The Effect
It has long been said that the strongest effects are those which happen in the hands of the spectator, what if the effect could take place in the spectators mind? “Between the Lines” combines some revolutionary thinking with a classic mentalism effect to create one of the most powerful routines
available to date!
Imagine handing a spectator a torn page from a random book, you then ask them to imagine a fictitious scene in their mind building it up piece by piece. The spectator is then instructed to read the page, which has been in their possession throughout. Imagine their reaction as it dawns on them that the printed page accurately describes the scene they had created in their mind moments earlier.
Cost
£14.99 - exclusive to www.magicbox.uk.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)
I'd rate this as a 2 - there are certainly no sleights, but this will take some real time/practise to get down smoothly; there is a basic script to memorise/personalise, along with additional 'outs', and it requires a good presentational ability.
Review
You receive:
A comprehensive 18-page A5 instruction book, along with 2 pre-torn book pages (identical).
The instruction book - it has to be said - is hugely comprehensive.
WHATEVER YOU DO...put the prop pages to one side BEFORE looking at them, and go straight to the manual, as this pretty-much immediately runs through the effect, using YOU as the spectator; this gives you a really good idea (albeit in a cut-down sense) as to how the effect plays-out - it's kinda freaky, even in this simplistic form
Once this is out of the way, Mr. Murray goes on to run us through the hidden influences, which make up the heart of BTL. Make no mistake - these are very cleverly thought-out, and it's quite obvious that an awful lot of work has gone into crafting this effect.
We then move onto some nice psychological material, to reflect, and further re-enforce the story which the spec has crafted; they are left, in no uncertain terms, with a very strong memory of their story, which is obviously important for the final reveal to be as fully-effective as it can possibly be.
We then move onto how to handle the final revelation - walking your spectator through the prop page, and frying their mind in the process.
As if this really wasn't enough, Michael then goes on to provide an extra 3 pages of 'optional extras'.
Whilst by no means necessary, these go a huge way towards expanding the final impact of the effect. Sure, they'll possibly quite drastically raise the learning-curve required....but I'm fairly certain that they'll increase the impact of the final reveal, practically exponentially!
Overall
Okay - this is an easy call
If you are looking for ONE PIECE of mentalism that will have a lasting effect on your audience, this is undoubtably what you've been searching for; it's very impact lies solely with the fact that your spectator feels they've been given a fair and free choice in the construction of the key points of the story which they, themselves, have created.
Quite simply - they craft this miracle!
Not a down-side, by any means, but prospective-purchasers do need to be aware that there's a medium amount of script to remember, along with certain re-enforcing information that needs to be varied carefully with each performance - this isn't for someone who's just starting out with Mentalism, unless they're willing to spend an hour or so for 3 - 4 days, becoming fully familiar with the required nuances.
Also - whilst learning this, whatever your previous experience-level - I'd suggest you'll need 5-6 'practice' spectators to run-through with, before you'll be fully-ready for a 'real-world' performance. It's not mandatory, of course, but it'll help to prepare you for certain variable-responses you're going to run into from time-to-time.
One final point: the pages you receive are very nicely-done; exact replicas of a novel-size page, and printed on the same kind of paper stock. However, this being the case, they're only going to have a lifespan of about 6 months, depending on how much you use the effect, and possibly less if you're continually folding/unfolding, and have specs with sweaty, dirty mitts
I'm pretty certain that Michael may well - if asked nicely - be able to provide additional copies, for a reasonable price
An easy 9.5/10
Well I've added a little twist to Michael's brilliant little "book test".
