Price$24.00
Media TypeBook
CategoryMentalism, Hypnotism
Date AddedApr 10, 2008
HypnoTrick
Ben Williams
(Based on 2 reviews)
View Clip Now it is possible to make people believe you are a master of suggestion/hypnosis techniques without having to learn the detailed ins and outs of this advanced skill!
Imagine dividing your audience into two groups, the first you influence with an hypnotic suggestion, and the second remain unaltered by your powers!
Effect
With HYPNOTRICK a spectator can select a card from a deck and show it to everyone in his group before signing it. The performer then shows the second group the selection and they see a totally different card, despite there being only one card and it being signed across it's face!
The performer can release the spectators from their hypnotic state at any time, to show the true identity of the card. Oh, and the card can then be immediately inspected!
Now you can do all these things with Hypnotrick, a brand new effect from the creative mind of Ben Williams. With this knowledge and detailed photo illustrated routine you will be able to perform a whole range of effects from convincing people you are a master of suggestion techniques to doing a signed colour change using just one card and your bare hands. This effect could also be translated onto stage for a larger performance maybe in a mentalism act.
This is visual magic at it's best, not just 'another card trick'; this can be as powerful as you want it to be.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Can the spectator really sign the card?
Yes! Although it is not necessary, the spectator can sign the FACE OF THE CARD before it changes. There are no duplicate signatures used. The signature can be in full view the whole time whether the 'hypnotised' group or the 'unhypnotised' group are seeing the card.
Can the spectators inspect the card?
Yes, after the trick is done the card is 100% examinable and can be kept as a souvenir, something I would encourage. In fact because of the nature of the effect the card can also be fully inspected as it is selected.
Do you need to be highly skilled with cards to perform this effect?
No, not at all. In fact all you need to know is one sleight that is not hard to execute and 95% of people reading this will probably know how to do it. The handling has also been refined so that there is no knucklebusting sleight of hand required, allowing you to concentrate fully on your performance.
Do you need to know any hypnosis or suggestion techniques?
No you don't. Although to gain full credibility for what this effect can achieve you should be able to act the part of a mentalist or somebody who can influence a persons mind using suggestion, such as when you read a spectators mind to tell them what card they have.
Is it suitable for 'real-world' working conditions?
YES! Here's a few reasons why :-
- No difficult angles and unrealistic 'moves'
- Quick reset
- Fast and entertaining for your audience
- Adaptable to your current performing style or card effects
- Can be performed surrounded
- Works one2one with a spectator or plays to a whole group
- You can put your business details on the back of the card
"Nice One!!! I've been playing with this for the past few weeks and I LOVE IT!" - Dan Makings
"I purchased this on the strength of your other 'own' items which I have found to be excellent. Once again I am not disappointed. Keep it up!" - JoJo UK
"I actually made a GUY scream out in shock and amazement with this! It's a strong bit of magic guys, now moved it to be a card magic closer effect! Thanks" - Mat Cane
"I have my sticky mitts on a copy of Ben Williams' effect, Hypnotrick. I have been eager to see this ever since Ben showed me a video when he was working on the effect.
Hypnotrick is written with Ben's friendly and witty style. The instructions are clear, detailed and easy to follow. Ben goes into the minutest detail when describing his presentation and handling of this effect, though he points out that this is just one presentation, you could easily come up with something that fits your own style.
What I particularly like is the depth in which Ben describes the finer points of the handling, misdirection and audience management, something that many magicians leave out when publishing an effect.
The effect relies on a simple gimmick which is easy to prepare, there are detailed instructions on how to do this. Due to very clever routining the card is 100% examinable when selected and at the end of the effect. It can be signed by the spectator if you wish, and can be handed out as a keepsake.You end totally clean.
This is a very clever routine with the potential for you to inject your own personality into it, though Ben's style fits it perfectly and he gives detailed instructions on how to achieve this. It's a routine which will amaze your spectators and have them thinking you truly do have hypnotic powers. For the spectators that is the only possible explanation.
I am now busy practising my hypnotic stare, and unnerving all around me I might add! I have tried this out on my family who are used to being my magic guinea pigs, but this really freaked my sister out, tee hee! I will definitely be adding this one to my new repertoire of effects this year and I highly recommend it.
For all you wannabe Derren Browns out there, you are going to love this.Brilliant in it's simplicity as the best magic effects should be, but with great reactions! I wonder if Derren has seen it yet?" - Stephen Morrison
Pages 8 - Saddle Stitched
Reviews
(Top ▲)
The description of this effect on the PR blurb, makes it sounds fantastic and something that is being sold for far less than what it's worth.
The truth however, is greatly different. Although the price (around £15) doesn't seem like a great deal in the scheme of magical purchases, what you actually get for your money is a very thin, badly written pamphlet, describing a poor effect that is impractical to use.
As the previous reviewer stated, it's like a poor effect you would see in a magazine (and in this case, pass over).
Without revealing too much, a gaff is required and you don't receive any ready made ones with the effect. The gaff, however, is, by it's very nature, easy to see and if anyone spots it and shouts out, there are NO outs whatsoever!
It is similar in effect to Luke Jermay's RGM, but in this case you can actually have the card signed. The pay off, however, is that it's an incredibly risky effect to use.
I wasted my money on this, I hope you don't do the same.
The truth however, is greatly different. Although the price (around £15) doesn't seem like a great deal in the scheme of magical purchases, what you actually get for your money is a very thin, badly written pamphlet, describing a poor effect that is impractical to use.
As the previous reviewer stated, it's like a poor effect you would see in a magazine (and in this case, pass over).
Without revealing too much, a gaff is required and you don't receive any ready made ones with the effect. The gaff, however, is, by it's very nature, easy to see and if anyone spots it and shouts out, there are NO outs whatsoever!
It is similar in effect to Luke Jermay's RGM, but in this case you can actually have the card signed. The pay off, however, is that it's an incredibly risky effect to use.
I wasted my money on this, I hope you don't do the same.
(Top ▲)
I've stated in previous reviews that I'm a big fan of effects that claim to put the audience into an "altered state" (hypnotized, dreaming, hallucinating, etc.). I've also made it clear that I think this is a very difficult premise to pull off with any sincerity.
I wanted to review this trick because it's similar in premise to a piece of magic that I developed for my own repertoire about 15 years ago. The goal is to make the audience buy into the idea that they've been hypnotized to believe that they're looking at a different card from what their eyes are telling them.
In this version, a card is selected and signed. The magician now "hypnotizes" his helper and asks her what card she chose. She calls out the name of the card that's obviously staring her in the face. But the magician protests that she's actually looking at a different card and the rest of the audience verifies that this is so. As a climax, the magician breaks the hypnotic trance and shows her that she was, indeed, looking at a different card.
Let's start with the performance. Everything is fairly straightforward, but you need to exercise some control over the placement of your audience. In particular, you need to setup a situation where you can show the selected card to just your assistant and not the audience, and vice versa. On stage, this will be no big deal. In a close-up situation, this can prove to be much more difficult.
There are very few sleight-of-hand requirements. The method uses a feke that can be made rather quickly and easily. However, there's a major problem for anyone wanting to do this on a regular basis. The feke requires that you force a specific card. But if you're going to have them sign it, then you ruin that card every time you perform. So anyone doing this at parties is going to have to start buying one-way decks and finding a place to ring in a new card after every performance.
Which brings me to the manuscript. Maybe I'm just in a bad mood today, but I really felt let-down by the quality of the instructions. Do these people not have editors and proofreaders? The English is barely passable, even if you disregard the copious punctuation errors.
And the instruction, itself, is a bit lacking. For instance, a card needs to be forced. But not just any force will do because you also have to maintain a small stack on the bottom of the deck during the force. It's just irresponsible to not include something, even it it's just the cross-cut force.
Noting these exceptions, I decided to check out what this little manuscript costs. Maybe it's just the weak US$, but $24 seems like a lot for this.
I talk quite often with my friends Jeff McBride and Eugene Burger about how many of the things being released these days would have been magazine contributions, at best, twenty years ago. This one certainly falls into that category. At least as a periodical contribution, the author would have been forced to use a proofreader.
I wanted to review this trick because it's similar in premise to a piece of magic that I developed for my own repertoire about 15 years ago. The goal is to make the audience buy into the idea that they've been hypnotized to believe that they're looking at a different card from what their eyes are telling them.
In this version, a card is selected and signed. The magician now "hypnotizes" his helper and asks her what card she chose. She calls out the name of the card that's obviously staring her in the face. But the magician protests that she's actually looking at a different card and the rest of the audience verifies that this is so. As a climax, the magician breaks the hypnotic trance and shows her that she was, indeed, looking at a different card.
Let's start with the performance. Everything is fairly straightforward, but you need to exercise some control over the placement of your audience. In particular, you need to setup a situation where you can show the selected card to just your assistant and not the audience, and vice versa. On stage, this will be no big deal. In a close-up situation, this can prove to be much more difficult.
There are very few sleight-of-hand requirements. The method uses a feke that can be made rather quickly and easily. However, there's a major problem for anyone wanting to do this on a regular basis. The feke requires that you force a specific card. But if you're going to have them sign it, then you ruin that card every time you perform. So anyone doing this at parties is going to have to start buying one-way decks and finding a place to ring in a new card after every performance.
Which brings me to the manuscript. Maybe I'm just in a bad mood today, but I really felt let-down by the quality of the instructions. Do these people not have editors and proofreaders? The English is barely passable, even if you disregard the copious punctuation errors.
And the instruction, itself, is a bit lacking. For instance, a card needs to be forced. But not just any force will do because you also have to maintain a small stack on the bottom of the deck during the force. It's just irresponsible to not include something, even it it's just the cross-cut force.
Noting these exceptions, I decided to check out what this little manuscript costs. Maybe it's just the weak US$, but $24 seems like a lot for this.
I talk quite often with my friends Jeff McBride and Eugene Burger about how many of the things being released these days would have been magazine contributions, at best, twenty years ago. This one certainly falls into that category. At least as a periodical contribution, the author would have been forced to use a proofreader.