talkmagic.co.uk

copyright wrote:His originality lies in the way he masks the method.

perhaps you'd care to elaborate on what exactly you are referring to?

I worked as an extra in the next episode

If a person doesn't follow i.e. fall asleep on cue, then the another applicant is used.

Before participation it is explained that "you may not appear in the show if you are not right for the trick."

The most suggestible/easily influenced/desperate to be on TV (however you want to see it) are picked.

i agree with copyright, plus, the sneaky mind fiddler is so smart at leaving out dummy clues to be feasted upon...thats absolute genius...you'll never sniff out the real methods...

you've got to remember that his background is rather varied, and he's spent years of study too...for those of you that simply cough up the word "stooge" like phlegm just cos you dont understand how else it could be achieved..well...then the answer will always be "stooge"...

its whatever you define that it is...i think that's the catch all answer...

lovebitesandbruises wrote:If a person doesn't follow i.e. fall asleep on cue, then the another applicant is used.

That's very commonly used by stage hypnotists. They'll often get quite a few people up and only actually use a few that are most suitable.

I was hypnotised on stage once, I was one of about 12 to go up and only one of two to actually be used.

lovebitesandbruises wrote:I worked as an extra in the next episode

What do you mean by "extra" and why are you telling us this?

I just had a brief look at the replies in this tread. From this I learn that a substantial number of members of thetalk magic website not are magicians (or mentalists) but basically are pretty much beginners who comeup with answers very similar to thouse typically suggested by lay people.

The options in the poll are rediculous and are typically of the laymens thinking. The options in the poll as well as many of the suggestions in the answers are clearly made by people with no clue of the methods availeble to magicians and mentalists and who for example have no clue of the real workings of stage hypnosis etc (which I consider a guarded secret that should NOT be reveiled as this revelation would undermine mentalists).

Soren Riis wrote:I just had a brief look at the replies in this tread. From this I learn that a substantial number of members of thetalk magic website not are magicians (or mentalists) but basically are pretty much beginners who comeup with answers very similar to thouse typically suggested by lay people.

The options in the poll are rediculous and are typically of the laymens thinking. The options in the poll as well as many of the suggestions in the answers are clearly made by people with no clue of the methods availeble to magicians and mentalists and who for example have no clue of the real workings of stage hypnosis etc (which I consider a guarded secret that should NOT be reveiled as this revelation would undermine mentalists).

Oh, you would be very surprised.

I do find the intrigue surrounding Derren Brown and his use of stooges to be quite an intriguing one.

Personally I am inclined to believe Derren; not only do I believe him to be startlingly honest about his dishonesty (as he phrases it) but many of the effects he creates that often draw the accusation of "stooge" tend to have a number of different stooge-less methods that could quite easily be used and, whilst not necessarily "safer" than using a complicit stooge they're certainly a lot more fun, sometimes more effective and certainly less risky for magicians of repute working on television.

That said it's certainly not something that can be answered with absolute surety. People tend to bring up the notion that Derren would have been rumbled if he had used stooges; yet his producers could quite easily provide any stooges with a confidentiality clause in their contract which, if violated, could leave them liable for a compensatory charges well in excess of anything that a tabloid would be willing to pay for a story about Derren who, as much as I love him, does seem to straddle a peculiar netherworld between the B List and the C List as far as the newspapers are concerned.

The only seed of doubt I have in my mind comes through personal experience. If any of you have watched 'enigma' you'll know who plays a game of "Guess Whom" for which he uses a number of volunteers from the audience; the first volunteer she uses, a young woman called Katie, is a friend of mine and a professional working actress. When it broadcast I asked Katie about it (not actually thinking that she might have been a stooge, just out of fanboyish curiosity: "did you get to meet him after the show??" and stuff like that) but she seemed very reticent to talk about it which stoked my curiosity (particularly as the way she quickly changed the topic was very out of character) so it did make me wonder. But then of course I know there's plenty of ways the Guess Whom effect could be accomplished without the use of stooges so perhaps I just under-estimated how irritating I was being in my zeal?

I doubt the guess whom was done using stooges. It could be easily accomplished using a short card.

Plus, he throws frisbees. With stage lights in his eyes. And people leaping left right and centre trying to catch the blooming things.

I don't think Derren needs to use stooges. It wouldn't be any fun!

TV work will just be filmed until he gets someone that it works with, with a good reaction, with preshow work mixed in. But I doubt it involves the use of stooges.