Merged Derren Brown - predicting lottery numbers

Humphreys said:
I meant like:

1) Derren announces that he will NOT be allowed to announce the numbers before the draw, for legal reasons
2) He has a rack set up with the chosen balls facing away from the audience
3) After the draw, he turns the rack around and all 6 correct numbers are on there?

Is that about it?
Click to expand...

That's it.
Derren had no audience, it was in an empty studio.
 
But if there's no trick with the delay, why was the show so rushed? One or other, or both, must have been misdirection.
Click to expand...
Because it was live, and he didnt know what time exactly, the draw would be starting. Also, with his show being shown on all five, channel 4 owned, channels, the longer the program took, the more of an impact it would have on their schedules.
 
Last edited:
Ashles said:
I don't really understand - this show was only going to be Derren revealing the trick, and his timings were dependent on the BBCs show so it would have had to be slightly reactive and off the cuff.
Click to expand...
Just my impression. It could be for the reasons you describe. It could be that he had limited air time given that he was on every channel Channel4 own. I don't see why there was so little lead in if it was just a question of syncing with the BBC.
 
Humphreys said:
While this may well be the explanation, it doesn't sound very "Derren" like to me.
Click to expand...

Derren Brown freely admits he uses multiple methods to achieve his effects.
If it works I don't think there is any method or technique he would reject.

I thik part of his genius is that people think he achieves affects in certain ways, which then gives him even more leeway to use any imaginable method that suits.

Personally I think he uses technology a lot more than he ever alludes to.
 
Ashles said:
That's it.
Derren had no audience, it was in an empty studio.
Click to expand...
Empty studio. Derren is the only person we see. Rows of empty seats and an empty stage + the TV and the stand with the balls on.
 
shuttlt said:
Empty studio. 6 white ping pong balls on a clear stand. TV screen to one side. Derren explains he can only show a brief bit of BBC footage "for legal reasons". He also claims that he can't show his prediction in advance of the draw "for legal reasons". He turns the TV on and the draw begins. He stands by the TV (the balls on the stand are visible the whole time) holding a pen and a large white card as the draw is announced. After the draw he writes the numbers down and turns the TV off. He then walks behind the stand and turns it around revealing the correct numbers on the reverse of the balls. At no time does he appear to handle the balls. The whole broadcast appears very rushed.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

Was the footage of Derren turning the balls around on the stand seamless?

Could the numbers on the balls be added by the camera itself, or is that too far fetched? I know I have seen live football footage before where they make it appear that the team badges are etched onto the pitch. Not having seen the footage or having knowledge of the limits of the technology, does this seem possible?
 
The stand could project the numbers up on to the balls from the base. There was plenty of time for those numbers to be entered into the projector before they were revealed. Notice that Derren didn't touch or move the balls.
 
Last edited:
666 said:
Possible explanation: Photosensitive coating on the balls? Project the numbers as soon as they're announced then turn the stand round?
Click to expand...

Wouldn't the studio lights turn his balls black? Heat??
 
Last edited:
Just something ever so slightly OT:

On his blog this morning, Derren posted an email he recieved from someone who claimed that quite often, they predict the lottery numbers "with accuracy".

From: http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/09/typical-inbox-morning/

any way i shall give you 3 of the 7 numbers gonna be drawn with accuracy rest later the numbers are 11-16-46
Click to expand...
Just thought i'd share that with you.
 
Last edited:
Humphreys said:
Thanks.
Was the footage of Derren turning the balls around on the stand seamless?
Click to expand...
From memory, yes.

Humphreys said:
Could the numbers on the balls be added by the camera itself, or is that too far fetched?
Click to expand...
I would say no.

One observation while I was watching it. The stand seemed to be made of a tube about 1.5m high with a small rectangular tray on top for the balls. The tray and the tube appeared to be made of clear plastic. Is it absolutely out of the question that the balls travelled up the tube during the broadcast and what we though were the balls were dummies.
 
dbalsdon said:
Just something ever so slightly OT:

On his blog this morning, Derren posted an email he recieved from someone who claimed that every week, they predict the lottery numbers "with accuracy".
any way i shall give you 3 of the 7 numbers gonna be drawn with accuracy rest later the numbers are 11-16-46
Click to expand...
From: http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/09/typical-inbox-morning/
Click to expand...

Wednesday, 9 September 2009 - Draw number 1431

2, 11, 23, 28, 35, 39 (15)
Click to expand...

Epic Fail
:D
 
Ashles said:
He never claims any 'woo powers'. It's a trick and Derren never pretends to be anything other than an illusionist.
Click to expand...


On top of that he's a very active sceptic in his TV shows, live shows and in his books. I just cannot understand some of the comments on this thread :boggled:
 
Well he did touch the balls, I was wrong. So doesn't look projected from the stand either. Not sure how they got the numbers on the balls now. The etching idea is the most plausible so far.
 
Capsid said:
The stand could project the numbers up on to the balls from the base. There was plenty of time for those numbers to be entered into the projector before they were revealed. Notice that Derren didn't touch or move the balls.
Click to expand...
That would be my guess too, having not seen what any of the apparatus looks like. Or an "inkjet and rotate" stand, which sprays the numbers on the bottom, then rotates the balls to display them.
 
Im amazed nobody has has worked out the easiest way to do this yet.Anyone with any knowledge of adobe after effects could make this same video, not live of course but the result would be the same.With tv production tech with high powered computer rigs it would be easy to do in real time.

You simply film the balls blank from the same camera angle as broadcast at an earlier time in the day.Later once Derren has walked over to the tv you overlay the half of the screen with the balls with the footage you shot earlier of the balls sitting there untouched.This allows someone to simple walk on and place the balls on that half of the tv screen as they are read out then walk off once the last ball is placed and then the mask on that half of the screen is removed to show the live feed of the balls.

The camera needs to be stationary to do this and he has cleverly made the camera wobble to misdirect, however its not the camera wobbling PHYSICALLY itself but a digital wobble ADDED so the camera itself is actually stationary.Easiest way to do the trick and a tv editor could do it in his sleep.The following videos show how easy it is to do.

change xxx to www
xxx.youtube.com/watch?v=bqLBE82nnxg

xxx.youtube.com/watch?v=84Fm353GuQ8
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom