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Picture Influence by Reid Ferry

Created by: Reid Ferry

Picture Influence is a captivating mentalism and psychological magic trick performed in a street magic setting. The magician, Reid Ferry, engages with the audience by sending a picture of a cityscape to a participant's phone. After a brief moment of thought, the magician astonishingly guesses the name of a person important to the participant, emphasizing the participant's complete freedom in choosing the name. This trick leverages psychological principles and suggestion, making it a profound demonstration of influence and mind-reading. It's ideal for magicians interested in mentalism and psychological magic, offering a unique blend of audience participation and astonishment.

Key features

  • Utilizes psychological principles and suggestion

  • Involves audience participation for a more engaging experience

  • Can be performed in street magic settings

  • Does not require traditional magic props, leveraging a smartphone instead

  • Emphasizes the freedom of choice to enhance the effect's astonishment

Pros

  • Highly engaging and interactive with the audience

  • Uses everyday items (smartphone) making it accessible

  • Strong psychological impact on participants and spectators

  • Versatile for various performance settings

Cons

  • Requires a good understanding of psychological principles to perform effectively

  • May not be suitable for all audiences due to its psychological nature

  • Performance heavily relies on the participant's cooperation

Effect

The Picture Influence trick creates a strong mental illusion for the audience. A participant is shown a simple image, such as a cityscape, and asked to think of a meaningful word or name. The magician then correctly reveals the exact thought the participant had, despite no prior information being given. In some versions, the image itself changes to reflect the participant's choice, making the effect even more impossible.

Full Details

The trick involves psychological influence and suggestion. The magician sends or shows an image to the participant, often something neutral like buildings or a skyline. The participant is asked to think of a word—usually a person's name—that is important to them. The magician then reveals the name correctly, sometimes even altering the image to match the participant's choice.

Reid Ferry demonstrates this in his performance by sending a picture of buildings to a participant's phone. After guiding their thoughts, he correctly names "Anella," a person significant to the participant. The image then changes to display the name, reinforcing the impossibility of the effect.

Who Should Consider the Trick

This trick is ideal for magicians who enjoy psychological magic and mentalism. It works well in close-up and street performances where audience interaction is key. Performers who like using technology (such as phones) in their routines will find this particularly effective.

Difficulty

The trick relies more on presentation than complex sleight of hand. The method is straightforward, but the performance requires strong audience management and psychological framing. Magicians must be comfortable guiding participants subtly without making the influence obvious.

What Magicians Say

Reid Ferry highlights the power of suggestion in his performance. He says, "I wanted to show you guys how easy it is to really influence people and get inside people's minds." His approach involves making the participant feel they had complete freedom in their choice, enhancing the surprise when the revelation happens.

The trick leaves a strong impression, as seen in the reactions of Ferry's audience. One participant exclaims, "It doesn't make sense!" after seeing the image change to match their thought. This kind of response makes Picture Influence a powerful addition to a mentalism or street magic set.

What people are saying about Picture Influence

Reid Ferry says...

I wanted to show you guys how easy it is to really influence people and get inside people's minds [...] it was a picture of buildings right you saw the building skapes.

Performance videos