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Quick
-- name the mentalist with the longest-running television
show in history.
If
you said, "Kreskin", you're wrong:
his series that was broadcast on Canadian television in
the 1970s only ran for 5 years, with a total of 90 episodes.
The
answer is "Dr. Charles Scott", who
produced and appeared in a weekly one-hour program called
MIND PROBE, which ran in the Kansas City broadcast
area for over 10 years (yes, that's well over 500 episodes).
Think
about that for a moment.
Over
500 weekly performances before a REAL live studio audience
... no rehearsals ... and NO "sneaky" editing
-- everything was performed in real time. More than 15,000
people attended the show during its run (with many more
watching at home), many of them returning literally hundreds
of times, and often bringing friends and family members
with them.
And
this wasn't unique in Dr. Scott's performing career. Recently,
he was booked in a 100-seat cabaret venue for a 20-week
run, and every week he had a standing-room-only crowd, despite
the fact that there was no media advertising.
The
Secret of Dr. Scott
How
does Dr. Scott develop this kind of loyalty from his audience
members?
Here's
one of his secrets: he connects with his audiences in a
genuinely forthright manner. He is neither humble nor bombastic
... he just gets up there and does what he does. He makes
no special claims, nor does he try to downplay what he is
able to do. People walk away from Dr. Scott's appearances
with the impression that they've just witnessed someone
with exceptional abilities, but not an exceptional ego.
This approach (what Dr. Scott refers to as "the Velvet
Glove vs. the Iron Fist") is a key element in his success,
and one that every performer should consider.
Do
you think it would be helpful to watch someone present mentalism
in a totally natural and relaxed way, yet still maintain
a consistent level of entertaining professionalism?
That's
exactly what you'll see on the two-disc set of The
CICARDI PROJECT, Volume 1.
The
first disc of this two-disc set contains a full one-hour
MIND PROBE program, from start to finish.
You'll see how Dr. Scott is introduced, how he establishes
instant rapport with his studio audience, and how he presents
six professional demonstrations highlighting "the power
of the mind", including:
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Tossed Out Deck ala Cicardi
Cicardi's Three Envelope Test
ESP Card Demonstration
Psi-Grafico
Pure Thought Reading
Blind-fold Q&A
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You've
probably seen how most modern day mentalists present their
shows, both on television and on stage. Not too long ago,
there was a "reality show" type of program that
featured a number of mentalists. I was curious what the average
person's take on it was, so I asked a friend of mine if he'd
seen the show. His reply was, "Yeah, we watched a few
minutes of that ... they're trying to find the next big magician,
right?" ... which is not exactly what the participants
and producers had in mind, I imagine.
What's
missing in many current and past instructional DVDs is how
a mentalist should really connect with his audience.
Dr. Scott does this effortlessly, and stands far apart from
the crowd of entertainers today, using simple methodologies
to create miracles.
His
personality and humbleness combine to create an unassuming
role as Master of Miracles, and yet it is this very persona
that allows him to exercise boldness without any suspicion
from the audience. The first time Millard Longman saw Dr.
Scott, he told me, "He sucks me right in, he's
so easy to watch. He's soft-spoken, yet commanding; his
persona is unassuming, yet gutsy. People actually feel good
about being there as he calmly creates miracles for them."
That's
all well and good for Dr. Scott, you may be thinking, but
if you take his suggestions to heart, you can create similar
results with your audiences, too.
An
Afternoon with Dr. Scott
Now,
just watching Dr. Scott present these straight-forward demonstrations
of mentalism would be educational in and of itself, so imagine
how much more enlightening it would be to sit with
the man himself and have him discuss the presentations in
detail. And that's exactly what you get on the second disc
of this 2-DVD set, which contains almost two hours of explanations
and insights that will allow you to get the most out of
this material. You'll learn Dr. Scott's incredibly simple
methodology which allows you to concentrate on presentation
while at the same time creating multiple layers that effectively
hide the modus operandi.
You'll
hear Dr. Scott explain his adaptation of the classic Tossed
Out Deck, and wonder why no one else has thought of
this brilliant approach before. And, after learning his
version of the Three Envelope Test, you'll understand
why at least two full-time professionals told me, "Please
tell me he won't be revealing this ... I use it in every
performance!"
Because
he respects the work of other creators in the field, Dr.
Scott does not explain the workings of the specific ESP
card demonstration he performed on the original MIND
PROBE, but he goes one better by revealing a routine
that I personally think is even better, since it has the
added benefit of being performed any time, any place.
And
while you may already be performing his classic Psi-Grafico,
you'll definitely want to hear Dr. Scott cover not only
the basics, but the subtle nuances that transform this presentation
into a high point of your appearances. One person who watched
this told me, "I thought I knew Psi-Grafico,
but this opened my mind to possibilities I'd never imagined."
Indeed, Dr. Scott explains how Psi-Grafico can
be presented in a myriad of ways, allowing it to be changed
to fit every audience.
With
regard to the Blindfold Q&A portion of this DVD
set, it is only fair to say that Dr. Scott does NOT reveal
its workings on this DVD, since that is what the forthcoming
CICARDI PROJECT Volume 2 will be devoted
to. He does, however, cite the original source for those
who don't mind a little bit of research.
Instead
of focusing on the technical aspect of the presentation,
however, Dr. Scott covers the one thing that is more important
than the blindfold methodology: the actual core of the Q&A
act -- how to answer the questions audience members will
ask ... how to avoid the wise-guys ... how to handle truly
sensitive issues that will come up ... how to engage
every member of the audience in a meaningful way ... and
much more.
Anyone
can put on a blindfold ... but if you don't know how the
actual nuts and bolts of Q&A go together, it can quickly
become a travesty for performer and audience alike. With
Dr. Scott's approach, based on years of work in the real
world, the Q&A presentation becomes something else entirely,
and can very well be what takes you to the level you've
aspired to.
A
Rare Opportunity
Before
now, the only way to watch a MIND PROBE show
was to know someone ... who knew someone else ... who had
a 4th or 5th generation copy of a VHS tape that was bootlegged
in the first place. This episode of MIND PROBE
comes directly from Dr. Scott's own private collection which
is comprised of shows that were copied off the original
studio master tapes.
There
are a handful of fulltime professionals who have spared
no expense just to spend a few hours with Dr. Scott for
one-on-one training. You'd certainly recognize some of their
names; some of them, however, prefer to spend their time
on the road rather than on the Internet forums.
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"This
man interacts with his audience as well as any mentalist
that ever lived. Dr. Scott's show is a master class
in creating miracles."
~~
Millard Longman,
creator of Acidus Novus
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Look,
you know professional mentalism is much more than "knowing
the secret" ... if that were the case, there would
be hundreds of kids with YouTube accounts appearing on television
every night. The simple fact is that you can have all the
routines on the planet, but they're wasted if you can't
connect with your audience, and that may be the most important
lesson Dr. Scott has to teach.
On
this two-disc set you’ll see time-tested ESP demonstrations
presented to a real-world studio audience as only a seasoned
professional like Dr. Charles Scott can -- impeccably. In
addition to the live performance, you’ll be able to sit
in on a no-holds-barred discussion of what goes into a professional
mentalism show, including everything you’ll need for a full
one-hour show of your own, using props you can assemble
yourself after a visit to your local office supply store.
Imagine
-- a complete one-hour show in front of a live audience
PLUS almost two hours of explanation from Dr. Scott: this
DVD set is without a doubt an object lesson for every modern-day
mentalist. If you want to model success, Dr. Scott offers
a genuinely approachable example of how to present yourself
and interact with audiences on a completely human level,
without the glibness, rudeness or "show-biz" feeling
that mark the performances of many performers today.
For
Professionals Only?
How
much does a professional comic pay for one joke?
Or,
for that matter, a professional singer for a single song?
Yes,
The CICARDI PROJECT Volume 1
is priced higher than your typical magic or mentalism video,
but this DVD set is about way more than just new
routines ... and it could very well mean the difference
between your creating a real onstage persona, or merely
cookie-cutting what so many others think is the way to present
mentalism ("Look at me! Aren't I wonderful?").
So
from one perspective, The CICARDI PROJECT
Volume 1 is for professionals.
But,
as you probably know, it's far easier to create good habits
than to break old ones, so wouldn't it be better if every
beginner were able to watch this DVD?
At
the end of the day, however, it comes down to this: regardless
of your skill level, you will benefit from watching
a professional in action, and Dr. Scott is a consummate
pro that has something to teach each and every one of us.
The
Disclaimer
In
the interest of full disclosure, it should be noted that
while the MIND PROBE program that appears
on Disc 1 of this set was produced in a professional studio
(more about this in a moment), the interview with Dr. Scott
was definitely not -- it was a one-camera shoot with absolutely
no bells or whistles. So, if it's L&L quality you're
looking for ... well, you can probably Google their address,
and while they have some excellent products, they won't
be selling The
CICARDI PROJECT Volume 1.
As
for the MIND PROBE program on Disc 1, there
is one segment in which there is some faint, unrelated audio
that apparently bled into the tape at the original studio.
While it is a little distracting ("Am I hearing
voices?"), it in no way obscures the main audio
track, and it's only for a few minutes out of the entire
program.
The
Bottom Line
If
you're ready to order The CICARDI PROJECT
Volume 1 DVD set now, simply click on the Add
To Cart button below.
The
CICARDI PROJECT Volume 1
Only
$150.00
Please
allow 48 hours for your order to be processed
NOTE:
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compatibility.
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