Connected by Paul Stockman and Alakazam Magic - DVD

customerservice@mjmmagic.com (Jeff Mash) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:17:46 -0600

Alakazam Magic take great pride in bringing fresh new material from original artists to the forefront of the magic and mentalism communities and the latest of these exciting new talents is a name that is destined to become synonymous with modern mentalism.

For over a decade, Paul Stockman has been extremely busy performing his unique and fascinating style of psychological entertainment all around the world. Appearing at almost two hundred events every year Paul is in constant demand and is a consummate and professional entertainer in every sense of the word. From intimate, high-end celebrity gatherings to full evening theatre shows for two and a half thousand people, Paul has performed in virtually all situations possible.

"Connected" is Paul Stockman's DVD debut and showcases some of the finest modern mentalism in the world today, seamlessly blending deviously clever methods and engagingly entertaining plots this double DVD set is certain to become a must-see for all stand-up performers.

Shot in front of a live audience, the DVD opens with a full fifty-minute stand-up show that features some of Paul's favourite routine and ends with a revelation that is destined to go straight into the act of so many performers immediately!

"Connected" is a clear example of how Paul Stockman has become one of the UK's leading psychological entertainers and on this DVD, Paul shares with you his wealth of experience and knowledge that can only be gained over hundreds of performances as each section of the show is broken down and explained with the assistance of Peter Nardi.

"Connected" is not just a collection of effects, it is a professionally structured show that is taught in full detail from beginning to end and includes tips and advice on scripting a show, structuring routines and keeping it entertaining as well as captivating.

"Paul Stockman: Connected" Routines performed & explained:

Pick a Chair
A direct and baffling chair routine that audiences love and establishes your abilities straight away. Four spectators are invited onto the stage and allowed to sit in any one of four chairs. After a number of free choices, the spectators discover that you have managed to influence exactly where they have sat.

Paul discusses the fundamental elements that make a chair routine such a popular feature for many mentalists, as well as the importance of keeping the effect clear and understandable for the audience.

Hands-Off Bank Night
This popular effect gets a dose of the Stockman treatment when Paul puts the entire effect into the hands of a spectator. Tried and tested over hundreds of corporate performances, the entertainment that derives from an executive standing to lose their cash make this a real crowd-pleaser.

The spectator hides the money in one of six envelopes and then makes all the decisions while you stand back, guilt free, as each envelope is eliminated and destroyed...will they avoid the money!

The Pendant Curse
A beautifully scripted routine revolving around a tale of four women, a murder and a sinister curse that captivates the audience with its intriguing mystery. This is a clear demonstration of the power of a strong narrative in mentalism routines.

With the emphasis on performance and deliverance an audience member managed to divine the identity of a murder victim. Specially designed PDF files to reproduce the required props, as seen in the live show, are included on the DVD.

Back to Becker
Larry Becker's fabulous "Casino Royale" is a true classic of modern mentalism and is part of many leading performer's repertoires. With Larry's kind permission, Paul explains his variation of this brilliant routine that focuses on chance, influence and luck involving money, blackjack and some imaginary dice. This piece is a very good study of the fundamental principles of three-way prediction style of effect with tips learnt through countless performances of such routines.

Our special thanks to Larry Becker for allowing us to use and explain some of the brilliantly creative props and principles from his original, commercially available "Casino Royale" routine.

The Sweet Jar
Another example of the strength of attaching an engaging plot in order to amplify the effect and make a routine entertaining. This was one of the favourites with the audience during the filming of the live show.

A large jar of sweets that has been on show throughout and Paul invites three audience members to join him on stage to try to guess the number of sweets. Each one of them has a totally free choice and at the climax, not only does one of the spectators manage to guess exactly right and finds a prediction buried inside the sweets but unbelievably, Paul has also managed to predict in advance, which of the spectators that would be!

My Luckiest Day
The concept explained in this show-stopping finale is a beautiful way to end any mentalism performance. The confabulation plot has always been a firm favourite within mentalism and Paul's tray revelation can be applied to almost any plot or performance.

Throughout the entire show, right in the middle of the stage is a small table that holds a tray that has a large candlestick and candle standing upon it. At the start of the show the candle is lit and remains in full view and untouched throughout. During the course of the show, Paul has various free choices made by different members of the audience and has them keep a mental note of each one.

At the finale of the show, the candle is extinguished and removed from the tray and Paul turns over the tray to show a written prediction securely taped to the underside of the tray on all sides. Impossibly the prediction matches every single one of the free choices made throughout the show!

This is an unbelievable finale and destined to become a classic way of presenting the confabulation routine. It can be applied to many different types of revelation, in the show, Paul uses times and dates that are selected by the audience by you could have names, places, or just about anything! No fancy boxes or backstage assistants are required - this is the ultimate one-man confabulation for stand-up and stage. The final image of the prediction taped to the underside of a tray is a truly stunning climax to the show!

Paul Stockman Interview & Discussion with Peter Nardi
Join Peter Nardi as he delves into Paul's background in performing and how it all began for him in mentalism. You will also learn the fascinating processes that go into formulating routines, scripting them and rehearsal techniques. Paul also emphasises the importance of being entertaining and commercial to modern audiences as well as tips on structuring a show correctly to make it flow naturally and making methods invisible.

Advice on handling audiences and clients as well as discussing his love for interesting narratives and presentations are also addressed, including tips on knowing how to adapt and work to different crowds and venues. This is an extremely insightful and interesting section of the DVD that very in-depth and filled with top-notch professional advice from a highly experienced performer.

Disc one Running Time Approximately 1hr 40min
Disc two Running Time Approximately 1hr 5min

"Paul has some really terrific thinking on the double DVD Set. Some of it is so good I wonder if he will regret giving them away."
- Banachek

REVIEWS

"This is an excellent body of work from a very talented and creative mentalist whose work ranks with the very best in the field."
Ian Rowland, The Magic Circular Magazine 3/1/2010

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Connected by Paul Stockman and Alakazam Magic - DVD