Pablo Amirá - Amirism Volume 3

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Pablo Amirá - Amirism Volume 3

Postby MatCult » Mar 17th, '14, 13:41



Available from here:
http://amirismvol3.blogspot.co.uk/

Price: $29.99

Format: Ebook (55 Pages)


Pablo kindly sent me a copy of his latest work to review.

There is a lot to like in this collection of routines and a wide variety of effects are explored - from metal bending and PK heat to direct drawing duplication and emotion-reading.

Let's go through the contents in detail. Please note that these are first impressions only. I have not had a chance to practice, rehearse or present these effects.

1. Pyrokinesis: "Your participant will feel and experience fire in his hands, and best of all, he will keep the proof!"

I really liked this idea. It is very a different, unusual and memorable way to get your business card into a participant's hands and ensure that they will show it to friends and colleagues. The working is technically very easy to achieve, which leaves space to build a great presentation.

BUT my one reservation about this routine is that only a partial presentation is given. Pablo states that the participant will be made to experience a sensation of heat in their hands through verbal suggestion techniques, but in the script there is a space with the words: "(Suggestive pattern I leave up to you.)" Now, many performers will already have pet methods for evoking heat sensations in a participant, but it would have been nice to read and learn from Pablo's approach as part of this routine.

2. PKMB with coins: "2 simple ideas to add to your toolkit of metal bending."

As stated in the heading, these are finesses and extra ideas to bolt into coin bending routines. A pre-existing knowledge of coin-bending technique is assumed.

The first is a clever bit of thinking that allows a participant to select which coin from the change in their hand will bend. I think this is a nice idea and would play very well.

The second is a clever way of using pre-prepared coins to perform real-time marked/signed coin bends. I've never really understood writing on coins - it just never makes sense to me. But for those that do, this idea would be worth exploring.


3. Impromptu Prediction 3.0: "A new strategy to predict any thought, anytime, anywhere."

This is a pet effect for Pablo and he already has several approaches in print. I like the handling described here, which allows for a clean prediction of any thought using just a stack of business cards and a pen.

I didn't really feel the routine explained alongside the handling worked for me, but the mechanics are solid and would allow each performer to create a presentation that feels right to them and meets their personal criteria. I am now developing a routine based around "word association" that I think will work very well with Pablo's handling.

4. Symbolia: "Perfect opener. Predict a chosen symbol in a very clean manner."

This is a clever psi-force of a symbol with an out for when the force doesn't hit. The manual encourages the reader to "play along" and see if the force works on them and I am happy to say I fell for it hook, line and sinker.

This is nice, but I'm not sure it would work for me. It's like a DIY wallet card type idea, where the participant selects one symbol from 15 or 16 drawn on the card. If I did use it, I'd be tempted to ditch the out and simply give a reading on the selected symbol if the force missed, before moving on to something else.

But the thinking is solid, the force is clever and there are some nice verbal elements that help it along.

5 Tésera-emotions: "Double climax effect with 4 participants and 4 emotions."

This is an adaptation of a classic card plot, given a mental/emotional overhaul. The routine assumes some basic card-handling skills (fa**e sh****es and fo**es).

In the first phase of the routine, the performer is able to read the emotions that four participants have in mind. With some cold reading ability and a bit of chutzpah, this could become a very powerful experience for the participants with a lot of "peripheral" hits. The second climax (which I won't give away) might be a bit "magicy" for some performers, but for others it would play very strongly I expect.

6. Unconscious Drawing Duplication: "Get inside of your participant’s unconscious mind and duplicate his drawing."

This is a business card drawing dupe routine. The techniques and handling seem quite similar to Docc Hilford's "Boudoir Card Reading" approach. Pablo includes some clever psychological flourishes that mean, on some occasions, the performer may not even need to peek to duplicate the drawing.

I think every performer only needs so many peeks and switches before they reach saturation - but for those seeking a new technique for their arsenal, this may fit the bill.

7. Psychological Deck Vanish: "A thought-of card remains inside the card box. Meanwhile, the rest of the deck vanishes in the participant’s hands! He can feel the deck become lighter!"

This reminded me of Kenton Knepper's "Southwest Miracle" in some ways, although there is less dual reality involved. Like the "Pyrokenisis" routine that opened the book, this one relies heavily on verbal suggestion. This time a suggested script is given.

It's not an effect I would perform, so it is hard for me to give a critique. The outcome may be a bit "magicy" for some performers, but I can see it could be staggering for those who "blur the lines".

8. Caterpillar Peek: "Quickly get the thoughts from your participant with this billet technique."

This is a peek for square paper billets, allowing the performer to see roughly half the slip. It includes a link to a video explanation, which is great because these sorts of techniques are sometimes hard to follow in text descriptions.

The handling has some nice features, but I'm not sure I would use it. Again, I am not in the market for a new billet peek - but I am certain that others will find it a very useful approach.

So, in summary, the Amirism series is like a glimpse into Pablo's sketchbook - some items are just ideas, some are flourishes, convincers or finesses, some are utility techniques, while others are full-blown routines.

This third volume was a very enjoyable read. Not all the material suited me - but that is true of any compilation of this sort. However, I know for certain I will adapt and perform the prediction routine and the emotion-reading effect has given me a lot of food for thought, as has the clever psy-force of the symbol.

However, this is not a work I'd recommend to beginners. Some routines require knowledge of techniques not explained in the ebook and other sections describe ideas and finesses that do not stand alone but need an established routine to work effectively.

That said, I like the way Pablo thinks and expect that many readers will find useful and inspiring ideas and effects they can adapt from his work.

MatCult
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