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Joshua Lozoff Inner circle Chapel Hill, NC 1332 Posts |
Hi friends,
As I described before, the second act of my show this past spring (which sold out all 17 performances and ended up on the list of the 10 best theater shows for the year) was mentalism-themed. This is the piece I am most proud of, and perhaps the one that had the greatest number of folks talking about it afterwards. Please take a look and let me know what you think. I had to break it up into 2 clips: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=......14&hl=en and http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=......28&hl=en These clips are NOT public, and meant for magicians' analysis only. I would really love some feedback. It's the piece in the show that's the most original to me, I think, and the one that has potential to develop into something even stronger, perhaps. Thanks, |
Pauldela Special user U.K 882 Posts |
Your so natural, I aspire to be a cool as that in front of an audience.
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lostpoet Special user 610 Posts |
Hello Joshua,
I liked that piece, a very interesting approach to the P *. I agree it has more potential but as is I found nothing wrong with it. Well crafted and a very good presentation. An effect like this helps set a mood for others to come. Though its lite it’s also a major effect because of total audience involvement. Nice use of the stage setting and projector also. Well done. I’m about 65 miles from the Triangle. Maybe we can meet up sometime and talk further. Keep up the good work, Ron |
Michael Peterson Inner circle is where I'm trapped, because of my 4071 Posts |
Beautifully presented effect!
Thanks for sharing Josh Mike |
Michael Paul Special user 535 Posts |
I think it's beautiful. Seems very Derren Brown inspired. If you haven't seen his take on this concept, I'd suggest having a look at his pacing for the reveal, as it's very powerful.
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Joshua Lozoff Inner circle Chapel Hill, NC 1332 Posts |
Thanks so much for the comments.
Michael Paul, Is there a particular Derren Brown piece you're thinking of? I love his stuff, and would certainly love to study a particular piece for help in strengthening this routine. Ron, anything in particular that struck you as a way to improve? I have no ego when it comes to improving my work. Criticism doesn't even have to be constructive! I'd love to hear all the good and bad. (Also, perhaps in a PM, I'd love to know what word you meant by P*. If this effect uses a specific method or theory, I may not even know it!) Pauldela, I really appreciate you comments about my "natural" quality. Lots of work to look that natural! I was a professional actor for many years. And even with that background, I spent about 2 months with a director working on the presentational part of this piece. I truly can't imagine doing a theater show without a director. Anyway, thanks so much for the comments. I would love to hear any feedback that anyone has time for. |
cpbartak Special user Mooresville, NC 941 Posts |
It reminds me of this derren piece: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyQjr1YL0zg
Some people hear voices.. Some see invisible people.. Others have no imagination whatsoever.
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travisb Special user Vancouver, BC 546 Posts |
I think Michael is referring to the end of Something Wicked This Way Comes, which was on YouTube last time I checked. But c'mon, surely you've seen it!
First off, well done! I liked it! What an accomplishment to have put on a professional show like that, and the whole production looks great. I thought the script leading in to the effect was intelligently written, which I liked. I thought your idea of getting the whole audience involved was a lot of fun! The audience clearly enjoyed the moment where they all raise their hands. Also, your script to throw people off track was clever. The line about Kermit was great. My only serious complaint might be that the method for achieving the effect might be a little easy to reconstruct, clever though it is. I'd be curious to know what kind of feedback the audience had about that. Were they, by and large, fooled by it? I can imagine that it would get by some, but it seems like anybody who was able to hold more than one of the phrases in their head would probably be able to put it together. The lesser criticism is that you might be able to put a little more into the video reveal at the end. Again, the Something Wicked... clips with Derren doing it are really well paced and quite funny. You get laughs during yours, but it could be better, I think. Perhaps if you were to talk over the clip yourself, rather than the text on the screen doing the talking? But I want to end by saying that I really enjoyed the clip. I'm inspired, actually! Well done! -Travis |
MagicB1S Inner circle Knoxville Tenn. 1039 Posts |
Nicely said Travis,
However I also enjoyed the clip Joshua you are a fantastic magician and I would love to see your show live if I ever get the opportunity
"There are Tricks To All Trades.... My Trade is all Tricks"
"An amature practices until he gets it right. A Professional Practices until he can't get it wrong" www.Themagicchest.webs.com bobswislosky@yahoo.com |
Pete Legend Inner circle Ireland 1401 Posts |
My twin brother watched this clip and like me when I first saw you He instantly thought of Robert Downing Jr Your style is soo laid back,very relaxed and totally easy going which totally puts everyone at ease and yet gives you lovely stage presence.At times I feel like its a mini lecture though a very very entertaining one..almost like a performer from yesteryear who has brought back at artifact from the east and who wants to tell us and show us its unique properties Also as someone who performs in comedy clubs I appreciate some of your lines and natural delivery to so certain parts
The piece itself is nice though hard to judge it cause it depends where its placed in your show.Its a lovely lead end effect.Your script is beautiful and very original which I liked.I think everyone there would have got drawn into the presentation.Now in my opinion the actual effect is really really nice though perhaps as a closer would be lightweight though as a lead in to another suggestion piece would be great or may even play better after a one and one suggestion piece...tie the two together to complete a longer/stronger routine...even Paolo Cavelli's ECP Principal could fit nicely in this presentation(The piece can be found in his book Sigma) The method I think in my opinion is strong.You threw in a few subtle verbal convincers that does give it layers.I love way you used the projector though you could gotten more laughs if you played with the camera during the recordings..as seen in Derren Browns piece..where he gives a wink to the camera behind the spectators back Also those recordings of you on stage were they done live on the night or pre-recordered? If they can be done real-Time I'd have few of them done with actual spectators on stage with you..would give a more real-time flavour to them and I think would deff overall add to the sense of theatre and sounds funny but would make it stronger in my opinion.Audience loved the piece that's clear so its a winner but maybe little things could even take it further I really enjoyed it! Really god work as always Thanks for sharing! Pete |
Joshua Lozoff Inner circle Chapel Hill, NC 1332 Posts |
I appreciate all of the comments. I just watched Something Wicked all the way through, or at least the 8 clips I found on youtube. First off, it was a great show! I'm a little shocked at how similar the theme of the ending is to this effect of mine. The effect is totally different, of course, but the idea of implying that you used subtle psychological hints throughout the show, and then show it to the audience on video. I feel like I'm in good company!
To be honest, And I know I'm going to sound off the wall, I think my effect is stronger because people really are choosing with their minds. When we were developing this piece, we tossed out anything that ended up being a random pick, because it would ruin the claim of a subconscious force. Words from books opened at random, picking a slip from a bag, etc. I think one of the reasons Derren has to talk so fast is because there is no logic to his claim. Ripped pieces of newspaper? A page chosen by another page, and a person selected by another without any knowledge of which paper she had, or whether that word was in that paper? That doesn't hold up even slightly! I admire his guts to claim he influenced people with that convoluted a process. Travis, I think you're right that the video reveal could be a lot more fun. That's one thing I really admired about the piece from Derren Brown: He talked over it,he got excited and walked around. Much more fun than mine. Regarding your comment about the "method" maybe you understand something I don't, because I don't even see a clear "method" in my piece. I mean it's loosely based on Mental Yarn, except people really can choose anything they want. I mean, "City Skyline" really does lead to Dylan or JP Morgan as directly as to the force. "On a mission" could be the force or Nelson Mandela. But it's a cumulative thing. 7 out of ten phrases just lead slightly to my force. 3 don't lead there at all. In my opinion none lead directly there. But maybe I'm not seeing it clearly because I've been working on it for so long. Which 2 phrases do you think people could hold in their heads that would lead them to think they were forced to pick S*******N? I did listen to people talking about the effect afterward, and some were convincing each other of that. And some felt unique in their choice. One person told me she chose the force. I asked her what her phrase was, and she said "turned upside down." I said, "What led to you to S********N from THAT?!" She said something to the effect of, "I'm not sure. It just popped into my mind. Maybe because he was upside down in a scene from the movie, but that's a real stretch. I guess it was the things you did to influence me." Also, on a related note, if anyone DID feel manipulated into choosing the force, they can look around and see the 20-25 people who didn't choose it. If someone says, "Well I had 'on a mission," so I had to pick S*******N," someone else is there to say, "I had the same phrase, and I chose Nelson Mandela." If anything, I hope talk and comparison after the show strengthens the effect. Maybe... I would LOVE to record the show live each night. It would definitely be more fun for people. I think Derren has a bit more money than me to have a cameraman and editor backstage. Maybe someday... The piece goes second to last in the show. I never would have thought you could close the show with something that requires such a long explanation to appreciate the magic. But obviously Derren Brown has proved me wrong. If I can ever make this effect play as strong as his, maybe I'll close with it. Wow, I'm really impressed by the reaction he gets from that piece, especially considering how thin his claim is, in my opinion. Now for my next challenge... I would like to do a version of this piece in my portable show, when I don't have a screen and camera. I could do the piece about the same, but I can't think of how to reveal all the psychology to the audience in an entertaining way. I could just stand there and tell them, "remember I did this, and this and this," but that would be pretty lame. I may make up some sort of paper program and have hidden messages in the program. That could be fun in a Da Vinci Code kind of way, but not as much fun as watching a video. Any thoughts? Again, I want to thank you all so much for taking the time to watch the video and post your thoughts. It really means a lot. |
Chad Sanborn Inner circle my fingers hurt from typing, 2205 Posts |
Awesome! Keep up the good work and tell the rest of the gang at the Corner I said HI!
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Joshua Lozoff Inner circle Chapel Hill, NC 1332 Posts |
Hi Chad,
Great to hear from you. I'll pass along your regards. Hope all is well. Thanks for watching the clip. Josh |
travisb Special user Vancouver, BC 546 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-11-28 14:17, Joshua Lozoff wrote: Well, I guess I should just talk about my own experience, which was that as I watched I unconsciously retained "city skyline" and "turned upside down", and when I saw Spiderman I thought, "oh, I get it." Then I was able to think back and remember "on a mission", and that was enough. I just went back and watched it again, and there is definitely some smoke, I just wonder if it's enough for somebody who's trying to crack it. Although, I can definitely imagine people talking to each other after the show and convincing each other, which I think is great. BTW, I (believe it or not) agree with you that in some ways your effect is stronger than Derren's. I love the whole audience being involved and getting to make a "free" choice in their mind, and your effect is a much more direct and plausible demonstration of the power you're allegedly displaying. Also, the misses do lend credibility. Again, very inspiring, thank you for posting the clips! -Travis |
Joshua Lozoff Inner circle Chapel Hill, NC 1332 Posts |
Thanks, Travis. And I hope you don't think I was being defensive. I do get your point, and of course the phrases were designed to force the force, so I don't mean to play dumb. I just think (hope) that each phrase really doesn't FORCE people to choose the force, in as force-y a way that Mental Yarn does. But I'm always refining, and truly appreciate your comments.
By the way, my wife's family live in Kelowna, BC, and we hope to get up to Vancouver sometime within the year. Perhaps we can meet sometime. Josh |
Mr.Crebar Loyal user 231 Posts |
That's was great! Well done.
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ttorres Special user Rock Hill, SC 513 Posts |
What a great show. Very well writen and presented. Thanks for sharing.
...the magic that creates Memories!
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Joshua Lozoff Inner circle Chapel Hill, NC 1332 Posts |
Interesting, and helpful for me as I plan future shows, that no one has mentioned the UV light revelation. The amount of money and time spent in planning that was really beyond the payoff, I think.
It was fun, but a lot of work, and it doesn't seem to have contributed significantly to the effect. I think the raising of the hands is the main reveal, with the video being the "explanation." The UV kind of fell in between the two. Don't think I'll bother with it in the future. |
Dr. Eamon Inner circle ------------John Dream------------If you can Dream it, you can Do it! 1313 Posts |
Very well done!
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Eddini_81976 Inner circle 2183 Posts |
That was awesome. Yes watching this I kept thinking of Derren Brown's Newpaper and Advertising effects. Not sure how it was done but I'm sure *L* was at work....lol, I don't know, great staging, presentation, EVERYTHING, Ed, (Eddini), C.H.
"Treat Others As You'd Want To Be Treated" - Jesus Christ
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