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D o c c H i l f o r d P r o d u c t s . c o m
PRO DUCT I O N
PRESENT AT I O N
PERFO RMANCE
PEARLS
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D o c c H i l f o r d P r o d u c t s . c o m
Docc
Hilford
All mentalists, that I know, love design duplications. For some
reason unknown even to us, we think a picture is more difficult to
pluck from the mind of a spectator than, say a random word. This
probably isnt true. If we could read minds a picture would likely be
easier to receive than a word or number.
I think the attraction to mentalists is the visual beauty of a drawing.
Ive been a cartoonist and illustrator for decades. (See logo) I had my
own underground comic book in the 1970s. Years ago I conceived a
program entitled The Art of Mind Reading, with certain respect to
friend Bob Cassidy. The idea was to use Chagall like pictures as
revelations to various mind reading tricks where previously a
performer wouldnt have thought to use an illustration. For example, in
Annemanns Mentalist vs. Mindreader, a thought of playing card is
apparently placed in a position so it can be spelled out of a red deck
and later found in the same position in a blue deck, indicating a
prediction. The final revelation is a message in a sealed envelope. It
reads, YOU WILL THINK OF THE SIX OF HEARTS or whatever the
ment al l y chosen car d was. Af t er r eadi ng Mar c Chagal s
autobiography, I wanted some art in my program.
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DESI GN FO R ART
ART FO R DESI GN
2
Put a little art in your mentalism
Heres is a reproduction, done
with my finger on the mouse
pad, of what I sort of did for the
infamous, and neglected card
trick.
Simple, yet affective.
If you look at Chagalls simple pen art, youll see a style any
mentalist can blatantly plagiarize. Were not in the art business, so
this form of flattery is less harmful than copying another performers
opening speech or jokes or tricks!
Chagall is not the only artist one can use as inspiration. I used
many Dali ideas for billet routines. My version of Annemanns, A Day
in the Life used a mustachioed figure, his stomach filled with
breakfast, his mid day thought in his hand and his evening idea drawn
in his brain. I used words in the three places, but I included them as
graphics in the poster. The frame was a long sentence running around
the drawing that explained the entire routine to viewers who would
look at the poster later. The scene was
completed by a huge clock face on the
horizon with the chosen time on it! Very
Dali, yet all Annemann.
Of course, I didnt attempt to melt the
clock. I didnt want the audience to think I
was trying to duplicate a Dali or Chagall. I
merely wanted the simplistic form to be
subconsciously recognizable. To add
some visual beauty to a rather blank
performance art.
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I found two of these
rare album covers by
Dali in thrift stores!
I al so have st ori es
about Salvador, Alice
C o o p e r a n d m e ,
however never all all of
us together at the same
time.
The point is trying to add visual art where there isnt any. Say to a
card trick, or a book test. Imagine using some of the ancient chalk talk
devices to reveal a chosen number. Im speaking of using numerals to
make a picture. Often a portrait of someone made with their telephone
number was a chalk talk artist trick. A curly 6 may be an eye. A 7 the
nose, and so on making a face with nothing more than the selected
numerals. But we could certainly use the simple idea to our
advantage, especially if the number was forced. Then, wed not have
to learn the entire skill, but we could reproduce it.
Add-a-No Meets Art
I have a great Add-a-No routine, based on a couple of other
peoples ideas. No gimmick, just raw nerve and some ploy. But the
revelation of a total is cold. Most Americans, as well as many other
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cultures, hate mathematical effects. When a mentalist says, Just add
those numbers together... many an audience member has turned off
their attention. They never actually see, let alone care about the total
as a prediction. But what happens if you have a cartoon portrait of a
bald man with glasses created from several different integers. Look
for a man who has similar features and make him you addition guy.
Four people write a large number on the pad. The bald man with
glasses uses his phone calculator to add the numbers. The prediction
is opened, unfolded and displayed on a giant sheet of paper. The
audience enjoys it. Now, you take the numbers, one at a time and
draw them on another giant paper, creating a portrait of the man! Or in
reverse. Draw the man as he adds the numbers. Then re-draw the
numbers so the audience can see the picture is actually the sum.
A Connect The Dots Revelation
Lets go somewhere else. Since a number revelation is so boring,
or at least thats what were lead to believe by all the self appointed
experts of mentalism, how about this? To a woman force a line from a
book, say, ...the London Bridge.... Use Add-a-No to force another
large number. On a huge board thats been on display throughout the
demonstration is about 100 dots with corresponding numbers
randomly across the board. There are also some odd lines and
shapes. The woman reads the chosen words. The man declares the
number. A third spectator goes to the board with a black markers and
connects the single digits until a simple picture is made; a picture of
London Bridge!
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Pretty simple. Just draw a connect the dots picture, put the force
number digits at the dots in the correct order and add a bunch of false
dots you wont use. After the third person makes the prediction
apparent, use chalk to add color and turn it into a flash painting! Much
more effective than revealing a word, place or number.
I learned how to paint smoke pictures on glass back in the 1990s.
Ive wowed and wooed with the pictures. Al Koran had a strange effect
that revealed words drawn in black soot. It was accomplished with a
flap on a plate. I found a book of poems that I could use to force a
scene that I can paint with smoke, and prepared a plate with that
scene. The smoke painting on the plate was covered with a flap. I
forced the scene, covered the plate in paper, ditched the flap, burned
the paper off with a candle and revealed the smoke painting! This was
a gift to the hostess. It sounds magical, but presented as mentalism it
was quite enchanting.
...To Be Continued...
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