Photographic Memories

This is a mentalism item that I came up with after watching my friend Andy Nyman's DVD 'Get Nyman'

Somewhere on that DVD Andy talks about the possibilities of using accomplices in the audience to transmit certain information to the on stage performer. Understand that such plants are not 'stooges' (not that theres anything wrong with that) but rather hidden assistants akin to sound operators and lighting technicians...kind of. You need five photographs of some family members, pets etc, and a large black envelope. Do not show what is on the photos until the end. This adds to the mystery and helps this effect to be less than 'perfect' The fact that you use photos of your own family adds a nice touch in the presentation and patter.

1 Establish a code between you and your friend so that he/she can signal you the numbers, one through five, with their fingers around a drinking glass. i.e: if they hold the glass between thumb and first finger they are signaling the number one. If the thumb first AND second fingers are curled around the glass the number is two and so on up to the number 4, four fingers and a thumb holding a glass. Number five is represented by not holding the glass at all but rather leaving it on teh table or having it in thier lap with their hand over the top.

2 Each of the photographs corresponds to the numbers one to five. A simple way for your friend to remember this is the order in which they are positioned on the table or in a stand. An easy way for you to memorise it would be the number of bodies in each of the photos.

You instruct your on stage participant to take one of the photos and place it into the black envelope. The others you say should be placed face down with the envelop eon top of them. The sizes of all of the items should be designed in such a way that the envelope completely covers the photos once it is placed on top.

3 When they have done this they are to remember the photos image and ring a small bell so that you know they have done this task (the bell idea belongs to my friend the mentalist Mark Mayer who has performed this trick several times to great reactions.

4 You turn around and look at your friend in teh audience. Your friend now signals you as to which photo was selected and you done.

5 You reveal the photos that are under the envelop first one by one and then after that you slowly reveal the on eon the inside.


6 The fact that you did not show the photos at first adds an element of mystery to the effect. It will lead the specs to think that there may have been duplicate photos and switches involved which ofcourse there are not. Still a good place to have your specs though as it is a very good red herring. They will be racking their brains to try and figure out where the duplicate photos went. For this reason it is also a very good magician fooler.

When Mark Mayer performed this trick at 'Magic Mondays' about three years ago he totally nailed Charles Gauci with it. For all the above mentioned reasons you might want to keep it under your hat.

Back From Tas

Well, I just returned from a delightful weekend in Hobart working for John Berry of Cables Plus Tasmania I was staying in a three bedroom unit. My every need was catered to.

I did about sixteen hours of magic from the minute I walked in to the moment I closed my stand up show in the evening and they loved it. Most of the time I was just talking about being a magician, which is part of the deal when you are booked as a guest 'speaker' as opposed to just an performer.

I had a quick speedboat ride to see some wonderful caves and a seal colony (courtesy of John) This morning before hopping on a plane back to Melbourne, nursing a little bit of a sore head.

John was the perfect gentleman and a good example of a man who treats his business seriously and his clients and guests with respect

Roving Aces

This is a fairly easy ace cutting sequence that I do in roving.

1 Loose, and control the aces to the top via your favorite method.
2 The first ace comes into play via a simple false cut. As I do this when I am roving the cut I use is the 'Classic Pass False Cut'. Show that you have cut to the first ace. Pretty easy so why doesn't the spec try to find the second one for themselves.
3 As you say the above take a double from the top. Face up ace, and face down ace back to back. Riffle down the end of the deck and get the spec to call stop. Wherever they stop insert the double. You say "face up as a marker" You spread through to reveal that they have stopped at the second ace.
4 Outjog these cards and at the same time get a break under the top card (third ace)
5 Move the two face up aces to the top and do a simple sandwich load of the third ace between them. Cut them face up into the deck.
6 Pass them back to teh top. It looks like they visually rose bringing a card between them
7 Stick the three aces up aces in an outjog position.
8 Do a double lift and say, "The last ace is always difficult. It actually isn't the ace at first. Turn the double down and lift off the single face down ace. Place it into the outjogged cards face down and pull them all out of the deck.
9 Place the cards between the specs palms and have the X card transform into the last ace whenever you like.

DIY

Through a lack of being able to procure the correct kind of re-fill paper I found myself making a 'Cardiographic' pad from scratch this morning. For those who are not aware of how unenviable this task was let me just say that Cardiographic is a perfectly balanced example of 'impossibly annoying to re-set (verses) fantastic reactions, ratio. Having said that, remember that I did NOT just re set it...I MADE a new one.

The thing is now complete and working very well considering I cannabalised about three pads/spiral binds/covers to make it. Cardiographic is a joy to perform and never fails to get anything less than a great reaction. After I had shouted at my wife several times during it's construction I calmly told her that it was all worth it......for whom exactly I don't know.

The plus side of making up a Cardiographic for myself was that I was able to transpose it to am A4 size pad, much better for my roadcase. BTW If you are going to reduce the size of this trick to A4 don't reduce the size of the gimmick/drawing. Keep that the sam eas it looks more impressive when a 'big' card starts to rise out of a 'big' picture. When Copperfield did this trick he used a massive pad and it looked great. When most of the people doing his exact routine, even down to the music
up loaded themselves on You Tube as raging plagiarists they used regular sized pads.

Rainbow

A Routine with the Rainbow Deck.

You need a rainbow deck for this. It's not quite the same without one.

Place a blue card on the top and a blue card five cards up. Also place one on the bottom
1 Take out the deck and spread it face up between your hands.
2 Take the last six cards form the top and turn the rest of the deck face up on the table, next to the blue box. As you do this pull the bottom card out to the side a fraction. This (and the fact that the cards are next to a blue box) helps to sell the idea that it is a complete blue deck.
3 There should be six cards in your hand, the upper one is blue.
4 execute a Rhumba count to show all blue back. The cards are dealt face up on to the table.
5 Ask a person to name one.
6 Push it forward
7 Turn the deck face up and place it in the box for later
8 Pick up the remainder of the tabled cards and kiss them to the face of the selection.

9 Turn the selection over to show that the colour of the back has changed.
10 Kiss the selection to the rest of the packet and turn them over doing another Rhumba count. Tis shows that the back of all the others have changed to a third colour.
11 Kiss all of the cards together again and deal them singularly to the table showing six different colours.
12 Climax by showing the deck (inside the box) has changed colour too.

Dean's Gypsy Curse Routine

I have always been a great fan of Peter Kane's 'Gypsy Curse'. I actually consider it the best packet trick in existence even though it is essentially just a re hash of the classic Wild Card. I first sterted to perform it when I was 13 and I can honestly say that I have included it in almost every close up show that I have done. That's a lot of performances of one trick. My presentation for it has enjoys several incarnations over the years. The one I present here is the way I currently perform it. It is also worth pointing out that, of all the effects in my repertoire, Gypsy Curse was always my Dad's favorite trick.

In addition to the GC cards you will need a Himber wallet that they fit into and a $5 note.

Place the $5 and the GC cards into the wallet in such a way that the cards are in one side and the cash in the other.

1 Take out the cards and perform the effect up until the moment that the three apparent black cards are on the table (the rest of the cards are in your hands)
2 Ask a person to name where they think the back card is. Whatever they say ask them if they would be willing to bet $50 on it. You can now have as much fun as you like trying to get the money.
3 Place the money into the empty side of the wallet and close, reversing it on to the $5 side.
4 Say, I'll give you a clue it's one of the cards on the table. At thsi point reveal teh cards in your hand as four blacks.
5 Place the wallet down on whichever card they nominate.
6 Turn over the card to show that they are right.
7 You now say, watch me though because I cheat. All these cards are red. infact so are the cards in my hand. This renders the trick a fraud so all the money needs to be kept for poilce evidence. But here is something for your trouble
8 Open up the wallet and give the guy the five.
9 When you think the time is right you say. Actually these cards are worth about $50. Would you rather the cards or the cash.
10 Place the cards back into the empty side of the wallet and magically change them to the $50
11 I usually use a bit of time misdirection before I reveal this. It's a little too perfect if you so it quickly and looks like a trick wallet. I usually put the $5 away in the pocket, plus the pen I have used to get him to sign the $50 and then do teh reveal.

DA

Flash Eight Ball

This is a trick that I do all the time in roving.

You need a deck,some Flash paper, a lighter and the eight ball.

The whole lot is inside your right pants pocket.

1 Force the 8 of S and Control to the top
2 Reach into the pocket to take out the lighter and at the same time palm the top card in there.
3 Go back in for FP and also palm the eight ball
4 Say was your card a black eight, they say yes, you say was it this one?, burn the FP and chuck the eight ball in teh air at the same time. It looks like it just appears there.
5 They say, WOW, but no wormg mine was the eight of spades. Have them go through the deck to find their card only to discover that it has vanished.
6 Go back into the pocket for more FP and at the same time re palm the card.
7 Produce the card with the FP in a similar way.

February 09

I booked my first gig for feburary2009 today,(I have bookings for Jan and March already too) A roving for the pre-dinner drinks portion of an event at The Palladium at Crown. I love the Crown function rooms and I have worked them many times before. The area outside The Palladium, where the cocktails occur, is a nice large open space to rove...with lovely plush carpets to boot.

Big Gig In Tasmania

I spent this evening starting to write up a checklist for a gig just outside Hobart on Saturday. I have a new table since the last time I traveled interstate and I am trying to figure out how to protect it whilst in the hold of the plane. I booked this gig about three months ago and it's come along really fast. I really love getting on a plane to go and do a gig...it feels very special. I'm performing for a client during his annual client thanks and get to spend the entire day Saturday at the retreat where the gig is taking place......maybe a massage and a spa before my show in the evening? I'm really looking forward to it. It should be lots of fun.

Flash Matches

WWW.DEANATKINSON.COM

This is a short, interactive routine that I have been using in roving situations for some time now. You will require a deck of cards, a marking pen, a piece of flash paper and a box of matches. the deck is in your hands. the rest of the gear is in your right pants pocket.

1 Have a card selected.
2 Reach in for the marker and have the spec sign their name on the card.
3 Place the pen away.
4 Control the card to the top.
5 palm the card away from the deck and conceal it in the pocket at the same time bringing the matches out. Place the deck aside for a moment.
6 Hand the spec the matches and request that they take one out of the box.
7 Reach into the pocket again and re palm the card, also taking out the flash paper at the finger tips.
8 Ask the spec to light the match and take it from them in your left hand.
9 Burn the flash paper and at the same tiem push the palmes selection upinto the fingertips. The card has appeared in a burst of flames.
10 replace the card in the deck and control it to the top again.
11 Once again palm the card into the pocket whilst removing flash paper. When hand is inside the pocket you quickly fold the card into quarters. When you remove the hand the FP is once again at the fingertips and the folded card is concealed in a Ramsey palm.
12 Request that the spec empties all of the matches out of the box. Place the deck aside again.
13 Take the empty match box box from the spec and place the FP inside it. before you do this though secretly place the palmed folded card in there first, The FP resting on top of it. Leave the box half way open.
14 Have the spec hand you any match. Light it on the box and then drop it on to the paper inside.
15 When the flames subside you can reveal the card has magically appeared in the box.


Dean Atkinson
15