I actually got this a while back, and it was great. This is my first review... erm.... ever... so bear with me for a mo.
An Overview.
Hmmm... normally that's underlined, but i have no idea how to do that. Anyways, this is a recording of Derren Brown's lecture at the International Convention. The quality is alright, which means it's watchable, but it's around the level you'd expect from a VHS. Exscusable though, since it was filmed in 1999.
After a quick introduction, Derren procedes to perform a number of effects. Only one is explained, but he also gives a thorough examination of his thoughts on magic in general. The first effect performed is
LIFT
Derren invites a lady up, and after swearing an oath that she isn't a stooge , she is hypnotised. Her eyes close, and Mr. Brown "sticks" her hand to the table so that it cannot move. He then explains that he is going to set up a psychic bond with her. This is when it gets good. Somehow, the lady with her eyes closed is able to move her hand up and down in sync with Derren. He proceeds to demonstrate this with a random audience member. He stands behind the hypnotised lady, and raises his hand. The moment he does so, the ladies arm moves up. Very spooky indeed.
The only qualms I had with this effect is that it wasn't as visual as it might have been. The spectator who ended up controlling the ladies arm moved his hand very subtly, and it was a bit hard to see.
The next effect performed is
PLEROPHORIA
Derren introduces a pack of playing cards, and hands it out to be shuffled. A rather small detail, but he tells a hilarious joke about an elevator while the cards are being shuffled. After the cards have been "well and truly mixed," he introduces a notepad. He has the lady think of a card and right it down, and he is able to guess the thought-of-card. Derren then proceeds to tell the name of the top 20 or so cards of the pack, despite having never seen them. The pack is shuffled again, and he now proceeds to cut off exactly the same number of cards a spectator, finishing by divining all the cards the spectator cut off. Coolio. This is the one he teaches, very cool method, and he talks about a really cool principal to erase suspicion of an obvious method from the spectators mind.
SMOKE
Uses (apparently) the same pack of cards as the previous effect. A volunteer (someone new this time) thinks of a card as he spreads them. Derren is instantly able to divine the name of the card, but the much eerier (spelling?) thing is that the card thought of was never in the pack, but rather was the cigarette he was smoking. One of his signature effects.
COIN READING AND BEND
Derren asks a spectator to hold a coin in their fists. He then divines the date and denomination... he doesn't teach this, but it gives you an insight into how extraordinarily clever he is! He must be one guiltless guy... anyways... he proceeds to bend the coin at the fingertips of another volunteer.
Good stuff.
and he closes with
REMENISCENCE
The revelation sequence that you see in this routine is very much what you would expect of Derren Brown. A volunteer (the lady from the beginning) is hypnotised and asked to think of a memory. He and the audience "read" the ladies mind and form a detailed and accurate picture of her memory. He finishes by producing a drawing of the celebrity that the lady is thinking of.
While impossible in nature, I don't think Derren structured this effect quite as well as the other ones. It becomes a bit boring to see him accurately reading the ladies mind over and over again. On his TV shows, you can see him performing effects like this. He throws in an occasional miss, and the effect is greatly strengthened because of this. Lots of people bought "Pure effect" for this effect, and while it isn't taught, the method isn't that hard to "shark." I suggest you take a look at an effect called "Chandu's Psychoanalysis." I'm almost certain that's where the inspiration for this effect came from.
After the performances, Derren talks about his thoughts on magic, the "invisible compromise" for mentalism, teaches Plerophoria and the psychological force involved with it. All good stuff, and I suggest you pick it up.
An Overview.
Hmmm... normally that's underlined, but i have no idea how to do that. Anyways, this is a recording of Derren Brown's lecture at the International Convention. The quality is alright, which means it's watchable, but it's around the level you'd expect from a VHS. Exscusable though, since it was filmed in 1999.
After a quick introduction, Derren procedes to perform a number of effects. Only one is explained, but he also gives a thorough examination of his thoughts on magic in general. The first effect performed is
LIFT
Derren invites a lady up, and after swearing an oath that she isn't a stooge , she is hypnotised. Her eyes close, and Mr. Brown "sticks" her hand to the table so that it cannot move. He then explains that he is going to set up a psychic bond with her. This is when it gets good. Somehow, the lady with her eyes closed is able to move her hand up and down in sync with Derren. He proceeds to demonstrate this with a random audience member. He stands behind the hypnotised lady, and raises his hand. The moment he does so, the ladies arm moves up. Very spooky indeed.
The only qualms I had with this effect is that it wasn't as visual as it might have been. The spectator who ended up controlling the ladies arm moved his hand very subtly, and it was a bit hard to see.
The next effect performed is
PLEROPHORIA
Derren introduces a pack of playing cards, and hands it out to be shuffled. A rather small detail, but he tells a hilarious joke about an elevator while the cards are being shuffled. After the cards have been "well and truly mixed," he introduces a notepad. He has the lady think of a card and right it down, and he is able to guess the thought-of-card. Derren then proceeds to tell the name of the top 20 or so cards of the pack, despite having never seen them. The pack is shuffled again, and he now proceeds to cut off exactly the same number of cards a spectator, finishing by divining all the cards the spectator cut off. Coolio. This is the one he teaches, very cool method, and he talks about a really cool principal to erase suspicion of an obvious method from the spectators mind.
SMOKE
Uses (apparently) the same pack of cards as the previous effect. A volunteer (someone new this time) thinks of a card as he spreads them. Derren is instantly able to divine the name of the card, but the much eerier (spelling?) thing is that the card thought of was never in the pack, but rather was the cigarette he was smoking. One of his signature effects.
COIN READING AND BEND
Derren asks a spectator to hold a coin in their fists. He then divines the date and denomination... he doesn't teach this, but it gives you an insight into how extraordinarily clever he is! He must be one guiltless guy... anyways... he proceeds to bend the coin at the fingertips of another volunteer.
Good stuff.
and he closes with
REMENISCENCE
The revelation sequence that you see in this routine is very much what you would expect of Derren Brown. A volunteer (the lady from the beginning) is hypnotised and asked to think of a memory. He and the audience "read" the ladies mind and form a detailed and accurate picture of her memory. He finishes by producing a drawing of the celebrity that the lady is thinking of.
While impossible in nature, I don't think Derren structured this effect quite as well as the other ones. It becomes a bit boring to see him accurately reading the ladies mind over and over again. On his TV shows, you can see him performing effects like this. He throws in an occasional miss, and the effect is greatly strengthened because of this. Lots of people bought "Pure effect" for this effect, and while it isn't taught, the method isn't that hard to "shark." I suggest you take a look at an effect called "Chandu's Psychoanalysis." I'm almost certain that's where the inspiration for this effect came from.
After the performances, Derren talks about his thoughts on magic, the "invisible compromise" for mentalism, teaches Plerophoria and the psychological force involved with it. All good stuff, and I suggest you pick it up.