"Bootlegs and B-Sides Volumes 2 and 3" DVDs by Sean Fields
Suggested Retail USD$30.00 each
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

Sean Fields continues his DVD series, "Bootlegs and B-Sides", with the addition to two more volumes in the series. Like the first volume, these are some great ideas and routine for the advanced worker that takes some of the basic card plots to a different level altogether.

As a big fan of Fields' work, I was thrilled to see his series continue (you can check out what I thought about his first volume here). I love Fields' thinking, sure, but I love where it goes sometimes in terms of his striking visuals and clean handlings. Most of the material on these two discs are perfect examples of those thoughts. Let's take a look at the routines and you'll see what I mean.

On Volume 2, Fields starts off things his "Understrip Production". This is a four-card production that looks very neat and just a little strange. In it, a Queen is cut to then "split" into two other Queens. These are then pulled on, producing a third Queen. Another pull, and another Queen. It's hard to explain how neat this one looks, but it does. If you're into card productions, this is a nice one. I'm not a fan of card productions per se, but this one looks as odd as it does clean; it's got a lot going for it.

"A Prophesy Torn" is Fields' use of Bill Simon's "Prophesy Move" (more accurately, Steve Beam's take on it, "The Reverse Prophesy Move"). The performer makes a prediction by setting aside a playing card from a different deck. This card is then inserted anywhere in the deck by the spectator. The two cards next to the prediction are removed. The card used as the prediction matches one of the selected cards, but not the other (of course). The prediction card is torn in half and each half placed on a card. When the halves are turned over, each half now matches the selected card. This is a neat one and, though you'll be burning through gaffed cards right and left if you do this often, it's worth it.

"Dotz" is Fields' take on Mike Power's "Holey Terror". A card's face is signed by a spectator and, with a marker, four dots are drawn on the back of it, one in each corner of the card. One by one, the dots are moved until they are all gathered into a single corner. This looks pretty neat, but the visuals leave a bit to be desired since the entire card is covered by the deck before each "move".

"Surreal" is a strange revelation. In it, a card is chosen and returned to the deck. The deck is spread face-down and a card with a different back is found. This is turned over to reveal, naturally, the chosen card. With a spin, though, the card is turned face-down again and the back is seen to match the rest of the deck. This is the simplest effect on the disc, actually quite easy and apparent to anyone who has been around the block a few times, but still nice.

"Thoughtwave" is a gimmickless "Brainwave". The spectator names any card, the deck is spread face-up between the hands, revealing a single face down card that turns out to be the named card. This one uses a full-deck stack, so it might not be to everyone's liking, but it's quick and clean.

Volume 3 starts off with "PaintShifter". This one begins with two cards being shown, let's say a Queen and a Four. The Queen is placed face up on top of the deck, the Four placed face-to-face on top of it, and visually the Four changes to the Queen and the top card is turned over to reveal the Four. These two cards are then shown freely and given to a spectator. When the spectator turns the cards over, they've changed to two Aces. You can guess the workings from the title of this one, but Fields' adds a couple of nice subtleties that make this a neat one.

"Sublime Switch" is a knuckle-buster but it's also a very slick sleight that manages to switch a packet of cards for another without a deck in play. Very, very nice, this one, and for the few that master it a great utility sleight.

Fields' next takes on the classic "Stop" plot called, suitably enough, "Stop". The spectator calls "stop" anytime they like as the deck is cut to the table in small packets. The spectator looks at the card they stopped at and then the card is cleanly buried in the deck and the cards mixed. The procedure is then repeated, this time with cards being dealt singly to the table. When the spectator calls "stop", they have the choice of the card on the table or the one still on the deck. The cards immediately before and after their choice are seen to be indifferent cards. The card they stopped at? That's their card. This one hooked me; it's clean and relatively simple. Purists won't like parts of the handling much, but it's their loss; spectators will be floored by this one.

"Wipe Me Down" is another of Fields' climaxes for an Ambitious Card routine. In this one, the signed selection is buried in the deck and rises to the top, twice. Okay, so that's standard. But then things get weird: the card is left face-up on the deck, rubbed with a finger, and the signature disappears. The card is then placed face down on the table, rubbed against it, and now the card is blank. The deck is spread and it's seen to be completely blank as well. This looks good and certainly qualifies as unexpected.

Field's "Within" begins with a card being chosen from a deck and then returned. The deck is spread and a single blank card is found in the deck. This card is shown to be blank on both sides. The card is then "peeled" apart into two pieces, one with a card's back and the other with the face of the selected card. A weird little idea to say the least and it's strangeness makes this routine very appealing (sorry) for those looking for a different card location routine.

Okay, that should give you an idea of Fields' work on these discs. You'll notice I've used adjectives like "strange" and "weird" and "odd" a few times. That's because so much of this is exactly that. Fields always warps what he touches, usually in very good ways, and he does so here with these classic plots and even more so when he goes off the rails a bit with more generic plot lines (see "Wipe Me Down" and "Within").

If you're an advanced card worker, you're in for a treat with some of these ideas.

But you have to be advanced. Fields doesn't explain the sleights that he uses. He means for these discs to be viewed and used by folks that know their way around a deck of cards. This means you'll be told to do a double or a bottom deal or a pass or the like, but you won't be shown how; you're on your own. The ad copy even says as much... and means it. There's no audio, either; this is all taught through on-screen text and close-up shots. The result of cutting back on "re-hashing"? The discs run about 20 minutes each. Me? I love that. Just give me the routining and I'll take it from there and save a truckload of time. That's exactly what Fields does here.

Also, if you're a purist -- one of those that believes no gaff or gimmick is ever worth the trouble -- you'll probably want to pass on these. Most of the routines do use gaffs, common and not-so-common; set-ups are also used, too, but except for one routine are quite minor. If you're looking for stuff you can do with any old deck after it's been mauled by a spectator, then you're probably better off look elsewhere.

But if the gaffs don't bother you and you're up on your sleights, then there plenty of reasons to recommend these discs. The routines are generally slick, the thinking fascinating in spots and always interesting, and the material different from most things you're likely to see.

All in all, "Bootlegs and B-Sides Volumes 2 and 3" are worth having for the right folks, right next to the previous volume and hopefully other volumes to come.

"Bootlegs and B-Sides Volumes 2 and 3" DVDs by Sean Fields
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

Material: 7
These volumes begin right where the first volume left off, with more of Fields' take on classic card plots. Unlike the first volume, there are a number of gaffs and set-ups in play in these routines that serve Fields' well as he cleverly combines sleights and gaffs for maximum impact. If you're a beginner, though, pass these by: these are definitely put together with the more advanced card worker in mind.

Practicality: 8
You've got gaffs and set-ups at work in most of these routines, so you've got a bit of work there. Otherwise, there's very little to worry about; grab the deck, put the doodads in, and you're ready to go.

Quality of Production: 9
High production values are evident here, with great audio and video. Get used to the navigation side of things and you'll have no problem learning the material here.

Quality of Instruction: 9
Fields' once again took the "foreign language" route, meaning that not a single word is spoken during the instructions; everything is taught by video close-ups and flash-cards to cue you to the moves. And, once again, the method works for the intended audience: advanced workers will love not being taught how to do things they already know by heart and concentrate on the routines' sequences instead.

Presentation: 10
Fields' sticks to his magical guns, with plenty of striking visuals and as much cleanliness as he can muster. The end result? Some fine card magic that's as pretty as it is different.


Shane

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