Mindpower deck

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Postby seige » Jul 31st, '03, 12:13



Remember, guys...

There's a funny thing about magic when performed as a HOBBY as opposed to being done for 'bread & butter'. It really IS supposed to be fun, but being fun is only part of it - it's a performance art.

What I mean is, unlike some hobbies like flying model aircraft, stamp collecting, photography etc. - YOU CANNOT ENJOY IT ON YOUR OWN!

For instance, you don't don a TT and look in the mirror and exclaim 'Where's the TT - I can't see it! Wow - that's a neat trick!'

No, of course not! You NEED an audience to appreciate the miracles. Once you're 'in the know', you find that nothing's impossible, incredible or amazing anymore. But even a fluffy handling of NFW looks like a miracle in the spectators eyes...

The first time you rip open a magic effect, or read an effect in a book - you think - 'er, is that really it? it's just a double-lift then top-change?' is the first step to the NEXT LEVEL...

This is truly a great moment - as you can now UNDERSTAND the magic a lot more.

It's a sad side-effect of becoming a magician - you don't get impressed anymore. Things cease to amaze you all of a sudden - but welcome to the real world! This is the path you choose, I'm afraid.

BUT WAIT!

This does NOT mean that even the smallest thing won't impress the 'layperson'. In fact, totally the opposite is true... Once you've got on the inside of the effects, you're performing for a different REASON than you were before... you're not just trying to show someone something that amazed YOU - you're actually performing for the sole purpose of YOU to AMAZE THEM.

This is your new-found inspiration - you can do things that they cannot possibly fathom out - and yet to you, they are just run-of-the-mill sleights and handlings. You are now performing the kind of effects that you yourself were amazed by!

And this is the problem - you don't realise HOW GOOD you actually are unless you have an audience. The audience is the most important part of your act, as the whole thing is useless without one. Magic's a great HOBBY - but you NEED an audience to get the buzz.

And when worrying about something so trivial as the 'moonfaces' on the back of the MP deck you are in fact making a fuss about nothing... it's the EFFECT that matters, coupled with the PERFORMANCE.

At least once or twice a week I will showcase some tricks to family, friends, business contacts, anyone. I occasionally get a paid 'gig', but as far as the money goes, that's incidental. The main enjoyment for me is to be able to strike wonder and amazement in people - just like the great magicians I watched as a child did for me.

And face it, there's something deep in all of us that would LOVE it if there really was such a thing as magic.

The only comforting advice I can offer is:

1: Never take things for granted. Even a bad performance is more than most people expect.

2: Be professional - if you make a mistake, 99% of the time you are the only one who knows it!

3: Be prepared - as you become renowned amongst family and friends for being a bit of a magician, they'll always ask you to do a trick! Keep a stash of impromptu effects locked in the corner of your mind (coins/rubber bands/cards) so that you can knock 'em dead at the right moment - This is truly a wonderful feeling!

4: Never give up on an effect! We put men on the moon, didn't we? There's no such thing as an 'impossible handling'.

5: Sometimes, the simplest tricks have the biggest impact! Even now, when I vanish a card in back-palm, or do a colour change, these UTILITY moves/flourishes get more 'wow' than the actual effect they are part of!
Never underestimate an effect because of it's simplicity.

6: Remember: you're the one who knows the secret! Try not to act amazed at your own magic (it's like a comedian laughing at their own jokes!). Be fluent, natural and always take your time - there's no rush. Try and enjoy every minute and always keep eye contact.

7: Eye contact: very important. Try to learn effects WITHOUT LOOKING AT YOUR HANDS. Eye contact with your audience is your most powerful misdirection. Speak to them, look at them. During a tricky move, don't MAKE it look tricky, look at the audience and divert their attention away from any moves or sleights.

Pheeew... lunchtime now!

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Postby vats » Jul 31st, '03, 12:43

Mandrake
I like your style .... back in the dim and distant past Jasper Carrot used to read out 'funny' insurance claim forms..... I can just see the form now....
'I was driving along watching a man moving a red light from his dogs ear when .....bang!....'

NB 'this is no endorsement as to the entertainment value of Jasper Carott'

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Postby Mandrake » Jul 31st, '03, 13:13

It could be fun! 'All of a sudden these lights appeared from up a dog's bum - and you won't believe where they went after that!'

Actually, I went to the same school as Jasp - he used his real name of Bob Davies in those days - and he was a complete nutter even then. He's a year older than I am so that makes him 23. Ish. Approx. Near enough. Who's counting. He's also a multi millionaire - not from Insurance Claim jokes but his investment in Celador the company behind Who Wants to be a Millionaire etc. I now wish I'd been more friendly with him at school! (Now, now, don't be dirty - you know what I meant!)

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Postby Mandrake » Jul 31st, '03, 14:54

There's another good point lurking here - and it's probably familiar to those who have any associations with Rotary Clubs/Round Table - adopt, adapt, improve or something like that?

When miracles such as The Web, Deep Astonishment etc are launched, there are usually suggested routines supplied. But this doesn't mean you have to use those routines - personally, I find that a bit of Mandrake modification makes the whole thing individual to me so I feel even more comfortable with it and therefore ought to perform it better.

In the case of The Web which comes supplied with the gimmick and four playing cards, there are some folks who perform this without the cards at all. The version I prefer uses the cards, is slightly shorter than suggested, same routine but one less count so it all moves a little slicker and leads to the final revelation that much more efficiently. This doesn't mean it's any better or worse but it might mean the specs (and I) get a more enjoyable effect.

Mind you, having said that, if you follow the exact routine for ID, the suggested emotion is wonderment. When I showed my ever-loving she was really scared about it all because it was just so impossible. Then I did the routine again (I know I shouldn't but this was one of those times when I just did!) and the effect was even better as the previously revealed card had changed to a completely different one. Absolute Magic!!!

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MindPower Deck & BIKE Cards

Postby Allen Tipton » Jun 2nd, '05, 14:32

8) This last year we had several members of the Guild of Magicians who are asked, after a children's performance to 'show us a card trick.' When they produce a Bicycle Deck, the come back (again and again) is "Oh those are MAGIC cards from the magic shop. Can't you do it with ordinary cards ?!" I've purchased a fair number of effects with bike cards and always converted these effects to 'ordinary cards', usually Fox Lake or Aviator, which I have liked since about 1975! I simply have never liked the bike cards, the feel of them, even the shape, long before the Guilds' members comments! No doubt in gaming clubs they are the norm but for me..Long Live The Ordinary Deck correction..Pack
Allen Tipton

Began magic at 9 in 1942. Joined Staffs M.S at 13. Nottm.Guild of M. (8 times President. Prog Director 20years)IBM. Awarded Magician of Month 1980 By Intern. Pres. IBM for reproducing Dante's Sim Sala Bim. Writes Dear Magician column for Abra. Mag.
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Postby gony » Jun 17th, '05, 21:01

Update on the Mind Power deck.

I placed an order recently and instead of the deck I got an update from worldmagicshop.co.uk: "..The mind power deck was discontinued for a while. But the good news is its back and on red bicycle back cards and with a much better routined deck..."

:D

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Postby Nightfall » Feb 7th, '07, 09:49

Ok it's a quite old thread , but it was the first I found on search and there are other threads that discuss this and D.Brown's smoke so here are my thoughts :

My Mindpower deck arrived yesterday (along with some other stuff) and was impressed. Very clever idea !
The deck was in red bikes and the instructions very helpful.

After studying it for a little time I performed it for my wife and the reaction was huge ! I performed it twice (which is kind of tricky and not adviceable to do) and again the reaction was great. (I really gained much confindence , being an AH, and i guess if I practice more and work on the presentation it will be even better)

She loved it so much that she told me "I really don't want to know how you did it ! I loved it and don't want to spoil it".

I guess the best way to perform it is for a couple or 3 persons and build up the presentation.

Great trick. 10/10

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Postby lozey » Feb 7th, '07, 22:32

gony wrote:Update on the Mind Power deck.

I placed an order recently and instead of the deck I got an update from worldmagicshop.co.uk: "..The mind power deck was discontinued for a while. But the good news is its back and on red bicycle back cards and with a much better routined deck..."

:D


Iv checked the website but cant see a mind power deck. Can you give me a link please

(C, AH)
If you have a quality,let it define you no matter what it is-Doug Bradley
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Postby magicmonkey » Feb 8th, '07, 18:01

its available here
about halfway down, hit ctrl+f and type mind and it should go straight to it

not a fan of sigs, so I won't bother adding o..... oh
:oops:
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Postby Farlsborough » Feb 8th, '07, 18:17

Nightfall wrote:(I really gained much confindence , being an AH, and i guess if I practice more and work on the presentation it will be even better)



Tee hee! Sorry, I know I've been here for a while, but that still amuses me... a bit like when my Broadcast Journalism friend refers to his coursemates as "BJs"... :lol:

Erm, yes. On topic... er... well, I will probably get one of these now they're available in bikes.

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Saw Mindpower for first time

Postby misterblack » Feb 14th, '07, 18:52

The 'Mind Power' deck was demo'ed to me on Monday in a magic store in New York. Got to be honest, I was a little disappointed.

I don't know if it was the presentation or what, but the super-quick spreading of the deck was offputting and even so I noticed something very fishy. I won't mention it as I guess that would be exposure. I wasn't TRYING to spot anything, either - I love to be genuinely baffled and entertained by new tricks when I see them for the first time, so I don't watch with laser eyes.

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Postby xpyre » Feb 15th, '07, 10:53

First off I only use the deck as a "spot a card" device.

I think it is all in presentation. I find the deck wondertful. If you've seen Derren Brown use the deck then it looks very natural.

As someone else mentioned further up I do tend to explain exactly what I'm going to do before starting to spread the deck. You don't want to be explaining or clarifying anything with the cards in spread.

For me the script is very important. I ask the spectator to "spot the first card that they notice" (not quite gramatically correct on purpose) as I am spreading, followed by "Got one?" 1-2 seconds after the spread is completed. (I use my best "hurry up, lets get this trick started" voice). The "got one" question makes them just pick the first one they can see. So long as the gap between the two sentences isn't too short it doesn't feel overly rushed.

I never say "pick a card" because the psychology is different as they will naturally scan along the cards. Which is where the problems start.

I don't know about anyone else but I am on a roll of 7 people picking the SAME card (the first one I mention)... now that really is spooky. Maybe it is all just magic after all.

(What this means is that the spectator nearly always swears and wants to kill me!) Card tricks don't get much stronger than that. :twisted:

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Postby misterblack » Feb 15th, '07, 20:38

I'm sure you are right. As I said, I felt it was badly presented to me. It may also have been a factor that the guy was doing it to two of us at once, and the other guy didn't catch/spot a card first time so he had to spread it again.

I felt the guy presented something else quite poorly too, also giving away the secret, but I'm sure it's an occupational hazard working in a magic shop - you have to be able to demo so many tricks that it must be hard to devote much care to many of them.

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Postby MagicTJH » Mar 8th, '07, 20:48

I really love the Mind Power Deck, and use it for a variation of Derren Brown's Smoke effect..

Instead of the thought of card coming from the cigarrette i just reveal it from my pocket. Gets a really strong reaction.
If anyone is wondering Smoke was performed on one of Derren's Mind Control episodes with Stephen Fry i believe and i think its also detailed on his Devils Pitcurebook tape...

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Postby Ollieinthelight » Mar 12th, '07, 18:02

I just bought the mind power deck and here is my take on it:

If your going to use it, i find that you can't just simply have the spectator select a card and then you reveal it through a series of questions. Your going to have to have a bigger finish, just like Derren Brown did with Smoke. If you don't have an ending like that and you just try and get the name of the card then the deck doesn't really have a good effect unless its the first or second card you reveal. With all the phishing that goes on with 'is it a black card?' or what have you, it really won't get your spectator thinking much of it. To them it will just be lucky guesses and too many questions. Some of you might agree with that and some of you might not but thats just my take on it all!

In conclusion - its all about presentation!...but you knew that already!

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