Matthew Mello - Dark Arts
Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC]
00:05 People don't meet by chance.
00:07 This is what I wrote.
00:08 >> You gotta be [BLEEP] kidding me.
00:10 Really?
00:11 [MUSIC]
00:13 >> Look at me.
00:14 [MUSIC]
00:18 It's a girl, yeah?
00:20 Is that your mom?
00:22 What's her name?
00:23 Yeah?
00:24 This is what I wrote, look.
00:26 [MUSIC]
00:36 >> This effect by Matt Mello is one of my all time favorite working effects.
00:42 As a working performer with over 20 years experience,
00:45 I can tell you this is one of the greatest things I do in my repertoire.
00:48 Why?
00:49 Well, imagine this, you bring out an envelope with two business cards in there.
00:53 The spectator can examine it, they can see it's completely opaque,
00:56 they can't see through it.
00:58 You get them to draw anything on one of the business cards while your back is
01:01 turned, and then that goes back in the envelope, and
01:03 they hold the envelope between their hands.
01:06 You then duplicate the drawing, it's as simple as that.
01:09 Or you go ahead and read the mind and tell them what they drew.
01:11 And at the end, you give them the envelope and the two cards.
01:15 You put the cards in there, they keep it as a keepsake, they take it home.
01:18 There's nothing to find.
01:19 They can look at it two weeks from now, two months from now, two years from now,
01:22 and they'll have no idea how it's done.
01:25 They've got a great memento to keep forever.
01:28 I got some great magic and a great working piece of material, and
01:32 I can go ahead and do it again and again and again.
01:35 >> You're good, you're a good guy.
01:36 >> You know what, you know what?
01:38 I don't wanna keep this, this is my present to you.
01:41 I'm gonna put that in there, tell James about it,
01:43 cuz nothing in life is by chance, right?
01:46 >> My God, you're so good, you're good.
01:48 >> Can I have a hug?
01:50 >> It was lovely to meet you.
01:51 >> Lovely, thank you.
01:52 >> So download this right now, and you will love it as much as I do.
01:57 [MUSIC]
02:07 [MUSIC]
02:17 Take this envelope, don't open it, but look at that side, what does that look like?
02:34 >> It's a tree.
02:35 >> Right, right, and turn it over, what's the other side?
02:37 >> It's a little stick man.
02:38 >> Right, now hold the envelope up to the light, can you see through it?
02:42 You can't see through it, right?
02:43 Okay, I wanna explain what this is.
02:45 If you say to people, what's your name?
02:48 >> I'm YC.
02:48 >> Matt, nice to meet you, YC.
02:49 >> Nice to meet you.
02:50 >> If you say to people, draw a simple image, 50% of people will draw like-
02:54 >> A tree.
02:55 >> Or foliage, like a flower or, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:58 But the other 50% will draw like a stick man or a happy face or
03:02 something like that, right?
03:03 I don't want you to draw these, I want you to make it more complicated, and
03:06 I want you to make it personal to you, right?
03:09 So don't tell me, don't tell me.
03:11 Okay, open your hand, cuz in here there are two cards.
03:15 Now these cards are black and white on the other side.
03:18 Hold them to the light, make sure you can't see through them,
03:20 it's really important.
03:21 You can't see through them, right?
03:23 Perfect, one of these cards is for me, and one of these cards is for you, okay?
03:29 I got a pen, and here's what you're gonna do.
03:33 I'm gonna draw- >> But I don't know how to draw.
03:34 >> That's okay, my love, you can write something if you like.
03:37 Actually, you know what, we could write a name of somebody that was special to you
03:41 when you were younger that I don't know.
03:43 And when I say special, somebody that's really profound to your life, for
03:45 some reason that's changed your life, you could write a name.
03:48 You could do a number that's like a house number or
03:50 a street you used to live, something that's profound to you, right?
03:53 Does that make sense?
03:54 Okay, so hold on to the pen.
03:56 Now, don't start until I turn away, cuz I don't wanna see it, okay?
04:00 >> But you can draw.
04:02 >> It's all right, my love, anything you want.
04:03 Just make it simple, do a name, whatever.
04:05 But when you're done, turn it- >> Can I do a picture?
04:07 >> Yeah, yeah, yeah, but turn it face down like that so I can't see it.
04:11 >> But 50% of people can do things- >> Don't draw a tree or a face.
04:15 >> With logic, you'll get it.
04:17 >> We'll draw something I wouldn't get.
04:18 Dig deep down inside, all right?
04:20 Something that's personal to you.
04:21 Now, wait, wait.
04:22 When you're done, turn it face down so I can't see it.
04:25 And only then tell me and I'll turn around, yeah?
04:27 Okay, go ahead.
04:29 I don't wanna see it.
04:29 >> No, it doesn't matter what I do.
04:33 >> Make it something I can't see.
04:35 >> I'm not gonna do what he said, but I can't draw it.
04:44 >> Make it personal to you, yeah, for
04:46 something that's personal that nobody else would even think about.
04:49 And if anybody saw it, if anybody's looking at it right now,
04:52 don't tell me what it is, don't give it away, cuz that makes it too easy, okay?
04:56 >> Okay, I'm done.
04:57 >> Are you done?
04:57 Is it face down?
04:59 >> Yeah.
05:00 >> Yeah?
05:00 Okay, what's your name, my love?
05:01 >> Michaela.
05:02 >> Michaela, where are you from originally, Michaela?
05:04 >> California.
05:05 >> Come stand here next to Yaffa, I want you to join with her.
05:07 I want you to hold hands with her for a sec.
05:08 This is Michaela.
05:10 >> Hi.
05:10 >> You weren't even standing there earlier.
05:12 >> She was.
05:13 >> She was, she was there the whole time.
05:14 Right, give me a picture, I'm gonna keep it face down, face down.
05:18 YC, right?
05:19 >> Yes, yes.
05:20 >> It's going in there face down, yeah?
05:21 >> Got you, baby.
05:22 >> And I can't see it, right?
05:23 >> No, you can't.
05:23 >> Perfect.
05:24 Perfect, I can't see it.
05:26 Do me a favor, how do you spell your name, Yaffa, is it Y-F-A or?
05:30 >> Y-A-P-H-A.
05:32 >> It's Y-A-P-H-A, okay, do me a favor.
05:35 Put your hand out like this, like this.
05:39 Put your other hand on top.
05:41 Now, just before you do though, I'm curious.
05:43 The thing that you drew, is it personal to you for any particular reason?
05:46 >> No, it's the chance that people would draw what you asked.
05:50 >> But why, the picture that you put in here, I'm curious why you would draw it?
05:55 >> Because I love nature and it's beautiful.
05:57 >> No, no, no, no, no, don't tell me it's nature.
06:01 Don't tell me that, because if you tell me it's nature, you're going to give it away.
06:04 Okay?
06:05 Okay, so is it nature or is it not?
06:08 Like, don't tell me what it is though, I don't want to know.
06:11 >> I don't know.
06:13 >> I'm just going to sign this here.
06:15 Wait, do me a favor, do me a favor.
06:17 Just put your hand out like this.
06:19 Put your hand on top, put your hand on top.
06:21 Hold it tight, whatever you do, don't move, don't open it, don't let it go, okay?
06:25 Okay, look at me, look at me.
06:29 All I want you to do is I want you to make your mind go blank, like clear everything
06:31 in there, okay?
06:33 Now look at me right now.
06:35 I want you to imagine what you drew and I want you to say it over, over and over and
06:38 over in your head, but don't say it with your lips.
06:39 Just say it over and over in your head, right?
06:42 In a moment, I'm going to look from the floor up and the second I get to here, I want you
06:46 to look at me and I'm going to move my thumb and second finger across your eyes and touch
06:49 your temple.
06:50 Is it okay if I touch your temple?
06:51 >> Yeah, that's fine.
06:52 >> Okay, the very second I touch your temple, I want you to look me in the eyes and I want
06:55 you to send the image to me, okay?
06:57 Ready?
06:58 Ready?
06:59 Ready?
07:00 Okay, focus on the image over and over and over.
07:02 Ready?
07:03 Ready?
07:04 Look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me now.
07:06 Look at me.
07:07 Okay, don't move.
07:09 Stay where you are.
07:10 Did you see this drawing?
07:12 >> No.
07:13 >> Okay, I want you to look at this.
07:14 I don't even know if this is right.
07:17 I see that, right?
07:19 And I see this.
07:22 This is what I see here, like that.
07:23 I don't know what that is.
07:24 Does that make any sense to you?
07:25 Don't say it out loud, but does that make any sense?
07:26 >> Not really.
07:27 >> Okay, okay.
07:28 I don't even know if this is close.
07:32 Not a clue.
07:33 Okay, lift your hand up, lift your hand up.
07:34 Put this hand out flat, put it out flat.
07:36 Keep mine, don't look at it, okay?
07:38 I'm going to take yours.
07:39 I'm going to take yours.
07:41 Don't look at it.
07:42 Now, hopefully you didn't draw a tree or a stick, man, but I don't know what you drew.
07:45 All right?
07:46 Do me a favor, do me a favor, do me a favor.
07:49 We're going to turn over yours.
07:52 Holy shit, what is that?
07:54 >> Exactly.
07:55 >> What is this?
07:56 What is this?
07:57 >> They're fake trees and I said smile.
07:58 >> Okay, but, okay, what is this thing?
07:59 What is this?
08:00 >> They're clouds.
08:01 >> So fake trees and clouds.
08:02 So even if I didn't get the word, I'll be honest with you, but even if I got anything
08:03 remotely like that, that'd be crazy, right?
08:04 >> Yeah, it would.
08:05 >> Yeah?
08:06 >> Yeah.
08:07 >> This is what I got.
08:08 >> No way, dude.
08:09 Look at that.
08:10 >> Yeah.
08:11 >> Awesome, man.
08:12 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:13 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:14 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:15 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:16 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:17 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:18 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:19 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:20 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:21 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:22 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:23 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:24 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:25 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:26 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:27 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:28 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:29 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:30 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:31 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:32 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:33 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:34 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:35 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:36 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:37 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:38 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:39 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:40 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:41 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:42 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:43 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:44 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:45 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:46 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:47 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:48 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:49 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:50 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:51 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:52 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:53 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:54 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:55 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:56 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:57 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:58 >> That's what I'm talking about.
08:59 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:00 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:01 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:02 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:03 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:04 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:05 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:06 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:07 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:08 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:09 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:10 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:11 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:12 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:13 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:14 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:15 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:16 >> That's what I'm talking about.
09:18 >> Think about that now.
09:19 You thinking about it?
09:20 You got something?
09:21 Something that's really profound to you.
09:23 Yeah?
09:24 Okay.
09:25 Do you know these guys?
09:26 Okay.
09:27 Alright.
09:28 What's your name?
09:29 >> David.
09:30 >> David.
09:31 Pleasure.
09:32 Matt.
09:33 Nice to meet you.
09:34 So do me a favor, my love.
09:35 Two cards.
09:36 Do you see anything else in there?
09:37 Okay.
09:38 Choose one.
09:39 Hold it up to the light.
09:40 Can you see through it?
09:41 No?
09:42 Okay.
09:43 Here's what you got to do.
09:44 I'm going to draw a little square on there like this.
09:45 I'm going to turn around so I can't see.
09:47 And I want you to draw something, write a name, do something in the square.
09:51 And then when you're done, hold it face down so I can't see through it.
09:53 Make sure you can't see through it.
09:55 Hold it so I can't see through it.
09:56 Yeah?
09:57 But look at me.
09:58 Look at me.
09:59 >> I'm not drunk.
10:01 >> No, no.
10:02 I know you're not, my love.
10:03 But you're going to make it profound to you.
10:04 Yeah?
10:05 Okay.
10:06 And then turn it face down.
10:07 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:08 Just inside the box.
10:09 Something profound to you.
10:10 Really important.
10:11 Are you done?
10:14 Hold it face down.
10:15 Yeah?
10:16 Okay, I'm going to take the pen.
10:17 Now let me ask you one more time.
10:19 And I'm sorry.
10:21 What was your name again, my love?
10:23 >> Brandi.
10:24 >> Brandi, right.
10:25 That's really rude.
10:26 I should remember.
10:27 Brandi, look, look.
10:28 You didn't draw a tree, right?
10:30 And you didn't draw a stick, man, right?
10:32 You drew something else, yeah?
10:33 Okay, we're going to put that in there so I can't see what it is.
10:39 There is absolutely no way I can know what it is, right?
10:41 Do me a favor.
10:42 Do me a favor.
10:43 Put your hand out like this and put your other hand on top like this.
10:49 Now, Brandi, have we ever met before?
10:51 Is there any way I could know what you've drawn or written?
10:53 No way.
10:54 So if I could get it or get even close, that would be amazing, right?
10:59 Okay, just promise me you won't move.
11:08 Look at me.
11:10 Can I just--can I touch you there?
11:12 Is that okay?
11:13 When I touch you on the temple, I want you to send it to me.
11:15 Send a drawing, a name, a number, whatever it is, send it to me.
11:17 Ready?
11:22 It's a guy, right?
11:24 Look at me.
11:28 This guy is really important to you or he was really important to you, right?
11:32 He was really important to you, right?
11:35 >> He is really important.
11:36 >> He is to you?
11:37 >> Yes.
11:38 >> To you?
11:39 >> Yes.
11:40 >> He is a family member.
11:41 Is he a family member?
11:43 He is a family member, right?
11:44 Look at me.
11:49 Is he older than you?
11:51 A little bit older than you.
11:52 Not a lot, right?
11:54 A little bit, not a lot, though.
11:55 Look at me.
11:56 Say his name over and over again, but don't say it out loud.
11:58 Say it over and over.
12:00 I want you to see this.
12:02 Say it over and over.
12:04 Right?
12:05 Okay, put your hand out.
12:06 Put your hand out.
12:07 Hold that there.
12:08 Say it over and over in your head.
12:09 Don't tell me out loud.
12:10 I'm committed now.
12:11 I'm committed.
12:12 Lift your hand up.
12:13 Lift your hand up.
12:16 Now it's there.
12:17 Put your hand out.
12:18 Put your hand out.
12:19 Hand out flat.
12:20 Don't move.
12:21 It's in there.
12:22 I couldn't possibly know what it is.
12:23 It's impossible.
12:24 Only he knows.
12:25 Only he knows.
12:26 What's your name?
12:27 What's your name?
12:28 >> Brian.
12:29 >> Brian.
12:30 You know who this is?
12:31 >> No.
12:32 >> Okay.
12:33 I'm just going to take a look at -- don't give anything away, right?
12:34 I'm going to take a look at what you wrote.
12:35 What does that say?
12:36 >> James.
12:37 >> Who is this guy?
12:38 >> James.
12:39 >> And he means the world to you, right?
12:40 In fact, the reason that you are who you are today, the reason that you are the woman you
12:46 are, the strong, confident woman you are, is because of this guy, your dad, right?
12:49 >> Yes.
12:50 >> He brought you up to be the strong, confident person you are no matter what you did.
12:53 You did some shit.
12:54 >> Yeah.
12:55 >> He put up with it, right?
12:58 This is -- people don't meet by chance.
13:01 This is what I wrote.
13:02 >> Ain't that some mother[bleep] shit?
13:03 You got to be [bleep] kidding me.
13:04 Really?
13:05 >> Hey.
13:06 >> Hey.
13:07 >> Hey.
13:08 >> That's some good shit.
13:09 You're good.
13:10 You're a good guy.
13:11 You're really [bleep] good.
13:12 That shit is like --
13:13 >> You know what?
13:14 You know what?
13:15 I don't want to keep this.
13:16 This is my present to you.
13:17 >> Are you kidding me?
13:18 >> I'm going to put that in there.
13:19 Tell James about it because nothing in life is by chance, right?
13:20 >> Oh, my God.
13:21 You're so good.
13:22 You're good.
13:23 >> Can I have a hug?
13:24 >> Yes, you can.
13:25 >> It was lovely to meet you.
13:26 >> Lovely.
13:27 Thank you.
13:28 >> Nice to meet you, Brandi.
13:29 Nice to meet you.
13:30 >> Oh, my God.
13:31 >> Nice to meet you, man.
13:31 >> Hey.
13:32 So what we're going to get into here is the Dark Arts Envelope.
13:33 This is by Matt Mello from Modern Mentalism.
13:34 And it's a cool utility device that you can use to do drawing duplications or gain information
13:35 that otherwise apparently is not known to you.
13:36 And I'm going to show you how to do that.
13:37 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
13:38 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
13:39 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
13:40 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
13:41 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
13:42 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
13:43 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
13:44 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
13:45 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
13:46 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
14:05 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
14:31 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
15:00 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
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15:04 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
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15:52 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
15:53 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
15:54 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
15:55 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
15:56 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
15:57 So I'm going to show you how to do that.
15:58 So the cardstock I have is just cardstock that I get from a local printer.
16:14 It's got to be a heavy-duty cardstock so that you can't see through it when it's held to the light.
16:15 A good idea is to use your business card.
16:16 So if your business cards are printed on one side and blank on the other, that's absolutely perfect.
16:17 That's what you're going to need.
16:18 So once you have all this, we're set to make the envelope.
16:19 So the first thing you want to do is we're going to need to cut a window in one of these envelopes.
16:20 So the first thing you want to do is we're going to need to cut a window in one of these envelopes.
16:21 So the first thing you want to do is we're going to need to cut a window in one of these envelopes.
16:22 So the first thing you want to do is we're going to need to cut a window in one of these envelopes.
16:28 Now to do this, you're going to place a piece of cardstock inside the envelope like this.
16:36 And that's just going to stop us cutting all the way through the envelope.
16:40 So now we take the X-Acto knife, and you don't need a ruler or anything to do this.
16:46 You can just do it by hand.
16:48 Let's get a different envelope because that one's kind of a little bit askew there.
16:52 There we go, that's better.
16:54 So we're just going to cut this by hand.
16:57 And obviously when you're using the X-Acto knife, be real careful here.
17:01 And essentially what you want to do is just cut a window that leaves like a quarter inch border around the outside.
17:09 So we're just going to cut a line here, remembering the card's inside there,
17:15 so it's stopping us cutting all the way through to the other side of the envelope.
17:19 A line here.
17:22 And like you can see, I'm leaving about a quarter inch all the way around.
17:27 And that's going to give me a window in the envelope like this.
17:34 Okay, now just ignore the KG there, that's just something from last night's performance.
17:42 So there we go, so we've got a window in the envelope.
17:44 Now that you've done that, what we want to do is draw this border.
17:50 Now you want to leave the card inside so that you're not drawing onto the inside of the envelope.
17:55 So you take a chisel tip marker, and you don't have to be precise with this,
18:00 but we're just going to draw a border all the way around that window that we've just cut open.
18:08 And essentially we're putting a black border around the window, but we're bringing it all the way to the edge
18:16 of that window that we've created, like this.
18:20 And then what you want to do is go ahead and take the pen and just be really gentle,
18:24 but just kind of run it on the inside so that it blackens the inside as well of that window that we've just cut.
18:32 Okay, so you do that.
18:36 So essentially you've got a window on this side.
18:38 Now we want to duplicate this window more or less on the other side as well.
18:41 Now this obviously is not actually a window on this side,
18:47 but it's going to duplicate the same thing for our image on the opposite side of the envelope.
18:56 Now in the original Matt Meller routine from Modern Mentalism,
19:01 he just has the one image on this side of the stick man.
19:04 I actually added the second image to make it seem more congruent that I've got this window here.
19:11 I'd have another window on this side.
19:13 And also by having another window with another image on the other side,
19:17 I can kind of pause longer on this side and let them burn this more.
19:21 So there's no window to actually catch on this side.
19:25 So we've done that.
19:27 Now we want to go ahead and on this side we're going to draw a tree.
19:33 I use a tree and a stick man.
19:35 You can use whatever you want.
19:39 We'll get to that in the pattern a little bit.
19:41 But I draw a tree on this side like this.
19:46 Now you want to go ahead and remove the card.
19:49 So essentially we've got the window there, but it doesn't look very pretty right now
19:53 because you can see the seam from the backside of the envelope.
19:57 So what we want to do now is we want to create a fake back in the envelope.
20:02 And the way you do this is you take a second envelope
20:08 and we're going to trim about 2 mm with a pair of scissors
20:14 from either side of the envelope like this.
20:20 And then you're going to open up the flap, and you want to cut off--
20:23 where the arc is in the envelope, you want to cut just a couple of mm below that.
20:29 Essentially we want to make sure that this insert is going to go inside
20:34 and is going to be above the window.
20:39 So we're going to cut off just below the arc, about 1/4 cm there like this.
20:47 And then all of this stuff you can get rid of.
20:50 It's all garbage and not needed.
20:54 I'll throw that off camera over there.
20:56 So now we have our window envelope and we have our insert.
20:59 Now to prepare the insert, we're going to glue the inside of the insert like this.
21:08 Now make sure by doing it on the paper plate you can kind of go over the edge,
21:11 which makes sure you get it all the way to the edge of the envelope.
21:15 And then we're going to press that closed.
21:17 That's our first stage in preparing the insert.
21:21 Now what we're going to do is we want to insert this into the envelope
21:24 with the crease towards the back and the smooth side here towards the window.
21:31 And essentially what's going to happen is it's going to be placed inside the envelope like this,
21:39 which is going to create a fake back.
21:42 So now with that window there, it looks like you're looking at the outside
21:46 of a regular envelope with a black square drawn around it, a black rectangle.
21:50 Now we need to secure that inside, so what we're going to do is we're going to put glue stick again
21:57 on the crease side of this and make sure you go right over the edges there
22:04 and get a lot of glue on there.
22:07 And then you're going to insert this into the envelope with the smooth side facing the window.
22:16 And it's easier when you're doing this to pop the envelope open so that the glue is actually not touching the back,
22:22 so it's not hindering you pushing it in there.
22:25 You're going to push it all the way in until it meets at the bottom here,
22:31 and then you're going to press the whole thing flat, which is gluing that to the back of the envelope like that.
22:37 Make sure you get a real good--we lose the paper plate--
22:40 make sure you get a real good fix there with the glue.
22:45 And that's it. You've got the Dark Arts envelope.
22:48 The last thing we want to do is draw a stick man here on the inside,
22:53 essentially like this, just a real simple stick man.
22:57 Again, you can use any images you want based on the pattern or the presentation you're going to use.
23:04 And that is now an envelope, the Dark Arts envelope is ready to go,
23:08 and you can see in there that we have a fade back to the envelope, we have the window, and that's it.
23:19 Okay, so that's the Dark Arts envelope.
23:21 Now you will notice that when you're holding this, the edges can bow a little bit,
23:25 so in performance, whenever you're holding it and displaying this side,
23:29 I generally put my thumb on one side, fingers on the other,
23:33 and I apply pressure with the first finger in the middle,
23:37 which kind of helps to align, to make it look a little flatter.
23:43 But remember that as far as the audience is concerned,
23:46 this is a rectangle drawn on the outside of the envelope with a stick man,
23:50 so any kind of wave in the border there, to them, will just look like a wave in the border that you've drawn.
23:58 They won't actually register it as being an open face on the envelope.
24:02 So if you're applying a little pressure, you get a nice join there.
24:08 So that's the Dark Arts envelope.
24:10 Now, in the Matt Mello version of Modern Mentalism,
24:16 essentially he uses this envelope and that's it.
24:19 I do it a little differently.
24:21 I want the spectator to examine the envelope before we do the routine,
24:25 and then I want them to take the envelope and the card that they've drawn on away with them after the routine.
24:31 So the way this is done is I prepare a whole bunch more envelopes.
24:36 These are just regular envelopes with no window,
24:39 but essentially they have the same image more or less.
24:42 And to do this, I usually just go ahead...
24:45 Now, I prepared these earlier, so they don't actually match the one that I just did,
24:48 but that's okay, you'll get the idea.
24:50 I go ahead and lay an envelope next to my Dark Arts envelope,
24:55 and then essentially trace the image onto these envelopes,
25:00 and I do the same with the back.
25:03 So it's more or less as close as I can get it.
25:06 So that these now will match this envelope,
25:09 which means that I can start the routine with a regular envelope with the cards inside that they're going to draw on.
25:15 Through the routine, I can switch out for the Dark Arts to get my glimpse,
25:19 and then at the end of the routine, I can switch this one back in
25:22 and give them the envelope with the cards and say, "Take it home as a keepsake to remember what just happened."
25:28 That's the way I prefer to do it, and that's the way I'm going to describe it to you now.
25:32 So you've got your regular envelopes, which are copies of the Dark Arts envelope,
25:36 you've got your Dark Arts envelope, and then you need some cardstock.
25:40 Now, there's a couple of ways you can perform this.
25:43 You can either have two cards inside the envelope, like this,
25:49 and you can perform it with two cards,
25:51 or you can just have one card in there, and you don't have to do a drawing yourself.
25:56 You can just look at them and read their mind and tell them what they drew.
26:00 That's entirely up to you.
26:02 But now that we're ready, we've got the cards, we've got the Dark Arts envelope,
26:05 we've got our duplicate envelopes.
26:07 I'm going to go ahead and show you how I set this in my jacket,
26:10 and then I'm going to go ahead and show you how I do the routine and the performance.
26:15 Okay, so we've made your Dark Arts envelope,
26:18 so now I'm going to show you how I set it up in my jacket ready for the performance.
26:22 Now, I'm going to show you two ways.
26:24 First of all, I'm going to show you the way that I do it, where I switch out the envelopes,
26:29 and then I'm going to show you the way that you can set it up for the original Matt Mello version,
26:33 where you just use the one gimmicked envelope.
26:36 Now, I have the gimmicked Dark Arts envelope here, and I place it in my jacket.
26:42 I've got a little kind of ticket pocket here, and I just place it in there, like that.
26:47 Now, you could also put it in your outside jacket.
26:50 I do the switch when I turn my back to the spectator as they draw their image,
26:54 but you certainly don't have to.
26:56 You could simply remove the cardstock from the envelope in order to give them a card,
27:02 and you could just put this in your pocket.
27:04 And then as an afterthought, you take it out of your pocket to put the card back in
27:08 and bring out the Dark Arts envelope.
27:09 You could certainly do that as well, or in your top pocket.
27:12 You don't have to make a big thing.
27:13 It's not a switch.
27:14 It's simply putting the envelope away, and then, "Oh, you know what?
27:17 Let's put your card in there."
27:19 But I have the Dark Arts envelope here, and then I have as many envelopes as I need
27:27 for my evening of performing.
27:30 In each envelope, there are two cards, and then these go in another pocket.
27:36 I usually keep them in the right jacket pocket here.
27:41 You also need a pen.
27:43 A Sharpie is the best pen to use, and you can put this in any pocket you like--
27:47 your top pocket, your inside pocket.
27:49 That's up to you.
27:50 So now I'm ready to go.
27:52 So essentially, I walk up to the spectator, and I explain that I'd like to show them something really cool.
27:59 And I reach in my pocket and remove one of the envelopes.
28:02 Now, it's important to me that I establish the fact that this envelope--
28:07 that they can't see through it.
28:09 Now, the fact of the matter is, if there was no cardstock inside,
28:13 if I were to hold this to the light, they can actually see through these pay envelopes.
28:17 They're not opaque.
28:19 But I obviously want them to think they're opaque.
28:21 So what I do is, when the cardstock is in there, it is now opaque
28:26 because the cardstock is obviously thickening the envelope.
28:29 So I bring out the envelope, and I say, "You know, in a minute, I'm going to have you draw an image
28:35 or write a name or draw a number, maybe of a house you lived in when you were a kid.
28:40 But you're going to draw something that's profoundly important to you."
28:44 Now, on this side, I've drawn--and I ask the spectator, "What is that?"
28:48 And they say, "A tree." And I say, "The reason I'm drawing this is because 50% of the time,
28:51 when I ask somebody to draw a simple image, they draw some kind of foliage, like a tree or a flower."
28:57 And then I say, "And the other 50% of the time, they draw either a stick man or a happy face
29:03 or a stick woman or something like that.
29:05 I don't want you to draw these.
29:07 I want something more profound to you and mean something more to you."
29:10 So essentially, by doing that, what I'm doing is I'm showing this,
29:13 but I'm also displaying the envelope and displaying it's quite normal.
29:16 Then I hand them the envelope, and I say, "Now, go ahead.
29:19 Hold it to the light and tell me, can you see through the envelope?"
29:22 And they say, "No." So then I say, "Well, so--which means it's completely opaque."
29:27 Now, it's important that I register this with the spectator without actually saying,
29:32 "You can't see through it," right?
29:34 Because I want to cancel out the idea that maybe I can see through the envelope
29:40 when they're drawing inside. I want to get that out of the way.
29:42 So I've already gotten that out of the way by saying, "You can't see through it," right?
29:47 Now I get them to reach inside and remove what they find.
29:50 Now, they're doing all of this.
29:53 And again, this is important because without saying, "This is a normal envelope,"
29:57 I'm having them handle the prop.
29:59 So this kind of becomes an insignificant thing.
30:04 It's kind of a quirky-looking thing, but nevertheless, it's insignificant.
30:08 So they take out the cards, and I say, "What do you find?"
30:11 "I find two cards." "Okay. Here's what I'm going to have you do."
30:14 I give them one card, and I put the other card in my pocket.
30:18 Sometimes I'll leave it like this. Sometimes I'll put it all the way in.
30:20 It doesn't matter.
30:22 I take out the pen, and I draw a rectangle square on the card.
30:32 Now, to the audience member, this makes sense because I've already done this on both sides.
30:37 Now I explain that, "Look, I'm going to draw this, and in a moment, I'm going to turn around so I can't see,
30:42 and I want you to go ahead and draw an image, a simple image,
30:45 or write a name of somebody that's profoundly important to you, or do a number."
30:49 Whatever they want to do, they can do.
30:52 They're going to do it in that square.
30:54 By doing it in that square, that makes sure that the image is going to line up with the window
31:02 in my dark arts envelope when it's placed inside.
31:06 It's going to line up perfectly.
31:09 I'm going to go ahead now and let them do that.
31:12 Now, they're standing here, and they're drawing the image. I turn my back.
31:15 When I go to turn my back, I take the envelope with me.
31:18 I don't draw attention to it, but I take it with me.
31:21 As they're drawing, I simply place this in the ticket pocket, and I grab the other envelope like this.
31:32 Usually, I hold it with the tree side showing.
31:35 Then I ask them if they're done, "Yes," and I then say, "Would you turn the card face down so I can't see the face?
31:40 Make sure I can't see it. Make sure you can't see through the card. Are you happy?"
31:43 "Yes."
31:44 Then I turn back.
31:45 Now, for all intents and purposes, nothing's changed.
31:49 Now, I don't personally think this is necessary, but for my own psychology, I suppose, I do call attention to this again.
32:00 I do say, "Now, you didn't draw a tree, and you didn't draw a stick man, right?"
32:05 They say, "No."
32:06 Now, essentially, I've displayed the envelope one last time, and as far as they're concerned, it's exactly the same envelope.
32:11 They've examined this, which means they know there's no openings, and they know they can't see through it.
32:16 This is an incredible position to be in because right now, everything seems completely legitimate and fair.
32:23 Now, at this point, I have to say, "No."