already mentioned. If it happens, be honest aJ1 d tell the parti cipant thai iIOmeone e lse has already dlosen tht very sa~ v.lu~, w she should choose again,. in order to avoid duplication. Then teu up the business card and begin again (you. of COU~, actually choose the v~ry same vallll', which passes bf!CIIU5e what you originally w~ has fI(It yel been ~n). A nice 10uch. incidentally, is to have the p;articipanl$ wrile their numbers on the lags with different types of markers. This will later enhance lhe notion Ihat each participant simply arrived at Iwo numbers 00 his or her own. Finally, msure tha t the particip ants are satisfied with the selection procedure. and prepared to verify thai the numbers were randomly chosen, Ihere being no way you could have known them in advance. And make sure thai they save their tags for later! As a preautionary measure. I always have a fifth tag at my disposal. with numbers different from the four chosen pairs, to be used in case one of the partidpants manages to disappear prior to the perfol"lT1.aJ'KZ. Performance Your predicted total is computed as follows: add together the four ~Iow· numbers (which you remembered during the preparation stage~ plU$ four times your originally chosen value (used with all four participaJ1ts). In OUT ongoing e~amp e, this would be 46+24 ... 51+69+(4)<13) '" 242. Some simple management on your part will now ensure tha t this predicted total is in fact the rmal result of the experimm t. Although 9ixleen orientations of the four tags at(' possible, these are easily grou~ into only ~ unique N pattems", detennined by the d irectiotl$ in which the tags are facing (I.e., whether their m .... ked Or unmarked 'Ides ~ visibte); their order is irrelevant. A brief glance at the tag' (when you 5Ull"\lTlari~ what has occwred during the e~perimen ) will tell you which pattern Ms resulted (rom all the muing. This determines the subsequent handling; M2/2" P~tlem (two tags bc:ing each dlrtdion): nus pattern willoccur 37.5% oflhe time. When it does, the totll of numbers visible on the tags will be the predicted value), and you can conclude appropriately. M4/0U l'allem t~llt gs being the u m t dit1!dion): This pattern wilt occur 12.5% of the time. You finish IS follows: noting thai neither the mathrnlulicUz.1f nor the trpuimtntu has had 301
302 an opportunity to $oI'lert a number to be changed, !?quest that they e.cn place a hand Oll a tag (simultaneously, so they cannot choose the sa ....... tag). ~ they haYf! dono! so, have the two chosen tags turned over (resulting in the M2/ 2M slale). Then have the total calculated &. verified, and take your boY.'. MJ/l- Pattern (three lags facing one diredion, One the other): nus is the most COmmon pattern. occurring half of the Ii ........ In this GIlle, wilhout breaking stride, you note that the mat/rtmDtid<ln did not have an opportu nity to affed the (lUtc:omt, and have him now indicate a tDg to be turned. "Three oul of four times, this will result in the desired ~ state, from which you finish. In the remaining (a$(', you ronclude as in the CII5e of the /0w pattern, ex<:ept that lhe juds' (rather than the matMmlltid<ln) is called into play along with the ~rl tt . Postlude At; is oftm the cue with mathematiGllly based con<"q>t5, this one reads mucto rn(lr(' complicated than it amu.lly is in performam. Once you Wlderstand what is going on. the various steps are all perfectiy naturill and obvious. Try it and see for YOUI"S('II.
The Rea Thing (Mentalism Manifests a Message) The Virtues To my taste, one of the mOlit corporate-friendly mentalism plots extanl first uw light in a slim tome ritled Thrn''", by renowned creator Bruce Bernstein. [write this not only because it's entertaining. deceptive, and an interesting change of p~ce, but bec~llse it lends itself wonderfully (and easily) to rustomiution lor a variety of engagements. Tho: clImax of the routine is the une)fpected ~velation of ;I. lext m~sase. which <:an be pretty mud! anything appropriate to the occasion (though it should contain no fewer thm a half dozen or SO cnnacters), from a birthday ~ting 10 a corporate marketing slogan. Hence ML Bernstein's whimsical tit~ for his Own ver$on: ~Ea t At Joe',N. Finally. tho! routine can · play big" on stage, involving a goodly number of audience members. The Plot The plot is dear and straightforward (another virtue), The entertainer displays a quantity of large (at least document·sized)envelopes. One is opened .nd shown 10 contain 11 slightly smaller pilla! of cardboard, blank on both sid~; it is explained thai although each envelope cont.ins such iI card, not all of thE" cards are blank. n-.e envelopes are briefly mixed. A number of audil.>nce members (the same as the number of envelopes) af@Chosen. asked to CQme forward. .,-.d lined up across the f@[email protected] frontward. n.een eJ~.f@ further mixed by these participants, in the following f.shlon: an (honestly) arbitrary number of env ... opes af@ count~ off the stllCk. and the f@maining enveloP"'S f1ippt>d upside-down on top of them. This is repealed any number of times, such Ihat the order of the envel0P"'S ~ clearly random. lU. '" h. ,i,,", . .... " . ,. .. will hnJ, p>i' <Ji oddi,;.,.,..J """,,II,", """In<> In {h"" (Be..,. 8<'n ....,.I.l~ . I, i> "'" for nomi", ,"', p,,,,,,, is , ''''''' .... , of , ... rr,n.;... E~wu;_ -"'-..... ; 1'.' ... ' ..... 0-~ ~II A-I.J (lOr .... "....J, .. ...,,,.;1.., .... ro , ... on of , ..... ,;1"." .... ..d .. ~, 0.. .. u.It,_" ~ An "'( .... < .... ,Mo). ~ . ....... ;""). 303
304 The envelop" are now handed out in order, to~ach of Ihe on-stage participants; thi.$ distribulion can be done by one of the participants if desir1!d. The individual envelopes Ire .III this point arranged in haphaurd. flshion with m;pect to orientation (both front ba~k and top bottom~ 5(1 elrn participant is asked 10 orient herenvelope in the s;o.me way. TheTI. II (say) the count of Hthree" , each Pflrticipant pulls out the contents of her envelope and ooids it up fOT all to !lee. The cards are now seen to contain singlf.' letters of the alphabet spelling out (in the Older chasm by the audien~) a pertinent message, .such IS ""011 U AL 111 IJ'1 GH • The Props You will need card!; on which to p rint the letters, one card for each letter in the intended message. These should be fairl y stiff (they can be laminated if desired), and large enough 10 be d early read by the ",tire audience, when arranged side-by-,ide 10 spell the te~t. For most venue$, U.s. letter-si.zed (or n!St..()f-!he-world A4-$ized) nrds will be appropriate. Although the necessary letters can be handdrawn, I pll'fer to print thern--<>n both ~ides-using I compul~r. Abo ~ry are envelopes. one for each of the letter cards. C1eiUly these must be ar~ enough to hold the cuds (and allow them to be quickly and eOlSily removed), but not $0 l~ u to be disproportionate. For corporate work" 1 like to use inter-department rTUlil envelopt.'$ (as shown at right), whirn are both reusable and immediately recognizable. Although not ab50lutely JIeCe$ilry to the nu:>thlXl, it is much more visually de<:eptive if !he envelopes have dearly distinguished. highly visible front and biIdr; sides (such Illi the example .t right). Should they not already feature such I differentiating characteristic, cvnsider adding I ilUitilble graphic (perhaps illarge question mark on one side) to accomplish this. The Exposition The &e(:re\ underlying this plot is nothing more than a falsf! mixing of the envelopes; they are in order at tile beginning, and they remain in order It the end. The challenge, dearly, is to make the mixing procedure look all lI'alistic (and thus ~ible) as poS&ibl~. Bruce's ongi",,1 version makes use of a dever swindle borrowed from th~
world of c~rd magic. Though de.:eptive, I w,s never comfortable with this method, for severalll'asons: • !he ent(:rtainer mi~es the envelopes. I would prefer that this ~ done by the plrticipanlS,. with Ihe envelopl$ in their hands. • To bt! eff<'Clive, the mixing proo:edure must be demonstrated to Ihe audience hefO«' being used. a step I find potentially confusing and definitely time-mnsuming (without meaningfully adv,lncing the plot~ [prefer a more self-evident mixing. • Following Ihe mixing proct>SS, Ilw!re is nothing that visually emphasizes the (supposedly) random nalureof the envelopes' order. One must .... Iy solely on the aud ience's understanding of what 1>.5 (apparently) taken place. Consequently, I I>.ve incorporated a completely different mixing procedure, in order to address these COna!rru! (and it is this methodology thlt is reAected in the plot description above). You might consider comparing Ihe two methods. choo$ng the one more suitable 10)'QUr personal styl .... The Mix tne eiSlest way to understand and appreciate the mixing procedure is to try it out; a pad<.et of playing cards will quickly and dearly reveal the workings. I suggest I15mg a single complete (l3-c:ard) suit, arranged in numerical ordet from Ace to King. Using this packet, perform the following mixing procedure: I. Take the card packet in your hand. 2. Choose any number Ie5s than thirteen: from the top of the pllCket,. deal that number of cam, one at a time, onto a table or the like. 3. Tum over the remaining bloc:k of cards (those still in yuur hand). and drop them as one alop the previously dealt cards. Repeat this mPcing procedure until you are convinced tha t tt... cards are thoroughly mixed. At this point. some of the cards will be face up, and some face down; this aspect of their .. rrangenwn t will be truly random, and !iOlely a product of the numben chosen during each mix. The ordtr of the cards, how~r, will remain unchanged. still running from Ace through King in their original sequence. If you performed an odd number of mixes, the values will ron backwards (King through ACt:, r .. ther than Ace: through King), but their order remains undisturbed. Each mix, then,. merely reverse' the sequence of eards/ envelopes. 305
306 The Message As the actual numbf,r of items (be they cards or envelopes) does not affect the ~ing pl'O«'du re, enough enveLope$ car> b<' uS('d t<J display a ~ge of ""y Length. Of COU~, a length much less than ten yields I Ie5 impressive result, and one too long can easily become unmanageable, due 10 the number of on-stage people involved. Spa," between words can be ind icated with blank cuds if desirW; th is will also help t<J lengthen short messages. In add ition, the uS(' of at 1e000t 00(' blank (spact') card enables a nicety in the initi,tI display of the envelopes (dcscrib<'d below, under HThe Emt.ellishmentsH). Allematively, word separation can be Indicated with letters of different sizes or colours, by spacing the row of audience members appropriately, or even trusting that people used to figuring out Internet d omain names will be able to parse the characters correctly! The Measure The fin.1 step bf,fOTe the revelation is the measuring out of the envelopes/letters t<J the participants. Each envelope---tn strict sequence-is handed to one 01 the on-stage audience members. It is. of course, Important that the ~ulting ~ge read corrKtly, so the enterta iner must pay attention to the lilUll seoquence of envelopes (which is reversed by eadl repeHtion of the mixing procedure). nus can be done by careful observation, but it is more relia ble to p]a~ an unobtrusive but clearly visible identifying mark of some sort on the envelope containing the first/tUtr of the message (this envelope should be iden tifiable from both sides, as the individual envelopes get turned over in the course of mixing). AI the condusion of the mixing. ched; to see if the first envelope is on the \(Ip or bottom of the pile; if the- latter, the order must be revefSl!d for propel display; this can be acromplWwd w ith an addilioo.1l mix. by casually tuming OVer the pile of envelopes. or by dealing out the envelope$ from right It) left (i.e .• sta ring with the rightmost participant !"ather than the left). An even d eaner tedvUque is usually possible, as with most prtSentations it is known in advan~ how many mixings are to be ~rformed prior to handing out the envelopes. Consequently. it is a simple mDtter to ensure that the envelopes are oriented in the correct way (first enve lope on top or bottom) prior lonl1Y mixi"g. This allows the entert.iner to avoid touching the envelopes during the final slages.
The Manijl!StatiOtz In order to maximize lhe impact o f the ess~ge display, it is desirable 10 hav~ all of its letters appear simultaneously. To accomplish this, have the participants hold up th~ envelopes In front of themselves, in the !HlnlC orienlatiOll ~p at top, facing tho: participant), with the left hand holding the bottom of the envelope and the right hand hold ing the top of the targe (letter) c.ud within. On the count of tlm?e~, earn pe~ pulls the envelope aw~y from the card by d rawing it downward with the lttt hand, and letting it drop 10 the floor. When properly orchestrated, this will display the fMSS,lge insLln tly and clearly-il11d thus dramatically. An alternative, u!led in Bruce BemsN!in'$ .... rsior\. is 10 print the letter cacds on one side only, and ha .... the participants remove them from the envelopes with their blank sides toward Iheaudience. Then. on a count of MthTftM, the cacds In! turned around to display the letters. I find this less reliable, as participants don't always gel the cards facing the right way (or tum them ~tly), but I mention it hen! as a ~ntalion option. It has also otturntd to me that one could create a 5m}nd mf!S$agli' on the opposite sides of the leiter cards,. but I think that this would be pushing one's luck with respect to participant management! The Embellishments Now tha t we have considered th e basic rneduutics of this particular Swindle, let's ~p ore several organizational issues that cm be used to enhance the overall presentation. ili l nlop~ Setup A p rimary goal in the presenlation of -rhe Real Thingw is loconvince the audience that the envelopes !In mi)(ed in a InIly random fashlon. Anything that encourages thU belief, therefore, is beneficial to our $. Consequently_ I use a particular arrangement for the initial envelope displ ay, designed to strengthen this perceptiO/"l by pre;enting an "obviously m;)(edM appearilnCe. This is constructed as fuUows: 3Q7
308 Begin with the envelopes faelng the •• me way, IoITIInged in COITect letter order. Take a gfOfJp of en ...... 1opM (f_er than ... ~ .... the end ... ... and tum them upside down .s. group. Finally. weave this grou p inlo the remaining envelopes, preM1Ving the orders of bOlh. You are now ready to begin the ~rformance of this plot. If you have taken !he trouble to select the revened group such that it ends t before .n ftlvO!l~ with a blank ~1I~r oro, and have left that envelope at the front after _aving the two groups togetM-r (as depicted in the precroing diagrams1 you will be in • position to start by showing itscootents as suggested in !he description of "The ot~ (depending on the message, this will not always be possible). AI this point, ~asu lJy slide out the previously reversed envelopes), reverse them (retaining their order), and drop them on top of the remaining envelopes. The intent here is to look like you're simply stra!&htening up the envelopes at the beginning of the presentation;
In f..ct, you an> merely reversing the steps ~ up the k. At the oondusion,. the en~1o p o~y uken to set 5equen<:t', with a common orientation. and e;:: are In ~ original the letters in the correct order). ITWSSilge Intact {Ley Staging th~ i~ g rroc~d ... re The optimum staging for the mix ing of the en ~10 d h h f h f ... ··· pes fpend5 0n t e lengl 0 t e mess ge loencl" Ihe number of " rtl I ' f . . h ~ pants" the amount 0 hme one w~s eo; to devote to the 1'101. and (as ~Iw. s) Ihe style of lhe entertal.ner. A guiding principle, though. $houldYbe to P t~ envelopes In the hands of the parti<:ipanl5 as much as po5S b~; If the entertainer ou~ lhe f"nve\opes.1 My poinl after their mixing bcgl~ il rai$£05the p<l$5ibility thai Mhedid IOmethingw. And with proper m~nagement. It is not ~ lha t the entertainer touch them. For short messages, It is possible to ~ve the stack of envflopes on a sma ll table, and bring the parti cipants fo ....... ard one at • time, allowing ea h one 10 choose a random number and perfo. m 8n individual mi ing of the envelopes as she arrives on 54age. (Avoid the temptation 10 have participants take an envelope followi"8 ead! mi~ing: ~lthough it is po5Slble 10 arrange the envelopes so as to lOChieve this result. it draws attention to the posilionsof the ~Iected envelopes. and can provide the more analytic audience members with a clue that they should be denied.) The last p.II rticipanl Can then pass out the envelopes (In their final order) to the rest. For longer messages, it beo:omes too time<OnSuming to let everyone mix envelopes (extended mixing in any ~~ gives people too many opportunities to think about the medwtics of the procedu.d A 5trategy that I haVE' used in sum instances i$to line up ,lithe partiCipants on .stage,.~ hand the stack of tnvelopes to the participanl alone end of the line. That person mbces theenvd opesin the pre$Cribed fashion (thinking of a number, counting off that many cards, ... versing th~ ... rnainder), dealing them onlO the OU!Sln'1ci"oed ~nds of the next person in line. At the completion of the mix, the S«ond Pf'rson hands the stack to the third person, and another mbc Is done. This sequence is repea led, with the last pl!tSOIl in the line d istributing the envelopes 1\ the end of the mixing procedure. This IpprOllch I@$uIl$in onlyh.lf thenumber ofmixes. Firwolly. all Ih.o.I although the order of the tnwlopes is not '~lualJy being doanged d uring the various mixes. the anugement of wupw and -downw envelopes il truly random. and detennined by
the partici pants' thought-of numbers. Consequently, opportunities should ~ sought 10 draw this haphazard. urangement to the attention of the audimce; for example. during a rount II might ~ noted tnat a difrerent thought-of number would result in a differtnt positioning of the envelopes. Thlft Qosing Thoughts If you're using ~nve1opes (like the inter-deplrtO\l'f1t mail types) that have ~strjng and button~ ties, it's helpful to trim the strings somewhat shorrer. Leave them just long enough that the flapsean be held dosed (and easily opened), but not enough tooverdo it or let the strings flap around. Be careful to avoid the use of "card language" wh.m dirroing th ... mixing'" and handing out of the envelopes. Don't say ~deal~ ; say, ~Count off that many envelopes (indicating by gesture whert you want them placed) ... and tum the rest psi de-d n~. This routine is not limited to platform use; it works with small pay-style envelopes Mid business {or blank)cnds as well. As such. it can oflcn be URd in ~.u ition ~ situations. when you art promoting }'OUT ~ to a corporare buyer. Ross Johnson Does "The Ref/I Thing" Psycltic entenainer par ace/lelte" Ross Johnson has added several elegant enhanrem.·nts to his own performances of Thr Rral Thi1l8, and-with his typical unfettered gener"OlSity-allowed me to de&(ribe them here: Null Hypoth .. ,il;! After Ross lines up his participants on stage, he6UrveyS them deliberately, then han few of them e:<change places. Of course this has noeffed wluol5oever on the outcome, but it certainly seems IlS if it might. Pftdi(live Obfuso:ation! After the enve ~ have been mbced and distributed,. but before their a:mtents are Il'vealed, Ross ~s an audience member open an envelope that was Introduced earlirr. lbat envelope contains an instruction thai reads IIOmethinglih>, "The person in hair _3 should e:<<;ha nge places with the person in chair '8.~ This additioruol layt!r of n'J 110" f""icuw ml<lo! ""hnlq .. did, Mw.."V<'". ~",." t~'n< .. . (. loo <,,,d .hum., In <WO lodopo,>dtn, cll_~tb d",.n '" my "'<n,~. 1"" Ii", ~'" Ii."., ..! "''''''. -tl<aIA;pd,opC'J'-' i. hi, OICUF£SJ>. \\>I ..... 6 (1980. To",,,,,, CAlI'I' ISo-I', ,hi. ..... ,><1 ... :" C,oI. 1("" "1h< ESt' 5l>uflI,:-, 1. t'nt. [)UIIW', s. .. """ U, a... lro~ ) 1'1' '1_10. My ..... <1<.........,,, 1'0 .. ,,><1 310 ;,. C',,'''" In ',I s..;n<l1t ofSoort,", f,.,.. 1'-' (~'? 1'In,_ t " 14) 1'1' 7· to.
befuddlement (enabled simply by exchanging those two letter p<'ISitions in the initial setup) can have a profound effect on the climax! • Slick Slid in' Away: R0$5 uses iargHiud nat white envelopes in his rou tine. Unlike the mailing envelopes described. above, tht.-se present more af " pctentiai for sticking together. which can be problematic as tMy are dea lt out by pilrticipants. Mr. Johnson circumvents this issue by giving each envelope .. light waring of faC(' powde r (he recommends the Covtr Girl brand, in the lightest shade you can find). Further proof that the successful professional leaves nothing to chance! Mere thank!i will never suffice to reward RoIlS for his contributions to psychic entertainment. Joe Curcillo Raises the Bar The MindShark makes regular use of Tho! RLIIl TIring in his corporate presentatiolU, and here offers SO~ usoeful card / envelope-related suggestio"" I. Ensure tl"uot the letter cards completely fill their envelopes.. making them easier to withdraw. 2. I'lace a visible dot al the top of each card 10 relnfo~ its correct orientation within its envelope. 3. Cut off any envelope flaps: lrea t the envelopes as more like sitf!1!d. 4. Conslruct sturdier cards with the use of spray adhesive 10 join two pieces of cardstock together. Leave any tiny bits of adhl'$ive thaI 5e<'p ou l from between the layer$, as they give the cards a lacky edge. helping to retain them in their envelopes unlll tM oonc1usioo. M ike Ina Gets Close Up Mike tnee hu been experimenting with TN /tttI1 TIring as a closeup plot. Extracting ca rds from coin envelopes m.akt's for a long revelation, though.. and loses the inslant revelation afforded by the original pre!lel\lation. His solution is to use a nuore~1 highlighter pen to write letters on cards that have a samewhat busy background. Such letters are invisible unlil illuminated with a porlabll': handhl':ld UV lightavailable ine~pensively on eBay, and at places tha t carry lighting supplies for DJs. 311
312 Here are some of Mike's ~dditional suggesti ons along Ih('Sl' lines: • "Stripping" thec~rds enables a legitimate weave shufneevery now and then. AfleT shuffling a slrip~d deck. Mike .. dvjses airing oot the cards~ before stripping lh l'm apart; otherwi:;e, irs probably too risky to use stripped cards with this plot. o The UV light lends itself 10 a CSI-style presentation, with interesting possibilities for words (or even word or picture seqUt"ll{'e$). o If !hecards are laid out in a grid instead of a straight line, they can be designed to form a picture, Steve Murray Goes Bizarre Steve Murray gradooslyoffers "Mixed Message on a Wet Wednesday Aflemoon~. his oc the Riwr· th~med presen ta tion for "The Real Thing" that will appeal to bizarrist5.l offer il here in his own words; Efftd: A pile of envelopes is randomly mi~ed by participants at a shnI:e. trying to rontad a Ripper victim. n.e os en erlai~r can be totally hands off. When the envelope; are opened. they are found to oonlain photos of Victorian WOIn(>n; when these are turned over, lettm on the phOto backs fonn a dear message, despite the milling. Props: The ~ A~w~ pies from v"rsion 2 of Lebanon Circle's ~From HeLl~_oough to spell oot a message of your choice, letter by letter. Spaces may be included if necessary. The pictures should be held within aged envelopes, unless anothe r method of conce~ lin g the final message is being used (see below). Introductory NOles: I promise this is one of those effects that plays much bigger than it reads. I envisaged this as !IOmethlng ]) to use as a te Sl ~ during 11TR ~ance, and 2)to utiliu my HFrom Hell vr effect, which W85 gathering d ust after v3 arrived! Mechl nics of the M~ hod! To fully und~rstand this yoo will ~ to be familiar with eitheT of the routines mentioned above, as well ilS '1lIe Real Thing~, which is nothing short of stunning when periormed-yti virtually self· working, and. an be entirely "'hands olf'. On the ards I write, a letter at a lime, NFr DID FOR ME~ leaving blank ( ardS for spa(H, Thus you should have 13 (ards. Cather them upso that the top <:ard of the pile has the NF" on it'! face, and hold the pil~ face down. The pictures can now be mixed as per the method in '"1he Real ThingN.
If there've been an odd number of mixes, deal off the message cards from the top to far right, and continue leftward. Presentation: "1lIcquired IIris strange bundle of pictures from II privntt coJ/relnr .. . " fA rag.. tied with a black bow, is shown and opened. Inside i5 a pile of 5mall brown envelopes. aged and unremarkable. One is opened to reveal a picture of a lady from the Victorian period.1 "The pictrm'S ~,e 11'P"nmily of tJl( fr~nds if Polly Nichols. liIkrn during happier limes perhaps, ~fore she fr/I into a desperate 1l100Jr0/ic dowllIoord spiral. Mary Ann, M Sht lOIl5 hlOwn IlItn, ma..-rkd ,wll for 1/ girl of fit, standing, butt/re pressul"fS of mother/wQd led ire, /0 gin, or flMothtr·s Rui,," M it was hlown OIr the Old knl RlXld. 5/1( separated from IItr husband mrd children, Ihough ~ continued to pay hrr nmintenanct. During Ihis lim~ sire 5""l4mb<:<i 10 proslitution and sleqing rough amund Spiltrlfidd$, occasionally $pending lime in n /ocal hospitnl and worl;!wuu, \.';'I,tn her husband lenrned iflhis, he cui off Ihe money, "mdemning hI!/' I{) n~ being able 10 eSOlpt lhis mosl vicioll5 if circles. ~Some of Ih' CMds are marked with hand-writtell lellers- ptr/illps in tile !J(ry hand of poor Polly-and /"ve long wondered rftltty conlain 1/ mfSSllgi' or c1u~ 10 her fal~ , Perhaps t".. etln try m> imtnllo II'SIIM influtnct of her Spirit I1l1d see if i/ is wilh us /onighl?·' The envelopes are handled by as many as want to, mixed randomly. It is worth asking up front who wants to take part; if it is an odd number, you can first demonstrate the mixing process_In this way, the message will always read from left to right as the envelopes are placed from the lop of the pile. Once the mechanics are ovet invite Someone to open the envelopes and display the photo.s in a line, being careful to maintain the ord er. Then for the reveal, the pictures are turned to reveal the message. The Message: This can be anything. obviously, providing you have enough cards, and Can be in any language. I have been experimenting with mirror writing to con""al the message; the lettering is ornate, done with a calligraphy pen to give the letters the look of a mystic symbol, rather than a letter. 1ltis might allow one to dispense with the envelopes altogether, as the chance of upremature revel lion~ is greatly reduced. '·FT DID FOR ME~ is my own choice, as a subscriber to the Francis Tumblety theory of jTR·s identity. 313
The Vision (A Dtjo Vu Preview) Compl ely original ideas al'@ truly ral'l! in the field of mystery entertainment mo5! effa:ts are chimeras, mixing arod merging plots, methodologies, and finesses that Mve rome before. This piecelong a favourite of mine for encore presentatioM-is no different, r.omething of a mJflQ8t il qUQlrr, combining plot inspirations from Laub &: IngieselJO and \..e;lie Anderoon'll with modi operandi adapted (with permission) from the late, much lamented Joe Riding>'" and the rel4bly brilliMt Ted Ka rmilovichP' The Experience I ,'""I: it's I1CI ~tn Illal prop~ (1111 /tones/ly c/llim to MIIr IuuI R vision. I1uI 1 hIId OM jusl lip wrd:m.rls I:ud:. Gnd I'm lkIighltd thai YO" haw gium mt 1M "",,nllltily ,,, I~I yen< about i/. I WIIS ,tllUi"g prior 10 II prrun'"tion, strolling U,n>ugh II quid, I'r$idmtial part p/ Key Wd/, Floridil. whrn I CGmt QCTI'l:!$" yard $DIe. It lII:!uQlly Wll$II', much of II 5<llt, jusl somt childrm'l; pillylhinv Of! " OIrd IlIblt, wilh II lilt~ dark-hoim! girl QS propridrt55. Bill I Iooktd ovtr h" WIIrtS - lu!ppy to rnc() gt " txubl'l"unt yo~ng ntnprtnt~r_n<i tn<it<i "p buying a box of playing Cfl,rfij, which I'tJt; brnwght with mt tonight. [The entertainer fairly displays same, with a price ~ticker aff;'[ed.[ltnd it was a bGrgain pri«--Jts& th~n Q <iollor- for a uo .. n.. .......... ...,.. ...........,., "' "11>< v;.;.,..' .:oo1>«i flO .. -no. 0....., •. .,t,0d> "'"" I>< lOuod .. bt~(I. n W.,.,.. lodi.on... 19&).pp. t., 0.....,. L....t.&: COO)" tnV-<. lhc","O ,..... ........... ..... ~ .... _ .... )Illt. Lt.s.. ~., -n..CWd, .... ,-...,s.&. •. _<01lI<0 r-/%lit "-", ... ",.. MnKM ~ of u./J; A"""- (1.<>0 -. c.u....... Ifll . pp.. 1-4). '" l<oIl< &: tuft)'~ ... mNn'-'l ,I>< ptft ""'" .... '''''''sh if t. ""'" ~ "" clfoa '" • ~ ""--. !l2. )0< ""'t" .q.-, <011<.1Il0l,,,, .... p<it>r: ;" nr. ""'" ........... 1'0 ... ill hIo l10t c-,Jrrt ~ofF"" . I .. ,cd .................. .". ~ito "'" 1-. H ..... t ... ...tr ...................... IHo ... <hoJ. ·n .... &t. '1"", ' kw odd;, ...... "" '0.11 of ,I>< -r mI" rio< I. ,!It ""'""'''' (."'''Yof .,t,,," ~" ",,~ioI ... d,j . .., .. ld~ II dll!ia.ot,.., I<P"'" ;o<kpc, .... ," In,·,.w.. ftom ...-0/ •• "",. t , ........ ./<><., "'I'F""'"'k btc.o .... " < .. ploy. ''''"''''' .. 'od>.nll ..... or a ,.t •. lB. 'I'" ".,1 <1<>" •• " ,o,,,,I\PU,.,o [, "'" ..rToJ Koo,mH".Ich·, " .. ,..)",,,kln5 iJn. ·T.'V' Nu ," bt," •• '1"''" '«M ~'" Ilu, ho> '''''00 I" "'1 bot" ,t". "'I""''''''' of JIIl "1 of hI> fricnd~ 1;,./ orili.'.,. db<rlbed ,h:" .. _ of, dk>cus>ion "" ,Ot c..,.....,_ .. ,,0, M;..J IWJm CD ... (!Io.. Cum", .. ".lQQJ), bo,;c.""co <Om"''''' .. pMl, ..... c,,' "" IOu ..... i. h:" booI.. T' rr;« 314 No""",,:"!!,. Mln ... Hr-:....., J<owy. 2I)1t.).
1N5C)n IhQll'l1 t;rplQin shorlly, l1u l first I ""'nllo It II yuu ~OOUI my Vision. AII~t t;r t momt nt whtn I loci I~ =d5 into my '''md, I C\>wld __ briefly, bUI dtllrly, in my mind's tye---4 dislincl ~ from ~lfOlkr pIlla ~nd time, Now WIlli t~1I1 mill" a ~vi5ion~ll dolt" know. MRybt: i/ rould ~tttr ~ Cillled a pmn""iliolt~, or periurps SCIfIt kind 1I{",u;. VCI prn>ino", Bul it WIn errtllinly indt/iblt, altd IIvwt lilt U(lUllly 51ron8 {ming Ih4I it WII5 aItIIt«led willi my bring MI'r' wilh you /oltighl, IJI me lIs.I: tlKll af tht ""'1fInI ~"e /oltighl /0 ilrl48int for II momtnlllult you WCTt' 1IuIllillle girl in fI(J7idll, \'Yh4/ would you Ivwt chllrgl'd for Ihlll b.:!rgllilt box of pillying cllrds? At this point, the entertainer moves into the audicna, briefly directing the microphone at ead. of several female audience members, asking them to propose /I different price for the box of o rds, After they have done so, it is revealed that one of them- Amelia- has in fact n~med thee;rllCt price (say, "53r) writtenon thesticker affixed to the box, Amelia i5 wn invi~ to join the "'~n ironon lfa &~, where the following conversation ensues .,' AmI!lu., /'d liM you 10 look alrifl/Ily IIIIM:K alrds I~IIII purdJ~, [The en~ tainoer opms the card box, ~ the pack and deliberately spre;uis the otds, chmly 5howing tN.lr fao!S and boK:k.s.] TM ozrds III'r' rtg"'1IT anes: thty 1111 sum 10 ~ 11=, tntd /III dilfrrml, TMy do IHlt If11PtII1' 10 ~ marktd or othmoi51 dIImllgtd in IIny WAY. Wfnlld you /lsr« 11uI1/ht~ is nothing obviously wlI"sulllllboul thun 1 [Sh,c, agrees,l Nuw if I ~fI! /0 IISk you which of Ikst c..rds is your fitvourile, you mighl bt c..ught a liIIlt off-suard. and claim Ihllt you don 'I haw ont, or iust namt the Act of Spades or scme other promintl1l CIIrd in Iht pack, So i/lSttlld, I'm going 10 IZSk you 10 !!tltet !!totral cllllractmstics of playing CIIrdS, to 5tt whal most appeaU 10 you, ThCrt art both rtd /lnd bird; CArdS, Wt~ you to haw a /Awurite, which t:(J/Ollr "",uld it k? [She responds. say, "Rtd. ~l Thel'r' art ftDO rtd ,,,ils in Iht pIId:.' TlIOwd YO" ~ mort indintd to dIcoJt Dismonds~ or "HHrts*l ~Oiamonds *1 'TMft aft Ihirlffll Dillmond ",nh in Iitt pod: JOmt 11ft pictuft CllrdJ, lind $Omt III'r' IIlImbe7s: would 'fO'l Pfffor II pidllrr or a num~r? A numbe ,~ ] Tht~Q~ Un nllntmCArds. t\a lor ant) Ihrough Tm: cOlUidu "'rifl/I/y, lind choost yow r Jiloourite number. ["Silt. ~l So Ihm: aflWOllrite, a rrd CIIrd, lhe Six of DiamOltds, Would you liS- thot /his WQS II complt/tty frn choict on your para [She ~lies, and the entertainer responds as appropria te.] Earlitl'. wIlt n you imagined Ihal you _ tht lillie girl III tht yord S/llt, W<lS t~~ any pilrticulllr Tellson thllt YO" t/rought the prier WQS /11tc en en~iner glances at the price sticker 00 the card !:>oK.] fifty-Ihm 315
w ,r57 [She again replies, d the entertainer Te$pond s approprlately.] So. pci,Qp$ Q simplt roincidtn~. 0 , pr,1mp$ nQr. y",,'/1 rtm~m~r, i'tnrtli", my ;nirinl romlMl'/ ,lUll /11= "'''' " reason for ,"", ""'8'"" p,la. ~ cards Qrt not quite a.5 pri,' illt as Ilfty /lppttI" /Jm!u~ ,11", l ifllt darkhIliml girl in ky West had prin,ed IItr name on ltv fo lX1ll ril ~ ami. And this is whm the "Vision" «gins. ,. You r IIlIJQurilf fard, A, li~, ,5 Ihe Six 0/ Df"mond,; ht/p me fi"d ,11", card in Ii,is park. !The en ds a~ spread again, and the chosen card located and handed to Ameli a.[ "'"d Mil', "" "tlin, for "'t OOltfil if rotryOllf ~ IItrl, pI~ 'u , n l/,i5 c/I,d Ot>I'T and m id for U$ lilt III11m' 01 ll~t 1, lIIt girl wIw signed il. The partkipant reoos the name; it is her own: ~ me ! She is gi ~ with the signed card as a memento of the occasion. and thlll\l<.ed for being a part 01 ""The lS ion~. &hil1 d the Veil: Preparulum This plot. when perfOl"1lled we!!, can be incredibly trong.. though from , mechanistic standpoint is quite easy to execute, A modest amount 01 pre-show prep;!ration is necessary, however. You must secretly lea rn the name of a woman who will be attending the performance"'. There all! many creative ways to do this surreptitiously: ~vesdropping. using informa tion co!1e<:ted for Q&A purposes, examining gul!"St I seating lisls, asking Slaff, etc. Prinl this name clearly acllJ6S the faces of aboul a third of the cards in lhe (sh uffled ) pack"', and across the backs of lhe remaining two thirlh. This need not ~ overly neilt (Ihe ~ is su pposed 10 have been p rintEd by. child). bul don'l make iI Sloppy,either:. as you wan t lodiscourage the notion thai you.5Olllftlow manage to write it i.J> al the 1.M Id..>,~. I,"';II be -... "",od . ,", .. ,be ( ............. "....,..bI, ~ """" ~ .... .... po ..... 01 "'" '-'" rI.,.... ~ >r< """ """, ~"" I.).-.,,.I"I.' _ _ .. "', ~ ... " p. ..... .. . f>."Id o «"u,,· ,Iu. .,h, .. ~ to< obi< .. ",..l '" ",....:I ,,"I. l lS .... oho..ld b< ""' ........ "'~ polo •• , od. .,..,.." ","", of ,hh .-If«, «</ul". ,I.: ... ,it;.;. of • Jo,; ~ d ~...J.. l", ... h" ;og .. ,,...-J,,, .. pply J """ i"" ~'" ...,.." "a.d """",, ' "'' ' ''''''' "'1<1" ,I~ .. ... ;q ..... " ' h" )OU .... .1"')"> r«""""". A...ol V"<1"' II <)" do. ~" th<y'k "' ~ <~ h • .., ""'" r...,., • )1>u", "M. "'" • ~,,*";. ~ u~y !ow ... .>Isc> ~ ""r ..l"" ... ,"1 ,,,..,1, . 0<1 .Jo>I< .... ,,1.0 I"" ~'I ".' ~ "'" 10"'."" ")'PO'''''''''' '" 01"""" ~'''<' ' I,', """ " _ _ 316 ....... on ~"'~ .
last moment. Also, it should bedearly legible to the participant. Print it on the diagonal (as illustrated) in order to facilitate a reasonable spread of the cards without t>xposing the printing. Arrange the cards such that those with the name on their backs are at the front (face) of the pack. while those with the name On their faces are at the rear. Ensure that the rear most badc-marked card (the one immediately preceding the first face-marked one) is memorable, like the Ace of Spades. This will act as a wamin.g marker when you fan through the pacl<., indicating that the remaining cards cannot be spread so widely. Encase the pack in its box. and place a small adhesive price sticker on the latter in a convenient position for later writing with your favourite Swami device'''. Use that device (to ensure that the writing matches) to pre-write a "¢" character on the sticker, leaving sufficient leading space for the eventual in~e tion of a one-or-two-digit price. Behind thf.' Vf.'il: EXf.'cution Much of what mu~t be accomplished in perfonna!\Ct! should now be fairly obvious. but there are a number of importilllt points to consider. The Setup: When introducing the little gul in the accompanying storyline, give her characteristics tha t might reasonably be ottributed to the participant at a young age (eye colour, hair colour/length, anything that could later be seen to suggest the participant, without it being glaringly obvious). When first showing the card box, flash the price sticker briefly, but not clearly enough fOT anyone to determine that it is mostly blank. I do this by pointing to the sticker when I say Nbargain price", placing my fingertip atop the sticker, but leaving the N¢" sign exposed. There is nothing especially surreptitious about this: you are suppcwllO be concealing the price until after people have had a chance to guess it. When soliciting a series of suggestions for the p1.lKhase price, it moy be nece;sary to remind the audience that it was Niess than 2}(,. t .d.",."", ~ ' 1'1'"'''' •. '' ;, <",bI" ;n,e<;><lu<!ioo of ,II< ca<J bo;. .. .. " ly '" ,h< ~,,<o.l np .. p<>i<Ohl, (.nd it·, .1., '" "'y_,o.m."" u";". " ,1>= ;, no ,""I ';n~ imvi<n ..... , '" f'I.y . .. ><I ". '"!'S'>'" '' ,10., .n ~ " "". w> ~ ~ b< ,,,I,,,.). If YO" to.:k , .. li<I<n,,. ,n ,.,." ,;.,.,,'" ,.&j . po<k« wri' ;nJ il .t..,. <I."" 0['<'"' !n, ,t.. """,,,,or), i""~, .. ,,, uf ,t... ''~. '"'I"""U,. 19 ..... ,.< ",lkI ".>tu" '" • e>n.I box. tf....." ... ~ ">ok> """ 'l< ''''~ ('" if ,in'" <Ot»"";"" .!<m.od ;,1 .• 11 d.:m,,,,, "l,u,,1 ,. ,h< t',;", or ,f.: c",b "" b< dIMi .. "..;. ,hough I ,.;.k ,Iw. ,hi. m,lm. ~~ , ,~i<l<Jly ,....tk,~ .Ike, 31
I 318 II dollar" . II someone repeats an earlier guess, point out that this number has already been propooed. and Isk if she could imagin!' another ORe. Solicit tM targeted woman flear the end o r the series,. but not right al the end (you need perhat- 2~ additional guesses to disguise the fact that you are Swami-writing Mr announced number on the price Ill&- and then moving the card box to a more prominent po$ition, w~ it will remain plainly visible until the conclusion of the plot). Remembe r, at this point you are not supposed to know the name of the woman who correctly guessed (1) the price of the (anis. Consequently, p81,1se briefly at an appropriate time, look at the urd box, lind 1liiy something like, HSomwn~ htre s~ id fifty-thr« 'tills (or whatever the a<:tual number]; whD w.lS tI",I?·· When she identifies herself, point out that she got it exa<:tly right,. show the price-stickered box to several nearby prople, introduce yourself to the participant,. and ask. her name"'. Depending on the drrumstanttS of the a~ent,. it might also be appropriale at this time to establish tha t the two of you have neither met before nor prearranged anything. From this point forward, it is important 10 use the participant's name several times in your scripl, especially as yO\.l approach the revelation. in order that the audier\Cf' will recogniu it when it is relld a100d at the fiNk. In truth, the partidpant'l reaction is often enough to drive home the point, but it never hurts to improve the likelihood of recognition. The Revelation; Displaying the d""k in sud! a fashion that the pa.rticip<mt: I. never realizes that 1111 of tho! cards are signed, and 2. is d issuaded from further e-xamination of the cards demands iIOI1\e thoughtful managemef"lt of ~ pack. It's not pMticularly d ifficult, but care IleI"!<is to be taken. Begin by displayi ng the ellrds from the f~ side, fanning them out as you work your way from front to back. As the first two thirds of the ClIrdS have nothing on their faces. yO\.l ~ do this very freely, spreading the ClI rd.5 widely to call atlentiOn to (though not explicitly I\Qting) the absence of any 1.\1. "0"'.-t u n "'."' ...... oJ,.,.. ,hin>;"," "W'" if 'h< .«pon<io .. I< ~ I~' """"5 •• "'~. I,·, !'O>'ihk. I""""" ... , ....... ~ "" in my ., ...... i,,',"", ""' ""' •• "'-''''. 11"'" by •• "kluln, ~" i. di "'~ nl r~"n h« S" .... "'''''' (uwJ ,.... h>i'\'<O<d t. h .... k ... nod Ih< 1.,,«). !r., "itt •• ,,""!. ,JI", ... lh<. linl)·., ........ <>,.! i",....,," ,,.. """ .;p..ll'l' ,,.. ti" "'CirlJ.I ... . hH ....w. ,!..o. "'" iM<fWl«j. Afid ic·, " '" ,1-», ....... , •. ~I,· if "" hlp", '"~ l.oo ""'" NpfI<,...1 '" "'d. ' My God, .... ,. "'Y "'" .,""'. t... .. .rr .. r.....J..~ .... "".
wrillng. Take your time: you want to crealI.' a situati011 tha t falls just ShOrl of boredom (Le., I'IOt actually arriving therel), where the participant has.!el.'11 mough of the cards already, is convince<l that they're exaelty as they appear to be, and doesn'l need 10 5I.'e any more. Don' t C011li n ...... past the marker CIIrd (the Ace of Spades?) at this time. as the cards beyo11d it cannot be 50 widely spread. arod your pamt should be made at this stage anyway. 1hen tum the deck o~r, and d o much the s,ame with the backs of the ClIrdS. Unadorned c:am baeb are even more boring than faces, so it shouldn't take as long to reach the poi11t where the participant is convinc«l that all is fair here; it had bet~r not. as you only have a third of the pack to work with this time through (you can count the cards to ensure that you are not going too fM, or p<'ncil·do t the outer comers 01 the back of the marker card). It may 13k" I bit of experience to develop a feel for doing this in In optimal fashion. bu t it's not at all I challenging procedure. Experiment a bil and you']] find that it's actually quite surprisirtg how freely the cards <;GIl be handled and displa~. The final phase-following the selection of I favourite~ cardis that of revealing the signed card. Again, spre<Od through the pack from the fl~ sidt:, 100king for the chosen c:ard " (encouraging the participant to look along with you). If the card is found in the first part of lhe pack (before pOlSSing the rna.rker card), slide it out md pIlei! it (still fa~ up) 011 the participant's palm, turning the remainder of the pack face down (to emphasize the unmarked back$). Otherwise, continue past the marker card (remembermg to limit tile prt~d of the remaining card~) until you arrive at the chosen one'"'. In this circumstance, puH out the card from the top in such a fashion tha t the b.o.ck of your hand obsru~ it somewhat, preventing a flnh of the niI'me on its faee"', and turning il over 10 lie faee down on the parlicipanrs palm, leaving tM ~mainder of the deck face up (10 emphasize the unmarked faces). Then S('t the deck aside; !he H • . AI""""" ~ 10 .,.....,. .... -.....y "' ."" -u..,vI ........... , t ~'" 10 r..- "'..t..nu " I. do""", "" ... 10 I. I. /; . ... I~l nI "' .... ..,...,J ... 10 ~ _.-It» I~ "'I! 10 """'" , ....... I"t ...... ,_, tM. ""' ........ "'"'s ... mrIr li>lmob: if ,t.: vol", 0/ • •• 04 ~"""u "'"' ..... -mI). di.;"bk .,. ,~ ..... i< b<Io. .... ;., ,Iw IWP , .... '" ,Iw ... " ... i~<" .... I>< , 0 ,. If,.,. kIN_ , _m,>ri"'d .... . you Col. 'ioorlr ... , .. Ii", ,.i.J .. ,w ,link !J?, "'" ~oJ i", '''.-wJ Ik fin'" (f..."..",1=1) "fIl,.,. ,11'"'1 It,. r." 10 ,lut ,",.,. ....... d ,''' , .. I, ,:..: .... ,n. ... K"~"'I' ,! .h< ",l<c,,,l ",,J "oJ 1..( 1"1' i, r..:. Jow", t h,,,, "",...,- tu. ..... i. __ ')' '0 ot.", ... ,M. ><<10. ;" ....... '. ' ,,', . ... ~" pnd<o~ "' to. ,w.,. of """,,.0, l .." 'T.l.,· ..... , ~ ,. '''1''* ,I" (w,;,,,,"_ ) f"",. of <he c.,.J, ift ,t,. ....... 1nifIC ,bI .... of ,he p>d< ( .... IOO"'" ........ ..... <> ... I. 319
I 320 participant hu a card in her hand. and will be unmoti va ted. to further eMamine the remaining cards.. You Ire now poised for the climactic revelation. The ~l\Ouement: Following tM dimax, it is wise to U~ the participant's I\lIme one final time, to emphasize what has happened. I g_rlily invite the aooien(.-(o to, - PIf8St SEw Q lWTm Jllmd to our present·day /tmll;~, 10 tlrDnt I!tr for />rins Q p<lrt of my VtsiOll .•
For the Too kit Dodges for Deception
I
BikeMarks 2.0 (Yel Another Bicycle Card Marking Method, A marked deck can prove a dnastating weapon. . I . the hands of a ki lled psychic entertainer, where s'::;'~~ea:~ ~ somewhat less hkely to be suspeClfd. There are of _ •• . w~rse. many different methods by which a deck can be mar~A~ _ . . .. o . ......... , ever_ changing variety 01 commetdally rod~ d«l<s from whim to choose'''. Fil'$t among my own persona] ail ri a fot' i nuorking system is that it bc one tNl I a n apply myself. Aside from self-5u.1fidmcy ""d fnlgality, this provides three ~ advantage that I COI'\$idtfOf great importance: 1. I needn't worry about my chos.en system d~y be(oming unavailable. 2. I'm able to perform with an easily~, uI'ISuspioOO$ back. design. 3. I've addressed the oil-posited situarion 01 being ~u !Yd to come up with a show "from sa.lIth", l Si5lJming INt my luggage has been lost. stolen. or whatever. 1M sy! i!:>m described hen! introduas no drAmatic .dv ..... tagl!$ over existing methods, but has worked better for me than those aHemalives. and so is offered in the hope thai it might prove similarly useful to others. A marking system can never be Hperled", as its two principal gool5-being easy to ~ad and difficult to detect_ re mutu,Uy exdusive. Consequently; there an! many diffurent ~ with • spectrum of solutions to mata. individual desire (and eyesights). I h, ve de:;igned the -BikeMarks" va lHnents (whith follow in the general style of Bob Farmer's bl"l:'akthrough Fwn;mo: system>") 10 be easily and instantly legible, even from a considerable dist~. The suit elements (whi(h an! of my own design) ue sUghtly less so, though mOn! than you might initially ~su e (and more than those used in the original BikeMar!ts 1.0); the suit marl:J ha~ also been 141. KuI, a...1c' ~ M"-j.rL/t I~i< rr-. MOl} io .... d.oi< .... - boot '" in"""" .... "" din oopO:. 141. IoU. 1· ....... ·• rpoor- .,...... _ ... pt;oowd ill MM;JC ....,... ... 1CU<4OO I~ PI' J6.17 . ...... """_;. ,to.lG.ka...... ...... ("iMol ~ ki_'" -'-'- .. __ , .... J"d<.l-n<oI'!l h ......... '" "",_0. ~.~ .,. ,- 32:
324 moved adjacent to the value marks in version 2.0, to facilitate their sUnultaMOWl perreption with a single focu sof the: eyes. VQ/ ut MQrkings V~ ues (Ace through King) are marked by blocking out elements of the rosette~ to the right of the angel's outstretched arm in !he upper Jeft quadrant of the c~rd. This is done in such. fashion as to aeate highly visible sh~pes thai a~ m.nemoniao!ly suggestive'" of their corresponding VJlues, as folloW1;: ro se tt e p os itI on Blk e Marks Value MarkIngs 143. ·11_ P"""" .io .. My ............ """ .Inp. lor "" ".1."""", Z. 3. 4. 3. ~. 3< 7 .... k< dUJ ............ , ..... Io< .. rd pip), and 1 8.11. 1. J. G, 4< I "'II<" .... " , ...... ';, .• "'_ Q~1y .... '0· pon_ altho .... ~ tIcpb<d).
An Ob~rY ;o : None of these value markings leaves the original rosette unlOUched (as at right). This has the advantage of indk ati ng that each Cilrd i1 actually marked. Of!;OUt5e, a pristine rosettr coold alternatively be used to signify sp«ial cards, such as Jokers. Suit Markings1ff The short, rutwd line just above the roseIte (and roU~ slightly to the left) is used to mark the su its. B«:ause of this,. &single visual focus suffiees to determil'lll boI:h value and suit. Spa~ through aulls Ire indica ted by bloclclng out portions of this ilAt, as shown here (Diamonds are unmarked): I remember these a!lSOCiations by num~ring the bIocked.oot bits from iefllo right: 1 (Spades); 2 (Hearts); and 3 (aubs). Yoomightalso find it useful to note that the red suits are indicated by symmetric patterns, the black suils by asymmetric One!i. Applying the Markings Obviously, ii's important to u se ink that matches the ani colour.. lNJ can be somewhal challcnging. as Bicyde card badts are not particularly oonsistenl when II comes to ink colours. The ta5~$1 solution is to use fine-poinl permanent marking peru.. A standard red Sharpie markcr is actually a not-bad m.lln for redbacked cards. The regula r blue doesn't fare as w\'l~ but harp~ offers a "navy" blu\, marker tlutt;5 clno;er. . suchasthe Better still are the ma rker systems dl'''eloped for .r:~ re~bJe LetrasetTriasystem, which offers hundreds of shades ~ a bit ......... match for red-backed ClIrdS is ~e 485-T. Blue cuds ._ - ~r.."""'''''' 1," ~ ........ ..., ~k .t" .. ·pb ..... - m&Il,!""' ....... wi • ..&:... -'1-....1 .. boll' ..... l~ ~. ·n.... .• M tbr ........ I.0 .......... _,o-! h<f<. ... - 315 "'PI'tr ''''''' ill .... j .. ci<ia. -
326 difficult to match ",,,actly; possible choict$ ItI! 13-T, 072· T, and 548-T. Obviously, one can (and should) ... " periment with av .. ilable colours in olher brands. The downside of all permanent markers is that they tend to exhibit Hoff-colour smearing" when viewed from certain angles, under particular lighting c:onditions. The tltsl solution, thetl!fotl!, is the use of proper drawing inks. l1le$e do not Jeave the peculiar "srnen" that ~nu to be a byproduct of markers. Koh·I-Noor is a good.. widely available brand . Buy one of ~r Ibpidograph tKhnical pens in a site 0.25. Then gtl somt appropriate Ink. Koh-I-Noor lists many different shades and ink form ulations: good places to start are S5i~ " Blut and Vtrrn ilion in their 906S series. Again, e"periment. Finally, card marking should alwa ys be done In. comfortable, welllit working area: the marks atl! tiny, and it's easy to nd ~ "restrain if iOIT\e care ;1 not taken. And don't forget to markbot,o, ends of .... d! card! Four Fully·Murked Examples
Tick Tock Too (Grrd Clockingfor Connoisseurs) Plot From /I borrowed, shuffled deck, a participant c~ a coord by any means, then removes and pocket5 it with no assi.!;tance from the entertainer. "This is QIl txperirnmllo dtltrtn;nt w~lhu or nol I ('lin ~raiUIII ~' ",,";on In :;«;ng the malt of your c~rd fro'" 4mong I~c fiftyont oll1m n!rnQ;n;ng in this PI''*'. Dealing rapidly through the pack, the entertainer brings the test to II successful conclusion by locating the thought-of card. No sleights Or gimmicks al'!! employed. Methodology: The Basics 'I'he t«hnique used to acromplish this plot is a.n old one, d"ting back to 1144, and known-if only superliwlly-to most mentalists. It recently enjoyed a brief revival, bein3 the emtr.l component of Paul Vigil'5 DiplopiaH 2007~ Vigirs exposition, how~er, wu ~ on a Harry Lor.yne method (reviewed below), and dOl$ not represc>nl the contemporllry level of sophistication to which this t~que has been brought. nor dou it suggest the wide tangeof effective pres<!ntations that hpve evolvt'<l II) further disguise the system employed (locating mo~ than one ca rd, not :;eeing all the cards. et~.). The purpose of !his essay is no! to cover all of this e)(haustivelymoll! than one book uists 00 the 5ubjed-but rather to provide a brief overview and inspirational guide to one of lhe mosl effective impromptu mmtal effects ever conceived. In addit>on, I describe seven! Significant improvements that have nol previously been made available outside the Psydtic Entertainers AMociation. ... ~Impro\·ements~, in fad, are the real kqr to this plot.. as the basic method Is too cumbersome and obvious to be much more than" CUriosity. The fundamental, unembellished secrfl, nowevel"; is this: the sum of all card valul'S in a standard (French) pack- treating Jack, Queen. and King as 11, 12, and 13, re5pt<:tively-is 364; if a ard is ""moved, and you sum the remaining fifty-one, the difference between your sum and 364 indicates the missing card. 201(,. '" ,,~"" t",,,,,"<1 ..... .." <Ii ,Ok .... T. d..." ,>b., 'l ""<,.( ,10<1< i"p..,...,.,nb. .... , £"IbI><Ionl u<>do.~ ,.., ",I<-MttI,o\ EpItoa .. - ;. <1></ . . .. .,. 1<)111 ..... ,of,.., ¥ ;". En .. " ......... ......",..,io" 32: jooIm.ol r<;1'<'IIII«JS. 1'I'- 7 ....
This is all very well and good, bu t imprKtica l on two counts: (t) the arithmetk is much too cumber5Offie, llnd (2) it is hard to hide the b et that you are ad ding the card values. TlHi: seo:ond concern i$ a llevia ted ronsiderably by eliminating the fil'St i. ~ rruak.ing the c"lculations so simple, and thus rapid, tNt no one will $I..Ispect the possibility of theiJ" U5e~ and also by ~dressing" theplot properly.lhert a~ ma ny excellent approaches to this, dis<:ll$sed in the references below. ~ essay is mo~ roncemed with the details of the calculation (dubbed ock.i g th~ edr.~'" by Karl Fulves). The original, cumbersome approach is that used in most of the earl y literature (which garnered 54 mentions in Polttr'$ Masltr In dex). An easily·chocked reference is Martin Gardner ~ Sl!minal Malhtmalics, Mligic, and M!lstery"', which should be in your library. ffThe Missing Cud" and NJordan's MethodN, both in its first chaPteI; provide the fundamental idea, along with a clever technique (using your feet!) to a lcutale Suits simultaneously. The notion of Ncasling out 2(lsN is in trod , a hint of developments to follow. The first modem improvement was deso:ribed by James Romdi"', who $Ugge5ted Ncasting out lOs" (i.e., dropping the leading N1N d igit whenever the total exceeds nine). ln thi' system. \heJack,. QuH"fl, and King are tmlted u I, 2. and 3, respecti~ly (as opposed 10 11, 12, and. 13). This obviously (J""eatl.'S a minor difficulty: should your calculations ind icate (say) a missing <!N'valued card, you don' t know for sure whether it's a Twoor a Queen. The benefits gailWd mak.e the strategy worth the confusion, however, as a little "fishing" easily re!iOlves the d iffiC\lJty; this is thoroughly explained- and supported- in both the Lorayne'" and Fulves'" references.. hod ogy: Graduafe School In 1976, Ha rry Lorayne considerably advanct"d the " rllOO, teaching the cou.nt in his inimitably thorough fashion. and offerins numerous suggeslion5 and clever ideas ronceming de;aling methods. s uit determination, Ind ~tricting the oount to cards of one colour only, 147 . ............ ,i ... 01""'....,.. 141. Cnd .. ,·, d • .,;. _ . M. tJo.-t",- ~ • • ..1 MJ*? "oo h , ",,"'''''tcI "" D<w<, I'uWi, .. ,Io", r,.,-"" Yooi.\ .. 1'I%. ...... n it oold ro. 011 01_ .loll .... 249. Rood;, _ hod Un !,o, ,",",,><I I. M>r.in I<>y<', 11>. Hn...-w of M..",/ M"f'< (S",i. ""d O.r. 1975). i'I' ~ll . lSD. H .. 'Y 1.0",,.,.,. .......... n., i'''''''~. Ip ... ·. «ly l""" .. I><d. 197G). ~ • mo",h.ve fo, .",..... i",,,,,,,,, , • .t. .. .... . J, k oI ... ...iIoI>k ,n h. 1 .... a...;,Colk<<Io •• VoIun>t 328 1 (pm . ..q. ~ ....... 20M). PI'- m -l llO.
Introducing Neg.>tive Val ues Mr. Lofl yne also added a significant improvement: noting that s.ubtracting one is easier than adding rune, ht suggested that Nines should be rounlgd as -- \-, Eights as --2-, ~ as --3", and (sometimes) Sixes as - -4". Ren umbering the Court ud~ Harry's vetslon was indeed the "epitome- for some time, and although [ had developed yel ano the r significant advancement. I kept it to mysel( until Karl Fulves published I imi ~r (but IC"Si5 effective) idea in 1m", My own contribution is based on the reali za tion h~t the numbering of court cards (as 11, 12, and 13, or 1, 2.,. and 3) is actually quite arb itrary. Why not, instead, number them so as to make it as simple as possible to indude in the count? The best choices tum out to be Jack . 1, Queen - - 1 ~ ."d King _ 0 (1 0). Kings ca" nowlike Tens-be comp letely ignored during the count. aOO Jacks and. Queens aimply .. dd or subtTact one, respectively. With Ihi.s counting tedulique, over 46% of the cams in the pack are either ignored Or modify the running total by 0lI0.'. It doesn't take much practict' to manage this IS quickly as you can dea l lhe cards. A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 D J Q K +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +, -3 -2 -1 0 +1 -1 0 -4 This new assig"ment of values 001 only enables the fastesl mown count to dale, it al:lO results in both half' pack (such as all cards of one colour) and full·pack sums of zero. 50 a missing card is one whose value b rings the calculated lotal to uro (or ten). This is much easier to reeall than the slnnge totals of tl.e other systems, abetting Larayne's single-colout ide", and making some of the ad vanced dfects in the Fulves book molY easily accomplished=. When this many cudsalY assigned negative values.. an additional nl ~ f ........ ' , .. 5'0 ....... CM.I 1 .. _1I<I1'n",;!k t,.i~ ~ pul>101>nl. 1m);, wi -"~ ,,-..Ii"" ... \I _"in • • numb.. of """'I!.tfc.c" ,,.-•• n""1n& '"""I' of ~hJ<h .. ,I IW!Ic- '''" ,,-, 'w,,,, ,J ,I" ",in,""'. n ... 10<" h,J r ul '"" I>ook ~.n In"",,,", ,"",;,. "" If>< p_''',,,",, ,ol "'O ~ n,., II ~n "ri ~. """'f",kn"' ...... n\ I .... ",ul,Ipto,I"*". ,ik., ....,0,.1 nl.. 1'0;"',· ')""" '"', .... " .. ,,,, .. lor ",0. '" h .. UU"'" "' ...... I"$ .. I""cd"''" d .. pock b.:f"", "","""'"1\- fk ""'" "''''''' ipo<l"" F,.,.., ~.I,m docl<i ... bII, I _ m.......:l ,,,I .. , .koI ~ ,hi<. .. II b ... ~)'O" .... lth If>< p""",,rn ofJiIf,,, .. ,, .. ,;"!I ""-1. Fiw>. 1 ..... ..... IGnp .......... ,h<oI.d ou .. "' ..... , 329
benefit ~cc:rues; u the running total no longer consistently increases, the contin~l casting out of tens be«>mes unnecessary, further 5~ing the count. Avoiding Negative Sums Most people's ability to rapidly sum small numbers slows down significantly when the running total bKomes negative. Starting the count at a multiple of len (twenty, Sily), rather lhan uro, g~a ly reductS the likelihood that this lotal will ever fan below zero. When finished clocking. you can either cast out tens or calculate the m~ing card as the one that brings lhe total to the nearesl multiple of ten, as p~ference di cUtes. Clocking the. Zener Pack All of the!le ideas lend themselves well to the standard Zener pack. and ilS paucity of symbols makes the arilhmetic .lm081 lrivial. Beginning with the standard symbol numbering"', and determining the optimal increment valUQ muen itS with plilying CilrdS. we obtain the following: As with Kings(in playing cards), we canignoreany ~ in the count. TIle two remaining si"glt-P<l1h symbols (0 and 0) add and subtract , respectively (to recall tha t the 0 subtracts, think of il as four minus signs); the two mulli-path symbols(+ and.) .dd and subtract two, respectlvely (irs easy 10 recall thai the + !ign is the one tha t adds; also. the-jooks like three wiggly minus signs). With Zener cards, we cast outfiws rather than tens,. but the S-amt! «mSideration for avoiding negative running totals 5uggeslll that il is better to begin the count with ten (rather than uro), and .. void lhem altogether. As the full·pad< sum is:zero, a missing ard if one whooe villue brings the calculated total to zero (or the neaTe$1 mu ltiple of five). In Summary The d ocking I«hnique described brieny in this eBSl)' (which will become much d earer once you've shldied the Loca)'ne book) u,. t ... .-.I.I>, ~w..ho.;! . .... ,_ 0I.""'.~ . "I< ~ 01", .... ,,, _ "d.S .... ,Iood . .. h~ 330 "f...l.Pc..--.. ""'_"""' ___ (Vai. 12. No. :l, Arhl. 1')80) PI'- I).t • •
represenl$ the current state of the art for a ronsiderablc number of very strong card mentalismeffecl$. lf you wish 10 learn mOre--ilnd I hope I've oHel'!'d a sufficiently strong cue: for you to doso-read the literature, practiCE! appropriately. and you'D Mve some impromptu stunners th,t will last you a lifetime. A Parting Thought I'll conclude by aoo rewmmending Lewis jDnff Twin'" plol, in which ~ participant shuffles a (borrowed, if dtsired) pack. cuts it in half. and chooses a half to use. He peruses this half, then thinks of, removes, and pockets any card within it. The entertainer, after apparently d ivining this mentally SlMcted card. quickly (with obviously insufficient time to be doing any maihematics) attempts to 100000te the matching (~ twinN) card in his half, If this card is found, it is removed and ploilCed face dow"" so both cards can be twned up at the end to show the ma tch; if irs in the other half, the entertainer simply names it Oones supplies diabolical language to make this very Slfflng). Some very simple docking is invol~-ed. but ;t'5 mud! easier than that ired fur a plO! such as ""Di plopiaM (even ;)Os amended abov!!). thus an !!~~Uenl place 10 begin one's adventul'!'s in the use of thi$Skill. 1S4. j .. ~',. "' ...... . oul>ly ri<c>m 'I"';". "'" l>< foood", hi, (\k>IM,hlr ,1,1<0) Imp IWmp 1 (1_. 1"')4) PI' )...S...,.j In b,o """"i .. ,;"" .......... 5rm"Hlo II ... ,," (,;oc.o J(lQ.I) PI' 171>- j~. 33
How to Construct a Forcing Matrix (An Arithmetic Artifice) His/Dry The ford"g matrix concept was first given magical applkation by Waher Gibson in 1935 in a strictly informational deSCTiption. The actual forcing modifiCiition WlI5 put into print by Maurice Kraitchik in 1942. Ot~r notables who subsequently worked with it include Mel Stove(. S~warl James,. Martin Gardner, '"Ioward Lyons. Leslie May, Sam Dalal. raul Hallas. Max Maven,. and Richard Buscil. The forcing matrix need not M a grid of numbe~, but that is pemaps the most ~open· way of doing it. An Example Here's. typial forringmatrix ... I'vecho.sen a 5x5 one, as it seems to be a good size for this, but the methodology will work for any squ~", mQtrir (S.IIme number of rows and columns): 13 8 11 14 19 9 4 7 10 15 10 5 5 11 16 17 121 51823 8 3 6 9 14 To try it ou~ cirdoI OVly number, and then CJ'05S out the remaini.ng numbers in the same row (horizontally) and column venically~ Then drde another nurnboer (one not already eliminated), and again strike out the numbers above, beLow, to the Idt,. and to the right of same. Repeat until aU numbers are either circled (there will eW!ntually be five) or crossed out. Add thecho!;m (cirded) numbers together. Now <:Or><:entrate
•.. r sense that the IOlai will be ... wait a second ... fifty-seven! There are more dereptive approaches than the above method of choosing thenumbers. MaxMavensugge;ted the useofooloured pmciLs (for ~ 5"5 square, five colours are needed; draw a differmtly-col<>ure<i line through each wlumn; repeat for the rows; add the numbers where like colours intersect). J have often used the following presentation: pick an intere5ting word with the same number of (different) letters as the rank of the matrix (say "MAGIC" for the above); write this word across the top, a letter over each column; have the participant rearrange the letters in any order desired. and write them down the left side, a letter to the left of each row; circle the numbers at the intersection points of matching letters. These alternative pres-mtations avoid the appearance of a diminishing (and thus limited) choice of numbers,. suggesting a force. Which,. in fact, it is. It's best if you actually take the trouble to try this for yourself, before reading on to [earn how it works. The result is quite elegant and surprising. even to those with some mathematical sophistication. Construction The above example is fine if you want to foTa' the number 57, but what if your plans call for a d ifferent result? Here's how to construct your own matrix, to force a number of your chOOSing. Again.. I'm using a S~S matrix to illustrate. Select any ten numbers (which we wiU calJ the seeo's) that sum to your desired tota l (I'll use S7 aga in.. SO you can see how the above mattix was formed). For example, 6 ... 1 ... 4 ... 7 ... 12 ... 7 ... 3 ... 4 ... 11 ... 2. Write half of those seeds above the columns of the matrix, and the remaining five to the left of the rows. Then fill in the ma trix by placing. in each cell, the sum of the two related seeds (the one di~t y abo~ and the one on the left), as follows: • 1 4 7 12 7 13 8 11 14 19 3 9 4 7 10 15 4 10 5 5 11 ,. II 17 12 15 18 23 2 8 3 • 9 14 JJ
334 Finally, er.se the !leeds, and you have your forcing ma trix. The seed numben; can be of .ny type (positive, ~ga ive, integers, fractions, ralio a~ irrational). and ind ude dupliClltes. as long itS theM is one for eaen column and row, and their sum is the desired force value. With a lillIe thought, you can now ~ how a forcing matrix works. Eath number in the matrix rep..-nIS the sum of two seeds. When a number is selKlt"<l (e.g., ciJl:led). its associated pa ir of seeds is effectively elimi~ted. because all of the other numbers that we re formed by U5ing them are ... mov~ from consideration. So the five eventually chosen numbers are the sums of five different pairs of seeds, which is the same as the sum of all ten !leeds (Le., the force numbed. !fyau don', object to having a UOTO as one of the grid numbers, it" s postiible to use the swh themsd!Jt'$ 11$ tnlri~ in Ihe matrix. This enables one to mnstruct the matrix directly, without having 10 go back .nd erase the seeds (il abo means that two fewer -.:15 are re<Juired). To construct such I matrix, place a zero in.ny «'0. then fill in the rest of the cells in the wne row and column with the seeds. Finally, fill each remaWng «,II with the sum of the two seeds whose respective row and column that cell shares. Here are two examples of forcing ma lriors constructed in such a fashion : 22 • 2 10 27 3 8 13 1 7 35 19 15 23 40 12 17 22 10 I. 20 • 0 8 2. 10 15 20 8 14 41 25 2J 29 46 2 7 12 0 • 25 , 5 13 30 • 11 16 • 10 I'otnt VMoe _ 100 fM:e .... .-.... _ 50 In the finished matrix, of course, the seed v.lua would not be highlighled as shown here. lhis alternative method doesn't aUow quite as much freedom in Ihe se-lection 01 seeds (an abilily tha t is often handy 10 mak<! the resulting numbers more uniform), bul il can be useful when then' is a need 10 quickly generate forcing matrices. If you want to read more abou l this topic, an ex~Uen t re ference is u~f1n;~go"J nd Olh~r at~ma!icQ! Diwrsions: Tht Firsl Scitll liftc Amm'ClIlI Book of P"u lts and Gnni-tS, by (who e lse?) Martin Gardner, though whal l've described here is enough to lei you generale aU the forcing matrices you'U ever need. Enjoy!
Premise NV (Two Ways Out of Q Performing Emergency) The Title ~ late mentalist Dick OUi$tian 00(e chara(terittd tilt- dooain that many magicians e"pres5 toward mentalists IS I ~jmple case of Npremisc envy". And although lNo title of this particular pie«: win become more meaningful with posi ion.lt is clurly al!oO II play un that insightful ob:iervatiol'l. You'll nM:! to have visited lhe "M<1jor Arcanum" chapter in order for the following 1(1 make <:Omplttt ~ And although it is intend~ more as an tum?l. of duling wilh challenging situatiOlU than as an effect in it$own right. you may find an idea or two that translates to more general utilizltlon. The Premise You have been asked to include "Major Ara.num" in a perfomwra (becau$e ,he client had seen it previouslyl. The client proffers adedL of Tat(lt cards. but nothing elSE is av,Uable; no gintrnlcbd ,,~ fake envelopes, or even dice. How 10 "m,ke do·, and bring it off su«('SSful1y? The Response The missing dice an! no problem.; the ~rt:icipMlt i$ ~~ IV imagine I die (in the fashion of the "invisible deck")' SC"'~ .,.h.... humourous byplay is possible. The diffiwlly aoUe$ '" f~~ J: clean, prop-less four-way prediction ... ., Several types of double envelopt" can be coost"",,:,~ dt~ cutting and pasting. In a situa tion when!- ",...-n Ih~~ ~:--"o( ... :",,~ a simple adaptation of Larry Becker's H,,,"\d~ 1'1" T.Iil~ ~~~ ca.n be used (although it places tT>(Ire stri,,!!,'n! .'\'ll>'tt.w>e<. ' .. ~ ::- handling). Those familiar with thM nwlh,,,l ,,",tl n\lll...... tn.I~ inl1!rior f3ke wall can be eliminated. with <'I n-(,,t two-..J.lil~ . H e>. 1.. Ij,,.j,", 'lOll,· """'''''1''" w" I;,~ ~; ~." ," I.,,, .... - I ... 1(:"",'1' H;lI, 1')7'), ," ~"I ~I~I' .... " .""",1 • M,."n. .. (~ ,,,,h.. . I'll< I. 1'1' l 7 J" I. • •• - •
336 to d;£fe~nt;a " b"twf:efl the front (horizontal) and rear (vertical) prediction slips. This will work belle. with some cnv"lope shapes (and billet siteS) than others. MMajor ArtanumM, how"ver, requi_ a fou r-way QUt~ . Given !hat /In """"lope switch is problematic here, w" must somehow find. way to produ,,", two different results from thfl yme written ~iction pe . The NV Predictiol1 My solution for this seems to me to be reasonably obvious, and I would be surpri$Cd if someone has not <:Orne up with it p reviously (!hough I do not recall having seen it before'"'). A different ml'$sage is written on each side of the p rediction pape r, Rnd the paper is folded in such a way that it can be selectively unfolded to reveal the required result. The lochnique utili"U'S an N-shaped fold followw by a V·shaped one; hence the title. Begin with .n approximately S<:juare shfIfIt of papet of sufficient opacity that the prfIdiction written on 011" side will not be visible when re/lding the prediction on the other. Write /I prediction (MBM) on the uppo!1 two thirds of the paper, then tum the paper over from top to bottom. and write a second p=liction (M AM) on the upper two thirds of the now uppermost side (Figul1! t). Fold the ""per in thirds, folding the top third tOWQrd you, and the lowe. third lfWj/y from you; this y ields an N-shaped £Old whereby "ad, pllMlktion is hidden in a lley" fold (Figure 2). [n practi<:e, it is preferable that the center ~third· actually be a bit la rger than the ot~ in order that the original top and bottom edges of !he paper fall slighUy short of the folded edges; this TY1/Ikes subse<juent unfolding somewl\a t " asier. t \ P~ I .. _-_ .. _-- Praddon 8 ..... ' "",. , t iOll A ------._.- 7" ' .... ' ~ C5l ", 4 FIg .... S ]J7. A .. ·,., oI .. u.. /old I, oko<.i\oal I" Rkt.. .. )10"'0·' ..... ,1 .. 1' ....... l ... .,tn1,,,,,, ("IW -n .. ~ llilk •• r!J z.. ..... PI' III if., .• """"" k. P'"PO''' I, I. loIom"'io<>-5"ktlns <>fI<. "'M' ..... .. _01 ~_dilf<"., y"",ic,""" '" "'>pOI><.
At thiS point (FigureJ), if the pape r were to be unfolded by pulling upward on the foremost edge, the • A· prediction would be revealed. ustly, fold the It'lt half of the- (N-folded) paper toward you and OVl'r to the right (Figu", 4), creating the final prediction billet (Figure 5), approxima tely 1/ 6 the size of the original sheet of piIOpt>r. llK' P\'rpo5e of this final V.shaped lold is to allow difft'rentiarion betwl'l!n the top and bottom edge:; of th." papl'r. Whl'n unfolding the paper to reveal the appropriate pn-diction, do A() In I1IIt continuous motion (ra ther than unfolding the V first, fonowed by the N), by pulling on the dl!$i.w top and bottom edges of the paper, letting the billet unfo ld accordion-style. Remember that if the eXpDSold edge on the insidf of the V-fold is pulled toward the top, prediction ,. A" will be revea led; if this edge is pulled toward the bollOm, prediction hBN will come into view. Experiment with this !If!veral times 10 be sure that you understand the orientation of the writing. and how to produce the desiJl'd Il!'S\Jlt. In pe fo rm n~, 0f'Ia' the paper hAs been unfolded. hold it by the edges 01 the top two thirds, allowing the bollom third to natura lly fold back, away from the reader. This serves the dual purpose of disguising the fact that the p rediction is not writtm in the center of the paper, and helping to hide the p",dictioo on the opposite side. Further h ide the rear of the paper by placing it against the envelope (from whenCE' it came). while hold ing the paper for the participant to read the prediction. All of this requi= care in sight-li ne management on the part of the entertainer, and as such is unlikely to replace h you r fa vourite method" , Nonetheless, ii's a useful technique to a~ in reserve for otherwise challenging situa tions. 3-" I
338 Marker Cribs (Pufectly Positioned/Prin ted Prompters) Cribs-prom tingd~rekmptingsirens("This Is toodifficull/ long/complex to remember; I'll just writ~ it down someplace and read it while I'm perfonning the demonstration ~), but in tho:, I't'ai world they are fraught with danger. The difficulty arisl.>~ from the fact that pt.'Ople ire txlrtmdy adep t at the pen:eptiOll of eye motion, and typically know f!Xoclly where others are looking'''. Mystery ent(!rlainl!T1 Ie.m early in their development about the propensity of audiellC8 to foUow eye movement, but often, in a fog of self-delusion, ignore this Ies9Wl when considering the use of cribs. So a aib-to be deceptive-must be located at a pl.c" (and time) where (and whm) !No entertaiM' would be tzp« ~ to look. In many CllSC$,!l1I.' obviIJ'US ~didal .. location is a writing/ drawing tool.. typically I. fairly thick ful! marur (of the permanent or nonpermanent variety, depmding on the writingS\lrface). And fortunately. in this era of compuler-enabled home-printing IPCimology, an ideal product exists to augment such markers with just such 11 crib: the laser-printable clear mailing label. The widely available Avery brand offer!; such a product in 8 convenient si:re (I x2- 5/8 indu..,), sold in packaged sheets of thirty labels. The company also makes available predesigned word processing templates for each 01 its products, making the layoot and printing of cribs pretty straightforward. be th..y lists of words, grids of numbers (a,!;een in the 8C('(lmpanying photo), or even diagrams. As ~lt markfl-$ will typically not have a sufficiently Inge clea r area over which II) affu the crib, one must be ~ated by removing the existing printing.t the desired ioc;!tion. For plastic-bodied markers, this is easily accomplished with very fine (,OOJO grade) st~1 wool. ~ use of masking-or similal- tape may in some CII!M!'!i be ~ssary to protect areas that you do not wish to erase, ma king for a neater final appearance. If perma n~n t markers are appropriate to the application, the flatprofit" Sharpie chisel tips are ideal, as their shape (and inability to roll) mm'Sit easier both to conceal and orient the crib. l,.. 'Ilu •• biI.,. ...,p i<> "",oII,y ,~ ....",... wbo • .", " "" ... J ......... r."" Y' '' •... "'" • ""'n>. "y. ........... ,J.. ........... ,,(. "'-' ,l(>«I>Ilr r( '''''r _ l00I0. ..... _,.,.1 yooo.
339
I I i I
Musings Personal Opinions On The Art of Mystery Entertainment
On Performance Writings on mystery entertainment lend-perhaps under$landablyto focus on techniques and plots. It is not uncommon to n:oad an entiA! book on the subject without enwuntering a single comment on the ol~r elements of performana: effKt!l, plftentations. chara<:ter, scripting. blocking. d stagecraft. This is no! particula rly unusual, as writings thai target mystery entertaineT~ tend to focus on the mec;hanics of the craft, rather than expressions of the art. Further, as~ such as character and script are (or should be) unique to the individual enterla ine~ dnd broad topics such lIS stagecraft besl left to writings that focw; on those are<l~ of rf rmance. But wlat the audience sees is charadet bolstered by 5O'ipt and p resentation; all else is perceived secondarily, even subconsciously, if at all. Consequently, the most successful enlertainl/I$ will always be those who anchor their performances not in plots and /oreffects, but in the creation of ;ll unique (and maIketablto)cnaracler. Eight Elements of Performan.ce THhn ique: the (often surreptitious) methodology by which the plot is achieved, PM: what the lIudien<:<:> phy:;ically I explicitly perceiv(!$ (I thought of, then named II playing card, afler which he o~ned a box of cards. spread them out. and showed that my chosen cud WllS reven;ed in the pack). Effect: a term beloved by mystt.ryentertainment authoH,. when what they oue usually descril>ing is I>l>I. the effect at aU, but the plot. "The effect is how .udiences ;ltlnJm:l the plot (he interpreted my body language, and reversed the card that he knew I would choose; he psychologic.lly influenced me to select the a.rd that he had reversed; he an foresee the future, and If!versed the card that he knew would be picked; he has psychokinetic skills, and a.usecI the card [ had named to reverse in the pack; he is a cleve r conjuror, and l1)versed the card when I wll5n't looking; etc.). 343
344 Prnentat;on! the form in which the plot is presented \0 the audience, in order to rem.in in keeping with the charactel; create the desired effect. ~nd achieve overall artistic performance goals. Sccri pt: the specific text>" spoken by the enterta iner during perfOrmancl'. Chancier: the pE!l'$(JI1.ility I role portrayed by the entertainer. Ldeally, a truthNI, fully realized, three-dimensional individual, with a rich backstory, someone who appears real, I\ot rea ting. spouting,. or commenting (A good place to start is with the famous seven questions of Konstanlin Stanislavsk.i, Who am l? Where am I? Wha t time is it? What do I want? Why do I want it? How wiU J get what [want? What must J overcome to sel what I want ?). Blocking: the positioning and movement (-crosslngN) of persons upon \he slage, to msure properdrama ticeffed. functional audience sight lines. complementary inte ... ction with lighting design, and IIDmdiITlf!'5 (especially in mystery entertainment) lhe roncea lrru.'flt of le(hnique. Sla8~craft: the technical aspects o f theatrical p roduction. used in support of teduti'll,ll,'5, plots, effects. presentation. and chalader (sound, lighting. scenery, props. warorob@,mak.eup,etc.)"'" As their definitiOl\ll suggest, these elemen", do not stand alone. Each of them affec:ts-and is affected by--other elements. And it is the totality 01 these interoperating elements that defines the perforllUlnre. My point hefe is not to lecture on any of these aspects in detail but rather to remind yo... of their existence, and enC'OW'age you to expend yow efforts in a manner thai befits their importance. 119. M.: ", t»r,kul., would do ... ~ '" «moid<, oj ", .. Joice ulf",," lo r t \W"n; -r •• ,I>< """" ,lo u &,0/, I rn. ~ .,.;_ ~"" "S . lOO. Rop .. I"II • ...,,,fr. ;f J"'I ""'" "'~)'ft ,<ad Ktn W.""',' o<tJIi...t M ........ .. £ . .... 6;W_ ;.(Jc f),,,,_) MlQ fo< ~Iq" ",.,,* /./ .. ""'" ItA.: s.,,_ l9I. """ ... """ ;"11 .... OD p.J . ............. . ............. r kud ,.., ""m -,,,", ... 1r-, ~1o ~ •.
~ !:; ( Chorocter )!:; ..... ~ ~ a. <> ~ 1T ~ u !:; (Presentation)!:; ., u Vl '" <> !T +' !:; ( Effect ) WHEREIN '" LIES + SUCCESS? '" !T c: """ !:; ( Plot ) WHERE DO I u 0 1T EXPEND - !:; ( Technique ) MY a:J EFFORTS? When I!vlIluanng t'..rn of ~ aspKtS of performance. it is wise to k~p in mind the advice offeNd by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936): I i«p ~iz 1w1f~ ' ~nJ "8 m", (Th<'Y la~ghl mt 11111 knno); Tlrt;r Mmts UTe What and Why 1,"4 Wlrtl! And How lind Wht rt IIlId Who . Addressing each of ~ six questions 101 all eight performance elemcnl!l will be a priority for th~ sup!'rior entertainer. Mystery workers should give spedll attention to the "Why?"" question. Why am I doing thiS? Why is this relevant? Why am I 11Mg this prop? Why am I moving here. and in this fashion? Why should my audience ~rel Thus does Il'It'R' performance become art. 345
p 346 On Overthinking I h.oVl! .lways d isagreed with those opinion$, frequently expn"SSed in \hf: mys~ry enteflainment community, along the ~ of "You're o.~;nking thi$", "'This will fly right by lhem", and "Don't ro n when you'~ not being chased." I think that these sentiments are-at their corf'-e :u~ for lazy entertainers and unskilled performances. And I don't granl much credenoe to the .rgument that #I've never been busted." !-low does one know? The great m1l.jority of 1l.udience membt,,(not aU, unfortunately )are fartoo polite to ruina performance by blurting out some inconsistency or peT(e;ved contr.diction. But rve obscrvo!d plenty of post·perlonnana discussions in which it's abundantly dear that the entertainer was not nearly as deceptive as he believed. And even if those audience members haven·t truly "6gu~ it out" (let alone "blurted it out"), there's Slillan importa nt distinction betwl'el\ their being puzzled and being astOWlded. Will ~ be ud ~ members who really d on't give a damn .bout the details of what you do because they think it's aU a giant aock of bull hockey in the first place, and they just wish you'd finish SO they C&ll ~I on with their eveniI1g plans? Sure. JuSt . 5 there will bt those who think that everything you do is touched by the hand of the divine, and they should sell off their children to follow you. But between tho6e extrl':mes lie the greal mB;ority of people: those whose apenences ~ not preordained, but affected by nuance. by su~xt by premise, by context. by story, and by everything else thai comprises the landscape of performance. And not just II few of them ilre inlelligffil.. petOl!'ptive. and curious about what's actually going on. I believe that what elevates art above mere competence is the extn effort pul into thinking-<onstantly_boul lW'Y s;"gu llcntnt of what one does, ;n 1M tiniest detail and neve-r assuming that g can't-or ~· --be improv«l in 50me small even seemingly insignifiant way. Every single word. in every spoken sentence. Every movement Eve ry pause. Every sound. Every motiVition for every am on that you do. y~, this lakes thought, nol to mention considerable effort. And this is why consumma te entertainer Teller on~ observed, "Sometimes IlliIglC;5 Just t;Omeone spending more time on something than anyone fi.5e might re;uonably expect."
1he late Johnny Thompson advocate:l the continual king of questions.. ~nd alway, insistM that ""There are twenty or thirty more answers!n 8",1 perhaps Bro~ l.Icmstein exp~ the rore notion mt "'The worst thing yo", can say about anything you do is: 'That's good enough.'" I don't believe that rve ever met a world-.;:l ass artist- In any field- who doesn't believe this, and beNVe5 accordingly. I don't believe tha t there is nIU illime to stop thinking. And I believe that mystery entertainers are lIIwIIys being chaso.>d. 347
348 On the Use oJ Props in Menta Ism While it is certainly true that much pUI1!H mentalism should arguably be displayed in the at>seflCl' of props, reality (as imposed by the demands of both technique and presentation) often dicta lllS their inclusion. WheJ'1 incorporating a prop into one's routines, it iI; important to ensu", that the prop itself will nOI IIltrac! too much attention, and offer an Heasy out" expl~nation in the minds of the audience: Hit was a trick box/envelope/deck / whatever." I haw IonS fmploy«l two rules 10 govern the use of any prop that I introduce in perform,mce. Fil'Sl, it should not be possible for <I n audience ~ to raise the question, "1 wonder whe~ you could S .. t something like that. w Thai is, props &hould (appear to) be normal, everyday items,. both their identification and /Wlction being dear, WI.Imbiguous,. and undemanding of explanation. Stcond, ~ry prop must be molillQlt d: there must be" clear reason why the prop is ne<essary for the acOOns 10 be performed. In truth,l carry this further: theprop mustlx> ~IFmoliw ld, That is, the audience should be ~ble. on its own, to determine the ~.iIOn for the prop's inclusion; any necessary justification should be made appa r ... nt by th ... action and the plot, not by a tutorial ... xplanalion on my part. My good friend Markus 6<.'ldig would add an additional consideration to this list,. Oil<' that goes beyond the purview of mentalism. extend ing oent~;runent in gen.enl: whatever the prop, is it of sufficient quality that you would be comfortable displaying it in yourown home?
On Extrasensory Perception '1)0 you ll\l~ ESrr el ~ of course ... how else would you explain these wondrous feats that I perform? My tl l«l on that popular acronym Is II bit l'Ionstanda!'d. however. J regard it 115 HEnhanced (or Exrended)Sensory Perception", an in terpreta tion that fits mOM easily with II non-supematural styl", of presenting psychic entertainment. This is very much in keeping with the late Ned Rutledge's suggested view of the men talist as pelU.'ption is ~. Human sensory apparatus is far broader and more sensitive than most people assume; II liUle Otdditklnal knowledge in this a will stand you in good stead when duling with those who insist on knowing - how it's done H • Did you know, for instance, tha i the human eat can detect /I sound that moves the eardrum bad<. and forth only 100billwntlu of II centimeter (about terl times thediameler of the smallest atom)? And then there's that old HfiVl'! sensesH clidw!. Any competent psychologist will happily inform you to the contrary; there are five vision-n!laled senses nIOM~ ach performed by a diffen!nl physical mechanism), and a total lhat incl ... des at least: • fi ve vision senses: mo em t, colo ~ f1 k ker, brightness. 3-D • • • vision three hearing senses: pitch, loudness. Localiza tion six skin senses: cold, warmth, pain. twch. pressu~ vibration II smell sense • II taste Soen5e • thrH org~nic senses: pressu .... , pain,. (deep body) temperatu .... • two kinesthetic senses: position of limbs in space. mu::.."\to tension • two vestibular senses; movement. sta tionary he,'..t p<",iti.", (~seflSC of balance") • several miso:ellaneous senses: time, caus.11ity. inh.'rn"l (JS opposed to actu ) motion, perception, n'CO.lsniti" n. n'\:Jll long-tl!rm time cycles ... not to mention ~rom n "" ;,' ~! Your pn.'!;Ctlta tions might we ll ber>e fi! from yum It>ilmi~ m.' .... "-.,...
350 about these natural abilities (consult any decent introductory psychology te.t~ The long-In'm tinre cyclt sense, for example, is a function of the pino:'a l gland, the Nthird eye" of ancient loll' (which detects light changes and affect:;; sexual maturity, menstrual functions, etc. Some believe that ~ may be interfering with our Tl'I(>t3bolisms by the large 5ClIle use of artificial lighting), As noted theatre arts exponent Professor Davey Marlin-Jones once speculated, wha t we currently refer to as ·psychic ability" may one day be Il'ferred to n simply ·paying attention", Finally, if you do nothing else with this infonnation. at least remember this: the next lime someone asks you if you have a sixth sense, agree wholeheartedly!