Derren Brown: Archive
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From: highroller entertainment casting
Date: Wed Apr 10, 2002 11:06am
Subject: Re: Some 'insights' regarding Derren's coin trick and cold reading
--- In a previous message iamonthe internet wrote:
> Lol! I like the inventiveness of those theories, although I do have
> to disagree with the first one, at least. Although, lets start in
> reverse order...
>
> 2) the crew estimates who is out where? I doubt this, although if
you
> watch mc3 again (as I have been doing with all of my uni holiday!),
> you see Derren looking around quite a bit – obviously he picks
people
> that are easier to spot than others.
>
> 1) "He suggests that Derren uses a little artificial help with
> the 'which hand is the coin in'"
> I have watched "what hand is the coin in" for sometime now, and
(not
> to go off on a tangent) I just find it wonderful to spot Derren
using
> many techniques from all over the place! Anything you see Derren do
> is (almost always) for a reason. There is no doubt in my mind that
he
> touches both hands to "muscle/cold read" as you suggested. If you
> remember back to the radio 1 interview, Jo Whiley even said "you
keep
> touching me" when derren was doing the same trick. I just love the
> way you can watch derren's body language when he is speaking.
Derren
> will always try to get a response from the guy by moving, pointing
or
> gesturing toward one hand.
> Something you might have missed: at the end, derren says "in one
> move, I can tell you which hand the coin is in". Look at his hands
as
> he says this: he holds his right hand with his left, with his right
> index finger pointing toward the left hand.
>
> I still have absolutely NO CLUE how the guy guesses "heads" for the
> very end of that scene. I think roller suggested a double headed
> coin – although derren even said at the start "do you have a £1
> coin, ... no, I don't even want to touch it". However, there is a
> recurring theme in his shows (which really, is unavoidable) – the
> fact that we don't get to see all the scene from start to finish.
>
> Do you remember the medical students & the "dead hand"? we come to
> them after derren has already begun to make them more susceptible
to
> suggestion. Something I read:
> "The power of suggestion is based on Passion. Emotion is the
primary
> language of the subconscious mind. The words and pictures are the
> steering wheel, they set the direction, but emotion is the gas
pedal."
> It just ties in exactly with just the small clip of when derren
> says "DELIERIOUS with pain" – really putting emotion into the story.
>
> You know, with enough time, I could write an essay on derren! ;)
>
> See ya later!
> Simon C
> P.s. "no new Mind Control til November? What are we gonna do???" –
> read more on what he does, and re-watch MC3 as many times as
> possible!! Oh, and down more of that experimental hypnosis-liquid
you
> guys were on about (pronounced "al-key-hol" I believe
Actually, the more I think about it, the more the pre-scouted cold-
reading makes sense. If you've ever worked in a public environment,
such as a shop, you know that there are certain regular customers,
and other customers who pop in less frequently. Over the period of a
few months you can ascertain a lot about them, their line of work
without ever even speaking to them. It could be an obvious giveaway
such as an ID card or a folder protruding from their handbag, perhaps
a certain trade magazine such as 'Campaign' or 'The Lancet', or maybe
the fact that they 'dress-down' on Fridays. By and large, anyone who
works a 9-5 job in the centre of London has a routine, starting from
which Tube station thet get off at to how they make their way to work
from there. Do they stop off at Starbucks along the way? If so, what
do they order....are they watching their weight? Do they go to the
newsagent en route? What paper do they buy? Do they smoke?
I don't know if you're familiar with the investigative technique of
stealing the rubbish bags of a given person and then using it to
construct a profile of them, but this is much the same. I'm sure
following a woman around a supermarket and observing what she buys
would key you in fairly quickly as to a) is she married/does she live
alone b)does she have children/ which gender? c)does she have pets?
Which ones? and so on. The same for men too....recall Caroline
Aherne's checkout girl on the Fast Show? It really is that simple to
build up an effective profile of someone just from their shopping
basket.
Of course, nowadays they just use 'cookies' to build up a profile of
who we are, where we go, what we like, and what we spend our money on
so as to better target advertising at us!!!
I would also like to raise the issue of 'the journalist' and the
two 'High St. Fashion PR's'....if Derren is so sure of himself, why
doesn't he go up and say 'You're a journalist!'?
Anyway, enough of my yakking.....I'm off down the supermarket to
stalk people!!!!
