These DVD's are great, with a lot of real workers on them, as for the price I think the ESP effect is worth the price of the dvd and that switch is just genius!!

This dvd will give you effects which take little or no set up and will devastate an audience, what more can you ask for?

I have bought DVDs in the past where I havent used any of the effects on them, with this I would say 5 effects will go right in to my working set, now that in my view is a good DVD set

Regards
Ash Turner

It is an excellent selection of mentalism for the regular magician. I've not checked but is this their first DVD of material like this? Usually the first one is the best as it has years worth of material on it. Pip pip.

Hi Guys,

Thank you for the kind words it really means a lot to know you got something from the DVD's. Marc and Myself are currently working on our close up mentalism DVD Vol 1 and the first of our High Impact series. Stay tuned for further details.

Peter

Yes, there is a host of workable material on this 2 DVD set which will find great exposure now that Murphy's Magic is distributing it. Most of it really feels very impromptu which is the theme, so this should be no surprise. What I mean by that is that there are much better methods for doing certain routines, like One Handed Geller, which seem to have chosen the method given for the sake of simplicity. Perhaps the DVD should have been titled "Simply Unexpected"

As others have noted Perfect ESP is a real work horse of a classic. Busch's Brain Buster shows potential though I felt the performance on the DVD dragged. This could be a by product of there being NO AUDIENCE at all on this DVD. The reason I don't care for this style of shooting is you don't get a first impression of the routine as it is framed for an audience. Unexpected is filmed more like two guys sessioning feel, rather than a performer doing a show.

Tribute to Mr. Kane has some real potential as a routine which can be themed easily in many different directions... as does Drinks On The Pateo which also had a nice twist and turn to a normal classic progression.

The production is really quite good which was nice to see as this shooting style of DVD can suffer from poor production. The drawbacks for me here are DVDs which rely on unoriginal material, fail to credit it, and then dismiss this shortcoming by saying "We claim no originality for these routines." Now having said that, there is probably a double edged sword here in the world of Mentalism. There are considerably fewer themes and methods than in magic. It is only realistic that you will see the kind of repetition we see from one DVD set to another. One of these and one of those and then this and.... You get the idea. I just wish there was more attention paid to crediting in these matters.

SO, for those who already have a performing mentalism set, they will possibly only see repetition for something they already do and a few good ideas to tweak the performance of the way they are already doing some classics. BUT if you are new to Mentalism or want to broaden your repertoir this would be a good place to look in addition to Osterlind, Banachek, etc... I would not hesitate to recommend this to someone with relatively slight exposure to Mentalism, and I would tell those who have working sets already that if they truly think a nice little twist or two to the performance of a classic is valuable to them, this set will provide that.

I predict success for this DVD set as there is an ever expanding interest in Mentalism right now.

Cheers,

Tom

Hi All,

I recently bought your Unexpected DVD and love some of the routines. Some others require more to make believeable but that is my problem not Peter or Marcs..

I wanted to share a subtlely with you regarding the one handed Geller effect. Hopefully they could publish it somewhere as a follow up. It has worked in real world situations both in UK and recently in Italy where I had the language barrtier to overcome.

Idea 1: I complete the routine as described but the first time someone tries to bend it it doesn;t work. I believe this builds realism. I take it back and tell them to really concentrate. I do "the work" and then take a hypno disc type illusion from my pocket (deposting as necessary) and then get them to focus on it. I then try some trance type work and if it produces trance then great. If not I continue with the effect as per Banachek and your dvd. Somehow the failure first time builds belief as quite often the person isn't trying hard enough and initially treats it as a bit of a joke.

Idea 2: (2 or more spectators) Routine as described, then I get them to fail bending it. Again I tell them they need to concentrate more. I make sw**ch and tell them to hold the coin in their hand and tell me when it gets hot. I then take some blank card stock from my pocket (deposit as required) and a pen and work a Perfected Centre Tear re Osterlind. I rip as required and make some by play between the coin holder and the other spectator. Time delay etc etc. It usually produces a bit of humour. I then use dual realtiy to build the hot coin, imagine chocolate coin etc bending. Once they say this is happening (if they do) I complete your routine as described and then move to the other spectator. I give a reading to them based on what they wrote and then reveal as per Osterlind et al.

I hope this makes sense and I can state that this works in the real world situation.

For what it is worth, this DVD explains some simple ideas but they are so powerful in the rear world live situation. I like to start off fairly simple as per Biss's Metla warm up type ideas and move along getting more difficult. The one handed Geller effect really sets people up for the Strebler and Banachek cutlery bending effects.

Ian

I've had the set for a little while now, and noticed some calls for "real world experience" with the effects on the discs, so I thought I would toss my two cents in.

Please bear in mind, I am not a professional performer. I more or less perform for fun, with the occasional paid performance from time to time.

In my humble opinion, this is, without doubt - the best magic/mentalism purchase I have ever made. Yes, a number of effects have methods I'm well aware of, but the presentations and ideas that Mr. Nardi and Mr. Spelmann offer are well worth the price of this set.

Both men should be lauded for the incredible efforts they've made with this set. It should also be noted that both went to great lengths to ensure that proper credit was given to those who paved the methods for their effects. This is a quality that is sadly becoming more rare.

I also found the set was strengthened by that casual and fun atmosphere. No, the effects weren't performed in front of audiences, but I didn't have a problem with that. I'm well aware of their abilities as performers, and the lack of an audience doesn't lead me to believe that these effects won't play well in the real world. Quite the opposite, really. I have been getting some of my strongest reactions with the material from this set. Three for the Money has garnered quite a few referrals already (which is not something I actively seek, but is quite amazing to have happen).

I enjoyed the playfulness of the performances and instructions, as well. I have never laughed so hard while watching a video of this nature - which is a welcome change. The camaraderie shared by the two in the videos not only makes it fun to watch, but (at least for me) enhanced the overall experience.

As was said on the dvd (and by others here) this is not meant to replace your existing professional repetoire. I would challenge that statement, as I feel quite a few of these effects could be worked together to BE a professional repetoire. Perhaps that is my own naivete, but I truyl believe the material on here is THAT strong.

If this set is any indication, Innerminds is going to have an incredible future. In me, they have a customer for life.

I just have one question for NightBringer - I am not trying to start an argument here, but I had a question regarding his comment about the lack of true impromptu effects on these dvds. By my count - 7 of the effects could be done completely impromptu, as long as you're carrying around some business cards. Some of the effects require a small bit of set-up, but I would hardly say anything here requires A LOT of work.

For instance, you said Feel requires a lot of set-up. You then went on to include Predict-tac-toe as one of your favorite impromptu routines. How does the set-up for one take any longer than the other?

In regards to Feel - with a bit of confidence and some strong presentation, you could perform that effect with items your spectators write down. On two occasions I have been able to do that, to incredible effect.

I'm not trying to get down on you. I'm just saying that perhaps you could go back and watch these, and then start to see how these methods can be shaped and formed to suit your own style. You might find more use for these effects than you first thought.

Yes, you're going to run into methods you've known for a while....but if that was a true detractor, I'd have stopped buying card magic books and dvd's since a large percentage of them continue to teach me how to perform an Elmsley Count.

This DVD contains what a lot of DVDs lack these days...........personality.

Content aside (it is excellent though), other DVD producers would be wise to listen to my words.

Yes I agree with the vast majority here, excellant DVD and the best purchase on mentalism I've had in a long while. Enjoyed the humor and personality in it. Just finished watching them again and the material is great for the environment I perform in, which is Pubs. People don't want heavy duty mentalism in a bar, they want to have fun, and this delivers. Great stuff guys Congratulations

For completeness sake the switch is by Dr. Jacob Daley and is called The Delight Switch. It's been lost in the mists of time until now. The only other person I've seen using this recently is Zenneth Kok. Specifically I can remember four blank cards transposing with four Jokers as part of his card act. Maybe someone from the Café can confirm that this is correct? I'm convinced he used this move.

I can also say that I am very picky about videos and dvd´s that has came to marked recent years, mainly because most of em are barely bad or don't have anything worth studying and thinking of adding into my repertoire.

However this set is rather interesting... I don't do much mentalism, but I consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable in it still. I also don't add new material to my repertoire even if I watch a tons of dvd´s and read rather lot of books books.

However there was at least 4 routines/ideas that I am sure I will be studying forward and trying to make something out of em. As I stated, it is extremely rare for me to even consider adding something for my repertoire and now from 2 dvd´s I am working with 4 routines/ideas. This is like a jackpot for me. Those interested routines inspired me were Drinks On The Patio, A Tribute to Mr. Kane, Feel and idea from Busch Brain Buster. All are very commercial, easy to set up on spot if you happen to have business cards with you and effects I think can be rather devastating on laymens.

I do however also have some complains about these dvds. There is still quite extensive usage of businesscards and such marked with numbers, giving maybe too much the sense of mental magic, instead of mentalism. This is however just small remark and I doubt it matters at all to laymen, they don't know the difference. Also the live performances might have been worth adding to dvd´s, cos I got little annoyed by the annoying smart ass remarks the performers threw at each other while performing the pieces, but that is still rather minor detail as well. Oh, and one more thing, the palm in Serial Killer Live was something I hope I will never have to see again That hand was all but natural.

I can give rather high recommendation of these dvd´s to anyone who is searching for usable material that does require pretty much just a bunch of businesscards or piece or paper and pen.

I love UNEXPECTED, its great, perfect for the impromptu miracles.... I look forward to 'high impact vol 1'

Here is a review that I penned after I received the set about two months ago. My two cents:

Unexpected

+ I thought that the quality of the DVD, video and audio, was fine.

+ The demonstrations and the explanations were clear and thorough.

+ Mr. Spelmann and Mr. Nardi were likeable and sincere in their efforts.

+ There was a good amount of interesting and good mentalism material



Minuses

- I like to see the routines demonstrated before a live, lay audience.

- There is somewhat a lack of variety. Of the 11 effects explained (not including the 12th section - an explanation of a simple two person code), 8 of them involved business cards or billets. Business cards are scarely mentioned in the descriptions of the effects. Take the routine "Feel" as an example where the effect description reads "A spectator holds an imaginary object in their cupped hands. You concentrate and tell them exactly what they are holding!" In actual performance, the imaginary object has been selected from a number of objects written on face down business cards. And the book or magazine test, is actually just another billet routine. Again, nothing wrong with the effect, but at some point, when things are written on cards and you seem to know what they are over and over, the miracle is somewhat diminished. A final point on variety is that, with various billet techniques, Ct.'s and peeks widely known, most already have several impromptu routines with business cards already in our impromptu reportoire.

- My big criticism, however, has to do with the definition of "impromptu." To me 'impromptu' means an effect performed on the fly, with commonly available props which, ideally, are borrowed. A magician, might borrow a rubber band or some coins and goes to work. For mentalism, it means sitting down at restaurant table, being unexpectedly asked to do a demonstration, borrowing a few common materials, or offering your own normal business cards and doing some miracles. More than half of the routines on "Unexpected" require some preparation with the materials ahead of the actual performance. Much of that preparation is scant, nevertheless, it needs to be done. A performer can't just borrow the materials and 'go' which is the precise definition of 'impromptu.'

That said, there is some good material on there especially the drawing dupe"Underhanded Thoughts," "A Tribute to Mr. Kane.

I greatly enjoyed the Dvd, only criticisms are that the effects are by and large, not truly impromptu, and the methods are obvious to non-mentalist magi.

I've only just had a chance to see these and have to say, these are wonderful. The effects are all very strong, direct and in appearance, very clean. Not all impromptu but personally that doesn't matter one bit to me. The routine 'Underhand Thoughts' for me was the clear winner on disk one, closely followed by 'Perfect ESP'. Not watched all of disk two yet so no judgement forthcoming on the best routines on that one yet.

Top product, very well produced and with excellent content.

Jamie.

There is not a DVD set (or single DVD) in my collection from which I've gathered more "real-world impromptu" material. Every routine here is a winner. This set, IMHO, is flying under the radar... which is fine by me!

Agreed Gabe, this is a must have set

Good DVD set and entertaining too. Worth the investment.

Hennessey

Resurrecting an old thread but I've been watching these DVDs this week and thought I'd chip in with my observations.

The set is very well produced with good picture and sound quality. Both Nardi and Spelmann are charismatic, entertaining fellows and this makes for an enjoyable viewing experience, particularly during the explanations. They both have a wealth of tips and knowledge to share and personally, I always learn better when I'm enjoying the experience, which is certainly the case here.

I have mixed opinions on the effects presented, some are excellent and some I'd never use. Because Y2John has already given such a comprehensive review, I just wanted to comment on a few that really stood out but for different reasons.

Fistful of Dollars has that awkard 'mental magic' feel for me. I don't get the logic of seemingly influencing a spectator to make the wrong choice of hand only then to reveal a prediction showing you knew they'd be wrong? Rather than a 'kicker' its just over-egging the pudding. I preferred Marc Paul's take on this type of effect (with coins), where the routine is repeated several times, giving the prediction more meaning.

Perfect ESP is a great a effect that I'll use but I think the performance and setting on the DVD let it down - I spotted the move during the performance because there was no opportunity for Nardi to use misdirection. In the right environment I can see this would really work. I really like the quip about ESP cards being 'As seen in Ghostbusters' - much better than the dry explantion usually trotted out.

Underhand Thoughts is an excellent drawing duplication, as others have already observed. I'm not great at the move needed so this will need practise, but I'll definitely use this.

A Tribute to Mr Kane is another 'mental magic' effect that I'd never use. Again the logic defies me - asking someone to put a note on one of five cards then move it the same number of times seems too 'tricky'. I wasn't familiar with the original but when watching this, I quickly ran through the possibilities of some other number choices in my head and realised they would also finish on '2' - so any spectator could easily do the same thing and maybe assume all choices end on 2 (like I did - wrongly of course).

Busch Brain Buster is the best effect on the set - and one which I'll definitely use. The selection of word is really clean and I really like the idea of plucking words from the spectators head to get a feel for the type of word they chose from the newspaper or book. Its a lovely piece of work.

Great dvd set, and entertaining as well. Made me laugh several times. You cant go wrong with this one!

Perfect ESP is a classic example of simplictiy,directness and punch.

The recipe is delicious.

Steve