On Feb 19, 2023, martyjacobs wrote:
Paul mentioned that the props were printed on premium thermal paper, not regular paper (although some receipts from small, independent shops are printed on this type of paper).

I've just written a short blog post on these two effects and some of the challenges associated with performing with special receipts:

Receiptful Practices

It expands on some of the presentational ideas mentioned in this thread.

Marty

On Feb 20, 2023, martyjacobs wrote:
Markthemagician and Intrepid, thanks for the kind words. I'm still keen on presenting the props as real receipts. However, if you use the last idea in the blog post and want to print your own receipts, there's no need to make them look 100% realistic. You can even use joke company names, as people often do when creating props for murder mystery evenings.

Marty

On Feb 20, 2023, Noobmaster69 wrote:

I'm not through your whole blogpost, yet, but it just came to my mind that there is something else, that could be added to your list of potential issues (although nobody here mentioned it before): The items themselves. This is definitely not a big issue but since you are writing from an amateur's perspective it could be added for completeness' sake. What I mean is: I, for example, don't drink alcohol. My friends might wonder why I'm buying all that Budweiser. Maybe somebody else is a vegetarian, so what does he do with all the sliced ham? As I said: Definitely not a pro's problem and I don't think it's a big deal, but it is something to consider...

On Feb 20, 2023, EZrhythm wrote:

Great blog post! Thank You for sharing that.
An interesting point about the prices not matching in regards to future price increases. The Walmart in my area, the system often rings up an incorrect price.

The issue I have with having excuse for the receipt discrepancies is that someone might not believe the excuse. If I was to be serious in tone with the excuse and doubt remains with the audience, that is worse than any potential lessening of the effect of the audience knowing that the receipts are not real. The "miracle" of the routine along with the performance is what matters.
I am considering cutting off the store name and details as I have no desire to bring them forth as real receipts. I like the joke company name idea and even editing the items to be humorous. I.E., EXPIRED MILK, FUR SINK, BATTERIES (NOT INCLUDED), BROKEN MIRROR (I bought it pre-broken so that I can't break it and have bad luck.) AUTOMOTIVE BLINKER FLUID, etc.
PAYMENT METHOD - FART JAR, COMMUNITY SERVICE, WASH WINDOWS, AISLE CLEAN UP, SISTERS BEANIE BABY COLLECTION, JUNK DRAWER MAGIC, FLIPPER COIN (OH NO!)

On Feb 20, 2023, Craig Petty wrote:
One of my favourite ideas on there is to have someone think of a item on any receipt and then saying to someone else that they also need to think of an item but you want it to be totally different. So the first spectator goes through and takes out all the results with their item on so that the second spectator can think of something totally different. This is such a great justification for the sorting procedure.

On Feb 20, 2023, CoinBoy101 wrote:
Hi Craig,

Murphys updated the downloads a few days ago with editable receipt templates, but they are only for US receipts. Is it possible to get them to upload UK receipt templates, too?

Thanks.

CoinBoy101

On Feb 19, 2023, Sudo Nimh wrote:
Thinking about this "painting" idea further, I could see Derren Brown doing something like this in his theater shows - but with perhaps a few further additions.

Picture this:

On the stage are 4 (or 5 - doesn't really matter) easels. Resting upon each, and facing the audience, are various beautiful paintings. (This is perfect for Derren as he is a talented painter and the paintings could be ones that he actually painted himself!)

A volunteer comes on stage and is asked to view the artworks. When they are finished, he turns the easels around so that the paintings no longer face the audience and the participant is directed to go behind the paintings and switch the paintings around on the easels while Derren faces the audience and keeps them entertained with his charismatic banter so that he won't have any idea where each painting resides once they've been moved around. The volunteer has also been instructed to focus on an item that stands out to her in one of the paintings while she moves them around. When finished, Derren turns to address her. At this point, all he sees is the backs of the paintings and the participant. The participant is asked to move to the first painting in the row and to move to each painting one at a time, pausing to study each one as she does. As she does this, she is instructed to close her eyes and visualize the item she is thinking of if she sees it in the painting she is currently looking at. Naturally, that is his "cue". And of course, the frames are discreetly marked on the backs. If they're canvas paintings stretched on plain frames, it is only natural that there might be a few paint spots on the back in the corners, etc.

On Feb 20, 2023, John C wrote:
They did a real nice job on the PDF to alter and instructions.

In order to edit the receipts you will need adobe pro. You can TRY a look alike. But for adobe pro you can purchase an annual subscription for 19$ and cancel it with 14 days for a full refund.

So you will have 14 days to edit your receipts.

On Feb 20, 2023, Craig Petty wrote:
Finally thanks to everyone that has commented on this thread with items and concepts and suggestions. I just read the blog my Marty which was great and I cannot wait for Sudo to explore this concept. I really owe him a debt of thanks I can never repay.

On Feb 20, 2023, ATXTimeLord wrote:

Quote:

On Feb 19, 2023, Sudo Nimh wrote:
Thinking about this "painting" idea further, I could see Derren Brown doing something like this in his theater shows - but with perhaps a few further additions.

Picture this:

On the stage are 4 (or 5 - doesn't really matter) easels. Resting upon each, and facing the audience, are various beautiful paintings. (This is perfect for Derren as he is a talented painter and the paintings could be ones that he actually painted himself!)

A volunteer comes on stage and is asked to view the artworks. When they are finished, he turns the easels around so that the paintings no longer face the audience and the participant is directed to go behind the paintings and switch the paintings around on the easels while Derren faces the audience and keeps them entertained with his charismatic banter so that he won't have any idea where each painting resides once they've been moved around. The volunteer has also been instructed to focus on an item that stands out to her in one of the paintings while she moves them around. When finished, Derren turns to address her. At this point, all he sees is the backs of the paintings and the participant. The participant is asked to move to the first painting in the row and to move to each painting one at a time, pausing to study each one as she does. As she does this, she is instructed to close her eyes and visualize the item she is thinking of if she sees it in the painting she is currently looking at. Naturally, that is his "cue". And of course, the frames are discreetly marked on the backs. If they're canvas paintings stretched on plain frames, it is only natural that there might be a few paint spots on the back in the corners, etc.

I like this idea ..

mG