|
|
KiKi Inner circle GERMANY/ Hannover 1143 Posts |
What`s your favourite mental-opener?
|
Kevin Neale New user Birmingham UK 14 Posts |
I think it goes without saying the most popular opener is the Tossed-out Deck as it instantly sets a premise as to what you do.
The best opener I have seen in terms of direct effect was by Satory. He walked out and just asked two people to think of a colour and shape. He asked if they had written anything down earlier. They said, "No." He asked if he had arranged anything with them, and they said, "No." Then he instantly told them their thoughts. Very strong and direct. The method was very clever. If you've seen Derren's show, his opener is completely the opposite. It takes time to reveal any effect, yet it is a fantastic opener which sets a fun and friendly vibe. He isn't even seen as the first effect takes place, just his voice over the sound system. Genius. |
Mr.Magic New user Germany 76 Posts |
My Opener is a prediction of a number a spectator will chose. Very simple but very effective.
|
Juan D Elite user 482 Posts |
A Bank Night or Chair Prediction!
Involves the audience, sets the mood, and grabs their attention. |
Hypnotic Winter Special user Ireland 720 Posts |
I like Bank Night to start. I found that if you do anything too strong first off people instantly think "trick". Whereas if you build the find each thing you do that bit more believeable especially if you don't hit totally on the mark all the time. Just what I've experienced has taught me.
H.W
When your only reality is an illusion, then illusion is reality.
|
scott b. Special user 732 Posts |
I hate to jump on the band wagon but I too will have to say Bank Night (really love Ted Lesley's Black Magic III and Osterlind's finish with the lotto tickets; tough decision on both).
Thanks! Scott B.
"I don't know the key to success . . . but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." - Bill Cosby |
czero Loyal user NYC 282 Posts |
I think MarkTripp posted a great opener:
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=15 It reminded me a lot of the opener in Bruce Bernstein's Perception Is Everything--and that's a good thing. It involves the entire audience immediately and gets them all collaborating with you. --Mike |
Eddini_81976 Inner circle 2183 Posts |
I'm not sure, I would start out with Cards as a opener. Don't get me wrong, mentalism with cards is among my favorite effects. Most people associate cards, with Magicians, and Card Tricks. I think something quick, strong, and to the point is good. So therefore you first establish credibility. Then later on you can do cards, and "experiments" as I like to call mentalism feats, or "tests" with esp cards as well. I think starting out with something requiring a boon/nail writer is good. You then have everything "set" as you walk out to perform. I love Bob Cassidy's Chronologue, alot, and although it uses cards in a sense, it is very strong. Bob's presentation kills. I do it on the street and get very great reactions. I also think when doing mentalism IMHO, that you never just pick someone. I'm a firm believer in using the tosses out spong ball, or rubber brick for each person, thereby dispelling any thoughts of stooges. I think a lot of audiences think that's how a lot of stuff is done, so by doing the tossed out random object for eack "experiment" that immediately crosses that method out. I'm not into stooges AT ALL myself. Thanks, Ed, (Eddini).
"Treat Others As You'd Want To Be Treated" - Jesus Christ
|
InvisibleMonkey Regular user 136 Posts |
I like to start with something that involves the whole audience, try to avoid cards when I can, just personal taste. I have a little group "hypnosis" effect which culminates in finding suitable participants for the rest of the show.
|
equivoque Special user 861 Posts |
Bank night is great. Goal mine is an excellent version by Max Maven. But what about the Deep Sea Digits effect from the pages of SYZYGY?
|
malini Loyal user 219 Posts |
Deep Sea Digits is a clever idea.
But you have to have a certain amount of gusto and personality to turn it from a drawn out 'look how clever I am' routine to something that is well and truly entertaining, setting the pace for the evening's entertainment. The only time I've seen Deep Sea Digits performed, the "mentalist" didn't have the personality to pull it off, and I was bored to tears. Lets face the obvious facts. By itself, asking for 20+ different numbers from the audience, and then painstakingly recalling them one at a time does not make for a particularly entertaining piece of memory control. If you're opening with it. Spice it up, make it short and snappy. -malini. |
mindhunter Inner circle Upstate NY 2280 Posts |
Some great advice is ablove. My humble advice is to do an effect that illustrates whatever "method" you claim to use to do what you do. If you claim to be clairvoiant do something short and sweet to show what that particular aspect of our art is. If you claim to have learned the ancient secrets of mind-over-matter do a PK effect. Claimed precognative and telepathic powers require yet different effects to illustrate those neuances.
Bryn
Bryn D. Reynolds, Author of:
"The Safwan Papers" & "The LOGAR Scrolls" Mentalism ebooks - PM any interest. My artwork: https://darkmountainarts.com |
equivoque Special user 861 Posts |
Quote:
I have opened three shoews with this effect, all three shows had between 35 and 65 people in the audience, at each show the effect took abot two to three minutes to perform and really woke up the crowd. As you pointed out it is best when it is short and snappy! |
Graymatter_Fireworks Veteran user Atlanta, GA 357 Posts |
For stage I tend to open up with a chair prediction or a series of psychological forces. I think it's wonderful if you can seemlessly put in effects that help gather or select spectators for the next effect(s).
In a close up setting or walk around I love to use my own version of Luke Jermay's Manipulation of Perception.
"The social world in which we live, determines our experience of what is real." - John Gager
|
Hypnotic Winter Special user Ireland 720 Posts |
InvisibleMonkey, I've done lots of hypnosis,and still do use it in my presentations, I have noted that the suggestability goes up after performing one effect in the first hand, it seems to act as a convincer to your skills, just somthing I thought may be helpful.
H.W
When your only reality is an illusion, then illusion is reality.
|
CSMTREE Veteran user El Paso, Texas 318 Posts |
Larry Becker's Tri-Coinetic is a great opener as well. The spectator does the mentalism. It breaks the ice and warms the audience up to me.
"Freedom is the best Magic of all"
|
bevbevvybev Inner circle UK 2672 Posts |
I am so bored of bank night as opener
|
Glenn New user Seaford, Sussex, UK 80 Posts |
I like Ian Rowlands spoon bending routine "Light Metal".
It's full of humour and there are lots of opportunity for a personality driven opener. Glenn |
Ken Dyne Inner circle UK 2268 Posts |
I open with a statement along the lins of "the reason card agicians do card magic is to cheat the casinos, which is in my opinion a worth while goal, but imagine the if one is able to influecne the decison someone else is making the applications are far wider. So sir, if I asked you to think of any card, you might think of the ace of spades, the queen of diamonds or the seven of clubs. Please think of any card at all, if you really want to you can think of one of those I just mentioned, it is up to you"
I then remove an envelope from my pocket, which is oshown to be otherwise empty and take out the thought of card. I can not remember who's efect this is, but really is killer. What I like about it is that it says from the outset that this really could not be a card trick and therefore if I do something with cards in the show to come then these also are not card tricks. It works for me, Kind thoughts, Kennedy
MR GOLDEN BALLS 2.0: https://mentalunderground.com/product/mr-golden-balls-2-0/" target="_blank"> https://mentalunderground.com/product/passed-out-deck/
BAIRN: Named 'Best Mentalism Product Of 2014 by Marketplace of the Mind is my collection of more than 40 mentalism routines in a beautiful paperback book: http://www.mentalunderground.com/product/bairn |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Penny for your thoughts » » Mental-opener (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.02 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |