Control :: Reactions

[Pots54]

Yesterday, I bought Control, the DVD and download, and watched. I practiced it once and I thought I had it down, but I KNEW I would definitely watch it again and practice some more later. Anyway, yesterday night, I was going to a friend's party, so I thought I might try Control.

Oh. My. Gosh. Everyone (which was about ten people) went CRAZY. Everyone was screaming, yelling, someone were begging me never to do it again. All I can say is this effect is one of the best I have ever seen.

Wayne Hoochy - Woochy: This trick is amazing. If I could ever meet you, I would like to shake your hand.

All I can say, is once you perform this, you WILL get a reputation.

-|P54

 

[adjones]

I'm not trying to bash on you here, as I think it's great you got good reactions. However, I believe any effect, even easy ones, should have more practice put into them than a few hours. You need to have a strong presentation and you really need to sell it to make any pulse stop effect work, and I have trouble believing that you've done this already.

 

[b.boulton]

Wow..GOOD JOB!


-Brad





PS. Your idea of a party is 10 people? Wow...

 

[Pots54]

Wow..GOOD JOB!


-Brad





PS. Your idea of a party is 10 people? Wow...

10 people for me isn't a party. Thats what the person who was hosting the party called it. I thought it was a casual get together...

 

[baskitboy5]

I say congrats on getting reactions, however, performing merely hours after learning an effect does not seem right to me. Even the easiest self working tricks need presentation, timing, etc. Please give every effect the time it deserves.
Adam

 

[ThomasA2]

Focus on the result, then the thing in between

The fact that the performance of the pulse stop by Pot54 got great reactions (one person asked him never to do that again), clearly overlaps whatever reason not to perform this as he did.

As magicians you should focus on the resulting reactions, and then correct your presentation if necessary.

Anyways, you have to perform to become better, even if you use a presentation totally cloned from Wayne Houchin.

//Tjernobyl

 

[MitchellStafiej]

I don't recommend performing so soon after ordering. I performed for a few friends, and because not enough effort was put into presentation... I received "That's it?". Please don't follow the example of performing so soon after ordering Control.

Mitchell

 

[adjones]

I say congrats on getting reactions, however, performing merely hours after learning an effect does not seem right to me. Even the easiest self working tricks need presentation, timing, etc. Please give every effect the time it deserves.
Adam

Pretty much exactly what I said.

 

[robotsunshine]

While I agree on practicing before performing, Control is like 95% presentation and physical "oooh no I'm dyyiiinngg" stuff, and you can only practice THAT so much alone. You really need to try the presentation aspect on other people to see what flies and what doesn't, what's generally accepted and what cues people pick up on. The method is simple and easily concealed, so that's not really a problem. But this is one of those rare effects that you kind of have to perform to practice.

 

[adjones]

Yes, but there is a A LOT you can do before going out to "practice". For example, scripting out your presentation, and practicing it. Then go try it out, and work out the kinks. Another thing that might help you is to perform this for people you don't know. It would definitely be a weird one to perform for someone you don't know, but even if you completely bomb it... presentation or method... you'll more than likely never meet the person again, so you don't have to worry about it.

 

[robotsunshine]

Yes, but there is a A LOT you can do before going out to "practice". For example, scripting out your presentation, and practicing it. Then go try it out, and work out the kinks.

Oh, definitely. You'd want to imagine it and script it. But to practice slumping over in your chair and falling into a coma, then slowly reviving - that's not like doing three fly, where you can say, "Yep, I got it!" This is something that other people have to look at and find convincing. It's not like you can practice that acting until it's perfect - you need to adjust it according to how it flies by people.

 

[Pots54]

Everyone,

stop bashing me. I actually practiced this effect from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. I even made my own routine that isn't on the DVD, which is the pulse in your neck.

I practiced this effect A LOT ever since I got, so stop saying I only practiced it once. I know in the first post said I only practiced once. I meant practiced it once before i got it and made it better...

-|P54

 

[Aik0z]

The fact that the performance of the pulse stop by Pot54 got great reactions (one person asked him never to do that again), clearly overlaps whatever reason not to perform this as he did.

As magicians you should focus on the resulting reactions, and then correct your presentation if necessary.

Anyways, you have to perform to become better, even if you use a presentation totally cloned from Wayne Houchin.

//Tjernobyl

I do a agree with you, i didn't bought Control yet but how the hell are you going the presentate your pulse stops working otherwise then Wayne did.
You can't just fall suddenly to the ground and hoping someone check your pulse??
Anyway Pots, really master your presentation, even if you get the reactions you want doesn't means you've totally got it.

Mathys

 

[Farrell]

You have disregarded all of T11's and all of magics moral's by not practicing for long enough, shame on you.

 

[jimbowmanjr]

Is anyone seriously surprised that someone performed this the very next day after learning it?

I am glad you got a good reaction. Personally I think you got lucky or your audience wasn't quite as scrutinizing as most are these days. Not bashing you in all honesty, I just think you made a poor decision to rush out and perform this like it was a self-working card trick you just learned.

Please follow Mitchell's advice here and put in quite a bit more practice towards performing this and routinizing the entire thing. I would think that the majority of the advice offered throughout the entire video would have made this clear enough.

--Jim

 

[aftersh0ck]

Kind of off topic, but does anyone have any good patter suggestions for this routine? Like a reason for being able to do it? I haven't performed it for this very reason, and I don't just want to say, look at me, I can stop my pulse.

 

[Anthony Bass]

I don't see why everybody is bashing him for not practicing before performing. The only way to practice a pulse stop routine is to perform it. If you've got presentation down, you're good to go. Obviously he got great reactions, so leave it be.

Awesome job bro!

Anthony Bass

 

[robotsunshine]

Kind of off topic, but does anyone have any good patter suggestions for this routine? Like a reason for being able to do it? I haven't performed it for this very reason, and I don't just want to say, look at me, I can stop my pulse.

No more so than saying, Watch me make your card come to the top of the deck a thousand times. There's an unspoken agreement going into a performance that you're going to be doing odd things, and as long as it's cool, the audience doesn't question why. We really have no reason at all to be doing any of the things we do - what's the point of Factory Sealed? What possible benefit do we gain from sticking a pen through a quarter? There's no valid reason other than, Come see me do the impossible! Personally, I never offer an explanation behind any trick I do, because there really isn't a good one besides entertainment.

However. Wayne hypes it up as just a dangerous thing he wants to try after not having done it for so long, which is a feasible suggestion - "I don't do this often, it's sort of... I don't know, might not be the best idea..." and you build up tension throughout the performance. This way, you're sort of like a daredevil performer, wanting to continue entertaining at all costs. Another angle could be that you have control over life and death - stick this with Neale's Life (that was Neale, right?), Vigil's Ladybug, or the dead fly ressurection trick.

You could present it as geek magic, also. It deals with punishment of the body, so that could work. Or even a feat of mentalism, briefly slowing your heart. Derren Brown slowed his pulse to stop oxygen going to his brain which allowed him to then walk on glass.

 

[MattTarrant]

I think it is fantastic that he is so keen to show off the effect,
And yes, it is a fantastic effect.

Now that you got the great reactions, build upon that, build the excitement of the effect and build up your act.

Practise it over the next few weeks and perfect it in your own way.

Then perform it again .

Congrats!
Matty

 

[baskitboy5]

I don't think that anyone is bashing you, just trying to give advice. Even if you work on it all day, to me that is still not enough time. I don't think seven hours is enough, especially when they are in a row. I think practice should be spread to allow thinking and changes to occur. I am not just saying this to you, but I do not agree with a lot of these magicians who learn something and do it the same or next day.
Adam