Discussion:
ALL MAGIC SECRETS NEW IMPROVED DOCUMENT
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bill page
2017-08-17 04:34:01 UTC
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I've always wondered how David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall,
DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.
I got an e-mail from a reader of my document, who saw even more. There
is something black on the top stair, which is later inserted. This is
the cover of the stairs !! You can also see a ladder somewhere. Guess
why...DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the roapm.com goodnewsbaptist.org billriceranch.org wilds.org sweethavenbaptist.com considercharacter.org cloudtenpictures.com christianlaw.org andrekole.org creation.com copperfield apparence in highteck detail information i saw at chrysler hall in norfolk virginia ps all you see is a black box with hole added with cover over it in the audience looks like like how a normal size tisue box looks with oval or retangle hole in it but later on when look alike getting on motorcycle harly davidson bike that box now gone in audience just empty space floorlook up in youtube videos and google search engines david copperfield music even ones i now that most dont know thanks to Jesus for able to let me learn that others dont know about other illusion copperfields chrystal smoke chamber illusion to song i wear my sun glasses at night by singer cory heart and other illusion where his lady astant joina spina Christian illusionist dancer corapgher in his shows back in the day she in Heaven now but she got impials on andre kole Christian illusion sword impial ilusion he gave Jewish Christian illusionist david seth kotkin copperfield to a song called slient running by mike and the mechinicks he later let him the ilusionst be impialed on andre kole Christian illusion sword to the song by phil collins i dont care any more can you make a video showing how to solve enero rubikcs cube the fastest cause my best time in the year 1980s in main church of our cool goodnewsbaptist.org is one minute and twlev secounds and now 2011 to 2017 folks teens juniurs extc solve enero rubiks cube in so many secounds even steven brundage illusionist on ameras got talent and let david seth kotkin Christian illusionist Jewish copperfield mix erno rubics cube up and give a time to solve erno rubiks cube he said 15 secounds and steven brundage did just that plus he did it the new illusion way instead of Christian illusionist doug henning and tricky ricky bus minisyer illusionist and others in 1980s 1990s even me ususing erno rubikc cube called in illusion magic shops the enchanted cube ps i prayed to Jesus that me or somone let copperfield miox enero rubiks cube up and then they solve it cool steven brundage was the golden key to anseer my prayers to let copperfield mixe cube and let somone solve it ps i pray to Jesus that copperfield will learn how to solve it and add ideas for televsion specials on CBS he talks about comming back to yelevsion again hes got alot of new illusions thats never been seen on televsion before jay sankey reveales even his signature illusions like sign card pulled through a balloon and left with a deck of cards or soo in the balloon i have the orginal of jay sankey performing and showing how its done and i was praying to Jesus he would reveal it when hes older on youtube and cool now i have both worlds and everyone else that copperfeld usedand i revealed more info that cool valentino Christian illusionist did not go in detail about way before even youtube was created look in alt.magic.secrets in google.com search engines also in magiccafe cool stuff also and also secrets of magic forum ps im thankful To Jesus that all medea is around now even youtube videos it helps everyone and me out to share freely the Knowledge Jesus Christ Lord Saviour God gives us freely to use to give back freely he then gives us more talents freely to give to others freely in Christ always chubby billpage illusionist magician in fun ps hers other youtube video channels that share freely SankeyMagic howtoDisturbReality nadjib haffaf FernandoP1 MagicMurray nadjib haffaf herbert l becker all the secrets of magic revealed 1980 cbs mystery magician steve cohen hosted jasper maskyn the war illusionist and so did franz hararay pythonify on the war illusionist co producer jewish Christian illusionist david seth kotkin copperfield helped in now you see me movie now you see me 2 movie and in the works a now you see me 3 movie he and his cool illusion crew helps also even in burt wonderstone movie and copperfield voiced in cartoon a nome and hes made fiction books with other fiction cool writers and made a cd called david copperfield music that cool rand woodbury Christian illusionist mentions also and mitchell leary and the magic of reza and rjlacmagic and david drew duncan at ropeline suv and johnn black tiolman hauser ray haydad rocco Christian illusionist candy man and lance burton Christian illusionist LanceBurtonFan melinda the first lady of magic Christian illusionist Charlote and jonathen mastero the magnifcent pendragon Christian illusionist princesss tenko and andre kole Christian illusionist even on bill bixbie as the magician tv show and mark wilson helps everyone out even bill bixbie and hallended on tv show called blacks magic harry blackstine sr and jr helps also and doug henning criss angel david blaine yamato905 movie sleight april 7 2017 Bart Rockett Kden Bart Rockett and Brokelyn Rockett Kemi Rockett there mom ps Bart Kelly lookatthis9990 extc extc ps i putt this part but it vanished so im typing again before copperfield appears in the audience on douplicate harlry davidson moto cycle on a loong pole on top of square or retangle platform high up revving harly dvidson motocyle up all you see is empy space floor then a cool heavey guy wearing a green john deer hat on open up a two sided stage trap door with each trap door with half of a cicrle cut in them so when its closed on both sides flushed it looks like a sold circle hole so as the guy wearing johnn deer green hat on that has yellow symbol of a deer on it he the assistant heavey guy that gets out of the audience seat not to far from the empty floor space to open the two sided spring trap door so copperfield illusionist on douplicate motorcycle can rise up a on a hauldrawlick lift in metal pole with motor cycle and copperfield looks at me like high:) you are not sopossed to know im here at this momment in time :) as hes then looks at the stage to watch look alike about to vanish on harly davidson motorcycle in mid air so i looked same way then waited for spot lights to aim in the audience then everyones looking now in that direction to see copperfield on a very high pole plateform on harly davidson motorcycle plus music and siren sounds hide sound of hauldrawrlic lift sound going on and lights spinning like policeman lights flashing aroundand around :) and david drew duncan ropelin suv said did you yeah i saw same info dave and tommy story said what you and dave talking about? we said we will explaine in your car tommy story http://wwww.youtube.com/FernandoP1/videos http://www.youtube.com/billpage/videos http://www.youtube.com/ropeline/videos look up in google.com look up alt.magic.secrets look up david copperfield vanishing on harley davidson motorcycle in mid air ps i handed him photos of me levatating my sister stacey elesbeth smith and him doing franz harary pythonify slicer illusion he saidThanks:) i said your cool welcome:) and he sign his auto grapgh on his cool copperfield program DC plus letter with information how you get audience apluse and david drew duncan oput his dad house adress that way he can mail us info if hes able to plus i was as a teen boy on his birthda fan mail and his mom and dad helped in the fan mail how cool is that :) and gary e bartlet wrote us saying david did read your letter and ask i get back you you and he mention get the books all by drael fistkie the trickbrain showmanship for magicians and magic by misdirection and he gave magic shop adress to go to also:) and many years moons later i saw gary e bartet commenting on facebook to valtino the masked magician i type info i just let you all know and he liked my cimment and we are friends on facebook now and david copperfield jeff macbride and lance burton franz harary charlote pendragon greg bordon abbots magic company david baine howard chappel bob scofield through email and alhastings on youtube rjlacmagic youtube youtube the magic of reza and facebook and instant messaging and facebook adam allred david drew duncan facebook youtube.com/ropeline and other cool illusionist even penn&teller on facebook and youtube video channels even penn jelliet youtube video channel called penn points valtino the masked magician email instsant messaging twitter and youtube video channell mitchell leary if hes still around? hes all over the place:)http://www.youtube.com/FernandoP1 http://www.youtube.com/howtoDisturbReality http://www.youtube.com/MagicMurray/videos http://www.youtube.com/SankeyMagic/videos Andre Kole Christian illusionist andrekole.org magictimes.com linkingpage.com http://www.youtube.com/yamato905/videos http://www.youtube.com/billpage http://www.youtube.com/ropeline http://www.youtube.com/alhastings/videos http://www.youtube.com/rjlacmagic/videos http://www.google.com look up alt.magic.secrets look up secrets of magic forum and on youtube video channel look up magiccafe in google search engines http://www.youtube.com/WilliamMarcelpage/videos http://www.youtube.com/soildier2010/videos christapher heart illusionist doubles in copperfields illusionist idea switch saroo props even first part of the walking through the great wall of China special on CBS illusion special event as copperfield says illusion special events psother cool illusionist friends let me know loud sounds help mask or hide illusions secrets on larger scales like levatation in mid air or lear jet or train out the back with lighting schemes ectcyep rjlacmagic those videos i dubbed for you from michael ammer and paul gertner steel and silver video voulmes michael ammar thread work videos kevin james floating rose videos and copperfield tornado of fire God Bless everyone in Christ allways chubby billpage illusionist magician in fun:)
far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.Take one piece of paper and draw a plan view of the box DC was in. Put
the
spotlight above (behind) the box (but not too close). Now draw a line
from
the light to each side of the front of the box (ie: the screen). Note
the
spaces. If DC moves across the line closest to the Great Wall of China
(in
the illusion), he will appear to (on the screen) walk into the wall...
| . <-------- Light
| / \
| / \
| / \
| / \
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||D2 /D1 \ |
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||/___________________\|
| S <- Screen at front of box
|
|
|
| <- Great Wall of China
D1 = David
S = David's Shadow
D2 = David when you can't see him - He's "inside the wall"
That one is of course correct when he *exits* the wall, but not for
entering, since [my theory is that] he's already in the stairs at that
time.
- The real rose comes out of the suit pocket, while you are blinded by
the fire (--> optical misdirection);
- When the paper rose is hanging "freely" in the air, I could once see
(on TV, but not from DC) two "visible" thread in V-form. That
magician had IMO made mistake: 1. wearing a black jacket, 2. not
having instructed the camera man.
A magician told me that the trick is really difficult to learn (and I
believe this !), and that there are two variations. One with, one
without standing microphone.
"It's all done with mirrors".
That is the standard meaningless explanation of how effects are
done. Yet, quite a lot CAN be done with mirrors. The key to most mirror
effects is a combination of a basic law of physics, combined with
expectations that defy the laws of physics.
The principle is that the angle of incidence equals the angle of
reflection. This means that if you look at a mirror at a 45 degree
angle, you will see a reflection of what's 45 degrees on the other side
of a line perpendicular to the plane of the mirror. But people expect,
when they look into a mirror, to see their own reflection, regardless of
the angle of the mirror. As a result, if the mirror reflects what the
audience expects to see BEHIND the mirror, they will be unaware that
there is a mirror there.
This goes further; a properly angled mirror with a transparent
but distorting surface in front of it will make it seem to the audience
that they can see through the object, when they are actually seeing a
mirror. One good example of this is putting a mirror in a glass. The
glass should cut with a non-smooth pattern, so that you can't REALLY see
behind it, even without a mirror. Yet the audience will believe that
they are looking at a transparent glass, allowing the magician to hide
all sorts of things behind the mirror.
The key to a mirror trick is for the audience to not suspect
that
there is a mirror there. That is a basic part of ANY trick with a
hidden
gaff. The magician must direct attention away from the gaff; far too
many say, "I have here an ORDINARY glass", actually fixing the
audience's
attention to the glass. Far better is to not even mention the glass,
but
treat it as you would a truly ordinary glass; it is not mentioned
because
it is not worthy of mention. Pull this off, and the audience may not
even remember that a glass was involved.
METAMORPHISIS
(why is it that everyone thinks magic is
either twins or mirrors?) This is a pretty old trick... Ever notice that
there were no inspections at all? probably no back to the trunk with a
plank.. anyway... so they tied the first pendragon and put him in a bag
with a hole in the bottom. They close up. (plenty of time to take off
whatever binds you) then watch the spotlight for standing up of your
partner... jump up when the cloth is partway up then throw it up... grab
the cloth and move it as soon as your partner drops down into the plank
from the trap door. Then take your time and let your partner change
bathing suits. (wish all girls could change that fast :-) then your
partner just puts on the ropes... handcuffs.. whatever in time to stand
up
and take a bow....
DISSAPEARING GIRL
Question: Where did DC hide the two girls in his Disappearing Girl(s)
illusion?
Standard answer: He uses the special thicker-than-they look tables to
hide them in the table.
Well, I know they have to be somwhere (probably in the table), but let
me ask some further questions.
I did some measurements of the thickness of the table plus the thickness
of the bottom of the blue box sitting on the top of the table. I simply
put a ruler on my TV monitor and compared the measurement with DC's
body (to have a scale). The total thickness is about 8-9" but not more.
Since they turned the table by 360 degrees, the table cannot be made
thicker at one end and thinner at the other end, neither can it it be
lense shaped as some may try to argue. So, can you really squeeze two
adults
into such a small space????
If you watch other illusions based on those special tables, such as the
Death Saw or Shrinking (by DC), the thickness roughly corresponds to
what I would expect. But in the Disappearing Girl illusion, my
measurements
simply do not agree with common sense.
I too don't know where the girls come from. I also don't know where the
girl (the one with DC's haircut) is in the Origami box - although that
girl is *very* anorexic.
BTW, would you agree with me that DC uses a false head (!) for the
"shrink-box" ? DC's head can't be seen for a short time when going up
and down, and the move is kindof "out-of-sequence".
Another mystery is DC's disappearance in the Alcatraz video at the end.
The table does not have a thick top - but he's gone! The only thing I
could suspect is an "angle trick" (which means that he goes away behind
that cardboard, and every real audience member could see it), and that's
about nothing.
A similar case is a disappearance (or was it an appearance ?) in "father
and son" at the end of the 1985 video. No thick table top there eithe
Everyone has seen the oldest magic trick in the world... where a person
is put in a small box and the box is cut in half, leaving the head and
feet visible, in two separate boxes (very small boxes!).
Not the oldest. There was a "thick model" in the thirties, which was
exposed just too often. Some day (anyone knows when / who ?) the "thin"
model was invented.
Can someone please let me know how this is done? The boxes are
DEFINITELY too small for a person to fit in just half.
The "secret" is not in the height of the boxes, but in the width,
although one inch may be "won" by using a "thick bottom". The assistant,
Miss Anorexia Smallhips, has to lay on the left side and fold herself in
the "head" half. The "foot" half contains two dummy feet (they often
move so regularly that it makes me laugh !). Notice that the table has
always to be turned for the feet switch to take place.
BUZZ SAW
The illusion is that DC lays face down on a table, the saw drops and
DC is severed. Then the two halves of DC are seperated and wheeled
around, but the audience is never allowed a view of cross sectional
area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that
DC is bent at the waist and his legs are stuffed into the table.a thick tabletop is used. (measure it, and you'll have
about 15 - 20 cm !!!). People don't care about the tabletop because it
just "looks bulky and solid". (Hey, those illusions are hand-crafted !).
On the left, DC is in a "frog position". On the right, another person is
lying with feet in the air,
DC CARD TRICKS
Two tricks need that a specific card is picked: DC's card-on-sketchpad,
and DC's gun shoots card.
From the audience point of view, it goes like this: the magician fans apack of *big* cards, shows that the cards are different (why should
someone doubt this - I don't know <g>). The audience member has to tip
her/his finger on the back of the card. The magician changes the pack so
that the audience members is now holding his finger on the top card, and
hands him that card.
As I said, in the tricks where I saw this, it is important that a
specific card is chosen. "forcing" would not work with a TV camera.
Here's my guess: card pairs. The bottom cards of the pairs are
different, the top cards are alike. The connecting surfaces are raw or
sticky, so that the pairs don't separated
THE BLADE
The reconnection of the halves is suspicious, but could also be there to
fool the I-know-how-it-is-done people. "Chad Long" said in alt.magic
that he saw the tricks with both halves opened at the same time, and a
reader (not lurker of this group) said that the halves were opened after
another.
The boots and the gloves of the girl are also suspicious, and are likely
to be "too big" for her, so that she can easily get out of them. Notice
that she moves her arms, but sometimes out of sight.
One thing that I looked again and again was trying to see if that
separating part was thick or not. If it was thick, the girl could put a
half or her out of sight. But DC did move those halves... Could he have
painted those black parts with different black tones to suggest that the
separators are really only about 2cm thick ?
* About the halves: they look different. The left one is cut perfectly,
* but the right one looks like it is the actual girl standing on one leg
* on the side, squeezing her left part against the separator.
I looked again. Maybe this was just wishful thinking. The two head
halves *do* look different, but simply because the girl has her parting
on the left (audience point of view). She also has a lot of hair
covering her ears, so we can't use that one to analyse her head
position.
1. The separators are optical illusions (i.e. are thick)
2. She turns her head a bit, and squeezes it against the separator
(1.5 cm of the two could be used). She uses a fake custume front,
so that it looks as if she's properly cut. Such a fake costume has
been used by a girl in another DC trick (not in this show).
3. One real girl and one fake 1/2 girl. Props are hidden behind that
black middle part.
4. We know from "The fan" that this girl has a twin. Her twin hides
behind that black middle part.
That middle part at the rear (about 20 cm wide, gets separated too) does
certainly have a purpose, since the trick would be even more amazing if
it wasn't there.
Well, this brings four possibilities. At least three of them are wrong
CHINESE WATER TOURTURE CELL
The method is very simple. First, the
handcuffs pose no problem. Current magicians use those silly things
with
the oval hoop and the padlocks. They just fall off with a twist. For
Houdini, real cuffs were routine. So those are gone. The foot stocks
seem formidable, but if you look closely (not Houdini, since he's not
available, but current magicians) you'll see that the third rivet from
the left (stage left) has a false bottom. People are distracted because
of the air bubbles (from the magician), but if you ignore the bubbles
and
look at the rivets it's pretty obvious.
ZIG-ZAG-GIRL
The [Harbin] zig-zag-girl illusion is pretty self-exposing (the middle
part
never goes totally on the left). The girl is always there, squeezed in
the
small space between box 1&2 and box 2&3. The boxes are contructed to
make you
believe that they have very thick edges, which they have not. The trick
is
explained in one of the three Poundstone books. The girl is very
unconfortable
at the top of her legs and below her breasts.
it was
copyrighted or something like that. (I'd like to know more about that).
The mis-made lady: I think this is done with four boxes, which are
rearranged
in different positions. I don't know how today's trick is done (where
they
show parts - could be dummies). Someone sent me a description, in which
the
girl is simply squeezed in the lowest part, which is constructed to look
smaller than it really is (there is additional space between the lower
"edge"
and the floor, which is covered by some decoration, like those hanging
'spaghettis'). I remember that some magician made fun of HLB, because
there
was a similar explanation like that in his book (I don't have it).
According
to another post in alt.magic about Penn & Teller, the girl (or Teller)
has to
move between the boxes all the time.
++---++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---++
+-----+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+-----+
DC MOTERCYCLE TRICK
: I recently went to a D.C. show when he came in my area and had some
very
: good info giving seats. I was sitting behind the sound board which
had
: a shape sort of sunk into the ground behind it covered by a sheet. I
did
: not think much of it. In the final illusion of the show...D.C. was on
a
: motorcycle on stage suspended on a bridge. The lady running the sound
: board was extremely nervous and at one time yelled out "Where the fuck
is
: he?". This got my attention to where she was looking. A man that
looked
: exactly like D.C. came down the isle, and got on the now uncovered
object
: in front of me which was an exact replica motorcycle as the one on
stage.
: As I looked on stage I still saw the "other" D.C...I thought two
D.C.'s..
: ...hmmmm. He must have a double or a well-covered up twin or a well
make
: uped person. This would then make many of his illusions easier to
figure
: out. There are indeed two DCs in the motorcycle vanish. But not twins,
just
lookalikes. It is done at the time the real DC opens the curtain to show
the
motorcycle. You will see that a hand grabs the curtain. This hand is
already
the hand of the double. DC then vanishes behind the curtain (hand can
still be
seen), and the double reappears. You don't notice that it is a double,
because
of the dark helmet and because you think the actual part hasn't even
started.
Abount the vanish itself: the fake DC and the motobike are of course
still
there. The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color
of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still a
second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
I do not know how the front part turns into black. This could be a
"quickie
curtain" (S&R seem to use this, and DC uses it in the "father and son"
trick),
or maybe some special glass that changes color when you run electricity
thru
it.
The motorcycle illusion is one of the easiest to
figure out. I had it figured out as soon as DC put the helmet on and
grabbed the curtain. Very slick, he is and his significant other (and
I'm not talking about Claudia). When he grabs that curtain, DC's hand
doesn't actually grab the curtain. His buddy dressed exactly as DC
grabs
that curtain. Watch the videotape again. DC's clone has the same body,
hair, moves, demeanor, etc... The choreography is outstanding. In the
meantime, DC is taking a leasurely walk out into the house through the
trap systems in the house (remember, he can only performs illusions such
as this in houses that have trap systems designed into the front of
house
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
Not exactly correct - the bike stays where it was, but you don't see it.
The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still
a second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
IMPALED
The "impaled" illusion is a big improvement of Robert-Houdin's
suspension (sword suspension ?). The method is that the girl wears a
steel corset, which is simply put on the top of the sword, while the
girl is inside. The insertion point is near the shoulder. You can check
this allegation with your VCR, by using double speed. You will see that
1. the sword moves when the woman is put on it
2. the whole thing moves a bit back and forth
3. when unlocking her, the magician has to move her a bit up
If it is done by a woman not wearing pants, then she must have a very
hard time doing it - she has to keep her legs up, without this beeing
shown by looking at her muscles. I saw this be done by the pendragons,
so I guess the woman was that "Charlotte".
The "impaled" illusion adds a motor which lowers / raises the "sword".
The magician (yes, now it's a man) pulls a sword top at the right moment
"from his navel".That "right moment" seems to be the big problem with
that illusion. If
the magician performs it sloppily, then the sword (audience view) will
change its length. Another problem is that the sword should be polished
and without greesy fingerprints, so that you can't see that it is
lowered. In the first performance I saw of it was even worse: you could
see that the "sword top" was raised diagonally. Later I saw the same
performed by DC - it was of course perfectly done :-)
HAND CHOPPER
. Here is the basis for the illusion.
The blade is actually L-shaped. One wing of the blade is dull, the
other
sharp. The entire blade pivots at the corner of the L. The blade is
forced down, hits the arm, and pivots rapidly. The second sharp edge
then
comes into view and slices the carrot or other object in the second
hole.
That's all there is to it. This is especially shocking to the audience
member whose arm is in the device, as (s)he actually feels the blade as
it
hits his arm. More advance versions have a locking blade that allows
the
magician to slice a carrot in the upper hole at the conclusion of the
illusion.
+--------
\|~~~~~~~~
\|
\|
\|
~~~~ is "dull" and "\\\\\" is sharp. "+" is the pivot.
|~
|~
|~
|~
+--------
\\\\\\\\
S SUSPENSION
How is it possible to make someone float and pass
a hoop completly around them. Some say there is a bar bent
in an S shape on a board.
I really doubt that you are a magician (you said you perform azrah
levitation - so you should know other levitations as well).
You are correct about the "S".
(Be sure that you have a fixed font to read this post)
It is usually done quite in the dark, so that you don't see to much.
The girl ("JUNGFRAU" in the picture) below is resting on a part
of an "S". The magician can take a *real* hoop, and pass it around,
if the hoop and the "S" are large enough. The move is none in three
steps, but gives the illusion that the hoop is freely passed
around the girl.
e
J +--+
N | |a
G |c |
F | |
G----+ | +--- this part behind the curtain !
R | |
A |b |
U +--+
d
0. Start with hoop between (e) and (a).
1. Move hoop across girl, back part of the hoop moved from (a) to
(b).
2. Front part of the hoop moved to the rear (d). The hoop is
now between (d) and (b).
3. Hoop moves again, until it is between (c) and (e).
4. Take the part of the hoop that is at (e) completely to the front
5. Move the hoop across the girl again.
If the hoop is large enough, you don't need the full "S", only a half
of it.
NIAGRA FALLS CAMERA TRICK
The part *before* the opening of the "hole" is a video !
1. Shortly before DC goes to close the box, you can see his left arm in
the small picture angled up (about 80 degrees), but on the main picture
the arm is down ! (freeze the image to find the moment - it is just
after a cut)
2. Compare the closing of front (with the hole) of the box. You will see
that in the small picture, it goes smoothly, but in the big picture,
there is a short wait in the middle.
Freeze image again, and you will see his hand on the picture, although
his hands are on the left and on the right --> the mini camera is on the
left or on the right, but *not* in the middle (at the hole).
Amazing for me is that I did not expect that video "cheat" at that place
- why didn't DC simply put a mini-camera in the big one ? Or is the
whole thing just a mistake in the editing for television ?
Now if you want to know to how the guy vanished... Have a look at other
illusions, like "big black box" and "video to life". Think. Find the
similarity. Post your theory here. BTW, it's Penn & Teller on that
building.
DISSAPEARING GIRL
, it is all in the base of the table/blue box. the girls are
laying in the box together (tight fit) and the illusion is very (and I
mean very) decieving. i checked out the illusion on my computer (by the
way I am one of the only people in the U.S. that designs illusions by
comuter first, before building them per Jim Steinmeyer) and found out
that the table is very deceiving with the colors and base. The legs are
very deceiving too. The entire package puts together an unbelievable
illusion. The part where the girl "erases" is just her putting her leg
into the base, while wearing a costume that has a fake half-leg and
half-arm.
THE BASE IS
8 1/2 inches.
the black lycra (spandex) 1/2 inch
the blue base is 2 1/2 to 3 inches
there is a 3/4 in spacer (covered with black prof. felt)
2 1/2 inch base aluminum
and around a 2 1/4 inch leg base
the sheet metal used bows in the middle, you will notice this during DC
performance when BOTH girls are in. Then at the end, it looks less
bowed
in the middle.
INTERLUDE
The person inside the box either twists his body to make enough
space for the girl or bends forward and stands up on hidden steps
attached to the sides of the box so that the girl can crawl between
his legs. Since we can see the magician's legs, there would have to
be some gimmick making us believe we can still see his legs. BTW,
there is always somebody moving in front of the box (or a dense
smoke) which would make it easier for the magician to "rearrange"
inside the box. Since it is very difficult to twist your body with
your legs spread up, I conjecture that the magician moves one of
his legs (the left one in the case of S&R) and puts it behind the
other one. In this position, it is much easier to twist the body.
Also, at one moment (close-up) you can see DC's body positioned
somewhat diagonally... So, I prefer the explanation based on twisting.
ELEVATOR
According to one Poundstone's book "Biggest secrets", DC is hiding in
the
floor of the elevator. The shape you see is a sort of cardboard,
(not stiff) but like these things to darken rooms, and it has the shape
of DC.
STATUE OF LIBERTY
He turned the whole audience on a giant rotating platform, so that the
SOL was then behind one of the columns (moving done while curtain up).
The lights of the statue were turned off. The ring of lights you saw is
a second one. The reason that the SOL cannot be seen on the
Kodork-sponsored photos is because a flashlight works only a few meters
away, and the camera used the nearby standing girls as reference. All
further away is just "dark stuff".
The radar was of course not real. I got an interesting e-mail from a guy
with whom I am in "exposing" contact. He noticed that a reflection of
lights can be seen on the "radar", and those reflections are moving at
the moment where the audience is moving.
FLYING
Flying is the simplest and stupidest trick there is. It is not
: magic, it is stage performance.
The most amazing performance I've ever seen on TV.
: Flying is done the same way that Peter Pan flew in his stage
: production or any other stage production which a person
: is made to fly. It is with wires. DC is hooked up like a puppet.
: He leaves the stage and get into a rigged harness.
The most important question is not answered: how do they do it with the
hoops and how does he fly in the glass box when he is wired ?
In both cases, they never go above him. This is somewhat difficult to
explain, so it would be good if you have the video while reading this.
The first time, both helpers seem move the hoops around. The audience
sees it this way, because it looks to the whole picture. If the audience
would follow each hoop separately, they would not be fooled. The hoops
are moved under him, the air above is safe.
The second time, the helpers turning the double-hoop move suddenly
forward, so that they move it under him (and not above). It is difficult
to see because the hoops are moving, so the 3D-algorithm of your brain
fails, and your brain cannot "decode" which part of the hoop is before,
and which one is behind him. So you simply "assume" that he got thru.
While the camera turns, notice that the lid is too small, so that there
is space on the long edges. (Thanks to the AOL guy who told me this last
year !) Also notice how the helpers place the lid over the box - they do
it very carefully, coming vertically from the small side (because DC's
wires are on the long side).
As has correctly been posted here, she's a plant. An ordinary girl could
get scared when DC flies away, and would then sue DC for a zillion $.
GREAT SECRETS REVEALED: THE ART OF "FLYING"
HOW DAVID COPPERFIELD DOES IT
The key to this trick is: THINK SIMPLE... No giant magnets, no neutron
beams, no anti-gravity waves. David was simply suspended by a couple of
very strong, very fine wires or filaments of some very strong space-age
material. This is hardly the first time that such wires have been used
for a "levitation". I see him wearing a strong harness under his loose-
fitting sweat-shirt at his center of gravity; the wires are attached to
the sides of the harness, allowing him to be drawn up and down and back
and forth by a crane-like device out of sight near the ceiling. During
the performance in Vegas I bent forward and peered up at the ceiling
over the stage but of course my vision was cut off past a certain point
by some carefully placed curtains. But in this way he can "fly" all
around the stage and even perform those mid-air somersaults by carefully
avoiding the wires with his arms as he turns over. Yes, this trick
required a great deal of practice, I'm sure!
Right about now, people jump up and say, "But what about the
HOOPS?! They passed all those HOOPS over him!". This was the key
observation by my brother-in-law that caused the pieces to start to fall
into place: they did NOT pass any hoops over him!! The first pair of
hoops, one a bit smaller than the other so it could pass inside the
other, were drawn across David by two assistants, but as they almost met
together in the middle part of David's body, the assistants executed a
twisting motion on both hoops, tilting the top part *back* and the
bottom part *forward*, swinging both hoops *around* rather than *across*
David's body with the clever result that NO PART OF EITHER HOOP actually
crossed over the top of David's mid-section where the wires were
supporting him! This is difficult to describe in text but if you look
at a video-tape of it, in slow-motion if necessary,
bill page
2017-09-13 00:44:21 UTC
Permalink
I've always wondered how David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall,
DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.
I got an e-mail from a reader of my document, who saw even more. There
is something black on the top stair, which is later inserted. This isi have a spider sesnse that jibrizzy finding ways to force cards to make everyone mention his name in on social meadi every where and its working and i could be wrong but the guy video recodring could be part of his team to star the ball rolling just like trickbusters copperfield trickbusters criss angel trickbusters making objects appear trickbusters make a car vanish then a illusionist on youtube started commenting plus making videos he does real magic floating objects and trickbusters go back and forth with this guy then they so happen? to know where he lives video recording his floating then come up in the guys video and take scissors to cut the string then trickbusters say stop belieivngcopperfield apparence in highteck detail information i saw at chrysler hall in norfoplk virginia ps all you see is a black box with hole added with cover over it in the audience looks like like how a normal size tisue box looks with oval or retangle hole in it but later on when look alike getting on motorcycle harly davidson bike that box now gone in audience just empty space floorlook up in youtube videos and google search engines david copperfield music even ones i now that most dont know thanks to Jesus for able to let me learn that others dont know about other illusion copperfields chrytal smoke chamber illusion to song i wear my sun glasses at night by singer cory heart and other illusion where his lady astant joina spina Christian illusionist dancer corapgher in his shows back in the day she in Heaven now but she got impials on andre kole Christian illusion sword impial ilusion he gave Jewish Christian illusionist david seth kotkin copperfield to a song called slient running by mike and the mechinicks he later let him the ilusionst be impialed on andre kole Christian illusion sword to the song by phil collins i dont care any more can you make a video showing how to solve enero rubikcs cube the fastest cause my best time in the year 1980s in main church of our cool goodnewsbaptist.org is one minute and twlev secounds and now 2011 to 2017 folks teens juniurs extc solve enero rubiks cube in so many secounds even steven brundage illusionist on ameras got talent and let david seth kotkin Christian illusionist Jewish copperfield mix erno rubics cube up and give a time to solve erno rubiks cube he said 15 secounds and steven brundage did just that plus he did it the new illusion way instead of Christian illusionist doug henning and tricky ricky bus minisyer illusionist and others in 1980s 1990s even me ususing erno rubikc cube called in illusion magic shops the enchanted cube ps i prayed to Jesus that me or somone let copperfield miox enero rubiks cube up and then they solve it cool steven brundage was the golden key to anseer my prayers to let copperfield mixe cube and let somone solve it ps i pray to Jesus that copperfield will learn how to solve it and add ideas for televsion specials on CBS he talks about comming back to yelevsion again hes got alot of new illusions thats never been seen on televsion before jay sankey reveales even his signature illusions like sign card pulled through a balloon and left with a deck of cards or soo in the balloon i have the orginal of jay sankey performing and showing how its done and i was praying to Jesus he would reveal it when hes older on youtube and cool now i have both worlds and everyone else that copperfeld usedand i revealed more info that cool valentino Christian illusionist did not go in detail about way before even youtube was created look in alt.magic.secrets in google.com search engines also in magiccafe cool stuff also and also secrets of magic forum ps im thankful To Jesus that all medea is around now even youtube videos it helps everyone and me out to share freely the Knowledge Jesus Christ Lord Saviour God gives us freely to use to give back freely he then gives us more talents freely to give to others freely in Christ always chubby billpage illusionist magician in fun ps hers other youtube video channels that share freely SankeyMagic howtoDisturbReality nadjib haffaf FernandoP1 MagicMurray nadjib haffaf herbert l becker all the secrets of magic revealed 1980 cbs mystery magician steve cohen hosted jasper maskyn the war illusionist and so did franz hararay pythonify on the war illusionist co producer jewish Christian illusionist david seth kotkin copperfield helped in now you see me movie now you see me 2 movie and in the works a now you see me 3 movie he and his cool illusion crew helps also even in burt wonderstone movie and copperfield voiced in cartoon a nome and hes made fiction books with other fiction cool writers and made a cd called david copperfield music that cool rand woodbury Christian illusionist mentions also and mitchell leary and the magic of reza and rjlacmagic and david drew duncan at ropeline suv and johnn black tiolman hauser ray haydad rocco Christian illusionist candy man and lance burton Christian illusionist LanceBurtonFan melinda the first lady of magic Christian illusionist Charlote and jonathen mastero the magnifcent pendragon Christian illusionist princesss tenko and andre kole Christian illusionist even on bill bixbie as the magician tv show and mark wilson helps everyone out even bill bixbie and hallended on tv show called blacks magic harry blackstine sr and jr helps also and doug henning criss angel david blaine yamato905 movie sleight april 7 2017 Bart Rockett Kden Bart Rockett and Brokelyn Rockett Kemi Rockett there mom ps Bart Kelly lookatthis9990 extc extc ps i putt this part but it vanished so im typing again before copperfield appears in the audience on douplicate harlry davidson moto cycle on a loong pole on top of square or retangle platform high up revving harly dvidson motocyle up all you see is empy space floor then a cool heavey guy wearing a green john deer hat on open up a two sided stage trap door with each trap door with half of a cicrle cut in them so when its closed on both sides flushed it looks like a sold circle hole so as the guy wearing johnn deer green hat on that has yellow symbol of a deer on it he the assistant heavey guy that gets out of the audience seat not to far from the empty floor space to open the two sided spring trap door so copperfield illusionist on douplicate motorcycle can rise up a on a hauldrawlick lift in metal pole with motor cycle and copperfield looks at me like high::) you are not sopossed to know im here at this momment in time :) as hes then looks at the stage to watch look alike about to vanish on harly davidson motorcycle in mid air so i looked same way then waited for spot lights to aim in the audience then everyones looking now in that direction to see copperfield on a very high pole plateform on harly davidson motorcycle plus music and siren sounds hide sound of hauldrawrlic lift sound going on and lights spinning like policeman lights flashing aroundand around :) and david drew duncan ropelin suv said did you yeah i saw same info dave and tommy story said what you and dave talking about? we said we will explaine in your car tommy story http://wwww.youtube.com/FernandoP1 http://www.youtube.com/billpage http://www.youtube.com/ropeline look up in google.com look up alt.magic.secrets look up david copperfield vanishing on harley davidson motorcycle in mid air ps i handed him photos of me levatating my sister stacey elesbeth smith and him doing franz harary pythonify slicer illusion he saidThanks:) i said your cool welcome:) and he sign his auto grapgh on his cool copperfield program DC plus letter with information how you get audience apluse and david drew duncan oput his dad house adress that way he can mail us info if hes able to plus i was as a teen boy on his birthda fan mail and his mom and dad helped in the fan mail how cool is that :) and gary e bartlet wrote us saying david did read your letter and ask i get back you you and he mention get the books all by drael fistkie the trickbrain showmanship for magicians and magic by misdirection and he gave magic shop adress to go to also:) and many years moons later i saw gary e bartet commenting on facebook to valtino the masked magician i type info i just let you all know and he liked my comment and we are friends on facebook now and david copperfield jeff macbride and lance burton franz harary charlote pendragon greg bordon abbots magic company david baine howard chappel bob scofield through email and alhastings on youtube rjlacmagic youtube youtube the magic of reza and facebook and instant messaging and facebook adam allred david drew duncan facebook youtube.com/ropeline and other cool illusionist even penn&teller on facebook and youtube video channels even penn jelliet youtube video channel called penn points valtino the masked magician email instsant messaging twitter and yotube video channell mitchell leary if hes still around? hes all over the place:)http://www.youtube.com/FernandoP1 http://www.youtube.com/howtoDisturbReality http://www.youtube.com/MagicMurray http://www.youtube.com/SankeyMagic Andre Kole Christian illusionist andrekole.org magictimes.com linkingpage.com http://www.youtube.com/yamato905 http://www.youtube.com/billpage http://www.youtube.com/ropeline http://www.youtube.com/alhastings http://www.youtube.com/rjlacmagic http://www.goog;e.com look up alt.magic.secrets look up secrets of magic froum and on youtube video channel look up magiccafe in google search engines http://www.youtube.com/WilliamMarcelpage http://www.youtube.com/soildier2010 christapher heart illusionist doubles in copperfields illusionist idea switch saroo props even first part of the walking through the great wall of China special on CBS illusion special event as copperfield says illusion special events
the cover of the stairs !! You can also see a ladder somewhere. Guess
why...DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the roapm.com goodnewsbaptist.org billriceranch.org wilds.org sweethavenbaptist.com considercharacter.org cloudtenpictures.com christianlaw.org andrekole.org creation.com copperfield apparence in highteck detail information i saw at chrysler hall in norfolk virginia ps all you see is a black box with hole added with cover over it in the audience looks like like how a normal size tisue box looks with oval or retangle hole in it but later on when look alike getting on motorcycle harly davidson bike that box now gone in audience just empty space floorlook up in youtube videos and google search engines david copperfield music even ones i now that most dont know thanks to Jesus for able to let me learn that others dont know about other illusion copperfields chrystal smoke chamber illusion to song i wear my sun glasses at night by singer cory heart and other illusion where his lady astant joina spina Christian illusionist dancer corapgher in his shows back in the day she in Heaven now but she got impials on andre kole Christian illusion sword impial ilusion he gave Jewish Christian illusionist david seth kotkin copperfield to a song called slient running by mike and the mechinicks he later let him the ilusionst be impialed on andre kole Christian illusion sword to the song by phil collins i dont care any more can you make a video showing how to solve enero rubikcs cube the fastest cause my best time in the year 1980s in main church of our cool goodnewsbaptist.org is one minute and twlev secounds and now 2011 to 2017 folks teens juniurs extc solve enero rubiks cube in so many secounds even steven brundage illusionist on ameras got talent and let david seth kotkin Christian illusionist Jewish copperfield mix erno rubics cube up and give a time to solve erno rubiks cube he said 15 secounds and steven brundage did just that plus he did it the new illusion way instead of Christian illusionist doug henning and tricky ricky bus minisyer illusionist and others in 1980s 1990s even me ususing erno rubikc cube called in illusion magic shops the enchanted cube ps i prayed to Jesus that me or somone let copperfield miox enero rubiks cube up and then they solve it cool steven brundage was the golden key to anseer my prayers to let copperfield mixe cube and let somone solve it ps i pray to Jesus that copperfield will learn how to solve it and add ideas for televsion specials on CBS he talks about comming back to yelevsion again hes got alot of new illusions thats never been seen on televsion before jay sankey reveales even his signature illusions like sign card pulled through a balloon and left with a deck of cards or soo in the balloon i have the orginal of jay sankey performing and showing how its done and i was praying to Jesus he would reveal it when hes older on youtube and cool now i have both worlds and everyone else that copperfeld usedand i revealed more info that cool valentino Christian illusionist did not go in detail about way before even youtube was created look in alt.magic.secrets in google.com search engines also in magiccafe cool stuff also and also secrets of magic forum ps im thankful To Jesus that all medea is around now even youtube videos it helps everyone and me out to share freely the Knowledge Jesus Christ Lord Saviour God gives us freely to use to give back freely he then gives us more talents freely to give to others freely in Christ always chubby billpage illusionist magician in fun ps hers other youtube video channels that share freely SankeyMagic howtoDisturbReality nadjib haffaf FernandoP1 MagicMurray nadjib haffaf herbert l becker all the secrets of magic revealed 1980 cbs mystery magician steve cohen hosted jasper maskyn the war illusionist and so did franz hararay pythonify on the war illusionist co producer jewish Christian illusionist david seth kotkin copperfield helped in now you see me movie now you see me 2 movie and in the works a now you see me 3 movie he and his cool illusion crew helps also even in burt wonderstone movie and copperfield voiced in cartoon a nome and hes made fiction books with other fiction cool writers and made a cd called david copperfield music that cool rand woodbury Christian illusionist mentions also and mitchell leary and the magic of reza and rjlacmagic and david drew duncan at ropeline suv and johnn black tiolman hauser ray haydad rocco Christian illusionist candy man and lance burton Christian illusionist LanceBurtonFan melinda the first lady of magic Christian illusionist Charlote and jonathen mastero the magnifcent pendragon Christian illusionist princesss tenko and andre kole Christian illusionist even on bill bixbie as the magician tv show and mark wilson helps everyone out even bill bixbie and hallended on tv show called blacks magic harry blackstine sr and jr helps also and doug henning criss angel david blaine yamato905 movie sleight april 7 2017 Bart Rockett Kden Bart Rockett and Brokelyn Rockett Kemi Rockett there mom ps Bart Kelly lookatthis9990 extc extc ps i putt this part but it vanished so im typing again before copperfield appears in the audience on douplicate harlry davidson moto cycle on a loong pole on top of square or retangle platform high up revving harly dvidson motocyle up all you see is empy space floor then a cool heavey guy wearing a green john deer hat on open up a two sided stage trap door with each trap door with half of a cicrle cut in them so when its closed on both sides flushed it looks like a sold circle hole so as the guy wearing johnn deer green hat on that has yellow symbol of a deer on it he the assistant heavey guy that gets out of the audience seat not to far from the empty floor space to open the two sided spring trap door so copperfield illusionist on douplicate motorcycle can rise up a on a hauldrawlick lift in metal pole with motor cycle and copperfield looks at me like high:) you are not sopossed to know im here at this momment in time :) as hes then looks at the stage to watch look alike about to vanish on harly davidson motorcycle in mid air so i looked same way then waited for spot lights to aim in the audience then everyones looking now in that direction to see copperfield on a very high pole plateform on harly davidson motorcycle plus music and siren sounds hide sound of hauldrawrlic lift sound going on and lights spinning like policeman lights flashing aroundand around :) and david drew duncan ropelin suv said did you yeah i saw same info dave and tommy story said what you and dave talking about? we said we will explaine in your car tommy story http://wwww.youtube.com/FernandoP1/videos http://www.youtube.com/billpage/videos http://www.youtube.com/ropeline/videos look up in google.com look up alt.magic.secrets look up david copperfield vanishing on harley davidson motorcycle in mid air ps i handed him photos of me levatating my sister stacey elesbeth smith and him doing franz harary pythonify slicer illusion he saidThanks:) i said your cool welcome:) and he sign his auto grapgh on his cool copperfield program DC plus letter with information how you get audience apluse and david drew duncan oput his dad house adress that way he can mail us info if hes able to plus i was as a teen boy on his birthda fan mail and his mom and dad helped in the fan mail how cool is that :) and gary e bartlet wrote us saying david did read your letter and ask i get back you you and he mention get the books all by drael fistkie the trickbrain showmanship for magicians and magic by misdirection and he gave magic shop adress to go to also:) and many years moons later i saw gary e bartet commenting on facebook to valtino the masked magician i type info i just let you all know and he liked my cimment and we are friends on facebook now and david copperfield jeff macbride and lance burton franz harary charlote pendragon greg bordon abbots magic company david baine howard chappel bob scofield through email and alhastings on youtube rjlacmagic youtube youtube the magic of reza and facebook and instant messaging and facebook adam allred david drew duncan facebook youtube.com/ropeline and other cool illusionist even penn&teller on facebook and youtube video channels even penn jelliet youtube video channel called penn points valtino the masked magician email instsant messaging twitter and youtube video channell mitchell leary if hes still around? hes all over the place:)http://www.youtube.com/FernandoP1 http://www.youtube.com/howtoDisturbReality http://www.youtube.com/MagicMurray/videos http://www.youtube.com/SankeyMagic/videos Andre Kole Christian illusionist andrekole.org magictimes.com linkingpage.com http://www.youtube.com/yamato905/videos http://www.youtube.com/billpage http://www.youtube.com/ropeline http://www.youtube.com/alhastings/videos http://www.youtube.com/rjlacmagic/videos http://www.google.com look up alt.magic.secrets look up secrets of magic forum and on youtube video channel look up magiccafe in google search engines http://www.youtube.com/WilliamMarcelpage/videos http://www.youtube.com/soildier2010/videos christapher heart illusionist doubles in copperfields illusionist idea switch saroo props even first part of the walking through the great wall of China special on CBS illusion special event as copperfield says illusion special events psother cool illusionist friends let me know loud sounds help mask or hide illusions secrets on larger scales like levatation in mid air or lear jet or train out the back with lighting schemes ectcyep rjlacmagic those videos i dubbed for you from michael ammer and paul gertner steel and silver video voulmes michael ammar thread work videos kevin james floating rose videos and copperfield tornado of fire God Bless everyone in Christ allways chubby billpage illusionist magician in fun:)
far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.Take one piece of paper and draw a plan view of the box DC was in. Put
the
spotlight above (behind) the box (but not too close). Now draw a line
from
the light to each side of the front of the box (ie: the screen). Note
the
spaces. If DC moves across the line closest to the Great Wall of China
(in
the illusion), he will appear to (on the screen) walk into the wall...
| . <-------- Light
| / \
| / \
| / \
| / \
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||D2 /D1 \ |
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||/___________________\|
| S <- Screen at front of box
|
|
|
| <- Great Wall of China
D1 = David
S = David's Shadow
D2 = David when you can't see him - He's "inside the wall"
That one is of course correct when he *exits* the wall, but not for
entering, since [my theory is that] he's already in the stairs at that
time.
- The real rose comes out of the suit pocket, while you are blinded by
the fire (--> optical misdirection);
- When the paper rose is hanging "freely" in the air, I could once see
(on TV, but not from DC) two "visible" thread in V-form. That
magician had IMO made mistake: 1. wearing a black jacket, 2. not
having instructed the camera man.
A magician told me that the trick is really difficult to learn (and I
believe this !), and that there are two variations. One with, one
without standing microphone.
"It's all done with mirrors".
That is the standard meaningless explanation of how effects are
done. Yet, quite a lot CAN be done with mirrors. The key to most mirror
effects is a combination of a basic law of physics, combined with
expectations that defy the laws of physics.
The principle is that the angle of incidence equals the angle of
reflection. This means that if you look at a mirror at a 45 degree
angle, you will see a reflection of what's 45 degrees on the other side
of a line perpendicular to the plane of the mirror. But people expect,
when they look into a mirror, to see their own reflection, regardless of
the angle of the mirror. As a result, if the mirror reflects what the
audience expects to see BEHIND the mirror, they will be unaware that
there is a mirror there.
This goes further; a properly angled mirror with a transparent
but distorting surface in front of it will make it seem to the audience
that they can see through the object, when they are actually seeing a
mirror. One good example of this is putting a mirror in a glass. The
glass should cut with a non-smooth pattern, so that you can't REALLY see
behind it, even without a mirror. Yet the audience will believe that
they are looking at a transparent glass, allowing the magician to hide
all sorts of things behind the mirror.
The key to a mirror trick is for the audience to not suspect
that
there is a mirror there. That is a basic part of ANY trick with a
hidden
gaff. The magician must direct attention away from the gaff; far too
many say, "I have here an ORDINARY glass", actually fixing the
audience's
attention to the glass. Far better is to not even mention the glass,
but
treat it as you would a truly ordinary glass; it is not mentioned
because
it is not worthy of mention. Pull this off, and the audience may not
even remember that a glass was involved.
METAMORPHISIS
(why is it that everyone thinks magic is
either twins or mirrors?) This is a pretty old trick... Ever notice that
there were no inspections at all? probably no back to the trunk with a
plank.. anyway... so they tied the first pendragon and put him in a bag
with a hole in the bottom. They close up. (plenty of time to take off
whatever binds you) then watch the spotlight for standing up of your
partner... jump up when the cloth is partway up then throw it up... grab
the cloth and move it as soon as your partner drops down into the plank
from the trap door. Then take your time and let your partner change
bathing suits. (wish all girls could change that fast :-) then your
partner just puts on the ropes... handcuffs.. whatever in time to stand
up
and take a bow....
DISSAPEARING GIRL
Question: Where did DC hide the two girls in his Disappearing Girl(s)
illusion?
Standard answer: He uses the special thicker-than-they look tables to
hide them in the table.
Well, I know they have to be somwhere (probably in the table), but let
me ask some further questions.
I did some measurements of the thickness of the table plus the thickness
of the bottom of the blue box sitting on the top of the table. I simply
put a ruler on my TV monitor and compared the measurement with DC's
body (to have a scale). The total thickness is about 8-9" but not more.
Since they turned the table by 360 degrees, the table cannot be made
thicker at one end and thinner at the other end, neither can it it be
lense shaped as some may try to argue. So, can you really squeeze two
adults
into such a small space????
If you watch other illusions based on those special tables, such as the
Death Saw or Shrinking (by DC), the thickness roughly corresponds to
what I would expect. But in the Disappearing Girl illusion, my
measurements
simply do not agree with common sense.
I too don't know where the girls come from. I also don't know where the
girl (the one with DC's haircut) is in the Origami box - although that
girl is *very* anorexic.
BTW, would you agree with me that DC uses a false head (!) for the
"shrink-box" ? DC's head can't be seen for a short time when going up
and down, and the move is kindof "out-of-sequence".
Another mystery is DC's disappearance in the Alcatraz video at the end.
The table does not have a thick top - but he's gone! The only thing I
could suspect is an "angle trick" (which means that he goes away behind
that cardboard, and every real audience member could see it), and that's
about nothing.
A similar case is a disappearance (or was it an appearance ?) in "father
and son" at the end of the 1985 video. No thick table top there eithe
Everyone has seen the oldest magic trick in the world... where a person
is put in a small box and the box is cut in half, leaving the head and
feet visible, in two separate boxes (very small boxes!).
Not the oldest. There was a "thick model" in the thirties, which was
exposed just too often. Some day (anyone knows when / who ?) the "thin"
model was invented.
Can someone please let me know how this is done? The boxes are
DEFINITELY too small for a person to fit in just half.
The "secret" is not in the height of the boxes, but in the width,
although one inch may be "won" by using a "thick bottom". The assistant,
Miss Anorexia Smallhips, has to lay on the left side and fold herself in
the "head" half. The "foot" half contains two dummy feet (they often
move so regularly that it makes me laugh !). Notice that the table has
always to be turned for the feet switch to take place.
BUZZ SAW
The illusion is that DC lays face down on a table, the saw drops and
DC is severed. Then the two halves of DC are seperated and wheeled
around, but the audience is never allowed a view of cross sectional
area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that
DC is bent at the waist and his legs are stuffed into the table.a thick tabletop is used. (measure it, and you'll have
about 15 - 20 cm !!!). People don't care about the tabletop because it
just "looks bulky and solid". (Hey, those illusions are hand-crafted !).
On the left, DC is in a "frog position". On the right, another person is
lying with feet in the air,
DC CARD TRICKS
Two tricks need that a specific card is picked: DC's card-on-sketchpad,
and DC's gun shoots card.
From the audience point of view, it goes like this: the magician fans apack of *big* cards, shows that the cards are different (why should
someone doubt this - I don't know <g>). The audience member has to tip
her/his finger on the back of the card. The magician changes the pack so
that the audience members is now holding his finger on the top card, and
hands him that card.
As I said, in the tricks where I saw this, it is important that a
specific card is chosen. "forcing" would not work with a TV camera.
Here's my guess: card pairs. The bottom cards of the pairs are
different, the top cards are alike. The connecting surfaces are raw or
sticky, so that the pairs don't separated
THE BLADE
The reconnection of the halves is suspicious, but could also be there to
fool the I-know-how-it-is-done people. "Chad Long" said in alt.magic
that he saw the tricks with both halves opened at the same time, and a
reader (not lurker of this group) said that the halves were opened after
another.
The boots and the gloves of the girl are also suspicious, and are likely
to be "too big" for her, so that she can easily get out of them. Notice
that she moves her arms, but sometimes out of sight.
One thing that I looked again and again was trying to see if that
separating part was thick or not. If it was thick, the girl could put a
half or her out of sight. But DC did move those halves... Could he have
painted those black parts with different black tones to suggest that the
separators are really only about 2cm thick ?
* About the halves: they look different. The left one is cut perfectly,
* but the right one looks like it is the actual girl standing on one leg
* on the side, squeezing her left part against the separator.
I looked again. Maybe this was just wishful thinking. The two head
halves *do* look different, but simply because the girl has her parting
on the left (audience point of view). She also has a lot of hair
covering her ears, so we can't use that one to analyse her head
position.
1. The separators are optical illusions (i.e. are thick)
2. She turns her head a bit, and squeezes it against the separator
(1.5 cm of the two could be used). She uses a fake custume front,
so that it looks as if she's properly cut. Such a fake costume has
been used by a girl in another DC trick (not in this show).
3. One real girl and one fake 1/2 girl. Props are hidden behind that
black middle part.
4. We know from "The fan" that this girl has a twin. Her twin hides
behind that black middle part.
That middle part at the rear (about 20 cm wide, gets separated too) does
certainly have a purpose, since the trick would be even more amazing if
it wasn't there.
Well, this brings four possibilities. At least three of them are wrong
CHINESE WATER TOURTURE CELL
The method is very simple. First, the
handcuffs pose no problem. Current magicians use those silly things
with
the oval hoop and the padlocks. They just fall off with a twist. For
Houdini, real cuffs were routine. So those are gone. The foot stocks
seem formidable, but if you look closely (not Houdini, since he's not
available, but current magicians) you'll see that the third rivet from
the left (stage left) has a false bottom. People are distracted because
of the air bubbles (from the magician), but if you ignore the bubbles
and
look at the rivets it's pretty obvious.
ZIG-ZAG-GIRL
The [Harbin] zig-zag-girl illusion is pretty self-exposing (the middle
part
never goes totally on the left). The girl is always there, squeezed in
the
small space between box 1&2 and box 2&3. The boxes are contructed to
make you
believe that they have very thick edges, which they have not. The trick
is
explained in one of the three Poundstone books. The girl is very
unconfortable
at the top of her legs and below her breasts.
it was
copyrighted or something like that. (I'd like to know more about that).
The mis-made lady: I think this is done with four boxes, which are
rearranged
in different positions. I don't know how today's trick is done (where
they
show parts - could be dummies). Someone sent me a description, in which
the
girl is simply squeezed in the lowest part, which is constructed to look
smaller than it really is (there is additional space between the lower
"edge"
and the floor, which is covered by some decoration, like those hanging
'spaghettis'). I remember that some magician made fun of HLB, because
there
was a similar explanation like that in his book (I don't have it).
According
to another post in alt.magic about Penn & Teller, the girl (or Teller)
has to
move between the boxes all the time.
++---++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---++
+-----+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+-----+
DC MOTERCYCLE TRICK
: I recently went to a D.C. show when he came in my area and had some
very
: good info giving seats. I was sitting behind the sound board which
had
: a shape sort of sunk into the ground behind it covered by a sheet. I
did
: not think much of it. In the final illusion of the show...D.C. was on
a
: motorcycle on stage suspended on a bridge. The lady running the sound
: board was extremely nervous and at one time yelled out "Where the fuck
is
: he?". This got my attention to where she was looking. A man that
looked
: exactly like D.C. came down the isle, and got on the now uncovered
object
: in front of me which was an exact replica motorcycle as the one on
stage.
: As I looked on stage I still saw the "other" D.C...I thought two
D.C.'s..
: ...hmmmm. He must have a double or a well-covered up twin or a well
make
: uped person. This would then make many of his illusions easier to
figure
: out. There are indeed two DCs in the motorcycle vanish. But not twins,
just
lookalikes. It is done at the time the real DC opens the curtain to show
the
motorcycle. You will see that a hand grabs the curtain. This hand is
already
the hand of the double. DC then vanishes behind the curtain (hand can
still be
seen), and the double reappears. You don't notice that it is a double,
because
of the dark helmet and because you think the actual part hasn't even
started.
Abount the vanish itself: the fake DC and the motobike are of course
still
there. The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color
of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still a
second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
I do not know how the front part turns into black. This could be a
"quickie
curtain" (S&R seem to use this, and DC uses it in the "father and son"
trick),
or maybe some special glass that changes color when you run electricity
thru
it.
The motorcycle illusion is one of the easiest to
figure out. I had it figured out as soon as DC put the helmet on and
grabbed the curtain. Very slick, he is and his significant other (and
I'm not talking about Claudia). When he grabs that curtain, DC's hand
doesn't actually grab the curtain. His buddy dressed exactly as DC
grabs
that curtain. Watch the videotape again. DC's clone has the same body,
hair, moves, demeanor, etc... The choreography is outstanding. In the
meantime, DC is taking a leasurely walk out into the house through the
trap systems in the house (remember, he can only performs illusions such
as this in houses that have trap systems designed into the front of
house
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
Not exactly correct - the bike stays where it was, but you don't see it.
The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still
a second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
IMPALED
The "impaled" illusion is a big improvement of Robert-Houdin's
suspension (sword suspension ?). The method is that the girl wears a
steel corset, which is simply put on the top of the sword, while the
girl is inside. The insertion point is near the shoulder. You can check
this allegation with your VCR, by using double speed. You will see that
1. the sword moves when the woman is put on it
2. the whole thing moves a bit back and forth
3. when unlocking her, the magician has to move her a bit up
If it is done by a woman not wearing pants, then she must have a very
hard time doing it - she has to keep her legs up, without this beeing
shown by looking at her muscles. I saw this be done by the pendragons,
so I guess the woman was that "Charlotte".
The "impaled" illusion adds a motor which lowers / raises the "sword".
The magician (yes, now it's a man) pulls a sword top at the right moment
"from his navel".That "right moment" seems to be the big problem with
that illusion. If
the magician performs it sloppily, then the sword (audience view) will
change its length. Another problem is that the sword should be polished
and without greesy fingerprints, so that you can't see that it is
lowered. In the first performance I saw of it was even worse: you could
see that the "sword top" was raised diagonally. Later I saw the same
performed by DC - it was of course perfectly done :-)
HAND CHOPPER
. Here is the basis for the illusion.
The blade is actually L-shaped. One wing of the blade is dull, the
other
sharp. The entire blade pivots at the corner of the L. The blade is
forced down, hits the arm, and pivots rapidly. The second sharp edge
then
comes into view and slices the carrot or other object in the second
hole.
That's all there is to it. This is especially shocking to the audience
member whose arm is in the device, as (s)he actually feels the blade as
it
hits his arm. More advance versions have a locking blade that allows
the
magician to slice a carrot in the upper hole at the conclusion of the
illusion.
+--------
\|~~~~~~~~
\|
\|
\|
~~~~ is "dull" and "\\\\\" is sharp. "+" is the pivot.
|~
|~
|~
|~
+--------
\\\\\\\\
S SUSPENSION
How is it possible to make someone float and pass
a hoop completly around them. Some say there is a bar bent
in an S shape on a board.
I really doubt that you are a magician (you said you perform azrah
levitation - so you should know other levitations as well).
You are correct about the "S".
(Be sure that you have a fixed font to read this post)
It is usually done quite in the dark, so that you don't see to much.
The girl ("JUNGFRAU" in the picture) below is resting on a part
of an "S". The magician can take a *real* hoop, and pass it around,
if the hoop and the "S" are large enough. The move is none in three
steps, but gives the illusion that the hoop is freely passed
around the girl.
e
J +--+
N | |a
G |c |
F | |
G----+ | +--- this part behind the curtain !
R | |
A |b |
U +--+
d
0. Start with hoop between (e) and (a).
1. Move hoop across girl, back part of the hoop moved from (a) to
(b).
2. Front part of the hoop moved to the rear (d). The hoop is
now between (d) and (b).
3. Hoop moves again, until it is between (c) and (e).
4. Take the part of the hoop that is at (e) completely to the front
5. Move the hoop across the girl again.
If the hoop is large enough, you don't need the full "S", only a half
of it.
NIAGRA FALLS CAMERA TRICK
The part *before* the opening of the "hole" is a video !
1. Shortly before DC goes to close the box, you can see his left arm in
the small picture angled up (about 80 degrees), but on the main picture
the arm is down ! (freeze the image to find the moment - it is just
after a cut)
2. Compare the closing of front (with the hole) of the box. You will see
that in the small picture, it goes smoothly, but in the big picture,
there is a short wait in the middle.
Freeze image again, and you will see his hand on the picture, although
his hands are on the left and on the right --> the mini camera is on the
left or on the right, but *not* in the middle (at the hole).
Amazing for me is that I did not expect that video "cheat" at that place
- why didn't DC simply put a mini-camera in the big one ? Or is the
whole thing just a mistake in the editing for television ?
Now if you want to know to how the guy vanished... Have a look at other
illusions, like "big black box" and "video to life". Think. Find the
similarity. Post your theory here. BTW, it's Penn & Teller on that
building.
DISSAPEARING GIRL
, it is all in the base of the table/blue box. the girls are
laying in the box together (tight fit) and the illusion is very (and I
mean very) decieving. i checked out the illusion on my computer (by the
way I am one of the only people in the U.S. that designs illusions by
comuter first, before building them per Jim Steinmeyer) and found out
that the table is very deceiving with the colors and base. The legs are
very deceiving too. The entire package puts together an unbelievable
illusion. The part where the girl "erases" is just her putting her leg
into the base, while wearing a costume that has a fake half-leg and
half-arm.
THE BASE IS
8 1/2 inches.
the black lycra (spandex) 1/2 inch
the blue base is 2 1/2 to 3 inches
there is a 3/4 in spacer (covered with black prof. felt)
2 1/2 inch base aluminum
and around a 2 1/4 inch leg base
the sheet metal used bows in the middle, you will notice this during DC
performance when BOTH girls are in. Then at the end, it looks less
bowed
in the middle.
INTERLUDE
The person inside the box either twists his body to make enough
space for the girl or bends forward and stands up on hidden steps
attached to the sides of the box so that the girl can crawl between
his legs. Since we can see the magician's legs, there would have to
be some gimmick making us believe we can still see his legs. BTW,
there is always somebody moving in front of the box (or a dense
smoke) which would make it easier for the magician to "rearrange"
inside the box. Since it is very difficult to twist your body with
your legs spread up, I conjecture that the magician moves one of
his legs (the left one in the case of S&R) and puts it behind the
other one. In this position, it is much easier to twist the body.
Also, at one moment (close-up) you can see DC's body positioned
somewhat diagonally... So, I prefer the explanation based on twisting.
ELEVATOR
According to one Poundstone's book "Biggest secrets", DC is hiding in
the
floor of the elevator. The shape you see is a sort of cardboard,
(not stiff) but like these things to darken rooms, and it has the shape
of DC.
STATUE OF LIBERTY
He turned the whole audience on a giant rotating platform, so that the
SOL was then behind one of the columns (moving done while curtain up).
The lights of the statue were turned off. The ring of lights you saw is
a second one. The reason that the SOL cannot be seen on the
Kodork-sponsored photos is because a flashlight works only a few meters
away, and the camera used the nearby standing girls as reference. All
further away is just "dark stuff".
The radar was of course not real. I got an interesting e-mail from a guy
with whom I am in "exposing" contact. He noticed that a reflection of
lights can be seen on the "radar", and those reflections are moving at
the moment where the audience is moving.
FLYING
Flying is the simplest and stupidest trick there is. It is not
: magic, it is stage performance.
The most amazing performance I've ever seen on TV.
: Flying is done the same way that Peter Pan flew in his stage
: production or any other stage production which a person
: is made to fly. It is with wires. DC is hooked up like a puppet.
: He leaves the stage and get into a rigged harness.
The most important question is not answered: how do they do it with the
hoops and how does he fly in the glass box when he is wired ?
In both cases, they never go above him. This is somewhat difficult to
explain, so it would be good if you have the video while reading this.
The first time, both helpers seem move the hoops around. The audience
sees it this way, because it looks to the whole picture. If the audience
would follow each hoop separately, they would not be fooled. The hoops
are moved under him, the air above is safe.
The second time, the helpers turning the double-hoop move suddenly
forward, so that they move it under him (and not above). It is difficult
to see because the hoops are moving, so the 3D-algorithm of your brain
fails, and your brain cannot "decode" which part of the hoop is before,
and which one is behind him. So you simply "assume" that he got thru.
While the camera turns, notice that the lid is too small, so that there
is space on the long edges. (Thanks to the AOL guy who told me this last
year !) Also notice how the helpers place the lid over the box - they do
it very carefully, coming vertically from the small side (because DC's
wires are on the long side).
As has correctly been posted here, she's a plant. An ordinary girl could
get scared when DC flies away, and would then sue DC for a zillion $.
GREAT SECRETS REVEALED: THE ART OF "FLYING"
HOW DAVID COPPERFIELD DOES IT
The key to this trick is: THINK SIMPLE... No giant magnets, no neutron
beams, no anti-gravity waves. David was simply suspended by a couple of
very strong, very fine wires or filaments of some very strong space-age
material. This is hardly the first time that such wires have been used
for a "levitation". I see him wearing a strong harness under his loose-
fitting sweat-shirt at his center of gravity; the wires are attached to
the sides of the harness, allowing him to be drawn up and down and back
and forth by a crane-like device out of sight near the ceiling. During
the performance in Vegas I bent forward and peered up at the ceiling
over the stage but of course my vision was cut off past a certain point
by some carefully placed curtains. But in this way he can "fly" all
around the stage and even perform those mid-air somersaults by carefully
avoiding the wires with his arms as he turns over. Yes, this trick
required a great deal of practice, I'm sure!
Right about now, people jump up and say, "But what about the
HOOPS?! They passed all those HOOPS over him!". This was the key
observation by my brother-in-law that caused the pieces to start to fall
into place: they did NOT pass any hoops over him!! The first pair of
hoops, one a bit smaller than the other so it could pass inside the
other, were drawn across David by two assistants, but as they almost met
together in the middle part of David's body, the assistants executed a
twisting motion on both hoops, tilting the top part *back* and the
bottom...
bill page
2018-05-17 16:30:24 UTC
Permalink
I've always wondered how David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall,
DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.
I got an e-mail from a reader of my document, who saw even more. There
is something black on the top stair, which is later inserted. This is
the cover of the stairs !! You can also see a ladder somewhere. Guess
why...DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the Illusion Works Volumes 1 & 2 by Rand Woodbury - DVD
far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.Take one piece of paper and draw a plan view of the box DC was in. Put
the
spotlight above (behind) the box (but not too close). Now draw a line
from
the light to each side of the front of the box (ie: the screen). Note
the
spaces. If DC moves across the line closest to the Great Wall of China
(in
the illusion), he will appear to (on the screen) walk into the wall...
| . <-------- Light
| / \
| / \
| / \
| / \
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||D2 /D1 \ |
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||/___________________\|
| S <- Screen at front of box
|
|
|
| <- Great Wall of China
D1 = David
S = David's Shadow
D2 = David when you can't see him - He's "inside the wall"
That one is of course correct when he *exits* the wall, but not for
entering, since [my theory is that] he's already in the stairs at that
time.
- The real rose comes out of the suit pocket, while you are blinded by
the fire (--> optical misdirection);
- When the paper rose is hanging "freely" in the air, I could once see
(on TV, but not from DC) two "visible" thread in V-form. That
magician had IMO made mistake: 1. wearing a black jacket, 2. not
having instructed the camera man.
A magician told me that the trick is really difficult to learn (and I
believe this !), and that there are two variations. One with, one
without standing microphone.
"It's all done with mirrors".
That is the standard meaningless explanation of how effects are
done. Yet, quite a lot CAN be done with mirrors. The key to most mirror
effects is a combination of a basic law of physics, combined with
expectations that defy the laws of physics.
The principle is that the angle of incidence equals the angle of
reflection. This means that if you look at a mirror at a 45 degree
angle, you will see a reflection of what's 45 degrees on the other side
of a line perpendicular to the plane of the mirror. But people expect,
when they look into a mirror, to see their own reflection, regardless of
the angle of the mirror. As a result, if the mirror reflects what the
audience expects to see BEHIND the mirror, they will be unaware that
there is a mirror there.
This goes further; a properly angled mirror with a transparent
but distorting surface in front of it will make it seem to the audience
that they can see through the object, when they are actually seeing a
mirror. One good example of this is putting a mirror in a glass. The
glass should cut with a non-smooth pattern, so that you can't REALLY see
behind it, even without a mirror. Yet the audience will believe that
they are looking at a transparent glass, allowing the magician to hide
all sorts of things behind the mirror.
The key to a mirror trick is for the audience to not suspect
that
there is a mirror there. That is a basic part of ANY trick with a
hidden
gaff. The magician must direct attention away from the gaff; far too
many say, "I have here an ORDINARY glass", actually fixing the
audience's
attention to the glass. Far better is to not even mention the glass,
but
treat it as you would a truly ordinary glass; it is not mentioned
because
it is not worthy of mention. Pull this off, and the audience may not
even remember that a glass was involved.
METAMORPHISIS
(why is it that everyone thinks magic is
either twins or mirrors?) This is a pretty old trick... Ever notice that
there were no inspections at all? probably no back to the trunk with a
plank.. anyway... so they tied the first pendragon and put him in a bag
with a hole in the bottom. They close up. (plenty of time to take off
whatever binds you) then watch the spotlight for standing up of your
partner... jump up when the cloth is partway up then throw it up... grab
the cloth and move it as soon as your partner drops down into the plank
from the trap door. Then take your time and let your partner change
bathing suits. (wish all girls could change that fast :-) then your
partner just puts on the ropes... handcuffs.. whatever in time to stand
up
and take a bow....
DISSAPEARING GIRL
Question: Where did DC hide the two girls in his Disappearing Girl(s)
illusion?
Standard answer: He uses the special thicker-than-they look tables to
hide them in the table.
Well, I know they have to be somwhere (probably in the table), but let
me ask some further questions.
I did some measurements of the thickness of the table plus the thickness
of the bottom of the blue box sitting on the top of the table. I simply
put a ruler on my TV monitor and compared the measurement with DC's
body (to have a scale). The total thickness is about 8-9" but not more.
Since they turned the table by 360 degrees, the table cannot be made
thicker at one end and thinner at the other end, neither can it it be
lense shaped as some may try to argue. So, can you really squeeze two
adults
into such a small space????
If you watch other illusions based on those special tables, such as the
Death Saw or Shrinking (by DC), the thickness roughly corresponds to
what I would expect. But in the Disappearing Girl illusion, my
measurements
simply do not agree with common sense.
I too don't know where the girls come from. I also don't know where the
girl (the one with DC's haircut) is in the Origami box - although that
girl is *very* anorexic.
BTW, would you agree with me that DC uses a false head (!) for the
"shrink-box" ? DC's head can't be seen for a short time when going up
and down, and the move is kindof "out-of-sequence".
Another mystery is DC's disappearance in the Alcatraz video at the end.
The table does not have a thick top - but he's gone! The only thing I
could suspect is an "angle trick" (which means that he goes away behind
that cardboard, and every real audience member could see it), and that's
about nothing.
A similar case is a disappearance (or was it an appearance ?) in "father
and son" at the end of the 1985 video. No thick table top there eithe
Everyone has seen the oldest magic trick in the world... where a person
is put in a small box and the box is cut in half, leaving the head and
feet visible, in two separate boxes (very small boxes!).
Not the oldest. There was a "thick model" in the thirties, which was
exposed just too often. Some day (anyone knows when / who ?) the "thin"
model was invented.
Can someone please let me know how this is done? The boxes are
DEFINITELY too small for a person to fit in just half.
The "secret" is not in the height of the boxes, but in the width,
although one inch may be "won" by using a "thick bottom". The assistant,
Miss Anorexia Smallhips, has to lay on the left side and fold herself in
the "head" half. The "foot" half contains two dummy feet (they often
move so regularly that it makes me laugh !). Notice that the table has
always to be turned for the feet switch to take place.
BUZZ SAW
The illusion is that DC lays face down on a table, the saw drops and
DC is severed. Then the two halves of DC are seperated and wheeled
around, but the audience is never allowed a view of cross sectional
area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that
DC is bent at the waist and his legs are stuffed into the table.a thick tabletop is used. (measure it, and you'll have
about 15 - 20 cm !!!). People don't care about the tabletop because it
just "looks bulky and solid". (Hey, those illusions are hand-crafted !).
On the left, DC is in a "frog position". On the right, another person is
lying with feet in the air,
DC CARD TRICKS
Two tricks need that a specific card is picked: DC's card-on-sketchpad,
and DC's gun shoots card.
From the audience point of view, it goes like this: the magician fans apack of *big* cards, shows that the cards are different (why should
someone doubt this - I don't know <g>). The audience member has to tip
her/his finger on the back of the card. The magician changes the pack so
that the audience members is now holding his finger on the top card, and
hands him that card.
As I said, in the tricks where I saw this, it is important that a
specific card is chosen. "forcing" would not work with a TV camera.
Here's my guess: card pairs. The bottom cards of the pairs are
different, the top cards are alike. The connecting surfaces are raw or
sticky, so that the pairs don't separated
THE BLADE
The reconnection of the halves is suspicious, but could also be there to
fool the I-know-how-it-is-done people. "Chad Long" said in alt.magic
that he saw the tricks with both halves opened at the same time, and a
reader (not lurker of this group) said that the halves were opened after
another.
The boots and the gloves of the girl are also suspicious, and are likely
to be "too big" for her, so that she can easily get out of them. Notice
that she moves her arms, but sometimes out of sight.
One thing that I looked again and again was trying to see if that
separating part was thick or not. If it was thick, the girl could put a
half or her out of sight. But DC did move those halves... Could he have
painted those black parts with different black tones to suggest that the
separators are really only about 2cm thick ?
* About the halves: they look different. The left one is cut perfectly,
* but the right one looks like it is the actual girl standing on one leg
* on the side, squeezing her left part against the separator.
I looked again. Maybe this was just wishful thinking. The two head
halves *do* look different, but simply because the girl has her parting
on the left (audience point of view). She also has a lot of hair
covering her ears, so we can't use that one to analyse her head
position.
1. The separators are optical illusions (i.e. are thick)
2. She turns her head a bit, and squeezes it against the separator
(1.5 cm of the two could be used). She uses a fake custume front,
so that it looks as if she's properly cut. Such a fake costume has
been used by a girl in another DC trick (not in this show).
3. One real girl and one fake 1/2 girl. Props are hidden behind that
black middle part.
4. We know from "The fan" that this girl has a twin. Her twin hides
behind that black middle part.
That middle part at the rear (about 20 cm wide, gets separated too) does
certainly have a purpose, since the trick would be even more amazing if
it wasn't there.
Well, this brings four possibilities. At least three of them are wrong
CHINESE WATER TOURTURE CELL
The method is very simple. First, the
handcuffs pose no problem. Current magicians use those silly things
with
the oval hoop and the padlocks. They just fall off with a twist. For
Houdini, real cuffs were routine. So those are gone. The foot stocks
seem formidable, but if you look closely (not Houdini, since he's not
available, but current magicians) you'll see that the third rivet from
the left (stage left) has a false bottom. People are distracted because
of the air bubbles (from the magician), but if you ignore the bubbles
and
look at the rivets it's pretty obvious.
ZIG-ZAG-GIRL
The [Harbin] zig-zag-girl illusion is pretty self-exposing (the middle
part
never goes totally on the left). The girl is always there, squeezed in
the
small space between box 1&2 and box 2&3. The boxes are contructed to
make you
believe that they have very thick edges, which they have not. The trick
is
explained in one of the three Poundstone books. The girl is very
unconfortable
at the top of her legs and below her breasts.
it was
copyrighted or something like that. (I'd like to know more about that).
The mis-made lady: I think this is done with four boxes, which are
rearranged
in different positions. I don't know how today's trick is done (where
they
show parts - could be dummies). Someone sent me a description, in which
the
girl is simply squeezed in the lowest part, which is constructed to look
smaller than it really is (there is additional space between the lower
"edge"
and the floor, which is covered by some decoration, like those hanging
'spaghettis'). I remember that some magician made fun of HLB, because
there
was a similar explanation like that in his book (I don't have it).
According
to another post in alt.magic about Penn & Teller, the girl (or Teller)
has to
move between the boxes all the time.
++---++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---++
+-----+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+-----+
DC MOTERCYCLE TRICK
: I recently went to a D.C. show when he came in my area and had some
very
: good info giving seats. I was sitting behind the sound board which
had
: a shape sort of sunk into the ground behind it covered by a sheet. I
did
: not think much of it. In the final illusion of the show...D.C. was on
a
: motorcycle on stage suspended on a bridge. The lady running the sound
: board was extremely nervous and at one time yelled out "Where the fuck
is
: he?". This got my attention to where she was looking. A man that
looked
: exactly like D.C. came down the isle, and got on the now uncovered
object
: in front of me which was an exact replica motorcycle as the one on
stage.
: As I looked on stage I still saw the "other" D.C...I thought two
D.C.'s..
: ...hmmmm. He must have a double or a well-covered up twin or a well
make
: uped person. This would then make many of his illusions easier to
figure
: out. There are indeed two DCs in the motorcycle vanish. But not twins,
just
lookalikes. It is done at the time the real DC opens the curtain to show
the
motorcycle. You will see that a hand grabs the curtain. This hand is
already
the hand of the double. DC then vanishes behind the curtain (hand can
still be
seen), and the double reappears. You don't notice that it is a double,
because
of the dark helmet and because you think the actual part hasn't even
started.
Abount the vanish itself: the fake DC and the motobike are of course
still
there. The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color
of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still a
second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
I do not know how the front part turns into black. This could be a
"quickie
curtain" (S&R seem to use this, and DC uses it in the "father and son"
trick),
or maybe some special glass that changes color when you run electricity
thru
it.
The motorcycle illusion is one of the easiest to
figure out. I had it figured out as soon as DC put the helmet on and
grabbed the curtain. Very slick, he is and his significant other (and
I'm not talking about Claudia). When he grabs that curtain, DC's hand
doesn't actually grab the curtain. His buddy dressed exactly as DC
grabs
that curtain. Watch the videotape again. DC's clone has the same body,
hair, moves, demeanor, etc... The choreography is outstanding. In the
meantime, DC is taking a leasurely walk out into the house through the
trap systems in the house (remember, he can only performs illusions such
as this in houses that have trap systems designed into the front of
house
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
Not exactly correct - the bike stays where it was, but you don't see it.
The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still
a second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
IMPALED
The "impaled" illusion is a big improvement of Robert-Houdin's
suspension (sword suspension ?). The method is that the girl wears a
steel corset, which is simply put on the top of the sword, while the
girl is inside. The insertion point is near the shoulder. You can check
this allegation with your VCR, by using double speed. You will see that
1. the sword moves when the woman is put on it
2. the whole thing moves a bit back and forth
3. when unlocking her, the magician has to move her a bit up
If it is done by a woman not wearing pants, then she must have a very
hard time doing it - she has to keep her legs up, without this beeing
shown by looking at her muscles. I saw this be done by the pendragons,
so I guess the woman was that "Charlotte".
The "impaled" illusion adds a motor which lowers / raises the "sword".
The magician (yes, now it's a man) pulls a sword top at the right moment
"from his navel".That "right moment" seems to be the big problem with
that illusion. If
the magician performs it sloppily, then the sword (audience view) will
change its length. Another problem is that the sword should be polished
and without greesy fingerprints, so that you can't see that it is
lowered. In the first performance I saw of it was even worse: you could
see that the "sword top" was raised diagonally. Later I saw the same
performed by DC - it was of course perfectly done :-)
HAND CHOPPER
. Here is the basis for the illusion.
The blade is actually L-shaped. One wing of the blade is dull, the
other
sharp. The entire blade pivots at the corner of the L. The blade is
forced down, hits the arm, and pivots rapidly. The second sharp edge
then
comes into view and slices the carrot or other object in the second
hole.
That's all there is to it. This is especially shocking to the audience
member whose arm is in the device, as (s)he actually feels the blade as
it
hits his arm. More advance versions have a locking blade that allows
the
magician to slice a carrot in the upper hole at the conclusion of the
illusion.
+--------
\|~~~~~~~~
\|
\|
\|
~~~~ is "dull" and "\\\\\" is sharp. "+" is the pivot.
|~
|~
|~
|~
+--------
\\\\\\\\
S SUSPENSION
How is it possible to make someone float and pass
a hoop completly around them. Some say there is a bar bent
in an S shape on a board.
I really doubt that you are a magician (you said you perform azrah
levitation - so you should know other levitations as well).
You are correct about the "S".
(Be sure that you have a fixed font to read this post)
It is usually done quite in the dark, so that you don't see to much.
The girl ("JUNGFRAU" in the picture) below is resting on a part
of an "S". The magician can take a *real* hoop, and pass it around,
if the hoop and the "S" are large enough. The move is none in three
steps, but gives the illusion that the hoop is freely passed
around the girl.
e
J +--+
N | |a
G |c |
F | |
G----+ | +--- this part behind the curtain !
R | |
A |b |
U +--+
d
0. Start with hoop between (e) and (a).
1. Move hoop across girl, back part of the hoop moved from (a) to
(b).
2. Front part of the hoop moved to the rear (d). The hoop is
now between (d) and (b).
3. Hoop moves again, until it is between (c) and (e).
4. Take the part of the hoop that is at (e) completely to the front
5. Move the hoop across the girl again.
If the hoop is large enough, you don't need the full "S", only a half
of it.
NIAGRA FALLS CAMERA TRICK
The part *before* the opening of the "hole" is a video !
1. Shortly before DC goes to close the box, you can see his left arm in
the small picture angled up (about 80 degrees), but on the main picture
the arm is down ! (freeze the image to find the moment - it is just
after a cut)
2. Compare the closing of front (with the hole) of the box. You will see
that in the small picture, it goes smoothly, but in the big picture,
there is a short wait in the middle.
Freeze image again, and you will see his hand on the picture, although
his hands are on the left and on the right --> the mini camera is on the
left or on the right, but *not* in the middle (at the hole).
Amazing for me is that I did not expect that video "cheat" at that place
- why didn't DC simply put a mini-camera in the big one ? Or is the
whole thing just a mistake in the editing for television ?
Now if you want to know to how the guy vanished... Have a look at other
illusions, like "big black box" and "video to life". Think. Find the
similarity. Post your theory here. BTW, it's Penn & Teller on that
building.
DISSAPEARING GIRL
, it is all in the base of the table/blue box. the girls are
laying in the box together (tight fit) and the illusion is very (and I
mean very) decieving. i checked out the illusion on my computer (by the
way I am one of the only people in the U.S. that designs illusions by
comuter first, before building them per Jim Steinmeyer) and found out
that the table is very deceiving with the colors and base. The legs are
very deceiving too. The entire package puts together an unbelievable
illusion. The part where the girl "erases" is just her putting her leg
into the base, while wearing a costume that has a fake half-leg and
half-arm.
THE BASE IS
8 1/2 inches.
the black lycra (spandex) 1/2 inch
the blue base is 2 1/2 to 3 inches
there is a 3/4 in spacer (covered with black prof. felt)
2 1/2 inch base aluminum
and around a 2 1/4 inch leg base
the sheet metal used bows in the middle, you will notice this during DC
performance when BOTH girls are in. Then at the end, it looks less
bowed
in the middle.
INTERLUDE
The person inside the box either twists his body to make enough
space for the girl or bends forward and stands up on hidden steps
attached to the sides of the box so that the girl can crawl between
his legs. Since we can see the magician's legs, there would have to
be some gimmick making us believe we can still see his legs. BTW,
there is always somebody moving in front of the box (or a dense
smoke) which would make it easier for the magician to "rearrange"
inside the box. Since it is very difficult to twist your body with
your legs spread up, I conjecture that the magician moves one of
his legs (the left one in the case of S&R) and puts it behind the
other one. In this position, it is much easier to twist the body.
Also, at one moment (close-up) you can see DC's body positioned
somewhat diagonally... So, I prefer the explanation based on twisting.
ELEVATOR
According to one Poundstone's book "Biggest secrets", DC is hiding in
the
floor of the elevator. The shape you see is a sort of cardboard,
(not stiff) but like these things to darken rooms, and it has the shape
of DC.
STATUE OF LIBERTY
He turned the whole audience on a giant rotating platform, so that the
SOL was then behind one of the columns (moving done while curtain up).
The lights of the statue were turned off. The ring of lights you saw is
a second one. The reason that the SOL cannot be seen on the
Kodork-sponsored photos is because a flashlight works only a few meters
away, and the camera used the nearby standing girls as reference. All
further away is just "dark stuff".
The radar was of course not real. I got an interesting e-mail from a guy
with whom I am in "exposing" contact. He noticed that a reflection of
lights can be seen on the "radar", and those reflections are moving at
the moment where the audience is moving.
FLYING
Flying is the simplest and stupidest trick there is. It is not
: magic, it is stage performance.
The most amazing performance I've ever seen on TV.
: Flying is done the same way that Peter Pan flew in his stage
: production or any other stage production which a person
: is made to fly. It is with wires. DC is hooked up like a puppet.
: He leaves the stage and get into a rigged harness.
The most important question is not answered: how do they do it with the
hoops and how does he fly in the glass box when he is wired ?
In both cases, they never go above him. This is somewhat difficult to
explain, so it would be good if you have the video while reading this.
The first time, both helpers seem move the hoops around. The audience
sees it this way, because it looks to the whole picture. If the audience
would follow each hoop separately, they would not be fooled. The hoops
are moved under him, the air above is safe.
The second time, the helpers turning the double-hoop move suddenly
forward, so that they move it under him (and not above). It is difficult
to see because the hoops are moving, so the 3D-algorithm of your brain
fails, and your brain cannot "decode" which part of the hoop is before,
and which one is behind him. So you simply "assume" that he got thru.
While the camera turns, notice that the lid is too small, so that there
is space on the long edges. (Thanks to the AOL guy who told me this last
year !) Also notice how the helpers place the lid over the box - they do
it very carefully, coming vertically from the small side (because DC's
wires are on the long side).
As has correctly been posted here, she's a plant. An ordinary girl could
get scared when DC flies away, and would then sue DC for a zillion $.
GREAT SECRETS REVEALED: THE ART OF "FLYING"
HOW DAVID COPPERFIELD DOES IT
The key to this trick is: THINK SIMPLE... No giant magnets, no neutron
beams, no anti-gravity waves. David was simply suspended by a couple of
very strong, very fine wires or filaments of some very strong space-age
material. This is hardly the first time that such wires have been used
for a "levitation". I see him wearing a strong harness under his loose-
fitting sweat-shirt at his center of gravity; the wires are attached to
the sides of the harness, allowing him to be drawn up and down and back
and forth by a crane-like device out of sight near the ceiling. During
the performance in Vegas I bent forward and peered up at the ceiling
over the stage but of course my vision was cut off past a certain point
by some carefully placed curtains. But in this way he can "fly" all
around the stage and even perform those mid-air somersaults by carefully
avoiding the wires with his arms as he turns over. Yes, this trick
required a great deal of practice, I'm sure!
Right about now, people jump up and say, "But what about the
HOOPS?! They passed all those HOOPS over him!". This was the key
observation by my brother-in-law that caused the pieces to start to fall
into place: they did NOT pass any hoops over him!! The first pair of
hoops, one a bit smaller than the other so it could pass inside the
other, were drawn across David by two assistants, but as they almost met
together in the middle part of David's body, the assistants executed a
twisting motion on both hoops, tilting the top part *back* and the
bottom part *forward*, swinging both hoops *around* rather than *across*
David's body with the clever result that NO PART OF EITHER HOOP actually
crossed over the top of David's mid-section where the wires were
supporting him! This is difficult to describe in text but if you look
at a video-tape of it, in slow-motion if necessary,
bill page
2018-05-17 19:15:16 UTC
Permalink
I've always wondered how David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall,
DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.
I got an e-mail from a reader of my document, who saw even more. There
is something black on the top stair, which is later inserted. This is
the cover of the stairs !! You can also see a ladder somewhere. Guess
why...DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the
far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.Take one piece of paper and draw a plan view of the box DC was in. Put
the
spotlight above (behind) the box (but not too close). Now draw a line
from
the light to each side of the front of the box (ie: the screen). Note
the
spaces. If DC moves across the line closest to the Great Wall of China
(in
the illusion), he will appear to (on the screen) walk into the wall...
| . <-------- Light
| / \
| / \
| / \
| / \
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||D2 /D1 \ |
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||/___________________\|
| S <- Screen at front of box
|
|
|
| <- Great Wall of China
D1 = David
S = David's Shadow
D2 = David when you can't see him - He's "inside the wall"
That one is of course correct when he *exits* the wall, but not for
entering, since [my theory is that] he's already in the stairs at that
time.
- The real rose comes out of the suit pocket, while you are blinded by
the fire (--> optical misdirection);
- When the paper rose is hanging "freely" in the air, I could once see
(on TV, but not from DC) two "visible" thread in V-form. That
magician had IMO made mistake: 1. wearing a black jacket, 2. not
having instructed the camera man.
A magician told me that the trick is really difficult to learn (and I
believe this !), and that there are two variations. One with, one
without standing microphone.
"It's all done with mirrors".
That is the standard meaningless explanation of how effects are
done. Yet, quite a lot CAN be done with mirrors. The key to most mirror
effects is a combination of a basic law of physics, combined with
expectations that defy the laws of physics.
The principle is that the angle of incidence equals the angle of
reflection. This means that if you look at a mirror at a 45 degree
angle, you will see a reflection of what's 45 degrees on the other side
of a line perpendicular to the plane of the mirror. But people expect,
when they look into a mirror, to see their own reflection, regardless of
the angle of the mirror. As a result, if the mirror reflects what the
audience expects to see BEHIND the mirror, they will be unaware that
there is a mirror there.
This goes further; a properly angled mirror with a transparent
but distorting surface in front of it will make it seem to the audience
that they can see through the object, when they are actually seeing a
mirror. One good example of this is putting a mirror in a glass. The
glass should cut with a non-smooth pattern, so that you can't REALLY see
behind it, even without a mirror. Yet the audience will believe that
they are looking at a transparent glass, allowing the magician to hide
all sorts of things behind the mirror.
The key to a mirror trick is for the audience to not suspect
that
there is a mirror there. That is a basic part of ANY trick with a
hidden
gaff. The magician must direct attention away from the gaff; far too
many say, "I have here an ORDINARY glass", actually fixing the
audience's
attention to the glass. Far better is to not even mention the glass,
but
treat it as you would a truly ordinary glass; it is not mentioned
because
it is not worthy of mention. Pull this off, and the audience may not
even remember that a glass was involved.
METAMORPHISIS
(why is it that everyone thinks magic is
either twins or mirrors?) This is a pretty old trick... Ever notice that
there were no inspections at all? probably no back to the trunk with a
plank.. anyway... so they tied the first pendragon and put him in a bag
with a hole in the bottom. They close up. (plenty of time to take off
whatever binds you) then watch the spotlight for standing up of your
partner... jump up when the cloth is partway up then throw it up... grab
the cloth and move it as soon as your partner drops down into the plank
from the trap door. Then take your time and let your partner change
bathing suits. (wish all girls could change that fast :-) then your
partner just puts on the ropes... handcuffs.. whatever in time to stand
up
and take a bow....
DISSAPEARING GIRL
Question: Where did DC hide the two girls in his Disappearing Girl(s)
illusion?
Standard answer: He uses the special thicker-than-they look tables to
hide them in the table.
Well, I know they have to be somwhere (probably in the table), but let
me ask some further questions.
I did some measurements of the thickness of the table plus the thickness
of the bottom of the blue box sitting on the top of the table. I simply
put a ruler on my TV monitor and compared the measurement with DC's
body (to have a scale). The total thickness is about 8-9" but not more.
Since they turned the table by 360 degrees, the table cannot be made
thicker at one end and thinner at the other end, neither can it it be
lense shaped as some may try to argue. So, can you really squeeze two
adults
into such a small space????
If you watch other illusions based on those special tables, such as the
Death Saw or Shrinking (by DC), the thickness roughly corresponds to
what I would expect. But in the Disappearing Girl illusion, my
measurements
simply do not agree with common sense.
I too don't know where the girls come from. I also don't know where the
girl (the one with DC's haircut) is in the Origami box - although that
girl is *very* anorexic.
BTW, would you agree with me that DC uses a false head (!) for the
"shrink-box" ? DC's head can't be seen for a short time when going up
and down, and the move is kindof "out-of-sequence".
Another mystery is DC's disappearance in the Alcatraz video at the end.
The table does not have a thick top - but he's gone! The only thing I
could suspect is an "angle trick" (which means that he goes away behind
that cardboard, and every real audience member could see it), and that's
about nothing.
A similar case is a disappearance (or was it an appearance ?) in "father
and son" at the end of the 1985 video. No thick table top there eithe
Everyone has seen the oldest magic trick in the world... where a person
is put in a small box and the box is cut in half, leaving the head and
feet visible, in two separate boxes (very small boxes!).
Not the oldest. There was a "thick model" in the thirties, which was
exposed just too often. Some day (anyone knows when / who ?) the "thin"
model was invented.
Can someone please let me know how this is done? The boxes are
DEFINITELY too small for a person to fit in just half.
The "secret" is not in the height of the boxes, but in the width,
although one inch may be "won" by using a "thick bottom". The assistant,
Miss Anorexia Smallhips, has to lay on the left side and fold herself in
the "head" half. The "foot" half contains two dummy feet (they often
move so regularly that it makes me laugh !). Notice that the table has
always to be turned for the feet switch to take place.
BUZZ SAW
The illusion is that DC lays face down on a table, the saw drops and
DC is severed. Then the two halves of DC are seperated and wheeled
around, but the audience is never allowed a view of cross sectional
area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that
DC is bent at the waist and his legs are stuffed into the table.a thick tabletop is used. (measure it, and you'll have
about 15 - 20 cm !!!). People don't care about the tabletop because it
just "looks bulky and solid". (Hey, those illusions are hand-crafted !).
On the left, DC is in a "frog position". On the right, another person is
lying with feet in the air,
DC CARD TRICKS
Two tricks need that a specific card is picked: DC's card-on-sketchpad,
and DC's gun shoots card.
From the audience point of view, it goes like this: the magician fans apack of *big* cards, shows that the cards are different (why should
someone doubt this - I don't know <g>). The audience member has to tip
her/his finger on the back of the card. The magician changes the pack so
that the audience members is now holding his finger on the top card, and
hands him that card.
As I said, in the tricks where I saw this, it is important that a
specific card is chosen. "forcing" would not work with a TV camera.
Here's my guess: card pairs. The bottom cards of the pairs are
different, the top cards are alike. The connecting surfaces are raw or
sticky, so that the pairs don't separated
THE BLADE
The reconnection of the halves is suspicious, but could also be there to
fool the I-know-how-it-is-done people. "Chad Long" said in alt.magic
that he saw the tricks with both halves opened at the same time, and a
reader (not lurker of this group) said that the halves were opened after
another.
The boots and the gloves of the girl are also suspicious, and are likely
to be "too big" for her, so that she can easily get out of them. Notice
that she moves her arms, but sometimes out of sight.
One thing that I looked again and again was trying to see if that
separating part was thick or not. If it was thick, the girl could put a
half or her out of sight. But DC did move those halves... Could he have
painted those black parts with different black tones to suggest that the
separators are really only about 2cm thick ?
* About the halves: they look different. The left one is cut perfectly,
* but the right one looks like it is the actual girl standing on one leg
* on the side, squeezing her left part against the separator.
I looked again. Maybe this was just wishful thinking. The two head
halves *do* look different, but simply because the girl has her parting
on the left (audience point of view). She also has a lot of hair
covering her ears, so we can't use that one to analyse her head
position.
1. The separators are optical illusions (i.e. are thick)
2. She turns her head a bit, and squeezes it against the separator
(1.5 cm of the two could be used). She uses a fake custume front,
so that it looks as if she's properly cut. Such a fake costume has
been used by a girl in another DC trick (not in this show).
3. One real girl and one fake 1/2 girl. Props are hidden behind that
black middle part.
4. We know from "The fan" that this girl has a twin. Her twin hides
behind that black middle part.
That middle part at the rear (about 20 cm wide, gets separated too) does
certainly have a purpose, since the trick would be even more amazing if
it wasn't there.
Well, this brings four possibilities. At least three of them are wrong
CHINESE WATER TOURTURE CELL
The method is very simple. First, the
handcuffs pose no problem. Current magicians use those silly things
with
the oval hoop and the padlocks. They just fall off with a twist. For
Houdini, real cuffs were routine. So those are gone. The foot stocks
seem formidable, but if you look closely (not Houdini, since he's not
available, but current magicians) you'll see that the third rivet from
the left (stage left) has a false bottom. People are distracted because
of the air bubbles (from the magician), but if you ignore the bubbles
and
look at the rivets it's pretty obvious.
ZIG-ZAG-GIRL
The [Harbin] zig-zag-girl illusion is pretty self-exposing (the middle
part
never goes totally on the left). The girl is always there, squeezed in
the
small space between box 1&2 and box 2&3. The boxes are contructed to
make you
believe that they have very thick edges, which they have not. The trick
is
explained in one of the three Poundstone books. The girl is very
unconfortable
at the top of her legs and below her breasts.
it was
copyrighted or something like that. (I'd like to know more about that).
The mis-made lady: I think this is done with four boxes, which are
rearranged
in different positions. I don't know how today's trick is done (where
they
show parts - could be dummies). Someone sent me a description, in which
the
girl is simply squeezed in the lowest part, which is constructed to look
smaller than it really is (there is additional space between the lower
"edge"
and the floor, which is covered by some decoration, like those hanging
'spaghettis'). I remember that some magician made fun of HLB, because
there
was a similar explanation like that in his book (I don't have it).
According
to another post in alt.magic about Penn & Teller, the girl (or Teller)
has to
move between the boxes all the time.
++---++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---++
+-----+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+-----+
DC MOTERCYCLE TRICK
: I recently went to a D.C. show when he came in my area and had some
very
: good info giving seats. I was sitting behind the sound board which
had
: a shape sort of sunk into the ground behind it covered by a sheet. I
did
: not think much of it. In the final illusion of the show...D.C. was on
a
: motorcycle on stage suspended on a bridge. The lady running the sound
: board was extremely nervous and at one time yelled out "Where the fuck
is
: he?". This got my attention to where she was looking. A man that
looked
: exactly like D.C. came down the isle, and got on the now uncovered
object
: in front of me which was an exact replica motorcycle as the one on
stage.
: As I looked on stage I still saw the "other" D.C...I thought two
D.C.'s..
: ...hmmmm. He must have a double or a well-covered up twin or a well
make
: uped person. This would then make many of his illusions easier to
figure
: out. There are indeed two DCs in the motorcycle vanish. But not twins,
just
lookalikes. It is done at the time the real DC opens the curtain to show
the
motorcycle. You will see that a hand grabs the curtain. This hand is
already
the hand of the double. DC then vanishes behind the curtain (hand can
still be
seen), and the double reappears. You don't notice that it is a double,
because
of the dark helmet and because you think the actual part hasn't even
started.
Abount the vanish itself: the fake DC and the motobike are of course
still
there. The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color
of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still a
second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
I do not know how the front part turns into black. This could be a
"quickie
curtain" (S&R seem to use this, and DC uses it in the "father and son"
trick),
or maybe some special glass that changes color when you run electricity
thru
it.
The motorcycle illusion is one of the easiest to
figure out. I had it figured out as soon as DC put the helmet on and
grabbed the curtain. Very slick, he is and his significant other (and
I'm not talking about Claudia). When he grabs that curtain, DC's hand
doesn't actually grab the curtain. His buddy dressed exactly as DC
grabs
that curtain. Watch the videotape again. DC's clone has the same body,
hair, moves, demeanor, etc... The choreography is outstanding. In the
meantime, DC is taking a leasurely walk out into the house through the
trap systems in the house (remember, he can only performs illusions such
as this in houses that have trap systems designed into the front of
house
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
Not exactly correct - the bike stays where it was, but you don't see it.
The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still
a second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
IMPALED
The "impaled" illusion is a big improvement of Robert-Houdin's
suspension (sword suspension ?). The method is that the girl wears a
steel corset, which is simply put on the top of the sword, while the
girl is inside. The insertion point is near the shoulder. You can check
this allegation with your VCR, by using double speed. You will see that
1. the sword moves when the woman is put on it
2. the whole thing moves a bit back and forth
3. when unlocking her, the magician has to move her a bit up
If it is done by a woman not wearing pants, then she must have a very
hard time doing it - she has to keep her legs up, without this beeing
shown by looking at her muscles. I saw this be done by the pendragons,
so I guess the woman was that "Charlotte".
The "impaled" illusion adds a motor which lowers / raises the "sword".
The magician (yes, now it's a man) pulls a sword top at the right moment
"from his navel".That "right moment" seems to be the big problem with
that illusion. If
the magician performs it sloppily, then the sword (audience view) will
change its length. Another problem is that the sword should be polished
and without greesy fingerprints, so that you can't see that it is
lowered. In the first performance I saw of it was even worse: you could
see that the "sword top" was raised diagonally. Later I saw the same
performed by DC - it was of course perfectly done :-)
HAND CHOPPER
. Here is the basis for the illusion.
The blade is actually L-shaped. One wing of the blade is dull, the
other
sharp. The entire blade pivots at the corner of the L. The blade is
forced down, hits the arm, and pivots rapidly. The second sharp edge
then
comes into view and slices the carrot or other object in the second
hole.
That's all there is to it. This is especially shocking to the audience
member whose arm is in the device, as (s)he actually feels the blade as
it
hits his arm. More advance versions have a locking blade that allows
the
magician to slice a carrot in the upper hole at the conclusion of the
illusion.
+--------
\|~~~~~~~~
\|
\|
\|
~~~~ is "dull" and "\\\\\" is sharp. "+" is the pivot.
|~
|~
|~
|~
+--------
\\\\\\\\
S SUSPENSION
How is it possible to make someone float and pass
a hoop completly around them. Some say there is a bar bent
in an S shape on a board.
I really doubt that you are a magician (you said you perform azrah
levitation - so you should know other levitations as well).
You are correct about the "S".
(Be sure that you have a fixed font to read this post)
It is usually done quite in the dark, so that you don't see to much.
The girl ("JUNGFRAU" in the picture) below is resting on a part
of an "S". The magician can take a *real* hoop, and pass it around,
if the hoop and the "S" are large enough. The move is none in three
steps, but gives the illusion that the hoop is freely passed
around the girl.
e
J +--+
N | |a
G |c |
F | |
G----+ | +--- this part behind the curtain !
R | |
A |b |
U +--+
d
0. Start with hoop between (e) and (a).
1. Move hoop across girl, back part of the hoop moved from (a) to
(b).
2. Front part of the hoop moved to the rear (d). The hoop is
now between (d) and (b).
3. Hoop moves again, until it is between (c) and (e).
4. Take the part of the hoop that is at (e) completely to the front
5. Move the hoop across the girl again.
If the hoop is large enough, you don't need the full "S", only a half
of it.
NIAGRA FALLS CAMERA TRICK
The part *before* the opening of the "hole" is a video !
1. Shortly before DC goes to close the box, you can see his left arm in
the small picture angled up (about 80 degrees), but on the main picture
the arm is down ! (freeze the image to find the moment - it is just
after a cut)
2. Compare the closing of front (with the hole) of the box. You will see
that in the small picture, it goes smoothly, but in the big picture,
there is a short wait in the middle.
Freeze image again, and you will see his hand on the picture, although
his hands are on the left and on the right --> the mini camera is on the
left or on the right, but *not* in the middle (at the hole).
Amazing for me is that I did not expect that video "cheat" at that place
- why didn't DC simply put a mini-camera in the big one ? Or is the
whole thing just a mistake in the editing for television ?
Now if you want to know to how the guy vanished... Have a look at other
illusions, like "big black box" and "video to life". Think. Find the
similarity. Post your theory here. BTW, it's Penn & Teller on that
building.
DISSAPEARING GIRL
, it is all in the base of the table/blue box. the girls are
laying in the box together (tight fit) and the illusion is very (and I
mean very) decieving. i checked out the illusion on my computer (by the
way I am one of the only people in the U.S. that designs illusions by
comuter first, before building them per Jim Steinmeyer) and found out
that the table is very deceiving with the colors and base. The legs are
very deceiving too. The entire package puts together an unbelievable
illusion. The part where the girl "erases" is just her putting her leg
into the base, while wearing a costume that has a fake half-leg and
half-arm.
THE BASE IS
8 1/2 inches.
the black lycra (spandex) 1/2 inch
the blue base is 2 1/2 to 3 inches
there is a 3/4 in spacer (covered with black prof. felt)
2 1/2 inch base aluminum
and around a 2 1/4 inch leg base
the sheet metal used bows in the middle, you will notice this during DC
performance when BOTH girls are in. Then at the end, it looks less
bowed
in the middle.
INTERLUDE
The person inside the box either twists his body to make enough
space for the girl or bends forward and stands up on hidden steps
attached to the sides of the box so that the girl can crawl between
his legs. Since we can see the magician's legs, there would have to
be some gimmick making us believe we can still see his legs. BTW,
there is always somebody moving in front of the box (or a dense
smoke) which would make it easier for the magician to "rearrange"
inside the box. Since it is very difficult to twist your body with
your legs spread up, I conjecture that the magician moves one of
his legs (the left one in the case of S&R) and puts it behind the
other one. In this position, it is much easier to twist the body.
Also, at one moment (close-up) you can see DC's body positioned
somewhat diagonally... So, I prefer the explanation based on twisting.
ELEVATOR
According to one Poundstone's book "Biggest secrets", DC is hiding in
the
floor of the elevator. The shape you see is a sort of cardboard,
(not stiff) but like these things to darken rooms, and it has the shape
of DC.
STATUE OF LIBERTY
He turned the whole audience on a giant rotating platform, so that the
SOL was then behind one of the columns (moving done while curtain up).
The lights of the statue were turned off. The ring of lights you saw is
a second one. The reason that the SOL cannot be seen on the
Kodork-sponsored photos is because a flashlight works only a few meters
away, and the camera used the nearby standing girls as reference. All
further away is just "dark stuff".
The radar was of course not real. I got an interesting e-mail from a guy
with whom I am in "exposing" contact. He noticed that a reflection of
lights can be seen on the "radar", and those reflections are moving at
the moment where the audience is moving.
FLYING
Flying is the simplest and stupidest trick there is. It is not
: magic, it is stage performance.
The most amazing performance I've ever seen on TV.
: Flying is done the same way that Peter Pan flew in his stage
: production or any other stage production which a person
: is made to fly. It is with wires. DC is hooked up like a puppet.
: He leaves the stage and get into a rigged harness.
The most important question is not answered: how do they do it with the
hoops and how does he fly in the glass box when he is wired ?
In both cases, they never go above him. This is somewhat difficult to
explain, so it would be good if you have the video while reading this.
The first time, both helpers seem move the hoops around. The audience
sees it this way, because it looks to the whole picture. If the audience
would follow each hoop separately, they would not be fooled. The hoops
are moved under him, the air above is safe.
The second time, the helpers turning the double-hoop move suddenly
forward, so that they move it under him (and not above). It is difficult
to see because the hoops are moving, so the 3D-algorithm of your brain
fails, and your brain cannot "decode" which part of the hoop is before,
and which one is behind him. So you simply "assume" that he got thru.
While the camera turns, notice that the lid is too small, so that there
is space on the long edges. (Thanks to the AOL guy who told me this last
year !) Also notice how the helpers place the lid over the box - they do
it very carefully, coming vertically from the small side (because DC's
wires are on the long side).
As has correctly been posted here, she's a plant. An ordinary girl could
get scared when DC flies away, and would then sue DC for a zillion $.
GREAT SECRETS REVEALED: THE ART OF "FLYING"
HOW DAVID COPPERFIELD DOES IT
The key to this trick is: THINK SIMPLE... No giant magnets, no neutron
beams, no anti-gravity waves. David was simply suspended by a couple of
very strong, very fine wires or filaments of some very strong space-age
material. This is hardly the first time that such wires have been used
for a "levitation". I see him wearing a strong harness under his loose-
fitting sweat-shirt at his center of gravity; the wires are attached to
the sides of the harness, allowing him to be drawn up and down and back
and forth by a crane-like device out of sight near the ceiling. During
the performance in Vegas I bent forward and peered up at the ceiling
over the stage but of course my vision was cut off past a certain point
by some carefully placed curtains. But in this way he can "fly" all
around the stage and even perform those mid-air somersaults by carefully
avoiding the wires with his arms as he turns over. Yes, this trick
required a great deal of practice, I'm sure!
Right about now, people jump up and say, "But what about the
HOOPS?! They passed all those HOOPS over him!". This was the key
observation by my brother-in-law that caused the pieces to start to fall
into place: they did NOT pass any hoops over him!! The first pair of
hoops, one a bit smaller than the other so it could pass inside the
other, were drawn across David by two assistants, but as they almost met
together in the middle part of David's body, the assistants executed a
twisting motion on both hoops, tilting the top part *back* and the
bottom part *forward*, swinging both hoops *around* rather than *across*
David's body with the clever result that NO PART OF EITHER HOOP actually
crossed over the top of David's mid-section where the wires were
supporting him! This is difficult to describe in text but if you look
at a video-tape of it, in slow-motion if necessary,
no offense to murphy magic but they took my video i made of my cool tribute to rand woodbury illusionist i made plus dvd videos and cd audieos are fadding out of walk in stores even ventriquest jeef dummhem knows this thats why he freely shares illusion secrets on youtube and everyone does but murphey i guess not they didnt even own that video its my vhs video tape dubbed to a blank dvd-r video disc cause vcr recorders went out of style years ago ps the video that God provides all things freely but mankind wants to hide God and put money in there own pockets those kinds of children and teen teen/ adults and adultsand grand peopleand old folks extc they need saving badly right now! ps boy i bet there not like Jesus Christ Lord Saviour God cause all resorce matteril goes back to God he gives all things freely to human mankind to discover it all freely anti gravity quantum stealth bending light invisbility nanabots metameterails hyper stealth i bet murphey magic folks were bullies in school took every boy and girl of all age groups lunch money and school money and ice cream money and beat all up in school and never played nice in the sand box and cheated in marbles and jacks AFBMISSIONS.ORG goodnewsjail.org goodnewstracts.org goodnewsbaptist.org sweethavenbaptist.com andrekole youtube.com andrekole.org youtube.com/FernandoP1/videos youtube.com/yamato905/videos youtube.com/kingmagicsales/videos youtube.com/howtoDisturbReality/videos google.com magiccafe alt.magic.secrets secrets of magic forum mwtb.org billriceranch.org wilds.org Crossway.org cloudtenpictures.com roapm.com considercharacter.org SeekLife.netIllusion Works Volumes 1 & 2 3&4 dvd video by Rand Woodbury - DVD
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2018-06-27 18:16:49 UTC
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Post by bill page
I've always wondered how David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall,
DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.
I got an e-mail from a reader of my document, who saw even more. There
is something black on the top stair, which is later inserted. This is
the cover of the stairs !! You can also see a ladder somewhere. Guess
why...DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the
far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.Take one piece of paper and draw a plan view of the box DC was in. Put
the
spotlight above (behind) the box (but not too close). Now draw a line
from
the light to each side of the front of the box (ie: the screen). Note
the
spaces. If DC moves across the line closest to the Great Wall of China
(in
the illusion), he will appear to (on the screen) walk into the wall...
| . <-------- Light
| / \
| / \
| / \
| / \
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||D2 /D1 \ |
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||/___________________\|
| S <- Screen at front of box
|
|
|
| <- Great Wall of China
D1 = David
S = David's Shadow
D2 = David when you can't see him - He's "inside the wall"
That one is of course correct when he *exits* the wall, but not for
entering, since [my theory is that] he's already in the stairs at that
time.
- The real rose comes out of the suit pocket, while you are blinded by
the fire (--> optical misdirection);
- When the paper rose is hanging "freely" in the air, I could once see
(on TV, but not from DC) two "visible" thread in V-form. That
magician had IMO made mistake: 1. wearing a black jacket, 2. not
having instructed the camera man.
A magician told me that the trick is really difficult to learn (and I
believe this !), and that there are two variations. One with, one
without standing microphone.
"It's all done with mirrors".
That is the standard meaningless explanation of how effects are
done. Yet, quite a lot CAN be done with mirrors. The key to most mirror
effects is a combination of a basic law of physics, combined with
expectations that defy the laws of physics.
The principle is that the angle of incidence equals the angle of
reflection. This means that if you look at a mirror at a 45 degree
angle, you will see a reflection of what's 45 degrees on the other side
of a line perpendicular to the plane of the mirror. But people expect,
when they look into a mirror, to see their own reflection, regardless of
the angle of the mirror. As a result, if the mirror reflects what the
audience expects to see BEHIND the mirror, they will be unaware that
there is a mirror there.
This goes further; a properly angled mirror with a transparent
but distorting surface in front of it will make it seem to the audience
that they can see through the object, when they are actually seeing a
mirror. One good example of this is putting a mirror in a glass. The
glass should cut with a non-smooth pattern, so that you can't REALLY see
behind it, even without a mirror. Yet the audience will believe that
they are looking at a transparent glass, allowing the magician to hide
all sorts of things behind the mirror.
The key to a mirror trick is for the audience to not suspect
that
there is a mirror there. That is a basic part of ANY trick with a
hidden
gaff. The magician must direct attention away from the gaff; far too
many say, "I have here an ORDINARY glass", actually fixing the
audience's
attention to the glass. Far better is to not even mention the glass,
but
treat it as you would a truly ordinary glass; it is not mentioned
because
it is not worthy of mention. Pull this off, and the audience may not
even remember that a glass was involved.
METAMORPHISIS
(why is it that everyone thinks magic is
either twins or mirrors?) This is a pretty old trick... Ever notice that
there were no inspections at all? probably no back to the trunk with a
plank.. anyway... so they tied the first pendragon and put him in a bag
with a hole in the bottom. They close up. (plenty of time to take off
whatever binds you) then watch the spotlight for standing up of your
partner... jump up when the cloth is partway up then throw it up... grab
the cloth and move it as soon as your partner drops down into the plank
from the trap door. Then take your time and let your partner change
bathing suits. (wish all girls could change that fast :-) then your
partner just puts on the ropes... handcuffs.. whatever in time to stand
up
and take a bow....
DISSAPEARING GIRL
Question: Where did DC hide the two girls in his Disappearing Girl(s)
illusion?
Standard answer: He uses the special thicker-than-they look tables to
hide them in the table.
Well, I know they have to be somwhere (probably in the table), but let
me ask some further questions.
I did some measurements of the thickness of the table plus the thickness
of the bottom of the blue box sitting on the top of the table. I simply
put a ruler on my TV monitor and compared the measurement with DC's
body (to have a scale). The total thickness is about 8-9" but not more.
Since they turned the table by 360 degrees, the table cannot be made
thicker at one end and thinner at the other end, neither can it it be
lense shaped as some may try to argue. So, can you really squeeze two
adults
into such a small space????
If you watch other illusions based on those special tables, such as the
Death Saw or Shrinking (by DC), the thickness roughly corresponds to
what I would expect. But in the Disappearing Girl illusion, my
measurements
simply do not agree with common sense.
I too don't know where the girls come from. I also don't know where the
girl (the one with DC's haircut) is in the Origami box - although that
girl is *very* anorexic.
BTW, would you agree with me that DC uses a false head (!) for the
"shrink-box" ? DC's head can't be seen for a short time when going up
and down, and the move is kindof "out-of-sequence".
Another mystery is DC's disappearance in the Alcatraz video at the end.
The table does not have a thick top - but he's gone! The only thing I
could suspect is an "angle trick" (which means that he goes away behind
that cardboard, and every real audience member could see it), and that's
about nothing.
A similar case is a disappearance (or was it an appearance ?) in "father
and son" at the end of the 1985 video. No thick table top there eithe
Everyone has seen the oldest magic trick in the world... where a person
is put in a small box and the box is cut in half, leaving the head and
feet visible, in two separate boxes (very small boxes!).
Not the oldest. There was a "thick model" in the thirties, which was
exposed just too often. Some day (anyone knows when / who ?) the "thin"
model was invented.
Can someone please let me know how this is done? The boxes are
DEFINITELY too small for a person to fit in just half.
The "secret" is not in the height of the boxes, but in the width,
although one inch may be "won" by using a "thick bottom". The assistant,
Miss Anorexia Smallhips, has to lay on the left side and fold herself in
the "head" half. The "foot" half contains two dummy feet (they often
move so regularly that it makes me laugh !). Notice that the table has
always to be turned for the feet switch to take place.
BUZZ SAW
The illusion is that DC lays face down on a table, the saw drops and
DC is severed. Then the two halves of DC are seperated and wheeled
around, but the audience is never allowed a view of cross sectional
area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that
DC is bent at the waist and his legs are stuffed into the table.a thick tabletop is used. (measure it, and you'll have
about 15 - 20 cm !!!). People don't care about the tabletop because it
just "looks bulky and solid". (Hey, those illusions are hand-crafted !).
On the left, DC is in a "frog position". On the right, another person is
lying with feet in the air,
DC CARD TRICKS
Two tricks need that a specific card is picked: DC's card-on-sketchpad,
and DC's gun shoots card.
From the audience point of view, it goes like this: the magician fans apack of *big* cards, shows that the cards are different (why should
someone doubt this - I don't know <g>). The audience member has to tip
her/his finger on the back of the card. The magician changes the pack so
that the audience members is now holding his finger on the top card, and
hands him that card.
As I said, in the tricks where I saw this, it is important that a
specific card is chosen. "forcing" would not work with a TV camera.
Here's my guess: card pairs. The bottom cards of the pairs are
different, the top cards are alike. The connecting surfaces are raw or
sticky, so that the pairs don't separated
THE BLADE
The reconnection of the halves is suspicious, but could also be there to
fool the I-know-how-it-is-done people. "Chad Long" said in alt.magic
that he saw the tricks with both halves opened at the same time, and a
reader (not lurker of this group) said that the halves were opened after
another.
The boots and the gloves of the girl are also suspicious, and are likely
to be "too big" for her, so that she can easily get out of them. Notice
that she moves her arms, but sometimes out of sight.
One thing that I looked again and again was trying to see if that
separating part was thick or not. If it was thick, the girl could put a
half or her out of sight. But DC did move those halves... Could he have
painted those black parts with different black tones to suggest that the
separators are really only about 2cm thick ?
* About the halves: they look different. The left one is cut perfectly,
* but the right one looks like it is the actual girl standing on one leg
* on the side, squeezing her left part against the separator.
I looked again. Maybe this was just wishful thinking. The two head
halves *do* look different, but simply because the girl has her parting
on the left (audience point of view). She also has a lot of hair
covering her ears, so we can't use that one to analyse her head
position.
1. The separators are optical illusions (i.e. are thick)
2. She turns her head a bit, and squeezes it against the separator
(1.5 cm of the two could be used). She uses a fake custume front,
so that it looks as if she's properly cut. Such a fake costume has
been used by a girl in another DC trick (not in this show).
3. One real girl and one fake 1/2 girl. Props are hidden behind that
black middle part.
4. We know from "The fan" that this girl has a twin. Her twin hides
behind that black middle part.
That middle part at the rear (about 20 cm wide, gets separated too) does
certainly have a purpose, since the trick would be even more amazing if
it wasn't there.
Well, this brings four possibilities. At least three of them are wrong
CHINESE WATER TOURTURE CELL
The method is very simple. First, the
handcuffs pose no problem. Current magicians use those silly things
with
the oval hoop and the padlocks. They just fall off with a twist. For
Houdini, real cuffs were routine. So those are gone. The foot stocks
seem formidable, but if you look closely (not Houdini, since he's not
available, but current magicians) you'll see that the third rivet from
the left (stage left) has a false bottom. People are distracted because
of the air bubbles (from the magician), but if you ignore the bubbles
and
look at the rivets it's pretty obvious.
ZIG-ZAG-GIRL
The [Harbin] zig-zag-girl illusion is pretty self-exposing (the middle
part
never goes totally on the left). The girl is always there, squeezed in
the
small space between box 1&2 and box 2&3. The boxes are contructed to
make you
believe that they have very thick edges, which they have not. The trick
is
explained in one of the three Poundstone books. The girl is very
unconfortable
at the top of her legs and below her breasts.
it was
copyrighted or something like that. (I'd like to know more about that).
The mis-made lady: I think this is done with four boxes, which are
rearranged
in different positions. I don't know how today's trick is done (where
they
show parts - could be dummies). Someone sent me a description, in which
the
girl is simply squeezed in the lowest part, which is constructed to look
smaller than it really is (there is additional space between the lower
"edge"
and the floor, which is covered by some decoration, like those hanging
'spaghettis'). I remember that some magician made fun of HLB, because
there
was a similar explanation like that in his book (I don't have it).
According
to another post in alt.magic about Penn & Teller, the girl (or Teller)
has to
move between the boxes all the time.
++---++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---++
+-----+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+-----+
DC MOTERCYCLE TRICK
: I recently went to a D.C. show when he came in my area and had some
very
: good info giving seats. I was sitting behind the sound board which
had
: a shape sort of sunk into the ground behind it covered by a sheet. I
did
: not think much of it. In the final illusion of the show...D.C. was on
a
: motorcycle on stage suspended on a bridge. The lady running the sound
: board was extremely nervous and at one time yelled out "Where the fuck
is
: he?". This got my attention to where she was looking. A man that
looked
: exactly like D.C. came down the isle, and got on the now uncovered
object
: in front of me which was an exact replica motorcycle as the one on
stage.
: As I looked on stage I still saw the "other" D.C...I thought two
D.C.'s..
: ...hmmmm. He must have a double or a well-covered up twin or a well
make
: uped person. This would then make many of his illusions easier to
figure
: out. There are indeed two DCs in the motorcycle vanish. But not twins,
just
lookalikes. It is done at the time the real DC opens the curtain to show
the
motorcycle. You will see that a hand grabs the curtain. This hand is
already
the hand of the double. DC then vanishes behind the curtain (hand can
still be
seen), and the double reappears. You don't notice that it is a double,
because
of the dark helmet and because you think the actual part hasn't even
started.
Abount the vanish itself: the fake DC and the motobike are of course
still
there. The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color
of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still a
second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
I do not know how the front part turns into black. This could be a
"quickie
curtain" (S&R seem to use this, and DC uses it in the "father and son"
trick),
or maybe some special glass that changes color when you run electricity
thru
it.
The motorcycle illusion is one of the easiest to
figure out. I had it figured out as soon as DC put the helmet on and
grabbed the curtain. Very slick, he is and his significant other (and
I'm not talking about Claudia). When he grabs that curtain, DC's hand
doesn't actually grab the curtain. His buddy dressed exactly as DC
grabs
that curtain. Watch the videotape again. DC's clone has the same body,
hair, moves, demeanor, etc... The choreography is outstanding. In the
meantime, DC is taking a leasurely walk out into the house through the
trap systems in the house (remember, he can only performs illusions such
as this in houses that have trap systems designed into the front of
house
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
Not exactly correct - the bike stays where it was, but you don't see it.
The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still
a second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
IMPALED
The "impaled" illusion is a big improvement of Robert-Houdin's
suspension (sword suspension ?). The method is that the girl wears a
steel corset, which is simply put on the top of the sword, while the
girl is inside. The insertion point is near the shoulder. You can check
this allegation with your VCR, by using double speed. You will see that
1. the sword moves when the woman is put on it
2. the whole thing moves a bit back and forth
3. when unlocking her, the magician has to move her a bit up
If it is done by a woman not wearing pants, then she must have a very
hard time doing it - she has to keep her legs up, without this beeing
shown by looking at her muscles. I saw this be done by the pendragons,
so I guess the woman was that "Charlotte".
The "impaled" illusion adds a motor which lowers / raises the "sword".
The magician (yes, now it's a man) pulls a sword top at the right moment
"from his navel".That "right moment" seems to be the big problem with
that illusion. If
the magician performs it sloppily, then the sword (audience view) will
change its length. Another problem is that the sword should be polished
and without greesy fingerprints, so that you can't see that it is
lowered. In the first performance I saw of it was even worse: you could
see that the "sword top" was raised diagonally. Later I saw the same
performed by DC - it was of course perfectly done :-)
HAND CHOPPER
. Here is the basis for the illusion.
The blade is actually L-shaped. One wing of the blade is dull, the
other
sharp. The entire blade pivots at the corner of the L. The blade is
forced down, hits the arm, and pivots rapidly. The second sharp edge
then
comes into view and slices the carrot or other object in the second
hole.
That's all there is to it. This is especially shocking to the audience
member whose arm is in the device, as (s)he actually feels the blade as
it
hits his arm. More advance versions have a locking blade that allows
the
magician to slice a carrot in the upper hole at the conclusion of the
illusion.
+--------
\|~~~~~~~~
\|
\|
\|
~~~~ is "dull" and "\\\\\" is sharp. "+" is the pivot.
|~
|~
|~
|~
+--------
\\\\\\\\
S SUSPENSION
How is it possible to make someone float and pass
a hoop completly around them. Some say there is a bar bent
in an S shape on a board.
I really doubt that you are a magician (you said you perform azrah
levitation - so you should know other levitations as well).
You are correct about the "S".
(Be sure that you have a fixed font to read this post)
It is usually done quite in the dark, so that you don't see to much.
The girl ("JUNGFRAU" in the picture) below is resting on a part
of an "S". The magician can take a *real* hoop, and pass it around,
if the hoop and the "S" are large enough. The move is none in three
steps, but gives the illusion that the hoop is freely passed
around the girl.
e
J +--+
N | |a
G |c |
F | |
G----+ | +--- this part behind the curtain !
R | |
A |b |
U +--+
d
0. Start with hoop between (e) and (a).
1. Move hoop across girl, back part of the hoop moved from (a) to
(b).
2. Front part of the hoop moved to the rear (d). The hoop is
now between (d) and (b).
3. Hoop moves again, until it is between (c) and (e).
4. Take the part of the hoop that is at (e) completely to the front
5. Move the hoop across the girl again.
If the hoop is large enough, you don't need the full "S", only a half
of it.
NIAGRA FALLS CAMERA TRICK
The part *before* the opening of the "hole" is a video !
1. Shortly before DC goes to close the box, you can see his left arm in
the small picture angled up (about 80 degrees), but on the main picture
the arm is down ! (freeze the image to find the moment - it is just
after a cut)
2. Compare the closing of front (with the hole) of the box. You will see
that in the small picture, it goes smoothly, but in the big picture,
there is a short wait in the middle.
Freeze image again, and you will see his hand on the picture, although
his hands are on the left and on the right --> the mini camera is on the
left or on the right, but *not* in the middle (at the hole).
Amazing for me is that I did not expect that video "cheat" at that place
- why didn't DC simply put a mini-camera in the big one ? Or is the
whole thing just a mistake in the editing for television ?
Now if you want to know to how the guy vanished... Have a look at other
illusions, like "big black box" and "video to life". Think. Find the
similarity. Post your theory here. BTW, it's Penn & Teller on that
building.
DISSAPEARING GIRL
, it is all in the base of the table/blue box. the girls are
laying in the box together (tight fit) and the illusion is very (and I
mean very) decieving. i checked out the illusion on my computer (by the
way I am one of the only people in the U.S. that designs illusions by
comuter first, before building them per Jim Steinmeyer) and found out
that the table is very deceiving with the colors and base. The legs are
very deceiving too. The entire package puts together an unbelievable
illusion. The part where the girl "erases" is just her putting her leg
into the base, while wearing a costume that has a fake half-leg and
half-arm.
THE BASE IS
8 1/2 inches.
the black lycra (spandex) 1/2 inch
the blue base is 2 1/2 to 3 inches
there is a 3/4 in spacer (covered with black prof. felt)
2 1/2 inch base aluminum
and around a 2 1/4 inch leg base
the sheet metal used bows in the middle, you will notice this during DC
performance when BOTH girls are in. Then at the end, it looks less
bowed
in the middle.
INTERLUDE
The person inside the box either twists his body to make enough
space for the girl or bends forward and stands up on hidden steps
attached to the sides of the box so that the girl can crawl between
his legs. Since we can see the magician's legs, there would have to
be some gimmick making us believe we can still see his legs. BTW,
there is always somebody moving in front of the box (or a dense
smoke) which would make it easier for the magician to "rearrange"
inside the box. Since it is very difficult to twist your body with
your legs spread up, I conjecture that the magician moves one of
his legs (the left one in the case of S&R) and puts it behind the
other one. In this position, it is much easier to twist the body.
Also, at one moment (close-up) you can see DC's body positioned
somewhat diagonally... So, I prefer the explanation based on twisting.
ELEVATOR
According to one Poundstone's book "Biggest secrets", DC is hiding in
the
floor of the elevator. The shape you see is a sort of cardboard,
(not stiff) but like these things to darken rooms, and it has the shape
of DC.
STATUE OF LIBERTY
He turned the whole audience on a giant rotating platform, so that the
SOL was then behind one of the columns (moving done while curtain up).
The lights of the statue were turned off. The ring of lights you saw is
a second one. The reason that the SOL cannot be seen on the
Kodork-sponsored photos is because a flashlight works only a few meters
away, and the camera used the nearby standing girls as reference. All
further away is just "dark stuff".
The radar was of course not real. I got an interesting e-mail from a guy
with whom I am in "exposing" contact. He noticed that a reflection of
lights can be seen on the "radar", and those reflections are moving at
the moment where the audience is moving.
FLYING
Flying is the simplest and stupidest trick there is. It is not
: magic, it is stage performance.
The most amazing performance I've ever seen on TV.
: Flying is done the same way that Peter Pan flew in his stage
: production or any other stage production which a person
: is made to fly. It is with wires. DC is hooked up like a puppet.
: He leaves the stage and get into a rigged harness.
The most important question is not answered: how do they do it with the
hoops and how does he fly in the glass box when he is wired ?
In both cases, they never go above him. This is somewhat difficult to
explain, so it would be good if you have the video while reading this.
The first time, both helpers seem move the hoops around. The audience
sees it this way, because it looks to the whole picture. If the audience
would follow each hoop separately, they would not be fooled. The hoops
are moved under him, the air above is safe.
The second time, the helpers turning the double-hoop move suddenly
forward, so that they move it under him (and not above). It is difficult
to see because the hoops are moving, so the 3D-algorithm of your brain
fails, and your brain cannot "decode" which part of the hoop is before,
and which one is behind him. So you simply "assume" that he got thru.
While the camera turns, notice that the lid is too small, so that there
is space on the long edges. (Thanks to the AOL guy who told me this last
year !) Also notice how the helpers place the lid over the box - they do
it very carefully, coming vertically from the small side (because DC's
wires are on the long side).
As has correctly been posted here, she's a plant. An ordinary girl could
get scared when DC flies away, and would then sue DC for a zillion $.
GREAT SECRETS REVEALED: THE ART OF "FLYING"
HOW DAVID COPPERFIELD DOES IT
The key to this trick is: THINK SIMPLE... No giant magnets, no neutron
beams, no anti-gravity waves. David was simply suspended by a couple of
very strong, very fine wires or filaments of some very strong space-age
material. This is hardly the first time that such wires have been used
for a "levitation". I see him wearing a strong harness under his loose-
fitting sweat-shirt at his center of gravity; the wires are attached to
the sides of the harness, allowing him to be drawn up and down and back
and forth by a crane-like device out of sight near the ceiling. During
the performance in Vegas I bent forward and peered up at the ceiling
over the stage but of course my vision was cut off past a certain point
by some carefully placed curtains. But in this way he can "fly" all
around the stage and even perform those mid-air somersaults by carefully
avoiding the wires with his arms as he turns over. Yes, this trick
required a great deal of practice, I'm sure!
Right about now, people jump up and say, "But what about the
HOOPS?! They passed all those HOOPS over him!". This was the key
observation by my brother-in-law that caused the pieces to start to fall
into place: they did NOT pass any hoops over him!! The first pair of
hoops, one a bit smaller than the other so it could pass inside the
other, were drawn across David by two assistants, but as they almost met
together in the middle part of David's body, the assistants executed a
twisting motion on both hoops, tilting the top part *back* and the
bottom part *forward*, swinging both hoops *around* rather than *across*
David's body with the clever result that NO PART OF EITHER HOOP actually
crossed over the top of David's mid-section where the wires were
supporting him! This is difficult to describe in text but if you look
at a video-tape of it, in slow-motion if necessary,
no offense to murphy magic but they took my video i made of my cool tribute to rand woodbury illusionist i made plus dvd videos and cd audieos are fadding out of walk in stores even ventriquest jeef dummhem knows this thats why he freely shares illusion secrets on youtube and everyone does but murphey i guess not they didnt even own that video its my vhs video tape dubbed to a blank dvd-r video disc cause vcr recorders went out of style years ago ps the video that God provides all things freely but mankind wants to hide God and put money in there own pockets those kinds of children and teen teen/ adults and adultsand grand peopleand old folks extc they need saving badly right now! ps boy i bet there not like Jesus Christ Lord Saviour God cause all resorce matteril goes back to God he gives all things freely to human mankind to discover it all freely anti gravity quantum stealth bending light invisbility nanabots metameterails hyper stealth i bet murphey magic folks were bullies in school took every boy and girl of all age groups lunch money and school money and ice cream money and beat all up in school and never played nice in the sand box and cheated in marbles and jacks AFBMISSIONS.ORG goodnewsjail.org goodnewstracts.org goodnewsbaptist.org sweethavenbaptist.com andrekole youtube.com andrekole.org youtube.com/FernandoP1/videos youtube.com/yamato905/videos youtube.com/kingmagicsales/videos youtube.com/howtoDisturbReality/videos google.com magiccafe alt.magic.secrets secrets of magic forum mwtb.org billriceranch.org wilds.org Crossway.org cloudtenpictures.com roapm.com considercharacter.org SeekLife.netIllusion Works Volumes 1 & 2 3&4 dvd video by Rand Woodbury - DVD
magictvfan
magictvfan
5 years ago
Thanks for uploading so many David Copperfield specials, Bill! I'm very grateful for what you have done here. You are one of my most favourite YouTube channels as you help keep the Magic of David Copperfield alive! Nothing is impossible with Jesus! I'm a huge David Copperfield fan and am always looking for his illusions. Thanks again!ο»Ώ

1

Bill Page

Bill Page
Bill Page
1 second ago
cool welcome chriss pal brother in Christ youtube.com/magictvfan/videosο»Ώ http://youtu.be/n3qlDS5b_fQ
magictvfan
youtube.com
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2018-06-27 18:20:48 UTC
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I've always wondered how David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall,
DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.
I got an e-mail from a reader of my document, who saw even more. There
is something black on the top stair, which is later inserted. This is
the cover of the stairs !! You can also see a ladder somewhere. Guess
why...DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the
far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.Take one piece of paper and draw a plan view of the box DC was in. Put
the
spotlight above (behind) the box (but not too close). Now draw a line
from
the light to each side of the front of the box (ie: the screen). Note
the
spaces. If DC moves across the line closest to the Great Wall of China
(in
the illusion), he will appear to (on the screen) walk into the wall...
| . <-------- Light
| / \
| / \
| / \
| / \
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||D2 /D1 \ |
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||/___________________\|
| S <- Screen at front of box
|
|
|
| <- Great Wall of China
D1 = David
S = David's Shadow
D2 = David when you can't see him - He's "inside the wall"
That one is of course correct when he *exits* the wall, but not for
entering, since [my theory is that] he's already in the stairs at that
time.
- The real rose comes out of the suit pocket, while you are blinded by
the fire (--> optical misdirection);
- When the paper rose is hanging "freely" in the air, I could once see
(on TV, but not from DC) two "visible" thread in V-form. That
magician had IMO made mistake: 1. wearing a black jacket, 2. not
having instructed the camera man.
A magician told me that the trick is really difficult to learn (and I
believe this !), and that there are two variations. One with, one
without standing microphone.
"It's all done with mirrors".
That is the standard meaningless explanation of how effects are
done. Yet, quite a lot CAN be done with mirrors. The key to most mirror
effects is a combination of a basic law of physics, combined with
expectations that defy the laws of physics.
The principle is that the angle of incidence equals the angle of
reflection. This means that if you look at a mirror at a 45 degree
angle, you will see a reflection of what's 45 degrees on the other side
of a line perpendicular to the plane of the mirror. But people expect,
when they look into a mirror, to see their own reflection, regardless of
the angle of the mirror. As a result, if the mirror reflects what the
audience expects to see BEHIND the mirror, they will be unaware that
there is a mirror there.
This goes further; a properly angled mirror with a transparent
but distorting surface in front of it will make it seem to the audience
that they can see through the object, when they are actually seeing a
mirror. One good example of this is putting a mirror in a glass. The
glass should cut with a non-smooth pattern, so that you can't REALLY see
behind it, even without a mirror. Yet the audience will believe that
they are looking at a transparent glass, allowing the magician to hide
all sorts of things behind the mirror.
The key to a mirror trick is for the audience to not suspect
that
there is a mirror there. That is a basic part of ANY trick with a
hidden
gaff. The magician must direct attention away from the gaff; far too
many say, "I have here an ORDINARY glass", actually fixing the
audience's
attention to the glass. Far better is to not even mention the glass,
but
treat it as you would a truly ordinary glass; it is not mentioned
because
it is not worthy of mention. Pull this off, and the audience may not
even remember that a glass was involved.
METAMORPHISIS
(why is it that everyone thinks magic is
either twins or mirrors?) This is a pretty old trick... Ever notice that
there were no inspections at all? probably no back to the trunk with a
plank.. anyway... so they tied the first pendragon and put him in a bag
with a hole in the bottom. They close up. (plenty of time to take off
whatever binds you) then watch the spotlight for standing up of your
partner... jump up when the cloth is partway up then throw it up... grab
the cloth and move it as soon as your partner drops down into the plank
from the trap door. Then take your time and let your partner change
bathing suits. (wish all girls could change that fast :-) then your
partner just puts on the ropes... handcuffs.. whatever in time to stand
up
and take a bow....
DISSAPEARING GIRL
Question: Where did DC hide the two girls in his Disappearing Girl(s)
illusion?
Standard answer: He uses the special thicker-than-they look tables to
hide them in the table.
Well, I know they have to be somwhere (probably in the table), but let
me ask some further questions.
I did some measurements of the thickness of the table plus the thickness
of the bottom of the blue box sitting on the top of the table. I simply
put a ruler on my TV monitor and compared the measurement with DC's
body (to have a scale). The total thickness is about 8-9" but not more.
Since they turned the table by 360 degrees, the table cannot be made
thicker at one end and thinner at the other end, neither can it it be
lense shaped as some may try to argue. So, can you really squeeze two
adults
into such a small space????
If you watch other illusions based on those special tables, such as the
Death Saw or Shrinking (by DC), the thickness roughly corresponds to
what I would expect. But in the Disappearing Girl illusion, my
measurements
simply do not agree with common sense.
I too don't know where the girls come from. I also don't know where the
girl (the one with DC's haircut) is in the Origami box - although that
girl is *very* anorexic.
BTW, would you agree with me that DC uses a false head (!) for the
"shrink-box" ? DC's head can't be seen for a short time when going up
and down, and the move is kindof "out-of-sequence".
Another mystery is DC's disappearance in the Alcatraz video at the end.
The table does not have a thick top - but he's gone! The only thing I
could suspect is an "angle trick" (which means that he goes away behind
that cardboard, and every real audience member could see it), and that's
about nothing.
A similar case is a disappearance (or was it an appearance ?) in "father
and son" at the end of the 1985 video. No thick table top there eithe
Everyone has seen the oldest magic trick in the world... where a person
is put in a small box and the box is cut in half, leaving the head and
feet visible, in two separate boxes (very small boxes!).
Not the oldest. There was a "thick model" in the thirties, which was
exposed just too often. Some day (anyone knows when / who ?) the "thin"
model was invented.
Can someone please let me know how this is done? The boxes are
DEFINITELY too small for a person to fit in just half.
The "secret" is not in the height of the boxes, but in the width,
although one inch may be "won" by using a "thick bottom". The assistant,
Miss Anorexia Smallhips, has to lay on the left side and fold herself in
the "head" half. The "foot" half contains two dummy feet (they often
move so regularly that it makes me laugh !). Notice that the table has
always to be turned for the feet switch to take place.
BUZZ SAW
The illusion is that DC lays face down on a table, the saw drops and
DC is severed. Then the two halves of DC are seperated and wheeled
around, but the audience is never allowed a view of cross sectional
area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that
DC is bent at the waist and his legs are stuffed into the table.a thick tabletop is used. (measure it, and you'll have
about 15 - 20 cm !!!). People don't care about the tabletop because it
just "looks bulky and solid". (Hey, those illusions are hand-crafted !).
On the left, DC is in a "frog position". On the right, another person is
lying with feet in the air,
DC CARD TRICKS
Two tricks need that a specific card is picked: DC's card-on-sketchpad,
and DC's gun shoots card.
From the audience point of view, it goes like this: the magician fans apack of *big* cards, shows that the cards are different (why should
someone doubt this - I don't know <g>). The audience member has to tip
her/his finger on the back of the card. The magician changes the pack so
that the audience members is now holding his finger on the top card, and
hands him that card.
As I said, in the tricks where I saw this, it is important that a
specific card is chosen. "forcing" would not work with a TV camera.
Here's my guess: card pairs. The bottom cards of the pairs are
different, the top cards are alike. The connecting surfaces are raw or
sticky, so that the pairs don't separated
THE BLADE
The reconnection of the halves is suspicious, but could also be there to
fool the I-know-how-it-is-done people. "Chad Long" said in alt.magic
that he saw the tricks with both halves opened at the same time, and a
reader (not lurker of this group) said that the halves were opened after
another.
The boots and the gloves of the girl are also suspicious, and are likely
to be "too big" for her, so that she can easily get out of them. Notice
that she moves her arms, but sometimes out of sight.
One thing that I looked again and again was trying to see if that
separating part was thick or not. If it was thick, the girl could put a
half or her out of sight. But DC did move those halves... Could he have
painted those black parts with different black tones to suggest that the
separators are really only about 2cm thick ?
* About the halves: they look different. The left one is cut perfectly,
* but the right one looks like it is the actual girl standing on one leg
* on the side, squeezing her left part against the separator.
I looked again. Maybe this was just wishful thinking. The two head
halves *do* look different, but simply because the girl has her parting
on the left (audience point of view). She also has a lot of hair
covering her ears, so we can't use that one to analyse her head
position.
1. The separators are optical illusions (i.e. are thick)
2. She turns her head a bit, and squeezes it against the separator
(1.5 cm of the two could be used). She uses a fake custume front,
so that it looks as if she's properly cut. Such a fake costume has
been used by a girl in another DC trick (not in this show).
3. One real girl and one fake 1/2 girl. Props are hidden behind that
black middle part.
4. We know from "The fan" that this girl has a twin. Her twin hides
behind that black middle part.
That middle part at the rear (about 20 cm wide, gets separated too) does
certainly have a purpose, since the trick would be even more amazing if
it wasn't there.
Well, this brings four possibilities. At least three of them are wrong
CHINESE WATER TOURTURE CELL
The method is very simple. First, the
handcuffs pose no problem. Current magicians use those silly things
with
the oval hoop and the padlocks. They just fall off with a twist. For
Houdini, real cuffs were routine. So those are gone. The foot stocks
seem formidable, but if you look closely (not Houdini, since he's not
available, but current magicians) you'll see that the third rivet from
the left (stage left) has a false bottom. People are distracted because
of the air bubbles (from the magician), but if you ignore the bubbles
and
look at the rivets it's pretty obvious.
ZIG-ZAG-GIRL
The [Harbin] zig-zag-girl illusion is pretty self-exposing (the middle
part
never goes totally on the left). The girl is always there, squeezed in
the
small space between box 1&2 and box 2&3. The boxes are contructed to
make you
believe that they have very thick edges, which they have not. The trick
is
explained in one of the three Poundstone books. The girl is very
unconfortable
at the top of her legs and below her breasts.
it was
copyrighted or something like that. (I'd like to know more about that).
The mis-made lady: I think this is done with four boxes, which are
rearranged
in different positions. I don't know how today's trick is done (where
they
show parts - could be dummies). Someone sent me a description, in which
the
girl is simply squeezed in the lowest part, which is constructed to look
smaller than it really is (there is additional space between the lower
"edge"
and the floor, which is covered by some decoration, like those hanging
'spaghettis'). I remember that some magician made fun of HLB, because
there
was a similar explanation like that in his book (I don't have it).
According
to another post in alt.magic about Penn & Teller, the girl (or Teller)
has to
move between the boxes all the time.
++---++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---++
+-----+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+-----+
DC MOTERCYCLE TRICK
: I recently went to a D.C. show when he came in my area and had some
very
: good info giving seats. I was sitting behind the sound board which
had
: a shape sort of sunk into the ground behind it covered by a sheet. I
did
: not think much of it. In the final illusion of the show...D.C. was on
a
: motorcycle on stage suspended on a bridge. The lady running the sound
: board was extremely nervous and at one time yelled out "Where the fuck
is
: he?". This got my attention to where she was looking. A man that
looked
: exactly like D.C. came down the isle, and got on the now uncovered
object
: in front of me which was an exact replica motorcycle as the one on
stage.
: As I looked on stage I still saw the "other" D.C...I thought two
D.C.'s..
: ...hmmmm. He must have a double or a well-covered up twin or a well
make
: uped person. This would then make many of his illusions easier to
figure
: out. There are indeed two DCs in the motorcycle vanish. But not twins,
just
lookalikes. It is done at the time the real DC opens the curtain to show
the
motorcycle. You will see that a hand grabs the curtain. This hand is
already
the hand of the double. DC then vanishes behind the curtain (hand can
still be
seen), and the double reappears. You don't notice that it is a double,
because
of the dark helmet and because you think the actual part hasn't even
started.
Abount the vanish itself: the fake DC and the motobike are of course
still
there. The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color
of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still a
second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
I do not know how the front part turns into black. This could be a
"quickie
curtain" (S&R seem to use this, and DC uses it in the "father and son"
trick),
or maybe some special glass that changes color when you run electricity
thru
it.
The motorcycle illusion is one of the easiest to
figure out. I had it figured out as soon as DC put the helmet on and
grabbed the curtain. Very slick, he is and his significant other (and
I'm not talking about Claudia). When he grabs that curtain, DC's hand
doesn't actually grab the curtain. His buddy dressed exactly as DC
grabs
that curtain. Watch the videotape again. DC's clone has the same body,
hair, moves, demeanor, etc... The choreography is outstanding. In the
meantime, DC is taking a leasurely walk out into the house through the
trap systems in the house (remember, he can only performs illusions such
as this in houses that have trap systems designed into the front of
house
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
Not exactly correct - the bike stays where it was, but you don't see it.
The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still
a second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
IMPALED
The "impaled" illusion is a big improvement of Robert-Houdin's
suspension (sword suspension ?). The method is that the girl wears a
steel corset, which is simply put on the top of the sword, while the
girl is inside. The insertion point is near the shoulder. You can check
this allegation with your VCR, by using double speed. You will see that
1. the sword moves when the woman is put on it
2. the whole thing moves a bit back and forth
3. when unlocking her, the magician has to move her a bit up
If it is done by a woman not wearing pants, then she must have a very
hard time doing it - she has to keep her legs up, without this beeing
shown by looking at her muscles. I saw this be done by the pendragons,
so I guess the woman was that "Charlotte".
The "impaled" illusion adds a motor which lowers / raises the "sword".
The magician (yes, now it's a man) pulls a sword top at the right moment
"from his navel".That "right moment" seems to be the big problem with
that illusion. If
the magician performs it sloppily, then the sword (audience view) will
change its length. Another problem is that the sword should be polished
and without greesy fingerprints, so that you can't see that it is
lowered. In the first performance I saw of it was even worse: you could
see that the "sword top" was raised diagonally. Later I saw the same
performed by DC - it was of course perfectly done :-)
HAND CHOPPER
. Here is the basis for the illusion.
The blade is actually L-shaped. One wing of the blade is dull, the
other
sharp. The entire blade pivots at the corner of the L. The blade is
forced down, hits the arm, and pivots rapidly. The second sharp edge
then
comes into view and slices the carrot or other object in the second
hole.
That's all there is to it. This is especially shocking to the audience
member whose arm is in the device, as (s)he actually feels the blade as
it
hits his arm. More advance versions have a locking blade that allows
the
magician to slice a carrot in the upper hole at the conclusion of the
illusion.
+--------
\|~~~~~~~~
\|
\|
\|
~~~~ is "dull" and "\\\\\" is sharp. "+" is the pivot.
|~
|~
|~
|~
+--------
\\\\\\\\
S SUSPENSION
How is it possible to make someone float and pass
a hoop completly around them. Some say there is a bar bent
in an S shape on a board.
I really doubt that you are a magician (you said you perform azrah
levitation - so you should know other levitations as well).
You are correct about the "S".
(Be sure that you have a fixed font to read this post)
It is usually done quite in the dark, so that you don't see to much.
The girl ("JUNGFRAU" in the picture) below is resting on a part
of an "S". The magician can take a *real* hoop, and pass it around,
if the hoop and the "S" are large enough. The move is none in three
steps, but gives the illusion that the hoop is freely passed
around the girl.
e
J +--+
N | |a
G |c |
F | |
G----+ | +--- this part behind the curtain !
R | |
A |b |
U +--+
d
0. Start with hoop between (e) and (a).
1. Move hoop across girl, back part of the hoop moved from (a) to
(b).
2. Front part of the hoop moved to the rear (d). The hoop is
now between (d) and (b).
3. Hoop moves again, until it is between (c) and (e).
4. Take the part of the hoop that is at (e) completely to the front
5. Move the hoop across the girl again.
If the hoop is large enough, you don't need the full "S", only a half
of it.
NIAGRA FALLS CAMERA TRICK
The part *before* the opening of the "hole" is a video !
1. Shortly before DC goes to close the box, you can see his left arm in
the small picture angled up (about 80 degrees), but on the main picture
the arm is down ! (freeze the image to find the moment - it is just
after a cut)
2. Compare the closing of front (with the hole) of the box. You will see
that in the small picture, it goes smoothly, but in the big picture,
there is a short wait in the middle.
Freeze image again, and you will see his hand on the picture, although
his hands are on the left and on the right --> the mini camera is on the
left or on the right, but *not* in the middle (at the hole).
Amazing for me is that I did not expect that video "cheat" at that place
- why didn't DC simply put a mini-camera in the big one ? Or is the
whole thing just a mistake in the editing for television ?
Now if you want to know to how the guy vanished... Have a look at other
illusions, like "big black box" and "video to life". Think. Find the
similarity. Post your theory here. BTW, it's Penn & Teller on that
building.
DISSAPEARING GIRL
, it is all in the base of the table/blue box. the girls are
laying in the box together (tight fit) and the illusion is very (and I
mean very) decieving. i checked out the illusion on my computer (by the
way I am one of the only people in the U.S. that designs illusions by
comuter first, before building them per Jim Steinmeyer) and found out
that the table is very deceiving with the colors and base. The legs are
very deceiving too. The entire package puts together an unbelievable
illusion. The part where the girl "erases" is just her putting her leg
into the base, while wearing a costume that has a fake half-leg and
half-arm.
THE BASE IS
8 1/2 inches.
the black lycra (spandex) 1/2 inch
the blue base is 2 1/2 to 3 inches
there is a 3/4 in spacer (covered with black prof. felt)
2 1/2 inch base aluminum
and around a 2 1/4 inch leg base
the sheet metal used bows in the middle, you will notice this during DC
performance when BOTH girls are in. Then at the end, it looks less
bowed
in the middle.
INTERLUDE
The person inside the box either twists his body to make enough
space for the girl or bends forward and stands up on hidden steps
attached to the sides of the box so that the girl can crawl between
his legs. Since we can see the magician's legs, there would have to
be some gimmick making us believe we can still see his legs. BTW,
there is always somebody moving in front of the box (or a dense
smoke) which would make it easier for the magician to "rearrange"
inside the box. Since it is very difficult to twist your body with
your legs spread up, I conjecture that the magician moves one of
his legs (the left one in the case of S&R) and puts it behind the
other one. In this position, it is much easier to twist the body.
Also, at one moment (close-up) you can see DC's body positioned
somewhat diagonally... So, I prefer the explanation based on twisting.
ELEVATOR
According to one Poundstone's book "Biggest secrets", DC is hiding in
the
floor of the elevator. The shape you see is a sort of cardboard,
(not stiff) but like these things to darken rooms, and it has the shape
of DC.
STATUE OF LIBERTY
He turned the whole audience on a giant rotating platform, so that the
SOL was then behind one of the columns (moving done while curtain up).
The lights of the statue were turned off. The ring of lights you saw is
a second one. The reason that the SOL cannot be seen on the
Kodork-sponsored photos is because a flashlight works only a few meters
away, and the camera used the nearby standing girls as reference. All
further away is just "dark stuff".
The radar was of course not real. I got an interesting e-mail from a guy
with whom I am in "exposing" contact. He noticed that a reflection of
lights can be seen on the "radar", and those reflections are moving at
the moment where the audience is moving.
FLYING
Flying is the simplest and stupidest trick there is. It is not
: magic, it is stage performance.
The most amazing performance I've ever seen on TV.
: Flying is done the same way that Peter Pan flew in his stage
: production or any other stage production which a person
: is made to fly. It is with wires. DC is hooked up like a puppet.
: He leaves the stage and get into a rigged harness.
The most important question is not answered: how do they do it with the
hoops and how does he fly in the glass box when he is wired ?
In both cases, they never go above him. This is somewhat difficult to
explain, so it would be good if you have the video while reading this.
The first time, both helpers seem move the hoops around. The audience
sees it this way, because it looks to the whole picture. If the audience
would follow each hoop separately, they would not be fooled. The hoops
are moved under him, the air above is safe.
The second time, the helpers turning the double-hoop move suddenly
forward, so that they move it under him (and not above). It is difficult
to see because the hoops are moving, so the 3D-algorithm of your brain
fails, and your brain cannot "decode" which part of the hoop is before,
and which one is behind him. So you simply "assume" that he got thru.
While the camera turns, notice that the lid is too small, so that there
is space on the long edges. (Thanks to the AOL guy who told me this last
year !) Also notice how the helpers place the lid over the box - they do
it very carefully, coming vertically from the small side (because DC's
wires are on the long side).
As has correctly been posted here, she's a plant. An ordinary girl could
get scared when DC flies away, and would then sue DC for a zillion $.
GREAT SECRETS REVEALED: THE ART OF "FLYING"
HOW DAVID COPPERFIELD DOES IT
The key to this trick is: THINK SIMPLE... No giant magnets, no neutron
beams, no anti-gravity waves. David was simply suspended by a couple of
very strong, very fine wires or filaments of some very strong space-age
material. This is hardly the first time that such wires have been used
for a "levitation". I see him wearing a strong harness under his loose-
fitting sweat-shirt at his center of gravity; the wires are attached to
the sides of the harness, allowing him to be drawn up and down and back
and forth by a crane-like device out of sight near the ceiling. During
the performance in Vegas I bent forward and peered up at the ceiling
over the stage but of course my vision was cut off past a certain point
by some carefully placed curtains. But in this way he can "fly" all
around the stage and even perform those mid-air somersaults by carefully
avoiding the wires with his arms as he turns over. Yes, this trick
required a great deal of practice, I'm sure!
Right about now, people jump up and say, "But what about the
HOOPS?! They passed all those HOOPS over him!". This was the key
observation by my brother-in-law that caused the pieces to start to fall
into place: they did NOT pass any hoops over him!! The first pair of
hoops, one a bit smaller than the other so it could pass inside the
other, were drawn across David by two assistants, but as they almost met
together in the middle part of David's body, the assistants executed a
twisting motion on both hoops, tilting the top part *back* and the
bottom part *forward*, swinging both hoops *around* rather than *across*
David's body with the clever result that NO PART OF EITHER HOOP actually
crossed over the top of David's mid-section where the wires were
supporting him! This is difficult to describe in text but if you look
at a video-tape of it, in slow-motion if necessary,
no offense to murphy magic but they took my video i made of my cool tribute to rand woodbury illusionist i made plus dvd videos and cd audieos are fadding out of walk in stores even ventriquest jeef dummhem knows this thats why he freely shares illusion secrets on youtube and everyone does but murphey i guess not they didnt even own that video its my vhs video tape dubbed to a blank dvd-r video disc cause vcr recorders went out of style years ago ps the video that God provides all things freely but mankind wants to hide God and put money in there own pockets those kinds of children and teen teen/ adults and adultsand grand peopleand old folks extc they need saving badly right now! ps boy i bet there not like Jesus Christ Lord Saviour God cause all resorce matteril goes back to God he gives all things freely to human mankind to discover it all freely anti gravity quantum stealth bending light invisbility nanabots metameterails hyper stealth i bet murphey magic folks were bullies in school took every boy and girl of all age groups lunch money and school money and ice cream money and beat all up in school and never played nice in the sand box and cheated in marbles and jacks AFBMISSIONS.ORG goodnewsjail.org goodnewstracts.org goodnewsbaptist.org sweethavenbaptist.com andrekole youtube.com andrekole.org youtube.com/FernandoP1/videos youtube.com/yamato905/videos youtube.com/kingmagicsales/videos youtube.com/howtoDisturbReality/videos google.com magiccafe alt.magic.secrets secrets of magic forum mwtb.org billriceranch.org wilds.org Crossway.org cloudtenpictures.com roapm.com considercharacter.org SeekLife.net Illusion Works Volumes 1 & 2 3&4 dvd video by Rand Woodbury - DVD
magictvfan
magictvfan
5 years ago
Thanks for uploading so many David Copperfield specials, Bill! I'm very grateful for what you have done here. You are one of my most favourite YouTube channels as you help keep the Magic of David Copperfield alive! Nothing is impossible with Jesus! I'm a huge David Copperfield fan and am always looking for his illusions. Thanks again!ο»Ώ

1

Bill Page

Bill Page
Bill Page
1 second ago
cool welcome chriss pal brother in Christ youtube.com/magictvfan/videosο»Ώ http://youtu.be/n3qlDS5b_fQ
magictvfan
youtube.com
SAT 6:25PM
bill page
2018-06-15 00:44:37 UTC
Permalink
I've always wondered how David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall,
DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.
I got an e-mail from a reader of my document, who saw even more. There
is something black on the top stair, which is later inserted. This is
the cover of the stairs !! You can also see a ladder somewhere. Guess
why...DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the
far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.Take one piece of paper and draw a plan view of the box DC was in. Put
the
spotlight above (behind) the box (but not too close). Now draw a line
from
the light to each side of the front of the box (ie: the screen). Note
the
spaces. If DC moves across the line closest to the Great Wall of China
(in
the illusion), he will appear to (on the screen) walk into the wall...
| . <-------- Light
| / \
| / \
| / \
| / \
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||D2 /D1 \ |
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||/___________________\|
| S <- Screen at front of box
|
|
|
| <- Great Wall of China
D1 = David
S = David's Shadow
D2 = David when you can't see him - He's "inside the wall"
That one is of course correct when he *exits* the wall, but not for
entering, since [my theory is that] he's already in the stairs at that
time.
- The real rose comes out of the suit pocket, while you are blinded by
the fire (--> optical misdirection);
- When the paper rose is hanging "freely" in the air, I could once see
(on TV, but not from DC) two "visible" thread in V-form. That
magician had IMO made mistake: 1. wearing a black jacket, 2. not
having instructed the camera man.
A magician told me that the trick is really difficult to learn (and I
believe this !), and that there are two variations. One with, one
without standing microphone.
"It's all done with mirrors".
That is the standard meaningless explanation of how effects are
done. Yet, quite a lot CAN be done with mirrors. The key to most mirror
effects is a combination of a basic law of physics, combined with
expectations that defy the laws of physics.
The principle is that the angle of incidence equals the angle of
reflection. This means that if you look at a mirror at a 45 degree
angle, you will see a reflection of what's 45 degrees on the other side
of a line perpendicular to the plane of the mirror. But people expect,
when they look into a mirror, to see their own reflection, regardless of
the angle of the mirror. As a result, if the mirror reflects what the
audience expects to see BEHIND the mirror, they will be unaware that
there is a mirror there.
This goes further; a properly angled mirror with a transparent
but distorting surface in front of it will make it seem to the audience
that they can see through the object, when they are actually seeing a
mirror. One good example of this is putting a mirror in a glass. The
glass should cut with a non-smooth pattern, so that you can't REALLY see
behind it, even without a mirror. Yet the audience will believe that
they are looking at a transparent glass, allowing the magician to hide
all sorts of things behind the mirror.
The key to a mirror trick is for the audience to not suspect
that
there is a mirror there. That is a basic part of ANY trick with a
hidden
gaff. The magician must direct attention away from the gaff; far too
many say, "I have here an ORDINARY glass", actually fixing the
audience's
attention to the glass. Far better is to not even mention the glass,
but
treat it as you would a truly ordinary glass; it is not mentioned
because
it is not worthy of mention. Pull this off, and the audience may not
even remember that a glass was involved.
METAMORPHISIS
(why is it that everyone thinks magic is
either twins or mirrors?) This is a pretty old trick... Ever notice that
there were no inspections at all? probably no back to the trunk with a
plank.. anyway... so they tied the first pendragon and put him in a bag
with a hole in the bottom. They close up. (plenty of time to take off
whatever binds you) then watch the spotlight for standing up of your
partner... jump up when the cloth is partway up then throw it up... grab
the cloth and move it as soon as your partner drops down into the plank
from the trap door. Then take your time and let your partner change
bathing suits. (wish all girls could change that fast :-) then your
partner just puts on the ropes... handcuffs.. whatever in time to stand
up
and take a bow....
DISSAPEARING GIRL
Question: Where did DC hide the two girls in his Disappearing Girl(s)
illusion?
Standard answer: He uses the special thicker-than-they look tables to
hide them in the table.
Well, I know they have to be somwhere (probably in the table), but let
me ask some further questions.
I did some measurements of the thickness of the table plus the thickness
of the bottom of the blue box sitting on the top of the table. I simply
put a ruler on my TV monitor and compared the measurement with DC's
body (to have a scale). The total thickness is about 8-9" but not more.
Since they turned the table by 360 degrees, the table cannot be made
thicker at one end and thinner at the other end, neither can it it be
lense shaped as some may try to argue. So, can you really squeeze two
adults
into such a small space????
If you watch other illusions based on those special tables, such as the
Death Saw or Shrinking (by DC), the thickness roughly corresponds to
what I would expect. But in the Disappearing Girl illusion, my
measurements
simply do not agree with common sense.
I too don't know where the girls come from. I also don't know where the
girl (the one with DC's haircut) is in the Origami box - although that
girl is *very* anorexic.
BTW, would you agree with me that DC uses a false head (!) for the
"shrink-box" ? DC's head can't be seen for a short time when going up
and down, and the move is kindof "out-of-sequence".
Another mystery is DC's disappearance in the Alcatraz video at the end.
The table does not have a thick top - but he's gone! The only thing I
could suspect is an "angle trick" (which means that he goes away behind
that cardboard, and every real audience member could see it), and that's
about nothing.
A similar case is a disappearance (or was it an appearance ?) in "father
and son" at the end of the 1985 video. No thick table top there eithe
Everyone has seen the oldest magic trick in the world... where a person
is put in a small box and the box is cut in half, leaving the head and
feet visible, in two separate boxes (very small boxes!).
Not the oldest. There was a "thick model" in the thirties, which was
exposed just too often. Some day (anyone knows when / who ?) the "thin"
model was invented.
Can someone please let me know how this is done? The boxes are
DEFINITELY too small for a person to fit in just half.
The "secret" is not in the height of the boxes, but in the width,
although one inch may be "won" by using a "thick bottom". The assistant,
Miss Anorexia Smallhips, has to lay on the left side and fold herself in
the "head" half. The "foot" half contains two dummy feet (they often
move so regularly that it makes me laugh !). Notice that the table has
always to be turned for the feet switch to take place.
BUZZ SAW
The illusion is that DC lays face down on a table, the saw drops and
DC is severed. Then the two halves of DC are seperated and wheeled
around, but the audience is never allowed a view of cross sectional
area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that
DC is bent at the waist and his legs are stuffed into the table.a thick tabletop is used. (measure it, and you'll have
about 15 - 20 cm !!!). People don't care about the tabletop because it
just "looks bulky and solid". (Hey, those illusions are hand-crafted !).
On the left, DC is in a "frog position". On the right, another person is
lying with feet in the air,
DC CARD TRICKS
Two tricks need that a specific card is picked: DC's card-on-sketchpad,
and DC's gun shoots card.
From the audience point of view, it goes like this: the magician fans apack of *big* cards, shows that the cards are different (why should
someone doubt this - I don't know <g>). The audience member has to tip
her/his finger on the back of the card. The magician changes the pack so
that the audience members is now holding his finger on the top card, and
hands him that card.
As I said, in the tricks where I saw this, it is important that a
specific card is chosen. "forcing" would not work with a TV camera.
Here's my guess: card pairs. The bottom cards of the pairs are
different, the top cards are alike. The connecting surfaces are raw or
sticky, so that the pairs don't separated
THE BLADE
The reconnection of the halves is suspicious, but could also be there to
fool the I-know-how-it-is-done people. "Chad Long" said in alt.magic
that he saw the tricks with both halves opened at the same time, and a
reader (not lurker of this group) said that the halves were opened after
another.
The boots and the gloves of the girl are also suspicious, and are likely
to be "too big" for her, so that she can easily get out of them. Notice
that she moves her arms, but sometimes out of sight.
One thing that I looked again and again was trying to see if that
separating part was thick or not. If it was thick, the girl could put a
half or her out of sight. But DC did move those halves... Could he have
painted those black parts with different black tones to suggest that the
separators are really only about 2cm thick ?
* About the halves: they look different. The left one is cut perfectly,
* but the right one looks like it is the actual girl standing on one leg
* on the side, squeezing her left part against the separator.
I looked again. Maybe this was just wishful thinking. The two head
halves *do* look different, but simply because the girl has her parting
on the left (audience point of view). She also has a lot of hair
covering her ears, so we can't use that one to analyse her head
position.
1. The separators are optical illusions (i.e. are thick)
2. She turns her head a bit, and squeezes it against the separator
(1.5 cm of the two could be used). She uses a fake custume front,
so that it looks as if she's properly cut. Such a fake costume has
been used by a girl in another DC trick (not in this show).
3. One real girl and one fake 1/2 girl. Props are hidden behind that
black middle part.
4. We know from "The fan" that this girl has a twin. Her twin hides
behind that black middle part.
That middle part at the rear (about 20 cm wide, gets separated too) does
certainly have a purpose, since the trick would be even more amazing if
it wasn't there.
Well, this brings four possibilities. At least three of them are wrong
CHINESE WATER TOURTURE CELL
The method is very simple. First, the
handcuffs pose no problem. Current magicians use those silly things
with
the oval hoop and the padlocks. They just fall off with a twist. For
Houdini, real cuffs were routine. So those are gone. The foot stocks
seem formidable, but if you look closely (not Houdini, since he's not
available, but current magicians) you'll see that the third rivet from
the left (stage left) has a false bottom. People are distracted because
of the air bubbles (from the magician), but if you ignore the bubbles
and
look at the rivets it's pretty obvious.
ZIG-ZAG-GIRL
The [Harbin] zig-zag-girl illusion is pretty self-exposing (the middle
part
never goes totally on the left). The girl is always there, squeezed in
the
small space between box 1&2 and box 2&3. The boxes are contructed to
make you
believe that they have very thick edges, which they have not. The trick
is
explained in one of the three Poundstone books. The girl is very
unconfortable
at the top of her legs and below her breasts.
it was
copyrighted or something like that. (I'd like to know more about that).
The mis-made lady: I think this is done with four boxes, which are
rearranged
in different positions. I don't know how today's trick is done (where
they
show parts - could be dummies). Someone sent me a description, in which
the
girl is simply squeezed in the lowest part, which is constructed to look
smaller than it really is (there is additional space between the lower
"edge"
and the floor, which is covered by some decoration, like those hanging
'spaghettis'). I remember that some magician made fun of HLB, because
there
was a similar explanation like that in his book (I don't have it).
According
to another post in alt.magic about Penn & Teller, the girl (or Teller)
has to
move between the boxes all the time.
++---++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---++
+-----+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+-----+
DC MOTERCYCLE TRICK
: I recently went to a D.C. show when he came in my area and had some
very
: good info giving seats. I was sitting behind the sound board which
had
: a shape sort of sunk into the ground behind it covered by a sheet. I
did
: not think much of it. In the final illusion of the show...D.C. was on
a
: motorcycle on stage suspended on a bridge. The lady running the sound
: board was extremely nervous and at one time yelled out "Where the fuck
is
: he?". This got my attention to where she was looking. A man that
looked
: exactly like D.C. came down the isle, and got on the now uncovered
object
: in front of me which was an exact replica motorcycle as the one on
stage.
: As I looked on stage I still saw the "other" D.C...I thought two
D.C.'s..
: ...hmmmm. He must have a double or a well-covered up twin or a well
make
: uped person. This would then make many of his illusions easier to
figure
: out. There are indeed two DCs in the motorcycle vanish. But not twins,
just
lookalikes. It is done at the time the real DC opens the curtain to show
the
motorcycle. You will see that a hand grabs the curtain. This hand is
already
the hand of the double. DC then vanishes behind the curtain (hand can
still be
seen), and the double reappears. You don't notice that it is a double,
because
of the dark helmet and because you think the actual part hasn't even
started.
Abount the vanish itself: the fake DC and the motobike are of course
still
there. The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color
of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still a
second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
I do not know how the front part turns into black. This could be a
"quickie
curtain" (S&R seem to use this, and DC uses it in the "father and son"
trick),
or maybe some special glass that changes color when you run electricity
thru
it.
The motorcycle illusion is one of the easiest to
figure out. I had it figured out as soon as DC put the helmet on and
grabbed the curtain. Very slick, he is and his significant other (and
I'm not talking about Claudia). When he grabs that curtain, DC's hand
doesn't actually grab the curtain. His buddy dressed exactly as DC
grabs
that curtain. Watch the videotape again. DC's clone has the same body,
hair, moves, demeanor, etc... The choreography is outstanding. In the
meantime, DC is taking a leasurely walk out into the house through the
trap systems in the house (remember, he can only performs illusions such
as this in houses that have trap systems designed into the front of
house
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
Not exactly correct - the bike stays where it was, but you don't see it.
The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still
a second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
IMPALED
The "impaled" illusion is a big improvement of Robert-Houdin's
suspension (sword suspension ?). The method is that the girl wears a
steel corset, which is simply put on the top of the sword, while the
girl is inside. The insertion point is near the shoulder. You can check
this allegation with your VCR, by using double speed. You will see that
1. the sword moves when the woman is put on it
2. the whole thing moves a bit back and forth
3. when unlocking her, the magician has to move her a bit up
If it is done by a woman not wearing pants, then she must have a very
hard time doing it - she has to keep her legs up, without this beeing
shown by looking at her muscles. I saw this be done by the pendragons,
so I guess the woman was that "Charlotte".
The "impaled" illusion adds a motor which lowers / raises the "sword".
The magician (yes, now it's a man) pulls a sword top at the right moment
"from his navel".That "right moment" seems to be the big problem with
that illusion. If
the magician performs it sloppily, then the sword (audience view) will
change its length. Another problem is that the sword should be polished
and without greesy fingerprints, so that you can't see that it is
lowered. In the first performance I saw of it was even worse: you could
see that the "sword top" was raised diagonally. Later I saw the same
performed by DC - it was of course perfectly done :-)
HAND CHOPPER
. Here is the basis for the illusion.
The blade is actually L-shaped. One wing of the blade is dull, the
other
sharp. The entire blade pivots at the corner of the L. The blade is
forced down, hits the arm, and pivots rapidly. The second sharp edge
then
comes into view and slices the carrot or other object in the second
hole.
That's all there is to it. This is especially shocking to the audience
member whose arm is in the device, as (s)he actually feels the blade as
it
hits his arm. More advance versions have a locking blade that allows
the
magician to slice a carrot in the upper hole at the conclusion of the
illusion.
+--------
\|~~~~~~~~
\|
\|
\|
~~~~ is "dull" and "\\\\\" is sharp. "+" is the pivot.
|~
|~
|~
|~
+--------
\\\\\\\\
S SUSPENSION
How is it possible to make someone float and pass
a hoop completly around them. Some say there is a bar bent
in an S shape on a board.
I really doubt that you are a magician (you said you perform azrah
levitation - so you should know other levitations as well).
You are correct about the "S".
(Be sure that you have a fixed font to read this post)
It is usually done quite in the dark, so that you don't see to much.
The girl ("JUNGFRAU" in the picture) below is resting on a part
of an "S". The magician can take a *real* hoop, and pass it around,
if the hoop and the "S" are large enough. The move is none in three
steps, but gives the illusion that the hoop is freely passed
around the girl.
e
J +--+
N | |a
G |c |
F | |
G----+ | +--- this part behind the curtain !
R | |
A |b |
U +--+
d
0. Start with hoop between (e) and (a).
1. Move hoop across girl, back part of the hoop moved from (a) to
(b).
2. Front part of the hoop moved to the rear (d). The hoop is
now between (d) and (b).
3. Hoop moves again, until it is between (c) and (e).
4. Take the part of the hoop that is at (e) completely to the front
5. Move the hoop across the girl again.
If the hoop is large enough, you don't need the full "S", only a half
of it.
NIAGRA FALLS CAMERA TRICK
The part *before* the opening of the "hole" is a video !
1. Shortly before DC goes to close the box, you can see his left arm in
the small picture angled up (about 80 degrees), but on the main picture
the arm is down ! (freeze the image to find the moment - it is just
after a cut)
2. Compare the closing of front (with the hole) of the box. You will see
that in the small picture, it goes smoothly, but in the big picture,
there is a short wait in the middle.
Freeze image again, and you will see his hand on the picture, although
his hands are on the left and on the right --> the mini camera is on the
left or on the right, but *not* in the middle (at the hole).
Amazing for me is that I did not expect that video "cheat" at that place
- why didn't DC simply put a mini-camera in the big one ? Or is the
whole thing just a mistake in the editing for television ?
Now if you want to know to how the guy vanished... Have a look at other
illusions, like "big black box" and "video to life". Think. Find the
similarity. Post your theory here. BTW, it's Penn & Teller on that
building.
DISSAPEARING GIRL
, it is all in the base of the table/blue box. the girls are
laying in the box together (tight fit) and the illusion is very (and I
mean very) decieving. i checked out the illusion on my computer (by the
way I am one of the only people in the U.S. that designs illusions by
comuter first, before building them per Jim Steinmeyer) and found out
that the table is very deceiving with the colors and base. The legs are
very deceiving too. The entire package puts together an unbelievable
illusion. The part where the girl "erases" is just her putting her leg
into the base, while wearing a costume that has a fake half-leg and
half-arm.
THE BASE IS
8 1/2 inches.
the black lycra (spandex) 1/2 inch
the blue base is 2 1/2 to 3 inches
there is a 3/4 in spacer (covered with black prof. felt)
2 1/2 inch base aluminum
and around a 2 1/4 inch leg base
the sheet metal used bows in the middle, you will notice this during DC
performance when BOTH girls are in. Then at the end, it looks less
bowed
in the middle.
INTERLUDE
The person inside the box either twists his body to make enough
space for the girl or bends forward and stands up on hidden steps
attached to the sides of the box so that the girl can crawl between
his legs. Since we can see the magician's legs, there would have to
be some gimmick making us believe we can still see his legs. BTW,
there is always somebody moving in front of the box (or a dense
smoke) which would make it easier for the magician to "rearrange"
inside the box. Since it is very difficult to twist your body with
your legs spread up, I conjecture that the magician moves one of
his legs (the left one in the case of S&R) and puts it behind the
other one. In this position, it is much easier to twist the body.
Also, at one moment (close-up) you can see DC's body positioned
somewhat diagonally... So, I prefer the explanation based on twisting.
ELEVATOR
According to one Poundstone's book "Biggest secrets", DC is hiding in
the
floor of the elevator. The shape you see is a sort of cardboard,
(not stiff) but like these things to darken rooms, and it has the shape
of DC.
STATUE OF LIBERTY
He turned the whole audience on a giant rotating platform, so that the
SOL was then behind one of the columns (moving done while curtain up).
The lights of the statue were turned off. The ring of lights you saw is
a second one. The reason that the SOL cannot be seen on the
Kodork-sponsored photos is because a flashlight works only a few meters
away, and the camera used the nearby standing girls as reference. All
further away is just "dark stuff".
The radar was of course not real. I got an interesting e-mail from a guy
with whom I am in "exposing" contact. He noticed that a reflection of
lights can be seen on the "radar", and those reflections are moving at
the moment where the audience is moving.
FLYING
Flying is the simplest and stupidest trick there is. It is not
: magic, it is stage performance.
The most amazing performance I've ever seen on TV.
: Flying is done the same way that Peter Pan flew in his stage
: production or any other stage production which a person
: is made to fly. It is with wires. DC is hooked up like a puppet.
: He leaves the stage and get into a rigged harness.
The most important question is not answered: how do they do it with the
hoops and how does he fly in the glass box when he is wired ?
In both cases, they never go above him. This is somewhat difficult to
explain, so it would be good if you have the video while reading this.
The first time, both helpers seem move the hoops around. The audience
sees it this way, because it looks to the whole picture. If the audience
would follow each hoop separately, they would not be fooled. The hoops
are moved under him, the air above is safe.
The second time, the helpers turning the double-hoop move suddenly
forward, so that they move it under him (and not above). It is difficult
to see because the hoops are moving, so the 3D-algorithm of your brain
fails, and your brain cannot "decode" which part of the hoop is before,
and which one is behind him. So you simply "assume" that he got thru.
While the camera turns, notice that the lid is too small, so that there
is space on the long edges. (Thanks to the AOL guy who told me this last
year !) Also notice how the helpers place the lid over the box - they do
it very carefully, coming vertically from the small side (because DC's
wires are on the long side).
As has correctly been posted here, she's a plant. An ordinary girl could
get scared when DC flies away, and would then sue DC for a zillion $.
GREAT SECRETS REVEALED: THE ART OF "FLYING"
HOW DAVID COPPERFIELD DOES IT
The key to this trick is: THINK SIMPLE... No giant magnets, no neutron
beams, no anti-gravity waves. David was simply suspended by a couple of
very strong, very fine wires or filaments of some very strong space-age
material. This is hardly the first time that such wires have been used
for a "levitation". I see him wearing a strong harness under his loose-
fitting sweat-shirt at his center of gravity; the wires are attached to
the sides of the harness, allowing him to be drawn up and down and back
and forth by a crane-like device out of sight near the ceiling. During
the performance in Vegas I bent forward and peered up at the ceiling
over the stage but of course my vision was cut off past a certain point
by some carefully placed curtains. But in this way he can "fly" all
around the stage and even perform those mid-air somersaults by carefully
avoiding the wires with his arms as he turns over. Yes, this trick
required a great deal of practice, I'm sure!
Right about now, people jump up and say, "But what about the
HOOPS?! They passed all those HOOPS over him!". This was the key
observation by my brother-in-law that caused the pieces to start to fall
into place: they did NOT pass any hoops over him!! The first pair of
hoops, one a bit smaller than the other so it could pass inside the
other, were drawn across David by two assistants, but as they almost met
together in the middle part of David's body, the assistants executed a
twisting motion on both hoops, tilting the top part *back* and the
bottom part *forward*, swinging both hoops *around* rather than *across*
David's body with the clever result that NO PART OF EITHER HOOP actually
crossed over the top of David's mid-section where the wires were
supporting him! This is difficult to describe in text but if you look
at a video-tape of it, in slow-motion if necessary,
now God doesnt mean for all to get married they can stay single all there lives and thats it theres is no such ting as a gay christian not in Gods book if any child in your family is gay and dont turn there heart back to Jesus Christ Laord Saviour God then like True Real Christian Families they go to court and get them kick out of there house cause its not God ways of doing things God made ADAM AND EVE NOT ADAM AND STEVE PS EVER CHRISTIAN PREACHER AND CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES PREACH THIS TO ALL BAPTIST CHURCHES ALL OVER PLANET EARTHgay and lesbiens got destrooyed in sodome and gomragh thats why God said dont look back so lots and his children Obeyed God but lots wife looked and turn into a pillar of Salt ps its a choice they make but its the wrong choice God saysο»Ώ


creation.com goodnewsbaptist.org afbmissions.com sweethavenbaptist.com roapm.com christianlaw.org andrekole.org youtube.com Andre Kole considercharacter.org goodnewsjail.org considercharacter.org cloudtenpictures.com roapm.com billriceranch.org wilds.org mwtb.org SeekLife.net CrossWay.com goodnewstracts.org
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2018-06-27 18:18:03 UTC
Permalink
Post by bill page
I've always wondered how David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall,
DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.
I got an e-mail from a reader of my document, who saw even more. There
is something black on the top stair, which is later inserted. This is
the cover of the stairs !! You can also see a ladder somewhere. Guess
why...DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the
far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.Take one piece of paper and draw a plan view of the box DC was in. Put
the
spotlight above (behind) the box (but not too close). Now draw a line
from
the light to each side of the front of the box (ie: the screen). Note
the
spaces. If DC moves across the line closest to the Great Wall of China
(in
the illusion), he will appear to (on the screen) walk into the wall...
| . <-------- Light
| / \
| / \
| / \
| / \
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||D2 /D1 \ |
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||/___________________\|
| S <- Screen at front of box
|
|
|
| <- Great Wall of China
D1 = David
S = David's Shadow
D2 = David when you can't see him - He's "inside the wall"
That one is of course correct when he *exits* the wall, but not for
entering, since [my theory is that] he's already in the stairs at that
time.
- The real rose comes out of the suit pocket, while you are blinded by
the fire (--> optical misdirection);
- When the paper rose is hanging "freely" in the air, I could once see
(on TV, but not from DC) two "visible" thread in V-form. That
magician had IMO made mistake: 1. wearing a black jacket, 2. not
having instructed the camera man.
A magician told me that the trick is really difficult to learn (and I
believe this !), and that there are two variations. One with, one
without standing microphone.
"It's all done with mirrors".
That is the standard meaningless explanation of how effects are
done. Yet, quite a lot CAN be done with mirrors. The key to most mirror
effects is a combination of a basic law of physics, combined with
expectations that defy the laws of physics.
The principle is that the angle of incidence equals the angle of
reflection. This means that if you look at a mirror at a 45 degree
angle, you will see a reflection of what's 45 degrees on the other side
of a line perpendicular to the plane of the mirror. But people expect,
when they look into a mirror, to see their own reflection, regardless of
the angle of the mirror. As a result, if the mirror reflects what the
audience expects to see BEHIND the mirror, they will be unaware that
there is a mirror there.
This goes further; a properly angled mirror with a transparent
but distorting surface in front of it will make it seem to the audience
that they can see through the object, when they are actually seeing a
mirror. One good example of this is putting a mirror in a glass. The
glass should cut with a non-smooth pattern, so that you can't REALLY see
behind it, even without a mirror. Yet the audience will believe that
they are looking at a transparent glass, allowing the magician to hide
all sorts of things behind the mirror.
The key to a mirror trick is for the audience to not suspect
that
there is a mirror there. That is a basic part of ANY trick with a
hidden
gaff. The magician must direct attention away from the gaff; far too
many say, "I have here an ORDINARY glass", actually fixing the
audience's
attention to the glass. Far better is to not even mention the glass,
but
treat it as you would a truly ordinary glass; it is not mentioned
because
it is not worthy of mention. Pull this off, and the audience may not
even remember that a glass was involved.
METAMORPHISIS
(why is it that everyone thinks magic is
either twins or mirrors?) This is a pretty old trick... Ever notice that
there were no inspections at all? probably no back to the trunk with a
plank.. anyway... so they tied the first pendragon and put him in a bag
with a hole in the bottom. They close up. (plenty of time to take off
whatever binds you) then watch the spotlight for standing up of your
partner... jump up when the cloth is partway up then throw it up... grab
the cloth and move it as soon as your partner drops down into the plank
from the trap door. Then take your time and let your partner change
bathing suits. (wish all girls could change that fast :-) then your
partner just puts on the ropes... handcuffs.. whatever in time to stand
up
and take a bow....
DISSAPEARING GIRL
Question: Where did DC hide the two girls in his Disappearing Girl(s)
illusion?
Standard answer: He uses the special thicker-than-they look tables to
hide them in the table.
Well, I know they have to be somwhere (probably in the table), but let
me ask some further questions.
I did some measurements of the thickness of the table plus the thickness
of the bottom of the blue box sitting on the top of the table. I simply
put a ruler on my TV monitor and compared the measurement with DC's
body (to have a scale). The total thickness is about 8-9" but not more.
Since they turned the table by 360 degrees, the table cannot be made
thicker at one end and thinner at the other end, neither can it it be
lense shaped as some may try to argue. So, can you really squeeze two
adults
into such a small space????
If you watch other illusions based on those special tables, such as the
Death Saw or Shrinking (by DC), the thickness roughly corresponds to
what I would expect. But in the Disappearing Girl illusion, my
measurements
simply do not agree with common sense.
I too don't know where the girls come from. I also don't know where the
girl (the one with DC's haircut) is in the Origami box - although that
girl is *very* anorexic.
BTW, would you agree with me that DC uses a false head (!) for the
"shrink-box" ? DC's head can't be seen for a short time when going up
and down, and the move is kindof "out-of-sequence".
Another mystery is DC's disappearance in the Alcatraz video at the end.
The table does not have a thick top - but he's gone! The only thing I
could suspect is an "angle trick" (which means that he goes away behind
that cardboard, and every real audience member could see it), and that's
about nothing.
A similar case is a disappearance (or was it an appearance ?) in "father
and son" at the end of the 1985 video. No thick table top there eithe
Everyone has seen the oldest magic trick in the world... where a person
is put in a small box and the box is cut in half, leaving the head and
feet visible, in two separate boxes (very small boxes!).
Not the oldest. There was a "thick model" in the thirties, which was
exposed just too often. Some day (anyone knows when / who ?) the "thin"
model was invented.
Can someone please let me know how this is done? The boxes are
DEFINITELY too small for a person to fit in just half.
The "secret" is not in the height of the boxes, but in the width,
although one inch may be "won" by using a "thick bottom". The assistant,
Miss Anorexia Smallhips, has to lay on the left side and fold herself in
the "head" half. The "foot" half contains two dummy feet (they often
move so regularly that it makes me laugh !). Notice that the table has
always to be turned for the feet switch to take place.
BUZZ SAW
The illusion is that DC lays face down on a table, the saw drops and
DC is severed. Then the two halves of DC are seperated and wheeled
around, but the audience is never allowed a view of cross sectional
area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that
DC is bent at the waist and his legs are stuffed into the table.a thick tabletop is used. (measure it, and you'll have
about 15 - 20 cm !!!). People don't care about the tabletop because it
just "looks bulky and solid". (Hey, those illusions are hand-crafted !).
On the left, DC is in a "frog position". On the right, another person is
lying with feet in the air,
DC CARD TRICKS
Two tricks need that a specific card is picked: DC's card-on-sketchpad,
and DC's gun shoots card.
From the audience point of view, it goes like this: the magician fans apack of *big* cards, shows that the cards are different (why should
someone doubt this - I don't know <g>). The audience member has to tip
her/his finger on the back of the card. The magician changes the pack so
that the audience members is now holding his finger on the top card, and
hands him that card.
As I said, in the tricks where I saw this, it is important that a
specific card is chosen. "forcing" would not work with a TV camera.
Here's my guess: card pairs. The bottom cards of the pairs are
different, the top cards are alike. The connecting surfaces are raw or
sticky, so that the pairs don't separated
THE BLADE
The reconnection of the halves is suspicious, but could also be there to
fool the I-know-how-it-is-done people. "Chad Long" said in alt.magic
that he saw the tricks with both halves opened at the same time, and a
reader (not lurker of this group) said that the halves were opened after
another.
The boots and the gloves of the girl are also suspicious, and are likely
to be "too big" for her, so that she can easily get out of them. Notice
that she moves her arms, but sometimes out of sight.
One thing that I looked again and again was trying to see if that
separating part was thick or not. If it was thick, the girl could put a
half or her out of sight. But DC did move those halves... Could he have
painted those black parts with different black tones to suggest that the
separators are really only about 2cm thick ?
* About the halves: they look different. The left one is cut perfectly,
* but the right one looks like it is the actual girl standing on one leg
* on the side, squeezing her left part against the separator.
I looked again. Maybe this was just wishful thinking. The two head
halves *do* look different, but simply because the girl has her parting
on the left (audience point of view). She also has a lot of hair
covering her ears, so we can't use that one to analyse her head
position.
1. The separators are optical illusions (i.e. are thick)
2. She turns her head a bit, and squeezes it against the separator
(1.5 cm of the two could be used). She uses a fake custume front,
so that it looks as if she's properly cut. Such a fake costume has
been used by a girl in another DC trick (not in this show).
3. One real girl and one fake 1/2 girl. Props are hidden behind that
black middle part.
4. We know from "The fan" that this girl has a twin. Her twin hides
behind that black middle part.
That middle part at the rear (about 20 cm wide, gets separated too) does
certainly have a purpose, since the trick would be even more amazing if
it wasn't there.
Well, this brings four possibilities. At least three of them are wrong
CHINESE WATER TOURTURE CELL
The method is very simple. First, the
handcuffs pose no problem. Current magicians use those silly things
with
the oval hoop and the padlocks. They just fall off with a twist. For
Houdini, real cuffs were routine. So those are gone. The foot stocks
seem formidable, but if you look closely (not Houdini, since he's not
available, but current magicians) you'll see that the third rivet from
the left (stage left) has a false bottom. People are distracted because
of the air bubbles (from the magician), but if you ignore the bubbles
and
look at the rivets it's pretty obvious.
ZIG-ZAG-GIRL
The [Harbin] zig-zag-girl illusion is pretty self-exposing (the middle
part
never goes totally on the left). The girl is always there, squeezed in
the
small space between box 1&2 and box 2&3. The boxes are contructed to
make you
believe that they have very thick edges, which they have not. The trick
is
explained in one of the three Poundstone books. The girl is very
unconfortable
at the top of her legs and below her breasts.
it was
copyrighted or something like that. (I'd like to know more about that).
The mis-made lady: I think this is done with four boxes, which are
rearranged
in different positions. I don't know how today's trick is done (where
they
show parts - could be dummies). Someone sent me a description, in which
the
girl is simply squeezed in the lowest part, which is constructed to look
smaller than it really is (there is additional space between the lower
"edge"
and the floor, which is covered by some decoration, like those hanging
'spaghettis'). I remember that some magician made fun of HLB, because
there
was a similar explanation like that in his book (I don't have it).
According
to another post in alt.magic about Penn & Teller, the girl (or Teller)
has to
move between the boxes all the time.
++---++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---++
+-----+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+-----+
DC MOTERCYCLE TRICK
: I recently went to a D.C. show when he came in my area and had some
very
: good info giving seats. I was sitting behind the sound board which
had
: a shape sort of sunk into the ground behind it covered by a sheet. I
did
: not think much of it. In the final illusion of the show...D.C. was on
a
: motorcycle on stage suspended on a bridge. The lady running the sound
: board was extremely nervous and at one time yelled out "Where the fuck
is
: he?". This got my attention to where she was looking. A man that
looked
: exactly like D.C. came down the isle, and got on the now uncovered
object
: in front of me which was an exact replica motorcycle as the one on
stage.
: As I looked on stage I still saw the "other" D.C...I thought two
D.C.'s..
: ...hmmmm. He must have a double or a well-covered up twin or a well
make
: uped person. This would then make many of his illusions easier to
figure
: out. There are indeed two DCs in the motorcycle vanish. But not twins,
just
lookalikes. It is done at the time the real DC opens the curtain to show
the
motorcycle. You will see that a hand grabs the curtain. This hand is
already
the hand of the double. DC then vanishes behind the curtain (hand can
still be
seen), and the double reappears. You don't notice that it is a double,
because
of the dark helmet and because you think the actual part hasn't even
started.
Abount the vanish itself: the fake DC and the motobike are of course
still
there. The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color
of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still a
second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
I do not know how the front part turns into black. This could be a
"quickie
curtain" (S&R seem to use this, and DC uses it in the "father and son"
trick),
or maybe some special glass that changes color when you run electricity
thru
it.
The motorcycle illusion is one of the easiest to
figure out. I had it figured out as soon as DC put the helmet on and
grabbed the curtain. Very slick, he is and his significant other (and
I'm not talking about Claudia). When he grabs that curtain, DC's hand
doesn't actually grab the curtain. His buddy dressed exactly as DC
grabs
that curtain. Watch the videotape again. DC's clone has the same body,
hair, moves, demeanor, etc... The choreography is outstanding. In the
meantime, DC is taking a leasurely walk out into the house through the
trap systems in the house (remember, he can only performs illusions such
as this in houses that have trap systems designed into the front of
house
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
Not exactly correct - the bike stays where it was, but you don't see it.
The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still
a second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
IMPALED
The "impaled" illusion is a big improvement of Robert-Houdin's
suspension (sword suspension ?). The method is that the girl wears a
steel corset, which is simply put on the top of the sword, while the
girl is inside. The insertion point is near the shoulder. You can check
this allegation with your VCR, by using double speed. You will see that
1. the sword moves when the woman is put on it
2. the whole thing moves a bit back and forth
3. when unlocking her, the magician has to move her a bit up
If it is done by a woman not wearing pants, then she must have a very
hard time doing it - she has to keep her legs up, without this beeing
shown by looking at her muscles. I saw this be done by the pendragons,
so I guess the woman was that "Charlotte".
The "impaled" illusion adds a motor which lowers / raises the "sword".
The magician (yes, now it's a man) pulls a sword top at the right moment
"from his navel".That "right moment" seems to be the big problem with
that illusion. If
the magician performs it sloppily, then the sword (audience view) will
change its length. Another problem is that the sword should be polished
and without greesy fingerprints, so that you can't see that it is
lowered. In the first performance I saw of it was even worse: you could
see that the "sword top" was raised diagonally. Later I saw the same
performed by DC - it was of course perfectly done :-)
HAND CHOPPER
. Here is the basis for the illusion.
The blade is actually L-shaped. One wing of the blade is dull, the
other
sharp. The entire blade pivots at the corner of the L. The blade is
forced down, hits the arm, and pivots rapidly. The second sharp edge
then
comes into view and slices the carrot or other object in the second
hole.
That's all there is to it. This is especially shocking to the audience
member whose arm is in the device, as (s)he actually feels the blade as
it
hits his arm. More advance versions have a locking blade that allows
the
magician to slice a carrot in the upper hole at the conclusion of the
illusion.
+--------
\|~~~~~~~~
\|
\|
\|
~~~~ is "dull" and "\\\\\" is sharp. "+" is the pivot.
|~
|~
|~
|~
+--------
\\\\\\\\
S SUSPENSION
How is it possible to make someone float and pass
a hoop completly around them. Some say there is a bar bent
in an S shape on a board.
I really doubt that you are a magician (you said you perform azrah
levitation - so you should know other levitations as well).
You are correct about the "S".
(Be sure that you have a fixed font to read this post)
It is usually done quite in the dark, so that you don't see to much.
The girl ("JUNGFRAU" in the picture) below is resting on a part
of an "S". The magician can take a *real* hoop, and pass it around,
if the hoop and the "S" are large enough. The move is none in three
steps, but gives the illusion that the hoop is freely passed
around the girl.
e
J +--+
N | |a
G |c |
F | |
G----+ | +--- this part behind the curtain !
R | |
A |b |
U +--+
d
0. Start with hoop between (e) and (a).
1. Move hoop across girl, back part of the hoop moved from (a) to
(b).
2. Front part of the hoop moved to the rear (d). The hoop is
now between (d) and (b).
3. Hoop moves again, until it is between (c) and (e).
4. Take the part of the hoop that is at (e) completely to the front
5. Move the hoop across the girl again.
If the hoop is large enough, you don't need the full "S", only a half
of it.
NIAGRA FALLS CAMERA TRICK
The part *before* the opening of the "hole" is a video !
1. Shortly before DC goes to close the box, you can see his left arm in
the small picture angled up (about 80 degrees), but on the main picture
the arm is down ! (freeze the image to find the moment - it is just
after a cut)
2. Compare the closing of front (with the hole) of the box. You will see
that in the small picture, it goes smoothly, but in the big picture,
there is a short wait in the middle.
Freeze image again, and you will see his hand on the picture, although
his hands are on the left and on the right --> the mini camera is on the
left or on the right, but *not* in the middle (at the hole).
Amazing for me is that I did not expect that video "cheat" at that place
- why didn't DC simply put a mini-camera in the big one ? Or is the
whole thing just a mistake in the editing for television ?
Now if you want to know to how the guy vanished... Have a look at other
illusions, like "big black box" and "video to life". Think. Find the
similarity. Post your theory here. BTW, it's Penn & Teller on that
building.
DISSAPEARING GIRL
, it is all in the base of the table/blue box. the girls are
laying in the box together (tight fit) and the illusion is very (and I
mean very) decieving. i checked out the illusion on my computer (by the
way I am one of the only people in the U.S. that designs illusions by
comuter first, before building them per Jim Steinmeyer) and found out
that the table is very deceiving with the colors and base. The legs are
very deceiving too. The entire package puts together an unbelievable
illusion. The part where the girl "erases" is just her putting her leg
into the base, while wearing a costume that has a fake half-leg and
half-arm.
THE BASE IS
8 1/2 inches.
the black lycra (spandex) 1/2 inch
the blue base is 2 1/2 to 3 inches
there is a 3/4 in spacer (covered with black prof. felt)
2 1/2 inch base aluminum
and around a 2 1/4 inch leg base
the sheet metal used bows in the middle, you will notice this during DC
performance when BOTH girls are in. Then at the end, it looks less
bowed
in the middle.
INTERLUDE
The person inside the box either twists his body to make enough
space for the girl or bends forward and stands up on hidden steps
attached to the sides of the box so that the girl can crawl between
his legs. Since we can see the magician's legs, there would have to
be some gimmick making us believe we can still see his legs. BTW,
there is always somebody moving in front of the box (or a dense
smoke) which would make it easier for the magician to "rearrange"
inside the box. Since it is very difficult to twist your body with
your legs spread up, I conjecture that the magician moves one of
his legs (the left one in the case of S&R) and puts it behind the
other one. In this position, it is much easier to twist the body.
Also, at one moment (close-up) you can see DC's body positioned
somewhat diagonally... So, I prefer the explanation based on twisting.
ELEVATOR
According to one Poundstone's book "Biggest secrets", DC is hiding in
the
floor of the elevator. The shape you see is a sort of cardboard,
(not stiff) but like these things to darken rooms, and it has the shape
of DC.
STATUE OF LIBERTY
He turned the whole audience on a giant rotating platform, so that the
SOL was then behind one of the columns (moving done while curtain up).
The lights of the statue were turned off. The ring of lights you saw is
a second one. The reason that the SOL cannot be seen on the
Kodork-sponsored photos is because a flashlight works only a few meters
away, and the camera used the nearby standing girls as reference. All
further away is just "dark stuff".
The radar was of course not real. I got an interesting e-mail from a guy
with whom I am in "exposing" contact. He noticed that a reflection of
lights can be seen on the "radar", and those reflections are moving at
the moment where the audience is moving.
FLYING
Flying is the simplest and stupidest trick there is. It is not
: magic, it is stage performance.
The most amazing performance I've ever seen on TV.
: Flying is done the same way that Peter Pan flew in his stage
: production or any other stage production which a person
: is made to fly. It is with wires. DC is hooked up like a puppet.
: He leaves the stage and get into a rigged harness.
The most important question is not answered: how do they do it with the
hoops and how does he fly in the glass box when he is wired ?
In both cases, they never go above him. This is somewhat difficult to
explain, so it would be good if you have the video while reading this.
The first time, both helpers seem move the hoops around. The audience
sees it this way, because it looks to the whole picture. If the audience
would follow each hoop separately, they would not be fooled. The hoops
are moved under him, the air above is safe.
The second time, the helpers turning the double-hoop move suddenly
forward, so that they move it under him (and not above). It is difficult
to see because the hoops are moving, so the 3D-algorithm of your brain
fails, and your brain cannot "decode" which part of the hoop is before,
and which one is behind him. So you simply "assume" that he got thru.
While the camera turns, notice that the lid is too small, so that there
is space on the long edges. (Thanks to the AOL guy who told me this last
year !) Also notice how the helpers place the lid over the box - they do
it very carefully, coming vertically from the small side (because DC's
wires are on the long side).
As has correctly been posted here, she's a plant. An ordinary girl could
get scared when DC flies away, and would then sue DC for a zillion $.
GREAT SECRETS REVEALED: THE ART OF "FLYING"
HOW DAVID COPPERFIELD DOES IT
The key to this trick is: THINK SIMPLE... No giant magnets, no neutron
beams, no anti-gravity waves. David was simply suspended by a couple of
very strong, very fine wires or filaments of some very strong space-age
material. This is hardly the first time that such wires have been used
for a "levitation". I see him wearing a strong harness under his loose-
fitting sweat-shirt at his center of gravity; the wires are attached to
the sides of the harness, allowing him to be drawn up and down and back
and forth by a crane-like device out of sight near the ceiling. During
the performance in Vegas I bent forward and peered up at the ceiling
over the stage but of course my vision was cut off past a certain point
by some carefully placed curtains. But in this way he can "fly" all
around the stage and even perform those mid-air somersaults by carefully
avoiding the wires with his arms as he turns over. Yes, this trick
required a great deal of practice, I'm sure!
Right about now, people jump up and say, "But what about the
HOOPS?! They passed all those HOOPS over him!". This was the key
observation by my brother-in-law that caused the pieces to start to fall
into place: they did NOT pass any hoops over him!! The first pair of
hoops, one a bit smaller than the other so it could pass inside the
other, were drawn across David by two assistants, but as they almost met
together in the middle part of David's body, the assistants executed a
twisting motion on both hoops, tilting the top part *back* and the
bottom part *forward*, swinging both hoops *around* rather than *across*
David's body with the clever result that NO PART OF EITHER HOOP actually
crossed over the top of David's mid-section where the wires were
supporting him! This is difficult to describe in text but if you look
at a video-tape of it, in slow-motion if necessary,
now God doesnt mean for all to get married they can stay single all there lives and thats it theres is no such ting as a gay christian not in Gods book if any child in your family is gay and dont turn there heart back to Jesus Christ Laord Saviour God then like True Real Christian Families they go to court and get them kick out of there house cause its not God ways of doing things God made ADAM AND EVE NOT ADAM AND STEVE PS EVER CHRISTIAN PREACHER AND CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES PREACH THIS TO ALL BAPTIST CHURCHES ALL OVER PLANET EARTHgay and lesbiens got destrooyed in sodome and gomragh thats why God said dont look back so lots and his children Obeyed God but lots wife looked and turn into a pillar of Salt ps its a choice they make but its the wrong choice God saysο»Ώ
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magictvfan
magictvfan
5 years ago
Thanks for uploading so many David Copperfield specials, Bill! I'm very grateful for what you have done here. You are one of my most favourite YouTube channels as you help keep the Magic of David Copperfield alive! Nothing is impossible with Jesus! I'm a huge David Copperfield fan and am always looking for his illusions. Thanks again!ο»Ώ

1

Bill Page

Bill Page
Bill Page
1 second ago
cool welcome chriss pal brother in Christ youtube.com/magictvfan/videosο»Ώ http://youtu.be/n3qlDS5b_fQ
magictvfan
youtube.com
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2018-06-27 18:04:41 UTC
Permalink
I've always wondered how David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall,
DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.magictvfan
magictvfan
5 years ago
Thanks for uploading so many David Copperfield specials, Bill! I'm very grateful for what you have done here. You are one of my most favourite YouTube channels as you help keep the Magic of David Copperfield alive! Nothing is impossible with Jesus! I'm a huge David Copperfield fan and am always looking for his illusions. Thanks again!ο»Ώ

1

Bill Page

Bill Page
Bill Page
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magictvfan
youtube.com
SAT 6:25PM
I got an e-mail from a reader of my document, who saw even more. There
is something black on the top stair, which is later inserted. This is
the cover of the stairs !! You can also see a ladder somewhere. Guess
why...DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the
far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.Take one piece of paper and draw a plan view of the box DC was in. Put
the
spotlight above (behind) the box (but not too close). Now draw a line
from
the light to each side of the front of the box (ie: the screen). Note
the
spaces. If DC moves across the line closest to the Great Wall of China
(in
the illusion), he will appear to (on the screen) walk into the wall...
| . <-------- Light
| / \
| / \
| / \
| / \
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||D2 /D1 \ |
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||/___________________\|
| S <- Screen at front of box
|
|
|
| <- Great Wall of China
D1 = David
S = David's Shadow
D2 = David when you can't see him - He's "inside the wall"
That one is of course correct when he *exits* the wall, but not for
entering, since [my theory is that] he's already in the stairs at that
time.
- The real rose comes out of the suit pocket, while you are blinded by
the fire (--> optical misdirection);
- When the paper rose is hanging "freely" in the air, I could once see
(on TV, but not from DC) two "visible" thread in V-form. That
magician had IMO made mistake: 1. wearing a black jacket, 2. not
having instructed the camera man.
A magician told me that the trick is really difficult to learn (and I
believe this !), and that there are two variations. One with, one
without standing microphone.
"It's all done with mirrors".
That is the standard meaningless explanation of how effects are
done. Yet, quite a lot CAN be done with mirrors. The key to most mirror
effects is a combination of a basic law of physics, combined with
expectations that defy the laws of physics.
The principle is that the angle of incidence equals the angle of
reflection. This means that if you look at a mirror at a 45 degree
angle, you will see a reflection of what's 45 degrees on the other side
of a line perpendicular to the plane of the mirror. But people expect,
when they look into a mirror, to see their own reflection, regardless of
the angle of the mirror. As a result, if the mirror reflects what the
audience expects to see BEHIND the mirror, they will be unaware that
there is a mirror there.
This goes further; a properly angled mirror with a transparent
but distorting surface in front of it will make it seem to the audience
that they can see through the object, when they are actually seeing a
mirror. One good example of this is putting a mirror in a glass. The
glass should cut with a non-smooth pattern, so that you can't REALLY see
behind it, even without a mirror. Yet the audience will believe that
they are looking at a transparent glass, allowing the magician to hide
all sorts of things behind the mirror.
The key to a mirror trick is for the audience to not suspect
that
there is a mirror there. That is a basic part of ANY trick with a
hidden
gaff. The magician must direct attention away from the gaff; far too
many say, "I have here an ORDINARY glass", actually fixing the
audience's
attention to the glass. Far better is to not even mention the glass,
but
treat it as you would a truly ordinary glass; it is not mentioned
because
it is not worthy of mention. Pull this off, and the audience may not
even remember that a glass was involved.
METAMORPHISIS
(why is it that everyone thinks magic is
either twins or mirrors?) This is a pretty old trick... Ever notice that
there were no inspections at all? probably no back to the trunk with a
plank.. anyway... so they tied the first pendragon and put him in a bag
with a hole in the bottom. They close up. (plenty of time to take off
whatever binds you) then watch the spotlight for standing up of your
partner... jump up when the cloth is partway up then throw it up... grab
the cloth and move it as soon as your partner drops down into the plank
from the trap door. Then take your time and let your partner change
bathing suits. (wish all girls could change that fast :-) then your
partner just puts on the ropes... handcuffs.. whatever in time to stand
up
and take a bow....
DISSAPEARING GIRL
Question: Where did DC hide the two girls in his Disappearing Girl(s)
illusion?
Standard answer: He uses the special thicker-than-they look tables to
hide them in the table.
Well, I know they have to be somwhere (probably in the table), but let
me ask some further questions.
I did some measurements of the thickness of the table plus the thickness
of the bottom of the blue box sitting on the top of the table. I simply
put a ruler on my TV monitor and compared the measurement with DC's
body (to have a scale). The total thickness is about 8-9" but not more.
Since they turned the table by 360 degrees, the table cannot be made
thicker at one end and thinner at the other end, neither can it it be
lense shaped as some may try to argue. So, can you really squeeze two
adults
into such a small space????
If you watch other illusions based on those special tables, such as the
Death Saw or Shrinking (by DC), the thickness roughly corresponds to
what I would expect. But in the Disappearing Girl illusion, my
measurements
simply do not agree with common sense.
I too don't know where the girls come from. I also don't know where the
girl (the one with DC's haircut) is in the Origami box - although that
girl is *very* anorexic.
BTW, would you agree with me that DC uses a false head (!) for the
"shrink-box" ? DC's head can't be seen for a short time when going up
and down, and the move is kindof "out-of-sequence".
Another mystery is DC's disappearance in the Alcatraz video at the end.
The table does not have a thick top - but he's gone! The only thing I
could suspect is an "angle trick" (which means that he goes away behind
that cardboard, and every real audience member could see it), and that's
about nothing.
A similar case is a disappearance (or was it an appearance ?) in "father
and son" at the end of the 1985 video. No thick table top there eithe
Everyone has seen the oldest magic trick in the world... where a person
is put in a small box and the box is cut in half, leaving the head and
feet visible, in two separate boxes (very small boxes!).
Not the oldest. There was a "thick model" in the thirties, which was
exposed just too often. Some day (anyone knows when / who ?) the "thin"
model was invented.
Can someone please let me know how this is done? The boxes are
DEFINITELY too small for a person to fit in just half.
The "secret" is not in the height of the boxes, but in the width,
although one inch may be "won" by using a "thick bottom". The assistant,
Miss Anorexia Smallhips, has to lay on the left side and fold herself in
the "head" half. The "foot" half contains two dummy feet (they often
move so regularly that it makes me laugh !). Notice that the table has
always to be turned for the feet switch to take place.
BUZZ SAW
The illusion is that DC lays face down on a table, the saw drops and
DC is severed. Then the two halves of DC are seperated and wheeled
around, but the audience is never allowed a view of cross sectional
area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that
DC is bent at the waist and his legs are stuffed into the table.a thick tabletop is used. (measure it, and you'll have
about 15 - 20 cm !!!). People don't care about the tabletop because it
just "looks bulky and solid". (Hey, those illusions are hand-crafted !).
On the left, DC is in a "frog position". On the right, another person is
lying with feet in the air,
DC CARD TRICKS
Two tricks need that a specific card is picked: DC's card-on-sketchpad,
and DC's gun shoots card.
From the audience point of view, it goes like this: the magician fans apack of *big* cards, shows that the cards are different (why should
someone doubt this - I don't know <g>). The audience member has to tip
her/his finger on the back of the card. The magician changes the pack so
that the audience members is now holding his finger on the top card, and
hands him that card.
As I said, in the tricks where I saw this, it is important that a
specific card is chosen. "forcing" would not work with a TV camera.
Here's my guess: card pairs. The bottom cards of the pairs are
different, the top cards are alike. The connecting surfaces are raw or
sticky, so that the pairs don't separated
THE BLADE
The reconnection of the halves is suspicious, but could also be there to
fool the I-know-how-it-is-done people. "Chad Long" said in alt.magic
that he saw the tricks with both halves opened at the same time, and a
reader (not lurker of this group) said that the halves were opened after
another.
The boots and the gloves of the girl are also suspicious, and are likely
to be "too big" for her, so that she can easily get out of them. Notice
that she moves her arms, but sometimes out of sight.
One thing that I looked again and again was trying to see if that
separating part was thick or not. If it was thick, the girl could put a
half or her out of sight. But DC did move those halves... Could he have
painted those black parts with different black tones to suggest that the
separators are really only about 2cm thick ?
* About the halves: they look different. The left one is cut perfectly,
* but the right one looks like it is the actual girl standing on one leg
* on the side, squeezing her left part against the separator.
I looked again. Maybe this was just wishful thinking. The two head
halves *do* look different, but simply because the girl has her parting
on the left (audience point of view). She also has a lot of hair
covering her ears, so we can't use that one to analyse her head
position.
1. The separators are optical illusions (i.e. are thick)
2. She turns her head a bit, and squeezes it against the separator
(1.5 cm of the two could be used). She uses a fake custume front,
so that it looks as if she's properly cut. Such a fake costume has
been used by a girl in another DC trick (not in this show).
3. One real girl and one fake 1/2 girl. Props are hidden behind that
black middle part.
4. We know from "The fan" that this girl has a twin. Her twin hides
behind that black middle part.
That middle part at the rear (about 20 cm wide, gets separated too) does
certainly have a purpose, since the trick would be even more amazing if
it wasn't there.
Well, this brings four possibilities. At least three of them are wrong
CHINESE WATER TOURTURE CELL
The method is very simple. First, the
handcuffs pose no problem. Current magicians use those silly things
with
the oval hoop and the padlocks. They just fall off with a twist. For
Houdini, real cuffs were routine. So those are gone. The foot stocks
seem formidable, but if you look closely (not Houdini, since he's not
available, but current magicians) you'll see that the third rivet from
the left (stage left) has a false bottom. People are distracted because
of the air bubbles (from the magician), but if you ignore the bubbles
and
look at the rivets it's pretty obvious.
ZIG-ZAG-GIRL
The [Harbin] zig-zag-girl illusion is pretty self-exposing (the middle
part
never goes totally on the left). The girl is always there, squeezed in
the
small space between box 1&2 and box 2&3. The boxes are contructed to
make you
believe that they have very thick edges, which they have not. The trick
is
explained in one of the three Poundstone books. The girl is very
unconfortable
at the top of her legs and below her breasts.
it was
copyrighted or something like that. (I'd like to know more about that).
The mis-made lady: I think this is done with four boxes, which are
rearranged
in different positions. I don't know how today's trick is done (where
they
show parts - could be dummies). Someone sent me a description, in which
the
girl is simply squeezed in the lowest part, which is constructed to look
smaller than it really is (there is additional space between the lower
"edge"
and the floor, which is covered by some decoration, like those hanging
'spaghettis'). I remember that some magician made fun of HLB, because
there
was a similar explanation like that in his book (I don't have it).
According
to another post in alt.magic about Penn & Teller, the girl (or Teller)
has to
move between the boxes all the time.
++---++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---++
+-----+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+-----+
DC MOTERCYCLE TRICK
: I recently went to a D.C. show when he came in my area and had some
very
: good info giving seats. I was sitting behind the sound board which
had
: a shape sort of sunk into the ground behind it covered by a sheet. I
did
: not think much of it. In the final illusion of the show...D.C. was on
a
: motorcycle on stage suspended on a bridge. The lady running the sound
: board was extremely nervous and at one time yelled out "Where the fuck
is
: he?". This got my attention to where she was looking. A man that
looked
: exactly like D.C. came down the isle, and got on the now uncovered
object
: in front of me which was an exact replica motorcycle as the one on
stage.
: As I looked on stage I still saw the "other" D.C...I thought two
D.C.'s..
: ...hmmmm. He must have a double or a well-covered up twin or a well
make
: uped person. This would then make many of his illusions easier to
figure
: out. There are indeed two DCs in the motorcycle vanish. But not twins,
just
lookalikes. It is done at the time the real DC opens the curtain to show
the
motorcycle. You will see that a hand grabs the curtain. This hand is
already
the hand of the double. DC then vanishes behind the curtain (hand can
still be
seen), and the double reappears. You don't notice that it is a double,
because
of the dark helmet and because you think the actual part hasn't even
started.
Abount the vanish itself: the fake DC and the motobike are of course
still
there. The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color
of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still a
second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
I do not know how the front part turns into black. This could be a
"quickie
curtain" (S&R seem to use this, and DC uses it in the "father and son"
trick),
or maybe some special glass that changes color when you run electricity
thru
it.
The motorcycle illusion is one of the easiest to
figure out. I had it figured out as soon as DC put the helmet on and
grabbed the curtain. Very slick, he is and his significant other (and
I'm not talking about Claudia). When he grabs that curtain, DC's hand
doesn't actually grab the curtain. His buddy dressed exactly as DC
grabs
that curtain. Watch the videotape again. DC's clone has the same body,
hair, moves, demeanor, etc... The choreography is outstanding. In the
meantime, DC is taking a leasurely walk out into the house through the
trap systems in the house (remember, he can only performs illusions such
as this in houses that have trap systems designed into the front of
house
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
Not exactly correct - the bike stays where it was, but you don't see it.
The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still
a second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
IMPALED
The "impaled" illusion is a big improvement of Robert-Houdin's
suspension (sword suspension ?). The method is that the girl wears a
steel corset, which is simply put on the top of the sword, while the
girl is inside. The insertion point is near the shoulder. You can check
this allegation with your VCR, by using double speed. You will see that
1. the sword moves when the woman is put on it
2. the whole thing moves a bit back and forth
3. when unlocking her, the magician has to move her a bit up
If it is done by a woman not wearing pants, then she must have a very
hard time doing it - she has to keep her legs up, without this beeing
shown by looking at her muscles. I saw this be done by the pendragons,
so I guess the woman was that "Charlotte".
The "impaled" illusion adds a motor which lowers / raises the "sword".
The magician (yes, now it's a man) pulls a sword top at the right moment
"from his navel".That "right moment" seems to be the big problem with
that illusion. If
the magician performs it sloppily, then the sword (audience view) will
change its length. Another problem is that the sword should be polished
and without greesy fingerprints, so that you can't see that it is
lowered. In the first performance I saw of it was even worse: you could
see that the "sword top" was raised diagonally. Later I saw the same
performed by DC - it was of course perfectly done :-)
HAND CHOPPER
. Here is the basis for the illusion.
The blade is actually L-shaped. One wing of the blade is dull, the
other
sharp. The entire blade pivots at the corner of the L. The blade is
forced down, hits the arm, and pivots rapidly. The second sharp edge
then
comes into view and slices the carrot or other object in the second
hole.
That's all there is to it. This is especially shocking to the audience
member whose arm is in the device, as (s)he actually feels the blade as
it
hits his arm. More advance versions have a locking blade that allows
the
magician to slice a carrot in the upper hole at the conclusion of the
illusion.
+--------
\|~~~~~~~~
\|
\|
\|
~~~~ is "dull" and "\\\\\" is sharp. "+" is the pivot.
|~
|~
|~
|~
+--------
\\\\\\\\
S SUSPENSION
How is it possible to make someone float and pass
a hoop completly around them. Some say there is a bar bent
in an S shape on a board.
I really doubt that you are a magician (you said you perform azrah
levitation - so you should know other levitations as well).
You are correct about the "S".
(Be sure that you have a fixed font to read this post)
It is usually done quite in the dark, so that you don't see to much.
The girl ("JUNGFRAU" in the picture) below is resting on a part
of an "S". The magician can take a *real* hoop, and pass it around,
if the hoop and the "S" are large enough. The move is none in three
steps, but gives the illusion that the hoop is freely passed
around the girl.
e
J +--+
N | |a
G |c |
F | |
G----+ | +--- this part behind the curtain !
R | |
A |b |
U +--+
d
0. Start with hoop between (e) and (a).
1. Move hoop across girl, back part of the hoop moved from (a) to
(b).
2. Front part of the hoop moved to the rear (d). The hoop is
now between (d) and (b).
3. Hoop moves again, until it is between (c) and (e).
4. Take the part of the hoop that is at (e) completely to the front
5. Move the hoop across the girl again.
If the hoop is large enough, you don't need the full "S", only a half
of it.
NIAGRA FALLS CAMERA TRICK
The part *before* the opening of the "hole" is a video !
1. Shortly before DC goes to close the box, you can see his left arm in
the small picture angled up (about 80 degrees), but on the main picture
the arm is down ! (freeze the image to find the moment - it is just
after a cut)
2. Compare the closing of front (with the hole) of the box. You will see
that in the small picture, it goes smoothly, but in the big picture,
there is a short wait in the middle.
Freeze image again, and you will see his hand on the picture, although
his hands are on the left and on the right --> the mini camera is on the
left or on the right, but *not* in the middle (at the hole).
Amazing for me is that I did not expect that video "cheat" at that place
- why didn't DC simply put a mini-camera in the big one ? Or is the
whole thing just a mistake in the editing for television ?
Now if you want to know to how the guy vanished... Have a look at other
illusions, like "big black box" and "video to life". Think. Find the
similarity. Post your theory here. BTW, it's Penn & Teller on that
building.
DISSAPEARING GIRL
, it is all in the base of the table/blue box. the girls are
laying in the box together (tight fit) and the illusion is very (and I
mean very) decieving. i checked out the illusion on my computer (by the
way I am one of the only people in the U.S. that designs illusions by
comuter first, before building them per Jim Steinmeyer) and found out
that the table is very deceiving with the colors and base. The legs are
very deceiving too. The entire package puts together an unbelievable
illusion. The part where the girl "erases" is just her putting her leg
into the base, while wearing a costume that has a fake half-leg and
half-arm.
THE BASE IS
8 1/2 inches.
the black lycra (spandex) 1/2 inch
the blue base is 2 1/2 to 3 inches
there is a 3/4 in spacer (covered with black prof. felt)
2 1/2 inch base aluminum
and around a 2 1/4 inch leg base
the sheet metal used bows in the middle, you will notice this during DC
performance when BOTH girls are in. Then at the end, it looks less
bowed
in the middle.
INTERLUDE
The person inside the box either twists his body to make enough
space for the girl or bends forward and stands up on hidden steps
attached to the sides of the box so that the girl can crawl between
his legs. Since we can see the magician's legs, there would have to
be some gimmick making us believe we can still see his legs. BTW,
there is always somebody moving in front of the box (or a dense
smoke) which would make it easier for the magician to "rearrange"
inside the box. Since it is very difficult to twist your body with
your legs spread up, I conjecture that the magician moves one of
his legs (the left one in the case of S&R) and puts it behind the
other one. In this position, it is much easier to twist the body.
Also, at one moment (close-up) you can see DC's body positioned
somewhat diagonally... So, I prefer the explanation based on twisting.
ELEVATOR
According to one Poundstone's book "Biggest secrets", DC is hiding in
the
floor of the elevator. The shape you see is a sort of cardboard,
(not stiff) but like these things to darken rooms, and it has the shape
of DC.
STATUE OF LIBERTY
He turned the whole audience on a giant rotating platform, so that the
SOL was then behind one of the columns (moving done while curtain up).
The lights of the statue were turned off. The ring of lights you saw is
a second one. The reason that the SOL cannot be seen on the
Kodork-sponsored photos is because a flashlight works only a few meters
away, and the camera used the nearby standing girls as reference. All
further away is just "dark stuff".
The radar was of course not real. I got an interesting e-mail from a guy
with whom I am in "exposing" contact. He noticed that a reflection of
lights can be seen on the "radar", and those reflections are moving at
the moment where the audience is moving.
FLYING
Flying is the simplest and stupidest trick there is. It is not
: magic, it is stage performance.
The most amazing performance I've ever seen on TV.
: Flying is done the same way that Peter Pan flew in his stage
: production or any other stage production which a person
: is made to fly. It is with wires. DC is hooked up like a puppet.
: He leaves the stage and get into a rigged harness.
The most important question is not answered: how do they do it with the
hoops and how does he fly in the glass box when he is wired ?
In both cases, they never go above him. This is somewhat difficult to
explain, so it would be good if you have the video while reading this.
The first time, both helpers seem move the hoops around. The audience
sees it this way, because it looks to the whole picture. If the audience
would follow each hoop separately, they would not be fooled. The hoops
are moved under him, the air above is safe.
The second time, the helpers turning the double-hoop move suddenly
forward, so that they move it under him (and not above). It is difficult
to see because the hoops are moving, so the 3D-algorithm of your brain
fails, and your brain cannot "decode" which part of the hoop is before,
and which one is behind him. So you simply "assume" that he got thru.
While the camera turns, notice that the lid is too small, so that there
is space on the long edges. (Thanks to the AOL guy who told me this last
year !) Also notice how the helpers place the lid over the box - they do
it very carefully, coming vertically from the small side (because DC's
wires are on the long side).
As has correctly been posted here, she's a plant. An ordinary girl could
get scared when DC flies away, and would then sue DC for a zillion $.
GREAT SECRETS REVEALED: THE ART OF "FLYING"
HOW DAVID COPPERFIELD DOES IT
The key to this trick is: THINK SIMPLE... No giant magnets, no neutron
beams, no anti-gravity waves. David was simply suspended by a couple of
very strong, very fine wires or filaments of some very strong space-age
material. This is hardly the first time that such wires have been used
for a "levitation". I see him wearing a strong harness under his loose-
fitting sweat-shirt at his center of gravity; the wires are attached to
the sides of the harness, allowing him to be drawn up and down and back
and forth by a crane-like device out of sight near the ceiling. During
the performance in Vegas I bent forward and peered up at the ceiling
over the stage but of course my vision was cut off past a certain point
by some carefully placed curtains. But in this way he can "fly" all
around the stage and even perform those mid-air somersaults by carefully
avoiding the wires with his arms as he turns over. Yes, this trick
required a great deal of practice, I'm sure!
Right about now, people jump up and say, "But what about the
HOOPS?! They passed all those HOOPS over him!". This was the key
observation by my brother-in-law that caused the pieces to start to fall
into place: they did NOT pass any hoops over him!! The first pair of
hoops, one a bit smaller than the other so it could pass inside the
other, were drawn across David by two assistants, but as they almost met
together in the middle part of David's body, the assistants executed a
twisting motion on both hoops, tilting the top part *back* and the
bottom part *forward*, swinging both hoops *around* rather than *across*
David's body with the clever result that NO PART OF EITHER HOOP actually
crossed over the top of David's mid-section where the wires were
supporting him! This is difficult to describe in text but if you look
at a video-tape of it, in slow-motion if necessary,
w***@gmail.com
2018-06-27 18:05:24 UTC
Permalink
I've always wondered how David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall,
DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.
I got an e-mail from a reader of my document, who saw even more. There
is something black on the top stair, which is later inserted. This is
the cover of the stairs !! You can also see a ladder somewhere. Guess
why...DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the
far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.Take one piece of paper and draw a plan view of the box DC was in. Put
the
spotlight above (behind) the box (but not too close). Now draw a line
from
the light to each side of the front of the box (ie: the screen). Note
the
spaces. If DC moves across the line closest to the Great Wall of China
(in
the illusion), he will appear to (on the screen) walk into the wall...
| . <-------- Light
| / \
| / \
| / \
| / \
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||D2 /D1 \ |
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||/___________________\|
| S <- Screen at front of box
|
|
|
| <- Great Wall of China
D1 = David
S = David's Shadow
D2 = David when you can't see him - He's "inside the wall"
That one is of course correct when he *exits* the wall, but not for
entering, since [my theory is that] he's already in the stairs at that
time.
- The real rose comes out of the suit pocket, while you are blinded by
the fire (--> optical misdirection);
- When the paper rose is hanging "freely" in the air, I could once see
(on TV, but not from DC) two "visible" thread in V-form. That
magician had IMO made mistake: 1. wearing a black jacket, 2. not
having instructed the camera man.
A magician told me that the trick is really difficult to learn (and I
believe this !), and that there are two variations. One with, one
without standing microphone.
"It's all done with mirrors".
That is the standard meaningless explanation of how effects are
done. Yet, quite a lot CAN be done with mirrors. The key to most mirror
effects is a combination of a basic law of physics, combined with
expectations that defy the laws of physics.
The principle is that the angle of incidence equals the angle of
reflection. This means that if you look at a mirror at a 45 degree
angle, you will see a reflection of what's 45 degrees on the other side
of a line perpendicular to the plane of the mirror. But people expect,
when they look into a mirror, to see their own reflection, regardless of
the angle of the mirror. As a result, if the mirror reflects what the
audience expects to see BEHIND the mirror, they will be unaware that
there is a mirror there.
This goes further; a properly angled mirror with a transparent
but distorting surface in front of it will make it seem to the audience
that they can see through the object, when they are actually seeing a
mirror. One good example of this is putting a mirror in a glass. The
glass should cut with a non-smooth pattern, so that you can't REALLY see
behind it, even without a mirror. Yet the audience will believe that
they are looking at a transparent glass, allowing the magician to hide
all sorts of things behind the mirror.
The key to a mirror trick is for the audience to not suspect
that
there is a mirror there. That is a basic part of ANY trick with a
hidden
gaff. The magician must direct attention away from the gaff; far too
many say, "I have here an ORDINARY glass", actually fixing the
audience's
attention to the glass. Far better is to not even mention the glass,
but
treat it as you would a truly ordinary glass; it is not mentioned
because
it is not worthy of mention. Pull this off, and the audience may not
even remember that a glass was involved.
METAMORPHISIS
(why is it that everyone thinks magic is
either twins or mirrors?) This is a pretty old trick... Ever notice that
there were no inspections at all? probably no back to the trunk with a
plank.. anyway... so they tied the first pendragon and put him in a bag
with a hole in the bottom. They close up. (plenty of time to take off
whatever binds you) then watch the spotlight for standing up of your
partner... jump up when the cloth is partway up then throw it up... grab
the cloth and move it as soon as your partner drops down into the plank
from the trap door. Then take your time and let your partner change
bathing suits. (wish all girls could change that fast :-) then your
partner just puts on the ropes... handcuffs.. whatever in time to stand
up
and take a bow....
DISSAPEARING GIRL
Question: Where did DC hide the two girls in his Disappearing Girl(s)
illusion?
Standard answer: He uses the special thicker-than-they look tables to
hide them in the table.
Well, I know they have to be somwhere (probably in the table), but let
me ask some further questions.
I did some measurements of the thickness of the table plus the thickness
of the bottom of the blue box sitting on the top of the table. I simply
put a ruler on my TV monitor and compared the measurement with DC's
body (to have a scale). The total thickness is about 8-9" but not more.
Since they turned the table by 360 degrees, the table cannot be made
thicker at one end and thinner at the other end, neither can it it be
lense shaped as some may try to argue. So, can you really squeeze two
adults
into such a small space????
If you watch other illusions based on those special tables, such as the
Death Saw or Shrinking (by DC), the thickness roughly corresponds to
what I would expect. But in the Disappearing Girl illusion, my
measurements
simply do not agree with common sense.
I too don't know where the girls come from. I also don't know where the
girl (the one with DC's haircut) is in the Origami box - although that
girl is *very* anorexic.
BTW, would you agree with me that DC uses a false head (!) for the
"shrink-box" ? DC's head can't be seen for a short time when going up
and down, and the move is kindof "out-of-sequence".
Another mystery is DC's disappearance in the Alcatraz video at the end.
The table does not have a thick top - but he's gone! The only thing I
could suspect is an "angle trick" (which means that he goes away behind
that cardboard, and every real audience member could see it), and that's
about nothing.
A similar case is a disappearance (or was it an appearance ?) in "father
and son" at the end of the 1985 video. No thick table top there eithe
Everyone has seen the oldest magic trick in the world... where a person
is put in a small box and the box is cut in half, leaving the head and
feet visible, in two separate boxes (very small boxes!).
Not the oldest. There was a "thick model" in the thirties, which was
exposed just too often. Some day (anyone knows when / who ?) the "thin"
model was invented.
Can someone please let me know how this is done? The boxes are
DEFINITELY too small for a person to fit in just half.
The "secret" is not in the height of the boxes, but in the width,
although one inch may be "won" by using a "thick bottom". The assistant,
Miss Anorexia Smallhips, has to lay on the left side and fold herself in
the "head" half. The "foot" half contains two dummy feet (they often
move so regularly that it makes me laugh !). Notice that the table has
always to be turned for the feet switch to take place.
BUZZ SAW
The illusion is that DC lays face down on a table, the saw drops and
DC is severed. Then the two halves of DC are seperated and wheeled
around, but the audience is never allowed a view of cross sectional
area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that
DC is bent at the waist and his legs are stuffed into the table.a thick tabletop is used. (measure it, and you'll have
about 15 - 20 cm !!!). People don't care about the tabletop because it
just "looks bulky and solid". (Hey, those illusions are hand-crafted !).
On the left, DC is in a "frog position". On the right, another person is
lying with feet in the air,
DC CARD TRICKS
Two tricks need that a specific card is picked: DC's card-on-sketchpad,
and DC's gun shoots card.
From the audience point of view, it goes like this: the magician fans apack of *big* cards, shows that the cards are different (why should
someone doubt this - I don't know <g>). The audience member has to tip
her/his finger on the back of the card. The magician changes the pack so
that the audience members is now holding his finger on the top card, and
hands him that card.
As I said, in the tricks where I saw this, it is important that a
specific card is chosen. "forcing" would not work with a TV camera.
Here's my guess: card pairs. The bottom cards of the pairs are
different, the top cards are alike. The connecting surfaces are raw or
sticky, so that the pairs don't separated
THE BLADE
The reconnection of the halves is suspicious, but could also be there to
fool the I-know-how-it-is-done people. "Chad Long" said in alt.magic
that he saw the tricks with both halves opened at the same time, and a
reader (not lurker of this group) said that the halves were opened after
another.
The boots and the gloves of the girl are also suspicious, and are likely
to be "too big" for her, so that she can easily get out of them. Notice
that she moves her arms, but sometimes out of sight.
One thing that I looked again and again was trying to see if that
separating part was thick or not. If it was thick, the girl could put a
half or her out of sight. But DC did move those halves... Could he have
painted those black parts with different black tones to suggest that the
separators are really only about 2cm thick ?
* About the halves: they look different. The left one is cut perfectly,
* but the right one looks like it is the actual girl standing on one leg
* on the side, squeezing her left part against the separator.
I looked again. Maybe this was just wishful thinking. The two head
halves *do* look different, but simply because the girl has her parting
on the left (audience point of view). She also has a lot of hair
covering her ears, so we can't use that one to analyse her head
position.
1. The separators are optical illusions (i.e. are thick)
2. She turns her head a bit, and squeezes it against the separator
(1.5 cm of the two could be used). She uses a fake custume front,
so that it looks as if she's properly cut. Such a fake costume has
been used by a girl in another DC trick (not in this show).
3. One real girl and one fake 1/2 girl. Props are hidden behind that
black middle part.
4. We know from "The fan" that this girl has a twin. Her twin hides
behind that black middle part.
That middle part at the rear (about 20 cm wide, gets separated too) does
certainly have a purpose, since the trick would be even more amazing if
it wasn't there.
Well, this brings four possibilities. At least three of them are wrong
CHINESE WATER TOURTURE CELL
The method is very simple. First, the
handcuffs pose no problem. Current magicians use those silly things
with
the oval hoop and the padlocks. They just fall off with a twist. For
Houdini, real cuffs were routine. So those are gone. The foot stocks
seem formidable, but if you look closely (not Houdini, since he's not
available, but current magicians) you'll see that the third rivet from
the left (stage left) has a false bottom. People are distracted because
of the air bubbles (from the magician), but if you ignore the bubbles
and
look at the rivets it's pretty obvious.
ZIG-ZAG-GIRL
The [Harbin] zig-zag-girl illusion is pretty self-exposing (the middle
part
never goes totally on the left). The girl is always there, squeezed in
the
small space between box 1&2 and box 2&3. The boxes are contructed to
make you
believe that they have very thick edges, which they have not. The trick
is
explained in one of the three Poundstone books. The girl is very
unconfortable
at the top of her legs and below her breasts.
it was
copyrighted or something like that. (I'd like to know more about that).
The mis-made lady: I think this is done with four boxes, which are
rearranged
in different positions. I don't know how today's trick is done (where
they
show parts - could be dummies). Someone sent me a description, in which
the
girl is simply squeezed in the lowest part, which is constructed to look
smaller than it really is (there is additional space between the lower
"edge"
and the floor, which is covered by some decoration, like those hanging
'spaghettis'). I remember that some magician made fun of HLB, because
there
was a similar explanation like that in his book (I don't have it).
According
to another post in alt.magic about Penn & Teller, the girl (or Teller)
has to
move between the boxes all the time.
++---++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---++
+-----+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+-----+
DC MOTERCYCLE TRICK
: I recently went to a D.C. show when he came in my area and had some
very
: good info giving seats. I was sitting behind the sound board which
had
: a shape sort of sunk into the ground behind it covered by a sheet. I
did
: not think much of it. In the final illusion of the show...D.C. was on
a
: motorcycle on stage suspended on a bridge. The lady running the sound
: board was extremely nervous and at one time yelled out "Where the fuck
is
: he?". This got my attention to where she was looking. A man that
looked
: exactly like D.C. came down the isle, and got on the now uncovered
object
: in front of me which was an exact replica motorcycle as the one on
stage.
: As I looked on stage I still saw the "other" D.C...I thought two
D.C.'s..
: ...hmmmm. He must have a double or a well-covered up twin or a well
make
: uped person. This would then make many of his illusions easier to
figure
: out. There are indeed two DCs in the motorcycle vanish. But not twins,
just
lookalikes. It is done at the time the real DC opens the curtain to show
the
motorcycle. You will see that a hand grabs the curtain. This hand is
already
the hand of the double. DC then vanishes behind the curtain (hand can
still be
seen), and the double reappears. You don't notice that it is a double,
because
of the dark helmet and because you think the actual part hasn't even
started.
Abount the vanish itself: the fake DC and the motobike are of course
still
there. The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color
of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still a
second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
I do not know how the front part turns into black. This could be a
"quickie
curtain" (S&R seem to use this, and DC uses it in the "father and son"
trick),
or maybe some special glass that changes color when you run electricity
thru
it.
The motorcycle illusion is one of the easiest to
figure out. I had it figured out as soon as DC put the helmet on and
grabbed the curtain. Very slick, he is and his significant other (and
I'm not talking about Claudia). When he grabs that curtain, DC's hand
doesn't actually grab the curtain. His buddy dressed exactly as DC
grabs
that curtain. Watch the videotape again. DC's clone has the same body,
hair, moves, demeanor, etc... The choreography is outstanding. In the
meantime, DC is taking a leasurely walk out into the house through the
trap systems in the house (remember, he can only performs illusions such
as this in houses that have trap systems designed into the front of
house
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
Not exactly correct - the bike stays where it was, but you don't see it.
The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still
a second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
IMPALED
The "impaled" illusion is a big improvement of Robert-Houdin's
suspension (sword suspension ?). The method is that the girl wears a
steel corset, which is simply put on the top of the sword, while the
girl is inside. The insertion point is near the shoulder. You can check
this allegation with your VCR, by using double speed. You will see that
1. the sword moves when the woman is put on it
2. the whole thing moves a bit back and forth
3. when unlocking her, the magician has to move her a bit up
If it is done by a woman not wearing pants, then she must have a very
hard time doing it - she has to keep her legs up, without this beeing
shown by looking at her muscles. I saw this be done by the pendragons,
so I guess the woman was that "Charlotte".
The "impaled" illusion adds a motor which lowers / raises the "sword".
The magician (yes, now it's a man) pulls a sword top at the right moment
"from his navel".That "right moment" seems to be the big problem with
that illusion. If
the magician performs it sloppily, then the sword (audience view) will
change its length. Another problem is that the sword should be polished
and without greesy fingerprints, so that you can't see that it is
lowered. In the first performance I saw of it was even worse: you could
see that the "sword top" was raised diagonally. Later I saw the same
performed by DC - it was of course perfectly done :-)
HAND CHOPPER
. Here is the basis for the illusion.
The blade is actually L-shaped. One wing of the blade is dull, the
other
sharp. The entire blade pivots at the corner of the L. The blade is
forced down, hits the arm, and pivots rapidly. The second sharp edge
then
comes into view and slices the carrot or other object in the second
hole.
That's all there is to it. This is especially shocking to the audience
member whose arm is in the device, as (s)he actually feels the blade as
it
hits his arm. More advance versions have a locking blade that allows
the
magician to slice a carrot in the upper hole at the conclusion of the
illusion.
+--------
\|~~~~~~~~
\|
\|
\|
~~~~ is "dull" and "\\\\\" is sharp. "+" is the pivot.
|~
|~
|~
|~
+--------
\\\\\\\\
S SUSPENSION
How is it possible to make someone float and pass
a hoop completly around them. Some say there is a bar bent
in an S shape on a board.
I really doubt that you are a magician (you said you perform azrah
levitation - so you should know other levitations as well).
You are correct about the "S".
(Be sure that you have a fixed font to read this post)
It is usually done quite in the dark, so that you don't see to much.
The girl ("JUNGFRAU" in the picture) below is resting on a part
of an "S". The magician can take a *real* hoop, and pass it around,
if the hoop and the "S" are large enough. The move is none in three
steps, but gives the illusion that the hoop is freely passed
around the girl.
e
J +--+
N | |a
G |c |
F | |
G----+ | +--- this part behind the curtain !
R | |
A |b |
U +--+
d
0. Start with hoop between (e) and (a).
1. Move hoop across girl, back part of the hoop moved from (a) to
(b).
2. Front part of the hoop moved to the rear (d). The hoop is
now between (d) and (b).
3. Hoop moves again, until it is between (c) and (e).
4. Take the part of the hoop that is at (e) completely to the front
5. Move the hoop across the girl again.
If the hoop is large enough, you don't need the full "S", only a half
of it.
NIAGRA FALLS CAMERA TRICK
The part *before* the opening of the "hole" is a video !
1. Shortly before DC goes to close the box, you can see his left arm in
the small picture angled up (about 80 degrees), but on the main picture
the arm is down ! (freeze the image to find the moment - it is just
after a cut)
2. Compare the closing of front (with the hole) of the box. You will see
that in the small picture, it goes smoothly, but in the big picture,
there is a short wait in the middle.
Freeze image again, and you will see his hand on the picture, although
his hands are on the left and on the right --> the mini camera is on the
left or on the right, but *not* in the middle (at the hole).
Amazing for me is that I did not expect that video "cheat" at that place
- why didn't DC simply put a mini-camera in the big one ? Or is the
whole thing just a mistake in the editing for television ?
Now if you want to know to how the guy vanished... Have a look at other
illusions, like "big black box" and "video to life". Think. Find the
similarity. Post your theory here. BTW, it's Penn & Teller on that
building.
DISSAPEARING GIRL
, it is all in the base of the table/blue box. the girls are
laying in the box together (tight fit) and the illusion is very (and I
mean very) decieving. i checked out the illusion on my computer (by the
way I am one of the only people in the U.S. that designs illusions by
comuter first, before building them per Jim Steinmeyer) and found out
that the table is very deceiving with the colors and base. The legs are
very deceiving too. The entire package puts together an unbelievable
illusion. The part where the girl "erases" is just her putting her leg
into the base, while wearing a costume that has a fake half-leg and
half-arm.
THE BASE IS
8 1/2 inches.
the black lycra (spandex) 1/2 inch
the blue base is 2 1/2 to 3 inches
there is a 3/4 in spacer (covered with black prof. felt)
2 1/2 inch base aluminum
and around a 2 1/4 inch leg base
the sheet metal used bows in the middle, you will notice this during DC
performance when BOTH girls are in. Then at the end, it looks less
bowed
in the middle.
INTERLUDE
The person inside the box either twists his body to make enough
space for the girl or bends forward and stands up on hidden steps
attached to the sides of the box so that the girl can crawl between
his legs. Since we can see the magician's legs, there would have to
be some gimmick making us believe we can still see his legs. BTW,
there is always somebody moving in front of the box (or a dense
smoke) which would make it easier for the magician to "rearrange"
inside the box. Since it is very difficult to twist your body with
your legs spread up, I conjecture that the magician moves one of
his legs (the left one in the case of S&R) and puts it behind the
other one. In this position, it is much easier to twist the body.
Also, at one moment (close-up) you can see DC's body positioned
somewhat diagonally... So, I prefer the explanation based on twisting.
ELEVATOR
According to one Poundstone's book "Biggest secrets", DC is hiding in
the
floor of the elevator. The shape you see is a sort of cardboard,
(not stiff) but like these things to darken rooms, and it has the shape
of DC.
STATUE OF LIBERTY
He turned the whole audience on a giant rotating platform, so that the
SOL was then behind one of the columns (moving done while curtain up).
The lights of the statue were turned off. The ring of lights you saw is
a second one. The reason that the SOL cannot be seen on the
Kodork-sponsored photos is because a flashlight works only a few meters
away, and the camera used the nearby standing girls as reference. All
further away is just "dark stuff".
The radar was of course not real. I got an interesting e-mail from a guy
with whom I am in "exposing" contact. He noticed that a reflection of
lights can be seen on the "radar", and those reflections are moving at
the moment where the audience is moving.
FLYING
Flying is the simplest and stupidest trick there is. It is not
: magic, it is stage performance.
The most amazing performance I've ever seen on TV.
: Flying is done the same way that Peter Pan flew in his stage
: production or any other stage production which a person
: is made to fly. It is with wires. DC is hooked up like a puppet.
: He leaves the stage and get into a rigged harness.
The most important question is not answered: how do they do it with the
hoops and how does he fly in the glass box when he is wired ?
In both cases, they never go above him. This is somewhat difficult to
explain, so it would be good if you have the video while reading this.
The first time, both helpers seem move the hoops around. The audience
sees it this way, because it looks to the whole picture. If the audience
would follow each hoop separately, they would not be fooled. The hoops
are moved under him, the air above is safe.
The second time, the helpers turning the double-hoop move suddenly
forward, so that they move it under him (and not above). It is difficult
to see because the hoops are moving, so the 3D-algorithm of your brain
fails, and your brain cannot "decode" which part of the hoop is before,
and which one is behind him. So you simply "assume" that he got thru.
While the camera turns, notice that the lid is too small, so that there
is space on the long edges. (Thanks to the AOL guy who told me this last
year !) Also notice how the helpers place the lid over the box - they do
it very carefully, coming vertically from the small side (because DC's
wires are on the long side).
As has correctly been posted here, she's a plant. An ordinary girl could
get scared when DC flies away, and would then sue DC for a zillion $.
GREAT SECRETS REVEALED: THE ART OF "FLYING"
HOW DAVID COPPERFIELD DOES IT
The key to this trick is: THINK SIMPLE... No giant magnets, no neutron
beams, no anti-gravity waves. David was simply suspended by a couple of
very strong, very fine wires or filaments of some very strong space-age
material. This is hardly the first time that such wires have been used
for a "levitation". I see him wearing a strong harness under his loose-
fitting sweat-shirt at his center of gravity; the wires are attached to
the sides of the harness, allowing him to be drawn up and down and back
and forth by a crane-like device out of sight near the ceiling. During
the performance in Vegas I bent forward and peered up at the ceiling
over the stage but of course my vision was cut off past a certain point
by some carefully placed curtains. But in this way he can "fly" all
around the stage and even perform those mid-air somersaults by carefully
avoiding the wires with his arms as he turns over. Yes, this trick
required a great deal of practice, I'm sure!
Right about now, people jump up and say, "But what about the
HOOPS?! They passed all those HOOPS over him!". This was the key
observation by my brother-in-law that caused the pieces to start to fall
into place: they did NOT pass any hoops over him!! The first pair of
hoops, one a bit smaller than the other so it could pass inside the
other, were drawn across David by two assistants, but as they almost met
together in the middle part of David's body, the assistants executed a
twisting motion on both hoops, tilting the top part *back* and the
bottom part *forward*, swinging both hoops *around* rather than *across*
David's body with the clever result that NO PART OF EITHER HOOP actually
crossed over the top of David's mid-section where the wires were
supporting him! This is difficult to describe in text but if you look
at a video-tape of it, in slow-motion if necessary,
magictvfan
magictvfan
5 years ago
Thanks for uploading so many David Copperfield specials, Bill! I'm very grateful for what you have done here. You are one of my most favourite YouTube channels as you help keep the Magic of David Copperfield alive! Nothing is impossible with Jesus! I'm a huge David Copperfield fan and am always looking for his illusions. Thanks again!ο»Ώ

1

Bill Page

Bill Page
Bill Page
1 second ago
cool welcome chriss pal brother in Christ youtube.com/magictvfan/videosο»Ώ http://youtu.be/n3qlDS5b_fQ
magictvfan
youtube.com
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2018-07-27 23:57:05 UTC
Permalink
I've always wondered how David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall,
DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.
I got an e-mail from a reader of my document, who saw even more. There
is something black on the top stair, which is later inserted. This is
the cover of the stairs !! You can also see a ladder somewhere. Guess
why...DC hides in the stairs. You can watch the weird form (wider on the Wayne Berry​ Clarence Seamster Jr​ David Marquart​ David King​ David Livingston​ David Forbes​ David Drewry Duncan​ Nancy Davids​ Paul Tav​ Scott Roop​ Evan Roop​ Michael Roop​ Levi Roop​ Patrick Redman​ Rob Chappell​ Penn & Teller​ Allen Thomas​ Allen West​ Trump & The Great America​ Donald J. Trump​ Trump News​ Ivanka Trump​ Donald Trump For President​ Bill Page​ Bill Griggs, Realtor​ Bill Gates​ Bill Nye The Science Guy​ David Copperfield​ Charlotte Pendragon​ RobCameron Allen​ Mike Allen​ Tyler Micheal Allen​ Jeffrey Allen Upton​ Fisher Stevens Victoria​ Steven Nutt​ Steven Nutt Jr.​ Steven Brundage Magic​ Sonny Hew​that ilusion is called head mover by Christian illusionist Andre Kole and copperfield Jewish Christian David Seth Kotkin performs andre kole Christian illusionist head mover so does time kole with his Christian wife andre kole son tim kole his daughter robin i forget andre kole wife name but shes in HeAVEN AND ANDRE KOLE BURRIED HIS WIFE IN A HOLLOW OUT BEVEL BASE NOW THATS COOL ORGINAL IDEA CONCEPT ps head mover by andre kole youtube.com google.com andrekole.org fake realistic chest she puts her head under it and ovides the sword blade and use radio controlled automatic convaybelt like at a check out grouchery store idea reason why dark sun shades with same collored wig hair so to have a look alike in the hollow out belveld base table now copperfield created the empty retangle wood fancey look design with forty five degree angle mirror in box then revere everything shes got her head back ps i started into illusion bug at the age of five year old blond hair thin boy got saved in Christ at the age of eleven yea old teen boy my birthday june 10 1965 im a walking illuson magic bookspring snake in a can spring loaded soda in a can paul gertner Christian iluson added that idea twist on pennjellet raymond teller fool us tv show with lady hosttwo peple on each end of table wearing special harness belts to make the illuson work get the book i have enykalipidia of suspensions and levatations kevin james floating rose video added with ciopperfields idea tips michael ammar thread work video voulmeswalter jeans pt selbit improvment on loong reatangle square mirror tunnel dark inside tunnel all mirrored on out side back wall stage has same look alike desings light bends add right lighting scheme howard thurston stage illusionist called the illusion the million dollar mystery doug henning call his ilusion things thatgo bumb into the night and copperfield call his illusion the big black box added ecco machine to music by big pig bill and teds excellent adventure movie plus lance burton Christian ilusionist added new way indian teepee idea and valtino learnered montana explaied how its done mirrorsgoodnewsbaptist.org billriceranch.org wilds.org sweethavenbaptist.com considercharacter.org cloudtenpictures.com christianlaw.org andrekole.org creation.com copperfield apparence in highteck detail information i saw at chrysler hall in norfolk virginia ps all you see is a black box with hole added with cover over it in the audience looks like like how a normal size tisue box looks with oval or retangle hole in it but later on when look alike getting on motorcycle harly davidson bike that box now gone in audience just empty space floorlook up in youtube videos and google search engines david copperfield music even ones i now that most dont know thanks to Jesus for able to let me learn that others dont know about other illusion copperfields chrystal smoke chamber illusion to song i wear my sun glasses at night by singer cory heart and other illusion where his lady astant joina spina Christian illusionist dancer corapgher in his shows back in the day she in Heaven now but she got impials on andre kole Christian illusion sword impial ilusion he gave Jewish Christian illusionist david seth kotkin copperfield to a song called slient running by mike and the mechinicks he later let him the ilusionst be impialed on andre kole Christian illusion sword to the song by phil collins i dont care any more can you make a video showing how to solve enero rubikcs cube the fastest cause my best time in the year 1980s in main church of our cool goodnewsbaptist.org is one minute and twlev secounds and now 2011 to 2017 folks teens juniurs extc solve enero rubiks cube in so many secounds even steven brundage illusionist on ameras got talent and let david seth kotkin Christian illusionist Jewish copperfield mix erno rubics cube up and give a time to solve erno rubiks cube he said 15 secounds and steven brundage did just that plus he did it the new illusion way instead of Christian illusionist doug henning and tricky ricky bus minisyer illusionist and others in 1980s 1990s even me ususing erno rubikc cube called in illusion magic shops the enchanted cube ps i prayed to Jesus that me or somone let copperfield miox enero rubiks cube up and then they solve it cool steven brundage was the golden key to anseer my prayers to let copperfield mixe cube and let somone solve it ps i pray to Jesus that copperfield will learn how to solve it and add ideas for televsion specials on CBS he talks about comming back to yelevsion again hes got alot of new illusions thats never been seen on televsion before jay sankey reveales even his signature illusions like sign card pulled through a balloon and left with a deck of cards or soo in the balloon i have the orginal of jay sankey performing and showing how its done and i was praying to Jesus he would reveal it when hes older on youtube and cool now i have both worlds and everyone else that copperfeld usedand i revealed more info that cool valentino Christian illusionist did not go in detail about way before even youtube was created look in alt.magic.secrets in google.com search engines also in magiccafe cool stuff also and also secrets of magic forum ps im thankful To Jesus that all medea is around now even youtube videos it helps everyone and me out to share freely the Knowledge Jesus Christ Lord Saviour God gives us freely to use to give back freely he then gives us more talents freely to give to others freely in Christ always chubby billpage illusionist magician in fun ps hers other youtube video channels that share freely SankeyMagic howtoDisturbReality nadjib haffaf FernandoP1 MagicMurray nadjib haffaf herbert l becker all the secrets of magic revealed 1980 cbs mystery magician steve cohen hosted jasper maskyn the war illusionist and so did franz hararay pythonify on the war illusionist co producer jewish Christian illusionist david seth kotkin copperfield helped in now you see me movie now you see me 2 movie and in the works a now you see me 3 movie he and his cool illusion crew helps also even in burt wonderstone movie and copperfield voiced in cartoon a nome and hes made fiction books with other fiction cool writers and made a cd called david copperfield music that cool rand woodbury Christian illusionist mentions also and mitchell leary and the magic of reza and rjlacmagic and david drew duncan at ropeline suv and johnn black tiolman hauser ray haydad rocco Christian illusionist candy man and lance burton Christian illusionist LanceBurtonFan melinda the first lady of magic Christian illusionist Charlote and jonathen mastero the magnifcent pendragon Christian illusionist princesss tenko and andre kole Christian illusionist even on bill bixbie as the magician tv show and mark wilson helps everyone out even bill bixbie and hallended on tv show called blacks magic harry blackstine sr and jr helps also and doug henning criss angel david blaine yamato905 movie sleight april 7 2017 Bart Rockett Kden Bart Rockett and Brokelyn Rockett Kemi Rockett there mom ps Bart Kelly lookatthis9990 extc extc ps i putt this part but it vanished so im typing again before copperfield appears in the audience on douplicate harlry davidson moto cycle on a loong pole on top of square or retangle platform high up revving harly dvidson motocyle up all you see is empy space floor then a cool heavey guy wearing a green john deer hat on open up a two sided stage trap door with each trap door with half of a cicrle cut in them so when its closed on both sides flushed it looks like a sold circle hole so as the guy wearing johnn deer green hat on that has yellow symbol of a deer on it he the assistant heavey guy that gets out of the audience seat not to far from the empty floor space to open the two sided spring trap door so copperfield illusionist on douplicate motorcycle can rise up a on a hauldrawlick lift in metal pole with motor cycle and copperfield looks at me like high:) you are not suposed to know im here at this momment in time πŸ™‚ as hes then looks at the stage to watch look alike about to vanish on harly davidson motorcycle in mid air so i looked same way then waited for spot lights to aim in the audience then everyones looking now in that direction to see copperfield on a very high pole plateform on harly davidson motorcycle plus music and siren sounds hide sound of hauldrawrlic lift sound going on and lights spinning like policeman lights flashing aroundand around πŸ™‚ and david drew duncan ropelin suv said did you yeah i saw same info dave and tommy story said what you and dave talking about? we said we will explaine in your car tommy story http://wwww.youtube.com/FernandoP1/videos http://www.youtube.com/billpage/videos http://www.youtube.com/ropeline/videos look up in google.com look up alt.magic.secrets look up david copperfield vanishing on harley davidson motorcycle in mid air ps i handed him photos of me levatating my sister stacey elesbeth smith and him doing franz harary pythonify slicer illusion he said Thanks:) i said your cool welcome:) and he sign his auto grapgh on his cool copperfield program DC plus letter with information how you get audience apluse and david drew duncan oput his dad house adress that way he can mail us info if hes able to plus i was as a teen boy on his birthda fan mail and his mom and dad helped in the fan mail how cool is that πŸ™‚ and gary e bartlet wrote us saying david did read your letter and ask i get back you you and he mention get the books all by drael fistkie the trickbrain showmanship for magicians and magic by misdirection and he gave magic shop adress to go to also:) and many years moons later i saw gary e bartet commenting on facebook to valtino the masked magician i type info i just let you all know and he liked my commen
wwww.youtube.com
wwww.youtube.com
JUN 20TH, 9:15PM youtube.com/FernandoP1/videos youtube.com/yamato905/videos youtube.com andre kole nadjib haffaf Donny Osmond​
wwww.youtube.com
wwww.youtube.com
far
side) of the stairs when they are rolled away by two (!) people. You can
also watch that the helpers are carefully never stepping on the zone
over those stairs. The shadow of DC entering the wall is a fake,
although I am not sure how it is done (could be a film). DC's
"temporarly" reappearance is done by the two people holding the elastic
cloth themselves.Take one piece of paper and draw a plan view of the box DC was in. Put
the
spotlight above (behind) the box (but not too close). Now draw a line
from
the light to each side of the front of the box (ie: the screen). Note
the
spaces. If DC moves across the line closest to the Great Wall of China
(in
the illusion), he will appear to (on the screen) walk into the wall...
| . <-------- Light
| / \
| / \
| / \
| / \
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||D2 /D1 \ |
|| / \ |
|| / \ |
||/___________________\|
| S <- Screen at front of box
|
|
|
| <- Great Wall of China
D1 = David
S = David's Shadow
D2 = David when you can't see him - He's "inside the wall"
That one is of course correct when he *exits* the wall, but not for
entering, since [my theory is that] he's already in the stairs at that
time.
- The real rose comes out of the suit pocket, while you are blinded by
the fire (--> optical misdirection);
- When the paper rose is hanging "freely" in the air, I could once see
(on TV, but not from DC) two "visible" thread in V-form. That
magician had IMO made mistake: 1. wearing a black jacket, 2. not
having instructed the camera man.
A magician told me that the trick is really difficult to learn (and I
believe this !), and that there are two variations. One with, one
without standing microphone.
"It's all done with mirrors".
That is the standard meaningless explanation of how effects are
done. Yet, quite a lot CAN be done with mirrors. The key to most mirror
effects is a combination of a basic law of physics, combined with
expectations that defy the laws of physics.
The principle is that the angle of incidence equals the angle of
reflection. This means that if you look at a mirror at a 45 degree
angle, you will see a reflection of what's 45 degrees on the other side
of a line perpendicular to the plane of the mirror. But people expect,
when they look into a mirror, to see their own reflection, regardless of
the angle of the mirror. As a result, if the mirror reflects what the
audience expects to see BEHIND the mirror, they will be unaware that
there is a mirror there.
This goes further; a properly angled mirror with a transparent
but distorting surface in front of it will make it seem to the audience
that they can see through the object, when they are actually seeing a
mirror. One good example of this is putting a mirror in a glass. The
glass should cut with a non-smooth pattern, so that you can't REALLY see
behind it, even without a mirror. Yet the audience will believe that
they are looking at a transparent glass, allowing the magician to hide
all sorts of things behind the mirror.
The key to a mirror trick is for the audience to not suspect
that
there is a mirror there. That is a basic part of ANY trick with a
hidden
gaff. The magician must direct attention away from the gaff; far too
many say, "I have here an ORDINARY glass", actually fixing the
audience's
attention to the glass. Far better is to not even mention the glass,
but
treat it as you would a truly ordinary glass; it is not mentioned
because
it is not worthy of mention. Pull this off, and the audience may not
even remember that a glass was involved.
METAMORPHISIS
(why is it that everyone thinks magic is
either twins or mirrors?) This is a pretty old trick... Ever notice that
there were no inspections at all? probably no back to the trunk with a
plank.. anyway... so they tied the first pendragon and put him in a bag
with a hole in the bottom. They close up. (plenty of time to take off
whatever binds you) then watch the spotlight for standing up of your
partner... jump up when the cloth is partway up then throw it up... grab
the cloth and move it as soon as your partner drops down into the plank
from the trap door. Then take your time and let your partner change
bathing suits. (wish all girls could change that fast :-) then your
partner just puts on the ropes... handcuffs.. whatever in time to stand
up
and take a bow....
DISSAPEARING GIRL
Question: Where did DC hide the two girls in his Disappearing Girl(s)
illusion?
Standard answer: He uses the special thicker-than-they look tables to
hide them in the table.
Well, I know they have to be somwhere (probably in the table), but let
me ask some further questions.
I did some measurements of the thickness of the table plus the thickness
of the bottom of the blue box sitting on the top of the table. I simply
put a ruler on my TV monitor and compared the measurement with DC's
body (to have a scale). The total thickness is about 8-9" but not more.
Since they turned the table by 360 degrees, the table cannot be made
thicker at one end and thinner at the other end, neither can it it be
lense shaped as some may try to argue. So, can you really squeeze two
adults
into such a small space????
If you watch other illusions based on those special tables, such as the
Death Saw or Shrinking (by DC), the thickness roughly corresponds to
what I would expect. But in the Disappearing Girl illusion, my
measurements
simply do not agree with common sense.
I too don't know where the girls come from. I also don't know where the
girl (the one with DC's haircut) is in the Origami box - although that
girl is *very* anorexic.
BTW, would you agree with me that DC uses a false head (!) for the
"shrink-box" ? DC's head can't be seen for a short time when going up
and down, and the move is kindof "out-of-sequence".
Another mystery is DC's disappearance in the Alcatraz video at the end.
The table does not have a thick top - but he's gone! The only thing I
could suspect is an "angle trick" (which means that he goes away behind
that cardboard, and every real audience member could see it), and that's
about nothing.
A similar case is a disappearance (or was it an appearance ?) in "father
and son" at the end of the 1985 video. No thick table top there eithe
Everyone has seen the oldest magic trick in the world... where a person
is put in a small box and the box is cut in half, leaving the head and
feet visible, in two separate boxes (very small boxes!).
Not the oldest. There was a "thick model" in the thirties, which was
exposed just too often. Some day (anyone knows when / who ?) the "thin"
model was invented.
Can someone please let me know how this is done? The boxes are
DEFINITELY too small for a person to fit in just half.
The "secret" is not in the height of the boxes, but in the width,
although one inch may be "won" by using a "thick bottom". The assistant,
Miss Anorexia Smallhips, has to lay on the left side and fold herself in
the "head" half. The "foot" half contains two dummy feet (they often
move so regularly that it makes me laugh !). Notice that the table has
always to be turned for the feet switch to take place.
BUZZ SAW
The illusion is that DC lays face down on a table, the saw drops and
DC is severed. Then the two halves of DC are seperated and wheeled
around, but the audience is never allowed a view of cross sectional
area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to quickly figure out that
DC is bent at the waist and his legs are stuffed into the table.a thick tabletop is used. (measure it, and you'll have
about 15 - 20 cm !!!). People don't care about the tabletop because it
just "looks bulky and solid". (Hey, those illusions are hand-crafted !).
On the left, DC is in a "frog position". On the right, another person is
lying with feet in the air,
DC CARD TRICKS
Two tricks need that a specific card is picked: DC's card-on-sketchpad,
and DC's gun shoots card.
From the audience point of view, it goes like this: the magician fans apack of *big* cards, shows that the cards are different (why should
someone doubt this - I don't know <g>). The audience member has to tip
her/his finger on the back of the card. The magician changes the pack so
that the audience members is now holding his finger on the top card, and
hands him that card.
As I said, in the tricks where I saw this, it is important that a
specific card is chosen. "forcing" would not work with a TV camera.
Here's my guess: card pairs. The bottom cards of the pairs are
different, the top cards are alike. The connecting surfaces are raw or
sticky, so that the pairs don't separated
THE BLADE
The reconnection of the halves is suspicious, but could also be there to
fool the I-know-how-it-is-done people. "Chad Long" said in alt.magic
that he saw the tricks with both halves opened at the same time, and a
reader (not lurker of this group) said that the halves were opened after
another.
The boots and the gloves of the girl are also suspicious, and are likely
to be "too big" for her, so that she can easily get out of them. Notice
that she moves her arms, but sometimes out of sight.
One thing that I looked again and again was trying to see if that
separating part was thick or not. If it was thick, the girl could put a
half or her out of sight. But DC did move those halves... Could he have
painted those black parts with different black tones to suggest that the
separators are really only about 2cm thick ?
* About the halves: they look different. The left one is cut perfectly,
* but the right one looks like it is the actual girl standing on one leg
* on the side, squeezing her left part against the separator.
I looked again. Maybe this was just wishful thinking. The two head
halves *do* look different, but simply because the girl has her parting
on the left (audience point of view). She also has a lot of hair
covering her ears, so we can't use that one to analyse her head
position.
1. The separators are optical illusions (i.e. are thick)
2. She turns her head a bit, and squeezes it against the separator
(1.5 cm of the two could be used). She uses a fake custume front,
so that it looks as if she's properly cut. Such a fake costume has
been used by a girl in another DC trick (not in this show).
3. One real girl and one fake 1/2 girl. Props are hidden behind that
black middle part.
4. We know from "The fan" that this girl has a twin. Her twin hides
behind that black middle part.
That middle part at the rear (about 20 cm wide, gets separated too) does
certainly have a purpose, since the trick would be even more amazing if
it wasn't there.
Well, this brings four possibilities. At least three of them are wrong
CHINESE WATER TOURTURE CELL
The method is very simple. First, the
handcuffs pose no problem. Current magicians use those silly things
with
the oval hoop and the padlocks. They just fall off with a twist. For
Houdini, real cuffs were routine. So those are gone. The foot stocks
seem formidable, but if you look closely (not Houdini, since he's not
available, but current magicians) you'll see that the third rivet from
the left (stage left) has a false bottom. People are distracted because
of the air bubbles (from the magician), but if you ignore the bubbles
and
look at the rivets it's pretty obvious.
ZIG-ZAG-GIRL
The [Harbin] zig-zag-girl illusion is pretty self-exposing (the middle
part
never goes totally on the left). The girl is always there, squeezed in
the
small space between box 1&2 and box 2&3. The boxes are contructed to
make you
believe that they have very thick edges, which they have not. The trick
is
explained in one of the three Poundstone books. The girl is very
unconfortable
at the top of her legs and below her breasts.
it was
copyrighted or something like that. (I'd like to know more about that).
The mis-made lady: I think this is done with four boxes, which are
rearranged
in different positions. I don't know how today's trick is done (where
they
show parts - could be dummies). Someone sent me a description, in which
the
girl is simply squeezed in the lowest part, which is constructed to look
smaller than it really is (there is additional space between the lower
"edge"
and the floor, which is covered by some decoration, like those hanging
'spaghettis'). I remember that some magician made fun of HLB, because
there
was a similar explanation like that in his book (I don't have it).
According
to another post in alt.magic about Penn & Teller, the girl (or Teller)
has to
move between the boxes all the time.
++---++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---+++--++
|| ||
|| ||
++---++
+-----+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+---- ---+
| |
| |
+-----+
DC MOTERCYCLE TRICK
: I recently went to a D.C. show when he came in my area and had some
very
: good info giving seats. I was sitting behind the sound board which
had
: a shape sort of sunk into the ground behind it covered by a sheet. I
did
: not think much of it. In the final illusion of the show...D.C. was on
a
: motorcycle on stage suspended on a bridge. The lady running the sound
: board was extremely nervous and at one time yelled out "Where the fuck
is
: he?". This got my attention to where she was looking. A man that
looked
: exactly like D.C. came down the isle, and got on the now uncovered
object
: in front of me which was an exact replica motorcycle as the one on
stage.
: As I looked on stage I still saw the "other" D.C...I thought two
D.C.'s..
: ...hmmmm. He must have a double or a well-covered up twin or a well
make
: uped person. This would then make many of his illusions easier to
figure
: out. There are indeed two DCs in the motorcycle vanish. But not twins,
just
lookalikes. It is done at the time the real DC opens the curtain to show
the
motorcycle. You will see that a hand grabs the curtain. This hand is
already
the hand of the double. DC then vanishes behind the curtain (hand can
still be
seen), and the double reappears. You don't notice that it is a double,
because
of the dark helmet and because you think the actual part hasn't even
started.
Abount the vanish itself: the fake DC and the motobike are of course
still
there. The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color
of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still a
second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
I do not know how the front part turns into black. This could be a
"quickie
curtain" (S&R seem to use this, and DC uses it in the "father and son"
trick),
or maybe some special glass that changes color when you run electricity
thru
it.
The motorcycle illusion is one of the easiest to
figure out. I had it figured out as soon as DC put the helmet on and
grabbed the curtain. Very slick, he is and his significant other (and
I'm not talking about Claudia). When he grabs that curtain, DC's hand
doesn't actually grab the curtain. His buddy dressed exactly as DC
grabs
that curtain. Watch the videotape again. DC's clone has the same body,
hair, moves, demeanor, etc... The choreography is outstanding. In the
meantime, DC is taking a leasurely walk out into the house through the
trap systems in the house (remember, he can only performs illusions such
as this in houses that have trap systems designed into the front of
house
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
structure). While this clone is taking the bike up into the air and the
pyro goes off, DC elevates up into the audience on his bike distracting
the house from the first bike getting lifted up into the ceiling on a
very fast but computer automated lift system. Duplicates reign in this
illusion guys... They aren't exactly twins like the metamorphosis but
it's close to the same illusionary concept of duplicating subjects.
Not exactly correct - the bike stays where it was, but you don't see it.
The front part turns into black (which 'happens' to be the color of the
backstage curtain), and the bottom and the rear fall down. There is
still
a second bottom, with the motorcycle and the guy.
IMPALED
The "impaled" illusion is a big improvement of Robert-Houdin's
suspension (sword suspension ?). The method is that the girl wears a
steel corset, which is simply put on the top of the sword, while the
girl is inside. The insertion point is near the shoulder. You can check
this allegation with your VCR, by using double speed. You will see that
1. the sword moves when the woman is put on it
2. the whole thing moves a bit back and forth
3. when unlocking her, the magician has to move her a bit up
If it is done by a woman not wearing pants, then she must have a very
hard time doing it - she has to keep her legs up, without this beeing
shown by looking at her muscles. I saw this be done by the pendragons,
so I guess the woman was that "Charlotte".
The "impaled" illusion adds a motor which lowers / raises the "sword".
The magician (yes, now it's a man) pulls a sword top at the right moment
"from his navel".That "right moment" seems to be the big problem with
that illusion. If
the magician performs it sloppily, then the sword (audience view) will
change its length. Another problem is that the sword should be polished
and without greesy fingerprints, so that you can't see that it is
lowered. In the first performance I saw of it was even worse: you could
see that the "sword top" was raised diagonally. Later I saw the same
performed by DC - it was of course perfectly done :-)
HAND CHOPPER
. Here is the basis for the illusion.
The blade is actually L-shaped. One wing of the blade is dull, the
other
sharp. The entire blade pivots at the corner of the L. The blade is
forced down, hits the arm, and pivots rapidly. The second sharp edge
then
comes into view and slices the carrot or other object in the second
hole.
That's all there is to it. This is especially shocking to the audience
member whose arm is in the device, as (s)he actually feels the blade as
it
hits his arm. More advance versions have a locking blade that allows
the
magician to slice a carrot in the upper hole at the conclusion of the
illusion.
+--------
\|~~~~~~~~
\|
\|
\|
~~~~ is "dull" and "\\\\\" is sharp. "+" is the pivot.
|~
|~
|~
|~
+--------
\\\\\\\\
S SUSPENSION
How is it possible to make someone float and pass
a hoop completly around them. Some say there is a bar bent
in an S shape on a board.
I really doubt that you are a magician (you said you perform azrah
levitation - so you should know other levitations as well).
You are correct about the "S".
(Be sure that you have a fixed font to read this post)
It is usually done quite in the dark, so that you don't see to much.
The girl ("JUNGFRAU" in the picture) below is resting on a part
of an "S". The magician can take a *real* hoop, and pass it around,
if the hoop and the "S" are large enough. The move is none in three
steps, but gives the illusion that the hoop is freely passed
around the girl.
e
J +--+
N | |a
G |c |
F | |
G----+ | +--- this part behind the curtain !
R | |
A |b |
U +--+
d
0. Start with hoop between (e) and (a).
1. Move hoop across girl, back part of the hoop moved from (a) to
(b).
2. Front part of the hoop moved to the rear (d). The hoop is
now between (d) and (b).
3. Hoop moves again, until it is between (c) and (e).
4. Take the part of the hoop that is at (e) completely to the front
5. Move the hoop across the girl again.
If the hoop is large enough, you don't need the full "S", only a half
of it.
NIAGRA FALLS CAMERA TRICK
The part *before* the opening of the "hole" is a video !
1. Shortly before DC goes to close the box, you can see his left arm in
the small picture angled up (about 80 degrees), but on the main picture
the arm is down ! (freeze the image to find the moment - it is just
after a cut)
2. Compare the closing of front (with the hole) of the box. You will see
that in the small picture, it goes smoothly, but in the big picture,
there is a short wait in the middle.
Freeze image again, and you will see his hand on the picture, although
his hands are on the left and on the right --> the mini camera is on the
left or on the right, but *not* in the middle (at the hole).
Amazing for me is that I did not expect that video "cheat" at that place
- why didn't DC simply put a mini-camera in the big one ? Or is the
whole thing just a mistake in the editing for television ?
Now if you want to know to how the guy vanished... Have a look at other
illusions, like "big black box" and "video to life". Think. Find the
similarity. Post your theory here. BTW, it's Penn & Teller on that
building.
DISSAPEARING GIRL
, it is all in the base of the table/blue box. the girls are
laying in the box together (tight fit) and the illusion is very (and I
mean very) decieving. i checked out the illusion on my computer (by the
way I am one of the only people in the U.S. that designs illusions by
comuter first, before building them per Jim Steinmeyer) and found out
that the table is very deceiving with the colors and base. The legs are
very deceiving too. The entire package puts together an unbelievable
illusion. The part where the girl "erases" is just her putting her leg
into the base, while wearing a costume that has a fake half-leg and
half-arm.
THE BASE IS
8 1/2 inches.
the black lycra (spandex) 1/2 inch
the blue base is 2 1/2 to 3 inches
there is a 3/4 in spacer (covered with black prof. felt)
2 1/2 inch base aluminum
and around a 2 1/4 inch leg base
the sheet metal used bows in the middle, you will notice this during DC
performance when BOTH girls are in. Then at the end, it looks less
bowed
in the middle.
INTERLUDE
The person inside the box either twists his body to make enough
space for the girl or bends forward and stands up on hidden steps
attached to the sides of the box so that the girl can crawl between
his legs. Since we can see the magician's legs, there would have to
be some gimmick making us believe we can still see his legs. BTW,
there is always somebody moving in front of the box (or a dense
smoke) which would make it easier for the magician to "rearrange"
inside the box. Since it is very difficult to twist your body with
your legs spread up, I conjecture that the magician moves one of
his legs (the left one in the case of S&R) and puts it behind the
other one. In this position, it is much easier to twist the body.
Also, at one moment (close-up) you can see DC's body positioned
somewhat diagonally... So, I prefer the explanation based on twisting.
ELEVATOR
According to one Poundstone's book "Biggest secrets", DC is hiding in
the
floor of the elevator. The shape you see is a sort of cardboard,
(not stiff) but like these things to darken rooms, and it has the shape
of DC.
STATUE OF LIBERTY
He turned the whole audience on a giant rotating platform, so that the
SOL was then behind one of the columns (moving done while curtain up).
The lights of the statue were turned off. The ring of lights you saw is
a second one. The reason that the SOL cannot be seen on the
Kodork-sponsored photos is because a flashlight works only a few meters
away, and the camera used the nearby standing girls as reference. All
further away is just "dark stuff".
The radar was of course not real. I got an interesting e-mail from a guy
with whom I am in "exposing" contact. He noticed that a reflection of
lights can be seen on the "radar", and those reflections are moving at
the moment where the audience is moving.
FLYING
Flying is the simplest and stupidest trick there is. It is not
: magic, it is stage performance.
The most amazing performance I've ever seen on TV.
: Flying is done the same way that Peter Pan flew in his stage
: production or any other stage production which a person
: is made to fly. It is with wires. DC is hooked up like a puppet.
: He leaves the stage and get into a rigged harness.
The most important question is not answered: how do they do it with the
hoops and how does he fly in the glass box when he is wired ?
In both cases, they never go above him. This is somewhat difficult to
explain, so it would be good if you have the video while reading this.
The first time, both helpers seem move the hoops around. The audience
sees it this way, because it looks to the whole picture. If the audience
would follow each hoop separately, they would not be fooled. The hoops
are moved under him, the air above is safe.
The second time, the helpers turning the double-hoop move suddenly
forward, so that they move it under him (and not above). It is difficult
to see because the hoops are moving, so the 3D-algorithm of your brain
fails, and your brain cannot "decode" which part of the hoop is before,
and which one is behind him. So you simply "assume" that he got thru.
While the camera turns, notice that the lid is too small, so that there
is space on the long edges. (Thanks to the AOL guy who told me this last
year !) Also notice how the helpers place the lid over the box - they do
it very carefully, coming vertically from the small side (because DC's
wires are on the long side).
As has correctly been posted here, she's a plant. An ordinary girl could
get scared when DC flies away, and would then sue DC for a zillion $.
GREAT SECRETS REVEALED: THE ART OF "FLYING"
HOW DAVID COPPERFIELD DOES IT
The key to this trick is: THINK SIMPLE... No giant magnets, no neutron
beams, no anti-gravity waves. David was simply suspended by a couple of
very strong, very fine wires or filaments of some very strong space-age
material. This is hardly the first time that such wires have been used
for a "levitation". I see him wearing a strong harness under his loose-
fitting sweat-shirt at his center of gravity; the wires are attached to
the sides of the harness, allowing him to be drawn up and down and back
and forth by a crane-like device out of sight near the ceiling. During
the performance in Vegas I bent forward and peered up at the ceiling
over the stage but of course my vision was cut off past a certain point
by some carefully placed curtains. But in this way he can "fly" all
around the stage and even perform those mid-air somersaults by carefully
avoiding the wires with his arms as he turns over. Yes, this trick
required a great deal of practice, I'm sure!
Right about now, people jump up and say, "But what about the
HOOPS?! They passed all those HOOPS over him!". This was the key
observation by my brother-in-law that caused the pieces to start to fall
into place: they did NOT pass any hoops over him!! The first pair of
hoops, one a bit smaller than the other so it could pass inside the
other, were drawn across David by two assistants, but as they almost met
together in the middle part of David's body, the assistants executed a
twisting motion on both hoops, tilting the top part *back* and the
bottom part *forward*, swinging both hoops *around* rather than *across*
David's body with the clever result that NO PART OF EITHER HOOP actually
crossed over the top of David's mid-section where the wires were
supporting him! This is difficult to describe in text but if you look
at a video-tape of it, in slow-motion if necessary,
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