Narcissus By Chris Philpott
Availability:
Finally, the 100th Monkey principle goes close up!
Five powerful new effects by Chris Philpott
In each effect, a picture of a spectator taken on his own phone magically changes under the most impossible conditions!
Easy-to-perform effects that are unlike anything your audiences have ever seen. Effects that are as memorable as they are impossible, as moving as they are amazing. When Dan Harlan was asked "What's been your most memorable moment? Is there anything that jumps out at all?" Dan answered, "Yeah! Yeah, yeah. Chris Philpott... He brought the most dramatic presentations, things where you really cared about what was going on... Just so well-thought-out. Really, really smart thinking."
The five effects on this DVD are:
The Fortune Teller - You give your volunteer a card with a picture of a "haunted" fortune teller machine on one side and Romani (Gypsy) writing on the other. You borrow a cell phone and take a picture of the spectator holding the card - but when they look at the photo, the foreign words have changed to English and they give the spectator's fortune! It is uncannily accurate and can even predict a lucky number or chosen card!
Unhypnotized - As you begin to hypnotize someone you discover that she is already hypnotized! Then the magic begins... A beautiful, empowering effect.
The Pledge - You ask a spectator to pledge to assert his free will by posing for a photo holding a card that reads "My will is strong! I will make a free choice" as he recites the words. You shuffle a deck of cards and have him choose one under very fair conditions (let's say it is the five of clubs). You ask him what words were on the card they held at the beginning of the trick - they say "I will make a free choice." "Are you sure?" The Performer shows the picture he snapped earlier but now it reads "My will is stolen! I will take a five of clubs!"
I Want to See My Future - Predicting the future is a dangerous thing and sometimes people get mad at the prophet for what he reveals. So to verify a spectator's consent, you take a picture of her holding a card that reads "I want to see my future!" But when she looks at the photo, the words on the card have changed to reveal her future in a surprising, accurate and funny way.
No Art - A spell from Harry Potter reveals a secret thought. You ask a spectator to think of a person (or place or thing) and then you have them hold a card that says "I am thinking of a thing." You cast the "Aparecium" revealing spell from Harry Potter and now when they look at the picture, their secret thought is visible.
Up to now, all 100th Monkey effects have been designed for stage (with workarounds for close up situations). This is the first time that these kind of effects are designed specifically for close up situations (though now there are workarounds for stage work).
Includes pre-printed cards, video instructions, written instructions with many variations on these routines and hundreds of print-at-home JPEGs allowing you to customize to suit your own performing style and a wide variety of performance situations.
It's friggin' brilliant! Particularly unhypnotized - wow! I mean, that is what the mystery arts should be about. Narcissus brings the 100th Monkey principle into a whole new and incredibly useful realm. That by itself would make it a worthwhile release. But on top of that, the routines that come with it include some serious powerhouses, from the expletive-inducing to the quietly moving, possibly even transformative. Come for the wicked cool principle, stay for the powerful ways you can use this to affect your audience." - Joshua Quinn
"A picture might be worth 1000 words, but Chris Philpott's Narcissus takes his 100th Monkey genius to a new level that will leave audiences speechless! Narcissus opens up an entirely new playground of powerful routines using a spectator's own phone that packs small and plays big. Highly recommended!" - B Barry
"Chris did it again! This time the power of 100 Monkeys is always with you, anywhere, anytime, plus it will be a memento that the audience will have with them for all their life! Powerful routines and very entertaining too!" - Luca Volpe
"Close up at last! This is exactly what everyone who's ever heard of the 100th Monkey has been waiting for." - Pete McCabe
"Chris does it again! Narcissus explores my favorite application for the 100th Monkey principle. I'm loving this!" - Ran Pink
"Chris continues to discover gold in his 100th Monkey principle. He has now taken it to the close up world. As usual, he has come up with some very unique presentations that use his principle. Now he brings some ideas that combine the ubiquitous cell phone with his powerful effect. This is another winner from Chris!" - Greg Arce