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NeilMcCauley Regular user 102 Posts |
I'd ask this in Inner Thoughts, but I still have a few posts to go. Instead, I'll try to be as brief and opaque as possible.
Does anyone know of any resources (books, DVDs, lecture notes, etc.) that have good information on using the o*e b*h**d principle in mentalism? What I'm specifically looking for is a way to clean up/switch out/explain away the final billet in a series of three (or two, or four) which, for reasons inherent in the o*e b*h**d method, won't match what the spec has guessed for it. To illustrate this point, think of J*zz M*nt*l*sm (Rh*ne's R*v*ng*). The first item can't match because it's out in the open first, but it's cleaned up with a little move and a cleverly structured routine to end clean. I'm looking for something similar (and it's going to be o*e b*h**d, not ah**d). I will be pulling the billets from my inside p**k*t--*Wink wink*--and setting them down under a glass or something as I and the spec move along. The most obvious solution is to just say, "Ah, you missed on the last one, but the two others...very good." But this seems a bit weak. I'm sure Max Maven must have done lots of stuff with this idea, alongside many others. Many thanks for any pointers |
mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
One of the earliest published examples of this type of effect is Dr. Jaks' "This Way Out." He just used a psychological !@#$e for the final selection.
Many variations that allowed numbering of the billets, etc., were published over the years in the pages of Bascom Jone's Magick. (Even I created a few.) Since the same principle is used in Mental Epic, you might want to also look at Paul Romanhy's excellent, Mental Epic Compendium, which includes many billet (and boardless) versions of the effect. |
NeilMcCauley Regular user 102 Posts |
Many thanks for these suggestions. I'm checking out This Way Out first. Mental Epic Compendium sounds good, but a bit pricey perhaps to buy on a whim. Although if it contains almost exactly what I'm looking for it, it'd be worth twice the price.
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Mortimer Graves Special user New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. 556 Posts |
I have a method, not using anything extraneous at all in the way of billets, just what's actually there, but it isn't something that can be done right out in the open, and it isn't the spectator doing the guessing. I've used it mainly in sit-down situations with three people, and it's actually sort of the principle you're talking about, but it's well-disguised; you get two thirds of what you need without appearing to have really done anything yet. This method requires a felt hat or paper bag, though. Not sure if it's your kind of thing. Not everything is for everyone. It does have a neat advantage though, in that you place the billets in front of the persons who wrote them, and then "read" what's written on them, and you do it at such a pace that it seems there's no time for you to be using any form of trickery.
Whether this could be adapted to the spectator doing the "guessing" remains to be seen, but I might see if I can work it into something like that, just out of my own personal interest in that kind of effect. I like making the spectator volunteer into the "psychic". People dig that kind of stuff, and it could be fun. I also use the sort of principle you're talking about with a single spectator (in say, a one-on-one scenario) with one written thought (I call it their "secret target word" in this case). The method uses an ordinary, unprepared pad-folio, which makes sense to use because I keep my papers and pen in it; I pretend I'm doing it impromptu, just off the top of my head. It can be done standing or sitting, and when you seem to be doing the actual clairvoyance or whatever, the actual billet itself is in plain sight, and you never touch it after it's in the pad-folio. They remove it when you're done writing your impressions, and open it themselves to read it out loud. I've performed it dozens of times now, and it plays pretty well. I don't have illustrations made up yet for my descriptions of the workings of these two methods (which I'm considering including in the book I'm working on), but if you learn well from plain text (with lots of details) you're welcome to PM me and I can try to explain them to you. It could be a bit of a dry read without at least some example photos, though, and I need to get a working camera again before I'll be able to do that. It's an open invitation, by the way, at least open to anyone who's actually sincere about this stuff. Just PM me and if I think you're serious about actually performing either of them, I'll be more than happy to share a little of what I've got. I've used both of these to great effect. But I'm not going to simply throw this stuff out to just anyone who comes along. Pearls before swine and all of that (no offense to swine intended). Not sure if they're at all what you're looking for Neil, but if you like that sort of principle, you might like these uses of it. And if the thread's about the use of this principle (working without extra what-nots), I figure it might fit in, at least in the context of the thread being for discussion of routines using it.
'Tis an ill wind that blows no minds.
Hastur, Hastur, Hastur! See? Nothing hap- ...and if we rub each other the wrong way, let's try going in another direction. - Pokey the Porcupine |
Mike Ince Inner circle 2041 Posts |
The ole behead principle?
The secret of deception is in making the truth seem ridiculous.
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Mortimer Graves Special user New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. 556 Posts |
Yes, indeed. Many great mental effects use the Ole Behead. I thought everyone knew that! XD
'Tis an ill wind that blows no minds.
Hastur, Hastur, Hastur! See? Nothing hap- ...and if we rub each other the wrong way, let's try going in another direction. - Pokey the Porcupine |
Harry the magic man Loyal user Spokane, Washington 270 Posts |
The behead principle was used during the French Revolution. I suggest you look into that.
Best wishes, Harry
Between the conception
And the creation Between the emotion And the response Falls the Shadow Life is very long- T.S. Eliot "The Hollow Men" |
Mortimer Graves Special user New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. 556 Posts |
The "guillotine" method of handling it is actually a lot cleaner than some of the other, older methods, like that hoary old "tourniquet" method, or the "chop basket".
It's the kind of mentalism people can really lose their minds over.
'Tis an ill wind that blows no minds.
Hastur, Hastur, Hastur! See? Nothing hap- ...and if we rub each other the wrong way, let's try going in another direction. - Pokey the Porcupine |
SamNJ Regular user 158 Posts |
Simply pre-number the slips, without flashing the numbers, and deposit them in a cup. When folding them, be sure that the number appears on the outside and shield it when tossing the slip into the receptacle.
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MatCult Inner circle 1518 Posts |
Dan Hoffman's Gidrah is a routine of this kind with a lot of finesse and clever thinking - well worth looking into IMHO.
And now someone has started openly discussing specific methods ^^ can the thread move downstairs?
"Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business."
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NeilMcCauley Regular user 102 Posts |
Quote:
On Dec 14, 2014, MatCult wrote: Thanks. I'll try to hunt it down. Would be a bit of a shame to move the thread from my POV, as I can't yet access downstairs. |
Mortimer Graves Special user New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. 556 Posts |
Just make nine more good-quality posts. That'll take care of it.
And it's nice to see another person who's into trying for "cleaner" methods. I like that kind of thinking.
'Tis an ill wind that blows no minds.
Hastur, Hastur, Hastur! See? Nothing hap- ...and if we rub each other the wrong way, let's try going in another direction. - Pokey the Porcupine |
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