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XyGreg New user 71 Posts |
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On , Cervier wrote: Yes! And that's why I think "the crusade, a Mind Reader's ACAAN by Andrew Brown and Atlas Brookings" is a really good approach to the plot |
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Peter_turner V.I.P. Bradford, West Yorkshire 1355 Posts |
I only ever perform acaan for performers. Here is what the conditions should look like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP0TjxBZS7I Fast forward to 35 mins. This is not a stooge, I have never seen the deck before that very moment and there is no pre set up. I performed this for a host of people at blackpool like Michael Weber, Dan Harlan, Joe Barry and many more people (all with borrowed decks) Pete x |
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TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
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On , Cervier wrote: I don't agree. If you ask me to pick a number and count down that many cards, you have lost me. I don't care how good your presentation is, or how clever your justification. You have lost me. It's that simple. I am no longer interested, and I don't care what the outcome is. There are better plots.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
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Demitri Loyal user 296 Posts |
You can't speak for all spectators, Tony (not implying you are). There may be plots you prefer that others don't like. An ACAAN can be a very powerful routine. I think it's magicians, and their often meaningless search for the "holy grail" that have ruined the plot.
It's become more about meeting all of these self-imposed restrictions, rather than anything of entertainment value. To me, it seems that it gets far less interesting the closer it gets to that grail. As much as I personally like the plot, I definitely think there are better ones out there. |
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Rolyan Special user I'm fencing in my land; so far there are 590 Posts |
Quote:
On , Ben Blau wrote: Exactly Ben. I do several ACAAN. Mine are hands on. They get really good reactions (and I mean REALLY good) from a normal audience. That's because all my effort is put into finding the emotional hook for them. Once I've got it, I've got them. I can only speak for myself when I say that handling the cards has never been an issue for me; my spectators buy into the presentation, and it has emotional relevance. In certain circumstances I can get tearful silence, when using one of my own presetations. So follow the Duke of Wellington's advice; publish and be ***ed. I'll buy your version, I'll probably use it, and I'll let other performers worry about the issues that they personally have with it. |
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SolidSnake Special user 534 Posts |
I think it depends on how you present yourself. If you have just done lots of fancy flourishes then forget it. However, if you have been doing a lot of hard hitting mentalism, I have always believed that cards can be used and handled by a mentalist. As long as the audience does not think of you in the same way that they would a magician.
There is no holy grail!
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MagicKingdom10 Veteran user 316 Posts |
When I perform my favorite ACAAN effect, I usually have to handle the cards until right before the trick begins however once it starts (card and number called), I am no longer required to handle them because it becomes self-working. The effect to the lay audience is much more important to me than how it was done. I think your effect will be fine even if you handle them after card and number are called because laymen normally would not suspect sleight of hand if there is no cutting or any overt rearrangement of cards.
I Love You God
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mikelsc Regular user 139 Posts |
I believe imprumtuness is not that much of an issue for me. I'm happy with a certain level of set up as a compromise.
Hands off can be important. As long as the spectators feel that the cards haven't been touched it's fine. Like Patrick Redford's Hands off. For me, the more important is the freedom of choice. As the question that audiences will be asking after the routine could be, "What if I've named a different card/number?" Cheers, Mike |
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Nestor D Special user France (Paris) 830 Posts |
Barrie Richardson (theater of the mind) remarks that if you are performing an acaan close-up, as long as your handling does not look fishy, you can afford not to be hand-off.
But on stage you want everybody to be sure nothing fishy happend, due to visibility issues, it plays better if it is hand-off (side note, this topic is maybe to old to ressurect...) |
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
Personally, I feel the berglas effect belongs to mr berglas - and the legend has already been made...and we should come up with fresh and interesting plots rather than spend too much time re-inventing something that is (in the magic world and back when mr berglas did his stage shows and tv work) part of a single performer's work...
i say berglas effect, that's about creating a legend around yourself...and acaan was part of that...he would do it at interesting and random times, he'd pick someone up in a car, ask them to name a card and a number and then point to the glove compartment and ask them to count down to their number and there was their card... i think each of us should work on our own personal berglas effect...
I've asked to be banned
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Martin Pulman Inner circle London 3399 Posts |
I think the ACAAN plot can be incredibly powerful for a participant. But it depends on when and where you perform it. I think it should be an intimate, informal, impromptu effect - that's how the Berglas legend grew, rather than through his stage presentations. ACAAN loses its power if presented as part of a card routine or strolling set.
But in the right place, at the right time, with the right participant, it has immense power. |
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phillsmiff Inner circle UK 1794 Posts |
ACAAN can be powerful, but I think part of what makes it special in the minds of audiences is that we ourselves think of it as being special, we imbue it with an energy and authenticity that separates it from other effects. I don't think that power is inherent in ACAAN, there is nothing 'more impossible' about it in the minds of spectators naive to the methods than a lot of our effects. It is markedly LESS impossible (IMO) than correctly guessing the name of their first kiss (for example) or what word from a book they were thinking of.
I fully agree with Martin's comment that in the right place at the right time is has real power. I've done my ACAAN GME and blown people away in a way that felt unique to the piece, but I wonder how much of that is *my* excitement about it? And is it possible to transplant that feeling, that sensation of power, to other effects. Worth a ponder I reckon. Phill
The new Elysian Duets, marked cards featuring my unique Optical Marking System:
-+: https://phillsmithcreative.com/products/elysian-duets :+- |
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
Knowing the right moment, right effect, right venue, person = priceless and what can separate the good from the great.
Harris still to old to know it all
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
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Martin Pulman Inner circle London 3399 Posts |
I actually think ACAAN can be every bit as powerful as a name reveal. You just have to direct the participant to the same place that responds to the name reveal - their private, personal self.
I think the effect should be framed as the performer asking someone to search into their soul to find the answer. Explain that the odds are massively against being right by chance (perhaps even get them to guess first, wrongly!) but if they clear their mind, look deeper inside and let the answer come to them...they will be right. The card they are thinking of will be at the number their heart is telling them. Canasta used this approach in much of his work and it is devastatingly effective. I note that Peter Turner performs ACAAN like this over Skype. I can personally attest to its power. This presentation suits a wide variety of methods. Personally, I've never seen an ACAAN that really works on stage but it could be interesting to try the "deep inner feeling" presentation with two participants? |
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
Berglas used to do it on stage a fair bit...the close up/incidental version(s) were for fellow magicians and mentalists...(from what I remember, he had one person up on stage and the number and card stated by audience members...
I've asked to be banned
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Martin Pulman Inner circle London 3399 Posts |
Oh, I know he did it on stage, but as you yourself stated, it was the impromptu version which started the legend.
Interestingly, the friend who attended Derren Brown's "Infamous" with me thought that the ACAAN was the most boring part of the show, yet she had been dumbfounded when I performed the White Room variation of it for her a year or so earlier. I'm just not convinced ACAAN plays particularly strongly on stage. |
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TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
Quote:
On Oct 7, 2014, Martin Pulman wrote: I'm not convinced it plays particularly strongly outside of a magic club.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
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phillsmiff Inner circle UK 1794 Posts |
Quote:
On Oct 7, 2014, Martin Pulman wrote: I absolutely agree, my point was that its power is not inherent in the effect, not that it wasn't as good. There is something to the focus and apparently spartan nature of the effect that sustains a particular presentation but I don't think that it is the effect that is powerful, I think it has cultural cache for *us* and that means that maybe we treat it differently? Quote:
On Oct 7, 2014, TonyB2009 wrote: It does, although I realise me saying that is just anecdotal evidence. It isn't a short quick hit-and-run commercial piece that you can just drop on any table any time and blow everyone's minds. It's not an opener for a cold table, but if you already have a certain level of engagement then the structure and focus involved can really build that and play off it. But, as mentioned previously by a number of people, you have to handle it right. This is just my opinion of course.
The new Elysian Duets, marked cards featuring my unique Optical Marking System:
-+: https://phillsmithcreative.com/products/elysian-duets :+- |
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MagicKingdom10 Veteran user 316 Posts |
ACAAN is one of my favorite effects! I believe that as long as the handling of the cards is not suspicious, it is perfectly fine. I prefer to perform the effect after having done other card tricks rather than right in the beginning. I believe that this effect is more powerful after a deck switch because I use a stack deck. I do a switch right before or even during the introduction of the ACAAN. When I am asking for them to visualize the card that connects strongest with them, the attention is mostly on them. During this period there is ample opportunity for a switch. After the switch, I like to stress the importance of the randomness of cards by doing a series of false shuffles and cuts before putting the deck back into the box. Once all the cards are inside the box, that is the first time I ask them to name the card and number. With these actions, I notice that spectators would not suspect that I have any clue of the order of the cards and to me the effect becomes stronger. Moreover I think that the condition of asking the participant to deal out the cards face up when counting is also significant because it adds to the effect that this deck is completely random even though it is a stack (i enjoy using mnemonica). These conditions are important to me for performing the ACAAN.
I Love You God
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cynicalcritic New user 23 Posts |
I have a version of this trick which I invented in about 20 seconds or so. I am not inclined to reveal the method right now but am happy to give you the effect. I go to a spectator and ask him to think of any card in a pack which I fan before him with the faces towards him. He thinks of one and keeps it secret. I then shuffle the pack and ask someone else to name ANY number between 1 and 52. I then deal the cards and the card is found at that very number. It is possible to let someone else deal but I find that slows things up too much for my style of working.
I actually have two different methods for this but the description above applies to both ways of doing it. |
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