The bad: You deserve a better trick.
The good: You maintained control throughout. While you could have been a little less "wobbly" with your instructions, they were clear and I think you did a great job of making sure the audience member understood what you wanted him to do.
The trick itself is flawed but you managed to make it play by being quick and to the point. You didn't "think" about the pump at all.
The audience member was a little uncomfortable with the "moment of magic" (looking at his hand) and that is common. If he is going to be giggly, you need to address that. Being older, the way I would handle it probably wouldn't work for you. I would tell him that this is very difficult and if he wants this to be succesful he needs to focus. I would get very serious and he (hopefully) would as well.
For you, maybe saying, "Look, I know this seems kind of silly but if you try to focus, you will see something you will remember for a long time." You have aknowledged his behavior, and it will be less important to the rest of the audience.
BUT you are in a great position. The fact that he IS giggly and not focusing helps rationalize the pumping procedure used - no wonder it is coming in unclearly. (For the record, the trick is flawed because - among other reasons - you use the same pump twice yet can end up with different results. Bad structure. There are better versions out there.)
Also, make the "magic" clearer. What is happening in his hand? What are you doing? What are you seeing? While you may think this is clear to your audience, it isn't. They are happy you got the card right - that is clear. But you did not commit to the journey as fully as you could have.
Having said that, you committed more fully than a lot of magicians your age whom I have seen. Commit even more and then the trick has several moments of wonder, not just one.
And one more teeny idea - the table he was in is awful. Even so, had you positioned it so he was facing the crowd and you stood slightly behind and to the side of him, the audience could see everything more clearly. Plus, when you turn around to hide your eyes, you would stand behind him. Very clear you can see nothing and it makes for a tight, dramatic picture. People remember pictures.
Good job and good luck.
Brad Henderson
Some good advice from Brad there!!
But for the record, The trick it's self isn't flawed - I should know as I designed the script and I've performed it all over the world to stunning result.
When the script in the book is followed exactly, or the guidelines at least, the questions are posed in different ways, so that an indifferent response isn't thought to be controlled thru equivoque style response.
The principle remains the same, but the wording is KEY.
I don't doubt that some other minds have concocted versions which you might prefer, though the basis of the Cold manuscript was to introduce the reader to this technique, which alot of people are too worried to use or just don't know about in the case of younger or less read magicians - so it's offered in a very structured, fool proof routine along with the option to include a cold reading in the effect through the essay section toward the end. It's not my full works on Cold to date as I've done a lot to improve the routine in the 2-3 years it's been since originally writing that manuscript. As aforementioned, the manuscript is to introduce to the concept.
There will however be the full routine in the context I use as a bonus on the forthcoming DVD with merchant of magic.
For other work on the techniques employed check out Vernon and Gene Grant's texts especially. Some great ideas!
Repeating the pointers in the PM I sent, it's all about building suspense for the reveal and not paying attention to your 'questions.' believe that they're not questions, that you can see the card in your mind's eyes somewhere in the haze - you're getting impressions...
In your mind that HAS TO BE what's happening, it's the same idea I use to draw attention away from the bending of a spoon, you could bend it right in front of their eyes, but if you don't pay attention, BELIEVE that it's not happening and it's not hard to get away with.
I'll re-cap over what has happened before the final reveal, exaggerating the freedom of choice, etc, as is mentioned in the works to again enhance the feeling of impossibility.
These days, I tend to adopt an muscle reading kind of presentation with the effect and also as mentioned I'll often talk about reasons that people might choose certain cards... Adds a bit more intimacy to the routine and adds more impossibility.
I did use it for a spectator mind reading effect for a while, but that's another story for another day...
Anyway, a good point to bear in mind is that as far as the audience is concerned (more so with a spectator shuffle!) they've just looked at or thought of one card out of 52. There's no way to discover such results with out the added layer of deception.
Cheers,
D.
