Hi,

I was thinking - would it be a better idea to do the PK pen effect when the pen is on a wine glass - that way you know the amount of seconds it'll take it to fall (on table edges - every edge is different) and also - it's more visible.

On the contrary, it involves another item \ prop for the effect.

Would this look less clean to an audience? Would they suspect something fishy in the glass? (Of course the effect is presented in the right handling, after the mode is set for it etc.)

Any comments?

I recall reading and being told that Paul Brook demonstrated an effect using PK pens and three wine glasses at Tabula Mentis III.

Will just find the link for you...

Here you go http://www.hcms.org.uk/index.php/convent......008.html


About half of the page down.

I see no reason to not to do on a glass,if you are feeling better that way,just do it

I beleive that was the way the originator Bob Harbin used it. On the glass that is.
james1a

This reminds me of my Skeptic's Challenge under test conditions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uLmldD49Tk

When I do it in my close up I always balance it on an upside down wine glass. The glass is then use for Paranormal.

Greg

Been doing on a wineglass ever since I discovered that (at least when I do it) the clip of the pen will often catch on the rim of the glass. The pen doesn't just fall, it'll hang on the side of the glass.

I saw Paul Brook do his effect with three pens. It was great. The premise for the movement was ideomotor movements picked up by the spectators hands on a table and I think it sold the idea pretty well.

I have been playing around with having the pen balanced on a book or small stack of CD cases. Rather than having it fall off a table if you do this near the edge of the cases it swings round in an arc and then drops off. It gets a good reaction.

Anthony

Anthony,

I have had the 'swing' effect also pretty often with a table with a beveled or rounded edge.

Depends..why would you put it on a glass?
maybe you could put a glass salad bowl over whatever you rested it on to eliminate the possibility of string etc.

The glass is an 'invisible' prop surely because it would just be on the table already? I think it is a more elegant method because it makes the pen more visible, visually discourages a number of possible explanations and also removes the inelegant moment of having to retrieve it from the floor.

Phill

If you put it on a glass, it either hangs onto the glass or drops on the table. On most tables, at glass will already be there, so it's not like you're pulling out a magic prop. Like Phillsmiff says, you don't have to bend down to pick it up and even better, neither do the spectators. In my experience, one of the stongest points of the PK pen is that people can grab it and handle it any which way they like, it's totally clean. If the pen drops on the table, they'll be much more likely to grab it and that's exactly what I want.

Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions.

Yannou,
I don't think I got you - "it's totally clean. If the pen drops on the table, they'll be much more likely to grab it and that's exactly what I want"

Don't you do a *****h before that? What your handling for the ******?

I place my pen on any object available. I seldom use it on a table edge for the same reasons mentioned above. I will use whatever available, usually a plastic or styrofoam cup turned upside down.

I have also played with Cassidy's routine of three pens in Artful Mentalism which plays very well.

PS: Alexandre, I danced all they way through that one.

Which PK pen do you folks recommend? I've had the Psi-Sharpie, Perplexing Pen and the Cesaral. But I'm starting to think lower-tech might be better. Thoughts?

The Banachek pen works just fine for me. I don't remember the exact expression but there's something that goes like - sometimes more expensive doesn't mean better.

Candin, that sounds interesting with a plastic cup, didn't think about that.

Simcha,

I don't *****h anything. The Banachek PK pen is just that, a pen. There is nothing to hide. Are you sure we are talking about the same pen?

Where I perform they have the plastic and foam cups for the picking. The tables have tablecloths which is no good for pen dropping.

Alexandre, I loved the music! The pen too, but I have serious doubts about the posting of effects on YouTube. I don't understand why you would subject yourself to this type of ridicule. Is it only me, or do others feel that in this time of overabundant exposure that maybe we ought to retract and not be so open with our effects and save them for live audiences where all of the speculation and plausible explanations can be dismissed by the audience present?

(insert tongue in cheek) Aha! I got it, Alexandre! You secretly had the corner of the house lifted with a pneumatic jack so the pen would tip over! (remove tongue)

Way keep those snotty little youtuber's guessing!

Ben S