A mentalism effect where you seemingly plant an idea into a spectator’s mind, Infamous is a wonderful routine that is compelling and baffling, and it’s not difficult to learn and perform. I particularly enjoyed the fresh angle that’s employed in the routine’s beginning. The Stroop Effect
The routine starts with an exercise in the Stroop effect. It’s a demonstration where subjects are shown a series of cards with misleading words and are asked to name colors. It’s a fun activity that encourages lots of interaction and provides an excellent lead into the main routine. For this, the kit comes with cards to present and test the Stroop effect.
The second part of the routine involves a book test. A spectator freely chooses a word in a book and the cards from the earlier Stroop test are shown to represent the selected word. For this, the kit includes a card to make a gimmick. The gimmick is easy to construct - it probably doesn’t take more than five minutes - and it only requires household items. The DVD teaches a method for the book test that is not difficult to learn and master.
Standard and Deluxe
The kits are sold in “Standard” and “Deluxe” packages. Both contain the DVD and special cards that allow you to perform the core routine, but with the Standard package, you will need to supply your own book. The gimmick should work well with a wide variety of books.
The Deluxe kit includes a book that works well with the routine. On the other hand, the Standard version allows you to use a book of your choosing if you want to have a theme. There is a $50 difference in price between the Standard and Deluxe kits which is significant.
Walkaround
The creators of Infamous says that the effect can be used in walk around as the book from the Deluxe kit will fit in a jacket pocket. This is true, but I think it’s unlikely that a book test is the best effect for most strolling situations. You’ll have to deal with lighting issues, and I don’t think that it can effectively capture and keep the attention of distracted spectators (I’m thinking about my restaurant situations).
In all, I found “Infamous” to be a compelling, fun and ultimately baffling routine. It’s worth the look.
More Reading:
Houdini Book Test - Magic & Illusion - About.com
Book Test Resources - Magic & Illusion - About.com
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