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why do i keep hearing that mentalism is hard and not for kids of age around 15 and 16. why would age make a difference and what would make mentalism so hard?

I think the answer is more obvious if you substitute "mentalism" for something else.

For instance, if you were to ask "What is it about being a lawyer that is hard for kids around 15 or 16 years old? Why does nobody want to hire me? Why do the jury just laugh?"

Look at the videos of your favourite mentalism routines, and imagine the performer is a child. I think you'll find your answer pretty quick.

I am 15 and I really need to start doing mentalism in my show. I want to start with the glass box prediction. Is it hard to perform and what are the requirements....HELP!!!!

It's been discussed recently. I'm sure others can explain it better than me but you can pull it off, mentalism tends to take more studying and acting than a lot of magic. You can pull it off at 15 if you pretend to be a prodigy, I'm 14 and I'm performing mentalism.

Are you going to keep doing magic? Or are you going full mentalism?

im keeping my show and sticking with magic, but i just want to add a few mentalism effects and the MPS is 3,000 dollars so i want to start with the glass prediction box..... But i dont want to waste my money on an effect that i cant perform...... I just want to know why it is so difficult and what it means to "Q" the spectators.

gymguy203 wrote:I am 15 and I really need to start doing mentalism in my show. I want to start with the glass box prediction. Is it hard to perform and what are the requirements....HELP!!!!

Why not purchase it? Although I suspect you only want to do it because you saw it on Criss Angel. If you've got enough pocket money then the secrets are yours, but don't expect people on this forum to tell you how it's done.

Seriously, you say you have a "show", so you're a working professional. If you want to do this effect... BUY this effect. The way you're wording your posts it seems like you're fishing for someone to just whisper in your ear about it... in which case, leave.

i am definitely not trying to do that. I hate criss angel.....I think he is a disgrace to magic. I just want to know some background info on this trick before i buy it.....and plus the one on criss angel is 3,000 dollars, and this one is 75. I just want to know things like can it be altered or so they have to be those three predictions

gymguy203 wrote:i am definitely not trying to do that. I hate criss angel.....I think he is a disgrace to magic. I just want to know some background info on this trick before i buy it.....and plus the one on criss angel is 3,000 dollars, and this one is 75. I just want to know things like can it be altered or so they have to be those three predictions

It would have helped if you'd said that at the beginning. Your first post is so completely vague, and didn't even mention these marketed effects.

Here's an idea - contact the manufacturer and ask them. I imagine they're in a really good position to answer your questions...

gymguy203 wrote:i am definitely not trying to do that. I hate criss angel.....I think he is a disgrace to magic. I just want to know some background info on this trick before i buy it.....and plus the one on criss angel is 3,000 dollars, and this one is 75. I just want to know things like can it be altered or so they have to be those three predictions

That's a little harsh for someone who's just doing his job, he entertains laymen.

gymguy203 wrote:I am 15 and I really need to start doing mentalism in my show. I want to start with the glass box prediction. Is it hard to perform and what are the requirements....HELP!!!!

It is most appropriate for a large private or corporate booking. You send the box to the VIP or Managing Director at least a week before the show and then have them bring it to the event. The box contains multiple predictions,including the newspaper headlines for the day of the show. The context is one that is more for mature performers and like others on this thread, it would seem a bit odd for a teenager to send a letter to a corporate client (if you have them) with the box,etc.

There are numerous threads on the requirements and appropriateness of mentalism for different age groups. The methods of mentalism are often not particularly difficult, but as in all of mystery entertainment, presentation and persona are the most important elements to a quality performance. Good presentation of mentalism requires a ceratin gravitas that is simply not plausible with a younger performer. .

I recently performed this , as has Dr Todd. To perform this on stage , and it is a stage effect primarily , I did a lot of research into different ways to achieve this. It didn't just happen over night. I have been performing mentalism for 20 yrs and I'm still learning. I believe I will always be learning. I started when I was 18 and read books for about 6 months before I even had the guts to perform the stuff in the books. I had been doing magic before hand. When I started performing the ment' I didnt get the response I thot I would. I was doing it along side my magic. I later found out that putting magic with mentalism, from the same person was killing the power of the mentalism. It takes a lot to pull that off. I didnt have what it took, I then dropped the magic and changed to ment'. Almost 15yrs on I found myself looking to perform the effect you want to do now. My questions to you are..... Why do you want to do glass box?
and......What prediction effects can you do just now?

I would suggest not being so fixated on the glass box effect. There's loads of other mentalism that would look great in a stage show and not cost nearly as much as the prices you've mentioned for the glass box.

Have a look in Max Maven's book Prism, which has several effects intended for the stage. I'm thinking especially of "Pre-Duck-Tion", which has the same sort of impact -- a random word named by a spectator is found to be held in the mouth of a toy duck that's been hanging in view for the entire show. The most expensive thing you'd need is the duck, and something like this from Hawkin's Bazaar would suit wonderfully. It's light-hearted enough so you don't have to try to put on impossible amounts of gravitas.

It doesn't have to be a duck; the reference is to Groucho Marx's old TV show You Bet Your Life. (Say the secret word and the duck drops down with a cash prize.)

You might want to think twice about mixing mentalism with magic in the same show, though. Spectators are likely to dismiss your mind reading as just another magic trick. (EDIT: MindPaul got in there first with this comment!)

gymguy203 wrote:I am 15 and I really need to start doing mentalism in my show. I want to start with the glass box prediction. Is it hard to perform and what are the requirements....HELP!!!!

*I have highlighted parts of the quote*

Why do you need to add this, is your show lacking it or do you feel your not getting the right sort of responses at the moment?


A cheep way to get into mentalism is shown in this thread:

http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic26190.php&highlight=


Hopefully that helps you.

P.s. Mentalism is the dark side, mentalists all turn out funny!!!!?!

TheAlkhemist07 wrote:P.s. Mentalism is the dark side, mentalists all turn out funny!!!!?!

Heck, I started out weird. Mentalism only made me weirder...