Fraser Parker - Memoria

Memoria FRASERPARKER

"I really like this idea, it's natural and looks, but more importantly 'feels', like real mind reading to both the participant and the rest of the audience. Fraser has a way of thinking that is both fresh and original and his latest release is no exception. Own it." Anthony Black

© Fraser Parker & Dee Christopher 2013. Not to be shared or reproduced in any format.

Introduction The following is a way to seemingly read the mind of your participant without the need for the usual gaffs, billets, impressions, cue cards etc. It is a solution for creating the illusion of “Mind Reading” in an impromptu situation without any “set up” or the need for any extra “gimmicks” of any kind. All you need is a deck of cards, a pad or piece of paper to write on, a pen and your words to create a miracle in the minds of your audience members. It will be no surprise to you to know that this uses my work with the “Dual Reality” principle. This is the correct way to use the principle and how Kenton intended it to be used when he started to teach it. It allows for both the person taking part to perceive an effect as well as the audience and for everyone to be impressed seemingly because of the same effect. The only difference is to what degree everyone involved is impressed with the trick. The difference is in how what you say and do is perceived by the participant compared to everyone else watching. They will still have an impressive trick whereas the audience at large will usually perceive a much stronger effect, than the participant. My approach is to perform a trick worthy of performance and use the DR principle to allow for the potential of what you perform to be seen as something much greater. This way of creating allows for a greater effect to be achieved as a “side effect” of performing a more standard trick. Then, if the Dual Reality were to break down, it won't matter, as this was a “mistaken” reality from the perspective of the audience members who see through your illusion. The trick will still be impressive as seen from the perspective of the participant, if this were to happen and they will have no clue how you were able to perform the more mundane version of the effect. The worst that can happen with this approach is that certain audience members think that they have “caught you out”. If you perform this without fear and move on to something else then this will more often than not, not be a problem. The audience members do not know that their perception is different from that of the person taking part in the effect and will therefore have no reason to doubt the illusion. My friend Peter Turner discusses the use of Dual Reality in “close up” performance in his highly acclaimed “Penguin Live lecture” and can also attest to its successful use in these environments. If you are especially worried there are certain linguistic ploys that can be used to ensure the illusion is not likely to unravel. I will discuss how I do this with the following effect, later on.

The Effect I get the participant to take a card out of a deck of cards with the suggestion the card will prompt them to think of specific memories I can later read. This is a variation of the line: “The playing cards people choose tell us about their personality” Also, the is how Kenton uses playing cards to do readings, as taught in the audio series “Wonder Words”. The playing card remains unseen by the performer. I instruct the participant to allow certain memories to come into their mind depending on the playing card they have chosen. This is a completely free choice at this point. They simply use the playing card to remind them of certain memories. As they do this you start to write down a few impressions based on what you think they may be thinking. Then, I give the participant the paper with my impressions written on it and ask them to, “Look over my impressions AND only allow the ones you associate with your card to occupy your mind for now.” This seems to the audience I have some sort of insight into what memory the participant is thinking. I then get the participant to think of the memory they now have in mind due to the associations they make with their playing card and proceed to read their mind in great detail naming the exact memory they are thinking of, as well as the playing card they selected from the deck.

The Methodology The secret to achieving this effect is in the writing down of the impressions. It allows you to secretly “force” a specific memory on the participant, whilst making it appear they have a completely free choice. This is not the usual “Think of this and keep it a secret how you knew!” crass way of performing a “cue” where the participant becomes an “instant stooge”. It is a much more elegant form of cueing which also ensures the participant is fooled by the effect. The cueing fits with the effect so perfectly that the audience members can read the impressions after the fact and there will be “nothing to find”. I suggest not leaving your impressions for everyone to see, afterwards. The reason for this will become clearer as we move into the explanation. This is the breakthrough and my solution for “getting away” with using written “cues” as a way of forcing specific information on a spectator, without anyone being aware that anything is written down. My first thoughts were to have different memories written on the faces of different playing cards and to secretly “force” a specific memory on the participant, to later appear to read their mind. The problem was that I had to hide the fact that their was anything written down from the perspective of the audience. This new arrangement of openly writing down “impressions” means that this is no longer an issue. The rest of the secret is in the words you use and the use of the DR ploy, to create the greater effect. Now that you have the overview – Here is the script along with details of method. I say the following words to a spectator: “If I were to ask you to think of something now... There are a few things it could be... BUT it really depends on what playing card you take out of the deck.” This sets up the idea you are going to be performing an act of Mind Reading. It also introduces the idea that the playing card the participant chooses is going to influence what happens later. “Take a card from the deck AND as you look at it allow different memories to come and go as I write a few impressions.” Here the participant genuinely has a free choice of which memory they think of. This is what convinces the audience they are thinking of a memory of their choosing, later on. The fact that the impressions you write are supposedly based on what they are thinking now, also helps to cement the illusion of a free choice. It should look as though you got the participant to choose a card to help in their thinking of specific memories, “The cards each have specific symbols which relate to certain archetypes AND memories we all share subconsciously...”

I would write something along the lines of the following, as my impression: •

2 of Hearts – Relationship. Break up. Broken Heart.

•

6 of Spades – Seaside. Holiday. Ice cream. Happy.

•

3 of clubs – Childhood memory. Swimming pool. Saved from drowning by friend.

These each describe a specific memory, whilst still seeming fairly random and vague impressions. Each one has a corresponding playing card next to it. This is the secret. If you know the playing card the participant is thinking of you can “force” the memory the participant will think of too. This is done by also “forcing” the playing card the participant selects from the start. All you have to do is write two random playing cards down, with a generic memory written in the form of an impression next to it and make sure that the memory you want to “force” is written down next to the playing card you know they have chosen. I continue by saying: “There are a few cards this could be.” I also at this point hand the paper with my impressions written on it to the participant. “I want you to look over my impressions AND only let the words you associate with the card you are thinking of to occupy your mind now AND as you do this, allow yourself to feel the emotions you would be feeling if this memory were happening to you, right now.” This line ensures the participant thinks of the “force” memory, instead of any of their free choice of memories, from before. The audience will perceive your words to imply the participant is to think of any of the freely thought of memories they associate with their playing card, of which they thought of because of the playing card they chose. This is similar to how the participant perceives your request. The only difference is the participant knows their choice of memory is not completely free. As they have chosen a playing card and there is seemingly no way for the performer to know which one they are thinking of, it will still be impressive when you reveal the thought which corresponds to their card. If there is no way of knowing the playing card then there should be no way of knowing which memory they are now thinking of, after this instruction. In fact, they will not have any clue how you have managed to narrow their thought of card down to three possibilities. I would now go on to reveal their thought, in the following way. This is an idea of Luke Jermay and is a way of framing the reveal of a memory in such a way, it appears to those watching that the memory actually belongs to the person taking part. By getting the participant to: “Imagine that this is happening to them now, as if for the first time.” You create the illusion that this is their actual memory when you later reveal the memory, referring to it as “their” experience.

“This is a memory from childhood, yes? You feel lonely? You need help!? You are cold. I feel like I'm drowning. Is this what you are thinking of? You as a child nearly drowning in a swimming pool and then being saved by a stranger? (Yes!) Yeah... That means that the card you are thinking of is the (3 of clubs), correct?” The fact that you reveal their card after you reveal the memory they are thinking of ensures you have the correct climax expected from this routine. It helps to round everything off and also ensures an effect for the helper. The participant can hardly argue that you were able to read their mind. The only problem with this is, if the audience realise their choice of memory was forced. This would ruin the illusion that this was their actual memory you revealed. It is a good idea when performing effects of DR in situations where people are likely to talk after the fact, to offer an answer for any questions that might be raised by the audience members during the performance, before they get a chance to arise. The way I would do this, in this effect is to ask the following question of the participant, at the end of the performance: “Is this only a made up memory OR is this actually one of your own memories?” This answers the main concern the audience members may have about the performance in such a way, as to still suggest an effect of “Mind Reading” has taken place. The participant is given a choice between two options, both of which suggest you were actually able to read their mind. This will stop the illusion completely unravelling for the audience and provide a “safety net” for those who are worried. I usually don't bother to add this line. The reason for this is, I don't want to compromise the effect by revealing this was not their actual memory and am comfortable with using Dual Reality in this way. I also use the following line, before going into the reveal: “I have NOT asked you to just play along AND there is genuinely no way for me to know what memory you are thinking of, correct?” This stops anyone thinking that you may have told the person helping to simply play along, secretly with your written impressions. It also helps to create the proper build for the climax in this routine. One of the good things about this method is the fact that because you are writing down general memories most have experienced in their life at some point, there is a good chance that you will get a true “hit” whilst performing this and truly be revealing a memory they have only just been reminded of.

The Person Subtlety I sent this to Dee and he told me that he had something similar already published in his manuscript, “Deadly Subtleties”. Though his idea is not the same, we both thought it would be nice to include it here, for completeness. Here is Dee's ingenious idea for getting ahead in a performance of thought reading, how it was first written up in “Deadly Subtleties”. This will complete this manuscript – So we thank you for investing in this work and hope that you get some use out of the ideas. Fraser Parker. May, 2013.

THE PERSON SUBTLETY – by Dee Christopher I love a good name reveal, someone thinks of a person and you tell them who theyʼre thinking about and potentially some details about them that you could not have known. I wanted to design a way that took the work and chance of failure out of the details. Usually we can assume that an older person will think of a child when asked to think of someone close to them, where as a younger person will often think of their partner or if theyʼre single, their best friend. This isnʼt always the case though, Iʼve had younger people think of parents, and older people think of partners or their parents. By using a separate tool to narrow their choice of person right down, we can guarantee an amount of hits during what would usually be the cold reading of this person, alongside increasing the probability on a bunch more things we can talk about before actually revealing the name. Depending on what suits your character better, the major arcana from a tarot deck or the court cards from a regular deck of playing cards will allow you to do just this. Essentially, youʼll be asking them to think of someone close to them that a card they select reminds them of, as psychologically different age groups are likely to think of certain people when asked to think of someone close. Youʼre justifying having more control, by showing that youʼre giving them more freedom. In reality, weʼll be telling them to think of their mother. A simple card force of the high priestess or a queen matched with a nice bit of scripting will force them down this alley of thought. So, let me start from the beginning of the effect scripting wise and I can add in annotations throughout to show you what to do. Iʼll not bother talking about card forces, there are plenty of resources in your library that can give you that information. Just use whatever you feel suits this application. The performer grabs a volunteer in whichever fashion he sees fit. I like the idea of a shepardʼs crook. (I donʼt actually recommend using a shepardʼs crook… Unless you really

mean it.) “Iʼm going to ask you in a moment to think of someone close to you. Iʼve found that usually the younger people tend to think of their partner or a best friend when asked this question, where as older people tend to think of a child – I donʼt want you to accidentally constrain yourself to psychological rules. So weʼll randomize your selection.” The performer brings out a bunch of cards. “Iʼve got here all of the court cards from a deck of playing cards. Give them a quick mix for me. Iʼm going to have you select one of these in a moment and think of someone close to you that relates to the card. If you select a queen, Iʼd like you to think of your mother, if you select a king, think of your father, or perhaps an uncle. If you get a jack, think of your partner, or perhaps a best friend. Have you got that?” I always ask them if theyʼve got that and I also wait until theyʼve finished the quick shuffle before I explain the relationships so theyʼre fully engaged with my voice and understand what Iʼm saying. Iʼm going to force a queen on them, so I make note to say; “Think of your mother,” and leave it at that so they donʼt have a choice in the matter. I then give a bit more freedom for the other cards to make it seem like thereʼs more options. If youʼre using tarot, the high priestess could be your force, you have many more options here though rather than just three, so only name a few and leave the rest up to interpretation. They wonʼt have to think about it as long as youʼre clear in explaining the card theyʼre going to select! I opt for a drop force or a classic force – You can use whatever force youʼre most comfortable with. Once theyʼve selected the card and understood who they are to think of, you can do one of two things; either have them replace the card and then begin to tell them details about this person, before having them write down and reveal the name, or you can have them write the name on the back of the card and put it straight into an envelope while your head is turned away. I think the second is nicer for a number of reasons; firstly, itʼs theatrically quite a nice touch. Secondly, it means that youʼre not having to use a few extra props and lastly, it means that they have to turn the card face up, so the audience sees the face of the card – That way they canʼt change their mind or pretend they chose something different. (If they were that way inclined in the first place.) Always use light backed cards, red with a black sharpie is best – That way the written name will be clear to read when you go to do your peek. This is a simple technique, but mixed in with everything else, it gives you a great head start. As youʼve got them to think of their mother, you can take a pretty good guess at what they look like, based on what your participant looks like. You could also potentially pick up on memories that they might have together based on social convention. I donʼt know many

people that didnʼt go to the beach and their mother told them off for getting sand in the car – where it stayed for weeks afterwards!