'Magicians' tricks...

[Externet]

Which illusion, performance has impressed you the most ? That unforgettable one that dropped your jaw to the floor and still has you scratching your head ?

[zapatos]

None. I just can't get excited knowing ahead of time that it is not real.

[Simpson17866]

Anything to do with Mentalism.

 

When somebody's using physical tools and tricks, I know that there's a physical gimmick to what he's doing, even if I don't know what the gimmick is.

 

Telling 4 people to pick 3 numbers at random each, then providing the receipt of a shopping trip from a week ago which predicted that exact sequence of numbers... That is crazy in the best possible way

 

None. I just can't get excited knowing ahead of time that it is not real.

How is that different from the special effect of a movie

 

Magic doesn't fool us because we're dumber than the magicians, magic fools us because magicians are smarter than we are. What they do is completely real (just not what it looks like) and it makes perfect sense (just not to us).

 

Rationality that I don't understand is still rationality

[Janus]

Anything to do with Mentalism.

 

When somebody's using physical tools and tricks, I know that there's a physical gimmick to what he's doing, even if I don't know what the gimmick is.

 

Telling 4 people to pick 3 numbers at random each, then providing the receipt of a shopping trip from a week ago which predicted that exact sequence of numbers... That is crazy in the best possible way

Mentalism uses gimmicks and tricks also, just because you don't know that that they are there doesn't mean they aren't.

How is that different from the special effect of a movie

 

Magic doesn't fool us because we're dumber than the magicians, magic fools us because magicians are smarter than we are. What they do is completely real (just not what it looks like) and it makes perfect sense (just not to us).

As an (out of practice)amateur magician myself, I assure you that it has nothing to do with the magician being "smarter". He is just taking advantage of certain aspects of human psychology and have learned the "tricks of the trade". I have one trick that uses no special gimmick to it at all other than the fact that at a certain point, the person I'm performing the trick for takes my word for what happened. It would take just a moment for them to ask for me to verify it, and force me to show them that it didn't, But in all the countless times I've performed this trick, no one ever has. There they are, knowing that I am trying to trick them, but they never consider that I might lie to them.

 

Magicians also benefit from the retelling of their tricks, the trick always seems to grow and become more impressive in the retelling as the little details that are the key to how the trick was done get left out.

Edited July 22, 2017 by Janus

[Strange]

None. I just can't get excited knowing ahead of time that it is not real.

 

 

I am actually less impressed by tricks where I have no idea how they are done. But when you have an idea of the methods that must be used, but still can't see "the trick", then I am seriously impressed. That is why I love Penn and Teller: sometimes they will show how a trick is done and then the skills involved are really impressive.

[StringJunky]

I don't analyse it, I just enjoy the magic.

[Danijel Gorupec]

I also don't analyse the show while I am watching it. It is only after the show that I enjoy thinking about 'how would I do it'. If ever the actual way is revealed to me, I sometimes get impressed by how much simpler it is than I was thinking.

 

However, I strongly dislike if it is revealed that the actual show involves fake neutral audience.

[DrP]

Mentalism uses gimmicks and tricks also, just because you don't know that that they are there doesn't mean they aren't.

 

yea - I prefer slight of hand and rate that as the highest form of magic skill - close up slights and vanishes and palms are cool. I am an amateur magician too, and love watching decent pros. I went to a show a few month back and could see some guy hiding stuff and palming stuff... only because I knew what to look for and I sat right at the front and to the side... so he was buggered by the angles (it's why I sat there)... even though I knew what he was doing and how, I still loved it and thought he was amazing... his grand finale - which we all sorta knew was coming, was a MASSIVE rabbit out of his hat. Didn't see it at all until he pulled it out - no idea where he was hiding that big bastard at all (Probably in his coat) - most of his show was card manipulation - pulling them out of the air and vanishing them into his hat. My hands are too small to palm cards unfortunately.

 

Worst tricks for me are where they use a stooge or a camera trick... although it can lead to amazing effects. Chris Angel HAS to use doubles, camera tricks and stooges for sure to get some of his effects... it's too obvious for me even though it looks amazing... I can forgive Dynamo for using stooges because he does some creative stuff... his tattoo removal service is a really good trick - but a little too obvious to me as to how it is done ;-).

 

 

PS - 'Coin Unique' is my favorite gimmick - I know some pros use it all the time and it can make a total amateur look like a top pro slight of hand ace... people assume you have to have been practicing for years to get the effects you pull with it... but it is totally simple and a complete beginner can look like a pro in 5 mins with it. ;-) Amazing gimmick with 100's of uses and effects possible. don't just vanish a coin with it, that's too plain. you have to invent your own interesting reveals. You are limited only by your imagination with that gimmick. A++

Edited July 22, 2017 by DrP

[Lord Antares]

 

This is legit.

 

Also, some of Derren Brown's card tricks are really good.

Edited July 22, 2017 by Lord Antares

[Strange]

 

most of his show was card manipulation - pulling them out of the air and vanishing them into his hat.

 

 

I am totally impressed by things like people doing a perfect shuffle (casually, while chatting to the audience) so the cards are back in the same order while everyone assumes they will be completely scrambled.

Which illusion, performance has impressed you the most ? That unforgettable one that dropped your jaw to the floor and still has you scratching your head ?

 

I love Penn and Teller's "Fool Us" when they are left completely stunned and baffled.

[zapatos]

On 7/21/2017 at 11:22 PM, Simpson17866 said:

 

How is that different from the special effect of a movie

 

It's not. 

[DrP]

OK - I invented a new Magic trick late last year (well, 2).  I just assumed that it was something I'd seen on the internet or had seen and copied  -  for some reason I almost remember reading or seeing something like it on the internet, but can't find anything similar from the sources I could have seen the idea before or from anywhere. I described the effect and how to do it on a magic site and some veteran magicians have said they have never seen it. I think it is new and quite modern.

The effect:

Person picks a card. Card is placed on top of the deck as 'the film' in the camera. I use the deck like a camera to 'take their photo'. Their card is shown again on the top of the deck. The card needs 'developing' so it is rubbed several times.....  it then changes into the same card but with a picture of the person on it.

How?

You need to find a person with the likeness of the picture you have on the card and the rest is standard magic moves involving any standard force, some slight card control and then a standard colour change (like Erdnaise or a DL for example).

There are many modern art decks now with pictures/art works of people on them  -  some are generic and it isn't too hard to find people who bear a resemblance on them. I have about a dozen cards where the pictures are the spitting image of people I know. (The Anne Stokes deck is superb). It isn't hard then to switch the back of that card with a standard bicycle back. Once you have this it is just plain sailing with standard magician techniques to get the effect.

 

2nd trick  -  same mechanism.  The person picks the card and you change it to solid gold in front of their eyes. (you can buy decks of cards that are gold plated - probably vapour deposition or something and they are very cheap)  -  the gold card is easier as you do not need to find someone with the same likeness - but the photographic development into the spectators likeness is a more powerful effect imo.

 

Enjoy - it is a good trick and fun to perform   -  The Erdnaise colour change isn't easy though  - I practiced it and got it off specifically for this trick. I wouldn't have tried it in the past as it is a bit over my head/out of my league, but it was worth learning/practicing to produce this effect.  if you want more details please ask. ;-)