Hi there I was just wondering if any of you guys had seen Dan Harlans pack small play big mentalism DVD and what you guys thought

I find it quite good, really and I like mentalism a lot. The ideas are ok, but not much emphasis on presentational angles, whys, subtleties like what you could get out of Cassidy and Richard Osterlind.

THere's a headline prediction which is impressive, and I did his Deja Voo-Doo once in a show

Hi!
Psychic is right. You can get some good ideas from this DVD and although it doesn't go into subtelties, presentational angles, etc., as much as Ostelind's, Cassidy's, etc. you'll still find some tips on how to structure your show and some clever effects.
Best,

Osterlind DVD are very great. I would really suggest those if your are interest in mentalism. Dan Harlan has also some good idea like his "homemade" force bag but generally it is not as good as Osterlind DVD.

Johnny

I enjoyed Dan's Mentalism DVD in the Packs Small Plays Big series. In his lecture a few years back he sold quality made versions of the DeJa Voodoo and the 37 Across tricks. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find these for sale anywhere else but from him at his lectures.

Thanks a;ot for your replies guys, I had a look at a few of the Osterlind DVD's today and am seriously thinking about grabbing a couple

TA
TMM

Osterlind's DVD are better then Dan's but he's ideas are not bad too, quite creative (as for me)

What bugged me most about Dan Harlan's mentalism video was his character. During 37 Across, for example, his "I never make mistakes" line and overall attitude grated on me.

I thought these videso/DVD's were horrible. The performances were a real snore. The old "it's not what you do, but who you are" applies and who he was on these was a terrible performer.

Comparing Harlan's dvds with Osterlinde's is like comparing a skateboard to a race car. the first can be fun for magicians who this is their first encounter with mentalism, but even they'll get bored after an hour play.
the latter is to work with.
Harlan maybe want to be a mentalist, but judging from his dvds not only he has a long long way to walk, he might never get there (not with his current character and choise of material).

Nimrod , Israel

One or two effects are okay.some of his tips are useful ie regarding disposing effects etc.but definitely one for someone planning their first couple of shows.
good luck.
hmk

Ouch! I guess that's what I get for trying to put together an easy-to-learn show that contains solid material filled with variety which is not technically demanding.

cfrye: Sorry about my attitude. It is used in that routine to set up the conditions so that people care whether I'm right or wrong. Strange that the audience didn't seem to mind, and actually seemed to like me.
--Dan Harlan

Dan,
I saw three out of the four Pack Small Play Big videos, and I learned something from all of them. There was something on each of them that I can use, but above all, the concept of how to pack a small show into a briefcase that plays big was well worth the price of any of those tapes. I now use the road case and the ditch bag in almost every show, as well as the idea of printing out a show format sheet to follow along. It's made setting up and taking down so easy! It used to take me at least twice as long to set up and tear down. Thanks for your willingness to share from your experience! -Jeff

What's wrong with you people???

This is one of my favorite DVDs, and considering I have over 80 magic DVDs, I would say I've seen a lot and can differentiate between the good and the bad.

Having said that, I honestly am not a huge fan of Dan's performing style. It's just not for me. Nevertheless, the material is first rate.

What most people are failing to realise, as Dan correctly pointed out, is that is designed to be a show that packs small and plays big. And on that count in comes out on top. The material is easy to learn, and as I (and I'm sure many others) can tell you, it's packs a powerful punch, and leaves audiences in utter disbelief.

This DVD gets my highest recommendation...

I can't believe where this post has gone since I've been away. I now own three of the four pack small play big DVD's and feel that the mentalism DVD in particular is superb. Comparing this DVD with Ostilands is just stupid in my opinion because the target audience is completely different. Harlans DVD is aimed I assume and please correct me if I'm wrong Dan as more of an introduction to mentalism with some very simple yet incredibly strong effects. I will strongly recomend this DVD to those who are looking into mentalism or even for those who have been peforming mentalism for a while as there are some very clever concepts.

Love your work Dan

TMM

Dan was very carefull here to detail the reasons why this DVD series was created. From what I can gather from his post, the series was designed to have strong impact material, effects that were solid and not too heavy on the mind or hands. For this reason any critique of these DVD's must be written with this in mind. Any comparison made between the Osterlind and Harlan DVD is therefore like compairing chalk and cheese. Dan is a very confident performer whose attitude towards the performance of these effects
made every one a presentational showpiece, requiring very little preperation, skill or storage space.

These DVD's are very different to most on the market, as they offer the viewer access to a complete show in it's entirety. The more seasoned performers who were smart enough to make this purchase will use the parts they feel work best. Our new magic friends have the benefit of a whole *** act if they want it...a strong act too with any number of these effects useful for frying the local magic club aswell. This is a credit to Dan, a magician who thinks very carefully about his magic.

I don't want to get too specific about the tricks on the disc but I can't believe more people have not commented on the strength of the effects; Reddit and Deja Voodoo. These completely floored me.

Dean

I haven't checked those DVDs.
But I can say that Osterlind's DVDs are easy-to-learn and contain solid material filled with variety which is not technically demanding.

The nature and specifics of the Osterlind DVD's are very different though....and let me tell you there is also a good amount of material on them that is not very easy at all. In contrast most of the material on Dan's DVD is easy to master and make up. Also it's a complete show. The main point of my post was not so much that the two DVD's were different (Although they are) But more that I think that Dan and his DVD have been a little unfairly treated here, their only crime being to have been very creative in trying to offer the viewer the opportunity to 'Belt straight into it' so to speak. I also don't think that Dan was comparing his own DVD to Osterlinds when he made his comments, but simply protecting his work on this thread as well as speaking up for himself.

Too high brow here for me.
Any of Dan's material is "Comfort Magic" to me.
The best analogy is what we Americans call "comfort food" (Meatloaf, cookies, etc). Yes we can get intense with our Spectators (I do at times) but need to say having fun with "confidence material" is what Dan has taught me. I have yet to be "burned" by anything he creates Video or effect.

Now PM me on where to send me your new DVDs, Dan, for free to "evaluate"!

I absolutely meant no disrespect to Richard Osterlind, who happens to be on my list of top quality, creative performers. I was just surprised that my performance evoked such a negative response. I didn't see it with the audience and I never do. Perhaps I've been doing this too long.
--Dan Harlan