I'm thinking of purchasing these tapes, anyone who has studied or watched these, could they please give me their thoughts or opinions...

I prefer no nonsense "impromptu looking" material that can be applied to a close up setting, are these tapes for me?

thanks in advance

To the best of my knowledge there are 3 tapes in the series ( someone correct me if Im wrong ). All 3 have presentations that run from stage/parlor to close-up, but none of the tapes are just impromptu/close up. But they do have some great material on them.
HTH
Kim

IMO very little on these tapes is great! I can think of only 2 effects that I thought were even worth performing.
Both the effects that I am thinking of could be done close up. But these tapes are not for you.

Wow ZeroG, is that right? I've heard some nice things about these tapes, I'd also like to hear more about them!


Anabelle

I thought Hilford's "Shadow Card" was very good.

I thought Becker's Psychometric Coins had some good things to think about and use elsewhere.

there were some things to think about, I suppose.

zeroG, did you like shadow card?

Please refresh my memory. What was Shadow Card?

I agree Psychometric coins is a good concept.

Shadow card goes like this:

bring up 2 spectators

first spectator closes their eyes on stage.
second spectator selects a card and it is shown to the audience.

the card is then shown to the first spectator.

the first spectator names the card they "thought" they saw. "the X-of-X"

it is wrong.

the first spectator counts the cards. one is missing.

the magician pulls notes out of a sealed envelope entitled "experiment #323 1/3/2004"


It reads that the first spectator will mis-call the card as X-of-X.

in fact, just to make sure, the card they will mis-call will also be inside the envelope.

the first spectator looks and sure enough, the mis-called card has been inside the envelop all along and never was inside the deck.

spoooooky!!!


I like it.


I din't write this up very well. Let me know if you have any questions.

.... or maybe one of the grammar hosts will clean up my mess for me (as they usually do

Frank

Actually, its Shadow Cloud

I didn't have time to go back over all 3 tapes, but different strokes for different folks.I did re-watch the 1st tape. The very 1st tape has both the effects that ZeroG and Frank said they liked. At the same time,while I agree that some of the material isn't "knock your socks off" stuff, and that it cant all be applied to what you said your looking for, ie;no-nonsense impromptu material, there is something good on each tape.
From the 1st tape besides the 2 effects already mentioned, I also liked both Lee Earles and Mark Strivings effects. that's 4 out of 7 effects that I thought were good.
I will re-watch the other 2 in the next day or so and let you know more about them.
HTH
Kim

Of course is you can find something in those tapes. It depends on what you have got before. I think that Osterlinds DVD is more important and Max Mavens VHS. Have you got those I think you should buy the three Brainstorm videos.

I don't know. I purchased the Desert Brainstorm set when they were released and sold them not long afterward. Then a couple of years later I decided I wanted to do "Psychokinetic Coins" so I bought the set again. (The basic idea is in Stunners! so, silly me. Best place to hide something is in print, eh?)

There are items I like on the tape: Becker's stuff, Mark Strivings stuff, and Chris Caldwell's "Blockbuster Surprise" is a good routine to work with.

The thing to consider though, is they are about $75 for the set. Is that the best use you can put that $75 to? If the idea is to get some grounding in good mentalism ideas, consider that $75 is more than TA Waters's "Mind, Myth and Magic". I think it would be an absolute travesty to go without that book.

$75 is also more than half the cost of a copy of Stunners! Plus which has several lifetimes of incredibly good stuff in it.

Also keep in mind that, for anyone who has not yet purchased them, Richard Osterlind's set of 4 DVDs are still available from http://www.osterlindmysteries.com for just $100 postpaid. Without any question, I'd suggest someone purchase these DVDs now before either Max's set or the Desert Brainstorm set.

I just thought I'd throw a couple of things out there to consider.

John LeBlanc
Houston, TX

Sounds like these Vids are a bit dull! I liek Docc, but not the others!

I only have the first one but I liked it better than all 3 of Max's vdieos.

I'm probably being harsh but I got the feeling from Max's videos that he was holding back just about all the good stuff and was making his videos for kids to buy to fool their moms and dads.

To be fair if I would think about the content there is probably a lifetime supply of info in there that can be gleaned and used, etc., etc., etc., yada, yada, yada


I think I like books better, anyhow. Less fluff and more meat.


Frank

I have to agree about the max maven tapes, he does seem to be holding out, but then he has his own career to think about! havnt seen the osterlind tapes yet, think I'm gonna hold out on dersert brainstorm at the moment...

thank you everyone for your thoughts

looch

About Max Maven and his tapes. I don´t think he is holding back anything. It is just very hard to decide what to publish in videos because he knows so many tricks that it is devastating. I didn´t find even one weak trick in his tapes.

I even heard that every lecture he keeps is different. He has different material in every lecture.

For instance, I thought his "stage mentalism" was very weak.

I thought it was ok for perhaps "parlor" but stage?????????

I did think Zenvelops was pretty good, tossed out deck, and a couple others.

I think I was just expecting much more from someone that is supposed to be so great.

I hate buying something ie like the above with the mindset that if I can just get one effect from it,its worthwile.and this is just what happened.if anything the routines have a bit of a dated feel about them.better to save up for the osterlind dvd instead..
good luck.
hmk

Just wondering if those tapes include Lee Earle's Train a Thought? It was published in Melange a trois (and in M.i.n.d.), but I'd like to see it performed