Price$35.00
Media TypeBook
CategoryMentalism
Date AddedJan 03, 2013
Altriotto
Carnazzo, Paul
Paul Carnazzo - MentalVoyage.com
(Based on 1 review)
Some of the effects contained in Altriotto have been contributed to works by other mentalists, these items are disclosed below. Because some of these items have already been (or soon will be) released elsewhere, Mental Voyage is keeping the price of this book low - only $35 (USD)!
Included in Altriotto are:
This Side Up - a never fail heads/tails prediction! A prediction is presented, and a participant flips a coin 5 times (more or less if you wish). The participant is given the chance to change any of the results until they are happy...of course, the prediction is 100% correct - including whether or not the participant would change any of the results!
Positively No Force - a no force, never fail version of Positive/Negative using five (real or imaginary) coins (contributed to an upcoming project by a well known mentalist -TBA later)
Uncrushed - a borrowed water bottle is crushed. Using mind power only the bottle un-crushes itself! The bottle is borrowed and never touched by the performer! (This effect was contributed to Mindblasters USA by Peter Duffie)
The Wannabe Serial Killer - a tale of an unlucky serial killer unfolds, and his bad luck is put to the test! (two versions are included)
Instant Psychic - two participants select cards from a shuffled deck. The deck is shuffled again and handed to a third participant. Miraculously, he is able to find the two selected cards!
The Bucket List - the topic of "Bucket Lists" is brought up, and a participant thinks of an item on their "Bucket List", and is asked to imagine they are experiencing the event in their mind. The performer takes this journey with them and correctly describes details that the participant is visualizing, and correctly names the thought of item! (This effect was contributed to Ran Pink's "T-Rex")
iShiner - a great utility item using an iPhone (contributed to J. Prager's "Swipeit")
Eye-Tunes - a participant is asked to think of the last song they listened to on their iPhone or iPod Touch. The mentalists starts to "receive" some sound bites, and correctly names the actual song!
Bonus Effect:
Cursory TK - a willing participant is able to move the cursor on virtually any computer screen using only their mind!
What you get: a 6" x 9", 62 page perfect bound book with printed photographs for The Wannabe Serial Killer.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Toxicity by System of a Down
Paul Carnazzo: Altriotto Review
One book, nine effects, one set of props and $35 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.
Effect/Method
You get a range of effects that all fall under the category of close up mentalism. All of the methods are realistic and very doable. The themes range from dark (The Wannabe Serial Killer) to casual and fun (Uncrushed) and everything in between.
Read through the description of the effects in the ad copy to get a sense of the effects. Also, keep in mind that the material in this book is not "just more of the same" mentalism. This book explores unique presentations as well as some familiar presentations. The methods used range from "relatively common" to "lesser known." In every case, however, the methods are legitimate.
The first two effects, This Side Up, and Positively No Force will require a one time prep that will take ten or so minutes. But once the prep is done, just carry around the "thing" that you created in the above ten minutes and you can do the effect anytime, anywhere. Just to be clear, each of the two effects will require its own ten minute(ish) one time prep.
The third effect, Uncrushed requires a one time prep that takes just 2 or 3 seconds. Once you've done that, you can just carry it around with you. The type of water bottle used does change the gimmick that you'll need to create. However, all you need to know is what kind of water bottle people you hang out with drink. Then you can make a gimmick for the next time you hang out.
For a darker themed effect, The Wannabe Serial Killer is a story of an OCD serial killer that ends with a prediction of your victim's (spectator) decisions about which murder weapons are in use. The outcome "saves the spectator's life." Included with the book are the props (photographs of the weapons) needed for the effect. He also briefly covers how to age the photos further if you'd like. The method is smart and simple. He gives you two different methods. One uses the "Free Will" principle. However, if you're not familiar with that, you can use the alternate method that I think is better and cleaner. Either way, the method is very good and deceptive.
There are more effects, but let me just sum it up by saying that much of Paul's work in this book relies on clever methods and clever scripting. The scripting is very powerful and really adds to the illusion of the effect.
Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy is very accurate. Read the effects and see how clean they seem and/or sound. They really are that clean.
Product Quality
The book and the photos are both well made. The instructions are very clear, and it's easy to learn and do everything in the book based on Paul's write ups. The photos are printed in a sepia-looking style on thin card stock. They have the right blend of old/creepy to add a level of depth to the effect. There are quite a few typos, but nothing that will prevent you from understanding the information.
There was one weird thing on page 47. Here's what it says: "The nice thing here is that you are actually revealing a lot of information about the participant's item before you even touch the paper. For example, the following line:"
That's where it ends. There is no "following line" after that. So I'm not sure what was meant there. Yet, even this mistake did not detract from the ability to learn the effect. It was just a weird misprint or something.
Final Thoughts
If you're not familiar with his work and/or his way of thinking, these effects/methods will give you a good sense of who he is. But, beyond that, you will get a nice collection of close up mentalism that relies on minimal props, clever methods, elegant scripting and engaging story lines.
It's easy to look past the few minor production flaws (i.e., the typos) and see the beauty of what you receive here: An Eclectic Collection of Mental Effects from Paul Carnazzo.
Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.