Blindsight by Devin Knight

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Blindsight by Devin Knight

Postby Martin Le Guerre » Jan 21st, '07, 01:22



Blindsight by Devin Knight

They Say:
One of the most talked about effects at the 2006 Mindvention. It virtually fooled anyone who saw it.

The very latest from Devin Knight's Psychic-Sight series. The first was Farsight and was a runaway hit. Now comes Blindsight.

Effect

Performer patters that Blindsight is the apparent ability to see colors and shapes which cannot be seen. You offer a simple experiment. You introduce 4 ungimmicked colored cards: Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow. These in turn are sealed into 4 opaque envelopes and mixed so that the spectator doesn't know which color is in which envelope. You ask him to point to any envelope. Free choice, no magician's force of any kind. You hold it up and ask him what color he thinks is inside. Assume he says Blue. You write "Blue" on the envelope. This is repeated 3 more times with the person freely pointing to any of the remaining envelopes. Each time he states the color he thinks is inside and the performer writes it on the envelope.

Performer fans the envelopes out allowing the person to see the names written on each envelope. Magician states he only needs three envelopes for the first part and for the person to remove one envelope and place it off to the side. Let's assume he discards the envelope with the word Yellow written on it.

The other three envelopes are opened one at a time, the spectator has correctly guess what colors were in each envelope. This is pretty amazing in itself but the kicker is still to come.

Magician says nobody could have known what envelope the spectator would discard off to the side. The spectator, NOT THE MAGICIAN, picks up this envelope and opens it. Of course the correct color card is in it, but wait; there is a slip of paper in it and it reads: "THE YELLOW ENVELOPE WILL BE THE ONE YOU DISCARD!"

The magician can then show the other envelopes are empty, in fact all the envelopes can be examined.

Here are the facts:
NO Two-Sided color cards NO Nailwriters or Boomwriters NO Secret Writing NO Switches NO Sleights of any kind NO One Ahead or One Behind Methods NO Gimmicked Envelopes NO Magnets NOTHING SECRETLY ADDED OR TAKEN AWAY Color Cards are not gimmicked in anyway Only 4 Cards are used. The choices are completely free. As clean as it gets. The handling is designed in such a way that spectators and magicians will be unable to backtrack and discover the method.

Another reputation maker that is priced way too low. Complete with color cards, envelopes, marker and all needed gimmicks to make this work.

Look what others are saying:

"The directness and simplicity of blindsight is surpassed only by its impressive cleverness."
- Michael Weber

"The eligantly simple method behind blindsight opened my eyes...even my third one."
- Docc Hilford

"I changed my mind three times and Devin still nailed me! He then showed me the method and I was the perfect mark!"
- Bob Sheets

"Without a doubt, this was the best effect of Mindvention 2006."
-JHEFF

Cost £15.56 from http://www.world-of-magic.co.uk/magic.asp?id=17201

I Say:

I agree with all the comments above. If you like this type of mentalist effect, (which I do), in the right setting, this is a very impressive piece of work, relatively straightforward to perform and completely baffling. Devin has obviously spent a lot of time and energy perfecting this effect.

The 'principles' employed kind of feel like the sort of thing you would find reading Anneman - (I must read him again). The props are basic, so basic in fact that they invite little suspicion to start with but Devin has done a really sound job in introducing various handling subtleties to throw the sharp eyed spectator off the scent and to iron out any wrinkles, that you just have to stand and marvel at a such a consummate craftsman at work.

Only downside I can see is that you can't repeat this for the same audience so you are going to have to get your excuses ready because they are going to ask to repeat.

Overall
If you work with mentalist effects, in my opinion this is a must have. 9/10

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Postby dat8962 » Jan 21st, '07, 02:17

Nice review Martin.

I was interested in this when it first came out but I passed it over for something else. I may have to revisit this as I was impressed by Far Sight. These two may work well together? They appear to have a similar feel despite them being very different to one another.

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It's not really an optical illusion - it just looks like one!
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Blindsight

Postby DrTodd » Jan 21st, '07, 08:50

Thanks Martin. This does sound really powerful. I have always liked 'telecard', which many magicians dismiss since it is cheap and used to come in magic sets. Fives cards, five enevelopes, and you can always tell which card was selected by the spectator. It has floored my audiences for years.

Blindsight sounds like it takes such an idea to another level!

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Blindsight

Postby DrTodd » Jan 21st, '07, 08:53

This is currently unavailable from World of Magic.

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Postby nikyas » Jan 21st, '07, 21:42

i like this alot! a must have

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Postby bananafish » Jan 22nd, '07, 11:19

I have this and like it. I have to admit I haven't yet performed it for a paying audience but I will.

I will add to Martin's review though that it is (in my mind at least) more of a stage/parlour effect - and not particularly suited for close up, which something like "Telecard" (as mentioned by Dr. T) is.

If you do perfomr stage/parlour mentalsim though this could well be for you. A combination of methods combining to make a strong effect with a powerful finish.

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Postby Max Gordon » Feb 1st, '07, 14:44

Great trick. This won't mean much for anyone who does not have the effect, but for those who do. I have added a "Stroop test" element as the context for Blindsight.

The element of confusion between eye and brain in the Stroop test allows you to move the conversation to work in reverse, ie choosing colours intuitively.

Wherever possible, I try to use accepted or traditional contexual frames for my routines, that way it isn't quite so much of a quantum leap when you are trying to get spectators to belive in what you are doing.

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Postby Martin Le Guerre » Feb 3rd, '07, 16:53

Max Gordon wrote:Great trick. This won't mean much for anyone who does not have the effect, but for those who do. I have added a "Stroop test" element as the context for Blindsight.

The element of confusion between eye and brain in the Stroop test allows you to move the conversation to work in reverse, ie choosing colours intuitively.

Wherever possible, I try to use accepted or traditional contexual frames for my routines, that way it isn't quite so much of a quantum leap when you are trying to get spectators to belive in what you are doing.


You've left me way behind, and I've have got Blindsight! Any chance you can you pm me with what the Stroop test is all about?

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Postby Max Gordon » Feb 3rd, '07, 18:25

Martin Le Guerre wrote:
You've left me way behind, and I've have got Blindsight! Any chance you can you pm me with what the Stroop test is all about?


Martin the Stroop test is an established scientific experment which uses colours written as words e.g. the word GREEN is written in red ink, BLUE is written in yellow ink etc. particiants have to read the written word not the colour of the font. Sound s easy but not when there are many words written one after the other.

Check out Banachek's PS2 for more examples. Or visit
http://www.snre.umich.edu/eplab/demos/s ... pdesc.html for more detailed info.

If you have Reflections you will understand that to use this on the plain white card at the beginning gives you a reason to discuss written colours at the outset and then lay this card aside.

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Postby Martin Le Guerre » Feb 4th, '07, 20:10

Many thanks for the explanation and the link. It took me 13 seconds to get 7 out if 10 right on level 3. Its not easy and I can see why you might use this as an intro into Blindsight. Nice one.

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Postby connor o'connor » May 7th, '07, 20:12

bought this due to this reveiw

like it a lot so thanks guys
stroop test looks good but yet to try, thanks again.

Just wish to add that the instructions are first rate.
And they are not just instructions of do this do that, they expain why why why all the time.
I know its only a few pages of a4 paper, but if you read it properly it's almost a tutorial on how to do a mental effect properly.

If only all magic trick instructions were as clear and informative.

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Postby IAIN » Jul 11th, '07, 14:54

i ordered this by mistake, got it last night...i would actually say i'd look forward to performing this close-up...right under their noses...

very good effect, and the "bits" you get with it are useful for other effects too...

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Postby feifei » Jul 13th, '07, 05:41

I have got both Blindsight and FarSight by Devin Knight, I am very impressed with Farsight, and its no different for BlindSight.

I would say Blindsight is a very good trick and great to be performed on stage. If you performing to a group close-up, its best try to get the group a bit further away.

Just like FarSight, Blindsight comes complete with what you need to perform the trick which is superb, and the instruction given is really detailed and I enjoyed reading it very much as well as performing it!

You'll have no problem if you want to perform Blindsight and Farsight on the same evening, i would say just that two tricks will already be able to fill in the whole show :P

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Postby Demitri » Jul 13th, '07, 08:47

feifei - why would you want people to stand away from you for blindsight? I've been doing it right in front of my spectators with not a slight problem. In fact, I've found the structure and routining is almost designed to be done right under the noses of your audiences.

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Postby feifei » Jul 13th, '07, 10:36

oh... wait wait.... i m getting confused myself.. haha.. sorry...

i think that comment was meant farsight...or mayb not... i can't remember how that came into my mind when i wrote that... sometimes my hand just type what ever my brain thinks although i didn't mean to type it and was just thinking about it..... it seems this not the first time this happened to me..

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