Derren Brown - how he does it *spoilers

[cliche guevara]

As I said on the other thread, a huuuge part of his act is feeding us fake explanations for how he's really doing it, sometimes explicitly, and sometimes allowing us to think we're being clever and 'working it out' ourselves.

Very much so. i remember on one of his earlier TV shows, he got someone in the stret to call up a friend, and got them to guess a word he had written down. The word was tricycle, and all throughout the conversation he was asking them to try to envisage the word, imagine the wheels in your head clicking into place, etc. Fantastic bit of misguidance, that will let a lot of people think that they're in on the trick.

 

[ska invita]

20 Questions

The giveway with 20 Questions was that the 6 people had to write down the answers on a bit of paper at the back of the stage. One way or another (either using cameras or something under the table on which the notes where written) the information that was written down was noted imediately by helpers off-stage.

THey then quickly write on a big sign 1. UFO 2. WHIP etc.

The 6 memebers of the public are brought to the front of the stage. Derren then makes an excuse to go to the table at the back - at that point he looks off stage to see the sign saying who wrote what. He quickly remembers this and can then fuck about pretending to ask questions, already knowing full well who got what.

 

[ska invita]

Very much so. i remember on one of his earlier TV shows, he got someone in the stret to call up a friend, and got them to guess a word he had written down. The word was tricycle, and all throughout the conversation he was asking them to try to envisage the word, imagine the wheels in your head clicking into place, etc. Fantastic bit of misguidance, that will let a lot of people think that they're in on the trick.

David Blaine's "streetmagic" was actually very much tv magic, and one such similiar trick involves hoping that people will choose a commonly chosen number and doing the trick as many times as necessary and only keeping the take that worked!

All the David BLaine secrets are long revealed:
http://www.freeinfosociety.com/pdfs/misc/david_blaines_magic_revealed.pdf
...lots more on the net

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

20 Questions

The giveway with 20 Questions was that the 6 people had to write down the answers on a bit of paper at the back of the stage. One way or another (either using cameras or something under the table on which the notes where written) the information that was written down was noted imediately by helpers off-stage.

THey then quickly write on a big sign 1. UFO 2. WHIP etc.

The 6 memebers of the public are brought to the front of the stage. Derren then makes an excuse to go to the table at the back - at that point he looks off stage to see the sign saying who wrote what. He quickly remembers this and can then fuck about pretending to ask questions, already knowing full well who got what.

I know how that trick was done, and this isn't it

 

[SpookyFrank]

I know how that trick was done, and this isn't it

Spill it then

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Spill it then

Nope

 

[Paul Russell]

I know how that trick was done, and this isn't it

BTW, if you've read about all his stuff (I actually have Tricks of the Mind or whatever it's called but haven't read it), can you actually use any of his techniques in any tiny way? And have you? Obviously not the big showbiz stuff but the supposed suggestion techniques to get the answer you want, etc, etc...

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

BTW, if you've read about all his stuff (I actually have Tricks of the Mind or whatever it's called but haven't read it), can you actually use any of his techniques in any tiny way? And have you? Obviously not the big showbiz stuff but the supposed suggestion techniques, etc...

I used to be pretty good at cold reading (well, I assume I still am, I haven't tried for a while) but I haven't got the time or patience to do what's required to get even remotely good at the suggestion stuff.

 

[DexterTCN]

So the spoilers we have so far are....

...the flying table is a 'common magic trick'

....women are always thinking of dyeing their hair anyway

...TicketMaster are supplying personal credit card details to him

...it wasn't his hand holding the board when he was at the the end of the stage in a gorilla suit

...he has a money creating printer at the side of the stage that can do you a nice tenner with a serial number of your choice

...and someone would like to sell us a box like Derren has.

 

[cliche guevara]

BTW, if you've read about all his stuff (I actually have Tricks of the Mind or whatever it's called but haven't read it), can you actually use any of his techniques in any tiny way? And have you? Obviously not the big showbiz stuff but the supposed suggestion techniques to get the answer you want, etc, etc...

A large section of the book deals with the kind of memory tricks and body language reading that anyone who's experienced corporate training in the last decade or so will find familiar. I have no doubts that this sort of thing works, but it's kind of cringey. The book did have some redeeming factors, like plenty of funny and interesting anecdotes and a good section on pseudoscience (think Goldacre dumbed down), but overall I found it a bit of a disappointment.

 

[la ressistance]

Some sort of Brown/Brooker collaboration where they destroy those pricks would be awesome, yes.

http://www.badpsychics.co.uk/:D

 

[Steve123]

So the spoilers we have so far are....

...the flying table is a 'common magic trick'

....women are always thinking of dyeing their hair anyway

...TicketMaster are supplying personal credit card details to him

...it wasn't his hand holding the board when he was at the the end of the stage in a gorilla suit

...he has a money creating printer at the side of the stage that can do you a nice tenner with a serial number of your choice

...and someone would like to sell us a box like Derren has.

Hi people
A few words about the oracle act.
The cards that are filled out by audience members in the intermission are not all the same. They ask for name, date of birth, something interesting about yourself and your question. Some also ask for details of an object in your pocket.
Only one person allowed on stage at a time to put their envelope into the bowl.
A dodgy looking person spotted by different people at live shows (often wearing baseball cap and glasses) goes on stage to "put his card in". Has his back to the audience. He doesn't go back to his seat but walks out of the theatre.
The intermission is at least 20 mins long.
The only time a question is answered is when it is a "should i do this or not" type of question. The other amazing bits he says are from the write some interesting fact about yourself bit on the card, i.e. I dyed my hair this morning etc

 

[Teepee]

He does another version of that trick though where no ESDA is required, where he gives very large hints/suggestions* as to what he wants them to draw.



*Well, large if you know what to look/listen for

I need you to draw a picture for me now, the first image that floats into your mind... don't let me influence you, just the first one that sails into your mind.. see it clearly in water colour...

 

[JohnnyOrange]

Hi people
A few words about the oracle act.
The cards that are filled out by audience members in the intermission are not all the same. They ask for name, date of birth, something interesting about yourself and your question. Some also ask for details of an object in your pocket.
Only one person allowed on stage at a time to put their envelope into the bowl.
A dodgy looking person spotted by different people at live shows (often wearing baseball cap and glasses) goes on stage to "put his card in". Has his back to the audience. He doesn't go back to his seat but walks out of the theatre.
The intermission is at least 20 mins long.
The only time a question is answered is when it is a "should i do this or not" type of question. The other amazing bits he says are from the write some interesting fact about yourself bit on the card, i.e. I dyed my hair this morning etc

I like this. It makes a lot of sense because it's so simple.

One of the first things in 'Tricks Of The Mind' is that really basic card trick you learn as a kid and how to subvert it and make it look like you're making it more complicated when you're not. Like when he had the bandages over his eyes - it looks clever but really it means that he never needs to see anything anyway. By appearing to read your mind he almost puts the emphasis on you, when of course it's nothing to do with you.

He's a clever bloke, and an amazing performer.

 

[dtb]

i went to see his show in epsom and when he did the trick phoning up a girls dad he answered and said 'is that derren' before he'd said anything. now the dad probably knew that the girl was going to see his show but it all seemed a little suss to me.

 

[internetstalker]

Hi people
A few words about the oracle act.
The cards that are filled out by audience members in the intermission are not all the same. They ask for name, date of birth, something interesting about yourself and your question. Some also ask for details of an object in your pocket.
Only one person allowed on stage at a time to put their envelope into the bowl.
A dodgy looking person spotted by different people at live shows (often wearing baseball cap and glasses) goes on stage to "put his card in". Has his back to the audience. He doesn't go back to his seat but walks out of the theatre.
The intermission is at least 20 mins long.
The only time a question is answered is when it is a "should i do this or not" type of question. The other amazing bits he says are from the write some interesting fact about yourself bit on the card, i.e. I dyed my hair this morning etc

so

the dodgy bloke takes some of the cards out (and replaces them with blanks)
then derren gets to read em back stage and swaps em just before reading them out (when he had a handful of cards)

sounds simple enough!

genius!

 

[belboid]

Hi people
A few words about the oracle act.
The cards that are filled out by audience members in the intermission are not all the same. They ask for name, date of birth, something interesting about yourself and your question. Some also ask for details of an object in your pocket.
Only one person allowed on stage at a time to put their envelope into the bowl.
A dodgy looking person spotted by different people at live shows (often wearing baseball cap and glasses) goes on stage to "put his card in". Has his back to the audience. He doesn't go back to his seat but walks out of the theatre.
The intermission is at least 20 mins long.
The only time a question is answered is when it is a "should i do this or not" type of question. The other amazing bits he says are from the write some interesting fact about yourself bit on the card, i.e. I dyed my hair this morning etc

utter bullshit. That's about as believable as an episode of Hustle. Most obviously, why on earth would anyone be impressed when he came out with an 'amazing' fact, when they'd just written it down themselves? It would be blatantly obvious where the info came from, and would look rubbish.

you, 'Steve' must be a Derren employee trying to mislead everyone for getting the vast majority of the act right.

 

[Steve123]

So he is obviously reading their minds or their micro signals or maybe he hypnotised them or used some other subliminal effect to get them to say whatever he wants!
Give me a break.
I would be impressed if he deduced what i had written on the card just by the way i had put my initials and row number.
If i did work for Derren i think he would have fired me by now.
Ever hear of Dual Reality?
The audience member and the audience are having slightly different experiences of the same event.
It is no great secret that mentalism acts are a trick. The part that makes Derren brilliant is the way he has made people believe that it isn't.

 

[belboid]

it isn't a binary choice between what you said and 'mentalism', there are simply better explanations.

If it really is that simple, then the audience members chosen must be amongst the most gullible people on the planet

 

[8ball]

He only televises the shows where the tricks work - it's all statistics.

 

[Steve123]

it isn't a binary choice between what you said and 'mentalism', there are simply better explanations.

If it really is that simple, then the audience members chosen must be amongst the most gullible people on the planet

I am sure there are other methods but I am pretty sure that he uses the one I discribed. if you fancy a good read on his stage show check out this blog at wongablog.co.uk/2007/05/02/derren-brown-mind-reader-the-evening-of-wonders which has been going for 18 months or so and has over 500 posts! Quite an eye opener

 

[bellator]

I loved his interview with Richard Dawkins on all of the fakery of mediumship.

Would love to know what he thinks more on that subject and others, healers etc.

 

[cliche guevara]

He only televises the shows where the tricks work - it's all statistics.

While this is obviously true to a certain extent, I don't believe that his ability is down to statistics. When he did the coin toss and got ten heads in a row it was though, and that upset me loads. Took him about seven hours if I remember correctly.

 

[DexterTCN]

He only televises the shows where the tricks work - it's all statistics.

He actually filmed 89 million of them but only showed this one.

 

[8ball]

He actually filmed 89 million of them but only showed this one.

Yes - in all the other attempts he had the audience killed!

 

[ska invita]

Yes - in all the other attempts he had the audience killed!

THere are some tricks that work on this principle - theres ones were you say pick a number between 1-100, and people tend to pick one of ten numbers (cant remember which ones they were, something like 7, 23, 66, etc.)

Then the magician has 10 different bits of paper with those numbers written down hidden in different pockets etc, and just needs to pull out the relevant one.

This is the core of the trick, but the presentation takes different forms. It only works on TV when you can show the times it works... definitely David Blaine has a couple of numbers like this

 

[Thompi]

Nodding-tick.

I have a Derren Question. All those little head shakes and nods he does -- are they just tics or are they a crucial part of his techniques?

He references both his nodding-tick and his blinking-tick in his book Tricks of the Mind.
The nodding is something he started doing to make people agree with what he said, and eventually he wasn't able to control it anymore.

I don't remember exactly what he wrote about the blinking, except that it started developing while he was doing some swollen-eye-stunt in school.

 

[Thompi]

Tricks of the Mind -> a new The Heist?

A large section of the book deals with the kind of memory tricks and body language reading that anyone who's experienced corporate training in the last decade or so will find familiar. I have no doubts that this sort of thing works, but it's kind of cringey. The book did have some redeeming factors, like plenty of funny and interesting anecdotes and a good section on pseudoscience (think Goldacre dumbed down), but overall I found it a bit of a disappointment.

I agree with you to some extent. The 2nd half the book was almost solely about pseudoscience and frauds etc.
the only really useful stuff was the mnemonic techniques, body reading tips, and the hypnosis(was a theoretical guide based in anecdotes).
Much of which was used as decoy in "The Heist"
It wouldn't surprise me if the whole book is some sort of scheme yet to be revealed.
Anyone's exhibited any strange behaviours after reading it? lol

Although it's still a great book and very interesting, just like, f e. "The God Delusion" or "Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins etc. in short; it's a factbook.

Can't wait for "Memoirs of a Mentalist", though!

 

[Pippa201]

I have a Derren Question. All those little head shakes and nods he does -- are they just tics or are they a crucial part of his techniques?

I have noticed this too. I have a hunch that he's in radio contact, and is acknowledging receipt of bits of information. It's only apparent during normal "conversation". I also believe that he has crew members circulating in the bar or lounge prior to his show, to engage visitors in conversation and extract names, personal details etc. that he can use as and when. I'm seeing his show tomorrow (July 1st 2014), so I'll report back.............

 

[8ball]

I have noticed this too. I have a hunch that he's in radio contact, and is acknowledging receipt of bits of information. It's only apparent during normal "conversation".

According to him it's a tic that developed from small nods he gave to people to signal them to indicate agreement/understanding in his act (since if in agreement people will mirror this to some extent), which became much more general. Someone I know who met him after the show said his tics seemed more pronounced when offstage.