I bought this trick thinking it would be an amazing addition to my street magic. The effect is quite
good but the method isn't fantastic. It is quite similar to various other tricks like "Transmission"
by Marc Spelmann. On the other hand, it is quite inventive and is a good solution to a few of the
problems some mind-reading tricks hold. The explanation video is quite difficult to understand,
mainly due to visibility and lighting. There are a few slights in here which are a bit tricky and
will take quite a lot of practice to pull off. If I have the chance, I would get a refund.
17 of 21 magicians found this helpful.
Gidrah, named after Godzilla's three-headed flying dragon foe, is yet another variation on the
timeless classic Mental Epic. Yes, it does improve upon some things. Is it better than other ways
of performing Mental Epic? Yes and no. Redford's improvements to Huffman's original routine do
remove some of the nagging issues with that third prediction, but they add a fair degree of
complexity to an already pro routine, where you have to be alert and on your game. I'm really torn
here. While I like the Huffman/Redford concepts, Richard Osterlind's way of doing it with a couple
of pads, a bag of change, and the coolest, slickest gimmick around works best for me, even if it
might have a discrepancy. I believe that it is on the close-up installment of his new 13 Steps to
Mentalism (not his Corinda's 13 Steps).
That said, I do recommend Gidrah, as long as you
know what you are in for. The instruction, as someone else has pointed out, is way overdone. Where
are Dan Harlan and his beautiful little 20-minute precis when you need them? Redford hits the
points and the nuances but is way too eager to digress on alternate ways of doing things and fawning
over Huffman's method. You'll probably have to take notes on the vital steps and moves because their
explanations are separated by vast expanses of cluttered discussion. This is a shame. Gidrah is
really good, but if you casually watched the download without paying close attention, you might not
recognize it.
Overall, if you are a pro looking for a slick version of Mental Epic that
doesn't use a suspicious-looking board, this is for you. Otherwise, I'd stay away.
11 of 11 magicians found this helpful.
Not worth the money really. The ad doesn't show much and that's because it's a pretty old standard
method. They've thought through a few ideas to make some parts new, but it's not exactly a
"masterpiece of modern mentalism".
8 of 8 magicians found this helpful.
This is truly a great routine . . . But it is poorly explained.
Patrick goes into great
detail, but the explanation is not as clear as it should be. All the info is there, the presentation
jumps around a bit. First they give a couple real life examples, then go into the history, then go
into the details without giving adequate framework of how the trick is done.
The way
Patrick performs this is well thought out, but I think it is overly complex. This can be done with
business cards with no folding (much easier), and the volunteer takes away your business card, not
just the billet.
Patrick also goes into other presentations, including a business card
presentation, but it is obvious he has not thought them through.
Everything is there for a
great routine, you just have to work at it more than you should. He goes into billet folding in
great detail, and I think is completely unnecessary - especially if you are using business cards.
All in all the effect is a 5 star (higher if I could), but the explanation could be much
better.
7 of 7 magicians found this helpful.
This video teaches you the Gidrah method, which is a variation on a method known by experienced
mentalist. They show how to perform with various sized pads, index cards and business cards. The
Gidrah method has some beautiful little subtleties to polish the effect.
They went into
some theory about what order to present your predictions in for maximum effect, but seem to have
forgot to teach a major point. The method for the first thing you do, finding out whose dream your
thinking of is glossed over. Hardly covered at all, no mention of how to handle a potential complete
miss, and how to get the little details before the spec says their dream out is not even mentioned.
The method is nice and can be adapted to a lot of routines, but I bought this in the hopes
of being able to perform what I saw in the trailer. Those subtle little hits at first is why I
bought it in the first place, and i felt like it could have been at least quickly glossed over.
A good product but it could have been great.
5 of 5 magicians found this helpful.
If you know any mentalism that uses three papers then you know how this is done. Now, there are
some NEW twists to the effect that make it work better than the old ways for doing this kind of
effect and that made me give it 4 stars.
The only thing about the DVD was that it could
have been explained in half the time. If Patrick only stuck to explaining the effect and not jump
around talking about the old Gidrah and other unnecessary things, I would have given it another
star.
But overall, once you take apart the routine and learn the steps, and if you are a
good mentalist or psychic you could have a very powerful effect that will hit hard.
3 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
Redford unearths and refurbishes Huffman’s Gidrah; now we have essentially Gidrah 2.0. Redford is
as much a professional consultant as teacher here. The basic method comes from Mentalism 101, but I
don’t want to get a step ahead of myself.
Mentalists increasingly look to building
emotional connections with their audience and the spectators who participate. Many mentalists are
self-consciously troubled about the contrived process of obtaining three pieces of unrelated,
possibly random, information and later revealing them in a way that entertains and makes narrative
sense. Redford and Huffman provide several useful ideas about presentation and flow.
I
respect Redford’s meticulous work and how he has added value to Gidrah 1.0, e.g. by refining the
deceptiveness of the physical handling of the writing pad and the sheets. He also carefully
considers how the effect can be upscaled to the stage.
A five-star rating may warranted,
but I (as an amateur hobbyist and relative newbie) reserve 5 stars for what is very special indeed,
i.e. effects, methods or presentations that astonish or delight me. Call it 4.5 though.
Whether it is 'good value' depends on price paid, discretionary income, and where viewers are on
their own journey of development. I picked it up in Open Box at such a good price that 'value for
money' definitely applies.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
Superb effect, extra long explanation, with the whole historic development of this effect
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
I am always looking for material that will work within the context of doing Readings or demonstating
"authentic" psychic ability -- INTUITION. This effect delivers so much advantage when working from
that position that it's a must have for every Psychic Entertainer that boosts his/her income off of
doing Readings.
You can't go wrong with this piece.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
Trust me, this is a masterpiece in routining. I know you will think people will understand the
principle in use, I can honestly tell you, they don't. I've performed this about 4 times as of now
in professional conditions.
It's great.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.