INSANE - Andy Nyman
I've always been a fan of Andy Nyman's work, and when I heard he was going to be a T11 artist, I was excited to see what he was going to offer. His debut effect, INSANE, is his take on the classic Open Prediction/51 Faces North plot popularized by Roy Walton and Stewart James. I studied Open Prediction for years and learned a variety of methods to accomplish it; for those unfamiliar with it-- it's very much a holy grail effect in mentalism comparable to The Berglas Effect. Various guidelines/rules were established to make it as clean and as perfect a stunt as possible. Throughout the years, several magicians created their own versions-- some very good-- but often compromised one of the rules set by Stewart James:
1. The deck could be borrowed.
2. The deck is normal in every way-- it could even be an incomplete deck where the performer has no idea which or how many cards are missing as long as the prediction/force card is present.
3. No need for preparation-- nothing to hide.
4. The deck is never out of sight and in complete view the entire time.
5. If writing materials are necessary, they may be borrowed.
6. The prediction is made 'open' and known to all before the start of the effect.
7. Completely impromptu-- no need for time along to set-up. No gaffs. Nothing.
8. No cards are ever stolen or added to the deck.
9. No dual reality. No alternative effect or "outs".
10. Nothing but the borrowed items are used.
11. When the spectator starts dealing, the performer has no idea where the force card/prediction is. The deck is thoroughly shuffled. Even if the performer DID know where the card was, it would not help in accomplishing the effect.
12. The performer never knows when the spectator will keep a card face down.
13. The spectator deals straight through the entire deck from the top of the deck to the bottom. The only variation to the deal is when he keeps one card face down.
14. It is a 100% effect. Non-fail.
15. The cards are ALWAYS in the spectator's hands. The performer NEVER touches the cards from beginning to end. The spectator is the one who checks the face down card to ensure it matches the prediction.
So with that, does Andy Nyman's variation meet the criteria above? ...No. It does, however, meet a good deal of them and is still a very clean effect in the minds of laymen. I don't believe it is a "magician-fooler," as the method's principle has been used before by the likes of David Regal, Jean Pierre Vallerino, Bob Solari, and several others for similar variations of the plot. With that, knowledgeable magicians probably won't be very surprised by the method, but Andy does offer subtleties and tips to make it one of the cleanest prediction effects in your repertoire.
What I particularly like about INSANE is how it is so self-contained. Because the required gaff is separate from the deck, the effect isn't limited to being an opener or closer; it's a strong piece of mentalism that you can perform at ANY time during your set. I think that quality is actually very valuable in itself given how strong the effect is.
The quality of the gaffs are top notch. In addition to the DVD, I was supplied with ten gaffed cards in a black envelope and another device apparently imported from England to construct the gimmick for the effect. A search at Staples and/or OfficeMax will produce several similar products that could offer the same properties to achieve the effect. For those familiar with David Regal's work or Raj Madhok's Open Perception, the gimmick for INSANE differs slightly and allows more freedom for natural handling. I was actually surprised that the gimmick wasn't what I initially thought it was going to be. Regardless, the DVD meets the high standards of T11's prior releases and the instruction is thorough and comprehensive.
A minor gripe I have the with DVD, however, is that Andy seems to flash the gimmick in nearly every take of the performances and instructional segments. He even goes on and does exactly what he tells the viewers NOT to do, often telegraphing the most crucial moments of the effect. Although it made for easier-to-follow instruction, I think it may have lost some people's faith in the gimmick or effect, because his demonstrations-- in my opinion-- weren't as convincing as you'd expect from Andy Nyman or T11. After watching the DVD, I wholly recommend actually constructing the gimmick and going through the effect, yourself. It's fun to perform and looks and feels great. It takes some conviction to pull off, but it's definitely a winning effect.
The effect is nicely structured. I would prefer performing this in the middle of a set after an audience has become comfortable with the deck of cards you're utilizing. The audience can inspect and play with the cards to their heart's content; there's nothing to find there. The prediction is clearly shown in the envelope prior to the effect. It's taken out of the envelope and the envelop is ungaffed. Nothing to find there. As the deck is dealt into the performer's palm, the cards can be dealt face up until the spectator decides to deal one card face down on to the prediction. After the card is dealt face down, the spectator can actually continue dealing through the rest of the deck to find the prediction card missing. I would actually recommend performing the effect this way as it naturally builds more drama for the effect and allows some misdirection to engage the gimmick. Once the cards are completely dealt, the performer displays both the prediction card and dealt card-- they obviously match. The cards cannot withstand close inspection, but with natural handling and proper routining, there's really no need for the audience to fully inspect the cards anyway. An alternative idea would be to have the spectator shuffle the entire deck maintaining the cards face-down. The spectator deals through the deck face-down like in the online-demo. After the dealt card and prediction matches, the performer can immediately take the heat off the cards in his hands by letting the spectator turn the rest of the deck face-up to see it completely consists of blank cards or jokers. The rest of the deck is completely examinable as you place the cards into the envelope and back into your pocket.
I've performed the effect three times since it arrived yesterday. I was already familiar with the principle and performed variations of the same effect several times in the past. It hits hard. Anyone not familiar with the principle will find good value in this release. The reactions it's received so far consist of puzzlement and bewilderment. It just doesn't seem possible to accurately predict the future 100% of the time, but this effect achieves that.
Overall, I do recommend this product. A lot of care was obviously put into its development and production. It should be noted though, that similar plots/methods are readily available in other books and DVDs with several other strong effects. INSANE, although very well made, is still only one effect. A consumer would likely get more bang for his buck by purchasing Joshua Jay's Talk About Tricks DVD set (for Raj Madhok's Open Perception) or David Regal's book Approaching Magic for a similar gimmick/handling of essentially the same effect.
Hope this helps potential buyers make an informed decision.
RS.
I've always been a fan of Andy Nyman's work, and when I heard he was going to be a T11 artist, I was excited to see what he was going to offer. His debut effect, INSANE, is his take on the classic Open Prediction/51 Faces North plot popularized by Roy Walton and Stewart James. I studied Open Prediction for years and learned a variety of methods to accomplish it; for those unfamiliar with it-- it's very much a holy grail effect in mentalism comparable to The Berglas Effect. Various guidelines/rules were established to make it as clean and as perfect a stunt as possible. Throughout the years, several magicians created their own versions-- some very good-- but often compromised one of the rules set by Stewart James:
1. The deck could be borrowed.
2. The deck is normal in every way-- it could even be an incomplete deck where the performer has no idea which or how many cards are missing as long as the prediction/force card is present.
3. No need for preparation-- nothing to hide.
4. The deck is never out of sight and in complete view the entire time.
5. If writing materials are necessary, they may be borrowed.
6. The prediction is made 'open' and known to all before the start of the effect.
7. Completely impromptu-- no need for time along to set-up. No gaffs. Nothing.
8. No cards are ever stolen or added to the deck.
9. No dual reality. No alternative effect or "outs".
10. Nothing but the borrowed items are used.
11. When the spectator starts dealing, the performer has no idea where the force card/prediction is. The deck is thoroughly shuffled. Even if the performer DID know where the card was, it would not help in accomplishing the effect.
12. The performer never knows when the spectator will keep a card face down.
13. The spectator deals straight through the entire deck from the top of the deck to the bottom. The only variation to the deal is when he keeps one card face down.
14. It is a 100% effect. Non-fail.
15. The cards are ALWAYS in the spectator's hands. The performer NEVER touches the cards from beginning to end. The spectator is the one who checks the face down card to ensure it matches the prediction.
So with that, does Andy Nyman's variation meet the criteria above? ...No. It does, however, meet a good deal of them and is still a very clean effect in the minds of laymen. I don't believe it is a "magician-fooler," as the method's principle has been used before by the likes of David Regal, Jean Pierre Vallerino, Bob Solari, and several others for similar variations of the plot. With that, knowledgeable magicians probably won't be very surprised by the method, but Andy does offer subtleties and tips to make it one of the cleanest prediction effects in your repertoire.
What I particularly like about INSANE is how it is so self-contained. Because the required gaff is separate from the deck, the effect isn't limited to being an opener or closer; it's a strong piece of mentalism that you can perform at ANY time during your set. I think that quality is actually very valuable in itself given how strong the effect is.
The quality of the gaffs are top notch. In addition to the DVD, I was supplied with ten gaffed cards in a black envelope and another device apparently imported from England to construct the gimmick for the effect. A search at Staples and/or OfficeMax will produce several similar products that could offer the same properties to achieve the effect. For those familiar with David Regal's work or Raj Madhok's Open Perception, the gimmick for INSANE differs slightly and allows more freedom for natural handling. I was actually surprised that the gimmick wasn't what I initially thought it was going to be. Regardless, the DVD meets the high standards of T11's prior releases and the instruction is thorough and comprehensive.
A minor gripe I have the with DVD, however, is that Andy seems to flash the gimmick in nearly every take of the performances and instructional segments. He even goes on and does exactly what he tells the viewers NOT to do, often telegraphing the most crucial moments of the effect. Although it made for easier-to-follow instruction, I think it may have lost some people's faith in the gimmick or effect, because his demonstrations-- in my opinion-- weren't as convincing as you'd expect from Andy Nyman or T11. After watching the DVD, I wholly recommend actually constructing the gimmick and going through the effect, yourself. It's fun to perform and looks and feels great. It takes some conviction to pull off, but it's definitely a winning effect.
The effect is nicely structured. I would prefer performing this in the middle of a set after an audience has become comfortable with the deck of cards you're utilizing. The audience can inspect and play with the cards to their heart's content; there's nothing to find there. The prediction is clearly shown in the envelope prior to the effect. It's taken out of the envelope and the envelop is ungaffed. Nothing to find there. As the deck is dealt into the performer's palm, the cards can be dealt face up until the spectator decides to deal one card face down on to the prediction. After the card is dealt face down, the spectator can actually continue dealing through the rest of the deck to find the prediction card missing. I would actually recommend performing the effect this way as it naturally builds more drama for the effect and allows some misdirection to engage the gimmick. Once the cards are completely dealt, the performer displays both the prediction card and dealt card-- they obviously match. The cards cannot withstand close inspection, but with natural handling and proper routining, there's really no need for the audience to fully inspect the cards anyway. An alternative idea would be to have the spectator shuffle the entire deck maintaining the cards face-down. The spectator deals through the deck face-down like in the online-demo. After the dealt card and prediction matches, the performer can immediately take the heat off the cards in his hands by letting the spectator turn the rest of the deck face-up to see it completely consists of blank cards or jokers. The rest of the deck is completely examinable as you place the cards into the envelope and back into your pocket.
I've performed the effect three times since it arrived yesterday. I was already familiar with the principle and performed variations of the same effect several times in the past. It hits hard. Anyone not familiar with the principle will find good value in this release. The reactions it's received so far consist of puzzlement and bewilderment. It just doesn't seem possible to accurately predict the future 100% of the time, but this effect achieves that.
Overall, I do recommend this product. A lot of care was obviously put into its development and production. It should be noted though, that similar plots/methods are readily available in other books and DVDs with several other strong effects. INSANE, although very well made, is still only one effect. A consumer would likely get more bang for his buck by purchasing Joshua Jay's Talk About Tricks DVD set (for Raj Madhok's Open Perception) or David Regal's book Approaching Magic for a similar gimmick/handling of essentially the same effect.
Hope this helps potential buyers make an informed decision.
RS.