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The Effect

A system for divining the thoughts of a spectator.

Example effect: Being There

A spectator chooses a film from a list of fifteen. Nothing is written down. The spectator is asked to mentally recreate a part of the film. The performer describes the film before revealing the name.

Cost
£10/$17/E14 from http://www.underground-collective.com/

Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

1 The mechanics of this effect are very simple. Of course, as with all effects of this type a lot depends on the performance ability of those doing the effect.

Review
Well, spurred on by Mr. Browning's praise of UC I bought Panagram and this. Sensory Projection is a 22 page PDF document detailing a system for mind reading effects that has its roots in progressive anagrams. The document contains an example effect, Being There, notes on performing it, a detailed description of its structure and templates for creating your own effects using the system.

The system is very quick to learn. I had the structure of Being There fixed in my mind with an evening's study. Even if you find it difficult to remember things I doubt it would take long for you to have it down.

The effect plays very clean, most of the time (see below). The promotional blurb is not hyperbole. Within seconds you can name the film. A sample script could run: "Can you play the theme tune, or a significant part of the score in your mind, excellent! I'm getting a sense of flying, no not flying, swimming, yes, something large swimming through the water. A shark. You chose Jaws, didn't you."

This could play as a quick hit, as described above, or you could make it more involving by really describing aspects of the film, especially once you know what it is.

There are some quirks to Being There which make it less than 100% in terms of hit rate. People can make strange associations that cause misses. For example, the ships in Star Wars are antiques, strictly speaking and following the heat tree can lead to Buster! To my mind, this does not detract from the effect. With scripting tweaks and experience these can be reduced. You come to recognise points of uncertainty that lead to different films. (I hope that makes sense!)

Overall

I really like this product. It is clean, strong, ingenious and simple to execute. Although its roots are in progressive anagrams the way the system is structured renders it invisible. If you thought the progressive anagram principle is unworkable then you might want to check this out. It will open new door for you.

Do you know I really can't praise this highly enough. 8/10