Well, im wanting to get into mentalism...but i find a lot of it boring to watch. Some effects i really like but i think that i have simply been exposed to a lot of (i dont really want to say bad...more like dull) mentalists.

The things i like are "I have a prediction here, bam it matches what you just said"

What i see a lot of is "watch as i dealve into your subconcious/i will enter your mind and find a thought/some boring 20 minute story about things that happened and will happen....and somehow have to do with your selected card..."

I cant really portray what i mean here, but it just seems like a lot of mentalism is quite simply put, boring as h*ll to watch. It takes forever and ends up with a "eh, thats kinda neat" ending.

I want something powerful and something that seems realistic. If you could really read minds why would you be demonstrating it by revealing a thought of card...thats just a meaningless display.

I hope im making some sort of sense here...its hard to really get across what im thinking. Any sources you can recommend/tricks that you can suggest that fit the above categories please feel free to post them =)

Thanks again!

-Silvernail

The two that are always suggested:

Practical Mental Magic by Theodore Annemann
13 Steps to Mentalism by Tony Corinda

A combined 734 pages of mentalism from two masters. Learn all the principles within, learn a few good effects to get you started, then make whatever you want with what you've learned. You can create the illusion of any effect you want, just by reading these books and using your head.

-JT

Well you have to captivate your audience, like everything there are bad mentalists, just as there are bad magicians.

Most mentalist talks a lot before their effects and that's the art, magic is more an external and visual experience, while mentalism is more communication, inside thougths and speech.

If you only show the effects, mentalism alone is not the awnser.

Take Max Maven per example, he talks a lot before each effect, and while the effect is going. But he always captivate his audience.

I have been doing 30mins with three effects.

The two books reccomended is what you want, 13 steps is out of stock here (last month I think they loss 500$ on this book, so many people who wants to start mentalism).

The rest will come with experience!
Max.

Max nailed it. Unlike magic, mentalism is not a visual art. The skill in mentalism is more in creating a captivating presentation than being able to do the trick flawlessly. My question to you is...Why do you want to start mentalism? You say that you find it boring...why do you want to do it?

So true, and it's even more then two masters, from 13 Steps alone, we get effects and theory from; Punx, Fogel, Dunninger and even more great mentalists!

It's a good one, mind you - those two books are a must read, but getting a DVD from, say, Osterlind wouldn't be such a bad idea, because it's good to see a visual how mentalism is preformed.

Pauldela

Which dvd from Osterlind is the best?

I hate that question, lol. What is best is all subjective. Osterlind has about 15 DVDs or so. Different DVDs contain different types of material. It really depends what types of effects you are looking for.

Just read the description of the effects and see if they fit what you are looking to do.

I own 11 of his DVDs and I love them all, although some more than others.

Osterlind's Mind Mysteries Volume 1 is universally thought of as a great DVD, so you can't go wrong with that one. If you like mental effects with cards then go for volume 2, which is his Breakthrough Card System.

Then he has DVDs with spoon bends, fork bends, blindfolds, calculators, etc. You can't go wrong with any DVD as they are material Osterlind performed for about 20 years before he decided to put them onto DVD. It all depends on what you are trying to do, so just read the effects list and descriptions.

It's up to opinion but to me....Mind Mysteries #1
I wrote a review for it a while back - http://www.penguinmagic.com/discuss/vie ... df7b4342b7

I would actually say that this bad mentalim myself. The twenty minute story might be over kill but you have to allow time for the magic to happen. There has to a be process, something the people can take away. You might as well say "pick a card... the three of clubs." That's just not good magic. It's just a little puzzle that they'll think about. If you don't talk to your spectators, get into their heads and build suspense then the climax won't be very good at ll.

That's a really good point. I personally like alot of bizarre presentations and I find that it is the talking is what really interests me. So I can't exactly say I understand your point of view. Have you checked out Derren Brown's approach to mentalism? I think you may find it refreshing.

I know its a bad question But a good awnser tho
I will take your advice and look into it.




Great review, this one comes on my wishlist.

Mentalism can actually be very visual depending on what effects you perform.

While mentalism will always play with the mind in some psychological way, the results of this can often be from something visual that captures your attention in some 'mental' way!

'Fruit salad' anyone!

Thanks for the help guys. I never said i disliked mentalism, but what i dislike is the way ive seen in presented. Last night at our IBM ring meeting, someone had a spectator select a card, it was shuffled back in. He proceeded to talk for 8 1/2 minutes about the sands of time and the subconcious mind...then he found the card.

Granted that is probably the worst way to do mentalism, but i see so many people do it that way. I guess its all just in the performer, but half the stories i see have nothing to do with whats going on.

I was mis-understood in what i wrote, i dont want mentalism with no presentation, but i do want something that will be interesting to the audience because so many of these pointless and unrelating plots will bore the spectators to tears.

I hope i clarified a bit what i meant, and thanks again for all the help!

-Silvernail

Mentalism is tricky to open up, but its very simple. You are not a mentalist, unless you are a showman. if you cant present it, then you will not be a mentalist. the two books (13 steps and practical magic) are your best resources as well as max mavens prism and other stuff. I reccomend to you, luke jermays emotional intelegence so you can do the routine and strip away all the good stuff and make it your own (by adding comedy, jokes, sequences ect) and sankeys 20 blows to the head. his stuff in this dvd is very unique and isnt at all dry

Well i didn't see this presentation so I can't really be sure but yes that sounds really really bad. The patter/presentation section of 13 steps has a section devoted to timing and the length of your script is important. It should be long enough to create drama and build to a climax (ie longer than bam it matches) but 8mins of droning is going to bore your audience and for the sake of a card revalation it seems fairly pointless.

I have two lengthy scripts centered around revealing a forced card but there about 3mins each tops. One is where I am apparently reading facial ques first divining colour then suit then value and the second I talk about numonic memory systems and how they can enhance your memory to photographic levels before riffling through the pack and telling them which card I didn't see.

Both are no more than 3 mins after all there's only so much you can get from revealing a thought of card. TBH I think the mindpower deck is one of the best tools available for anyone doing mentalism with cards. (yeah I'm rambling away from the point now oh well) you can easilly divine several though of cards at once without having anyone remove them. Spread the deck let them look close it up put it away and begin. Quick efficiant and fits into any performance style you care to mention.