Roulette PDF
Banachek
19,829 wordsMentalismintermediateGenerated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons tgibbons273@gmail.
EquivoquePeekTime MisdirectionDual RealityForceMisdirectionPsychological Force
Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE 1 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE ROUL ETTE Edited by Mark Leveridge and George Luck Design and Typesetting by George Luck and Joseph Williamson Photography by George Luck and James Reckitt FIRST EDITION Published by Magicseen www.magicseen.co.uk All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored, duplicated, transmitted or broadcast in any form whatsoever. All television, youtube and broadcasting rights are held by the author. Copyright © 2012 by Chris Rawlins 2 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE To Sadie, For always being there. 3 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE Contents Foreword By Luke Jermay Page 5 A Word from the Author A word...from the author. Page 7 Credit Guard A game of odds which ends with the impossible. Page 8 Clipboard Peek My preferred way to peek on stage. Page 13 My Version of a Classic Four chairs, three spectators and a lot of colour. Page 19 My Thoughts on the Bold approach An Essay. Page 26 Scramble An extremely fair creation of a word is seemingly predetermined. Page 29 Phonebook Prediction ADDITION My addition to an excellent routine by Banachek. Page 33 My Yellow Ball that fooled Marc Oberon It‟s not how it sounds. Well...maybe. Page 38 Kicker Chirp Top A modern and novel piece of mentalism. Page 42 Lazy Mentalists An Essay. Page 49 Push Slide Peek Does exactly what it says on the tin. Page 51 A Little Lead In A prop-less concept. Page 56 P.I. (Personal Identification) A revelation of something personal. Page 59 Final Thoughts Page 69 Special Thanks Page 71 4 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE Foreword I became aware of Chris Rawlins and his work later than most. Many will have first met Chris with his release „Mind Experiments‟, which was published by Kenton Knepper and Wonder Wizards and was met with an excellent response from the magic and mentalism community. However, for me, this went unnoticed. „Mind Experiments‟ was published during a self enforced hiatus in reading new releases from the mentalism and magic community. It was published after I had been faced with an ever increasing slew of frankly unoriginal and uninteresting books, DVD‟s and instant downloads which had turned me off from paying any attention to new material of any type, in any medium. I figured that the community needed time to refresh its collective conscious for a sense of maturity to be found within the new „young turks‟. Consequently, „Mind Experiments‟ sat unopened in its e-book form on my hear drive for several months. When I did eventually open the file and read its contents, I felt like a fool for having left it there so long. It was totally different to the run of the mill releases. This was a book that was filled with interesting and original compositions. It caught a young performer at the start of his career, documenting the exciting things that he had been doing in his work. It was honest, not claiming to make the reader a superstar or to increase their income. It was simply a book with good thinking, good tricks and good ideas. Little hype surrounded it but I found this refreshing and exciting. A book with good thinking, solid material and good tricks with none of the hype felt like a relic from yesteryear. In many ways, the material that Chris creates and performs is a throwback. He is not focused on material to be uploaded to video sharing sites or to be edited into a promotional video to publish on forums. He is only interested in material to be performed for an audience. This is unique in the current climate of mentalism releases. I had the pleasure of first meeting Chris when he attended a performance that I was giving at his university in York. The first thing that struck me was how different he looked in person in comparison to the imagined version which I had created in my mind while reading the words he had penned in his book. He was young, slim and dressed very well (I have since come to realise that a keen dress sense is a constant companion of Chris and one that sets him miles ahead of the game). He was funny and humble. He was interested and open to opinions and theories but always meeting them guided by his own performance philosophies. Chris asked if I would be open to reading his new book and the possibility of me writing a few words of introduction. I was excited to see what Chris had in store in his latest offering and gladly accepted the offer. I immediately paid attention to the book and am glad that I did. I especially enjoyed Chris‟s thoughts and theories that are compressed into this short volume. This, for me, is where the real value in this book hides. The tricks are good but the secret to why they are so is due to the choices that Chris makes in regards to the construction and his clear ability to put across his desired vision with the careful selection of method. 5 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE „Roulette‟ continues the precedent that was set by „Mind Experiments‟. It is not full of hype by instead, is full of workable, smart and well constructed material. There are moments of brilliance within each of the tricks and there will be moments that you will want to adapt to fit your own style and delivery. What makes Chris wise beyond his years is the fact that he understands this! He knows that no author can publish their material expecting it to perfectly fit the reader. However, as you enjoy the tricks which are coming your way, I ask you to imagine the impact that they have on an audience by imagining yourself performing them. I believe that this simple exercise will pay massive rewards when reading this book. You‟re in for an unusual treat. A book with material that you will use. What more can you ask for? Luke Jermay January 2012 6 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE A Word from the Author Thank you very much for purchasing this book. This is my second publication and I am very happy to be sharing the contents with whoever is interested to read my thoughts. That said, these are my thoughts and some sections of the included presentations may be best tweaked to fit yourself. Please feel free to do this and do get in touch if you have any questions or would like to discuss an item of interest. I would love to hear from you. After writing my first book, „Mind Experiments‟, I was very happy with the response that I received and began right away to start work on putting together what you are now staring at. However, the material in this text is slightly different to the material in „Mind Experiments‟ in the sense that „Mind Experiments‟ was very much a text based upon the dual reality and bold methods I use to achieve certain effects. This text differs slightly in that I have included some of my more grounded work. By grounded I mean ideas and effects that should be seen as more classic and „safe‟ in method, although simultaneously I see them as unique and contemporary. This text contains a mixture of stage pieces, an addition to a current stage piece I have used for some time now, close up routines, essays and a new clipboard peek that I am very fond of. Consequently, I believe that there should be something here for everybody. I truly hope that you find my thoughts useful and inspiring and that you enjoy what is to follow. I wish you all the best as fellow performers and hope to meet you one day in the future. September 2011 7 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE CREDIT GUARD 8 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE Credit Guard This simple and direct demonstration of mind reading using two pay envelopes and a spectator with a wallet and a bank card. The Effect: Hand an envelope to a spectator and ask them to check it, then remove a bank card from their wallet and place it face down inside the envelope. You then ask them to look at another envelope which contains a „dummy card‟ that looks like a credit card but is fake (this could be a business card instead!). You explain that you want to play a game where the spectator has to find their card but they only have one chance to do this. You mix the order of the two envelopes and place one in front of the spectator and one in front of you. You then ask the spectator to touch the envelope that they think contains their card. You explain how you will attempt to influence them correctly. They succeed! You then ask them to remove their card from the envelope, asking them to stare at the first four numbers of the card‟s long number, you dramatically scribble impressions on the outside of an envelope which is then scrunched up into a ball and handed to them. Once revealed, the numbers are found to perfectly match! Method: The misdirection created right at the start of the routine gives you all the time you need to do the „sneaky business‟ and in the eyes of the spectator the effect will not have even begun. This misdirection occurs when the spectator is checking the dummy card and envelope. With all the focus and heat on that envelope, you have all the time in the world to do what you need to do. When the spectator‟s card is in the envelope and handed back to you, and while the spectator is checking the „dummy card‟ and the second envelope, feel for where the long number is and run your finger across the face numerous times. This will give an impression of their credit card number on the envelope! This works better with cheaper envelopes. (I use pay envelopes here in 9 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE the UK, which usually come in packs of fifty for a couple of pounds). Once you obtain the impression on the envelope (which is on the reverse side to the flap and therefore never seen by the spectator), place both envelopes on the table and mix them up. You must keep track of which one is which and place the envelope containing their credit card right in front of them and the „dummy card‟ envelope in front of you. You are now set for a psychological position force. I love this force. I used to do a routine whereby I had an un gimmicked padlock and would ask for a ring and lock it to the padlock. I would then have two identical keys, one of which opened the padlock and one that didn‟t. I had simply bought two of the same lock and used a key from each set. I would use this psychological force to make the spectator select the key that opened the lock with the premise of a fun game to win their ring back. Trust me, this works when performed with conviction. There is another option for the squeamish performers amongst us and I will mention that under „extra notes and thoughts‟ later on. I first read a similar force in the brilliant Luke Jermay text, „3510‟. He used it as part of a five card poker routine which worked very well. Essentially you place the object you want the spectator to select right in front of them and the one that you do not want them to select in front of you. I say something along the lines of: „So in a moment I want you to touch an envelope. The one you will touch will be the one you think has your card inside and remember, you‟re trying to find your card. You could go for this one (point to envelope in front of spectator) I mean it is closer to you, it would be easier for you to go for but...you could also go for this one (point to one in front of you). It really doesn‟t matter it‟s up to you.‟ The above achieves a few things. Firstly it places more emphasis on the envelope that you want the spectator to pick, which most of the time will lead the spectator wanting to call your bluff and select the right envelope. Secondly it says that ‘it really doesn’t matter’ which sets up the slight chance that this will miss. If it does, do not be disheartened as you have an impression of their credit card number ready for a really strong reveal. So by this point the spectator will most likely have found their card successfully. Congratulate them and let them open the envelope and turn your head away while asking them to look at the first four digits of their long card number (the first four digits are used as some people are reluctant to use the last four for security reasons). Ask for the envelope back making sure they remember the four numbers and place the card out of sight. Be casual here as there is no importance or heat on the envelope. Now the effect seems to be just starting, but, in reality, you have done all the necessary the work. Grab a trusty Sharpie and hold the envelope horizontally and whilst blatantly staring at 10 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE the impression re-write the first four numbers on the envelope. Take your time with this and don‟t make it seem too easy. Then the best part...scrunching it up! This will destroy all the evidence! I credit this idea to Corinda‟s legendary Thirteen Steps and Punx's routine, „Great Minds Think Alike‟. At this point it is all up to your presentational style. You could of course just write the number and hand the scrunched envelope to him but that would be dull. Make it exciting, administer an injection of showmanship. Get them to think of the individual numbers, count in his/her head...use your imagination! Enjoy this cheeky and easy routine and most importantly. Have fun with it! Extra Notes and Thoughts: Time misdirection is very helpful here between getting the impression and the reveal. For the brave amongst you, you can tell the spectator that you never touched the envelope which can add an extra strength to the routine. Remember to use the strong misdirection for the spectator checking the „dummy card‟ and envelope as your chance to create the envelope impression. Be bold. Remember that the spectator does not know what is about to happen. This is always a huge advantage that we have as performers and one that I sometimes feel we overlook. Another bold moment is when you let the spectator pick up the envelope and remove their card after they find it successfully. Be casual and do not worry. As the flaps of the envelopes are face up there is no reason for the spectator to look at the back of the envelope. Lee Earle has a similar approach to handing out evidence in his fantastic book „M.I.N.D.‟ Trust me and him, this works. As promised, here is the simple answer for the people who wish not to use the psychological position force. Just use simple magician‟s choice (equivoque). I urge you to use the force or at least try it. But there you go. I personally love this routine! It fits very well with a routine of Colin McLeod‟s that uses bank notes which I have used for some time. If the envelope impression idea is not for you then Colin McLeod has a bold handling for this on his Opening Minds DVD‟s that will also allow you to reveal the long number, or any amount of numbers, from a credit card or bank note. There are also some brilliant ideas for revealing numbers too. His thinking is magnificent and you would only benefit from studying his material. I was speaking to Colin about this routine a while back and he very kindly offered an idea he used to use in casual settings. It is a method for getting any amount of the numbers from a credit card. A quick summary follows with Colin‟s permission. 11 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE Essentially you get hold of the card from the spectator and do not look at it. You say, „in fact, let‟s make this harder‟, and place the card under the table. Colin would then use blue tack to get an impression and in some cases use his finger! If you press hard enough this works a treat in an impromptu situation. Again my thanks go to Colin for his allowing me to include this little gem. Credits: Luke Jermay for the inspiration for the psychological force. Bob Cassidy for his magnificent thinking and his effect from his „Lab Conditions‟ manuscript that sparked this idea for an effect off. Lee Earl for a routine in Syzygy that got my creative juices flowing. Colin Mcleod for his book „Contributions‟ and his DVD set „Opening Minds‟. And of course Tony Corinda and Punx from the classic „Thirteen Steps To Mentalism‟. 12 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE CLIPBOARD PEEK 13 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE Clipboard Peek I have never been a fan of the use of clipboards within mentalism. I much prefer the likes of billet peeks, switches or impressions pads. I currently use John Rigg‟s Butterfly Pad when I need an impression of anything and some peeks by Richard Busch and Barrie Richardson when I need to peek information. What is undeniable is that peeking is an essential tool in any mentalist‟s arsenal. Within my current set I perform a name and drawing duplication routine. It is one of my favourite parts of my performance because it‟s fun and full of impact. Those who have seen it will know what I mean. My goal was to create a clipboard peek which was deceptive, inexpensive to make and most crucially, reliable. I eliminated carbon paper as we all know sometimes it can fail, and if something can fail, eventually it will. I looked into other methods, expensive and not so and eventually after some time, I created this peek which I use whenever I need to peek a drawing on stage. Of course it could be used for names, numbers or whatever else you may want to know. The Effect: The performer asks a spectator to see an image in their mind, large, bold and clear. When they have one, the performer hands the spectator a clipboard that has an opaque black back and some sheets of paper attached to it as well as a marker. The performer holds onto an A4 sized envelope whilst the spectator draws. The performer tells the spectator to hold it tight up to his/her chest when they are done and not to let anyone see. When the performer wants to, he approaches the spectator and takes hold of the clipboard whilst at all times keeping it facing outward and his head turned away. The performer opens the envelope and places the clipboard inside after letting the spectator have one last look. The envelope is then handed back to the spectator to hold tight to their chest and at any point the performer can reveal the drawing perfectly. There is no carbon paper used. The peek happens in real time. There is no dual reality or stooging and the envelope is totally normal. Method: I love this peek! It is so smooth, so simple yet so deceptive! Of course the above presentation is just an example. I urge you to put a little more thought into your routine when using this clipboard peek. 14 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE Essentially there is only one customisation you will need to make to the clipboard and you will be set to go. I use the A5 size, clear clipboard for this with an added part. It is this „part which gives the illusion of the clipboard being opaque. Construction: I realise that the above makes this sound like a mammoth task but I assure you it is not and once you have what you need it will take about 5 minutes. You will need: an A4 envelope, an A5 clear clipboard, one A4 sheet of paper, a sharpie, scissors and an A4 sheet of black thick plastic (1-2mm). Apart from the plastic everything above will be easily understood, so let me explain the plastic specification. I use the front cover from an A4 notepad, the type that has a medium thickness cover made of dark plastic. Once you have this, that‟s all you will need and you should never need to replace it. Essentially you need to place the clipboard on the plastic sheet and draw around it and then cut this out. Once you have done this you will need to lay the plastic sheet on the front of the clipboard (the side where you would usually rest the paper) and again draw around it, cutting it out so this plastic sheet fits perfectly on the front of the clipboard without overhanging the edges. The plastic sheet should look and fit as shown. Now lay this on the clipboard as shown and clip one sheet of folded A4 paper over this, only clipping the paper under the clip, not the plastic. Have the envelope nearby and you are set to go. The envelope needs to be a size bigger than the clipboard so I usually use a standard A4 padded „jiffy‟ envelope. The extra room is needed to avoid any hindrance later when you need to obtain the peek. The padding of the envelope does two things. Firstly it sells the idea of its own opaqueness. Secondly the envelope lasts much longer because of it. This envelope is not gimmicked and can be used for repeat performances until it starts to look tatty, then treat yourself to a new one. 15 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE The Peek: There is only one move to this peek and it is so simple that I almost believe a five year old could accomplish it successfully. However, the beauty of this peek lies in its simplicity and subsequent deceptiveness. You may be worried that the plastic sheet might slip out during performance as it is not stuck in place. Do not be. I have never had it fall out prematurely. This is due to the fact that when the spectator holds it, they will be unknowingly keeping the plastic in place. Also, the paper aids the grip of the plastic. If you are hesitant, you can add a slight amount of moisture to the clipboard and then lay the plastic sheet on the clipboard. I have tried this and it does give plenty of grip to allow peace of mind but it also takes away from the cleanliness of the peek. Have a play and decide for yourself. Essentially the spectator draws or writes something on the paper attached to the clipboard with the instruction that when they are finished they are to hold the clipboard close to their chest so nobody can see what they have drawn. This is not only very fair but it subtly displays the opaque back of the clipboard to the audience. Once this is done I pick up the envelope and walk towards the spectator. The action of telling them to hold it close to their chest also helps to make sure that the loose plastic sheet stays in place. I then take the clipboard from them whilst I turn my head to one side and have their drawing facing away at all times and place it into the envelope. Up till this point everything is as presumed and nothing has yet been peeked. Then on the offbeat, and just before I would normally let go of the clipboard, I bring it three quarters of the way back out of the envelope whilst saying „just have one last look and really lock the image in your head.‟ It is in this action that I peek the information. Then the clipboard is dropped into the envelope and the flap is folded over and handed to the spectator openly and I get them to hold the whole thing close to their chests again. So, the peek happens with the bottom of the clipboard in the envelope. Essentially, you hold the clipboard in your right hand and the envelope in your left. As you lower the clipboard in you transfer your grip to the clip section of the clipboard which lets the black plastic sheet fall into the envelope. You do this whilst the clipboard is being placed into the envelope, thus overing any noise created. The larger envelope helps the ease of this move. Then as if you had a sudden thought, turn your head to look at the spectator as you bring the clipboard about three quarters of the way back out of the envelope (as pictured). It is at this moment that whilst looking at the spectator you can now see right through the clear back of 16 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE the clipboard and the single sheet of paper to peek the image. This is similar to „The Enlightened Peek‟. The whole clipboard is then dropped into the envelope and it is all handed back to the spectator. In the action of handing everything back to the spectator I tend to show both sides of the envelope for an extra layer of clarity and to eliminate any potential suspicion of a „window‟ in the back of the envelope. The above is literally done in a matter of seconds and is done casually, smoothly and naturally. In the audience‟s eyes you never looked at the drawing. It was facing away from you at all times. The clipboard is opaque and so is the envelope. This is a very clean and low tech peek and for that exact reason I love it and am very proud of it. When it comes to showing the clipboard again, I take the envelope back from the spectator, open it and remove the clipboard keeping the image facing towards the audience at all times. I then transfer the envelope and clipboard to my left hand as I take hold of my pad to hold the images side by side. When I use this peek I have the spectator on my right and slightly upstage. This allows for no exposure to anyone. Play with this and enjoy, and of course play around with sizes of clipboards and shapes. Below is a step by step set of images of the above-described process. Extra Notes and Thoughts: Remember to use thick markers and single sheets of paper for this peek. It is these small but recommended touches that make everything easier in the heat of performance. I would recommend a „Magnum Sharpie‟ or something similar. This also serves the added purpose of helping keep the spectator‟s drawings simple and clear. The clipboards are so cheap you could have a few of these made for one performance, if you so wish and a nice bonus is that the only thing you will need to replace once in a while is the envelope and your marker. 17 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE Credits: Richard Busch‟s fantastic „Enlightened Peek‟ and Luke Jermay’s Limited Edition „ETOD‟ manuscript. 18 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE MY VERSION OF A CLASSIC . 19 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE My Version of a Classic: As to which I am sure many of you can relate, late night „sessioning‟ with friends is something which has multiple connotations, both positive and negative (a severe lack of sleep being the most prominent of the latter). For me, these seem to have a recurring trend, we make jokes which only we as magicians would find remotely humorous, we discuss mentalism, card sleights, routines, scripting, eat takeaway, talk rubbish and more often than not, act like kids. Those are the ingredients and the products can vary. However, this next effect actually spouted from one night where we got onto the topic of chair tests. I love chair tests and they have always intrigued me. We were discussing various methods and ideas and then we hit a brick wall quickly after we decided to come up with our own. We got so distracted that we ended up sketching ourselves and chairs to map out all the variables. We were stuck. The riddles and frustrations kept us awake into the early hours yet our efforts came to no avail until some while later. Perhaps it‟s true; you should „sleep on it‟. What follows is my take on a classic routine many of us know and use and although I created this alone there is no doubt that this effect and its contortion of methods was heavily influenced by that great night and for that reason I credit my good friends Tom Crosbie and George Luck before any others. The Effect: Four chairs are on stage, one (audience left), is separated from the others. The performer hands out a prediction that is not touched again and asks for the help of one person. This person is handed four identical black envelopes. The spectator mixes them freely and selects one to hold above their head. They are asked to place this on the „lone chair‟. The remaining three envelopes are handed to a spectator to hold and keep safe whilst the performer confirms with him that that the process was both free and fair. Then two other spectators are selected through a preferred method and asked to sit in any remaining chair. The performer then asks them to really mix themselves up again so everything is random. The performer then requests that the envelopes are returned from the spectator in the audience and proceeds to go along the row asking each spectator to take an envelope. At this stage the performer asks who has the prediction and asks them to stand, stating: „The envelopes were freely mixed and one was set aside at complete random. You all sat where you wanted to and took any envelope. Each envelope contains a piece of card, they are all different. Will you please all now open your envelopes.‟ 20 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE The spectators on stage do and reveal three pieces of card in the order blue, yellow and red. The performer then states, „If you had set aside a different envelope this would have been different, if you had mixed the envelopes a little more this would have been totally different. You all could have sat anywhere and the envelopes were freely mixed. Would you (gesturing to the person holding the prediction in audience) please open the prediction as I don‟t want to go near it.‟ It is a perfect match, displaying the colours in the correct order! Then the spectators are told to reach under their seats and remove a piece of coloured card. Each piece is seen to match what they already hold. As an additional kicker the „set aside‟ envelope is opened by a spectator to reveal a white bit of card with a cross on it. Once turned over, reads „set aside‟ . Method: I enjoy this effect very much as it has three strong and building climaxes that I believe complement each other very well. The method is layered with a very small amount of dual reality, a switch and some clever scripting. There are two sets of envelopes, seven in total, all of which are identical. These are split into one set of four and one of three. I use black DL sized envelopes that I purchase from „Paperchase‟ in the UK but for any non-UK readers, „Staples‟ are a perfectly adequate alternative. Four of the envelopes all contain the „set aside‟ card and three contain different coloured cards, in my case one with blue in, one with yellow in and one with red in. You will also need a prediction which once handed out, needn‟t be touched by you again. My prediction order is blue, yellow and then red. The prediction also has „this way up‟ written above the blocks of printed colour to throw off any ideas of re-orienting the paper. Place the corresponding pieces of card under the relevant chair. You start by handing out the end prediction and then the first spectator four black envelopes (the four that all contain a „set aside‟ white card). The spectator mixes these to his heart‟s content which has no determining effect as the contents are all the same. Get the spectator to select an envelope and hold it above his head and let him change his mind if he likes. Then take back the other three and instruct him to walk over to the „lone chair‟ (the one which is 21 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE set aside from the other three) and place the envelope on there for later. Refer to this as the envelope he has set aside to anchor the wording ready for the kicker reveal. At this point, it is a matter of switching in the pre-stacked three envelopes with those the different pieces of card inside. Mine are pre-stacked the blue on top, yellow in the middle and red on the bottom although this is down to personal preference. Remember these envelopes look identical. You have ample amounts of time for the switch too as all the audience‟s focus is on the „set aside‟ envelope that the spectator is holding as well as the spectator himself. I like the idea of switching something in as it allows for a true fairness when it comes to which envelope is set aside at the beginning. It also creates a strong moment of you being nowhere near the envelope when the decision is made and when it‟s set aside. When you take back the other three envelopes, and as the spectator walks over to the lone chair, you have two options to make the switch that you can use: One: Stuck to the back of the chair nearest you (stage right), you have a pocket attached which is invisible from the front but which allows you to cleanly ditch the three „set aside‟ envelopes whilst simultaneously picking up the stacked packet. This should be done as everyone watches the spectator walk to the „lone chair‟. As you set it apart you will have bought yourselves a few extra seconds! The point here is to pick your moment and it will become invisible. Two: Have the pre stacked three envelopes on a table that is higher than the audience‟s eye line and when you take them back place them down, walk over to follow the spectator and as you patter just pick up the stack and leave the others. Nobody will notice and I promise it flies as long as no one can see the surface of the table. Angling your table would be good here to create the same effect but with a lower table. If you are casual about it and confident either method will work a treat. Assuming that you own a copy of Annemann‟s „Practical Mental Effects‟, turning to page 226, you will find a similar method for switching some envelopes. I have made my switching pocket from some trusty Duct Tape, cardboard and a little imagination. I have dubbed mine the „Switch-master 3000‟ (©), I realise it‟s not too attractive, but it makes the switch seamless and practical. Experiment and see what you come up with. 22 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE By this point you have switched in the stack and you should hand it to a spectator on the front row to hold and keep safe. If you say „hold onto these, keep them safe, tight between your hands‟, the person will not even think to mix them. If this unnerves you, just keep hold of the envelopes or leave them on the table for longer although, I do believe that if someone else holds them, and you only touch them briefly, it feels and seems less contrived. You then need two more spectators. Ask them all to sit in any chair except the one occupied by the envelope already. Then get them to mix themselves up again thus adding layers to the deception when in reality this makes no difference at all as the card under their chairs won‟t change and in a moment you will give each spectator the right envelope so that everything matches. Once they are happy you take the envelopes back and explain: „Each envelope has a piece of card in it. You mixed the envelopes and set any one aside earlier.‟ Now you must offer each spectator an envelope, but how do you make sure they take the right one? Essentially you just hand each person an envelope from left to right. As they are pre-stacked and switched in you are placing the coloured card so that it matches the prediction order without creating suspicion. There is a ploy to heighten the layers of deception here that creates a very subtle but brilliant dual reality. It is bold but that‟s why I love it. This small detail really adds another level of fairness to the proceedings. You will have the top envelope ready to give to the first person, but instead of just giving it to them, break the rule of not turning your back to an audience and do so with the three envelopes in your hand. As you say „just take an envelope‟, if you up jog the top envelope and thrust it forwards gently, the spectator remove the correct envelope. This doesn‟t raise any suspicion with anyone as from the audience‟s point of view it seems very fair and the wording here still fits with what you are asking the onstage spectators to do. Repeat the line until you have handed the correct envelopes to the correct spectators. This will seem to the audience that the people in the chairs have had a choice as to which envelope they take but, at the same time, none of the effect is lost for those onstage with you as the envelopes were freely mixed earlier and they have been kept safe by another spectator. At this point you‟re home free as it is just a case of „rewriting history‟ in your favour. To do this I first get the three on stage spectators to open their envelopes. After the spectators have opened their envelopes I would say something like the following: „You mixed the envelopes. You were all picked at random. You took any envelope and sat where you liked and then you set one envelope aside after you had mixed the envelopes some more. It could not have been any fairer! If you had set aside any other envelope, this order 23 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE would not have been. Similarly, if you had just mixed the envelopes a little more this would have been different, but you didn‟t. You all randomly made the order blue, yellow and then red...let‟s see how well you did.‟ Then get the spectator holding the prediction to open it to reveal the colour sequence that you just forced. The prediction and the sequence of coloured cards are seen to match perfectly! Secondly, get everyone to reach under their chair to reveal A4 pieces of coloured card that correspond to each spectator. I do this whilst stating that „you could have sat anywhere but reach under your chairs and hold up what you find nice and high‟. This is all done at a pace. Not so fast that nobody understands, but at a pace that keeps up the momentum and helps to prevent backtracking in the audience‟s mind. As a finale, turn attention to the envelope they freely set aside and get someone to open it; do not open it yourself as people are more likely to think that you altered something. Of course it will say „set aside‟ and everyone will be blown away. This chair test is great, fun and a little different. Do put some thought into scripting when you want to perform this. If it all becomes about the process above nobody will care for it. Make it mean something. Make it yours. As with all these routines, I am only providing the bare bones you need to get started. You could change colours for images, shapes or words. Make it your own and for those who don‟t want to put in the time you now have the routine as it stands above. Extra Notes and Thoughts: As a safety net for the pre-stacked envelopes, I would suggest marking the three envelopes containing the coloured card. A simple pencil marking will blend in with the black colour of the envelope but the texture of the lead will reflect the light giving you an almost invisible set of marks. Then if you do give the spectator the envelopes and they do mix them you are prepared. This would then allow you to locate the correct envelope and hand each spectator the corresponding envelope as mentioned above. The beauty of this method is that if you wished you could perform it with any number of chairs. The switch in of a stack and the envelope force described above would allow you to achieve this effect with any number of chairs without the method becoming more complex. I prefer three spectators and four chairs as it isn‟t too many. See what works best for you. This is literally just a thought as I have not played around with this idea, nor do I know if it would work presentation wise but you could make a smaller version of this effect and use it in a close up setting. Just a thought. 24 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE 25 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE ESSAY- The Bold Approach To help clarify the title, for me, the bold approach is a category of effects that use direct and audacious methods to achieve the apparently impossible. They almost always involve dual reality, instant stooging and/ or spectator cueing, spectator management and/or balls of steel. These effects and the methods they employ have a strong place in mentalism and in my opinion should not be overlooked. I am a big fan of such bold methods but I am just as much a fan of all of mentalism‟s tried and tested methods. What I have decided over the years of performing in a variety of locations and for a variety of interesting and diverse people is that the bold approach has its place but should always be used in moderation. Sometimes I feel as though people get too caught up in a method and lose sight of what is important-the effect. We are, after all, there to entertain, so the performance, the presentation and the subtleties are what we should care for the most. Don‟t get me wrong, you need to have a solid method that is clean, direct and easy for the audience to follow but you also need methods that you can perform seamlessly so that your focus becomes the performance. This is where my views on the bold approach come in. I use bold methods such as my „Two Digit Telepathy‟ methodology (from my previous publication „Mind Experiments‟) more than any other stage effect in my first book as I seem to have favoured it for one reason or another. The method relies on audience management, its own boldness and its simplicity. But the effect that the method‟s simplicity creates is direct, very strong and clean. Similar effects could be achieved but none would be as clean as my method, as the only real alternative is pre-show which is not always practical, especially in live settings. This is why I believe boldness has its place. It is practical, direct and without compromise. I believe some people misunderstand bold methods often because they think that when they read a book with a few effects in that all rely on bold methods they assume that the author is suggesting to always use such an approach. I want to be very clear and say that this is not what I am suggesting at all, not with this book or „Mind Experiments‟. The other reason in my opinion is fear, fear of being exposed. I agree very much with Andy Nyman‟s thinking from his lecture DVD with reference to his use of pre-show for „Deep Red Prediction‟. What is truly important is the performance and that is why I believe bold methods mixed with classic methods can create very strong demonstrations. All I can say to this is try it and see if it is for you. Be bold and you will be rewarded, but don‟t just be bold. Be complex, be classic and, more importantly, be yourself. Bold methods work their best when used in conjunction with classic methods, whether that be one or two bold methods in a stage act or perhaps one bold routine in a bar disguised amongst billet switches, peeks or perhaps psychological routines. Catch them off guard and throw a curve ball into the mix every once in a while. 26 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE Bold methods have been around for a very long time. Thirteen Steps has its references to stooges and instant stooges but only in the past decade or so have people really started to push the boat out in this area. Thanks to Kenton Knepper and great minds such as Luke Jermay, dual reality has blossomed into a thing of beauty and amazement for both audiences and performers. These methods have helped performers to be able to reveal thoughts of spectators that were never written down, to control spectators and their actions and to enhance classic routines tenfold. Without such methods there would be a healthy dose of visual compromise that without a doubt detracts from a performance. For example Luke Jermay‟s „Touching on Hoy‟ would be a great routine and possible with impression devices, billet switches and a simple one a head principle (which are all fantastic methods), although would not ever quite match up to the method which Luke employs. So be bold but moderate. I urge you to try out as many alternative methods as you can during your time as a performer and within that comes the fun, the strength and the simplicity of bold methods. I‟m not saying be fearless, naive or stupid... I‟m saying be bold. 27 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE 28 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE SCRAMBLE 29 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE Scramble The Effect: Three spectators are selected and brought on stage. They each take a piece of card and are given a pen. They are then asked to stare at the card and imagine seeing one or two letters of the alphabet. When they have these they are to write them on the card, large and clear. When this is completed they each reveal what they have written thus displaying a random series of letters. The performer asks the audience to shout out if they can see any words made of four or more letters. These are written down on a large pad. Then the audience all vote for the word they wish to chose by a show of hands, majority rules. This word is revealed to have been predicted all along! Method: This effect uses a variety of strong mentalism techniques all fused together. My inspiration for this effect came from Colin McLeod‟s ingenious „Bookless Test‟. I use a method talked about in my first book „Mind Experiments‟ with the routine „Two Digit Telepathy‟. I have three marker pens, each with a round sticker on the end of the pen with one or two letters written clearly upon them. This allows the performer to cue the onstage spectators with the force letters under the cover of some „double speak‟. I select the spectators in whatever manner I like, of course randomly, and then as they come up one at a time, I hand them a marker and a piece of card. I then work along the line and say the following to each spectator: „I want you to look right here and see one or two letters. When you can see them clearly in your mind write them down on the card, big, bold and clear.‟ Whilst I say this, I hold their card and pen and tap the nib of the pen in the centre of the blank piece of card, giving the spectator a perfect view of what‟s written on the end of the pen. I also gesture with my thumb to guide their eyes to the end of the pen. The audience see this as totally natural. However for the onstage spectators it is clear that they are to write the letters that they see. 30 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE This forces the letters „N‟ „D‟ „W‟ „O‟ „W‟ „I‟ that I have pre-decided upon. These force letters will only create three words of four letters or more meaning that when the audience call out words of four letters or more they will always be the force words. The audience then vote via a show of hands to choose one word. Here, the dual reality is that to the audience the letters were random, the words created from rthese letters were random and the one chosen was totally random. To the spectators on stage, the letters were not random but the final word used was randomly chosen. Below are the letters that I use, although I urge you to spend some time to think up your own letters: Pen one: W I Pen two: N D Pen three: O W. The only possibilities with these forced letters are: WINDOW, WIND and DOWN I know this method of forcing the letters seems bold but I assure you it works. My pet routine from my first publication „Mind Experiments‟ is „Two Digit Telepathy‟. That effect utilises similar methodology to force two numbers. The effect not only works but it stuns audiences. If it helps to reassure you, that effect has no justification or extra process to the spectators on stage and this routine does. The required confidence to perform this, I appreciate, may take some mustering but I ask you to allow me to reassure you that the results are certainly well worth the effort. You will of course need to say something along the lines of: „So now we have these letters of the alphabet I want you all (gesture to audience) to create some words at random. Let‟s make them with four letters or more to make this interesting.‟ These simple few lines will force the audience to only create the three force words, then all that is left to do is ask the audience to vote by way of applause which word they would like to randomly select. Voting by applause works well here as it avoids dead time of counting people‟s raised hands. All that is left to do is have a few multiple outs, one to cover each possibility, and of course to reveal the correct out. Again use your imagination with these „outs‟ but for the sake of completeness, here are the ones I use although I urge you to use alternatives if these are not suited to you. Out One: I have three A5 pieces of card on the floor, each which has two letters printed on it. They act as markers for the three audience members so if the out is not needed they have a perfect justification. If this „out‟ is needed, each spectator picks up their piece of card to reveal the word WI ND OW (two letters per card- set from left to right). 31 Generated for #21798 Thomas Gibbons [email protected] ROULETTE Out Two: The second „out‟ is for the word DOWN and is inside an envelope under a person‟s chair in the audience. This is simply attached before the show, alternatively just have it on your performance table. Out Three: This „out‟ is inside my wallet and inside a pay envelope. Extra Notes and Thoughts: I am aware that to some people, „out‟ number three may seem weaker but it will usually be chosen much less than the other two words. After testing this I found out that because I have mentioned the words needing to be longer to make it interesting people tend to go for „window‟, and also because it seems like an unusual and more difficult choice. Likewise „wind‟ and „window‟ are similar