Hello,

I am interested in close up mentalism at the moment and was wondering, if you could recommend me some ressources for that.

Also I wanted to know, which methods are essential for close up mentalism. I guess, that a good C****r T**r, a P**k W****t and a N**l W****r are a good idea. Any other methods that are essential?

Thanks.

Add a pocket b****t i****x or two and a good b****t s****h to your arsenal.

CT

Buy Elliott’s "Sw********t" and you'll have a lot to work with for the next few years.
Both in regards to methods and routines.

Alfred, what abilities do you wish to present? A whole lot of mileage can be had from a couple of items if you use them to connect with your audience.

I personally love a pendulum and Ian Rowland’s Mind Wave (examinable variation on B’Wave).

Elliott Bressler’s massive opus is a terrific bargain.

Paul Carnazzo has a lot of wallet effects available, if that’s your thing.

Patrick

Learn an oracle system such as palm reading or tarot. The stuff you named already and that has been mentioned is great, but that's the part the audience shouldn't be aware of or should forget about. What they remember is how you presented it to them. If you can give a good reading without any deception first, your show will connect so much better with the audience. Alongside that I would learn about rapport building and the basics of hypnosis or NLP. I recommend getting Kenton's Wonder Words, Cassidy's Artful Mentalism Volume 2 (Fundamentals), and a book called "Passages" by Gail Sheehy.

Karl Fulves's books are very useful. SW Mental Magic is obviously the one to start with, but there are some stunners in SW Paper Magic and Number Magic too. All of his SW books include some mentalism. Also look out for his ridiculously cheap book Easy Magic.

Another thumbs up for Elliott Bresler's huge ebook. It's up to 875 pages at the moment and no doubt will get bigger.

Barry

That is a really good question. I am new to mentalism and the only thing I did so far was to read a couple of books. "The artful mentalism of Bob Cassidy Volume 2" got me thinking about the kind of mentalism I want to do. I think, that stage work is really cool, but I don't want to start with it, so I chose close up.
I also took with me, that the character one portrays is extremly important. That is a point, where I haven't decided yet, which character I am going to choose. There are certain effects, that I cannot do with a character, that is a body language expert for example, that I can do with a character, that is more like a mind reader. I have yet to decide, which character I am going to choose, but I know, that I am going to start out with close up effects.

As for effects, I want to have a good mix of different effects with Wallets, CT and so on, so that I have flexibility.

I would say it's the wrong approach. One of the many keys of mentalism isn't having wallets and a myriad of methods...it's to do something simply and naturally and to have a cohesive approach.
So you could use all the things you mention, but without a single cohesive presentational angle, you've just got tricks and mentalism isn't about that 👍🤓

Think about who you are, how you do what you do, and then consider why you are sharing it. Doesn't have to be book length. It's just if you do one thing very well, people will have questions...and you'll want to be able to reply like you've been asked that a 1000 times before.

Depending on your persona and your beliefs, you can, as some have said, learn something oracle based or psychometry a-z based to add depth to what you are doing...

I'd say not to buy switchcraft because it's now a bit overwhelming. Get it later on after you've learnt some fundamentals. Get Bob cassidy's billet killers...that'll cover it. Then Richard Webster's a-z psychometry. That'll keep you busy for 6 months at least.

I strongly agree. A to Z will help a lot. The hardest part for most who want to transition from magic to mentalism is understanding that it’s not a trick any more. It takes practice to understand this. You’re talking about buying tools and toys for effects. Better to know what your voice is first. You’ll save money and once you have started to developer what you want to present, then you will have a better idea what tools will help.

If one is just starting in a new performance genera, we are rarely aware of who we are, or even who we want to be, in that new arena. I do like Iain's advice about keeping things simple and natural though. Start with that, watch how your new audience responds, decide if you like it and adjust your sights accordingly.

CT

I think I said it elsewhere recently...one of the bonuses of social performing is you can adapt and change all you like from one place or one bar at any time...see how it goes across, do they engage with what you're saying, do you feel authentic when you do it? That kind of thing...

Even if it's a wallet and psychometry a-z, there's lots of ways to deliver it. And you can discover more as you test it out....that's how I see it...👍

I love doing close-up mentalism. You can tailor what you do for that EXACT audience. And mentalism has the potential to be much more powerful when it happens "up close and personal."

The key consideration is the number of people. If you are booked over a long period of time for a smaller group, you'd better go in loaded for bear because a) small groups all look up at you as soon as you arrive and tend to all pay attention b) even if they don't, you're still needing to taaaakkkkkeeee tttttiiiimmmmeeee with each effect in order to fulfill the agreement. (If it's a larger group, choose three effects that you will perform over and over for EACH half hour period and stick rigidly to that schedule. That way you know that whatever you do in a certain time frame will be fresh.)

The second consideration is the environment. If you are being booked while a band or DJ is playing you may need to consider turning the booking down. I have yet to do one of these bookings where loud background noise didn't ruin everything.

Finally: It's good to have a working knowledge of the audience. Are they young? Older? Drinkers? What kind of things have they been to over the course of the day? If it's a convention and they have been in intensive seminars since the early morning hours, they are going to be mentally tired. This helps you choose the kind of effects to pack.

If the group is larger I go in with my ce****r tear, a pendulum, a commercial effect called Director's Cut, a ParaP*d and my Invis**le D*ck. Armed with these -- along with an ability to co*d read and read body language I am set for nearly every group. (Here's another vote for Psychometry A to Z. This system is worth twenty times what the book costs. Yes. Seriously.)

The thing to keep in mind is that the EFFECTS you perform are almost secondary to the YOU that you present to the close-up audience.You need to be commanding, likeable and constantly doing things that whet their appetite for more -- or the stage show that you may be performing later on that night.(You also need to look good: shoes shined and clothes just a little better than what they are wearing. Fresh breath.)

I really love doing close up. It warms me up, allows me to meet the audience and (since most of the close up I do is prior to a stage show) allows me to set up a few of the effects for the show that follows. NOTE: I'm not talking conventional pre-show stuff here. I get my client to draw a picture of something they care about...I pass a prediction envelope to an audience member etc.

Finally -- and I know you didn't ask specifically about this -- offering the client a close up set -- especially when they have already booked you for a stage show is a GREAT way to increase your revenue. It's an add-on that increases my bottom line by about 30%. The client gets an extra value and, since I am already there anyway it's no extra effort. Also: I get to do something that helps my show, makes me more money AND is something I really enjoy doing.

Hopefully this is helpful.

David

If you understand mentalism (and you should first) you will find that most anything can be presented as such.

Agree fully. Excellent advice.

What John said!! I performed for eight years at the Grande Casino / Resort, table-hopping in their sports bar. Fantastic food by the way. The key is to understand how the lay person perceives mentalism and how it appears to them. Know their expectations and how you will fit those expectations. Most people haven't a clue about what mentalism is, so we have to, basically guide them toward what we (our characters) want them to believe about the art. Another essential aspect is to create a character that is close to who you really are. Developing effects for different venues is difficult enough without having to change your entire personae to fit a character that just isn't you. Being you is something that no one else can do because you already do it so well. So, adapt "most anything" to you and to the varied ideas of what mentalism is (from the lay perspective), you will be halfway there before you start. Research some of the top pros to get a better grip on how you should "understand mentalism." AND... most importantly, remember that there is no ONE right way to do it.

David Thiel said "I love doing close-up mentalism. You can tailor what you do for that EXACT audience. And mentalism has the potential to be much more powerful when it happens "up close and personal." - exactly my thoughts. Initially try to keep it really simple - method-wise/skill-wise with mostly self working, but focusing on presentation and personality. Most importantly, enjoy the journey.

I’d also like to ask what venue you see yourself in. If you are going to entertain a room, going table to table, David’s advice above is excellent. I can’t add anything to it.

But! If you want to break out some interesting mind stuff in a social situation, you might want something different. Here, if you share some stuff you have been playing with recently, it isn’t a “performance” so much as “trying something.”

Here’s a thought. Take it for what it is: untested advice from a stranger. Get a cheap book on developing you psychic skills. Many used book shops will have shelves of these. This is a prop. A conversation starter. Also carry a deck of cards. When someone notices the book say “yeah, it seems sort of wacky and woo-woo, but haven’t you ever wondered if there is something to it?” Ask if you can try something. As long as you have a way of allowing a selection of a card you know, or of determining the card, you can get them to transmit to you the color. When that works, try for the suit. After that, the value. But I suggest that the first time you do it, you get the value wrong. Remember, the premise is that you’re trying something from the book. You can get close (Jack instead of King, 2 instead of 5 - let them figure out the connection or not). But if you nail it, they know it is a trick. If you are close but wrong, it might not be a trick.

As Matt Pulsar says, a reading system is also great. I love palm readings. You can avoid the potential for questions about details of the future, which is harder with tarot. If you don’t like the mystical aspect of palmistry, maybe graphology or tree reading. You can check out Julian Moore’s material on reading systems and get a great bargain.

But if you want to be paid, ignore this and follow David’s suggestion.

Patrick

I have a friend who owns a restaurant. We've known each other for years and he's a fan of mentalism.

When I have something new I am working on I will call and ask him if I can pop by for a set or two -- and work that new effect. The reason is that restaurants are the second toughest place to work on something under development. When doing close-up, you can't control the environment and you are performing for hungry people (cause only a goof goes up to a table full of people when they are eating...or gets in the way of the waiters and waitresses, right?) who have at least seven greater priorities than watching some stranger do...something.

The art of close-up mentalism really gets worked hard in this period. You need to come up with an arresting opening...get the people to like you instantly...and make what COULD be interpreted as an interruption into an adventure. And you need to start over from scratch every single time. (As an aside, it's always a good idea to be vocal and encourage the table to be vocal in their responses. This draws attention on the restaurant -- that you are doing something interesting and makes other people curious and receptive to a visit.)

As long as I concentrate on the presentation of the effect and trying different approaches constantly...finding out which ones work best repeatedly...it's time well invested.

In order to respect the audience, I sandwich the thing I am working on in between two solid effects so that even if it sucks (and don't kid yourself...every new thing starts off sucking at least a little -- which is why I roll my eyes every time I see testimonials like "It went into my act THAT NIGHT") they will remember the strong stuff.

Close-up, as Patrick as said, is a splendid way to develop something new.

David

I agree with so much in this thread. Regarding the above, specifically, I think it was Nelms who talked about the strength in framing something as "an experiment".

Some interesting thoughts here, thanks all!

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