I quite like Darren Brown’s work although I realize that at the end of the day it is all tricks, some of which are quite simple. Before we move on with my explanation how one of his recent tricks works, have a look at the following footages just to get and idea of what I am about to talk you through.
If you don’t want me spoiling all the fun, please stop reading here. Magic is meant to be entertaining. Moreover, my interpretations might not be accurate although they may as well be used to perform a similar trick with the same effect. Therefore, reading is not recommended to those of you who enjoy magic for what it really is: entertainment.
When reading magic tricks you have to keep in mind that they are just tricks. You need to eliminate all the impossibilities from your head and start thinking of the magician/performer as a normal human being just like yourself. Magicians do not posses super powers of some sort. Saying that, it is simply not possible for Darren to know the future, nor his guest (David Tennant or Dr. Who for those of you who live in Britain).
This is a very good start. Once we throw away this simple fact, we need to look at all others which are more realistic. Knowing Darren’s work I hardly believe that he had ever used stooges for his performances. I believe that they are truly genuine. My assumption is that it all did happen the way it was shown on Channel 4. Again, it is quite important to have this in mind because otherwise your brain will jump all over the place, coming up with all kinds of conclusions which will definitely put you on the wrong track.
Keeping in mind that Darren, neither David, had no idea of what articles will appear in The Guardian 3 days after the first act took place, we have to assume that the letter which David had put into his pocket was forged on the day of the second act. That leads us to the conclusion that the real letter was substituted with a fake one. Now, let’s roll back in time and see some of the facts that support this conclusion.
The first Act
First of all, magic tricks are series of simple but very powerful acts. I must say that most magic tricks are 90% performance and 10% trickery. Ignore the pool and the mental relaxations and all other bits and pieces of a similar sort. They are there to suggest that something magical is about to happen. Second, pay attention on how weird the first act is. First of all, Darren asks David to write something down, which presumably is meant to open David’s hidden powers of predicting the future – another suggestion I guess. This is also used later as a proof that the actual letter is authentic. However, keep in mind that the top blank sheet of paper lays on the top of several other sheets which probably are made from a very, very soft material. Also, take a look at the pen. It seems that David hold a ballpoint pen which we all know to be quite sharp and as a result will mirror all the writings. On the top of that, pay attention that David is asked to write down his predictions in auto-pilot mode, without even looking at the sheet in front of him. Keep also in mind that he is repeatedly destructed by Darren. If you try this situation yourself you will see that your writings will turn out to be a complete nonsense. Of course, all this is done for a reason and the reason is to make the later forgery simpler and less questionable.
The second Act
On the day of the second act, Darren had completed the forgery before the performance as had have access to the morning paper. He used the the bottom sheets of paper to duplicate David’s writing style. There are several very delicate suggestions which Darren had put in place in order to make his act less questionable. All of these things will be ignored by your conscious brain but will be deeply absorbed by the unconscious one. Do you know what I am talking about? Pay attention to the actual envelopes. The bigger one is folded a bit. This may not seem too important but it is enough to drive your unconscious and conscious brain to amazement when Darren is done with you at the end of the performance. Now pay attention that for a moment Darren have both the envelope and the paper in his hands. This is where the switch happens. In fact, the real envelope is underneath the paper. And finally, pay attention on the actual article. Darren had chosen a very vivid, colorful article to grab your attention. Some words from the letter even appear inside the front picture. Wow! Now that must be pure magic.
The Result
The result is a well performed magic trick. I am sure you were amazed while watching the footages above.
