Can't do mentalism without eventually having to get to using a billet or two. The biggest question I always had starting out was what to use. Below is a list of various types of paper I've used and how they stack up.
Post-It Notes
These are my least favorite. The adhesive, while weak, does get in the way and they don't fold more than once or twice very well. They have a good opacity and can be marked easily, but their application is a bit limited. Pencil dots and some impression device techniques make these nice to have for parlor and stage mentalism. But if you plan to use them in close-up you're going to have to finesse it a bit.
Blank Business Card Stock
These fold awkwardly at times, but are excellent for all other applications. They especially hold nail nicks and pencil dots well. There are some sleights out there that make use of them for peeks, though I don't use them much personally. If you want to try them out and see if it's a good fit, by all means go ahead. They're especially good when using dousing paraphernalia such as a pendulum. If you do peek work with them, don't attempt a center tear. It's more trouble than it's worth.
Memo Pads
For peek work, these are my favorite. They fold very nicely, are not too transparent and carrying them around looks natural. They don't draw much attention to themselves. They don't hold nail nicks very well, though pencil dots are fine. They also rip nicely, which makes them great for center tears.
Cigarette Papers
These are very translucent and ink will show through them. They're not very good for folding and center tears as a result, but they're small and wad up really tight, making them great for pellet work. Eugene Burger's Spirit Magic DVD offers a nice little setup for just such a routine. Try it. You might like it.
Department Store Tissue Paper
This has one big advantage: it's free. Seriously, just walk into Macy's or some place like that and ask if they can give you a sheet of tissue paper they wrap clothes in. They'll probably give it to you no questions asked. It makes a nice switch with flash paper as visually it's almost identical at a distance of more than a foot or two. Like the cigarette papers, they're very translucent and best used in pellet work.
Showing posts with label billets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label billets. Show all posts
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Billet Work
At the request of Shawn Mullins, I'm presenting a small guide to billet work resources. If there are any works you think are missing here, feel free to add in the comments section.
Let me start by saying that 13 Steps to Mentalism and Practical Mental Magic both have some fundamentals, but they're rather light on effects. If I had to choose between the two however, I'd go with 13 Steps as it discusses billet handling techniques in more detail.
With that said, the effects in the two books aren't bad, but for someone who wants to do a lot of work with billets, you might find yourself wanting a little more. Especially since some of them as written require specific props and paraphernalia. I personally don't care for that sort of thing and try to find ways to get the same effect without all the bells and whistles.
Richard Busch's Peek Performances is an excellent resource for grounding peek principles into your head and allowing you to develop your own effects from there. Richard actually establishes different types of peeks and provides context and sample effects for them. It's loaded with convincers, info on all the dirty work, and a lot of very practical application of performance theory. Truly an excellent resource. If you plan to do a lot of billet work, I consider this a must-have.
Peek wallets are a dicey issue. A lot of the cheap ones are nice, but not great. They take a bit of choreography to use properly. As I said in my beginner's guide to mentalism, I use a homemade peek wallet with the Sight Unseen Case principle. Outlaw Effects produce some nifty wallets, though they're all a titch on the expensive side. Make those things last, boys. The Thought Transmitter uses an interesting principle, but you really need to be wary of what kind of light you use it in. I won't say more than that.
On the one hand, you can use some peek wallets like the Outlaw series as your regular wallet as well, though I hope you don't them receiving some wear and tear and having to pay to replace them every couple of years. If you're working regularly and have a decently disposable income, then I suppose it's less of an issue. Me, I'm a bit of a penny pincher. What can I say? Robert Rodriguez is one of my heroes, his affair with Rose McGowan not withstanding.
Banachek is of course a great resource. Always has been, always will be. There's some good info to be had on the PSI series, and several principles he uses can be used for billet work as well. There's a really good switch in DVD 1 for example that can be used in a lot of different contexts.
Richard Osterlind is another obvious choice. His Perfected Center Tear is still one of the best. I also highly recommend his Easy to Master Mental Miracles series. Easy to learn from and packed to bursting with quality material.
That covers the fundamentals and must-haves. Beyond that, I'd have to say my biggest choice for learning more about billet work would have to be Docc Hilford. It's his specialization and he has a lot of material out about it. One thing you can't accuse Docc of is lacking a head for business. As a result, don't expect large compendiums of his work like Banachek's Psychological Subtleties or Barrie Richardson's Theater of the Mind. Most of Docc's work is printed on very expensive but cheaply produced booklets. If this is an issue for you, invest in the Monster Mentalism DVD series and call it a day. More on those in a second. If you don't mind that as much, then I'll list some of his best booklets for billet technique.
The Monster Mentalism DVDs are a compilation of the best material Docc has published over the course of his career. The peek in E'Voque alone is one of those, "I can't believe I didn't think of that," moments and has a lot of applications outside of just the presented effect. Same with the way he uses a center tear in disc 1. You'll find plenty of peeks and switches to keep you busy for a long time yet.
Beyond that, he has a couple of booklets you may want to look into. My first pick is The Rosini Secret as it provides a billet reading method that can be done in almost any context or venue and provides a vast list of convincers and other pieces of advice that have specific as well as more general application.
Also consider The Whispering Buddha, the Book of Numbers series, and The Dark Cloak. I include them because they either offer new techniques or apply old principles to new and interesting presentations.
Hopefully, this will provide you with some good material to work with.
Let me start by saying that 13 Steps to Mentalism and Practical Mental Magic both have some fundamentals, but they're rather light on effects. If I had to choose between the two however, I'd go with 13 Steps as it discusses billet handling techniques in more detail.
With that said, the effects in the two books aren't bad, but for someone who wants to do a lot of work with billets, you might find yourself wanting a little more. Especially since some of them as written require specific props and paraphernalia. I personally don't care for that sort of thing and try to find ways to get the same effect without all the bells and whistles.
Richard Busch's Peek Performances is an excellent resource for grounding peek principles into your head and allowing you to develop your own effects from there. Richard actually establishes different types of peeks and provides context and sample effects for them. It's loaded with convincers, info on all the dirty work, and a lot of very practical application of performance theory. Truly an excellent resource. If you plan to do a lot of billet work, I consider this a must-have.
Peek wallets are a dicey issue. A lot of the cheap ones are nice, but not great. They take a bit of choreography to use properly. As I said in my beginner's guide to mentalism, I use a homemade peek wallet with the Sight Unseen Case principle. Outlaw Effects produce some nifty wallets, though they're all a titch on the expensive side. Make those things last, boys. The Thought Transmitter uses an interesting principle, but you really need to be wary of what kind of light you use it in. I won't say more than that.
On the one hand, you can use some peek wallets like the Outlaw series as your regular wallet as well, though I hope you don't them receiving some wear and tear and having to pay to replace them every couple of years. If you're working regularly and have a decently disposable income, then I suppose it's less of an issue. Me, I'm a bit of a penny pincher. What can I say? Robert Rodriguez is one of my heroes, his affair with Rose McGowan not withstanding.
Banachek is of course a great resource. Always has been, always will be. There's some good info to be had on the PSI series, and several principles he uses can be used for billet work as well. There's a really good switch in DVD 1 for example that can be used in a lot of different contexts.
Richard Osterlind is another obvious choice. His Perfected Center Tear is still one of the best. I also highly recommend his Easy to Master Mental Miracles series. Easy to learn from and packed to bursting with quality material.
That covers the fundamentals and must-haves. Beyond that, I'd have to say my biggest choice for learning more about billet work would have to be Docc Hilford. It's his specialization and he has a lot of material out about it. One thing you can't accuse Docc of is lacking a head for business. As a result, don't expect large compendiums of his work like Banachek's Psychological Subtleties or Barrie Richardson's Theater of the Mind. Most of Docc's work is printed on very expensive but cheaply produced booklets. If this is an issue for you, invest in the Monster Mentalism DVD series and call it a day. More on those in a second. If you don't mind that as much, then I'll list some of his best booklets for billet technique.
The Monster Mentalism DVDs are a compilation of the best material Docc has published over the course of his career. The peek in E'Voque alone is one of those, "I can't believe I didn't think of that," moments and has a lot of applications outside of just the presented effect. Same with the way he uses a center tear in disc 1. You'll find plenty of peeks and switches to keep you busy for a long time yet.
Beyond that, he has a couple of booklets you may want to look into. My first pick is The Rosini Secret as it provides a billet reading method that can be done in almost any context or venue and provides a vast list of convincers and other pieces of advice that have specific as well as more general application.
Also consider The Whispering Buddha, the Book of Numbers series, and The Dark Cloak. I include them because they either offer new techniques or apply old principles to new and interesting presentations.
Hopefully, this will provide you with some good material to work with.
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