Did you know they've removed the word gullible from the dictionary...?

Derren Brown is someone that annoys me very much. I used to like him; he's entertaining, provides lighthearted jokes and spectacular illusions that you can't quite understand. But that's all they are, illusions, so why do thousands of people get sucked into his acts and believe that he is controlling people and objects with his mind? I'm not one to abandon beliefs of the paranormal because I know some of it is very very hard to explain, but when something is so blatantly staged, why do people believe it?

In terms of the theatre, the act he puts on stage is of a very high standard! You can't see any wires or markers where things are supposed to land etc. and all of his stunts are fluent and believable. Heck, I used to believe them at first, because he is a very clever man. He understands the human mind and how to manipulate it into making people think that illusions are real, but once you see past the smoke and mirrors, it's hard to believe him anymore.

A typical Derren Brown performance entails of audience participation, normally in a theatre or a large space of some sort, and a goal, of which he always achieves. This is fleshed out with videos of him 'manipulating' a 'member of the public' into doing something they either don't want to do, or have 'no idea' of ever doing (a very good example of an actor reading a script). I agree, this is very good entertainment! Believing that someone can control someone else into doing whatever they want is mind blowing, but if this was true wouldn't many more people be able to do this?

I'm starting to lean more into my own opinion now, so lets look at how good of an entertainer Derren is. 

His stage presence is magnificent. Having a following of people that hang onto your every word is a rare thing to have, and he has managed to achieve it with his professional act. I'm not exactly sure how he goes about doing his stunts, and I wouldn't want to ruin it for you anyway, but I do know that they are only stunts. The way he uses video in his live shows almost confirms that he has no 'magical' powers, only the powers of film and television special effects. Most films he makes will have been shot time and time again to get the different camera angles needed to construct an interesting piece of footage, and it is so easy to find a fairly good actor that can pull off a script because of the amount of unknown actors out there. 

He also has a good knowledge of explosive effects (or at least has the contacts to be able to create explosive effects). For example, his recent show involved him playing 'live' Russian Roulette onstage and on live television with a supposedly live round. Just thinking about this stunt flags up so many opportunities he has into creating this stunt safely whilst still making people believe it is happening. Firstly you can buy blank rounds that look like live bullets so even when an unsuspecting audience member is asked to check that the bullet is real, it looks real! But then again, how is an average British person going to know what a live round looks like? Then, when he finally shoots the 'live' round at a sandbag, the sandbag ends up having a bullet hole pierced into it. How does this happen? Film/theatre effects! Little explosives packed into a sandbag to simulate a bullet cutting into them.

Common sense would tell you that Derren Brown is just an illusionist, but yet people are still gullible enough to believe him. Yes, he is entertaining and No, my goal is not to dissuade people against him, but the amount of evidence and common sense there is against him being the real deal is massive. People are so gullible that Jersey police have had to confirm that in his latest performance "There was no live ammunition involved and at no time was anyone at risk" because of complaints that people were leaving with the police (Lenny Harper, Article by Steven Morris, The Guardian, Wednesday 8 October 2003). If you seriously thought that an entertainer was going to threaten his life when he has many more ideas on how to make money out of his talent, then I'm afraid to tell you that you are very gullible. 

I'm sorry if I have offended anyone and I do believe that Derren Brown is a very good entertainer, but that's all I see him as, a very clever entertainer. If you disagree with me please tell me why in the comments because I do want to hear your ideas! If you want to try and convert me into thinking he is the real deal, go ahead! Tell me what you think about him and the use of special effects in theatre and film.

:D