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Mr Amazing Special user 617 Posts |
Dear Mr Strivings
What impression do you want the participants to have of you? Where do your powers stem from? What would you say if you were directly asked about this e.g in an interview? As I see it, there are a few main "impressions" that we can give the participants: "This is supernatural" (as in "can't be explained with ordinary science". "I'm psychic", "it just happens" etc.) "I have super-sharpened skills" (e.g "deep knowledge" in e.g "psychology", "body-language" etc) "I'm doing tricks, albeit with the mind" (i.e tricks as in a relatively simple secret method, just as there is a secret method in most "regular magic") (Any more?) I haven't personally seen your performances, but I understand the latter approach isn't yours. (BTW - should we happen to go into a big discussion, let us not go into the ethical issues in this thread. This is a very big topic as it is already.) How do you go about to convey your desired impression? - What are your criteria when considering/evaluating effects? When writing scripts etc? Are there any particular moments in your show where you directly talk about your "powers"? Any disclaimers, or claimers? Sincerely, Matias |
Mark Strivings V.I.P. 290 Posts |
I guess the most important element to me in my performances as far the impression I wish to leave with my audience goes, is my own personal mindset. I approach everything I do in mentalism as if it were real. In my own mind, what I am doing is real, even though I'm going through whatever mechanics and histrionics are involved to achieve the effect. For those frowning right now, and you know who you are, this exact same mindset should probably be adopted when performing regular magic, too! What you are thinking WILL telegraph to your audience on some level!
Anyway, back to the story. In my mind, it's all real. I do this simply so it is properly motivated and conveys the exact impression I want with no ambiguities. All mentalism and magic will play stronger if some form of this mindset is adopted, trust me. I'm not trying to convert anyone in my audience to any way of thinking. They come in to the show basically believing whatever it is they believe about this stuff, long before they get to me. I'm pretty squarely in the school of thought that does not use a disclaimer. By that same token, I don't claim anything, either. I just go out there, do it to the best of my ability, and let the chips fall where they may. The only time I do use a disclaimer is if I feel that the job itself is best served by the use of one. Most times, there are strong business reasons for this, which we won't go into right at this point purely because it's really of no interest to the vast majority. The rest of the time, however, the above stance (or lack thereof) is what I use. I want material that plays strong, has plenty of room for interaction with the audience where I feel it's appropriate, is easy of execution and is fun for me to do. The only 'powers' I ever claim are those that are readily proven - trained memory, lightning calculation, etc. Beyond that, I just do it, collect my check and go home. Mark
Mark Strivings is the owner of the largest all-mentalism mail order supply business in the world, "Mental Connections", carrying materials not available anywhere else. For complete info, drop Mark a line at MarkyApril@aol.com
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