I just today got the Wounded DVD and wanted to put a review up, because the other review didn't go into much detail. There's been a bit of controversy surrounding this one, mainly over one of the methods, which only fuels the hype. I really like Wounded and can see myself performing it a lot (despite what it calls for).
The DVD runs about 45 minutes, and everything's covered. You get a performance clip of B. Smith doing Stigmata L and Tears of Blood, and also the Pulse Stop. There's some brief footage of him doing Stigmata R, and then just general clips and bits of reactions. You don't have a lot of depth to the performance - basically, what you see in the demo video is what you get.
My favorite part is how B. Smith's fingers are covered in blood residue the whole time because of the tricks, even before he gets started.
Stigmata L
You'll need two items for this, neither of which come in the performance kit. Mine came to a total of about $12 at Target (Wal-mart's supplies ran up in the $20-30 range). I didn't check at a pharmacy, it might be even cheaper there.
The setup for this takes about three seconds and really should be done in private (a quick run to the bathroom will do), but theoretically you could do it mid-performance as long as you can get your hands out of sight. However, it's highly recommended you do the setup correctly and with care. Once setup, you'll need to start performing relatively soon after (you can't set this up at home then go out for hours and still be ready to perform). Small pocket space.
Here is where you show your hands completely clean. No inspection will reveal your setup. You roll your sleeves up and hold your palm up in the air, inviting a spectator to hold your wrist so that you can't possibly do anything tricky. With a small and logical piece of misdirection, you're then ready - your palm is bleeding as you bring it back down and display it openly. Soon after, your other hand is bleeding too (you'll need to do something with your hand - you can't just show it and wait for the blood). The entire routine flows well and nothing seems suspicious. It seems to revolve around how open and clean you are, and then the sudden appearance of blood. The moment of misdirection as your wrist is held is crucial.
It might sound like a lot, but it all flows together into simple, logical movements.
This gives you a small amount of blood depending on your setup, but in total, probably about the size of a dime. Maybe smaller.
Stigmata P
This is the only Stigmata effect that the performance kit actually gives you all the props to perform. If you don't have the kit, you'll need to visit an electronics store and a pet store (easiest place to find the items), and you'll need sleeves. One additional item needs to be bought online.
You can set this up in the morning and perform it that night - no time limit.
Hold your hand out, palm up. Your other hand is in your pocket. Your palm is shown clean, and then slowly turns red, and then blood just appears, fading into existence. It looks really cool.
This version can give you quite a bit of blood, and looks the most magical and convincing.
Stigmata R
The cheapest of the effects, costing about $5 or less (I actually had both of the required items nearby). You could technically, if you're careful, setup in the morning and perform at night.
Hold your hand out, palm up. You don't do anything, and yet, a wound simply rips open on your hand (as opposed to Stigmata P, where it just fades into existence). Definitely the ickiest of the three methods. By itself, it's not that impressive, but Smith gives a simple way to combine it with Stigmata L that I'm excited to try.
The amount of blood for this is quite small, but combine it with L and you can increase it substantially (about as much as with L).
Tears of Blood and the Pulse Stop
The pulse stop is the classic pulse stop with a way to get ready right in front of the audience. Tears of Blood can be performed from the performance kit - otherwise, you'll spend about ten bucks getting the two items (one from online). You can only get one or two tears of blood, depending, and to date I haven't gotten any. But it looks really cool if you can pull it off. You can assist in the timing, but it's largely out of your hands. You'll do a quick setup in private, but the second half of the setup can be achieved right in front of the audience. There's really no possible way you'll get caught here. No sleights, no nothing. Just perform.
Other stuff
He gives a different way to perform Stigmata L, where in this version your hands are together like you're praying, then you display your palms to reveal blood. Then, some performance ideas for stigmata, and some additional tidbits (he mentions a super-secret gimmick that could make the trick really cool, but he won't reveal where to get it for unknown reasons).
Hey, it's closing thoughts
I'd say, first and foremost, not to buy the performance kit. The items in there can be bought much, much cheaper separately. The performance kit doesn't prepare you for everything anyway, so why not just save that money and go out shopping? Hit up a pharmacy, a pet store, a mall, and then online.
The effect can certainly be dark and sinister, but it doesn't have to be. It has a lot of gravity to it, and you should be careful, but with the right performance you can adopt it into most magic routines.
The variety of methods exist so there's something there for everyone. Give it a try.
The DVD runs about 45 minutes, and everything's covered. You get a performance clip of B. Smith doing Stigmata L and Tears of Blood, and also the Pulse Stop. There's some brief footage of him doing Stigmata R, and then just general clips and bits of reactions. You don't have a lot of depth to the performance - basically, what you see in the demo video is what you get.
My favorite part is how B. Smith's fingers are covered in blood residue the whole time because of the tricks, even before he gets started.
Stigmata L
You'll need two items for this, neither of which come in the performance kit. Mine came to a total of about $12 at Target (Wal-mart's supplies ran up in the $20-30 range). I didn't check at a pharmacy, it might be even cheaper there.
The setup for this takes about three seconds and really should be done in private (a quick run to the bathroom will do), but theoretically you could do it mid-performance as long as you can get your hands out of sight. However, it's highly recommended you do the setup correctly and with care. Once setup, you'll need to start performing relatively soon after (you can't set this up at home then go out for hours and still be ready to perform). Small pocket space.
Here is where you show your hands completely clean. No inspection will reveal your setup. You roll your sleeves up and hold your palm up in the air, inviting a spectator to hold your wrist so that you can't possibly do anything tricky. With a small and logical piece of misdirection, you're then ready - your palm is bleeding as you bring it back down and display it openly. Soon after, your other hand is bleeding too (you'll need to do something with your hand - you can't just show it and wait for the blood). The entire routine flows well and nothing seems suspicious. It seems to revolve around how open and clean you are, and then the sudden appearance of blood. The moment of misdirection as your wrist is held is crucial.
It might sound like a lot, but it all flows together into simple, logical movements.
This gives you a small amount of blood depending on your setup, but in total, probably about the size of a dime. Maybe smaller.
Stigmata P
This is the only Stigmata effect that the performance kit actually gives you all the props to perform. If you don't have the kit, you'll need to visit an electronics store and a pet store (easiest place to find the items), and you'll need sleeves. One additional item needs to be bought online.
You can set this up in the morning and perform it that night - no time limit.
Hold your hand out, palm up. Your other hand is in your pocket. Your palm is shown clean, and then slowly turns red, and then blood just appears, fading into existence. It looks really cool.
This version can give you quite a bit of blood, and looks the most magical and convincing.
Stigmata R
The cheapest of the effects, costing about $5 or less (I actually had both of the required items nearby). You could technically, if you're careful, setup in the morning and perform at night.
Hold your hand out, palm up. You don't do anything, and yet, a wound simply rips open on your hand (as opposed to Stigmata P, where it just fades into existence). Definitely the ickiest of the three methods. By itself, it's not that impressive, but Smith gives a simple way to combine it with Stigmata L that I'm excited to try.
The amount of blood for this is quite small, but combine it with L and you can increase it substantially (about as much as with L).
Tears of Blood and the Pulse Stop
The pulse stop is the classic pulse stop with a way to get ready right in front of the audience. Tears of Blood can be performed from the performance kit - otherwise, you'll spend about ten bucks getting the two items (one from online). You can only get one or two tears of blood, depending, and to date I haven't gotten any. But it looks really cool if you can pull it off. You can assist in the timing, but it's largely out of your hands. You'll do a quick setup in private, but the second half of the setup can be achieved right in front of the audience. There's really no possible way you'll get caught here. No sleights, no nothing. Just perform.
Other stuff
He gives a different way to perform Stigmata L, where in this version your hands are together like you're praying, then you display your palms to reveal blood. Then, some performance ideas for stigmata, and some additional tidbits (he mentions a super-secret gimmick that could make the trick really cool, but he won't reveal where to get it for unknown reasons).
Hey, it's closing thoughts
I'd say, first and foremost, not to buy the performance kit. The items in there can be bought much, much cheaper separately. The performance kit doesn't prepare you for everything anyway, so why not just save that money and go out shopping? Hit up a pharmacy, a pet store, a mall, and then online.
The effect can certainly be dark and sinister, but it doesn't have to be. It has a lot of gravity to it, and you should be careful, but with the right performance you can adopt it into most magic routines.
The variety of methods exist so there's something there for everyone. Give it a try.
