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Pakar Ilusi Inner circle 5777 Posts |
Both from your experience and taste, which do you prefer to watch?
I have seen both approaches and I prefer the serious approach (ala Derren Brown's). The comedy-heavy approach makes it seem more like a Magic Act to me as opposed to a Mentalism/Bizarre one. What say you? And please don't discuss methods here... Just an appreciation of either approaches.
"Dreams aren't a matter of Chance but a matter of Choice." -DC-
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Godzilla Inner circle Tied & Untied Witches on 5316 Posts |
I like the comedy. If you have to hide stuff doing an effect, people know it is a 'TRICK' either way. IMHO
Now, if you can make things happen in front of participant eyes, I would go for that as bizarre. I understand where you are coming from tho, Pakar.
"If you watch Godzilla backwards, it's about a big ass lizard who helps rebuild a half burnt-down city, then moonwalks back into the ocean"
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YitzhakNoDice Special user Portland, Oregon 517 Posts |
We talked about this at length in The Seance Chamber, particularly in the video chats. We elected that we want a serious presentation with a story that makes sense. For instance a spirit who picks up one of several runes and sets it aside, which the presenter uses in a reading using information given by said spirit.
However, if you have one story and one box, that would be very limiting - the box is for one presentation and only one. We examined this dilemma in depth. The result is the first chapter in Lary's latest book, Hack, Slash, and Saw. Therein is a description of how to DIY build a utility box that is flexible, and hence, would be able to support various stories. And no, no yellow sponge balls falling into red plastic cups. But, you might see water turn into blood. Yes. I vote serious.
A wise man's question contains half the answer. - Solomon ben Judah, Philosopher
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Brynmore14 Inner circle The Séance Chamber 1815 Posts |
Best clarify if we are talking about a full size cabinet, which I suspect from the Derren reference, vs minature cabinet as in Sefalaljia.
In either case I prefer a serious presentation, while intoning the mantra "remember it's only a trick mwahahaha." |
Dr Spektor Eternal Order Carcanis 10781 Posts |
Kolchak formula always works wonders
"They are lean and athirst!!!!"
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Pakar Ilusi Inner circle 5777 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 8, 2016, Brynmore14 wrote: I take it as a given that when it's called a Spirit Cabinet, it means the full size version. Whereas the Sefalaljia is called that. Anyway, great input everyone! I will add this,just because you cover up something, it doesn't mean it automatically is seen as being a trick. Sometimes, when behind a cover, things are much more mysterious as it is left to the audience's imagination almost entirely. Especially when it's a just the sound and smell of things happening. When the cloth comes down and the lady is still tied in trance, some really wonder if there are "others" in there with her. It's like ghosts that are not shown outright but only suggested at in movies as opposed to showing them visually. Another thing, playing it seriously still can give you moments of dark humour, if you know where to insert them judicially. But this is from my experience. Yours may vary.
"Dreams aren't a matter of Chance but a matter of Choice." -DC-
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TEB3 Veteran user Texas 387 Posts |
Slash, Hack, & Saw! has the answers you are looking for in the first chapter De Box.
And, it's got a 25% discount on Lulu good through this coming Monday, the 11th. www.lulu.com/spotlight/teb3 TEB3/Lary |
gostone23 Loyal user 221 Posts |
Now, I certainly can't wait for my copy of SH&S to arrive. I look forward to your thoughts.
For me, I definitely prefer the serious cabinet act but I think that may be more an outgrowth of the character I want to preform. I want my persona to be believable and taken seriously. A humorous Cabinet act would ruin the character's credibility drawing the rest of the show into question. However, I imagine someone performing a humorous persona could totally pull off a great cabinet act too but It would come across as a magic trick as opposed to the possibility of being "real." I think it depends on which route you want to take. I agree about the mystery of covering things up too. Sometimes it can work. If, when the curtain is closed, there seem to be multiple spirits doing things at the same time that one person could not accomplish alone and yet our lady is still in a trance when revealed... maybe people wonder .... hmm ... it looked like there were 3 people in there but she's still bound... I'll never forget at ECSS I when I first saw Carlyle perform his Red Light Seance. During the workshop he was "putting it all together for us" and there was a moment during the performance when I thought he wasn't the only one up on stage. He couldn't have been. It was absolutely brilliant! I know the seance differs from the cabinet but thinking there were "others" up there totally sold it. Anyways, just my garbled .02 gostone23 rjm |
TEB3 Veteran user Texas 387 Posts |
Ed is our reigning master of the seance. And he is not afraid to tell the truth about what works a what doesn't.
Lary |
Philemon Vanderbeck Inner circle Seattle, WA 4694 Posts |
What is the premise behind a Spirit Cabinet? To understand how this piece of apparatus developed, you need to research the birth of modern spiritualism, and especially the act of the Davenport Brothers.
Mediums allegedly were able to contact and even manifest spirits, but they did so typically in dark conditions. Hence the need for darkness that the cabinet provides, especially when wishing to perform on a well-lit vaudevillean stage. Of course, since the medium wanted physical manifestations to occur, which typically took the form of objects moving and making noise (i.e., tambourines, spirit trumpets, etc.), and wanted to preclude the possibility that he was simply moving stuff himself (!), he had himself tied up securely. (In a more conventional seance, the medium would simply have their hands held by the two neighboring sitters.)
Professor Philemon Vanderbeck
That Creepy Magician "I use my sixth sense to create the illusion of possessing the other five." |
Godzilla Inner circle Tied & Untied Witches on 5316 Posts |
[quote]On Jul 7, 2016, Pakar Ilusi wrote:
Both from your experience and taste, which do you prefer to watch? Looks, like I'm alone on this! "WATCH" being the key word. ~G
"If you watch Godzilla backwards, it's about a big ass lizard who helps rebuild a half burnt-down city, then moonwalks back into the ocean"
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weepinwil Inner circle USA 3828 Posts |
I wonder why someone hasn't used some of the old carnival effects and adapt them to seance'.
"Til Death us do part!" - Weepin Willie
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Steve13thHour New user 2 Posts |
We did a serious one in our seance, and it went over great. The script and details are in my seance book. Ed Carlyle and others gave the book a great review.
Steve |
Necromancer Inner circle Chicago 3076 Posts |
I do a serious one unlike anything you've seen (unless you've seen me perform it at private engagements or at the P.E.A.'s 2014 Meeting Of The Minds). Details in my upcoming book.
Creator of The Xpert (20 PAGES of reviews!), Cut & Color, Hands-Off Multiple ESP (HOME) System, Rider-Waite Readers book, Zoom Pendulum ebook ...
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AttnPls Special user 554 Posts |
Really? Must every reply be a plug for a book?
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Necromancer Inner circle Chicago 3076 Posts |
You're right. I probably shouldn't publish mine.
Creator of The Xpert (20 PAGES of reviews!), Cut & Color, Hands-Off Multiple ESP (HOME) System, Rider-Waite Readers book, Zoom Pendulum ebook ...
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TEB3 Veteran user Texas 387 Posts |
Neil,
Keep it quite. I like it the way you do it and know what went into it to make it your unique routine. Why put it out there to let someone mess up? Lary |
Pakar Ilusi Inner circle 5777 Posts |
Thanks everyone!😉
"Dreams aren't a matter of Chance but a matter of Choice." -DC-
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casco1 New user 97 Posts |
I am looking for sources about the spirit cabinet to be performed as Derren Brown did, without the magician/mentalist going inside it. Can anyone suggest anything?
Thank you |
Todd Robbins V.I.P. New York 2922 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 11, 2020, casco1 wrote: For that kind of thing, go to the hypnosis section of the Café. |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The spooky, the mysterious...the bizarre! » » A serious Spirit Cabinet Routine as opposed to a comedic one? (13 Likes) |
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