Opening Minds by Colin Mcleod - My Review
Buy it: http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=S12867
Price: $42 after discount
Demos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9VsiYWx-ls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25NsVqxxHzg
I've heard great things about this guy, so I had to pickup his DVD collection. Especially for $40 for 4 DVD's? That's quite a bargain! And although the first 3 DVDs are exceptional, the final one had a couple of decent effects, then some copies of ideas from the other three. Plus one trick was missing its performance section entirely...
Enter Opening Minds.
The DVD
The packaging on this DVD set is AMAZING. Absolutely gorgeous, although 2 of my DVDs were loose when they arrived. Luckily neither got scratched too badly to play. The inserts are clear plastic with a picture white cardboard background containing some funny poses of Colin. The DVDs set inside of the casing nicely, and a list of DVD contents decorates the front two folds.
The menus are standard RVSP/Alakazam quality, very easy to navigate and easy to find what you need. And of course, you get a Play All feature (mentioned because some DVD's you don't, and have to return to the main menu after each effect, which sucks). Mark Eldson joins Colin at the explanation table for some jokes and another perspective on how the effects operate.
Each segment begins with a brief intro, then you see the performance, and finally the explanation.
Disc #1 - stage material
Bookless Test
Colin pulls a random person on stage, and has her think of any book she wants, then any page she wants, and finally any word from that page. Since all this takes place in the lady's imagination, literally any word can be named. Colin immediately goes to a gold envelope that's been hanging out on stage since the beginning, and reveals the word (printed, not hand-written).
WOW - what a way to start the DVD set. I had to pickup my jaw from the floor before watching his explanation, which made me laugh out loud for a solid minute. Pure genius in every way. Requires a $40 gimmick that you probably don't have, although you can probably alter the routine to avoid using it with some thought.
Rating: 9/10 (one point off for requiring a $40 gimmick)
Quite Wordy
An impromptu, gimmick free book test. Requires a certain SIZED book, but these are readily available everywhere for cheap. You riffle through a book facing towards your spectator, asking him to stop anywhere. He peeks the word, and you immediately hand the book to him for holding while reading his mind. Very, very cute method that's fairly easy.
And best of all, you can walk into your local bookstore and immediately perform this for anybody. 100% impromptu. Colin also includes some GREAT subtleties for letting the spectator pick a page number only, and later peek the word. This one routine could easily be sold .. EASILY by itself for $40, and would receive oustanding reviews. Although Colin names his Lottery trick as the favorite of this set, THIS ONE stood out for me as King.
Why? Because you never really look towards the open book. You only glance as he grabs it from you and concentrates on his word (or better yet - opens the book and peeks a word while you're across the room). No funny movements, your head is turned the entire time and every move is logical in the spectator's mind.
There's yet another BONUS piece combined with the book test for stage, that allows you to name off various words people are thinking of inside your audience. It's cute, and he caught my word but it's not 100%. Anyone trying to find a word that you won't know will still successfully do it. However the ability to rattle off 50% of the room's words is still impressive.
Rating: 11/10 for the book test alone. I cannot rate this high enough. Worth the price of the DVD.
Take A Seat
Standard chair test but using envelopes that people hold on to, instead of ones attached to the chairs. Interesting subtlties are:
1) The performer sits in one of the chairs
2) Instead of colors, female/child/performer/male are on the sheets
Cute method, and interesting way to perform this.
Rating: 8/10. Maybe I'm a purist.
Disc #2 - stage material
ANAAC
Any card at any number, Colin's way. Holy grail seekers will cuss at the screen, although it is a VERY GOOD method. Performer never actually touches the cards, the box, anything. Spectator names off any number they want, and then any card (via a visualization method). Once he opens the box and counts down, that card appears. Uses a standard deck of cards, and is repeatable after a 30 second reset.
You've probably guessed the method already, but it's NOT THAT BAD. Colin has dressed it up in a very logical manner that won't set off alarms inside your customer's head.
Rating: 9/10. It's not the grail, but a very inventive, well thought out re-packaging of an old method.
Who's Got My Money
Four spectators come on stage, each taking a penny from the pedestal. Colin places a dollar on there, and while his back is turned, someone exchanges their penny for his dollar. He instantly knows who took it, plus the serial number on the dollar bill. Bill can be borrowed.
The method made me giggle, very simple.
Rating: 7/10. I'd never use this, but I like his method enough to apply it to another trick.
Make the ESP Cards Match
Two sets of ESP cards are placed on the stage's pedestal. Four volunteers help him cycle through cards, mixing them up quite well and grabbing one card off each stack. Once they are all distributed, everyone's cards match including Colin's who accurately predicts which card he would end up with.
Although this could also be done close-up, the counting process of mixing the cards really needs to speed up. Many people were looking away, getting kinda bored. Clever method using a simple math principle.
Rating: 8/10. Two points off for the length.
Lottery
The crown jewel of the DVD according to Mark and Colin. Six volunteers pick lottery numbers, based upon rules that Colin provides. Performer's ticket matches four of the six numbers, and he instantly knows the other two that missed. Another VERY old math principle wrapped in a fantastic presentation. Effect does have a chance of epic fail if the people don't follow your directions, which he shows one instance where the worst case scenerio happened. And then explains what to do.
Can easily be modified for a close-up street crowd.
Rating: 10/10. Can't go wrong with this one.
Disc #3 - stage material
Winning Numbers
A reversed version of Lottery from disc 2, where the spectators think of numbers (no rules this time) and you accurately predict them. Totally different method, still very cool.
Rating: 8.5/10. Just not as fantastic as disc 2's performance.
In The News
Spectator chooses a newspaper from a large selection of them, then hands out individual pages to audience members. Everybody rips up their page many times, until they only have a few inch square sheet. After one-stage spec picks out a random person, they peek a word from the mini-page, which is accurately predicted inside an envelope (or other reveal).
Similar method and gimmick from "Bookless Test" on disc 1, although again you can modify it.
Rating: 7/10. Just didn't turn me on.
Tabular Mentis Lecture
A lecture on word selection and other material. Fun to watch.
Buy it: http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=S12867
Price: $42 after discount
Demos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9VsiYWx-ls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25NsVqxxHzg
I've heard great things about this guy, so I had to pickup his DVD collection. Especially for $40 for 4 DVD's? That's quite a bargain! And although the first 3 DVDs are exceptional, the final one had a couple of decent effects, then some copies of ideas from the other three. Plus one trick was missing its performance section entirely...
Enter Opening Minds.
The DVD
The packaging on this DVD set is AMAZING. Absolutely gorgeous, although 2 of my DVDs were loose when they arrived. Luckily neither got scratched too badly to play. The inserts are clear plastic with a picture white cardboard background containing some funny poses of Colin. The DVDs set inside of the casing nicely, and a list of DVD contents decorates the front two folds.
The menus are standard RVSP/Alakazam quality, very easy to navigate and easy to find what you need. And of course, you get a Play All feature (mentioned because some DVD's you don't, and have to return to the main menu after each effect, which sucks). Mark Eldson joins Colin at the explanation table for some jokes and another perspective on how the effects operate.
Each segment begins with a brief intro, then you see the performance, and finally the explanation.
Disc #1 - stage material
Bookless Test
Colin pulls a random person on stage, and has her think of any book she wants, then any page she wants, and finally any word from that page. Since all this takes place in the lady's imagination, literally any word can be named. Colin immediately goes to a gold envelope that's been hanging out on stage since the beginning, and reveals the word (printed, not hand-written).
WOW - what a way to start the DVD set. I had to pickup my jaw from the floor before watching his explanation, which made me laugh out loud for a solid minute. Pure genius in every way. Requires a $40 gimmick that you probably don't have, although you can probably alter the routine to avoid using it with some thought.
Rating: 9/10 (one point off for requiring a $40 gimmick)
Quite Wordy
An impromptu, gimmick free book test. Requires a certain SIZED book, but these are readily available everywhere for cheap. You riffle through a book facing towards your spectator, asking him to stop anywhere. He peeks the word, and you immediately hand the book to him for holding while reading his mind. Very, very cute method that's fairly easy.
And best of all, you can walk into your local bookstore and immediately perform this for anybody. 100% impromptu. Colin also includes some GREAT subtleties for letting the spectator pick a page number only, and later peek the word. This one routine could easily be sold .. EASILY by itself for $40, and would receive oustanding reviews. Although Colin names his Lottery trick as the favorite of this set, THIS ONE stood out for me as King.
Why? Because you never really look towards the open book. You only glance as he grabs it from you and concentrates on his word (or better yet - opens the book and peeks a word while you're across the room). No funny movements, your head is turned the entire time and every move is logical in the spectator's mind.
There's yet another BONUS piece combined with the book test for stage, that allows you to name off various words people are thinking of inside your audience. It's cute, and he caught my word but it's not 100%. Anyone trying to find a word that you won't know will still successfully do it. However the ability to rattle off 50% of the room's words is still impressive.
Rating: 11/10 for the book test alone. I cannot rate this high enough. Worth the price of the DVD.
Take A Seat
Standard chair test but using envelopes that people hold on to, instead of ones attached to the chairs. Interesting subtlties are:
1) The performer sits in one of the chairs
2) Instead of colors, female/child/performer/male are on the sheets
Cute method, and interesting way to perform this.
Rating: 8/10. Maybe I'm a purist.
Disc #2 - stage material
ANAAC
Any card at any number, Colin's way. Holy grail seekers will cuss at the screen, although it is a VERY GOOD method. Performer never actually touches the cards, the box, anything. Spectator names off any number they want, and then any card (via a visualization method). Once he opens the box and counts down, that card appears. Uses a standard deck of cards, and is repeatable after a 30 second reset.
You've probably guessed the method already, but it's NOT THAT BAD. Colin has dressed it up in a very logical manner that won't set off alarms inside your customer's head.
Rating: 9/10. It's not the grail, but a very inventive, well thought out re-packaging of an old method.
Who's Got My Money
Four spectators come on stage, each taking a penny from the pedestal. Colin places a dollar on there, and while his back is turned, someone exchanges their penny for his dollar. He instantly knows who took it, plus the serial number on the dollar bill. Bill can be borrowed.
The method made me giggle, very simple.
Rating: 7/10. I'd never use this, but I like his method enough to apply it to another trick.
Make the ESP Cards Match
Two sets of ESP cards are placed on the stage's pedestal. Four volunteers help him cycle through cards, mixing them up quite well and grabbing one card off each stack. Once they are all distributed, everyone's cards match including Colin's who accurately predicts which card he would end up with.
Although this could also be done close-up, the counting process of mixing the cards really needs to speed up. Many people were looking away, getting kinda bored. Clever method using a simple math principle.
Rating: 8/10. Two points off for the length.
Lottery
The crown jewel of the DVD according to Mark and Colin. Six volunteers pick lottery numbers, based upon rules that Colin provides. Performer's ticket matches four of the six numbers, and he instantly knows the other two that missed. Another VERY old math principle wrapped in a fantastic presentation. Effect does have a chance of epic fail if the people don't follow your directions, which he shows one instance where the worst case scenerio happened. And then explains what to do.
Can easily be modified for a close-up street crowd.
Rating: 10/10. Can't go wrong with this one.
Disc #3 - stage material
Winning Numbers
A reversed version of Lottery from disc 2, where the spectators think of numbers (no rules this time) and you accurately predict them. Totally different method, still very cool.
Rating: 8.5/10. Just not as fantastic as disc 2's performance.
In The News
Spectator chooses a newspaper from a large selection of them, then hands out individual pages to audience members. Everybody rips up their page many times, until they only have a few inch square sheet. After one-stage spec picks out a random person, they peek a word from the mini-page, which is accurately predicted inside an envelope (or other reveal).
Similar method and gimmick from "Bookless Test" on disc 1, although again you can modify it.
Rating: 7/10. Just didn't turn me on.
Tabular Mentis Lecture
A lecture on word selection and other material. Fun to watch.