"Focal Point" by Andrew Mayne
Suggested Retail USD$20.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"Focal Point", the latest offering from the ever-creative Andrew Mayne, is a clever piece of mental magic that has the raw power to numb the minds of spectators even while you're giggling inwardly at just how easy that is to accomplish when you've got your hands on the right tool.

"Focal Point" is the right tool, with a killer presentation, lots of flexibility, and visuals that leave a mark.

It all begins with the performer pulling out a few "antique photographs" from around the world of such things as ceremonial elephants, the Pyramids, Mount Rushmore, and the like. A spectator selects one (a free choice, mind you), returns it to the stack, and then begins to concentrate on all the details of the picture. The performer begins scribbling on a pad of paper and, after much mental exertion, turns the pad over to reveal a rough sketch of the image in the chosen photograph. The brain-freeze, though, begins when all the pictures are turned over and the chosen one, the one whose details the spectator committed to memory and thought so long over, is seen as nothing more than a very blurry photograph with no discernable detail whatsoever.

I don't care who you are: that's just cool.

Granted, this kind of thing has been done to death with many a trick -- Anneman's "Daytime Nightmare" and "Hallucination", Harry Anderson's "Shadow Card", etcetera and so forth -- since we seem to rather relish a spectator choosing a card that can't logically be chosen. But Mayne's version pretty much makes such comparisons "apples and oranges'; the photos and the well-structured presentation make this a whole new ballgame.

As to the workings, Mayne did the thing that absolutely had to be done here: he kept the workings entirely simple (I'm tempted to say he redefined "simple", but I won't). To pull this off, all you need are the supplied cards, a very simple sleight, and that's it. Couple that simplicity with a method whereby the trick is over way, way before the effect is, and you've ample resources to do nothing but concentrate on the presentation.

The method is also perfectly practical. "Focal Point" packs small -- all you need are the photos and the knowledge and you're ready to go. There is no real set-up and reset is instantaneous. Repeating this one is a breeze.

But "Focal Point" isn't the only routine supplied. Mayne has included a variety of different ideas on the instructional DVD, including one where the chosen photo is proven to have no existed at all. Personally, I preferred the titled routine to the others, but the flexibility is a great touch and gets the juices flowing.

I'm really high on this one. "Focal Point" is powerful stuff and, done well, it's a solid keeper of the kind that makes reputations.

Caveats? None really, though beginners in mental magic should shy away from this one because the presentation really has to be sold to keep this from being just another neat packet trick. If you've got the experience, though, "Focal Point" could likely become one of your "Don't Leave Home Without It" favorites.

"Focal Point" by Andrew Mayne
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Practicality: 10
A few cards you slap in your wallet or throw in your pocket... so much for the pocket management problem. There's no set-up or reset, repeating this is not a problem, and angles are not an issue. This is about as practical as it gets.

Workmanship: 10
The cards are lightly coated in plastic and should last a lifetime with the usual care. There is one piece of this you'll need to touch-up every now and then, but it's minor and won't take you but a few seconds.

Documentation: 10
Mayne always wins high points for his documentation and here, with the instructions supplied on DVD, he does so again.

Effect: 10
This is, in a word, a stunner. "Focal Point" hits people where they live (and think) and, done well, it's a seriously mind-numbing piece of magic.

Presentation: 10
Mayne's presentation, a two-phase mentalism theme, is excellent here. Reading the mind of a spectator who didn't see what they thought they saw? Now that's what you call slick.

Shane

Available direct from your favorite dealer. Dealers, please contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-853-7403 or visit Murphy's Magic Supplies website.