Derren Brown: Archive
| Message ID: 02077 | [ Previous ] [ Next ] [ Up Thread ] |
From: Blue Chip
Date: Fri Dec 27, 2002 6:38pm
Subject: Devil's Picturebook review - no secrets revealed
> > If you want to practice face/lip reading, a good place to start is
>to KNOW
> > what they are thinking and then try to work it out from their
>cues. DBs
> > video is veerryy helpful for this, but don't expect "how to make a
>matalist
> > out of a newbie in 2hrs 47mins"
>
>
>I'm still speculating whether or not to buy this vid. I've heard that
>it has absolutely NOTHING to do with what Derren does now, and it's
>all his old card routines. Is this true??
Let me give an off-the-cuff SUBJECTIVE opinion (but, then aren't ALL
reviews?) of "The Devil's Picturebook - The Professional Card Repertoire of
Derren Brown" - Now don't expect me to start blowing all the secrets, this
video is a part of DBs income, and although that income may be greater than
mine, he has certianly earned it (along with my respect) with his last 10
years of dedicated study...
A quick answer first: No, in my honest/humble opinion (IMHO), it is NOT true.
More fully:
His approach is PRESENTATION PRESENTATION PRESENTATION. And the fact that
he is using playing cards rather than crayon pictures or zener cards or
£10,000 cheques changes very little. He is immediately recognisable as DB
in both style and attitude.
You will learn that the cheesiest card TRICK 'in the book' can be turned
into a mentalist spectacular with nothing extra than the right
attitude. To me this was what it was all about, DB says (paraphrased)
"when you approach a table with a deck of cards people know that they are
about to be conned, they know it is all sleight of hand etc. So, to me, it
is all about presentation, about making it a personal experience" And more
than anything else, this is what he sets out to demonstrate.
Watch the expressions on the faces of those in the Mind Control programmes,
HOW personal was the experience??? They love it - and him - they want to
tell everybody how unique they feel after it has happened. If they went
away feeling bored, E4 would not still be paying him!
Toward the end of the tape he broaches on the mentalist presentations (thus
contradicting his comment at the start of the tape) - And another thing,
when you've seen this tape you will realise why I use the word
presentation, any idiot can "do" a card trick, but to make it an involving
and emotional, YES emotional [esp. Zamiel's Rose], experience is
*ART*. [If you read this group Derren, my hat is off to you my friend]
How many "card trick videos" offer you explantions of how to control
peoples emotions and reactions while you are presenting your trick? If I
can make you get so involved that you forget that it IS a trick, and then I
can force your reaction to the finalé, the trick itself becomes
irrelevant. LOL - That aside, as someone here once said before "when
Derren gets out a deck of cards, be afraid, be very afraid." He is
incredible, it really wouldn't surprise me if he knew what cards those
gamblers (MC1) drew before he got the deck out of his pocket - his
repertoire is truly impressive.
He presents his 3-Diamonds force (from MC2) and one other example and then
gives a little chat on how -it- works, not just specific forces (for then
it would be how -they- work), but the thoughts and ideas behind them. And
then, in a lead up to him 'Tarting Around', he does the worst presentation
of the 3D force ever... ooooohhhhhh maaaaannnnnnn, what an insight into how
it _really_ works!
He also shows a couple of ways of predicting what card a person will draw
from an invisible deck!
# He draws a card from a real deck and get the 'person' to place it in
their pocket (or wherever)
# The person then chooses one card from an 'invisible' deck - no trick
deck, no stack, no bottom card, no funny dealing - NO DECK!
# When the card has been chosen, (s)he declares what his/her [I really hate
PC] choice is
# And, freaky as it sounds, it is, of course, the card that has in their
pocket all along.
Now, as I've said, I'm not going into details, but DB states (in his usual
way <nod,nod>) that this is real mind reading. And you know what? Because
of the way it is presented, you really do get to see in your mind what they
see in theirs (no, this is NOT B.S., I really mean it - and yes, I have now
done it myself, several times) - this is achieved with his usual
combination of body language awareness and the such. He thens talks you
through the whole thing step-by-step. And incredibly then goes on to show
how this technique can be used in reverse - thus presenting a fantastic
insight into how to make ANY trick not only unique, but uniquely YOURS.
If anyone can PROVE that they own a copy of the video, then I will enter
into conversation OFF-BOARD and on a one-to-one basis. Other than that,
please, just don't waste your time pushing me for specifics.
And in conclusion: Obviously I like it; I have my own copy; it is easily
worth it's cost. Geez, get a couple of mates drunk and WIN the cost of the
tape back. "I bet you the next two rounds I can name the card you choose..."
Footnote: The above is MY opinion. I WILL stand by it. But that does not
make it RIGHT, it just makes it MY opinion.
BlueChip
| Replies | Author | Yahoo! ID | Date | Size |
| 2078: Re: Devil's Picturebook review - no secrets revealed | Suggestionist | lilkimphat | Fri 27/12/2002 | 2 KB |
| 2091: Re: Devil's Picturebook review - no secrets revealed | killerb_0187 | killerb_0187 | Sat 28/12/2002 | 7 KB |
