Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby storm01 » Nov 2nd, '11, 20:45



I've lost mine on a previous pc and dont sem to be able to retrieve it :(

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby Stephen Ward » Nov 3rd, '11, 08:12

Does Elliott have you on the mailing list? maybe he can help.

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby storm01 » Nov 3rd, '11, 12:39

He should have. I have sent him a message with my previous and new e mail address but as yet he hasnt been in touch. I have also sent him a pm on here, I'm sure when he gets time he will be in touch.

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby ElliottB » Nov 3rd, '11, 15:07

Hi storm01,

I do not have any unanswered PM’s or emails, as far as I am aware.

The only possibilities I can think of are:

1. Your email went into spam
2. My response (assuming I responded) went into spam
3. You misspelled my name on the email address. This happens all the time, due to the unusual spelling of my first name.

Whenever you can, please PM me your contact info and I will get you the latest edition right away.

Thanks again,

Elliott

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby storm01 » Nov 3rd, '11, 16:52

Thanks Elliott. Switchcraft received. Customer Service doesnt get much better or quicker than that.

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby TheStoner » Nov 11th, '11, 13:20

This is the gift that keeps on giving - every time I get a new update is like a wonderful freebie, this is the best value purchase out there!

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby Mandrake » Feb 9th, '12, 23:21

I just had an e-mail:
I am writing to let you know that I contributed my latest billet mentalism article to Peter Duffie’s amazing new e-book – Mind Blasters USA.

Mind Blasters USA is a huge e-book, filled incredible techniques, routines and ideas from many of America’s finest mentalists.

Some of the 33 co-authors include: Danny Archer, Bruce Bernstein, Richard Busch, Paul Carnazzo, Ray Carlyle, Scott Guinn, Chuck Hickok, Devin Knight, Jheff, Dale A. Hildebrandt, Kenton Knepper, Tony Razzano, Patrick Redford, Bryn Reynolds, John Riggs, Barrie Richardson, Mark Strivings, Christopher Taylor, Sean Waters, Allen Zingg and many more.

And, of course, Mind Blasters USA includes my own contribution – The Detective’s Peek!

You can purchase Mind Blasters USA from Peter Duffie or any of the co-authors, including me. I am selling it as an instant download at:

https://sites.google.com/site/mindblastersusa/

As a bonus, I am including the following eBooks with every Mind Blasters USA order placed from my web site:
Jheff’s Journal of the Mind – Volume 4, Issue 24 (featuring me)
Supplement # 1 - Advanced L&D – This is a slightly revised version of the manuscript I wrote for a charity project to help the people of Africa. It is a pretty darn awesome billet sequence.
Supplement # 2 is already nearing completion and will be emailed to all my Mind Blasters USA customers when it is done.

Thanks again,

Elliott


Looks like yet another bargain!!!

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby ElliottB » Feb 20th, '12, 00:02

Thank you so much, Mandrake!

I sent out a second supplement for Mind Blasters USA earlier today. If you are on my Mind Blasters USA mailing list and did not receive it, please feel free to contact me and I will make sure you get it.

Thank you to all those who bought Mind Blasters USA from me.

I really appreciate it.

Elliott

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby Mandrake » Feb 20th, '12, 16:31

Supplement #2 arrived safe and sound, thank you!

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby ElliottB » Mar 28th, '12, 23:37

You’re very welcome, Mandrake.



Here is my (more or less) complete write-up on the contents of Mind Blasters USA:


“Through Time and Space Transported” by John Riggs – An excellent bizarre effect involving time travel. Not for everyone, but in the right hands this should be awesome! Requires a gimmick and some bending skills.

“Reversal of Fortune” by Richard Busch – A mindreading effect using numbers. I really like this trick because it can be done impromptu. No real demands are made on the performer, but the participant will need to have 2nd or 3rd grade math skills. Two ploys are presented and my initial impression is that I like the first one best.

“Sugar from the Orient” by Christopher Taylor and Matthew Johnson – The Mentalist turns away while a participant peeks at one of four ESP symbols. The mentalist turns to face the participant and can now know which symbol was peeked at. This appears to be a new principle and it’s great for all sorts of impromptu presentations. This is excellent and I would feel happy if I paid $10 for it alone.

“DSP: Digital Sports Prediction” by Danny Archer –A package with a digital recorder is mailed to some important individual. The package is opened during a show. The recorder is removed and played, and you are proven to have accurately predicted the score of a sports event. This is a good one!

“The Card and Cash Visual Matchup” by Scott F. Guinn – Scott wrote that this is the single strongest effect he has ever performed in any venue and that he often receives standing ovations after performing it. Need I say more? Well, I will anyways. This is sort of a cross between Bank Nite and a serial number divination, and it’s really good. Best of all, Scott provides his complete patter, which is absolutely hilarious. I would be happy if I paid $15 for this routine alone.

"Open Confabulation" by Allen Zingg - This is Allen’s version of Confabulation. A prediction is written on a business card. The business card is not folded. It is not placed in an envelope or wallet, but is kept on display for the entire routine. In a nutshell, several participants think of several different (but thematically related) things, and your prediction is shown to be correct. Of course, with Allen’s provided patter, the actual performance is considerably more interesting. Allen describes several versions of the effect, including a close-up variation. You will need a pad, a pen and business cards. Depending on which version you wish to perform, there is something else you may also need. This is not an object you will need to hunt for. You probably already have it. If not, you can pick it up cheap at any office supply store, as well as most drug stores, general purpose stores and 99 cent stores. There is also some simple handling that will need to be learned. Allen covers every aspect of the routine in incredible detail, with a whopping 45 full color photos. Open Confabulation could have easily sold as a single effect and done very well. If you are on the hunt for an excellent version of Confabulation, you will definitely want to check this one out.

“Wallet Psychometry” by Christopher Caldwell – A very commercial stage psychometry presentation. Includes Mr. Caldwell’s professional patter. Very nice. You will need to purchase or make some gimmicks.


“Turn Your Back on the World” by Scott G. Guinn – A really cool version of “Out of this World” where the participants do all the work. I like it.

“The $400 Secret – My Gift to Serious Mentalists” by Chuck Hickok – An effective way to introduce yourself to people during a show. Mr. Hickok was once paid $400 to watch a show and provide feedback. He was told that the tips from this article alone were worth twice the $400 fee. That being said, this is not a trick.

“Picture Duplication Done Cold” by Bruce Bernstein– I liked this one a lot. The method itself is probably already known to many. But Mr. Bernstein goes about it so cleverly, and the way he presents it to the audience makes so much sense. It’s just very well done. But what is it, exactly? Well, it’s (sort of) a drawing duplication for the stage or a large group. Although it should play well by itself, it is really best for times when your props don’t work correctly or circumstances prevent you from doing your regular drawing duplication. This is another item I would have happily paid $10 for. It’s not about the method (which I was already familiar with,) but the extremely valuable tips and details Mr. Bernstein provides.

“Harry Anderson’s Yard Sale Deck Using the Aronson Stack” by Dennis Loomis – This is a very nice trick using the Aronson Stack or some other memorized deck. Harry Anderson’s original effect is explained, as well as Dennis Loomis’s variation. I’m not sure how to categorize the effect (maybe “impossible coincidence,”) but I like it nonetheless.

“Hemimental” by Jheff – A variation on the opener from Jheff’s act. A random participant is shown a deck of cards. All the cards are different. He cuts to a card, and it is the card the performer predicted. Very nice.

“A.I. R.” by Don Theo III – A billet prediction effect. I especially liked the time machine presentation.

”Barbara” by Tony Razzano – An Emotionally Charged presentation for the Koran Medallion.

”An Effect Without a Name” by Tony Razzano – A simple, yet powerful, triple prediction. I like it!

”Sarah” by Tony Razzano – A spooky presentation for a watch effect.

”The Detective’s Peek” by me – A classic (but not so well known) technique for getting more bang from your billet work.

“Getting the Audience to Believe in Their Mental Ability” by Chuck Hickok – A stage presentation from “Mentalism, Incorporated,” where the performer teaches the audience to say the alphabet backwards. Also includes an essay covering NEW revisions and modifications to the presentation. This item looks very commercial and professional.

“BOHT” by Bryn Reynolds – A BOLD method for “Which hand?” effects. BOHT seems especially useful for when your regular methods fail and you have no clue which hand the object is in. An “out” like this can be very valuable. BOHT is also in “The Safwan Papers.”

“Tell Tell Water” by Devin Knight – A unique pseudo scientific playing card revelation using water and a gimmick, which you will need to make. Devin writes that the effect is strong enough to close a show. At first, I wasn’t so thrilled with this item, as I’m not much of a card guy. Then I realized that the idea can easily be applied to the revelation of anything within the context of a given presentation. So, for example, a participant writes her thought on a pad or business card for later verification (heh-heh.) Then you proceed in a manner similar to what Devin describes with the playing card revelation, which is also similar to those ubiquitous body language (tone of voice, etc.) themed presentations, but you’ll be using the “Tell Tell Water” presentation and gimmick. It is likely that Mr. Knight already thought of this, but, if not, I’ll happily take credit.


“Capping It Off” by Kenton Knepper – A prediction involving messages inside bottle caps. You will need to print (or write) the messages for the caps. I very much like the premise and patter for this effect and it seems like it would be easy to perform. However, this is a trick with multiple outcomes, and some read stronger than others. Kenton makes a suggestion about where to place a certain cap. I might experiment doing the opposite of that suggestion.

“Kenton’s Tin Box Prediction” by Kenton Knepper – A method for having an accurate prediction inside a sealed Tin Box. I found this item to be very, very interesting. I will need to purchase something in a tin box, so I can start playing around with it.

“Money in a Balloon” by Ray Carlyle – A stage bank night effect with balloons.

”The No Gimmick Book Test” by Ray Carlyle – A stage book test

”Drawn Again” by Danny Archer – A Design Duplication. It reads well. However, it uses some card moves that are beyond my current skills.

“Shopping Trip” by Barrie Richardson – The performer divines three pieces of information. It is an excellent presentation and does not seem technically difficult at all. On my first read, I was a little unclear how the performer learns the first piece of information (a page number.) I will need to read the instructions more carefully later. But in any case, I am not concerned, as, in a worst case scenario, I can make minor adjustments.

“The Deconstructed Eight Kings” by Allen Zingg– A stacked deck with some interesting special features.

”The World’s 1st Card Trick” by Marty Kane – A cute card trick with a Chinese Zodiac theme.

”Tarot Four Told” by Devin Knight – A mindreading effect using Tarot Cards.

”Inception” by Jeffrey Bloom – A card trick with a mindreading theme.

”Twisted Brothers” by Jeffrey Bloom – A card trick involving a mental selection.

“I’ve got the World on A String” by Mark Strivings – An effect for an audience of 40 – 80 people. It is kind of like “Out of this World,” but with papers in envelopes, pendulums and a lot of audience participation. Very interesting.

”Timber!” by Mark Strivings – A spooky presentation using certain gimmicked wooden items. It looks like it would be fun for certain occasions. However, I do not own the gimmicks.

”Back it Up” by Cameron Francis – A card trick where you predict a chosen card and also divine another spectator’s card and the number of cards dealt.

”Pinpoint” by Cameron Francis – A card trick involving the location of a selected card and the prediction of a thought of card.

”The Lincoln, Nebraska Set” by Rolando Santos – Four mentally themed effects with a deck of cards. They can be performed individually or together.

”Memorized Deck Mastery” by Dennis Loomis – An essay on memorized decks and learning to use them.

“Illuminati” by Sean Waters – A participant demonstrates the power of her intuition. Then, the performer reads the participant’s mind, divining the city she is thinking of. This is a pretty cool effect. It uses several methods, and one of them (the one involving the participant’s guess) may not work 100% of the time. However, the performer’s divination of the city is rock solid, and Sean briefly discusses some modifications and alternative methods for those uncomfortable with the first method described. Personally, I like the method mentioned by Sean on page 325 (third paragraph from the bottom of the page, last sentence.) It is simple, surefire and only requires a minimal change to the structure of the routine. That being said, it occurred to me that, if you’d like (and I am not sure that you would want to,) the first effect can also be replaced with another effect. You’ll need to read the instructions to know what I am talking about, but there are a lot of things you can do with a series of numbers. For example, you can have another participant look up a page in a book, or find a card in a stack, or locate a box on a grid, etc. You can also use one of several numeric for--’s to for-- a specific number (or one of a range of numbers,) and possibly have a participant do something with that number (i.e., the examples mentioned in the previous sentence.) Or you might do something with numerology.


“Time (and Time Again)” by Sean Waters – The performer predicts an object selected by a participant and also the time selected by a participant. I very much liked the revelation of the time.

“Ring Tone” by Patrick G. Redford – A Psychometry routine using phones. The performer is apparently able to tell who each phone belongs to by Ring Tone.


“Coincidental” by Scott F. Guinn – A series of incredible coincidences with a deck of cards and two participants. This is based on Juan Tamaiz’s “Total Coincidence,” but uses one deck. Requires some card skills.


“Spirit Calling” by P. Craig Browning – A spirit horn effect, where you roll up a sheet of poster board into a cone shape and manifest spooky phenomena.

“Zener Riddles” by Dale A Hildebrandt – You correctly predict the ESP card chosen by a participant.

“Smart Card” by Dale A. Hildebrandt - A cool thing to put on the back of your business card and a couple of ideas for what to do with it.

“Multi-Kinesis” by Dale A. Hildebrandt – This 45 page manuscript is described by Dale as “A Multi-Sensory Psychokinesis set of different, various routines, involving many different senses and revolving around different psychokinetic powers.” While huge, it does not sound like “my cup of tea.” So, for now, I will list the titles for each item: Empowering Questions; Energy Language Patterns; Buddha Breath and Beyond; Water Bend; Gouge; Bendy Penny (Revised); PSPKT; Tapping into Emotions; Crossed Wires: Dual Touches; Energy Testing Tips; Stiff Arm Subtlety; Emperor of Energy; Central Meridian One Arm Strength Test; Backwards Falling Balance Test; Leg Raising Strength Test; Bonus Phase: Unlift Ability; Energetic Neurovascular Hook-up Exercise; The Negative Arm; Magnetic Hand Linguistic Ruse; Invisible Pulley; Frozen Follow-Up; Lucky Bill Rides Again; Throat Chakra Exercise; PK Pulse; Tingling Tell; Reversed Hand Bluff; Another Bluff; The Thirteenth Levitation Variation One; Aura or Aura (somewhat updated); Strange Sensations; Updates Section – Sway One, Sway Two, Sway Three, Sway Four, Sway Five, Sway Six: Humandulums, Sway Seven: Faith Healers; On the Subject of Faith Healing; The Invisible Rose Induction & Routine: Macro Rose Room, The Invisible Rose Induction, The Rose Game, Rose Petal Pendulum, The Rose Key Manifestation, The Invisible Rose Routine, The Rose Anchor, The Rose Bloom Closer; The Aura Knife

Un-crushed – A PK effect where a crushed plastic water bottle “uncrushes” in a participant’s hand.

I am selling Mind Blasters USA on my web site:

https://sites.google.com/site/mindblastersusa/

Buy it from me, and I will also include…

Advanced L&D – This e-book covers some billet related methods for divining the names of the living and the dead.

Beating a Living & Dead Horse – Another bonus e-book. It covers another billet related method for divining the names of the living and the dead. It also includes some valuable tips for the Umbrella Move, getting a “read” and discretely obtaining a “dummy.”

Journal of the Mind – Volume 4, issue 24 (featuring me) – It includes some items reprinted from Switchcraft – although one item is significantly revised. It also includes an index by subject for Switchcraft, a list of my favorite items from Switchcraft (at least as of the date the journal was originally published,) and some info from Jheff.



Thanks again,

Elliott

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby Mandrake » Mar 29th, '12, 00:24

Thanks Elliott, a copy of that review has been posted as a separate entry in this section.

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby gypsyfish » Mar 29th, '12, 12:49

There are so many good effects and ideas in this book and it's more than worth the price. Even though it was being sold by more than a few people, I bought mine from Elliot because of the great service that he has provided me with Switchcraft. If you haven't arleady gotten MB USA, do yourself a favor and get it - from Elliot, the man who keeps on giving to our community!

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby Ted » Mar 29th, '12, 12:52

I don't know why anyone wouldn't buy this directly from Elliot - not least because he issues free updates. Those who buy elsewhere will miss out on these.
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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby Mandrake » Mar 29th, '12, 16:25

I converted the PDF to Kindle and it's a fascinating read. Dozens of very useful ideas and effects, even those which don't ring your particular bell contain tips and advice which can be used in other routines. And it's very, very reasonably priced :D !

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Re: Switchcraft by Elliott Bresler

Postby ElliottB » Mar 30th, '12, 02:26

Thank you, Mandrake, gypsyfish and Ted.

I really appreciate that your posts and that you bought the e-book from me.

Mandrake, thank you for copying the write-up to a new thread.


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