Sleight of hand, imperceptible finger movements, special props, light, sound effects - that's magic! Bewitchedly watching the actions of the wizard on the stage, any kid believes in a fairy tale with admiration. Some in these moments really want to become like this mysterious person, to learn how to work miracles on their own, but they are faced with adult pragmatism. “It's impossible!” is a typical parent's response when their child, impressed by what is happening, is trying to learn how to become an illusionist. Meanwhile, there is nothing impossible.
What does it take to be a real magician?
A distant childhood dream for many is quite feasible, you just need to make some efforts. Now there are even studio schools where they teach how to become an illusionist. Or you can learn how to do a few magic tricks yourself if performing on stage is not a top priority. Over time, a curious hobby can be turned into an exciting profession.
Stage work is hard enough. Behind the shining show lies a huge work. Before asking how to become an illusionist like Dynamo (the famous magician from Britain), you need to check your own readiness for mastering this profession. So, what does it take to be truly successful?
patience and time
People come to the show to touch the wonders, you need to cause their real surprise, and for this you need something really new. How to become an illusionist, capable of endlessly delighting the audience? Creativity is clearly indispensable here. For tricks at home, it may be enough to repeat the successful number of a star magician found on the site, in a book or magazine, but professional success can only be achieved with the help of one's own ingenuity. Most of the famous magicians design the numbers, costumes and props themselves.
Intelligence and charisma
One of the necessary ingredients of a successful number is a rigorous mathematical calculation. The sequence of actions must be precisely verified, each is important the smallest detail. Insignificant, random things simply cannot be, and a small oversight can cross out all efforts.
The success of any artist depends on the reaction of the audience. It is not enough to say: “I want to become an illusionist and achieve recognition!”. It is necessary to feel the mood of the audience in order to produce the desired effect right now. Personal charm is an important component of any magician. To please the audience, you must be able to present yourself.
How to learn to be a stage magician
How to master the skill of a beautiful trick, get the skills necessary on stage, how to become an illusionist? Should training take place in a special institution or can you start a career as a wizard yourself? Among famous artists illusion there are real masters of focus who have received the necessary skills on their own.
It is really difficult, not always successful, but there is a chance not to repeat the path of others, to become exclusive. Self-study will require considerable discipline, time, effort. Training props, trick techniques, methods will have to be obtained by yourself, and then try to master it all. In addition to the tricks themselves, you need to learn acting skills, because every professional should have the ability to keep himself on stage.
In families of hereditary magicians, parents often independently teach the secrets of the craft of the dynasty to their children. WITH early age kids are backstage and absorb the necessary information. Having matured, it is much easier for them to prove themselves as artists.
Courses and institutions
Magician - just search by this profile educational institution not easy. Now there are courses where you can join the basics of mastery of focus. It is quite possible to turn such a hobby into a craft over time, if you feel your own vocation in this. WITH an experienced teacher you can acquire the knowledge necessary to start a career, but further success will depend on your own efforts. Famous circuses have their own studios where you can master an exciting profession, and then get a job and perform on stage.
One of the win-win options for how to master the skill of illusion is to enter the circus school for the specialty "magician-manipulator". Applicants will have to pass special tests, exercises to determine whether a person can further develop the flexibility of his hands so that he can deftly do the finest tricks.
Development in the profession
After courses in illusion, patient training, studying already known and developing your own tricks, you can think about conquering the public. Most courses teach exactly the basics of interaction with small objects - cards, balls, ropes. How to become an illusionist magician who can also handle technically complex props? Any professional must constantly develop. You need to constantly look for yourself in your favorite business, learn how to cope with stage equipment, having thoroughly explored what is already there, and follow new trends in working with props. illusion is the way of endless improvement of your skills and your own mastery.
Among the many tricks demonstrated by illusionists different levels, one of the most shocking tricks remains with levitation. Indeed, few things can strike the minds of the audience more than the sight of a card, a rose, or even a person overcoming gravity and floating freely in the air.
The secret of levitation lies in the careful preparation of the performance, sleight of hand and long training. Depending on the complexity, the tools needed for focus may be limited to transparent nylon thread or copper coin, but can be complex mechanisms and devices. Therefore, before you levitate an object, you need to think about what exactly you intend to lift into the air, how many spectators you will have and what devices you will need to complete the trick.
Trick with banknote levitation: a clue
This trick is best for a beginner illusionist. It is quite simple and practically does not require preparation, however, the audience, no doubt, will be amazed by the sight of a bill balancing, contrary to all the laws of physics, on the magician's finger. At the same time, the main part of the banknote hangs freely in the air, swaying in time with the movements of the magician's hand.
All you need to impress your friends with this performance is banknote any denomination and a metal coin. And, of course, sleight of hand. Take a coin and hold it firmly between the palm of your hand and the base ring finger. So you can use other fingers without risking dropping it, and your "cache" from the side will be invisible to the audience. You can take any coin - the main thing is that it be more or less heavy.
Now take the bill and show it to the public to prove it's real. You can let the audience feel or even hold it - this will not affect the outcome of the trick.
Having received the money back in your hands, carefully fold the bill three times in length. Main difficulty this stage is to discreetly insert a coin hidden in your palm between the paper folds. To achieve this, you have to practice a little in front of the mirror.
After that, you just have to place the folded banknote on your finger so that the coin located on the edge balances its length. To achieve greater effect, you can balance a little with a bill or make a few mysterious passes with your free hand.
Rose Levitation Secret
Rose levitation has always been considered one of the most beautiful and romantic magic tricks. The illusionist takes a real flower or a flower rolled from a napkin, and he, obeying a slight wave of his hand, rises into the air. The rose seems to be floating freely, the audience does not see any supporting threads or other devices for levitation.
Despite the unusualness, it is quite possible to learn how to do the trick with rose levitation on your own. In order to repeat it, you will need to prepare the following items:
- Thin invisible thread (you can order it - inexpensively) or fishing line;
- small button;
- needle or tape;
- flower.
Carefully attach the thread to your flower. For the greatest aesthetics, it is worth finding the center of gravity of the rose so that its flight looks more natural. Tie the second end of the thread to a button, which then will need to be sewn to the collar of your clothes. Now you need to figure out what to pass the main part of the thread through. You can throw it over a hook from a chandelier, a tree branch if you are outside, or simply stretch it over your own head, throwing a loose loop around the fingers of one of your hands. It is not worth tying the end of the thread to your fingers: in this case, any attentive viewer will be able to notice the dependence of the movements of the rose on your gestures.
So you can control the flight of your flower lungs finger and head movements. Of course, during stage performances, illusionists have the opportunity to use much more complex devices, which allows you to make the flight of a rose intricate and completely unusual. If you want to make your trick more spectacular, then you should think about the system of blocks through which you pass the thread and, thanks to this, you can move the levitated object not only vertically, but also to the sides.
If you decide to impress your friends with your abilities, do not forget that the success of the trick largely depends on how beautiful and mysterious your actions will look. You can accompany the flight of the rose with spells or mysterious gestures, or, conversely, limit yourself to just a slight nod of your head. You can even pass the "magic flower" through the hoop or run your hand over it; of course, only if you practice well alone and learn not to touch the fishing line during the performance.
Levitation training is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. For example, one of the ways can be seen in this video:
Having mastered the rose levitation trick, you can repeat it with any other small and fairly light object, such as a cigarette or a card.
Human levitation: deceit or illusion?
Illusionists have always spent a lot of effort developing new, more and more shocking tricks, among which one of the most difficult, by right, is considered to be an independent flight of people. 
The secret of the human levitation trick is, first of all, in distracting tricks that prevent the audience from seeing what the person is using to rise into the air. Since it is impossible to stay in the air without a propeller or an anti-gravity device, magicians have to invent all kinds of devices for levitation. An example of such a trick can be seen in a short video by the Safronov brothers, where they revealed one of their secrets.
In tricks of this type, the main role is played by a special mechanism controlled by the magician himself or his assistant and slowly lifting a lying person. It is for this reason that for most stage tricks with levitation, a cover is used, which hides not only the person himself, but also the apparatus that allows him to “take off”.
Much more amazement of the public is caused by the flights of the magician himself, who seems to soar completely on his own, not supported by anything. Especially popular were the tricks of David Copperfield, who not only soared over the stage, but also flew through rotating hoops and transparent boxes. The key to this "magic" is the multitude of the thinnest invisible cables and boxes with slots into which the cables enter during the "captivity". But, of course, the main condition for a successful trick with levitation was and remains the lightness and artistry of the magician himself.
How to do the trick with levitation yourself
It is almost impossible to repeat the achievements of David Copperfield or the Safronov brothers at home - unless, of course, you are a brilliant mechanic who can create a levitation machine from improvised materials. However, there are many other, much more simple ways convince viewers of their levitation abilities. The most accessible of these is optical illusion which anyone can master. In this case, you don’t even have to take off: it will be enough to convince others of this.
To implement the focus, you need only 2 things:
- Worn-in shoes without laces, several sizes larger than your foot;
- wide pants;
The secret of such a focus lies, first of all, in choosing the right place for the focus. Spectators, regardless of their number, should see only one of your legs: the success of your trick depends on this. Best Location- 2-3 meters from the audience.
Having prepared for the trick, you need to carefully, so as not to attract attention, remove the foot hidden from the public from the shoe. It is on it that you will rely on during the "flight". And now begin to slowly rise on tiptoe, while lowering your hands down or reciting “spells”. It is better to press the released shoes to the second leg so that it “rises” with you and at the same time hides the supporting leg. If you do everything right, the audience will see how you smoothly take off a few centimeters above the floor and, after hovering for a few seconds, just as smoothly fall back down.
It is important! It is much easier to do such a trick with an assistant who, at the right moment, supposedly accidentally passes by you, and for a moment closes your actions from the public.
Video training focus "levitation" can be viewed in this video:
The human levitation trick requires patience and lots of practice in front of a mirror. In order to make it more effective, it is worth remembering a few small tricks:
- Don't warn the audience ahead of time about the trick, otherwise they might take a closer look and solve your mystery.
- The easiest way to demonstrate levitation is in a semi-dark room or with light music turned on, which will hide some of the nuances of the performance.
- Do not stay in the air for more than 4 seconds.
- Make sure your audience is looking at you at about a 45° angle and no one is standing behind you.
The first known document that mentions illusionary art is the ancient Egyptian papyrus Westcar, named after the owner of the collection where it was originally kept. It contains legends relating to 2900 BC, the era of the reign of Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops). One of the legends mentions the performance of the magician and trainer JEDY, who knows how to put in place and grow the severed head of a goose and can make a lion follow him without fetters.
WEBA-ANER, one of the magicians mentioned in the Westcar Papyri, was famous for taking a small wax figure of a crocodile and inexplicably transforming it into a living, adult and very ferocious beast.
For the first time in fiction magicians are mentioned in the 16th century: Teofilo Folengo from Mantua in his poem "Macaronade" brought out a magician named BOCKAL de BERGAMOSC.
The trick with an imaginary decapitation and an increment of a severed head was performed by the Italian BALDUCCI in 1750. He released a rooster onto the stage, whose head was previously tucked under the wing and tied in that position. In its place, the severed head of another rooster was attached to the body. BALDUCCI let the rooster run a few steps, "chopped off" his head, gushed "blood", and he showed this head to the audience. Then he covered the bird with a scarf, freed the real head from under the wing, and hid the severed one. After that, a live and unharmed rooster was shown to the audience.
HARRY HOUDINEY's real name is ERIC WEISS. As a child, Erich wanted to become a great magician, like Robert-Houdin, and took the pseudonym HOUDIN, which means "like HOUDIN".
The appearance of a rabbit from a top hat is sometimes erroneously considered a classic trick. In fact, this trick is not often performed. Probably JOHN HENRY ANDERSON was the first to show it. This happened in the 1830s.
The magic spell "Sim-Sala-Bim" was first used by the Danish illusionist DANTE (1883-1955). In fact, these three meaningless words, similar to an oriental spell, are taken from a Danish children's poem.
HENRY ROLTAIR (1853-1910) cycled around the stage, gradually soared into the air and made a "dead loop". Roltair later mastered the levitation of the car along with the driver.
History does not know cases of mutilation of any of the "cut" assistants of illusionists.
When GORACE GOLDIN (1873-1939) was performing the sawing-a-girl trick in New York, there was an ambulance in the street at the entrance to the hall with a sign reading "in case the saw slips."
In the 1950s, SORKAR (1913-1971), a famous Indian magician, captivated British television viewers with a trick of sawing a girl. At the end of the TV program, thousands of people called the studio to find out if the girl was alive.
"The Miser's Dream" is the name of a classic stunt in which coins appear in the air and rain down on the stage.
The career of the American illusionist WILLIAM ROBINSON (1861-1918), who performed in Chinese style under the pseudonym CHAN LING SOO, was tragically interrupted while performing the Bullet Catch trick. Some spectator decided that the magician could catch an ordinary bullet with his teeth ... and shot him with a real pistol.
The astrologer and soothsayer MICHEL NOSTRADAMUS, who lived in the 16th century, put on real magic shows, demonstrating incredible things in a specially equipped office. The audience watched the action through narrow gap in the door where the wizard was inserting ... a glass prism. A doll seated in an armchair descended headfirst from a hole disguised in the ceiling. The glass prism turned the image over, and it seemed to the public that the doll was growing out of the floor in an incredible way.
One of the numbers of PINETTI, the largest illusionist of the middle of the 18th century, was a trick with a swallow. The magician took the bird out of the cage and gave it to one of the spectators to hold. The swallow died immediately. PINETTI approached one of the spectators and asked her to breathe on the bird. After that, the swallow came to life and flew away! The secret of this trick is very simple: before giving away the feathered one, the illusionist imperceptibly pressed the carotid artery on her neck; the swallow temporarily lost consciousness and looked dead. After a while, exactly known to PINETTI, the swallow came to her senses.
"Orange Tree" - one of the most famous tricks of the XIX century - was shown by the Frenchman JEAN-ETIEN ROBERT-HOUDIN. In front of the audience, ROBERT-HOUDIN poured earth into a pot, threw grain into it, and watered it several times during the performance. A sprout appeared in the pot, it turned into a green bush, and then covered with oranges. The magician cut them off and treated the audience. He cut the last orange, and two mechanical butterflies fluttered out and flew around the stage.
The "mysterious Egyptian", the aquarium man ALI, who performed in Russian circuses in 1916, drank more than 40 glasses of water during his act. Then he took out frogs and goldfish from the aquarium and swallowed them alive. Then spewing from his mouth a fountain of water about 2 meters long, at the request of the public, he “gave out” either fish or frogs. After that, multi-colored water fountains beat out of ALI's mouth - the audience ordered the colors. At the end of the speech, the fakir drank kerosene; when another fountain appeared from his mouth, the assistant brought a lit torch to the jet, and the fountain flared up.
The illusionist GEORGE NAGEL (better known as NAT PINKERTON) had a nail-piercing trick in his repertoire. The audience is shown an ordinary nail, allowed to touch it with their hands, after which the magician imperceptibly replaces the nail with exactly the same one, but with a bow in the middle. The art lies in the ability to "bewitch" the audience so that they do not notice the substitution. In Paris, during a show of tricks, the audience closed the illusionist in a tight ring and he did not dare to show this trick. And the audience was insistently demanding this particular trick. Then NAGEL, without replacing the nail with a false one, pierced through his forefinger in the soft part. The conjurer blocked the grimaces of pain with a smile, as if making it clear that this was only an illusion.
On April 1, 1934, Pope Pius XII granted the illusionists his own saint - JOHN BOSCO, the namesake of the famous illusionist early XIX century and also a magician. In Paris, on Rue Alexandre Dumas, you can see the church dedicated to Saint John Bosco, opened in 1937.
The Indian fakir AZZAR lay for twenty-five hours and nine minutes on a special bed with nails driven into it with points up. After this experiment, which took place in Sydney, the fakir had to be sent to the hospital.
The Swiss fakir ALI BEN CAMELIA (real name Camille Rosier) celebrated his 45th birthday in an original way: on that day he swallowed 45 razor blades - one for each year. In 1942, while working in one of the Belgian circuses, ALI BEN CAMELIA "gnawed" the first razor blade on a bet. He then managed to eat fifteen more blades. And here is a kind of record - 45 pieces.
Ferhat IZMIR, a well-known "fire-eater" in the West, once ended up in the hospital, having burned himself with hot soup.
The illusionist TEN-ISHI went on stage with a Japanese teapot, poured a glass of water into it, closed it, and suddenly a fountain began to beat from the lid. TEN-ISHI touched the jet with a "magic" wand and the fountain jumped onto the wand. The illusionist unfolded the fan and covered the jet with it. Then the water began to beat from the fan, but already in three fountains. TEN-ISHI pulled out a long japanese sword, hit the fan - and he stopped exuding water. But now the jet beat from the blade of the sword. A Japanese assistant came out, touched the sword with the illusionist's "magic" wand - and fountains began to beat from the fingers, from TEN-ISHI's hair ... They beat from the heads of the assistants, from the tips of their spears, from baskets of flowers ...
Before the eyes of the audience, the illusionist LAFAYETTE made up the face, neck and hands of his assistant, a Negro - turning him from a black man into a white one. I put on him a frock coat with stars, a top hat with a red and white ribbon and glued a wedge-shaped beard. The Negro, who thus turned into Uncle Sam, approached the audience, took off his top hat and beard, and turned out to be ... LAFAYETTE himself.
As far back as the beginning of the 20th century, Harry Houdini showed the “disappearance of a living elephant” trick. The elephant stood against a black velvet curtain; assistants covered him with a white veil, under which there was another, made of black velvet. At the sign of the illusionist, the white veil was pulled off, and the elephant, covered with a black veil, turned out to be invisible against a black background.
In a New York City notary's safe was a thick, sealed envelope that was to be opened on April 6, 1974, the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini's birth. This package allegedly contained all the mysteries and secrets of the illusionist. On the appointed day, the safe was opened - but it turned out to be empty. The great deceiver and this time deceived everyone.
The pseudonym KIO appeared in a completely different way than long years Emil Teodorovich told KIO (supposedly the letter “H” burned out on the sign “cinema”). In fact, in the twenties, Emil worked for several years in Poland. There he lived near the synagogue, and every day he heard a prayer in which the leitmotif was something like "TKIO, TKIO, TKIO." He did not know Hebrew, did not know what it was, just the word got into his head ... But in Soviet times the synagogue was "profanity" - so they came up with this version of the appearance of the pseudonym because of the sign "KINO".
When there was no one behind the scenes of the Nustudien revue, the thief, Ekke JENSEN, tore off his tailcoat from the hanger and, throwing off his filthy jacket, ran out through the back door. Jensen was on the run from the Copenhagen police and needed to change his clothes. On Ekke Street, he went to the tram stop. Suddenly, a dove flew out of the inner pocket of the tailcoat, followed by two more. Then something stirred in the fold of the tailcoat, and before the chilled Ekke could grab the fold with his hand, a rabbit jumped out of it. Before the eyes of the astonished passers-by, two colorfully painted boas crawled out of both sleeves of the tailcoat ... From time to time the tailcoat shook trembling, and new animals flew out, crawled out and jumped out. When a solid-sized toad plopped out of a tailcoat, Ekke fell senseless to the ground. It was then that the owner of the tailcoat, the illusionist CAMPBELL, found him.
Montreal 44-year-old illusionist Cedric Barnes sold his victim during a hypnosis session Blank sheet paper for 750 thousand dollars as the original manuscript of the novel by Emile Zola "Germinal". A wealthy buyer, who instantly wrote out a check for a substantial amount, discovered the “fake” only the next day, when the spell of the magician was finally dispelled. The poor man turned to the police, but at first the illusionist tried to turn everything into a joke - supposedly in a few days he wanted to return the money and apologize for, so to speak, exceeding professional authority. However, law enforcement officers did not believe him: of the 750 thousand dollars for which the paper was sold, the hypnotist managed to spend more than three hundred. He paid all the bills he had accumulated, bought a small house outside the city, good car and shares of a woodworking company.
Many great tricks remain unsolved to this day. And the greatest trick has not yet been invented at all (we are talking about the instantaneous transfer of the Kremlin with its inhabitants to the hospitable mouth of the Eyyafyadlayokyul volcano). But a number of grandiose tricks and "prestige" managed to be opened and brought to your understanding.
The bullet-catching trick is one of the most ancient and respected, almost as ancient and respected as the bullet itself. The focus was first mentioned in 1631 in the treatise The Theaters of God's Judgment by the Reverend Thomas Beard. The bullet trick improved over the centuries until it reached its pinnacle with magicians Penn and Teller simultaneously shooting each other and catching the bullet in their mouths.
Appearance
Reality
To successfully perform a trick with a bullet, it is not so much painstaking preparatory work how much sleight of hand, cheeks and tongue. The bullets that are shown to the activists from the audience and which are eventually fired are fake, most likely wax, they burst as soon as they leave the muzzle. To make such bullets as similar as possible to real ones, craftsmen coat them acrylic paint lead color. Why don't the volunteers from the audience notice that the bullets are fake? Imagine that a camera is pointed at you, everyone is waiting for your witty answers to the questions of world famous magicians, your palms are sweating - there is no time for skepticism.
Penn clearly states what initials the volunteer puts on the bullet and what he draws on the cartridge case. Drawing, as you understand, is not difficult: most people paint a smiley face, a sun or a wand. At this very time, the assistant behind the scene depicts the initials on the bullet already shot in advance (it can be blurry, after all, the bullet has been in the revolver). Penn and Teller approach the hanger, where protective vests and masks are waiting for them.
Please note: hangers are located next to the curtain. This is a fatal moment: both magicians turn away from the camera, for seconds they are out of sight of others. And then the assistants put bullets in the mouth of Penn and Teller.
Time to marvel at Penn's conversational skills as he continues his distracting monologue about danger firearms while holding a bullet in his cheek. Further - a matter of technique and training. All that remains for magicians is to aim, fire blanks, and then, hiding behind a curtain of powder, push the bullet out from behind their cheeks and squeeze it between their teeth.
Every illusionist dreams of walking on water. Until the 21st century, only one succeeded, and even then in biblical times. But nowadays, thanks to the development of technology, the focus has become feasible. Among the first it was demonstrated to the world by the British illusionist Steve Frein, known as Dynamo. Yes, how effectively he demonstrated - he did not pass through any water, but along the Thames itself!
Reality
Since the tricks of Dynamo have not yet been revealed by competent people, we will express our version.
Tsimes focus - in a massive non-sinking platform made of plexiglass, which was previously anchored at the embankment. In principle, if it were in a pool of wonderful murmuring chlorinated water, the platform would be visible to the naked eye. But it's about the Thames. Here the water is so dark, wavy and dirty that if an illusionist thought to walk over drowned men dressed in multi-colored feathers, no one would notice this.
The rowers who defiantly swam behind Dynamo do not deserve criticism at all. But we still criticize. The immersion depth of a single kayak is no more than 15 cm.
And if you look closely at this photo, you will see what massive sneakers Dynamo has and how significantly they increase his height. This allows kayaks to float over the platform without disturbing it.
And finally, in this photo we can observe the swell, which is formed only at shallow depths.
Exactly 101 years ago, in 1912 (we clarify, if you accidentally threw a calculator on the other end of the sofa), this trick was performed by the notorious Harry Houdini. Since then, getting out of the water box has become one of the most respected magic tricks in the world, well, just a crème de la crème of illusions. There are dozens of interpretations of liberation. In particular, because, before settling in Copperfield's personal collection, an authentic box for a long time dangled in an unknown place and it was not easy to establish the exact technique for performing the trick. Focus has been actively filmed in films: for example, in the already mentioned The Prestige and House M.D. (season 4, episode 8 "You'd better not know"). But we chose the version of the illusionist duo Sherri and Krall because in 2012, on the centenary of the trick, they repeated the Houdini trick exactly as the maestro performed it. Unless a man climbs into a box of water, but a woman.
Appearance
Reality
The secret of the trick is mostly in the lock of the camera. Well, in excellent physical training an illusionist who has to get out of it.
As Krall, acting as an assistant, locks the locks on the lid, Sherry discreetly pulls the rods out of the hinges holding the lid in place. Therefore, in order to get out, it is enough for a girl to tighten her abdominal muscles, pull herself up and get out of the open chamber.
Perhaps you are now stretching on the couch and grunting: “Just think, everyone can do it.” In fact, the Chinese water torture chamber is considered the most real fatal number. Judge for yourself: the stunt performer spends at least three minutes hanging upside down, which is a test in itself. Add to this immersion in water, the need physical activity and the risk of losing consciousness from the influx of blood to the head. Still, it's nice that there are people who are ready to risk their lives for our amusement.
To become famous all over the world, David Seth Kotkin had to not only take a prettier surname for himself, but also deprive Americans of their national dignity for a few minutes. The second, by the way, turned out to be much easier than many people think.
Appearance
Reality
As you must have read on Wikipedia, the Statue of Liberty stands on a small island, away from the lights. big city. The only sources of light on the island come from the statue's own lighting system. Therefore, when a white cloth rises in front of the noses of the audience, all that is required is simply to turn off the internal and external lighting of the girl with the torch.
The white cloth descends and the audience gasps in unison as the statue disappears. Although in reality they should gasp at how imperfect human vision is: the audience cannot see the copper 93-meter colossus, as they were blinded by the illuminated pillars on which the fabric is stretched. When, a few minutes later, Copperfield lifts the fabric, again shielding the statue from the public, their eyes have not yet had time to adapt and consider the outlines dear to the heart of the Yankees.
As for the searchlights crossing the "empty" space, this is also an optical illusion. The searchlights were installed not on the sides of the statue, but in front of it, and, directed vertically, they did not touch the statue and created the illusion of emptiness. Later, when the disappearance was televised, gullible viewers were shown footage taken from a helicopter. And here is a video montage: the statue was removed from the pedestal ahead of time.
The Metamorphosis trick, invented by illusionist John Nevil Maskelyne in the 19th century, has become legendary in the 20th century. To the best of their ability, all magicians tried to perform it, from Houdini to Mark Wilson, and each brought something new to the act. Jonathan and Charlotte Pendragon were especially distinguished in improving the Metamorphoses. They got their hands and other parts of their bodies into this trick so much that they pulled off the climax in a record-breaking two seconds. With these miserable seconds, the Pendragons entered the 50th anniversary edition of the Guinness Book of Records.
Appearance
Reality
First, of course, the bag. The bag is not as simple as it seems. Please note that we never see its bottom, it is always hidden from us by a chest. Therefore, even though Charlotte honestly hides her husband in a bag and ties him up, Jonathan can always get out through the holey bottom of the bag. Which he does as soon as Charlotte closes the lid.
As for the castle, it also locks for real. Well, who cares that inside the chest is equipped with a system for pushing the top cover. As soon as Charlotte climbs onto the box, she closes it and herself with black cloth and at the same time rests against the side walls of the chest. This is where the magic begins. Jonathan, already out of the bag, pushes back the lid. Charlotte does not fall because the side walls she is standing on are stationary. Jonathan stands up on the lid of the drawer and takes the cloth from Charlotte's hands.
Having passed the baton, the girl jumps into the chest and slams the lid. At the same moment, Jonathan throws back the fabric and appears before the audience - out of breath and shiny with pride. While he is bowing, his wife manages to rip off her top swimsuit, under which another one is hidden, of a contrasting color (although, you must admit, a greater effect would be achieved if Mrs. Pendragon jumped out of the chest naked). It remains only to climb into the bag, which Charlotte successfully does.
Meanwhile, Jonathan defiantly draws his saber and unlocks the useless lock. Unties the bag, and - here's a surprise! - His wife is in the bag. In a swimsuit of a different color!*
* Note Phacochoerus "a Funtika:
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Approximately according to this scheme, "Metamorphoses" are always performed. The Pendragons turned out to be the fastest performers of the illusion due to their excellent physical form and the ability to jump from the chest and back without accidentally breaking your neck»
Everyone to court!
As you understand, illusionists do not like very much if their tricks are revealed. When the first American broadcast of the Secrets of the Great Magicians aired in 1997, magician unions around the world sounded the alarm. This did not help: the program, which dissects tricks in detail, is still being filmed. Actually, her contribution to the preparation of this material is invaluable. The host of the program, magician Val Valentino, explained that he reveals tricks so that his colleagues come up with new ones. But we suspect he's making shows for fame and money.
And illusionists are very fond of going to courts and finding out who was the first to come up with the idea of pulling a rabbit out of a sawn box, floating in zero gravity. So, in the 1930s, the case of the magician Horace Goldin against the tobacco company R.J. received wide publicity. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which used explanations of his patented "cutting a woman apart" trick in an advertisement for new cigarettes. The ad campaign was called "It's fun to be fooled... But it's even more fun to know" and consisted entirely of exposing tricks. Goldin never won the case, but henceforth he was more careful and, in order to avoid leakage of information, did not even patent his next high-profile trick, in which he sawed the assistant not with an ordinary saw, but with a circular saw.
Domestic "Minute of Glory", by the way, has more than 40 analogue programs, which have long been successfully demonstrated in the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, the Czech Republic and other countries.
Scotsman Stevie Starr, a member of the Czech show, shocked the jury and the audience by swallowing numbered coins and casually “returning” one or another copy upon request. According to him own words It all started with innocent fun. Steve grew up in an orphanage and often "hid in himself" pocket money, fearing that his comrades could take the coins. Then, in early childhood, Starr, in his own words, swallowed bumblebees, and then released them back alive. Just as naturally, in front of the jury and viewers, Starr now swallows granulated sugar, drinking water, and then “returns” it back dry. All this gives users social networks to exclaim: "There was no magic here."
American magician Kevin James is a hero national show"America's Got Talent" - like Starr, he knows how to show tricks with coins (though only with the help of his hands), but he is much more famous for his number, in which he successfully cuts an assistant into two halves with a saw, and then, as expected, connects them back.
