talkmagic.co.uk

I dont believe that it is what you perform, its what you convey as a mentalist. One of the greatest comparisons I have heard, is that all that is presented in mentalism, is essentially symbols. What symbols are we presenting to our audience? Lets take for example the classic Q&A. What are we performing? Well in essence mind-reading we are interpreting the audiences inner thoughts. But what does this convey to the audience? It shows that there are many signs in the natural world that need interpreting and answering. It shows that you as a mentalist is someone who they can turn to when they need a problem solved. Are you ready to take that leap? A difference between a magician and a mentalist in my mind is the way the audience perceives you. A magician is someone who entertains with "tricks" no matter how shocking, absurd, or disturbing it is, it all comes down to the same point, they are tricks. As a mentalist you mask the trick factor and now are presenting your effects in a "real" manner, you feel compeled to, like you stated earlier. As a mentalist you are presenting yourself as a wise man or a person of power of the natural world or at least someone who has a greater understanding of the occult world, or the mysterious factors that guide reality. Thats pretty deep, but thats the basis of the the craft. If you see someone flaunt their abilities as a great soothsayer you would expect them to be like that offstage, yes? So as a mentalist are you ready to have some believe that your abilities exceed that of the average person. Because if so you must better prepare yourself with an indepth study of what you are conveying to the audience. If you are going for a faux-psychology presentation you must study pop psychology, if you have that head-knowledge you will better understand what your audience thinks of you, and what they expect from you. Let me wrap this up, DONT think that mentalism is a commitment, because it is. ha-ha. If you are going to present it, be it. Think of a mentalism show as a showcase of all that you have learned in life, and not just in the form of a single packet-effect.

I may be wrong, but I think it's Banachek who says at the start of Psychological Subtleties that "if people believe you can do the things you say you do, there is no wonder. Oh, that dude that can read minds just read someones mind, fair enough." (That quote is of course in no way accurate, but it's the jist of what he was saying)

Personally, I don't see a reason to ever explain how an effect is done, because the explanation is NEVER as impressive as the effect itself, so why not leave them guessing? Of course, there's nothing wrong with dropping "hints" as to how it's done, but isn't it better to let the spectators mind go into overdrive picking up on everything you say?

To use the memorised deck example, when you have found out what there card is (or "guessed" it if you are using a Sven) then you needn't go "Haha! Having memorised the deck I can tell you, despite you cutting and mixing the cards, that it is here!" when you can just think a bit, and in your head make it seem like you're replaying all those cuts and mixes, then just go "About 24th?" then cut/count to their card. The effect is the same, and in fact the excuse is the same, but this way you don't have to worry about the spectator going "I think it's impossible to keep track of all those cards, there must be a trick", because as far as the spectator is concerned you've just done a trick, but the quick witted and observant spectator has glimpsed how you do it, and will work the rest out for themselves. This flatters the audience member, and makes them feel clever for working out how you did it. It's like you're letting them in on a secret, which helps break down the idea that the magician is challenging you, and instead that they are showing you something amazing.

There is a very important lesson in story telling and script writing that I think applies to magic very well. Show, don't tell. Why tell someone what amazing mental faculties you display when you can just show them? It relates to the old rule in magic, Never tell the audience what you are about to do. To use the Derren Brown example in the link above, he never says "I will make you turn over the same card", or "I will use my powers of suggestion to make you turn over the same card", he let's the audience decide that for themselves. In fact, Brown displays it as an act of coincidence. Now the audience KNOW it isn't coincidence, as do Mr and Mrs Ross, but there's no need to tell them how it is supposedly achieved using suggestion or psychology, because look at the feeling of wonder it creates.

Sorry, this post is getting very long. I'll try and be quick.

A lot gets said about the difference between magic and mentalism, and how radically different they are and how they don't belong in the same act, etc etc etc. Personally, I think that's ridiculous. Mentalism is magic that is themed around the mind. That, in my book, is the only distinction. It's how you dress it up that makes the difference. Tell most people in the street that you are a mentalist, they'll think you're telling them how crazy you are. It is not a term known by the public, they still class us all as magicians because at the end of the the day we all just do tricks. And what is wrong with that? Having read Alchemical tools, I could not disagree more with Mr Brook's idea that you should distance yourself wherever possible with the image of a magician. I don't want people to feel like they're in a psychology experiment, I don't want them to think they're doing some sort of test, I want them to be amazed and entertained. But that is a different rant...

We are all the same at the end of the day. Derren Brown is a magician. He's a very good magician, and perhaps some people don't realise he is, but he's still a magician, like the rest of us. To any mentalists out there who baulk at this labelling, I apologise, but unless everything you do involves genuine psychology and psychic power, and at no point do you bend the rules even a little, then in my book you're still a magician.

to be fair though, some of us do use psychological techniques and other skill sets that you have to learn and practice constantly to maintain that skill...far more than card magic in some ways..different ways, but still "ways"..

have i said ways enough? no way...anyway..

muscle reading for example - you can't just "get it" and suddenly become a master at it after a fortnight...

with mentalism, its alot more about who you are as a person - you could technically perform half an hours worth of card and coin in silence...

if you're performing mentalism, alot of the time its more about the process and the journey rather than the outcome...in some respects at least..

if i ask you name aloud for all to hear someones full name and the last 3 digits of their mobile number as i hand you my wallet...i could technically then ask you to open my wallet up, and pull out a card from inside the zippered compartment and turn it over..it'll have that persons initials and their number written on it..

i could do that several ways..with no explanation at all, as a prediction, or something else - possibly to do with biscuits...

but why i had the info in my wallet, would have to be particular to me...and have some kind of interesting back story...to give some form of drama to the whole event...

I may be wrong, but I think it's Banachek who says at the start of Psychological Subtleties that "if people believe you can do the things you say you do, there is no wonder. Oh, that dude that can read minds just read someones mind, fair enough." (That quote is of course in no way accurate, but it's the jist of what he was saying)

This is more or less what Bob Cassidy says on black box cinema, and i tend to agree with him.
If you give a logical method to what your doing, reading body language, facial expressions, ect, you remove all mystery.

In fact i believe he states...."if your a mind reader, read minds."

I guess what i was getting at was not so much the teling of the tricks, but the basis of your performance. We all may be magicians at the end of the day, but thats not how the audience perceives us. To many Mr. Brown and Mr. Brooks are in the same boat they both use "Psychology" to present their tricks. The audience in their mind has already distanced Derren Brown and Paul Brooks from magicians. We shouldnt be concerned with what we are to ourselves at the end of the day, we should be thinking about what we are to the audience at the end of the day.