Big Picture by Kyle Purnell

Kyle’s newest release to the magic community will be available at Magic Live 2022!

If you’ve ever attended a magic convention that Kyle has been at, I’m sure you know who he is. I have personally seen how Kyle gets attacked at conventions with attendees coming up and begging him to show them the routine they’ve been hearing about for the whole convention. He always happily obliges.

I’ve had the privilege of sitting down in Kyle’s home for a magic jam once, and I can genuinely say, he is one of the nicest and humblest guys in the community. He welcomed me with open arms and introduced me to several of his local magician friends. It was a great time with great company. Kyle showed me several routines he was working on while I was there, and his creativity glowed in all of them. Big Picture was one of these routines he showed me all the way back in 2018. It was still in its infant stages then, but even so, I could see the incredible potential.

Four years later, this routine has now been refined and refined some more, and it is finally ready to be released. Kyle is a working pro, so I’m certain this routine has been tested in front of hundreds of laymen at his residency. When you purchase this routine (or any of Kyle’s routines for that matter,) I can guarantee it has been road tested in front of real people and worked and tweaked until it plays as strong as possible.

What is Big Picture?

Here’s the effect: A deck of double blank cards is introduced. Each card has the name of an object written on it such as star, flower, car, clock, hat, tree, and so on. A two card prediction is then introduced. These cards have a bicycle back which sets them apart from the double blank deck. These prediction cards are placed aside. The spectator is now asked to freely think of any object they see from the deck. They have a free choice and they can can change their minds several times before they finally settle on one. Once they’ve made up their mind and announced it to the group, the performer shows the two prediction cards that were placed aside earlier. When they are turned over, the two cards come together to form a drawing—a drawing of the very object they just freely thought of!

First thoughts:

I really enjoy this. The two cards creating a “big picture” of their thought is such a nice final visual for the routine. Any time we can break up the monotony of card and coin tricks with something that feels different and wholly unique, the audience is bound to remember it. The method will make you smile, and the thought that has gone into it is evident.

What do you receive?

You receive a deck of specially gimmicked cards which eliminate all of the sleight of hand from the routine. You also receive two prediction cards and an additional gimmick which makes the prediction particularly clean.

How is the teaching?

Kyle covers everything you need to know in about 30 minutes of streaming/downloadable video instructions. Kyle is very well spoken and very clear in his explanation. Jason also pops in with an additional idea to make one aspect of the routine work a little smoother and more reliably. This one small touch takes about 30 seconds of one time prep and completely eliminates the only slightly awkward moment that occurs early on in the routine. It’s all shot rather simply without fancy camera work, background music, or extraneous cuts. It is primarily a single head on wide shot with some supplementary close ups where necessary. The teaching and camera work is straight to the point just how I like it.

How difficult is the routine?

The routine is very simple to do. So simple, I would say it is 90% self-working. There’s no sleight of hand, and all of the gimmicks take care of everything for you leaving very little for you to do in terms of mechanics throughout the routine. If you can remove a card from a deck, you can do this trick.

I have a few magicians with arthritis who often reach out to me to ask if they could do the trick I reviewed. I’m happy to say, arthritis wouldn’t stand in the way of this one; there’s no need to be nimble or have profound dexterity. This is well within anyones grasp beginner to pro.

Advanced Handling:

There’s an additional “advanced handling” included in the video as well. In my opinion, this handling brings the effect to its fullest potential. This one is more difficult to do than the previous one, but only very slightly. The benefits significantly outweigh the drawbacks. It’s still very simple to do, but the big thing this handling eliminates is the need for the selected card to ever come near the prediction cards. This makes the routine as perfect as you can get, and without a doubt, this is the handling I will be using. You can see a full performance of this handling in the trailer. You can watch this trailer now by clicking the photo below.

How durable are the items?

Well, it’s as durable as a deck of cards and a card box. The prediction cards are stored in the cellophane around the deck, so perhaps the cellophane itself could show some wear and tear, but if so, it’s a simple matter to replace the card box with a new one.

What are the pros?

• Easy to perform

• Strong visual

• Very practical

• Freely thought of item

• Simple and quick reset

• The prediction cards and chosen card are examinable

What are the cons?

• The deck is only good for this one trick

• While it’s true that they can think of any item they see in the deck, they only see a limited number of options

• The full deck is not examinable

Final Thoughts:

This is a great routine. It’s simple but effective with no funny moves, no sleight of hand, and no fuss. It may not fool you, but it will fool your audiences, and more importantly, it will entertain them. If you like the sound of the effect, you shouldn’t hesitate to pick it up. It will be released very, very soon. I know it will be available at Vanishing Inc’s stand at Magic Live, so if you’re going to the convention, pop over and ask for a demo—you won’t be disappointed. You can tell them I sent you!