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Gromit posted:I would love to see Copperfield's flying rig in real life. The patent is interesting, but I really want to see the engineering up close because it's super smooth in operation. I don't know why it didn't ocurr to me that magicians patent their illusions (I don't know if that's the name for their "machines"/rigs) so that their acts don't get stolen, but since patents are public records, how do they write them in a way that prevents people from figuring out how they do their tricks? Another question: is Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself a magic show? It clearly has slight of hand and cold readings (I assume), but it seems more like a one man show than Ricky Jays 52 assistants.
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Mar 3, 2022 16:10
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So I readily admit that this doesn't technically count as a magic trick, but it sure tickles and awes the same parts of my wee brain as illusions do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZXaZzYvtSg So conceptually simple yet obsessively refined. 
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Mar 3, 2022 20:20
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ynohtna posted:So I readily admit that this doesn't technically count as a magic trick, but it sure tickles and awes the same parts of my wee brain as illusions do: This is actually pretty classic mime technique. It’s a great bit.
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Mar 3, 2022 23:45
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Vincent posted:I don't know why it didn't ocurr to me that magicians patent their illusions (I don't know if that's the name for their "machines"/rigs) so that their acts don't get stolen, but since patents are public records, how do they write them in a way that prevents people from figuring out how they do their tricks? It even has a wikipedia page! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Copperfield%27s_flying_illusion At the end of the day, it often doesn't matter if you know how it's done. I know how tons of tricks are done but I get most of my enjoyment from seeing them done smoothly, or picking up where things are handed off or swapped out. I guess I enjoy the technical achievement as much as I do being amazed by something that seems to be a mystery. I mean, no-one thinks DC can actually fly so I assume everyone believes he is connected to wires in some way. The enjoyment is the showmanship and flawless execution (along with some of the convincers he uses to make you think that maybe it couldn't be wires).
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Mar 4, 2022 01:10
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I just watched a video of the Copperfield flying rig, and it looks like a pretty standard fan style ZFX or Foy rig. My guess would be multiple super thin cables, on swivels at the hips. Probably computer controlled to maintain tension. In theater we tend to do a single wire to each hip, but I've seen rigs where its uses multiple smaller wires to be less noticeable. Still really neat. Unless the lady he picks up and flew with was a plant, I have no idea how his insurance would have signed off on that. He'd also have to be in real good shape, that would be a physical workout for sure.
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Mar 4, 2022 03:42
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I'd be very surprised if the audience member was a legit stranger. As you say, it would be too risky.
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Mar 4, 2022 06:44
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I assume every audience volunteer in magic is a plant, TBH. The main thing I've gleaned about magic from Penn and Teller's books is "get a plant if possible, and bribe bystanders heavily if not."
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Mar 4, 2022 07:23
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On that topic, I recall one trick that seemed... not entirely thought through. The magician was on the big screen, an audience member was picked and answered questions, and the magician on screen successfully guessed what was chosen. Then the audience member took off his sunglasses and rubber mask, revealing himself to have been the magician all along. So... what was the trick? That you remembered what you said when you pre-recorded the video, and acted in response to it while wearing a mask? I guess congrats for not using a plant, but that would have at least had deniability?
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Mar 5, 2022 03:27
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Elfface posted:On that topic, I recall one trick that seemed... not entirely thought through. Was this on Fool Us? I remember a trick from that involving a rubber-mask reveal, mostly because my thought was "you dipshit, you just spoiled your own trick." For the record, to clarify my previous post, since I think it came off a little harsh: I don't have a problem with magicians using audience plants, although it's a little lame if the trick is just "guess what this coached audience member will say." I think it's pretty interesting how the art of illusion is a mix of skill, technical innovation, and brute-force solutions like plants -- all kinds of elements working in concert to pull off a trick. Sometimes simple brute force is just fine!
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Mar 5, 2022 04:08
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Glad there's a PYF Magic thread. How did I not see it before? While we can appreciate Fool Us for having some killer talent on, let's not forget the boys are great magicians in their own right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhnATlPdG6A
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Mar 5, 2022 11:04
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This is my favorite P&T bit, it’s simple but stunning: https://youtu.be/M0mL3PWKkwU
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Mar 5, 2022 15:15
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Antivehicular posted:I assume every audience volunteer in magic is a plant, TBH. The main thing I've gleaned about magic from Penn and Teller's books is "get a plant if possible, and bribe bystanders heavily if not." Hence why the confident guys on Fool Us get either the announcer or Teller to come up and be the volunteer, to prove they aren't involved.
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Mar 6, 2022 02:52
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Or if you're Kostya Kimlat and doing his amazing card cull, you get P&T both up on stage so they are close to the action and are actually blind to one of your moves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCFXV6o7cro
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Mar 6, 2022 07:13
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Gromit posted:Or if you're Kostya Kimlat and doing his amazing card cull, you get P&T both up on stage so they are close to the action and are actually blind to one of your moves. I made the mistake of watching his insufferable intro, so after your comment I was primed to see this as an attention/gorilla gag, but holy hell. I love how how Teller was so shocked that he grabbed the cards from the table! Side note, goddamn P&T are classy, the shows format was made for YouTube, but it’s only the contestants posting. Almost makes me forget their lovely 2000’s libertarian poo poo.
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Mar 6, 2022 18:59
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I think it's against the shows rules to have a plant/'confederate' on Fool Us, so if you're trying to figure something out from that show there's one avenue you can cross off.
Saint Freak has a new favorite as of 16:14 on Mar 17, 2022 |
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Mar 17, 2022 16:12
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Saint Freak posted:I think it's against the shows rules to have a plant/'confederate' on Fool Us, so if you're trying to figure something out from that show there's one avenue you can cross off. Is there any reason to believe Fool Us is more 'trustworthy' than your average network reality show? I feel like if they got a decent pitch that involved a plant they'd use it, same as most other magicians and shows. I've always assumed that show is TV magic but I'd be happy to be wrong. Would also love any recommendations for magic shows that for sure don't use TV editing as part of the trick
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Mar 18, 2022 03:59
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Ghislaine of YOSPOS posted:Is there any reason to believe Fool Us is more 'trustworthy' than your average network reality show? I feel like if they got a decent pitch that involved a plant they'd use it, same as most other magicians and shows. I've always assumed that show is TV magic but I'd be happy to be wrong. There’s obviously a lot of editing to turn the live show into the TV version but my understanding is that it’s run “honest” as a game show. Either that or the contestants are really good at keeping up the illusion in YouTube comments (which, ok, not impossible) e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7Cg1TStD6s “Brent Braun” posted:As I have said before Fool Us is a game show filmed in Las Vegas and as such has to meet what us known as Game Show Law. Which means it has rules and one of those rules is that you are not allowed to use audience plants. This one of the reasons production pics the audience members in advance. The other reasons are to make sure they aren’t drunk (Thanks Vegas), to make sure they are willing to come on stage and be a part of the show, and yes to make sure they are nice to look at on TV. “Brent Braun” posted:usually it’s about a 6-10 minute conversation between Penn, Teller, and the producers and magic consultants who are on a head set in P&T ears. So they talk for a few minutes decide if it’s a fool and then Penn talks to the contestant for another 3-5 minutes. That is all edited down to the 2-3ish minutes you see on TV. Dav has a new favorite as of 13:51 on Apr 17, 2022 |
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Apr 17, 2022 13:42
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Talking to magic consultants seems really unfair somehow.
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Apr 26, 2022 02:46
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Remulak posted:Talking to magic consultants seems really unfair somehow. The consultants only listen, they don't talk to Penn & Teller. They help determine if they were fooled in the case of a conflict between the magician and P&T. Edit: Or I misunderstood what Penn said in an interview. Thirteen Orphans has a new favorite as of 03:10 on Apr 26, 2022 |
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Apr 26, 2022 02:56
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This one got me. The old "eat the animal" bit. Sorry for the lovely quality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N56DU4gKjMA Obviously it's a deflatable puppet and I guess he palms it when he pretends to eat it. Right? Guinea pig looks pretty real. EDIT: Wait, he trap doors the real animal and has a cotton candy one behind the box. Still a cool trick And regarding Richard Turner, it HAS to be a stripper deck doesn't it? Except someone's going to post footage of him doing his thing with a random deck from a Walgreens and I'll eat poo poo. I'd really like to see him do that with a shuffled brand new deck that I gave him. And I bet he would. I just can't for the life of me figure it out adding on the fact that the dude can't even see the cards. Ah! He's faking his blindness! BiggerBoat has a new favorite as of 15:00 on Apr 26, 2022 |
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Apr 26, 2022 14:56
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BiggerBoat posted:This one got me. The old "eat the animal" bit. Sorry for the lovely quality. I've always wondered if Richard Turner marked his cards himself using some kind of indentation along the sides of them. He frequently talks about how fine his perception his with his fingers, so it seems plausible. But would that account for his need to ask if the cards are all face-down? I don't know; I find the man to be FASCINATING.
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Apr 26, 2022 20:55
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Thirteen Orphans posted:I've always wondered if Richard Turner marked his cards himself using some kind of indentation along the sides of them. He frequently talks about how fine his perception his with his fingers, so it seems plausible. But would that account for his need to ask if the cards are all face-down? I don't know; I find the man to be FASCINATING. Agreed. I HAVE to think he's nicking the cards somehow though because he's not pulling some Daredevil Matt Murdock poo poo where he can feel raised ink, black smells different than red and face cards are warmer to the touch. And he's not Rain Man. Asking if the cards are face down could just be part of the act. When you watch him shuffle and cut sometimes, it looks an awful lot like how you work a stripper deck and you can also notice him feeling and rubbing the sides of the cards.
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Apr 27, 2022 14:00
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BiggerBoat posted:you can also notice him feeling and rubbing the sides of the cards. He literally says he goes by feel so that's not some huge revelation.
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Apr 27, 2022 14:06
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3D Megadoodoo posted:He literally says he goes by feel so that's not some huge revelation. Right, but I mean what's he "feeling" if the idea is that every card is cut the same and presumably has identical clean edges? Do we know that he can do what he does one were hand him a new deck or I gave him one from my desk drawer? I mean, what he does is astonishingly impressive either way; I'm just arguing that the cards almost have to be modified.
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Apr 27, 2022 15:40
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Iirc they are his decks and he has tiny nicks on the side of each card
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Apr 27, 2022 23:49
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Remulak posted:Iirc they are his decks and he has tiny nicks on the side of each card That would check out. Still amazing. Also, thanks to finding this thread I started going down a Youtube rabbit hole and gently caress me with Shin Lim, man. I know he uses the magic black pad a lot and understand some of how that works and also a little bit about some of the moves he does but Jesus Christ I still don't get even half of it. So much of it is How in the loving World? levels of brain melting. I mean, obviously it's trick decks left and right and that absolute black pad he uses but I still can't make it add up. That's the greatest thing to me about the art. Knowing what to look for and understanding traditional methods but motherfuckers still blowing my mind. I KNOW there's nothing supernatural and that dudes work with plants, partners and props but Lim, to me, is next level good.
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Apr 28, 2022 01:32
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I love ball manipulation magic, it’s old school in a venerable way. Bond Lee is a genius at the art: https://youtu.be/D-W7zONm0qM
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Apr 29, 2022 02:44
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Another reason to believe that Fool Us is on the level is that there are really no winners or losers. Anyone featured on it have already won by getting their 15 minutes of fame on a big TV show. Actually being a part of the P&T stage show is immaterial.
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Apr 29, 2022 03:49
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After Paul Gertner’s brilliant cups and steel balls routine this is my favorite trick from Fool Us. It’s easy (now) to find out how he did it, but the shear simplicity of it is genius. It’s a shame he can’t keep doing it since everyone and their mother knows the trick. Who knows maybe he does it anyway. https://youtu.be/mF0afU5bF4M
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Apr 30, 2022 02:23
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