this trick fairly easily; there's not a lot to remember once you're set-up.



Impressions

Caleb has come up with a very fun presentation, and the whole 8-ball concept feels fresh and amusing. It does require of course a signed card, which the spectator can keep as a memory of the trick.

The routine also has a natural development, with the 8 ball first revealing the colour, then the suit, and then the final climactic twist: the chosen card, which has magically transposed onto the reverse of the 8 ball. Caleb also explains a simple way to reset the trick so you can immediately perform it to another spectator or table.



Endorsements

Here are some positive comments that other magicians have to say about Caleb's routines, and this one in particular:

"All Signs Point to Yes is another worker. Instant reset! Best DVD I have purchased in a long while." - Nicholas Byers
"I really enjoy Caleb's work! Not to hard to do but yet really impressive!" - Josh Kirby
"Really great set of routines from Caleb on here, totally worth picking up if you are looking for some great new tricks with a regular deck." - Liam Montier
"Caleb Wiles is the real deal. His methods are devious, his presentations are clever and fun, and he's got loads of natural ability." - David Williamson
"Caleb is a new star on the magic horizon!" — Paul Lelekis
"The magic of Caleb Wiles is both strong and refreshingly novel." — Mike Powers
"Caleb's card magic is a mixture of the creativity of David Regal, the savvy of John Bannon, and the outré of Max Maven." - Richard Hart



DVD

All Signs Point to Yes is also available on Caleb's DVD entitled Rematch, which also includes two of his other routines: 26! and Reswindled.  This DVD runs for 1 hour and 17 minutes, and also features Caleb teaching Jack Carpenter's "South Street Swindle", and a final touch from Joshua Jay.



Recommendation

All Signs Point to Yes is an ideal "worker"; and it's a fun and amusing routine that spectators will find engaging and surprising. Given that it's relatively easy to learn, and if you already know the sleights required it won't require much investment of time to perform, it's well worth a look.

Want to learn more? See the digital downloads at Vanishing Inc Magic:
$10 All Signs Point to Yes (by Caleb Wiles)
$10 26! (by Caleb Wiles)
$10 Reswindled (by Caleb Wiles)
$25 Rematch DVD (by Caleb Wiles)
« Last Edit: February 21, 2018, 09:15:42 PM by EndersGame »
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