Clearly QA

THE BLURB:
If you’ve been looking for a way to steal your billets and
be able to work openly with a board that will give you a
full view of the written information and you want to use a
standard clipboard or you'd prefer to use a standard
clipboard and you also would like to use the board
throughout your performance and also have a volunteer use
the board, then I can honestly say that I feel you should
like it.

I'd like to add that unlike similar devices, you can use
this throughout your show as a drawing clipboard and also
have audience members freely draw or write on it and they
will find nothing and then without any hesitation or
removing the board from view you can go directly into the
Q&A which is was designed for.

The Board will arrive pre-set up and ready to perform and
will also include an instructional DVD which will explain
how to use the board in performance to collect and read the
billets and it will also have an instructional section on
how to replace the special something that makes it all work.

You will also receive 5 additional pre-made special
somethings which when used with the set-up tip on the DVD
can provide dozens of performances beyond the 5 included
special somethings.

Additional Special Somethings can be made with items easily
available.

I will not be explaining how to do Q&A as there is already
enough good information out there so it is simply the
apparatus for retrieving and performing with the billets,
which seems to be an obstacle for many who hesitate to do
Q&A.

The board needs to be presented straight on and not with
anyone to the sides or behind you.

" Well this has my vote for number one new product of the
last decade. What an absolutely simple yet brilliant idea.
The wonderful thing about this is though it is supposed to
be used for Q&A it can be used for almost any billet
switching on stage, it is just that clean.
I can see me using this for my folio cat force rather than
the board I folio I currently use.
I just can't stress enough how clean this is. I saw one post
that said it was supplied with enough gimmicks for dozens of
performances. I would state the gimmicks should last for
thousands of performances and it is very easy to make your
own once you know the concept.
The price for this knowledge is more than worth it and too
low if you ask me.

Well done Sebastian."
Banachek

"Can I have your permission to use this?"
Bob Cassidy

" Sebastian first showed me his Clearly Q and A several
months ago and I recognized it as an excellent method that
is bold, simple, practical and repeatable. It meets all the
requirements for a professional Q and A tool. The prop, if
it can be called that, is an ordinary clipboard. Or so it
seems. This ordinary item has been ingeniously gimmicked to
both allow you to steal the stash of billets and then,
later, secretly read them under the audience’s collective
noses.

The idea’s lineage goes back to the Ovette/Dunninger/Kreskin
"Black Box" method, which I drew upon myself with my Q and A
My Way and which Richard Osterlind evolved into his Thought
Scan Board. It’s a venerable concept, used by top pros for
almost a century, which Sebastian has updated and modified
into an item so innocent nobody should suspect it’s both a
stealing device and a delivery system.

I was delighted with this item and told Sebastian he should
charge far more than the asking price. In my opinion, you
got a terrific bargain. This is a solid method for stealing
billets and reading them. The apparatus will give you the
information, which is the kernel of the miracle that is the
Q and A Act. "
John Riggs

MY COMMENTS:
Before I get into this, it's only fair that I point out I
don't perform these types of Q&A routines. At least, not
yet. So I don't have as much performing experience as many
others in this area. Oh, I know how to do Q&A as I've read
much on it, and bought most of the Q&A devices and
manuscripts available, but I've been performing Fourth
Dimensional Telepathy (my version, at least, JE4) or other
similar effects which are shorter and not quite the same.
Richard Osterlind, Banachek, and John Riggs have been doing
Q&A for a much longer time than I have even been focused on
mentalism. I'd think it be quite imprudent to dismiss their
opinions and insight about a product. Let's move on.

When top professionals like Banachek and John Riggs praise a
product, then you know it has to be good. On the other
hand, Richard Osterlind has expressed his displeasure at
this product and for good reason. This is one of those
cases that all three of them are right. It's a matter of
how you look at it. And, before I continue, let me
acknowledge that this has become the most controversial
product to be released this year. It's this very
controversy that is the main reason I took my time getting
my comments up for this.

Top professionals can take an apparatus and not only see the
incredible potential in it but they can modify the routines
and handlings to make it fit their needs. I understand that
not every top pro can, nor wants, to do that. They would
rather open the box, read the instructions or watch the
video, and then add it to their repertoire. That said, if
you're in the former category, then you may well like this.
If you're in the latter category, then you may be
disappointed.

The blurb certainly discusses everything that's included
(the board, a small supply of the special somethings, the
instructional DVD). And it even mentions what's not
included. Most importantly, Sebastian doesn't include
information on how to perform a Q&A routine (and it's stated
in the ad blurb). This is why those who want to do a
routine right out of the box may want to take note of this
in considering their purchase. But does this reason alone
make it a bad product? No. Docc Hilford's QuestA also only
touches on how to do a Q&A routine (though he does include
some valuable information) and Docc's is a brilliant product
as well. And it's totally different from ThoughtScan and
Clearly Q&A.

Which brings us to the whole comparison controversy and
Richard Osterlind. Sebastian states that ThoughtScan is the
inspiration to this and both credits it and praises it on
the accompanying DVD (though he inadvertently left out a few
credits to Osterlind and others), but that doesn't mean it's
an improvement. Sure, for Sebastian it may be because this
fits his style more than ThoughtScan, but it's not that
ThoughtScan has flaws. It means that there are components
which Sebastian was able to change to fit his needs. Again,
you can't compare ThoughtScan to Clearly Q&A for the same
reasons you can't compare ThoughtScan to QuestA. Two
different gimmicks. An apple is not an improvement over an
orange. One gimmick is the board itself; the other's gimmick
is camouflaged within the papers on the clipboard. It's a
matter of preference. (I do feel Riggs used an unfortunate
choice of words when he said in his testimonial that
ThoughtScan has been "updated and modified." As I've already
said, the gimmicks are so totally different that they're
fairly incomparable.)

There's one big consideration that I must point out. It's
the main reason that Richard Osterlind is displeased with
this product. As described on the DVD, the handling is just
not as effective as ThoughtScan. It's a bit more awkward
and not angle-proof (which is actually stated in the ad).
There's a technique with a pencil that some have found
difficult to perform as described. I certainly had trouble
with it when I played with it for a few minutes. Sebastian
says he has no trouble with these moves and quite a few
others have agreed. Still more have altered the handling to
use moves they've brought to the gimmick and been very
successful with it. I'm sure that if I worked with it more
(remember, I don't do Q&A routines right now), it'll be
smoother for me.

I should also note that some have commented about the use of
rubber bands around a clipboard being redundant. Perhaps.
However, the rubber band can hold other things (like marker
pens) so that it won't seem as redundant. Also, you can
begin with the envelopes clipped on the board and then
later, when you need to use as much writing surface on the
board as you can, move the envelopes to the rubber band as
if you're moving them out of the way temporarily and the
rubber band now has an obvious use to the audience.

So let's recap. I definitely agree with Richard Osterlind
and others that this is not an improvement upon ThoughtScan.
It's a whole different gimmick. I also agree with Richard
that, as presented on the DVD, the routine is not as smooth
or workable as one might hope and one must make their own
modifications. (I've already read from a few pros who use
it but use different handlings.)

I agree with Banachek and Riggs that this is a very useful
utility gimmick that top pros will find many uses for. I
may not be quite as enthusiastic as Banachek is about it,
but I am excited about the potential and have actually
started using ideas with it that have nothing to do with
Q&A. Of course, the downside is that none of these other
uses or handlings are included in the enclosed video.

If you're the type of performer who is creative and can
adapt new gimmicks to your needs, then you will find that
Clearly Q&A will create sparks of creativity that will
delight you and I recommend this.

If you'd prefer a tested, worry-free, right-out-of-the-box
apparatus that has documentation that details all the
possibilities, or you have little experience with Q&A or
mentalism, then save your money as this probably will sit in
your drawer for a very long time.

There's no question that if any product can be summed up as
"you'll either love it or hate it," this is that product.
And however you feel about it is your opinion which is
right. Let's just not get emotional over our discussions of
it.