Scroll Down and take time to set it up and learn some useful tips from the described routines.
Quick Set Up Guide
First before you open up Zappit…
Go to your home screen and place on the home scree a real scanner app. Then take a screen shot. Now using photos app, select the screen shot and choose edit and crop off the top of the photo where the time bar is.
Now you are ready!
Open up the app and go to “settings”
- Set a suitable time delay, usually about 3 second is ideal
- Factor for now can be put at 0
- Choose an image for behind the passcode screen to match your phone.
- Choose an image for the home screen (use the one from the above process.)
- Choose a title text if you wish. If you are forcing an item or object then put this in here. (see the video routines) Alternatively leave blank or the word “Price”
- Set up some predictive text:
- If you wish to predict supermarkets then the following list may help as the first and/or second letters correspond to the Initials of the supermarket with the keypad numbers. Ideally about 25 supermarkets can be stored across all the numbers.
02 Asda
05 Lidl
06 Morrisons
07 Sainsburys
08 Tesco
09 Waitrose
22 CostCo
25 ALdi
26 Co-op
27 Anne Summers
55 John Lewis
67 M & S
- Click save.
Put in some test values.
Go and have lots of fun!!
If you wish to generate a barcode for you to scan then just google barcode generator. You need a code-39 or a code 128 to contain letters such as a website, or a QR to link directly to a website. This site may be helpful http://www.barcode-generator.org
Here is my favourite routine.
I force an item. Usually if its planned routine then i will use a blank face deck with different items written on the faces. I will have about 26 random items and then 2 sets of 13 for the 2 item cards. This means I can easily force an item any chosen within 13 cards. If i want to do it to another group nearby i can quickly change the settings and force an item out of the other 13 cards. For these I use Pizza or Beer. Both get a nice reaction and people always think its an appropriate choice for “them” it also generates a decent price range. With the same pack obviously i can force one of the random items in there as well.
You then pullout a card with a barcode on it, (barcode hidden from view). Tell them this is your prediction. Ask them which supermarket they are shopping at.
If they go totally random and you have got it in the presets then awesome! If and very rarely its totally random and you don’t have it in the preset then use it as a comedy moment and say something like “You are posh! I’m not that upmarket, where would normal people buy it from?!” Anything like that to get them to choose a second choice. You get a comedy moment and they usually wont think of 2 bizarre choices. However this scenario is incredibly rare!
Then get a price. Sometimes they will go for a round number, like £10 to make it more random just ask “£10 and how many pence” if they then say £10.50 say “ten pound fifty…..?” This is actually better than if they just come up with a random as it sounds like you really got them to think totally, totally random.
Build up suspense and make the bar code reveal. As you reveal the barcode read it out in the order that it will be revealed (ie Item, Store (Prediction text) and then price) It will read better later.
Wait for the reaction, usually a laugh or groan! Then 99% of the time some one will say, “well how can you prove it?” or “go on then scan it” It’s always better to wait for this to happen so that they feel they are leading you. If this doesn’t happen just say “Look, I prove it!…err…we can use my phone.” Make it sound like they could have used their phone as well by looking at their phone or putting a pause in as you look around for another phone.
Hand them your phone. If you have had a big moment from the barcode reveal you may already have had the chance to enter the price and code. If not hand them the phone with the keypad showing, and say go on scan it. They will always look at you and say …Duh…its locked! then pass it back to you.
You do the dirty work right in front of them, casual as casual! Then give it back to them and point to the fake app icon.
They Press the icon, you line up the barcode. It beeps and then they react… take the phone and show it around or then let them show it around and take the phone back naturally.
A time delay of about 3 to 4 seconds gives a nice pause to build the suspense. You don’t have to do anything. The app does all the showbiz build up for you.
If you emphasise the three predictions together they will never remember that you typed in a number and will never think how to input 3 “random” values!
If you want them to input the values them selves and are good at thinking numbers (i am not but have still done this easy enough) Set the factor option to allow the code to be input secretly. So if you put in factor of 1 you add 1 to the price and get them to put that in as your code. If you put it as 9 then you subtract 1 from the value.
£12.34 with factor 1 will be a pin code of 0123
£12.34 with factor 9 will be a pin code of 2345
Predictive text remains the same.
Impromptu Routines.
Once you start scanning things and having fun you will see so many things that can be scanned and so many applications. If you want the classic version as above as impromptu I always do the following.
Classic Impromptu Routine: Tell them…“Ok you are a modern guy, you do the shopping…like food shopping yeah?”
thats a nice comedy line as either they do or they don’t. Then say “like food shopping…not underwear or posh clothes.?” (if you want to be cheeky you can look at them at this point and point out they look like they don’t buy many “posh clothes”)!!
“Ok, so imagine you are going to buy something like ….errr….pizza?”
If you do this like its something random you just though of then they will reciprocate and think that they randomly thought of it. If they want to choose something else either say, “ok cool, but whats your favourite pizza?” They then tell you and you are back on track with forcing Pizza (or other) Alternatively if they are being really really awkward just tell them something like “I like Pizza…so we are sticking with Pizza yeah…its my show!” in an assertive but comedy way!
Then get a price etc and supermarket. You are back on track.
I always have a barcode on the back of a business card with me, but if you don’t then simply draw one and tell them you have a skill to draw any barcode when you reveal it. (see the video).
Other impromptu Routines:
The Cheap Suit! I have a prediction option set up before or I change the title text to say something like Comedy Jumper, Cheap suit etc etc.
I then just get a price for it and hold the scanner up to part of their suit or jumper that has a Checkered or stripped pattern.
Even though you have a comedy finish the prediction is still there and still amazing to them!
Other alternatives:
- Force a supermarket and have items in the prediction text.
- I have toy Zebra which I scan or a toy sheep…the comedy being it’s a “Baa Code!!”
- If I am at a trade show I will change the Title text to the company name or product I am working for. Or you could have several products get them to choose a barcode. Get them to play the game of matching the price and barcode to the item! Magically they always get it right when they scan it!
- You can also combine it as a precursor to other prediction effects like Priceless by Michel Huot and Richard Sanders which helps to build an awesome routine.
Either way just get out here have fun, and honestly you will be amazed at how people react, remember the value of Zappit is in the combination of comedy, fun and a modern revelation.
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