Derren Brown

Shanibandangle · #1 24th September 2009, 22:55

What makes this man so attractive is... Some of the stunts he pulls make him come across as a masochistic, lying, evil genius. A huge interest in human behaviour, and brilliantly original ways to control and manipulate people into doing whatever he wants them to. He's controversial, daring, skeptic, and fearless. He's a bit of a baddie who is just an education-hungry man underneath it all. Very, very bright. Speaking rationally for a second, he's playing God. He reeks of confidence and that I-don't-care-at-all kind of aura. And even amidst having his face crushed into broken glass, cutting off his own oxygen supply, and carefully monitoring his latest (you'd think) psychologically brain-damaged victim, he manages to keep and control that professional buzz. I don't know where he learns it from but he glazes it all off with wit and immense charm on top. And I am OBSESSED with him.

Holz · #2 24th September 2009, 23:02

Agreed

Not everyone's turned against him then

He's undeniably a genius.

gingercat · #3 25th September 2009, 00:48

I have to say I sort of feel like I owe Derren Brown one - after watching a few of his shows on 4OD (especially "The Heist"... god, that was bloody scary!) it kind of made me realise how powerful suggestion can be and encouraged me to have a proper go at NLP/positive thinking and stuff. I mean, if he can get ordinary people to spontaneously perform an armed robbery just by planting fairly subtle suggestions, almost anything must be possible! Impressive stuff indeed

BlackSwan · #4 25th September 2009, 13:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by gingercat

I mean, if he can get ordinary people to spontaneously perform an armed robbery just by planting fairly subtle suggestions, almost anything must be possible! Impressive stuff indeed

I don't think you should believe it too much what you see on his programmes. The one the other night was ridiculous and totally unbelievable, about a person giving £100 to a tramp because they got asked questions about giving money and there were subliminal messages in the shop windows. As well as the guy that gave him his shoes. It looked complete bollocks to me.

artist23 · #5 25th September 2009, 13:31

just another david blaine, hyped up and overrated.

GinInTeacups · #6 25th September 2009, 13:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanibandangle

He reeks of confidence and that I-don't-care-at-all kind of aura.

I think that's it. He just seems like he doesn't care what people say about him, I find that inner confidence quite attractive too.

Shanibandangle · #7 25th September 2009, 13:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackSwan

I don't think you should believe it too much what you see on his programmes. The one the other night was ridiculous and totally unbelievable, about a person giving £100 to a tramp because they got asked questions about giving money and there were subliminal messages in the shop windows. As well as the guy that gave him his shoes. It looked complete bollocks to me.

Well seeing as he can put someone to sleep in a second, make people forget where they're going and what they're doing, coinvincing people to be overly generous doesn't seem like a far stretch. It's not like nothing ever goes wrong, for example, in America, Derren manages to pay for an expensive ring and some stuff out of a butchers using only blank paper, although when he tried to scam a hotdog off the guy behind a stall he recognises that it's only blank paper and calls him an Asshole.

I noticed that during his early performances too, he's more of a rookie at mind reading, he hesitates loads, and takes a while to actually conjure up an image. Practise makes perfect I suppose.

Shanibandangle · #8 25th September 2009, 13:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by artist23

just another david blaine, hyped up and overrated.

Derren $hits on David Blaine

Diluted · #9 25th September 2009, 14:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by artist23

just another david blaine, hyped up and overrated.

No, David Blaine want's you to believe he has special powers.

loner1 · #10 26th September 2009, 01:38

derrewn brown is an expert on reading
people and manipulating people to do what he wants. he is an expert psychologist and illusionist. i respect him 100% even though his tricks didnt work on me!

scratch · #11 26th September 2009, 11:02

I think Derren Brown is a very clever magician who tries to make magic come across as psychology.

You just have to laugh at some of the stuff though, like that guy last night who walked into a shop and picked up a tv and walked out with it

That blind guy was pretty impressive though, assuming he was blind of course

BlackSwan · #12 28th September 2009, 11:04

I used to enjoy his shows, but I don't bother watching now. The lottery one has been found to be a camera trick, and some of the others only look plausible with stooges. There is no great trick or psychology involved, apart from getting his audience to believe his speel and "explanation".

Holz · #13 28th September 2009, 11:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanibandangle

Well seeing as he can put someone to sleep in a second, make people forget where they're going and what they're doing, coinvincing people to be overly generous doesn't seem like a far stretch. It's not like nothing ever goes wrong, for example, in America, Derren manages to pay for an expensive ring and some stuff out of a butchers using only blank paper, although when he tried to scam a hotdog off the guy behind a stall he recognises that it's only blank paper and calls him an Asshole.

Exactly.
I won't say anything else or this will turn into an angry rant

Shanibandangle · #14 28th September 2009, 11:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackSwan

The lottery one has been found to be a camera trick, and some of the others only look plausible with stooges.

Where? Did he say it was a camera trick or did you take the word of it from some amateur YouTube film student with nothing better to do than analysing the show for three hours?

Those people who say his show didn't tell you how to win the lottery, that's funny, because I have a pretty good idea of how he explained it was done. And also, his tricks aren't supposed to look plausible, they're supposed to misdirect. You'll find that probably three quarters of his live stuff and mind reading is all about him putting thoughts into other peoples heads using subliminal messaging rather than actually reading their minds.

Shanibandangle · #15 3rd October 2009, 22:00

Incase anybody watched it last night....

On the left is a big cheque.

Holz · #16 3rd October 2009, 22:15

I feel so bad for Derren about Friday's show going wrong. I was out so didn't actually watch it, but obviously heard about it, and I don't know if I can bare to watch it now...

Being one out... argh. At least technically this shows that it's not all staged, although no doubt the critics will say it was staged to make the rest seem like they weren't staged, but

Poor Derren. He's still amazing in my book

artist23 · #17 3rd October 2009, 22:46

think the show about the casino was a con, it was a tv studio, he was told you cant get in a casino with electronics to try and cheat the casino, yet he was able to get in with a camera, also a cameraman above filming him, it was all staged, he had no intention of winning money for that guy coz he was in on the act and who the hell can tell the speed and year of a bloody car on a busy motorway!! pathetic rubbish, youve all been conned.

loner1 · #18 4th October 2009, 00:51

the roulette table is 100% random and noone can predict the outcome, maybe on computerised versions but not real wheel. he just try to fool the ordiance with his saskills which are impressive. he is an expert on lots of psycholigical things and can read people brilliantly

The Jerk · #19 4th October 2009, 21:48

........have you noticed his twitching..........his head mostly.........do you think he puts this on or is a nervous twitch? I was thinking about it because social anxiety makes me think i am strange and makes me feel stiff (ooh err missus) and sometimes my head does the same thing as Derrens.....and i dont think to myself when i see him do it that he is strange or odd..........so hopefully if people see me do the same thing they wont think i am odd......erm...... have you seen Derren do this and what went through your mind?

ratty · #20 4th October 2009, 22:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Jerk

........have you noticed his twitching..........his head mostly.........do you think he puts this on or is a nervous twitch?

Yeah we noticed this only when we went to see his live shows. He does it quite a lot - at first I thought he was doing it on purpose (like it was maybe someway of getting you to pick up on things). But it's just a natural twitch I think. When you see him in real life, it's really a lot more obvious than on TV.

BlackSwan · #21 5th October 2009, 10:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanibandangle

Where? Did he say it was a camera trick or did you take the word of it from some amateur YouTube film student with nothing better to do than analysing the show for three hours?

There's a website which showed and explained how its done. You don't even have to read the explanation, the freezeframe and the one ball that moves shows it all for what it was. I was also able to see that this matched up with what I could see when I slowed down my sky plus. Balls don't move on their own.

Rudie_don't_Fear · #22 5th October 2009, 10:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackSwan

There's a website which showed and explained how its done. You don't even have to read the explanation, the freezeframe and the one ball that moves shows it all for what it was. I was also able to see that this matched up with what I could see when I slowed down my sky plus. Balls don't move on their own.

could you post the link? thanks

BlackSwan · #23 5th October 2009, 11:18

http://poeljames.googlepages.com/HowDerrenDidIt.html

The frames showing the moving ball is right at the bottom of the website. Its a pretty convincing explantion, a lot more than Browns explanation anyway. If he could do it this easy way then the chances are that he probably did.

artist23 · #24 5th October 2009, 12:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackSwan

http://poeljames.googlepages.com/HowDerrenDidIt.html

The frames showing the moving ball is right at the bottom of the website. Its a pretty convincing explantion, a lot more than Browns explanation anyway. If he could do it this easy way then the chances are that he probably did.

knew it was fake! well done for showing what a good salesman he is!!

Bright · #25 5th October 2009, 21:34

i really don't want to believe he descended to the level of camera tricks. That's what always separated him from everyone else

BlackSwan · #26 6th October 2009, 09:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bright

i really don't want to believe he descended to the level of camera tricks. That's what always separated him from everyone else

Wasn't that one he did a long time ago a camera trick in the end? The russian roulette game he played with a loaded gun, I thought that was exposed as a camera trick too?

Shanibandangle · #27 6th October 2009, 13:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackSwan

Wasn't that one he did a long time ago a camera trick in the end? The russian roulette game he played with a loaded gun, I thought that was exposed as a camera trick too?

Who cares? 10/10 entertainment factor, that's all that matters really. I'd rather it was set up and he didn't stand a chance of blowing his brains out on TV.

He's not a cheat, he's an illusionist. That's all there is to it. He isn't out to scam, lie, or cheat anybody, just to provide great entertainment. That's his basic principles. And trust me, he'll reveal how he did absolutely everything in shows to come, and alot of people are going to feel really silly when he does.

Rick Sanchez · #28 6th October 2009, 13:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanibandangle

Who cares? 10/10 entertainment factor, that's all that matters really. I'd rather it was set up and he didn't stand a chance of blowing his brains out on TV.

Not really. A camera trick is totally unimpressive. I like watching him perform his hypnosis stuff, and do tricks that actually involve his skill.

BlackSwan · #29 6th October 2009, 13:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanibandangle

Who cares? 10/10 entertainment factor, that's all that matters really. I'd rather it was set up and he didn't stand a chance of blowing his brains out on TV.

I obviously knew he wasn't going to shoot himself, but a cheap camera trick is just that - cheap.

I can't be bothered with him anymore. I don't find it entertaining to watch camera tricks and staged events. I thought he was okish before this current series, but I got tired of him after the sticking to the seat show (in particular the staging of the giving money and shoes to a tramp), following so closely the lottery camera trick. There was also the betting on horses trick which turned out to be a con too, that was a camera trick of sorts, only showing the one person that won rather than all the other people that didn't.

I won't be watching him again.

artist23 · #30 6th October 2009, 13:59

also a trick he performed on the casino show. he got a man to withdraw £5,000. pounds from the bank, under hypnosis, how did derren brown know he had £5,000. in the bank!!! if it was real the man could of got brown into prison for theft.. its all a joke, channel 4 rubbish