liah wrote: » I am obsessed with Derren Brown the last few months. I've seen everything he's done up to this 30,000 feet thing. What is it, exactly?
Adam wrote: » how come?
liah wrote: » How come I'm obsessed with him lately..? I find psychology interesting and I have a particular soft spot for social engineering, which is what Derren Brown does an awful lot of, albeit not quite under that title. I also have interest in the types of things he debunks, and I like the ways he goes about debunking them (e.g. The Messiah episode). Plus, he's charming, charismatic, and just plain fun to watch. The zombie game episode of Trick of the Mind is bloody brilliant. Better question is, why isn't anyone else obsessed with Derren Brown! I wonder what a Penn & Teller: Bullsh!t and Derren Brown crossover would be like..
Adam wrote: » i wasn't aware there was any merit in his undertakings, as all i've seen was the aforementioned russian roulette game, and the lottery prediction thing. both of which were quite obviously fixed, albeit well put together ideas. what should i be watching?
liah wrote: » Better question is, why isn't anyone else obsessed with Derren Brown!
liah wrote: » The Messiah is what I'd recommend to anyone straight off. It tends to be the broadest scope of the things he can get away with. He tackles psychics, mediums, conversions, people who claim to have powers from ufo abductions, etc. For sheer entertainment value, try Trick or Treat. My favourite is when he ships some dude off to Morocco. I think the zombie game thing is in Trick of the Mind, and his Something Wicked This Way Comes live show is good. I don't recommend getting started, though.. any time I've ever gotten people hooked on Derren Brown they can't stop watching til they've seen everything. I know a lot of people decry him for staging a lot of things, but for some reason I think he's fairly genuine in his career of deception, if that makes sense.
Wazdakka wrote: » IBDB In before the Derren bashing. I think he's a great entertainer. Didn't see the 30,000ft thing but I'll download it later. *leaves thread to avoid spoilers*
spottyelephant wrote: » Mainly because of the "subjects" he always chooses. I think his attention to behavioural cues are excellent, and he's definately good at exploiting them, but his major set piece subjects always seem to be dim witted vegetables that are utterly outside the realm of normal suggestability. So much so that they have to be actors. Like last night, everything was going well and i was quite impressed by Derren's approach to changing this guy's attitude and behaviour. But then he put a "discreet microphone" in the bedroom and whispered "wake up, put on your clothes, and come outside" to him. Which the guy promptly did. Then Derren conducted this interview with the guy trying to implant ideas (maybe he like Inception a bit too much!), and the guy just stood there with the stereotypical "dazed look" of slack jaw and wide eyes. Supposedly he wouldn't remember any of this in the morning... ..now, if you could control people who are asleep like that, and have it so that they don't remember anything the next day, think of all the things that could potentially be done!
sbsquarepants wrote: » Eh, cos he's a knob jockey maybe? Everything he does is rubbish, it's not psychology or social engineering, it's actors and bad ones at that!
anniehoo wrote: » Awful awful stuff. Watched the first 10 mins which were good then when he was sleep walking and the crocodile was in the garden i had to turn it off. Completely unrealistic and fake.
sbsquarepants wrote: » Ha, sorry Liah! Once i see the name Derren Brown I start foaming at the mouth. I'd actually love to choke him to be quite honest with you!
SV wrote: » People who look at this stuff and believe to be fake are usually the same ones who think hypnosis is a load of shíte too. Odd that eh?
sbsquarepants wrote: » I just can't stand him and his blatantly obvious chicanery. It's just so stupid. Tonight Matthew, i will predict the lottery numbers, 2 minutes after they are announced. Oh f'uck off would you!!!
liah wrote: » Perhaps some is staged because he can't get the results he wants within the timeframe allotted for the particular special to come out. I'm a bit dubious on The Heist and a few other things here and there, but I don't think he ALWAYS uses actors. A lot of reactions are incredibly genuine and I think he's managed to tap into a lot of things in our psyche the majority of people aren't hugely aware of.
