Mentalism sucks if you know what I mean.
So does most of magic. . . if you know what I mean.
Mentalism/Magic ONLY SUCK when the performer is poor and as was said long ago,
"Good Magic is like Good Sex, it's Just Harder to Find."
When it comes to your personal views alex2011, that's all they are and as such, you didn't need to post them just to get your post count up. Not only does it reveal to others the level of your immaturity but likewise, your lack of respect for the art as a whole.
As to The Video. . . (and pardon my being a stickler on things) what you did wasn't a "show" but an "act" -- a short bit in a coffee house or dinning hall of some sort and for a relatively small handful of folks. I point this out only so you can understand that there's a huge difference when it comes to such things; this sort of bit is what many pros do for earning a bit of pocket money and pass the time. Many of us will break into a set of this sort when at the pub with a group of friends just to break in new material or out of boredom. A "Show" on the other hand, is a bit more formal in setting and most usually involves more than five or six people; I say "usually" because mentalism is unique when it comes to how it can and traditionally has, pandered to much smaller groups. This is a very intimate art form that does not necessarily require a big room and lots of people (traditional mentalism worked in people's living-rooms/parlors more than it did theaters and night clubs).
The other sticky point I wish to bring out, and it's not to be mean to you but to help you think a bit as you move further into mentalism, and that is the use of playing cards. I'm not one of those that are absolutely bitterly anti-playing card but at the same time I strongly discourage their use when and wherever possible. If you have an effect your like then come up with an alternative prop by which to present it; photos, postcards, business cards, sketches, I've used match book covers and coasters from different places I've eaten or drank in. The reason for this is very simple; Mentalism depends upon the creation and investment of belief from your audience into what you are doing vs. the suspension of belief we find in magic where the audience understands it's all tricks -- smoke & mirrors. Believability is the goal in mentalism and to achieve this we must side-step those things that create doubt, which playing cards do; they are something tied to professional gambling as well as trickery and thus, the public already associates them with deception and something readily manipulated. So think on this and how you might be able to improve upon your card-trick selections by creating a different storyline/presentation that allows for the logical use of an alternative prop.
The PK material has already been touched upon but it goes with all demonstrations; frame them in a way that not only allows it to build with intensity and seeming challenge/impossibility, but likewise in a way that allows you to literally set the audience up for the big surprise. When I was doing PK in my club act one of the big features was the Bending Wine Glass. We didn't bring this out until the last part of the routine which started off with my stopping a couple of watches and explaining a genuine medical condition that roughly 1 in every 25 people are born with; an increased level of bio-electrical-magnetism. Don't laugh, the condition can be quite limiting and even dangerous for those hosting the more acute aspects of the condition. I use this legit malady however, as my explanation around PK and then build.
When we finally got to the wine glass there were times when it wouldn't bend all the way but rather, shatter as it was bending. We didn't do this every show but only here and there so it would become a matter of legend -- word-of-mouth PR, which is the direction you are probably wanting to move to with your bit, it just wasn't framed in a manner that will allow such.
Try to stay away from the more "commercial" stuff that everyone else does if you want to be seen as "unique" and more than another hack-magician that wants to be the next Derren Brown or whomever else that was on TV recently with a neat trick you now possess.
For a first go, you did ok. You must understand however, applause and kudos during the act does not necessarily mean you did a "good job" as a Mentalist but rather, you amazed folks by way of your tricks. I know that sounds strange so I'll put it this way; when Banachek was younger he'd check to see how the public reacted to his bits. He was looking to see how many people walked away filled with belief in what he did; how many people gave him validation as being "genuine" and even today, people give him credit for being a genuine psychic because he's not on stage doing tricks, he's demonstrating the things he's studied over the years.
The old timers would put it this way, "Neither admit to nor deny your abilities as something esoteric or legit, allow the audience to come to their own conclusions." But in so doing, we are obliged to do the best we can to convince them that we are not employing any sort of trickery and whatever our claim is (being psychic, some kind of expert, etc.) it's genuine.
You may want to invest in some of the older material tied to Mentalism vs. the currently hyped stuff that's out there. It could open your eyes to things.
