| Message: |
Posted by: Peter Loughran (Jan 23, 2010 11:56am) |
|
TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT:
Hey Folks, I have been receiving PMs and emails about this board for some truly bizzare reason I have yet to figure out, except for maybe the fact that I am one of the creators of the WitchBoard.
I have received Pms or emails from some people(some of which are participating in this thread). Some of the questions are: What do you think, or what are your thoughts of the Spirtus Magnus?, Are you upset they are releasing another remote controlled board?, How come their unit is so much cheaper, isn't yours now too expensive? etc etc.
Ok just to stop the pms and emails, I thought I would address this publically. While I understand people would like to compare these two effects, I have to agree with dennfox, that the comparison is like comparing apples to oranges. Both boards do ENTIRELY DIFFERENT effects. The only things they have in common is that they are both Ouiga Boards, and both remote controlled. But again they do different effects, and it is all up to the performer what he/she is looking for. Other wise you might as well bring in Milton Bradley's version into the mix while you're at it.
The SM will apparently make the planchette jump off the board(sounds great!) but this is totally different than the animations the WitchBoard does. You can program the WB to move the plancette around the board spelling out EXACT names or phrases that you have custom programed into the board. I am not knocking the SM at all, so please don't read into that, instead Im just trying to explain and show that each board does DIFFERENT effects.
The SM appears to be able to knock over rocks,candles etc, and that too all sounds fantastic, and while the WB can certainly animate other things on top of the board(just like the stack of rocks falling over) It also can be programed to control all of the lights in the room, cuing them to flicker on and off, or shut off etc, and also manipulate things like radios, and TV sets, and other appliances as if possessd by the ghost. The WB also as the ability to rock back and forth for a finale. And WB can also program and maipulate OTHER remote controlled effects, such as spirit bells, my Entity for instance, and even childrens toys, or other custom props etc, acting as a "Control Center" for your complete show.
The SM and the WB both are thicker boards in appearance, and I love how Outlaw added the drawer, as it helps convince people that the board cannot be gimmicked. I used the same subtle technique with my Relic of the Revenant illusion that I created years ago. All of the electronics are hidden inside the wooden chest, but by starting the routine by opening the lid and removing the glass box from the chest that was practically filling the inside of it, gives a subtle convincer that there couldn't possibly be any more room in there for anything else(like electronic gimmickery). With WB it obviously had to be a thicker board, but we did do our research and found that many boards back in the day were just as thick if not thicker than the WB, and we also built the WB seamless, so that it would appear to be solid wood in appearance, with no visible seams that could make one believe that it opens up some how.
To address the point about price, this to me is an unfair statement, as again, both boards do ENTIRELY DIFFERENT effects, and thus require ENTIRELY DIFFERENT mechanics, and building time, material costs etc etc. Privey to what some might think, I don't make very much money on the WB at all, and it is very expensive and time consuming(actually a royal pain in the you know what to be honest) to build the prop for these SPECIFIC and DIFFERENT effects. The price is what it is. And because of the amount of tedious work that goes into each board, and after building 18 of them now, to be honest, I wouldn't be that upset if I never sold another one again..lol.
Finally to answer the other question I have been asked: Am I upset at the release of Spiritus Magnus? Hell No! Now if it was made to do the same kind of effects WB did, then yeah maybe, but this does DIFFERENT EFFECTS, so how could I be.
So for the record, I am very very happy for Outlaw's new release as well as many of their past creations. They seem like great folk over there, with quality props, and seem to continue to add a great deal to the art of magic and bizzare! As I told others, I also think this new board will help satisfy the appetitie of those that perhaps wanted the WB but didn't have the budget for it, but now with the help of Outlaw can finally put a Ouiga board effect in their show, without breaking the bank, and this is great for everyone!
I hope this clears things up from my side, for anyone that thought I was upset at this release.
Congrats again to OutLaw it looks fantastic and I wish you the all the success in the world with it!
Best wishes,
Peter.
|
|
|
