Paul Stockman – Psyclock

Alakazam Magic Presents

Paul Stockman`s PSYCLOCK

PSYCLOCK by Paul Stockman History Time has always been a fascinating subject for me as a Psychological entertainer. The idea that it is possible to control it or have some influence over it has provided the film industry with so much material over the years, and In turn we have all witnessed countless Mentalists and Magicians working with time to delight and amaze their mostly close up or walk around audience. As a stage performer I became increasingly frustrated with the lack of routines and props that would lend themselves to working for large audiences but could also play just as well in a close up situation or parlour. In the summer of 2001, I came up with my first prototype of “Psyclock” I used it every night for many months during my stage show. The reaction from the audience was phenomenal and I soon realised that I had a little gem on my hands. During the next 2 years of working with this little beauty I changed and developed the design a number of times. Eventually I came up with the product you now own. Soon after, I took out a patent on my design but had no intention to release it as a product. However during the filming of my DVD “Paul Stockman Connected”, Peter Nardi of Alakazam and myself decided to add it to the show. There would be no explanation or reference to it in any way. In fact we even made the routine as basic as we could so as not to draw too much attention to it. Once the DVD went on sale the flood gates opened and Peter, Alakazam and myself received emails daily, asking if the clock routine was to be released. After many meetings we decided to release “Psyclock”. However it would be in limited numbers, as I still perform this in my professional stage show and really didn’t want every other worker using it in their performance. Psyclock as with all of my props looks totally ordinary and should not draw any attention to itself. However the normal facade hides the ingenious secrets that lie within this totally self contained prop,secrets that are impossible for anyone to find without taking the clock apart. If you have purchased the wooden stand that goes with the clock, you will see that this follows the same ethos. It looks plain and unassuming and will be almost be invisible to your audience because of this. However the stand like the clock is gimmicked and plays an important roll in the method and if you have yet to purchase one I highly recommend you do, although there are alternatives which I will explain later. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for purchasing my baby and hope you have as many years of time related fun with this as I have. Best wishes Paul Stockman

The Props Please note your clock is shipped with batteries. To replace them you will need 2x AA batteries. For installation details see Technical page. The clock, as you will already have noticed, looks totally normal and there is nothing to giveaway the secrets within. However, inside the body of the clock lies the clever electronics that will help you to perform the most amazing stunts with time.

The Stand If you have purchased the wooden stand, as with the clock you will see no proof that it is anything but a wooden easel. However, like the clock, it is gimmicked with a powerful magnet built into its framework. If you have not purchased the wooden stand then you could make your own. For many years I have used a music stand with a magnet placed in the appropriate position. We have supplied the magnet for you to use and it’s a simply case of opening the music stand and placing the clock where the sheet music would normally go. All you need to do then is to stick the magnet on the stand, aligning it to the correct position to switch on the clock. Envelope. This is not gimmicked but will play an import roll in the routine. I have found that the largest size Jiffy mail lite (white) envelope is perfect for this. You may also wish to use post it notes to enable the spectator to write the time on, rather than using an envelope for each performance.

Method Like all good Magic and Mentalism the method is simplicity itself. There is a special switch built into the body of the clock and when the clock is placed on the stand and inline with the magnet on the stand, the clock begins to work with the help of the secret internal battery. The clock will continue to keep normal time until it has been removed from the stand. At that point it will stop and of course will show the precise time that it had been removed from the stand. Because the clock ticks very quietly in a performance situation, you would never know if it was actually working. So to confirm you have placed the clock correctly on the stand there is a bright LED light on the back of the clock that will come on when the clock is working. i.e. when it is placed correctly on the stand. This light is designed to shine through the envelope and cannot be seen by the audience from the front. You will notice a dot appear from the LED on the back of the envelope when the clock has been correctly placed on the stand (see photo). You are now safe in the knowledge that your clock is working and keeping time normally. It is important that the orientation of the clock is correct when you sit it on the stand, you may wish to mark the top of the clock with a small dot on the outer edge. It is simply a case of gazing into the top of the envelope to ensure the correct orientation of the clock in the envelope.

LED indicator

So here is the secret if you haven’t already worked it out.

You simply set the clock for the actual time of day that it is now, so when the clock is placed on the stand it continues to work at the correct time of day. When your volunteer removes the clock from the stand and makes a note of the time she did this,the time showing on the clock will match and will remain the same as when it was removed from the stand. Then later in your performance, when you decide for her to open the envelope, the time on the clock will precisely match the time she wrote down. Even if you decided to open the envelope a day later, it makes no difference the time will match with hers perfectly.

Routines and Ideas Over the many years I have been performing “Psyclock”, I have used various routines and story lines to present it. If you have my DVD Paul Stockman Connected you will see the very basic set up for it. However if you don’t have the DVD and if you don’t WHY NOT? I will briefly explain the basic set up idea. The Basic Set up I have always been fascinated with our internal body clocks. Most of us seem to have the ability to wake up just before our alarms go off in the morning. The fact that we are sleeping when this happens rules out any outside influence and so points directly to some sort of sixth sense. What other explanation could we possible have? This got me thinking. Would it be possible to tap into this inner clock and somehow control it? After many years of experimenting, I believe I have found a psychological pathway to this ability. Of course some of us have never had that internal clock in the first place. If you are that person then I have no chance in influencing that part of your brain. However for those of you that have,what you are about to learn is that it is actually possible to take control of your internal clock. I will now proceed to select a volunteer and will show the clock to her and the audience. Occasionally I will even remove the battery from the back of the clock to prove it is no longer working. However I don’t feel this is absolute necessary. But you can show your volunteer that it has no battery. Don’t make too much of this though, because you really don’t need to draw too much attention to this fact. It’s never a good idea to say “ LOOK NOTHING IN MY HANDS” Just make a passing comment that “ the clock is not working, although putting a battery in it would help” or something casual like that.

I now inform everyone that I will set a time on the clock. A time that only I will know. It will be a time between now and the end of my show. I now inform everyone that I will set a time on the clock. A time that only I will know. It will be a time between now and the end of my show. I place the clock into the envelope and seal it down. I will now place the clock here { on the stand} and will not touch it again. Again there is no reason to even refer to the stand. In fact the next person to touch the envelope and the clock will be you. I say to my volunteer. At any time during the show you will get a feeling that you have reached the time that I have set on this clock. You will then ring this bell/ blow this whistle and make your way to the stage where you take the envelope and the clock back to your seat. At that same moment we will also make a note of the precise time you decided on. You can use any method to have select a time. I have found for a large audience a whistle is louder and there is no doubt what has happened. Remember it can be any time you wish. However there will be quieter more intimate moments in the show that you will instinctively know not to choose. However remember you can do this anytime you feel is right. I will be trying to get you to ring the bell / blow the whistle But don’t be fooled by that and select a time that feels right to you. At a time during the show the volunteer rings the bell. I stop what I am doing and invite her back to the stage to collect the clock in the envelope. I ask her not to open it now but will be inviting her to open it at the end of the show. I will now take a time check and write the time clearly on a board and place that board on the stand which held the clock. You could if you prefer have the time written by the volunteer directly on the envelope which holds the clock. It’s up to you. I have synchronised the clock with the time on my watch. However if you wanted to you could do a time check at the beginning of your show so that everyone has the exact same time on their watches. It’s up to you but you will need to write the time as close to that on the clock as you can. Referring to your synchronised watch will help you do this. Although being out by one or two minutes is not always a bad thing.

Note Remember the time that the clock is taken is the actual time at that moment and so it’s important to write the correct time on the board or envelope so when the clock is removed from the envelope they both show the same time. That is the very basic routine and working of the clock. It’s all totally self contained and self working so all you need to do is build an interesting plot around it. What follows are more simple but effective ideas to help get your entertaining juices flowing.

Other Performance Ideas

Stands you can use This is a music stand that I have used in my performances. The only modification is that I have glued a magnet to the stand in the correct position to activate the clock. You could also stick the supplied magnet on to the back of a chair or barstool.

There is not always a need to set the clock up during your performance. Often I will set the clock in the envelope and on the stand before my show begins. I will then refer to the clock I set and placed on the stand before the show started. A random volunteer is selected and the routine continues in the same way. Another nice little touch is for your volunteer to open and confirm the time on the clock from her seat in the audience. This also acts as an additional convincer that there is no way I could have tampered with the clock. This is particularly effective during an after dinner type show. If your performance environment makes it possible you may wish to set the clock up on the stand away from the stage or even in the audience. As long as the light at the back of the clock can be covered or placed so know one can see the back of the clock, it would create an even more impossible situation from the audience perspective. If you are a walk around or close up performer, why not set the clock up as part of your introduction to your entertainment. This will have the effect of bringing the room together with the expectation of opening the envelope at the end of your walk around or close up set. Perhaps use Psyclock as a finale to your act and giving the entire room focus on you as you finish and leave the room. Another idea given to me by American Mentalist Craig Browning was to have an MC introduce the clock at the beginning of the evening and before your show has begun. The clock could be placed in an interesting area of the room, to enable everyone to view it. This would also help build the expectation of the audience before you make your entrance. I love this idea from Craig and can see many possibilities as far as a publicity type stunt would go. There are many ways to utilise Psyclock and I am sure that you will take it to new and exciting levels of amazement for your audience. If you have any questions about Psyclock or any new and interesting ideas of how to utilise this device and I would love to hear from you. Best wishes Paul Stockman Visit: www.paulstockman.com Email: [email protected]

Technical Your clock is shipped without batteries as it is shipped with a magnet. We suggest you keep the magnet away from the clock when it is not being used otherwise you will drain the battery. To fit the batteries: Unscrew the 4 screws marked on the diagram (see diagram 1) and carefully remove the black plastic cover. Do not pull the cover too far from the clock as it is connected via two wires too an LED that is fitted to the rear of the black cover. (See diagram 2) The black tape is to stop the LED showing through the front (face) of the clock. Fit the 2 AA batteries into the holder, then check the unit is functioning by holding the supplied magnet close to the reed switch. The LED should now light and the clock function. You can see the mechanism working through the clear plastic or turn over the clock to see the second hand spinning. Carefully replace the black cover ensuring that you do not trap any of the wires and screw the cover in place. A set of batteries will run the clock for hours but we suggest checking the clock prior to performing.

Screw

Screw

Diagram 1. Screw

Screw

Batteries

Diagram 2. Reed switch

LED

Copyright Alakazam Magic Ltd 2010