Derren Brown: Archive
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From: Mike Brown
Date: Mon Mar 24, 2003 8:45am
Subject: Some thoughts on DB MC1 and MC2
Hi.
I've been reading through the list, and thought I'd post some stuff on the
earlier shows (Mindcontrol 1 and 2).
If you don't like "exposure"[1] look away now. There are some bits that
might give things away. You were warned :)
Any more ideas having read this?
[1] This is all my own hairbrained thinking, I don't know any more than you
guys exactly WHAT Derren's doing, other than to say he does it very well.
***** Mind Control 1 *****
2: Synchronicity: Arm Lift
For the rapid induction ... bits of it don't make sense ... is that part of
inducing a state of confusion?
DB: "Can't remember your name, tell me your name again"
Chris: "Chris"
<goes to shake hand etc.>
DB: "Chri *Look* Let your eyes close and just relax then sink right the way
down, and as you relax and listen to my voice, I'm going to take your hand,
and with your eyes closed, I'm going to place your hand there, but I won't
tell you to put it down, any more quickly, and you just keep on sinking and
relaxing right the way down, and right the way deep, as I take your hand NOW
and stick it right THERE to your leg and feel it sticking and pressing right
the way into your knee. I'm not hypnotising you, what I'm doing is placing
you into a state here of heightened synchronicity."
4: Synchronicity Twins: Taps
DB: "Kerry, I'm going to ask you to close your eyes for me, and as you do
that, to become very aware
of any sensations that you can *feel*, alright?"
Derren's left hand appears to be touching her forehead, but isn't (it's just
in front). His right hand touches her *twice* on the left shoulder. This is
subtle. Look closely.
He then asks the other twin to close her eyes, and taps her *twice*. He then
asks Kerry the ambiguous question ...
"Kerry, did you feel anything?"
There is no time frame in this question. Kerry is unaware of what he has
done to the twin. So she answers truthfully for what he just did BEFORE he
went away:-
Kerry: "Just ... round my head and neck area"
DB, leading & fishing: "Anything else? Any taps?"
DB: "Let's do it again" and starts to head round to touch her twice again
... stops ...
Kerry: "In the middle of the shoulders?"
DB: "How many taps?"
Kerry: "Three."
DB: "Three taps? Interesting ..."
When you view it on both sides, it looks remarkable. Kerry won't have known
exactly what was going on, and won't be particularly amazed. The other twin
will, as are we.
The next part involves a standard trick chair, designed to give an electric
shock. Listen closely to the sound track, there's a "click click" right
before she jumps. This part impresses Kerry, in sending something back the
"other way".
6: Synchronicity: Number Pad
What we DON'T see is more important than what we do see here, because what
we see is there to mislead.
Suki (Left) selects a number from one to 1000. I believe this is a free
choice. He makes a big deal of no-one seeing it, and then adds as a
throwaway "Nice and clearly". Even he doesn't see it, so he can't be
"projecting" it into the other girl's mind (Bal? on the right)
Behind the twins is a large mirror. Note that this would be expected for a
"psychology assessment" room. It is 1 way mirror glass. It is perfectly
feasible that the number could be seen and duplicated. Can Derren see in the
reflection, from a standing position on the OTHER side of the divider? Think
about that.
Again DB uses an induction using the phrase "sink right the way down and
right the way deep". Strange structure! Bal is instructed to keep her eyes
closed. This is important too.
A pad is brought in. We never see this pad until after it has been written
on. I suggest that at this point, someone has already duplicated a lazy "86"
onto the pad.
When Bal's given the pad, there are two "Keep it still" instructions to stop
her lowering it so the camera can see. The pen is handed over with "Mind
your fingers on the nib" to reinforce the idea it is an inky pen. In our
minds, as well as hers. The pad nearly falls again "And keep the pad
upright".
An initial "mark" is made at the start of the illusion, when Bal puts the
pen to the pad. Looks like a vertical line.
Watch the movement of the pen. It seems to draw two anticlockwise ovals
(taller than narrow) with a drift toward her right. He stops her. I believe
the pen is a dud, and writes nothing at this point.
But then Derren uses the same pen? So it can't be a dud. Er ....
Well, it does vanish out of shot. Draw your own conclusion as to whether the
pen has one or two ends after listening to the soundtrack, watching the pen
handling. 2 hands on pen, one each end: "Perfect, alright. <leaves shot>
Now I would say <click> that that's <pen comes back> ... <draw>"
The rest should be obvious. It's reinforced by the fact that Bal says "I had
no number in my mind at all". Well of course not dear, nor did Derren.
9: Card Reading
Queen of Hearts, Three Of Clubs ... then
DB: "Just name a number. Not three, cause we've had that, but name a number
between one and *tenen*". He actually says tenen. :)
"Seven"
DB: "OK. And you've get red cards and black cards, if you get *red* of some,
*what's left*?"
"Black"
DB: "Black cards. Na-Name a black suit?"
(Remember, clubs is the funny one that no-one remembers! DB said so moments
before.)
(Not clubs, we've just had that)
(DB is signalling with his hands as one solid shape?)
"Spades".
Cool.
16: Stockbrokers.
"*This* game I play" (points at the no. 2 envelope) "I normally do it with
*2* envelopes".
"We're doing this *now*" (gestures at the no. 2)
"They're numbered 1,2,3,4,5" (eye contact on 2 and 5).
"Are you doing that now ... 1,2,3,4 or 5" (looks down on 1 and 2).
No-one picks end cards, right? So the false directions on 1 and 5 are
ignored. It's gonna be 2 3 or 4, and I'm thinking ... 2?
"I'll do it withow chu looking" ? Two?
"Then I will ge chu to push"? Two?
"The envelope tha Chu are think ing of". Two?
"You will keep <looks at 2> whatever is in the remaining four". Two.
"Genuine cheque, made out, *to*?" TWO!!! Little emphasis shift.
"Do it now. Now." (Two Nows. Is this a link back to the earlier "now"
gesture at 2??)
17: Oil Painting.
This bloke looks like trouble, he looks a sceptical challenger. Arms
crossed. Cocky. Oh boy ... :)
What does the bloke say to interrupt Derren at the start of this. Listen
during the line "Now I've been obsessive about this. Not even our film crew
know what this painting is. But you, Steve, are going to tell me what the
painting is <interrupt> you just". It sounds like he says "I know it's
alive?" or "I don't s ..." Help?
"Look at me, think of someone else, look at me, think of someone else". Said
rapidly with loss of intelligibility. Think Orson Wells. Whoever spotted
this was right on the money!
***** Mind Control 2 *****
07: Inch Punch
There are edits in this, note the change in stance between tapping the first
guy on the shoulders twice, and then touching his breastbone "Feel this?".
Is this significant, or for timing?
Second, what is the sound heard just AFTER Derren's punches, but immediately
before the guy doubles up? Is that important?
First time: Punch, Noise, "Orrhgh!", "Stand! Stand!".
Second Time: Punch, Thup noise, "Oop!" says Derren, "Y'all right?"
It seems to be that noise that causes the guy to double up, as if he'd been
hit in the stomach or solar plexus, or received an electric shock across the
diaphragm.
08: Cups Moving
There is something significant about why we DON'T ever get to see a clear
shot of the table, especially to Derren's left. He blocks it on one shot,
and the girls block it on the other. We never really see the sides of the
table during the "moves".
On the first time he gets a reaction out of them .... (there;s some build up
where the girls see nothing)
DB: "Is that possible? Do you think it's possible?"
Girls: "Maybe .. " and "<unintelligble>" -- under their speech is a "shhhh"
sound. What was that?
Because the cup did not move. But they reacted ...
"What did you see? What did you react to?"
During these lines, Derren "leans in" a tiny bit, and the table moves
towards the girls a little. You can only see this rocking the video back and
forth at speed across that line. The cup does *not* move. Is the cup "on"
the table or above it?
Is it possible that Derren is moving the table TOP, moving their "frame of
reference", and the cup is in fact stationary? Because we can't see detail
in the table, we don't pick up on it? Derren's hands are not in shot, so
nothing to go on there ... or possibly an extra layer of "wood grain" effect
on top of a plain table, with the cup over that (stationary).
I don't think the lighting moves (as suggested elsewhere here).
Ideas? Remember, "I'll make you see things that aren't happening".
On the second one, Derren breathes deeply, and possibly pushes the table to
his right. Then says "What?". The breathing covers the sound of (again)
something moving. The camera pans a bit here, or maybe this was added after
to hide the effect?
10: Fork Bending
Girl on left of our picture has to use left hand, but girl on right must use
right. Is this to keep it under the lights? For the effect to work, or for
camera/TV presentation reasons?
Mike.
| Replies | Author | Yahoo ID | Date | Size |
| 3667: That Orson Wells Painting Thing | closetlesbian2002 | closetlesbian2002 | Mon3/24/2003 | 4 KB |
| 3668: Re: That Orson Wells Painting Thing | ganetauk | ganetauk | Mon3/24/2003 | 5 KB |
| 3676: Re: That Orson Wells Painting Thing | Levien | hypnollama | Tue 25/03/2003 | 2 KB |
| 3708: Re: That Orson Wells Painting Thing | Evans | simplicitymatures | Tue 25/03/2003 | 3 KB |
| 3673: Re: That Orson Wells Painting Thing | Brown | mikebrown422000 | Tue 25/03/2003 | 3 KB |
| 3703: Re: That Orson Wells Painting Thing | ashleypride20032003 | ashleypride20032003 | Tue 25/03/2003 | 2 KB |
