I’ve added this effect in as a little bonus. It’s not as strong as the others, but I only found out about it myself the other day. You don’t get a whole script like for the other effects, so if you’re looking for that, stop reading now! I just thought I’d throw it in here as a little freebie for you!
No matter what country you live in, new coins are released from time to time. In the UK a new version of the 10p came out in 1992. This meant that in 1992, all the old style 10p coins in circulation had to be collected and new 10p coins were issued in their place. Of course new 10p coins are made every day, but the majority are dated 1992. This means that there is a very high chance that a 10p coin will be dated 1992 (although as the months go on, the effect becomes less reliable.)
If you don’t live in the UK don’t worry. Just look for a coin who’s design has changed in the last 15 years and use that. If the change is very recent, people may work it out as they will remember that it is a new design. After 5 years or so however, that will not be the case.
Just ask someone if they have a 10p coin in their wallet. Ask them to get it out and look at the date… but tell them you don’t want a coin that says 1996. (1996 was another year when a lot of 10p coins were issued, by saying you don’t want 1996 you increase you chances of being correct.)
Once they have found the coin, ask them to hold it in their fist. Then look in their eyes, read their body language pretend to do whatever fits you style so they think you are working out the date in a psychological manner. Finally reveal 1992. When I perform the trick I first say that its 1990 something, then say its an even year. Then say “Its 1992”. By revealing it in stages you get confirmation from the subject that you are right… if you are wrong then just guess!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Black & White
The performer invites a young lady to assist in an experiment. Showing a small flat bag, the performer shows that it contains small stones in the colours black and white.
"Ancient stones, in the most opposite of all colours, sometimes allow us to test in reverse order the attraction of things."
"Using the hand most connected with your mind, not your heart, take a handful of the stones from the bag"
"Now put some back in"
"Now it’s my turn...Getting interesting isn’t it"
The performer, still holding a number of stones, turns the bag upside down and empties the rest of the stones into a glass. He strokes the bag flat on the table.
"If I told you how many stones you had, that would be just guessing. So take my stones as well"
He places his stones in her hands. "You guess on the white colour and I will try on the black. It’s my favourite colour you know."
Whatever she says, you say "Good guess!", and then name the correct number. "Count the black stones, I’ll count the white." The stones are counted and found to match in
number and equal colours.
"Strange that with such opposites, such a great attraction appears. Is it you, or me or are we both very special. Please keep two stones as a memento of this moment."
The stones from the glass are poured back into the bag, and then those from the table. You are now reset, if necessary with a different number!
The effect is created using a simple small flat change bag. In one compartment are the equal number of black and white stones. These should be less than two handfuls, as you must
be able to retrieve the remaining stones in one hand. The other compartment has stones in which one colour dominates. This gives the optical impression that something strange has happened. By replacing an equal number of the black and white tabled stones into the second compartment, you are now re-set with a different number.
As a possible alternative conclusion, whatever number she says, you just say the additional number to obtain the end result. If the total of black/white stones is say 24 and she says 15 you say "great thinking" and at the same time say 9. Then add all stones together to prove that both were right!
"Ancient stones, in the most opposite of all colours, sometimes allow us to test in reverse order the attraction of things."
"Using the hand most connected with your mind, not your heart, take a handful of the stones from the bag"
"Now put some back in"
"Now it’s my turn...Getting interesting isn’t it"
The performer, still holding a number of stones, turns the bag upside down and empties the rest of the stones into a glass. He strokes the bag flat on the table.
"If I told you how many stones you had, that would be just guessing. So take my stones as well"
He places his stones in her hands. "You guess on the white colour and I will try on the black. It’s my favourite colour you know."
Whatever she says, you say "Good guess!", and then name the correct number. "Count the black stones, I’ll count the white." The stones are counted and found to match in
number and equal colours.
"Strange that with such opposites, such a great attraction appears. Is it you, or me or are we both very special. Please keep two stones as a memento of this moment."
The stones from the glass are poured back into the bag, and then those from the table. You are now reset, if necessary with a different number!
The effect is created using a simple small flat change bag. In one compartment are the equal number of black and white stones. These should be less than two handfuls, as you must
be able to retrieve the remaining stones in one hand. The other compartment has stones in which one colour dominates. This gives the optical impression that something strange has happened. By replacing an equal number of the black and white tabled stones into the second compartment, you are now re-set with a different number.
As a possible alternative conclusion, whatever number she says, you just say the additional number to obtain the end result. If the total of black/white stones is say 24 and she says 15 you say "great thinking" and at the same time say 9. Then add all stones together to prove that both were right!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A Mediumistic Stunt
I use the following a great deal when introducing any spiritual effects and remark that it is a little effort to get my mental faculties collected so as to continue.
You must have at least two people sitting and on table you have a deck of cards and three
envelopes that nest, the inner one being large enough to hold a card. Pick up deck and shuffling you say you want person to select a card a little differently than usual and she is to take out a bunch of six or seven cards from deck. You place deck on table and turn back while she picks out any of those in her hand and seals inside of the three envelopes.
While she is doing this you take a bunch of cards and fanning them face towards another sitter have her mentally select one of them and then you mix cards and lay face up on table and taking her hand in yours pass it over the cards and stop on her card. Now asking person for the envelope it is placed on your left palm and with due meditation you get a picture of the card and name it.
All pure bunk and a little showmanship. The deck is in the Si Stebbins order to begin with and is false shuffled and cut. The first person takes out a bunch and deck is laid aside. She takes one out of this bunch somewhere among them so it is impossible to tell and of course this makes a break in the system of what cards she is holding.
While she is sealing up the card you pick up the bunch and fanning face up to another party for above reason you have ample time to note what card is missing and so there you are. The effect with the second person can be what you choose as long as you have a good excuse to fan out the cards. I do the above and rely on finding the right one by the old muscle reading principle, or you could take a chance by leaving one in the fan a little more prominently displayed and by showing them hurriedly the chances are that that will be the one mentally selected. At any rate even if a failure is made here it is offset by the reading of the card in envelope and as the effect is made to get your mind into condition for mental work, nothing is thought of this one fail.
(Annemann - Buried Treasure)
You must have at least two people sitting and on table you have a deck of cards and three
envelopes that nest, the inner one being large enough to hold a card. Pick up deck and shuffling you say you want person to select a card a little differently than usual and she is to take out a bunch of six or seven cards from deck. You place deck on table and turn back while she picks out any of those in her hand and seals inside of the three envelopes.
While she is doing this you take a bunch of cards and fanning them face towards another sitter have her mentally select one of them and then you mix cards and lay face up on table and taking her hand in yours pass it over the cards and stop on her card. Now asking person for the envelope it is placed on your left palm and with due meditation you get a picture of the card and name it.
All pure bunk and a little showmanship. The deck is in the Si Stebbins order to begin with and is false shuffled and cut. The first person takes out a bunch and deck is laid aside. She takes one out of this bunch somewhere among them so it is impossible to tell and of course this makes a break in the system of what cards she is holding.
While she is sealing up the card you pick up the bunch and fanning face up to another party for above reason you have ample time to note what card is missing and so there you are. The effect with the second person can be what you choose as long as you have a good excuse to fan out the cards. I do the above and rely on finding the right one by the old muscle reading principle, or you could take a chance by leaving one in the fan a little more prominently displayed and by showing them hurriedly the chances are that that will be the one mentally selected. At any rate even if a failure is made here it is offset by the reading of the card in envelope and as the effect is made to get your mind into condition for mental work, nothing is thought of this one fail.
(Annemann - Buried Treasure)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
A Club or Stage Mental Number
Three cards are first selected separately by various people and each time assistant correctly names them. Now three more are selected by different people and as each is drawn an ordinary envelope is handed them. They are to note card, seal in envelope, collect the three, and after mixing, so no one knows which is which, to hand performer one at a time and holding same in air, assistant names card within which is verified. For the last knock-out the deck is handed to a person to put in his pocket and he is to draw out any card he chooses and hold so he only can see it. On command assistant names it.
A wonderful effect for clubs and always gets a hand at the finish. The whole thing is a force. To commence, performer has six known cards on top of deck and assistant has these memorized or written on a slip she can look at under sheet.
You false shuffle, leaving top six intact, and making pass to center. Force these cards singly, having assistant name each as selected. Before the next three cards on assistant's list is a code word which is for beginning sentence, "What" "Name" and "Tell" As each card is selected from this second three in the order written on list, performer hands person an envelope but they are finger nail nicked in the corner so performer can tell which card is in which envelope when handed him. As he takes an envelope and notes the mark he knows the card and can thus start his question with one of the three words which tells assistant which of the cards to name. Same with other two.
The last--oh, how difficult. When you have been doing this envelope test, you dropped deck in pocket, and when you do this one you take out your deck which in all &like except for the face card and have person take a card from near the center so no one can tell what it is? Try it.
(Annemann - Buried Treasure)
A wonderful effect for clubs and always gets a hand at the finish. The whole thing is a force. To commence, performer has six known cards on top of deck and assistant has these memorized or written on a slip she can look at under sheet.
You false shuffle, leaving top six intact, and making pass to center. Force these cards singly, having assistant name each as selected. Before the next three cards on assistant's list is a code word which is for beginning sentence, "What" "Name" and "Tell" As each card is selected from this second three in the order written on list, performer hands person an envelope but they are finger nail nicked in the corner so performer can tell which card is in which envelope when handed him. As he takes an envelope and notes the mark he knows the card and can thus start his question with one of the three words which tells assistant which of the cards to name. Same with other two.
The last--oh, how difficult. When you have been doing this envelope test, you dropped deck in pocket, and when you do this one you take out your deck which in all &like except for the face card and have person take a card from near the center so no one can tell what it is? Try it.
(Annemann - Buried Treasure)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Improvement 8,000
Like most other conglomerate mysteries, the above title means nothing. However, as an improvement on a known principle it may pass. Use it after you are through with your Si
Stebbins stuff and then cut out deck so deuce of clubs is on top. False shuffle and as you tell them you need a few mixed cards, run through deck face down, throwing out in a face down pile the 1st 8th, 13th, 16th, 22nd and 26th. These numbers, as you notice, are very easy to learn.
Without ever looking at the cards you pick up and deal the six on table in pile, counting them, and do this to reverse their order. Now hold up the six in a fan and ask person to merely think of one. He does so you fan together, hand him the cards in a bunch and ask him to stick them in deck together. You start running deck and have him insert packet below the ninth card from top.
If you want to you can have a bridge between the bottom nine and deck and pass to top after replacing the six. False shuffle and cut and show off your dexterity but don't mix the cards. Hand him deck and ask him to name card he thought of. When he does so, have him deal cards singly on your palm and you spell out the card and the card bearing last letter is turned over and found correct. At this time you step back to give air to the people who have fainted from surprise at you being correct. I can't explain it here but try it and see if it works. 10, 2, 7, 9, 5, Q, 4, A, 6, J set-up. The six cards used in this effect are: 2C, AH, 7C, 3H, 4D.)
(Annemann - Buried Treasure)
Stebbins stuff and then cut out deck so deuce of clubs is on top. False shuffle and as you tell them you need a few mixed cards, run through deck face down, throwing out in a face down pile the 1st 8th, 13th, 16th, 22nd and 26th. These numbers, as you notice, are very easy to learn.
Without ever looking at the cards you pick up and deal the six on table in pile, counting them, and do this to reverse their order. Now hold up the six in a fan and ask person to merely think of one. He does so you fan together, hand him the cards in a bunch and ask him to stick them in deck together. You start running deck and have him insert packet below the ninth card from top.
If you want to you can have a bridge between the bottom nine and deck and pass to top after replacing the six. False shuffle and cut and show off your dexterity but don't mix the cards. Hand him deck and ask him to name card he thought of. When he does so, have him deal cards singly on your palm and you spell out the card and the card bearing last letter is turned over and found correct. At this time you step back to give air to the people who have fainted from surprise at you being correct. I can't explain it here but try it and see if it works. 10, 2, 7, 9, 5, Q, 4, A, 6, J set-up. The six cards used in this effect are: 2C, AH, 7C, 3H, 4D.)
(Annemann - Buried Treasure)
Monday, May 19, 2008
No Title At All
I haven't the time to figure out suitable titles. The effect is what counts. And this is one that will puzzle not a few wise ones. Make up a 52-card deck with two sets of 26 cards all alike and stack the deck with them alternately throughout, first one and then the other. Cut deck several times and then lay face down on table after noting bottom card so that you know what is on top. We shall say 3S and 6H repeated through deck. Now ask someone to step up and cut the deck into two piles, that is, cut off a portion; he then takes up the top card of lower half and notes it. Another person steps up and takes the next card and notes it. Now have second person replace his and then first person who puts top half of deck back on cards and squares them, and gives deck several cuts.
Now you know the two cards that they have looked at but you don't know which is which, so try this subtle way: Say that if the two cards are of opposite colors, the red must be found before the black and if the same color, the highest card must be found first. Ask which gentleman is first and thus you know he must have the red card, or the 6H! Simple? You are holding deck which you false shuffle and cut several times until a black card is on bottom which tells you the red card is on top and every odd card through deck.
Start dealing a card at a time onto table face down (of course) and count them to yourself. You have told man (who had red card) to stop you at any time after you dealt a card. Now when he stops you, if you have just dealt an odd numbered card, step back and ask him to turn over the card he stopped you at. It will be his card! But if you have just dealt an even-numbered card, just take off the next card, holding it with back towards him, and when he names his card, show him it is the one! Thus you get him either way! in other words, you must turn over any odd card through deck to be his.
Now in picking up the cards on table, if the odd card is on the pile on table, after it is acknowledged and replaced, pick up the dealt packet and drop on top of your deck and the order is the same. But if you show the correct card from top of deck, after acknowledgement drop it on top of pile on table, pick up pile and deposit on top of deck.
Now the deck is in readiness to discover the second card. Hand deck to second man and ask him to name any number from one to twenty-five. When he names it, if it is an even number tell him to deal off that many cards, and when he does tell him to turn over the card at that number and it is his! if his number named is odd, tell him to count off that many cards and to look at the next one! You have him either way because his card is every even numbered card from top. And there you are. I can only say try it on someone, magician or not, and see what you think of it then and only then.
(Annemann - Buried Treasure)
Now you know the two cards that they have looked at but you don't know which is which, so try this subtle way: Say that if the two cards are of opposite colors, the red must be found before the black and if the same color, the highest card must be found first. Ask which gentleman is first and thus you know he must have the red card, or the 6H! Simple? You are holding deck which you false shuffle and cut several times until a black card is on bottom which tells you the red card is on top and every odd card through deck.
Start dealing a card at a time onto table face down (of course) and count them to yourself. You have told man (who had red card) to stop you at any time after you dealt a card. Now when he stops you, if you have just dealt an odd numbered card, step back and ask him to turn over the card he stopped you at. It will be his card! But if you have just dealt an even-numbered card, just take off the next card, holding it with back towards him, and when he names his card, show him it is the one! Thus you get him either way! in other words, you must turn over any odd card through deck to be his.
Now in picking up the cards on table, if the odd card is on the pile on table, after it is acknowledged and replaced, pick up the dealt packet and drop on top of your deck and the order is the same. But if you show the correct card from top of deck, after acknowledgement drop it on top of pile on table, pick up pile and deposit on top of deck.
Now the deck is in readiness to discover the second card. Hand deck to second man and ask him to name any number from one to twenty-five. When he names it, if it is an even number tell him to deal off that many cards, and when he does tell him to turn over the card at that number and it is his! if his number named is odd, tell him to count off that many cards and to look at the next one! You have him either way because his card is every even numbered card from top. And there you are. I can only say try it on someone, magician or not, and see what you think of it then and only then.
(Annemann - Buried Treasure)
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Telephone Mystery
This is rock bottom for simplicity and that is what I work for always. There is no name code and you are always ready with the simplest mental calculation. In my case, the following table is pasted on the wall just over the telephone at home. Weeks go by at a time without working it and then suddenly a call is put in with no warning at all and still I can sit pretty.
Monday AH 4C 7D 10S.
Tuesday 2H 5C 8D JS.
Wednesday 3H 6C 9D QS.
Thursday 4H 7C 10D KS.
Friday 5H 8C JD AS.
Saturday 6H 9C QD 2S.
Sunday 7H 10C KD 3S.
You will notice that the four cards in each row run according to Si Stebbins. The days of the week are numbered in order beginning at Ace. I always have two cards selected as it seems to look better. Your assistant when a call comes in, goes ac cording to what day it is; names the first two cards of that row after usual byplay to dress it up. If another call comes in the same day, use the second pair. You always know what two cards to force. Count up the day of the week on your fingers while doing the finger counting trick. In this way you know what card to start with on your system.
Force to suit yourself. Here is my usual way but not always. Get two cards on bottom, false shuffle. Have deck cut and top portion discarded. Deal from top of lower half four piles of two each. The third card each time is bottom dealt and force this with the one to four gag. If you can't force two cards, write me and I'll tell you where you can get work.
(Annemann - Buried Treasure)
Monday AH 4C 7D 10S.
Tuesday 2H 5C 8D JS.
Wednesday 3H 6C 9D QS.
Thursday 4H 7C 10D KS.
Friday 5H 8C JD AS.
Saturday 6H 9C QD 2S.
Sunday 7H 10C KD 3S.
You will notice that the four cards in each row run according to Si Stebbins. The days of the week are numbered in order beginning at Ace. I always have two cards selected as it seems to look better. Your assistant when a call comes in, goes ac cording to what day it is; names the first two cards of that row after usual byplay to dress it up. If another call comes in the same day, use the second pair. You always know what two cards to force. Count up the day of the week on your fingers while doing the finger counting trick. In this way you know what card to start with on your system.
Force to suit yourself. Here is my usual way but not always. Get two cards on bottom, false shuffle. Have deck cut and top portion discarded. Deal from top of lower half four piles of two each. The third card each time is bottom dealt and force this with the one to four gag. If you can't force two cards, write me and I'll tell you where you can get work.
(Annemann - Buried Treasure)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Mentalex?
After disgusting your audience with a convincing discourse on mind control, you borrow two stiff hats and place down up on two chairs about I-1/2 yards apart. Stepping amongst the multitude you request several to select the card you want them to, but you have deceived them just the same because you don't force a card! The cards are returned and you do the shuffling so that there will be no tricky work. Placing deck in one lid, you remove cards singly, backs towards audience and transfer to other hat. One of the selectors is asked to call stop at any time when a card is half way across and on naming it is turned around and of course, as usual, you are right. Repeat with the others if they have not left.
Because of the bewildering and intricate sleights necessary for the accomplishment of this problem I use a three kind force deck to save time in practicing. As there are at least 15 duplicates of each the spectator is sure to call stop before very many have passed by because he wants to see the other acts before he has to go. They really think it is mind control and that is why they flock around you after the show and say, "Did you take a course?" "Were You always good at it?" "Did you get it out of Popular Science or Science and invention magazine?"
(Annemann - Buried Treasure)
Because of the bewildering and intricate sleights necessary for the accomplishment of this problem I use a three kind force deck to save time in practicing. As there are at least 15 duplicates of each the spectator is sure to call stop before very many have passed by because he wants to see the other acts before he has to go. They really think it is mind control and that is why they flock around you after the show and say, "Did you take a course?" "Were You always good at it?" "Did you get it out of Popular Science or Science and invention magazine?"
(Annemann - Buried Treasure)
Friday, May 16, 2008
The Classic Force
The pack having been shuffled by a spectator, is returned to performer who takes it in right hand, at the same time casually pulling up left sleeve followed by the left hand pulling up right sleeve. When right hand with deck pulled up left sleeve, the bottom card 'of deck was easily spotted. Asking the party if they are satisfied, a pass is made and card brought to about two-thirds down in pack. A slight break is held at this spot. The thumb of left hand now runs the cards of the upper portion, fanwise, over into the right hand, the person being, at the same time, invited to take one. When about half of the upper portion has been passed, a card, NOT THE ONE TO BE FORCED, is pushed temptingly forward. The person may be inclined to take it--whether he is so inclined or not, the performer draws it back, with the remark, "Oh! not necessarily that one." This gives him confidence, and the performer continues to pass the cards over to the right hand, spreading them nicely fanwise, until he reaches the one to be forced, which he exposes a little more than usual, then continues, "Just take any one you please." It will, of course, be understood that the action must be timed, as near as possible, to meet the hand, as it is raised to draw a card.
The Premier Book Test
The beauty of this test is, that throughout the experiment, the performer apparently does nothing whatever, and TOUCHES NOTHING USED IN THE TEST. The material used can be thoroughly examined after the experiment is finished. There is the advantage of being able to use ANY MAGAZINE OR BOOK DESIRED. The cards used are an ordinary pack of cards. There are several subtleties used which are practically unknown to magic previously.
The first requires but a slight arrangement of the DECK VALUES only—with no attention being paid to the SUITS. This is so that any TWO Cards taken TOGETHER from ANYWHERE WITHIN the pack, will total, when the values are added--either 14 or 15.
The arrangement in part reads as follows:
SEVEN & EIGHT together. SIX & NINE together. FIVE & TEN together. FOUR & JACK together. THREE & QUEEN together. TWO & KING together. ACE & KING together. TWO & QUEEN together. THREE & JACK together. FOUR & TEN together. FIVE & NINE together. SIX & EIGHT together. SEVEN & SEVEN together. EIGHT & etc. until the deck is used up. Except for two aces which are LEFT IN THE CASE when deck is taken out of It.
The deck may now be cut indefinitely without disturbing the order. So much
for that. Taking the magazine or book to be used, it is opened at pages 14 and 15 WHICH WILL ALWAYS BE FOUND SIDE BY SIDE when book is open. The first thirteen words on page 14 are written down in a column and the same done on page 15.
If the same book is to be used indefinitely for this test, I will say it is best for you to memorize the two lists of words, each list of course forming a sentence or part of same, consisting of these 13 words. Then you are ready for the test. However, if presenting the test impromptu, or nearly so with BORROWED BOOK or MAGAZINE, where you don't want to bother to memorize the lists, use a small end opening notebook. On the inside front cover of this, write the two lists and place book in your pocket. In this case, the presentation is the same EXCEPT AT THE FINISH which I shall take up later.
TO PRESENT :
Have cards and book at hand. Remove cards from case leaving the two Aces behind. Place deck beside book on table. Walk away.
Ask a spectator to step up and take book. Tell him that you want him to select a card from the deck but that you will never even touch deck or see the card. "In fact," you remark, "you had better take TWO cards to make sure of getting a free choice." Ask him to cut the deck several times, then to cut once and take two cards from somewhere in deck and go to a far corner with the cards and book.
Impress upon the audience the point that NO ONE CAN POSSIBLY KNOW THE CARDS HE HAS--and that it is obvious that he could have taken ANY CARDS in the deck.
Tell spectator to add the values of the cards together-- Then tell him to open the book at that page, but to let no one see the page. Now pick out another spectator and have him step to table, take deck and shuffle it (incidentally destroying all order). Have him spread cards faces down on table. Then to wave his hand over them and then turn face up any card on table he chooses. Ask him to call out the value of the card to first gentleman with the book.
Performer asks first man to COUNT DOWN to the word at that NUMBER—on whatever page he has book opened at. Ask him to remember the word and then close book.
The word is then revealed by any method selected by the performer. But, you ask, how does performer know which page has been selected? Another subtle point! In any printed matter containing numbered pages, regardless of what it is, when the book or magazine is open before you, the EVEN NUMBER is always on the LEFT--and the ODD on the RIGHT. The performer knows the WORD NUMBER after 2nd man has picked and CALLED OUT the card he selected. When the other man with the book starts to COUNT DOWN TO HIS WORD--just 1 single GLANCE tells the performer whether it is the RIGHT OR LEFT page he is counting on. Thus the performer knows whether it is the ODD or EVEN page.
In case memorized list from your own book is being used, the effect is concluded by the performer apparently READING THE SPECTATOR'S MIND, and divulging the word LETTER BY LETTER.
But with the secret list method, the performer asks spectator to think of the word intently and form a picture of it in his mind, if possible.
Taking the little book from pocket with pencil, performer opens front cover up, writes on top page, tears out same and replaces book in pocket. Knowing as he does, the page and the word number, it needs but a glance at COVER when be to write, to get the word. Then performer writes, "The word that is being thought of is---." Then the paper is folded up and handed to another party to hold. The spectator is now asked to say the word aloud, after which the man holding paper reads it to all. Thus memory is done away with and the secret unknown list does its work.
Another method is when working in front of a seated audience, where it is impossible to see the book and learn WHICH PAGE has been selected. In this case, the selection is narrowed to two words as you cannot help but know the word number in any case.
You ask the spectator to think of the word. Now in every case but very rarely, these two possible words will be of varying lengths, different letters, meanings, etc., which greatly differ. You are apparently trying to read his mind and alter a due amount of thought you name the FIRST LETTER of the word. If he says "Yes," you go on and finish it or write it down. If "No," ask him to think harder, while you concentrate again. And this time, you give it correctly. Or you can have him think of the NUMBER OF LETTERS in the word, state the number, and if wrong, you immediately know the word is from the other page.
There are many little kinks that can be used here as it is only a case ofknowing which of the two is the correct one.
(Annemann - Mental Miracles)
The first requires but a slight arrangement of the DECK VALUES only—with no attention being paid to the SUITS. This is so that any TWO Cards taken TOGETHER from ANYWHERE WITHIN the pack, will total, when the values are added--either 14 or 15.
The arrangement in part reads as follows:
SEVEN & EIGHT together. SIX & NINE together. FIVE & TEN together. FOUR & JACK together. THREE & QUEEN together. TWO & KING together. ACE & KING together. TWO & QUEEN together. THREE & JACK together. FOUR & TEN together. FIVE & NINE together. SIX & EIGHT together. SEVEN & SEVEN together. EIGHT & etc. until the deck is used up. Except for two aces which are LEFT IN THE CASE when deck is taken out of It.
The deck may now be cut indefinitely without disturbing the order. So much
for that. Taking the magazine or book to be used, it is opened at pages 14 and 15 WHICH WILL ALWAYS BE FOUND SIDE BY SIDE when book is open. The first thirteen words on page 14 are written down in a column and the same done on page 15.
If the same book is to be used indefinitely for this test, I will say it is best for you to memorize the two lists of words, each list of course forming a sentence or part of same, consisting of these 13 words. Then you are ready for the test. However, if presenting the test impromptu, or nearly so with BORROWED BOOK or MAGAZINE, where you don't want to bother to memorize the lists, use a small end opening notebook. On the inside front cover of this, write the two lists and place book in your pocket. In this case, the presentation is the same EXCEPT AT THE FINISH which I shall take up later.
TO PRESENT :
Have cards and book at hand. Remove cards from case leaving the two Aces behind. Place deck beside book on table. Walk away.
Ask a spectator to step up and take book. Tell him that you want him to select a card from the deck but that you will never even touch deck or see the card. "In fact," you remark, "you had better take TWO cards to make sure of getting a free choice." Ask him to cut the deck several times, then to cut once and take two cards from somewhere in deck and go to a far corner with the cards and book.
Impress upon the audience the point that NO ONE CAN POSSIBLY KNOW THE CARDS HE HAS--and that it is obvious that he could have taken ANY CARDS in the deck.
Tell spectator to add the values of the cards together-- Then tell him to open the book at that page, but to let no one see the page. Now pick out another spectator and have him step to table, take deck and shuffle it (incidentally destroying all order). Have him spread cards faces down on table. Then to wave his hand over them and then turn face up any card on table he chooses. Ask him to call out the value of the card to first gentleman with the book.
Performer asks first man to COUNT DOWN to the word at that NUMBER—on whatever page he has book opened at. Ask him to remember the word and then close book.
The word is then revealed by any method selected by the performer. But, you ask, how does performer know which page has been selected? Another subtle point! In any printed matter containing numbered pages, regardless of what it is, when the book or magazine is open before you, the EVEN NUMBER is always on the LEFT--and the ODD on the RIGHT. The performer knows the WORD NUMBER after 2nd man has picked and CALLED OUT the card he selected. When the other man with the book starts to COUNT DOWN TO HIS WORD--just 1 single GLANCE tells the performer whether it is the RIGHT OR LEFT page he is counting on. Thus the performer knows whether it is the ODD or EVEN page.
In case memorized list from your own book is being used, the effect is concluded by the performer apparently READING THE SPECTATOR'S MIND, and divulging the word LETTER BY LETTER.
But with the secret list method, the performer asks spectator to think of the word intently and form a picture of it in his mind, if possible.
Taking the little book from pocket with pencil, performer opens front cover up, writes on top page, tears out same and replaces book in pocket. Knowing as he does, the page and the word number, it needs but a glance at COVER when be to write, to get the word. Then performer writes, "The word that is being thought of is---." Then the paper is folded up and handed to another party to hold. The spectator is now asked to say the word aloud, after which the man holding paper reads it to all. Thus memory is done away with and the secret unknown list does its work.
Another method is when working in front of a seated audience, where it is impossible to see the book and learn WHICH PAGE has been selected. In this case, the selection is narrowed to two words as you cannot help but know the word number in any case.
You ask the spectator to think of the word. Now in every case but very rarely, these two possible words will be of varying lengths, different letters, meanings, etc., which greatly differ. You are apparently trying to read his mind and alter a due amount of thought you name the FIRST LETTER of the word. If he says "Yes," you go on and finish it or write it down. If "No," ask him to think harder, while you concentrate again. And this time, you give it correctly. Or you can have him think of the NUMBER OF LETTERS in the word, state the number, and if wrong, you immediately know the word is from the other page.
There are many little kinks that can be used here as it is only a case ofknowing which of the two is the correct one.
(Annemann - Mental Miracles)
Instantaneous Card Memory
Heretofore, memory work has necessitated a lot of study with mnemonics and word key lists. Card work was made doubly hard through having to learn two lists and very few have ever successfully accomplished this work although it covers many wonderful feats.
My new card memory effect is based upon several subtle ideas and principles which require but a moment's understanding. There is nothing to learn or commit to memory, and ten minutes from now you will be able to do it on a few minutes notice.
Nothing but a deck of cards is used and they may he borrowed, provided you have a chance for a THREE MINUTE PREPARATION. Calling attention that deck is thoroughly mixed, performer gives it a GENUINE RIFFLE SHUFFLE and several straight cuts. Stating that to use the entire pack would lengthen the feat too much, the pack is turned face up and dealt into two piles, reds in one and blacks in the other. Performer takes the two packets face down on hands and gives spectator free choice and the packet remaining is dropped in pocket out of way. He stands in full view while spectator cuts packet several times and then calls out the order of the cards from top to bottom, back to face. Then, to avert any suspicion of confederacy or signal, performer goes into another room or out of sight. Immediately he calls order of cards correctly through packet, can repeat them back-wards if wished and as a conclusion names card at any number called or the position of any card named.
This effect is always appreciated by intelligent people as a demonstration of memory. There are methods for the genuine working of this effect but I have devised a counterfeit method that requires no memory and proves equally as effective. My greatest point is that NOTHING BUT THE DECK IS USED.
Beforehand, separate the pack into red and black piles. Shuffle the black heap and spread out face up. Arrange the values in the red heap to correspond with the order of those in the black pile. And, in regard to the suits, whenever there is a Club in the black heap, you use a Heart of the same value in the red heap.
Whenever there is a Spade, you use a Diamond. Thus one represents the other and by looking at the fifth or eighth card in one heap, you can instantly name the card in that position in the other heap. Cut each of these separate heaps so that different values appear on the face, place the black heap on top of the red heap, square deck and you are ready.
Call attention to the fact that deck is shuffled. Cut deck at bottom of black heap and give the two halves a genuine riffle shuffle, then several straight cuts. Turn deck face up and deal a card at a time into two heaps, black cards in one and reds in the other. Turn packets face down, one on left hand and one on right. Give spectator FREE CHOICE and the packet !eft you drop in pocket as you tell him to cut his packet and then read cards to you from back to face.
You appear to listen intently to all the names BUT YOU DO IS TO REMEMBER THE LAST OR FACE CARD OF HIS PACKET. Then you leave their sight. You take packet from your pocket, look through and find the card in your packet that represents the bottom or face card of their packet. Cut your packet so this card is on bottom or face of your packet AND NOW YOUR PACKET WILL BE IN THE SAME ORDER AS THEIR PACKET. Holding packet face down in your hand, deal them face up in a row from left to right and overlapping, naming each as you turn it up.
After every fifth card dealt, jog the next five, either up or down, about an inch in the row. After you have thus gone through them, ask anyone to name a number and as you have them jogged in sets of five you can locate any number instantly and name cards located there LONG BEFORE THEY CAN COUNT TO IT in the other room. The same applies when finding a named card and telling the location of it.
When finished merely pick up the pack and drop in pocket before returning. You have performed a real feat of memory which cannot be surpassed in effect by the real thing--and yet you don't need memory at all.
The last subtlety of jogging the row of cards makes your replies almost instantaneous. There is no wait until you count to position, which you would otherwise have to do.
(Annemann - Mental Miracles)
My new card memory effect is based upon several subtle ideas and principles which require but a moment's understanding. There is nothing to learn or commit to memory, and ten minutes from now you will be able to do it on a few minutes notice.
Nothing but a deck of cards is used and they may he borrowed, provided you have a chance for a THREE MINUTE PREPARATION. Calling attention that deck is thoroughly mixed, performer gives it a GENUINE RIFFLE SHUFFLE and several straight cuts. Stating that to use the entire pack would lengthen the feat too much, the pack is turned face up and dealt into two piles, reds in one and blacks in the other. Performer takes the two packets face down on hands and gives spectator free choice and the packet remaining is dropped in pocket out of way. He stands in full view while spectator cuts packet several times and then calls out the order of the cards from top to bottom, back to face. Then, to avert any suspicion of confederacy or signal, performer goes into another room or out of sight. Immediately he calls order of cards correctly through packet, can repeat them back-wards if wished and as a conclusion names card at any number called or the position of any card named.
This effect is always appreciated by intelligent people as a demonstration of memory. There are methods for the genuine working of this effect but I have devised a counterfeit method that requires no memory and proves equally as effective. My greatest point is that NOTHING BUT THE DECK IS USED.
Beforehand, separate the pack into red and black piles. Shuffle the black heap and spread out face up. Arrange the values in the red heap to correspond with the order of those in the black pile. And, in regard to the suits, whenever there is a Club in the black heap, you use a Heart of the same value in the red heap.
Whenever there is a Spade, you use a Diamond. Thus one represents the other and by looking at the fifth or eighth card in one heap, you can instantly name the card in that position in the other heap. Cut each of these separate heaps so that different values appear on the face, place the black heap on top of the red heap, square deck and you are ready.
Call attention to the fact that deck is shuffled. Cut deck at bottom of black heap and give the two halves a genuine riffle shuffle, then several straight cuts. Turn deck face up and deal a card at a time into two heaps, black cards in one and reds in the other. Turn packets face down, one on left hand and one on right. Give spectator FREE CHOICE and the packet !eft you drop in pocket as you tell him to cut his packet and then read cards to you from back to face.
You appear to listen intently to all the names BUT YOU DO IS TO REMEMBER THE LAST OR FACE CARD OF HIS PACKET. Then you leave their sight. You take packet from your pocket, look through and find the card in your packet that represents the bottom or face card of their packet. Cut your packet so this card is on bottom or face of your packet AND NOW YOUR PACKET WILL BE IN THE SAME ORDER AS THEIR PACKET. Holding packet face down in your hand, deal them face up in a row from left to right and overlapping, naming each as you turn it up.
After every fifth card dealt, jog the next five, either up or down, about an inch in the row. After you have thus gone through them, ask anyone to name a number and as you have them jogged in sets of five you can locate any number instantly and name cards located there LONG BEFORE THEY CAN COUNT TO IT in the other room. The same applies when finding a named card and telling the location of it.
When finished merely pick up the pack and drop in pocket before returning. You have performed a real feat of memory which cannot be surpassed in effect by the real thing--and yet you don't need memory at all.
The last subtlety of jogging the row of cards makes your replies almost instantaneous. There is no wait until you count to position, which you would otherwise have to do.
(Annemann - Mental Miracles)
Poker Player's Dream
Here is a pretty effect, away from the general line, because your audience has nothing to do but watch. A deck is genuinely shuffled, and then spread across table aces up. The high cards from the Ten Spots up are removed from one side to the other, special attention being called that they are taken from SHUFFLED DECK just as they lie, with no attention being paid to their order. Turning the cards faces down, they are further mixed. Then they are placed faces down in left hand. A borrowed handkerchief is thrown over hand and cards.
Any suit is selected by the onlookers. Reaching under handkerchief with right hand, performer almost INSTANTLY produces a "Royal Flush" of the cards of that particular suit! This is repeated with suits as called for until the entire twenty (20) cards have been produced. Unprepared cards are used, making the effect almost impromptu except for a short two minute arrangement. First, run through the deck and bring to the bottom all the Tens, Jacks, Queens, Kings and Aces. Pay no attention to values, arrange this packet of twenty (20) cards as follows: from back to face of packet, starting with Spades and alternating with Hearts, until the ten cards are used up. Then start with Clubs and alternate with Diamonds until these are gone.
Place this packet face down on top of deck and you are ready. First, give deck a genuine riffle or dove-tail shuffle, cutting deck a trifle LOWER THAN HALF WAY. The fact that you riffle the LOWER half INTO the UPPER HALF, and separate the attached cards, makes no difference. Their RESPECTIVE ORDER is NOT CHANGED. You now state that you will use the HIGH CARDS ONLY for this effect.
Spread the cards face up from left to right on table. Starting at right end you push the cards to right carelessly and take out EACH HIGH CARD as you come to it, placing it face down on your left hand. Pick up only ONE CARD AT A TIME. Call attention that you take them REGARDLESS OF ORDER from the SHUFFLED PACK. When they are all out, and face down on left hand, the subtle point is that THEY ARE JUST AS THEY WERE ORIGINALLY STACKED despite the genuine shuffle!
Remark that the cards have been well mixed, at same time fanning the packet face up (casually) and showing them. The cards appear well mixed as to the colors which are outstanding. Close fan, turn packet face down, and state that you will mix them just a little more so no one can accuse you of keeping track of any card. Deal the packet into two face down heaps, a card at a time to each. Pick up by putting the RIGHT HAND pile on the LEFT. Square packet and take in left hand faces down.
Ask for the loan of a handkerchief. During this stall, your right hand is over cards in left hand, thumb at rear. You count off five cards from bottom and insert the left little finger keeping a small break. Five more cards are counted and left THIRD FINGER is partially inserted here. Five more and SECOND FINGER separates these from top five. The is a simple process as you will see by trying. The breaks are at back and covered. You take handkerchief in right hand and throw it over left hand and cards. Now any suit is called and you produce it almost instantly.
If the directions have been followed, EVERY SUIT IS SEPARATED NOW, the top five being all DIAMONDS, the second five being HEARTS, the third five being CLUBS and the bottom five ALL SPADES! And as the cards are already separated, the production is almost INSTANTANEOUS. If you are not sure of yourself at first, the counting of the packets can be done UNDER COVER of the handkerchief, which spectator throws over your two hands and Cards. There is ample opportunity while you are explaining just what has been done and what you want them to do. The time needed for this is shout 20 to 30 seconds. It a very deceptive trick. With borrowed cards (given a two minute opportunity of stacking) it appears MIRACULOUS.
(Annemann - Card Miracles)
Any suit is selected by the onlookers. Reaching under handkerchief with right hand, performer almost INSTANTLY produces a "Royal Flush" of the cards of that particular suit! This is repeated with suits as called for until the entire twenty (20) cards have been produced. Unprepared cards are used, making the effect almost impromptu except for a short two minute arrangement. First, run through the deck and bring to the bottom all the Tens, Jacks, Queens, Kings and Aces. Pay no attention to values, arrange this packet of twenty (20) cards as follows: from back to face of packet, starting with Spades and alternating with Hearts, until the ten cards are used up. Then start with Clubs and alternate with Diamonds until these are gone.
Place this packet face down on top of deck and you are ready. First, give deck a genuine riffle or dove-tail shuffle, cutting deck a trifle LOWER THAN HALF WAY. The fact that you riffle the LOWER half INTO the UPPER HALF, and separate the attached cards, makes no difference. Their RESPECTIVE ORDER is NOT CHANGED. You now state that you will use the HIGH CARDS ONLY for this effect.
Spread the cards face up from left to right on table. Starting at right end you push the cards to right carelessly and take out EACH HIGH CARD as you come to it, placing it face down on your left hand. Pick up only ONE CARD AT A TIME. Call attention that you take them REGARDLESS OF ORDER from the SHUFFLED PACK. When they are all out, and face down on left hand, the subtle point is that THEY ARE JUST AS THEY WERE ORIGINALLY STACKED despite the genuine shuffle!
Remark that the cards have been well mixed, at same time fanning the packet face up (casually) and showing them. The cards appear well mixed as to the colors which are outstanding. Close fan, turn packet face down, and state that you will mix them just a little more so no one can accuse you of keeping track of any card. Deal the packet into two face down heaps, a card at a time to each. Pick up by putting the RIGHT HAND pile on the LEFT. Square packet and take in left hand faces down.
Ask for the loan of a handkerchief. During this stall, your right hand is over cards in left hand, thumb at rear. You count off five cards from bottom and insert the left little finger keeping a small break. Five more cards are counted and left THIRD FINGER is partially inserted here. Five more and SECOND FINGER separates these from top five. The is a simple process as you will see by trying. The breaks are at back and covered. You take handkerchief in right hand and throw it over left hand and cards. Now any suit is called and you produce it almost instantly.
If the directions have been followed, EVERY SUIT IS SEPARATED NOW, the top five being all DIAMONDS, the second five being HEARTS, the third five being CLUBS and the bottom five ALL SPADES! And as the cards are already separated, the production is almost INSTANTANEOUS. If you are not sure of yourself at first, the counting of the packets can be done UNDER COVER of the handkerchief, which spectator throws over your two hands and Cards. There is ample opportunity while you are explaining just what has been done and what you want them to do. The time needed for this is shout 20 to 30 seconds. It a very deceptive trick. With borrowed cards (given a two minute opportunity of stacking) it appears MIRACULOUS.
(Annemann - Card Miracles)
A Day-Time Nightmare
In this effect, the spectator apparently sees IN HIS OWN deck, a card which he finds that he has placed in his pocket several minutes before!
A fake card is needed and is made by gluing the FACE of any BLACK CARD to the back of a RED CARD (at one end only) for half an inch. the rear BLACK card is left as is. But the RED (FRONT) card is TRIMMED slightly at its outer loose end. This makes a "short" CARD, that can be found and stopped at in deck by riffling the pack. The beauty of this idea is that this "feked" double card can be ADDED TO ANY BORROWED DECK regardless of the back design--and cannot be noticed due to the handling of the deck.
Get your double card on the face of any borrowed deck. Run through cards as if counting them to see if it is a full pack.—but really to locate the single DUPLICATE of the BLACK CARD of your glued pair. Get it on TOP OF DECK.
Have an ordinary envelope examined by the owner of deck, and then have him select a card from his pack. This top card (duplicate) of deck must be "forced" and the performer can use his favorite method. I generally riffle the pack asking to have someone call "STOP" at any point. In cutting, slip TOP CARD to top of LOWER HALF and selector gets it. Or, deal a row of four cards with this card in secon dplace and force by the "between one and four"
counting method.
TELL SELECTOR NOT TO LOOK AT THE CARD HE GETS, NOR TO SHOW IT--JUST TO SEAL IT IN THE ENVELOPE AND PLACE IN HIS POCKET. Cut the deck (bringing double card near center) and turn face down. Hold pack facing him, and riffle the TOP END, telling him to say STOP at any time. Now, as the short card is near CENTER you can always stop at this spot—which stops you BETWEEN THE GLUED PAIR and leaves the BLACK CARD in view and looking at him. Ask him to REMEMBER the card stopped at. Let deck close. Turn cards face up. Openly deal the cards out, face up on the table in a pile. Tell him to stop you when he sees the card he noted. HE FINDS IT HAS VANISHED! This is due to the fact that the card he saw is GLUED TO THE BACK OF ANOTHER CARD.
And this, with his own deck, and without a single move or sleight. Then, ask him to "NAME" his card. He does so and you apparently prove that he has been dreaming. Because when he opens his envelope himself, he finds the VERY CARD HE THINKS HE JUST SAW IN HIS DECK!
( Annemann - Card Miracles )
A fake card is needed and is made by gluing the FACE of any BLACK CARD to the back of a RED CARD (at one end only) for half an inch. the rear BLACK card is left as is. But the RED (FRONT) card is TRIMMED slightly at its outer loose end. This makes a "short" CARD, that can be found and stopped at in deck by riffling the pack. The beauty of this idea is that this "feked" double card can be ADDED TO ANY BORROWED DECK regardless of the back design--and cannot be noticed due to the handling of the deck.
Get your double card on the face of any borrowed deck. Run through cards as if counting them to see if it is a full pack.—but really to locate the single DUPLICATE of the BLACK CARD of your glued pair. Get it on TOP OF DECK.
Have an ordinary envelope examined by the owner of deck, and then have him select a card from his pack. This top card (duplicate) of deck must be "forced" and the performer can use his favorite method. I generally riffle the pack asking to have someone call "STOP" at any point. In cutting, slip TOP CARD to top of LOWER HALF and selector gets it. Or, deal a row of four cards with this card in secon dplace and force by the "between one and four"
counting method.
TELL SELECTOR NOT TO LOOK AT THE CARD HE GETS, NOR TO SHOW IT--JUST TO SEAL IT IN THE ENVELOPE AND PLACE IN HIS POCKET. Cut the deck (bringing double card near center) and turn face down. Hold pack facing him, and riffle the TOP END, telling him to say STOP at any time. Now, as the short card is near CENTER you can always stop at this spot—which stops you BETWEEN THE GLUED PAIR and leaves the BLACK CARD in view and looking at him. Ask him to REMEMBER the card stopped at. Let deck close. Turn cards face up. Openly deal the cards out, face up on the table in a pile. Tell him to stop you when he sees the card he noted. HE FINDS IT HAS VANISHED! This is due to the fact that the card he saw is GLUED TO THE BACK OF ANOTHER CARD.
And this, with his own deck, and without a single move or sleight. Then, ask him to "NAME" his card. He does so and you apparently prove that he has been dreaming. Because when he opens his envelope himself, he finds the VERY CARD HE THINKS HE JUST SAW IN HIS DECK!
( Annemann - Card Miracles )
Psychic Touch Levitation
The Effect-
The magician asks a spectator to extend their hands out in front of them, and to think “light thoughts”. Slowly, the magician’s hands approach the spectators. As soon as the magician’s hands touch the spectators, the magician begins to float up into the air. The magician continues to float until he is over a foot in the air! The magician instructs the spectator to begin thinking “heavy thoughts”. As he does so, the magician begins to slowly ascend back to earth. Of course, there are many, many ways this effect can be performed, and there is no need at all to touch the spectator. This is just one of the many presentations possible with this amazing effect, and the touching is simply used to add a more “personal” feel to the effect.
The Method -
This effect is accomplished by secretly removing one leg from the pants, and lifting oneself up into the air with that leg. So, how do you get the leg out of the pants without anyone knowing? That’s where the gimmick comes in.
Making the Gimmick-
To make this gimmick, you need to have, or at least have access to, the following items:
The first step in constructing the gimmick is to measure both the width (at it’s widest point), and the length of the area from just under your knee to just above your ankle. After you have taken these measurements, you are going to draw out the measurements with a permanent marker onto your plastic bucket. It doesn’t have to be exact, but you are basically just drawing a rectangle with rounded edges the size of your lower leg. After you have drawn this shape, cut it out with your jigsaw, and sand the edges with some sandpaper so that they aren’t so sharp. This piece is going to be used as a shell to take the place of your leg inside the pants, so that the spectators won’t be able to tell when your leg is outside of the pants. Now, you’re going to take your pants, and cut a slit straight down the middle of the back of one leg. Use your stronger leg if you have one. You’re going to cut from about your knee (on the back side though) all the way to the bottom. Now, take your two magnets (size doesn’t really matter, just make sure they are strong enough to hold your pants together), and superglue them to the flaps you just created on your pants. On the right flap, about middleways up, just a few centimeters on the INSIDE of the pants, and on the left flap, on the OUTSIDE of the flap, so that it matches up with the right flap and holds your pants shut. This is why you chose oversized pants, so that you could overlap the flaps and you it wouldn’t be obvious. It’s going to seem like everyone will notice this big slit in your pants when you first create this effect, but they won’t. Unless you give them a reason to, no one will notice this. You have to just trust that and be confident in it. Now, to complete the gimmicking of your pants, you’re going to attach the Velcro (the male part) to both the left and right side of the inside of the pants, just about a quarter inch from the bottom of this same leg. That part sounds confusing, but read it again, you’ll get it. Now, you’re going to attach two more strips of Velcro (again, size doesn’t matter, as long as it works for you) to the right shoe (if this all is with your right leg). You want this to be the “female” part of the Velcro. You want to attach them to both sides, right at the top. What you’re trying to do is be able to attach the Velcro on your pants to the Velcro on your shoes so that your pants never slide off of your shoe. For the last two pieces of Velcro (magnets would also work here), use one strip of female, and one strip of male, and place them on the innermost side of your shoes (NOT the INSIDE), about halfway up. You want your shoes to stick together when you press them against one another. Once the Velcro is attached, and it fits perfectly with the pants, you want to take your plastic shell you made earlier, and your duct tape, and tape the shell exactly where it would be if it was you real leg INSIDE the pant leg.
Levitating-
To use the gimmick, just put on the pants and shoes as you normally would.
If you play around with it for a bit, you’ll realize that all you have to do to
create the illusion of levitation is:
Achieving More Height
So, how do you achieve more height and float up to 2 feet in the air? The answer: Levitate upon to a curb, stool, chair, or stair. The actions are exactly the same, except instead of just stepping back, you’re stepping up and back onto the object. I hope you enjoyed the Psychic Touch Street Levitation! It’s an amazing effect, and if you treat it well, it will treat you even better!
The magician asks a spectator to extend their hands out in front of them, and to think “light thoughts”. Slowly, the magician’s hands approach the spectators. As soon as the magician’s hands touch the spectators, the magician begins to float up into the air. The magician continues to float until he is over a foot in the air! The magician instructs the spectator to begin thinking “heavy thoughts”. As he does so, the magician begins to slowly ascend back to earth. Of course, there are many, many ways this effect can be performed, and there is no need at all to touch the spectator. This is just one of the many presentations possible with this amazing effect, and the touching is simply used to add a more “personal” feel to the effect.
The Method -
This effect is accomplished by secretly removing one leg from the pants, and lifting oneself up into the air with that leg. So, how do you get the leg out of the pants without anyone knowing? That’s where the gimmick comes in.
Making the Gimmick-
To make this gimmick, you need to have, or at least have access to, the following items:
- A jigsaw
- A 5 gallon, heavy duty plastic bucket
- A pair of pants one or two sizes larger than you normally wear.
- Duct tape
- A measuring tape
- A permanent marker
- Two small, round, strong magnets. (rare earth” magnets (also called neodymium magnets) are preferable).
- A couple packs of Velcro.
- Some super glue.
- Some scissors.
The first step in constructing the gimmick is to measure both the width (at it’s widest point), and the length of the area from just under your knee to just above your ankle. After you have taken these measurements, you are going to draw out the measurements with a permanent marker onto your plastic bucket. It doesn’t have to be exact, but you are basically just drawing a rectangle with rounded edges the size of your lower leg. After you have drawn this shape, cut it out with your jigsaw, and sand the edges with some sandpaper so that they aren’t so sharp. This piece is going to be used as a shell to take the place of your leg inside the pants, so that the spectators won’t be able to tell when your leg is outside of the pants. Now, you’re going to take your pants, and cut a slit straight down the middle of the back of one leg. Use your stronger leg if you have one. You’re going to cut from about your knee (on the back side though) all the way to the bottom. Now, take your two magnets (size doesn’t really matter, just make sure they are strong enough to hold your pants together), and superglue them to the flaps you just created on your pants. On the right flap, about middleways up, just a few centimeters on the INSIDE of the pants, and on the left flap, on the OUTSIDE of the flap, so that it matches up with the right flap and holds your pants shut. This is why you chose oversized pants, so that you could overlap the flaps and you it wouldn’t be obvious. It’s going to seem like everyone will notice this big slit in your pants when you first create this effect, but they won’t. Unless you give them a reason to, no one will notice this. You have to just trust that and be confident in it. Now, to complete the gimmicking of your pants, you’re going to attach the Velcro (the male part) to both the left and right side of the inside of the pants, just about a quarter inch from the bottom of this same leg. That part sounds confusing, but read it again, you’ll get it. Now, you’re going to attach two more strips of Velcro (again, size doesn’t matter, as long as it works for you) to the right shoe (if this all is with your right leg). You want this to be the “female” part of the Velcro. You want to attach them to both sides, right at the top. What you’re trying to do is be able to attach the Velcro on your pants to the Velcro on your shoes so that your pants never slide off of your shoe. For the last two pieces of Velcro (magnets would also work here), use one strip of female, and one strip of male, and place them on the innermost side of your shoes (NOT the INSIDE), about halfway up. You want your shoes to stick together when you press them against one another. Once the Velcro is attached, and it fits perfectly with the pants, you want to take your plastic shell you made earlier, and your duct tape, and tape the shell exactly where it would be if it was you real leg INSIDE the pant leg.
Levitating-
To use the gimmick, just put on the pants and shoes as you normally would.
If you play around with it for a bit, you’ll realize that all you have to do to
create the illusion of levitation is:
- Press your shoes together, locking them with Velcro.
- Secretly reach down and unclip the two magnets holding your pant flaps together ( under the misdirection of looking your spectators in the eyes and talking to them).
- Slide your shoe out of its pants and position your foot about 12 inches back.
- Lift up on your leg (the one that’s out of it’s pants), as you simultaneously raise your other leg. This will cause both feet to rise into the air.
- To return stop levitating, simply reverse the above actions.
Achieving More Height
So, how do you achieve more height and float up to 2 feet in the air? The answer: Levitate upon to a curb, stool, chair, or stair. The actions are exactly the same, except instead of just stepping back, you’re stepping up and back onto the object. I hope you enjoyed the Psychic Touch Street Levitation! It’s an amazing effect, and if you treat it well, it will treat you even better!
Card Thru Window
Effect-
A card is selected and a corner is torn off and given to the spectator as a receipt to insure that no switches will take place. The card is placed in the middle of the deck. One by one, the cards are counted, to show that there are only 51 cards, and the spectator’s card is missing. On a nearby window, the spectators card is seen to have appeared, but stuck to the other side of the glass! The corner is held up to the card, and they match perfectly. Then, to offer a more visual demonstration, another card is selected, and this time, it is signed on the face. Again, the card is inserted into the middle of the deck and shuffled. Suddenly, the deck is thrown at an empty nearby window. After the cards have fallen, the signed card is seen to be stuck again on the other side of the glass. The magician then proceeds to reach through the glass and pull their card out.
Preparation-
Tear off one of the corners of a duplicate card and place it in your left pocket. Find a window near the area you are going to perform, and tape the card to the other side of it, with the face of the card facing where the spectators will be. Place the duplicate of that card in whatever position you like for your favorite force. I’ll assume you have one. Also, smear some clear chap stick on the base of your left thumb, and keep a Sharpie handy.
Presentation-
First, you need to make sure that the planted card will be behind your audience, so they won’t see it before it’s time for the reveal. Begin by forcing the duplicate card via your favorite method. Have the spectator take the card. As they are doing this, secretly, reach into your left pocket, and finger palm the torn corner. Now, tear a corner off of their card and hold it in the fingers of the left hand. Bring your left hand up to hand them the corner for them to keep, and, as you do so, pull their corner into a classic palm, as you push forward and up on the duplicate corner, and give them the duplicate corner instead. Take advantage of the misdirection of them examining the duplicate corner to slip the real corner into your pocket. Take the deck, and turn it face up. As you do this, secretly rub some of the chapstick from the base of your left thumb onto the back of the top card. Place their card on the face of the deck, and give it a cut. The chapstick will cause the two cards to stick together, hiding the torn card. Count the cards, face up, onto the hand of the spectator, showing only 51 cards, and that the spectators card has vanished. Draw attention to the window where the card is taped for the first reveal. Then, have another card freely selected and signed. Take the card, place it in the deck, and use your favorite method to control the card to the top (again, this is for advanced magician’s, so I’ll assume you have one.) After the card is on top, secretly smear the remaining chapstick across its back. Now, stand about 4 or 5 feet away from a window or glass door, and begin to throw the cards at it. You want to throw the first half of the deck as one solid block, and spring the second half, so it will force the signed card to stick to the window, but will give the appearance of randomness. The card should be appear to be stuck on the other side of the window. Walk up, and pretend to rub your hand over the glass, showing that it is really on the other side. Just keep your hand a few centimeters above the glass to avoid knocking it off. Then, without giving them time to inspect, cover the card with your left hand, reach up and grab a corner with your right hand, and slowly pull the card straight out of your hand, and towards yourself, giving the illusion that you are pulling it right through the glass.
A card is selected and a corner is torn off and given to the spectator as a receipt to insure that no switches will take place. The card is placed in the middle of the deck. One by one, the cards are counted, to show that there are only 51 cards, and the spectator’s card is missing. On a nearby window, the spectators card is seen to have appeared, but stuck to the other side of the glass! The corner is held up to the card, and they match perfectly. Then, to offer a more visual demonstration, another card is selected, and this time, it is signed on the face. Again, the card is inserted into the middle of the deck and shuffled. Suddenly, the deck is thrown at an empty nearby window. After the cards have fallen, the signed card is seen to be stuck again on the other side of the glass. The magician then proceeds to reach through the glass and pull their card out.
Preparation-
Tear off one of the corners of a duplicate card and place it in your left pocket. Find a window near the area you are going to perform, and tape the card to the other side of it, with the face of the card facing where the spectators will be. Place the duplicate of that card in whatever position you like for your favorite force. I’ll assume you have one. Also, smear some clear chap stick on the base of your left thumb, and keep a Sharpie handy.
Presentation-
First, you need to make sure that the planted card will be behind your audience, so they won’t see it before it’s time for the reveal. Begin by forcing the duplicate card via your favorite method. Have the spectator take the card. As they are doing this, secretly, reach into your left pocket, and finger palm the torn corner. Now, tear a corner off of their card and hold it in the fingers of the left hand. Bring your left hand up to hand them the corner for them to keep, and, as you do so, pull their corner into a classic palm, as you push forward and up on the duplicate corner, and give them the duplicate corner instead. Take advantage of the misdirection of them examining the duplicate corner to slip the real corner into your pocket. Take the deck, and turn it face up. As you do this, secretly rub some of the chapstick from the base of your left thumb onto the back of the top card. Place their card on the face of the deck, and give it a cut. The chapstick will cause the two cards to stick together, hiding the torn card. Count the cards, face up, onto the hand of the spectator, showing only 51 cards, and that the spectators card has vanished. Draw attention to the window where the card is taped for the first reveal. Then, have another card freely selected and signed. Take the card, place it in the deck, and use your favorite method to control the card to the top (again, this is for advanced magician’s, so I’ll assume you have one.) After the card is on top, secretly smear the remaining chapstick across its back. Now, stand about 4 or 5 feet away from a window or glass door, and begin to throw the cards at it. You want to throw the first half of the deck as one solid block, and spring the second half, so it will force the signed card to stick to the window, but will give the appearance of randomness. The card should be appear to be stuck on the other side of the window. Walk up, and pretend to rub your hand over the glass, showing that it is really on the other side. Just keep your hand a few centimeters above the glass to avoid knocking it off. Then, without giving them time to inspect, cover the card with your left hand, reach up and grab a corner with your right hand, and slowly pull the card straight out of your hand, and towards yourself, giving the illusion that you are pulling it right through the glass.
Ultimate Coin Bend
EFFECT - You seemingly show your hands completely empty, borrow a coin, have it signed, and then visibly bend it at your fingertips, and give it back to them as a permanently impossible reminder of what just occurred. Without further ado, here it is, the ULTIMATE COIN BEND!
PREPARATION- To prepare for this effect, you need a regular pair of pliers, a pair of needlenose pliers, a state quarter, and a playing card. First, tear the card in half shortways. Then, fold the remaining half in half shortways. Place the quarter inside this fold (the card is simply here to prevent the coin from getting any marks on it as you’re bending it with the pliers).
Now, you’re going to take both pairs of pliers, grab the coin THROUGH THE CARD, and give it a slight bend. You want to only bend the top third of the coin, not down the middle. This is why you’re using a regular pair of pliers, and a needlenose pair, instead of just two regular pairs. This way, it’s much easier to put a bend in a small portion of the coin. When you bend it, you want the hand holding the regular pliers to remain stationary, and the needlenose hand to be the hand that actually moves down to put the bend in. Also, you don’t want to have a very large bend. A bend of about 15 or 20 degrees is more than enough. If you did this part right, the top third of the coin should be bent just slightly. If the bend is too large, simply either take some of the bend out with the pliers, or start over with a new coin. It is very important to use a STATE QUARTER for this effect.
PRESENTATION- To perform this effect, memorize the state that’s on the quarter you have prepared, wear a long sleeve shirt or jacket, put the coin into the left sleeve, and put a black permanent marker in your right pants pocket (yes, sleeving IS required for this effect, but stick with me). Ask a group of spectators if you can borrow some change. They’ll all pull out some change, an as they are doing this, look around for someone with a state quarter. It doesn’t matter what state, just look for a state quarter, not one of the old ones. Also, make sure this quarter doesn’t have any unusual markings on it that would give the effect away. Take the quarter from them, and examine it. Proclaim “Oh, West Virginia, I don’t have this one yet.” Only you don’t say West Virginia, you are simply miscalling the name of their quarter, and saying the state on the quarter you have up your sleeve. This will act as a great convincer that the bent coin is really their own coin at the end of the effect. Now, with the coin in your right hand, open both hands, to
show them empty (being careful not to let the quarter fall out of your left sleeve). Now, all you’re going to do is a false transfer. If you don’t know this move, you’re simply going to act as if you’re dropping the coin from your right hand into your left, as you secretly retain it in your right hand. Once you have done this, close your left hand like you really have the coin in there, open your fingers just slightly, and extend your left arm straight down. This will cause the coin to fall out of your sleeve and into your fist. This is the hardest move in the routine, but it’ll come with practice. As soon as you’ve done this, reach into your right pocket with your right hand, secretly place their quarter in your pocket, and remove the permanent marker. Hand them the marker, and ask them to sign “their” quarter. As they’re uncapping the marker, you’re going to bring both hands up to shield the coin, and secretly adjust it so that you’re holding it between the thumb (on bottom), and the first finger (on top) of your left hand, with the bend on top and pointing inwards (towards yourself). Also, tilt this hand very slightly downward. Believe it or not, but in this position, they won’t be able to tell that the coin is bent. Tell them that you’re going to told the coin for them as they sign it. After it’s signed, simply readjust the coin so that you’re holding it by the bend with the first finger and the thumb (hiding the bend), but the bend is facing OUTWARDS instead of inwards, and is on the BOTTOM instead of the top. Now, all you’re going to do is create the illusion of it bending, the real work is already done. To do this, simply hold the coin at face level, and slowly (very slowly), slide your thumb up slowly. This will cause the bend to come more and more into view, and at the same time cause the top of the coin to look like it’s bending downwards. As soon as the bend is in full view, ask them to hold out their hands, and let the coin fall into their open hands for them to keep.
PREPARATION- To prepare for this effect, you need a regular pair of pliers, a pair of needlenose pliers, a state quarter, and a playing card. First, tear the card in half shortways. Then, fold the remaining half in half shortways. Place the quarter inside this fold (the card is simply here to prevent the coin from getting any marks on it as you’re bending it with the pliers).
Now, you’re going to take both pairs of pliers, grab the coin THROUGH THE CARD, and give it a slight bend. You want to only bend the top third of the coin, not down the middle. This is why you’re using a regular pair of pliers, and a needlenose pair, instead of just two regular pairs. This way, it’s much easier to put a bend in a small portion of the coin. When you bend it, you want the hand holding the regular pliers to remain stationary, and the needlenose hand to be the hand that actually moves down to put the bend in. Also, you don’t want to have a very large bend. A bend of about 15 or 20 degrees is more than enough. If you did this part right, the top third of the coin should be bent just slightly. If the bend is too large, simply either take some of the bend out with the pliers, or start over with a new coin. It is very important to use a STATE QUARTER for this effect.
PRESENTATION- To perform this effect, memorize the state that’s on the quarter you have prepared, wear a long sleeve shirt or jacket, put the coin into the left sleeve, and put a black permanent marker in your right pants pocket (yes, sleeving IS required for this effect, but stick with me). Ask a group of spectators if you can borrow some change. They’ll all pull out some change, an as they are doing this, look around for someone with a state quarter. It doesn’t matter what state, just look for a state quarter, not one of the old ones. Also, make sure this quarter doesn’t have any unusual markings on it that would give the effect away. Take the quarter from them, and examine it. Proclaim “Oh, West Virginia, I don’t have this one yet.” Only you don’t say West Virginia, you are simply miscalling the name of their quarter, and saying the state on the quarter you have up your sleeve. This will act as a great convincer that the bent coin is really their own coin at the end of the effect. Now, with the coin in your right hand, open both hands, to
show them empty (being careful not to let the quarter fall out of your left sleeve). Now, all you’re going to do is a false transfer. If you don’t know this move, you’re simply going to act as if you’re dropping the coin from your right hand into your left, as you secretly retain it in your right hand. Once you have done this, close your left hand like you really have the coin in there, open your fingers just slightly, and extend your left arm straight down. This will cause the coin to fall out of your sleeve and into your fist. This is the hardest move in the routine, but it’ll come with practice. As soon as you’ve done this, reach into your right pocket with your right hand, secretly place their quarter in your pocket, and remove the permanent marker. Hand them the marker, and ask them to sign “their” quarter. As they’re uncapping the marker, you’re going to bring both hands up to shield the coin, and secretly adjust it so that you’re holding it between the thumb (on bottom), and the first finger (on top) of your left hand, with the bend on top and pointing inwards (towards yourself). Also, tilt this hand very slightly downward. Believe it or not, but in this position, they won’t be able to tell that the coin is bent. Tell them that you’re going to told the coin for them as they sign it. After it’s signed, simply readjust the coin so that you’re holding it by the bend with the first finger and the thumb (hiding the bend), but the bend is facing OUTWARDS instead of inwards, and is on the BOTTOM instead of the top. Now, all you’re going to do is create the illusion of it bending, the real work is already done. To do this, simply hold the coin at face level, and slowly (very slowly), slide your thumb up slowly. This will cause the bend to come more and more into view, and at the same time cause the top of the coin to look like it’s bending downwards. As soon as the bend is in full view, ask them to hold out their hands, and let the coin fall into their open hands for them to keep.
Moving Tan Line
-Effect-
A tan line of a ring around your finger jumps from one finger to another, and is removed and put back on a different part of your body.
-Preparation-
To prepare for this effect, you need some baby powder, scissors, a band aid, and a sunny day. With the scissors, cut the band aid so it is about as long as the width of one of your fingers, and about a quarter of an inch wide. Stick it to whatever part of your body you want the tan line to appear. Now, go out in the sun for a few minutes. You just want to stay out long enough for the line to appear, be careful not to get a sunburn. Make sure that the place you choose to have the tan line appear will be a naturally concealed area, such as under your shirt. Now what you’re going to do is pour a small amount of baby powder onto the middle finger of your right hand, where you would wear a ring. Rub it into the shape of a ring as best as you can, and then lick one of the fingers on your left hand, and allow the moisture to shape the powder into a ring, by shaping the edges, and removing any excess powder. Presentation- Casually point out to your audience that, where you used to wear a ring all the time, you have an embarrassing tan line. Don’t draw too much attention though, as it would look unnatural, and would draw suspicion. Then, to create the first illusion, of the ring jumping to the first finger, and then back again, you’re going to perform the old “flyaway birdie move”. If you’re not familiar with it, all you do is extend your first two fingers, quickly bring your hand up, and as you’re bringing it down again, keep your middle finger extended, but bring in your first finger, and extend your ring finger. Hold this position for just a second or two, and then reverse the actions, making it appear as if the tan jumped from your middle finger, to the first, and back again. Now, for the second part of the illusion. With your left hand, reach over, and just like you’re taking off a real ring, take off the tan line. All you do is secretly rub the powder off as you pretend to remove the ring. A great convincer is to hold your hand exactly as you would if you were holding onto a real ring. Now, reach under your shirt (or wherever you put the tan line), and begin rubbing. After a few seconds, lift your shirt and show them that you have moved the tan line. Allow them to examine it, and to see that it is real and can’t be removed.
A tan line of a ring around your finger jumps from one finger to another, and is removed and put back on a different part of your body.
-Preparation-
To prepare for this effect, you need some baby powder, scissors, a band aid, and a sunny day. With the scissors, cut the band aid so it is about as long as the width of one of your fingers, and about a quarter of an inch wide. Stick it to whatever part of your body you want the tan line to appear. Now, go out in the sun for a few minutes. You just want to stay out long enough for the line to appear, be careful not to get a sunburn. Make sure that the place you choose to have the tan line appear will be a naturally concealed area, such as under your shirt. Now what you’re going to do is pour a small amount of baby powder onto the middle finger of your right hand, where you would wear a ring. Rub it into the shape of a ring as best as you can, and then lick one of the fingers on your left hand, and allow the moisture to shape the powder into a ring, by shaping the edges, and removing any excess powder. Presentation- Casually point out to your audience that, where you used to wear a ring all the time, you have an embarrassing tan line. Don’t draw too much attention though, as it would look unnatural, and would draw suspicion. Then, to create the first illusion, of the ring jumping to the first finger, and then back again, you’re going to perform the old “flyaway birdie move”. If you’re not familiar with it, all you do is extend your first two fingers, quickly bring your hand up, and as you’re bringing it down again, keep your middle finger extended, but bring in your first finger, and extend your ring finger. Hold this position for just a second or two, and then reverse the actions, making it appear as if the tan jumped from your middle finger, to the first, and back again. Now, for the second part of the illusion. With your left hand, reach over, and just like you’re taking off a real ring, take off the tan line. All you do is secretly rub the powder off as you pretend to remove the ring. A great convincer is to hold your hand exactly as you would if you were holding onto a real ring. Now, reach under your shirt (or wherever you put the tan line), and begin rubbing. After a few seconds, lift your shirt and show them that you have moved the tan line. Allow them to examine it, and to see that it is real and can’t be removed.
Haunted Cell Phone
The Effect:
You Borrow A Spectator’s Cell Phone (Or Camera) And Take A Picture. As They Examine The Picture, They Notice A Spooky Image Lurking In The Ackground!!! (Works With Any Image You Want To Appear, Or Even With A Video Instead Of A Picture).
The Method:
This Effect Is Accomplished Through The Aid Of A Special Gimmick That You Are Going To Make. The Gimmick Consists Of A Clear, Long Strip Of Plastic That You Are Going To Palm In Your Hand. On The Tip Of The Outermost End Of The Plastic, You Are Going To Draw Whatever Picture You Want To Appear On Their Phone In A Black Permanent Marker. As You Borrow Their Cell Phone, You Secretly Slide The Plastic In Front Of The Camera Lens. Then, When You Take A Picture, The Secret Image Will Appear On The Screen Like It Was Right There In The Room! Making The Gimmick Making The Gimmick Is A Fairly Simple Process. First, You Need To Get A Straight, Clear Piece Of Plastic. What I Do, Is I Go To The School Supplies Section Of Any Store, And Look Through Their Folders. Inevitably, You Will Find A Perfectly Clear, Plastic Folder. It Shouldn’t Cost More Than Fifty Cents Or So. Then, You’re Going To Take Some Scissors, And Cut Out A Piece In The Shape Of A Rectange, With The Two Short Ends Each Being About Half An Inch To An Inch Long, And The Two Long Ends Being About Three Or Three And A Half Inches Long. Now, You’re Going To Take Your Black Permanent Marker (Any Color Works, I Just Prefer Black), And About An Eighth Of An Inch From The Top Of The Plastic, You’re Going To Draw Whatever Image You Want To Appear On Their Phone. Let It Dry, And Your Gimmick Is Ready To Go!
Presentation :
To Actually Perform This Effect, All You’re Going To Do Is Have The Secret Gimmick Palmed In Your Right Hand (If You’re Right Handed) With The Image Towards Your Fingers. Ask To Borrow Someone’s Phone, And As You’re Taking It From Them, Take It With Your Right Hand, Secretly Placing The Gimmick Directly Behind The Phone. Now, Transfer The Phone To The Left Hand, Maintaining The Placement Of The Gimmick By Pinching It To The Phone As You Change Hands. Now, As You’re Examining Their Phone And Trying To Find Out How To Work It, Secretly Adjust The Gimmick If Necessary So That The Image Is Directly In Front Of The Camera Lens. Now All You Have To Do Is Take A Picture! After You Take A Picture, Hand Them Back Their Phone, Retaining The Gimmick In The Palmed Position. You Don’t Have To Worry About Anyone Seeing The Gimmick, Since It’s Clear. As They’re Looking At The Image On Their Phone, Slip The Plastic Into One Of Your Pockets, And End Clean!
Ideas And Tips :
*I Always Present This Effect In A Very Serious, Somber Way. *Before Snapping The Picture, Tell Them That You Sense A Presense In The Room. *You Aren’t Limited To Ghastly, Spooky Images…You Could Use This Technique To Reveal A Selected Card, Or Anything Else You Want…The Possiblities Are Endless!!!
You Borrow A Spectator’s Cell Phone (Or Camera) And Take A Picture. As They Examine The Picture, They Notice A Spooky Image Lurking In The Ackground!!! (Works With Any Image You Want To Appear, Or Even With A Video Instead Of A Picture).
The Method:
This Effect Is Accomplished Through The Aid Of A Special Gimmick That You Are Going To Make. The Gimmick Consists Of A Clear, Long Strip Of Plastic That You Are Going To Palm In Your Hand. On The Tip Of The Outermost End Of The Plastic, You Are Going To Draw Whatever Picture You Want To Appear On Their Phone In A Black Permanent Marker. As You Borrow Their Cell Phone, You Secretly Slide The Plastic In Front Of The Camera Lens. Then, When You Take A Picture, The Secret Image Will Appear On The Screen Like It Was Right There In The Room! Making The Gimmick Making The Gimmick Is A Fairly Simple Process. First, You Need To Get A Straight, Clear Piece Of Plastic. What I Do, Is I Go To The School Supplies Section Of Any Store, And Look Through Their Folders. Inevitably, You Will Find A Perfectly Clear, Plastic Folder. It Shouldn’t Cost More Than Fifty Cents Or So. Then, You’re Going To Take Some Scissors, And Cut Out A Piece In The Shape Of A Rectange, With The Two Short Ends Each Being About Half An Inch To An Inch Long, And The Two Long Ends Being About Three Or Three And A Half Inches Long. Now, You’re Going To Take Your Black Permanent Marker (Any Color Works, I Just Prefer Black), And About An Eighth Of An Inch From The Top Of The Plastic, You’re Going To Draw Whatever Image You Want To Appear On Their Phone. Let It Dry, And Your Gimmick Is Ready To Go!
Presentation :
To Actually Perform This Effect, All You’re Going To Do Is Have The Secret Gimmick Palmed In Your Right Hand (If You’re Right Handed) With The Image Towards Your Fingers. Ask To Borrow Someone’s Phone, And As You’re Taking It From Them, Take It With Your Right Hand, Secretly Placing The Gimmick Directly Behind The Phone. Now, Transfer The Phone To The Left Hand, Maintaining The Placement Of The Gimmick By Pinching It To The Phone As You Change Hands. Now, As You’re Examining Their Phone And Trying To Find Out How To Work It, Secretly Adjust The Gimmick If Necessary So That The Image Is Directly In Front Of The Camera Lens. Now All You Have To Do Is Take A Picture! After You Take A Picture, Hand Them Back Their Phone, Retaining The Gimmick In The Palmed Position. You Don’t Have To Worry About Anyone Seeing The Gimmick, Since It’s Clear. As They’re Looking At The Image On Their Phone, Slip The Plastic Into One Of Your Pockets, And End Clean!
Ideas And Tips :
*I Always Present This Effect In A Very Serious, Somber Way. *Before Snapping The Picture, Tell Them That You Sense A Presense In The Room. *You Aren’t Limited To Ghastly, Spooky Images…You Could Use This Technique To Reveal A Selected Card, Or Anything Else You Want…The Possiblities Are Endless!!!
Card to Cell Phone
- Effect -
The spectator selects a card, replaces it in the deck, and shuffles the cards. Suddenly, he receives a text message on his phone. He opens the message, and discovers his card.
- Presentation -
First, you need to borrow a spectator’s cell phone. Comment on how much you like the phone, and, as you pretend to just be examining it, you need to send your own phone, which should be on silent, a text message. The key is to send the message as quickly as possible, so you don’t arouse suspicion. You might need to familiarize yourself with several types of phones in order to be able to do this step quickly. As soon as you’ve sent yourself a text message, clear the screen, and hand them back their phone, and get out your own. Comment on how your phone isn’t as nice as theirs, and how you’re thinking about getting a different one. As soon as you get your phone out, you should have received their text message. What you need to do is, as you’re talking to them and providing verbal misdirection, hit reply on your phone, and quickly type in the name of a card you want to force. It helps to abbreviate the card’s name, such as 7c, for the seven of clubs. Now, put your phone back into your pocket, but without sending the message yet. You need to know where the send button is on your phone without having to get it out and look at it, and you need to be just one screen away from sending the message. Now, pull out your
cards, and use your favorite method to force the card you input into your phone earlier. Have them put their card back in the deck, and give them the cards to shuffle. Take this moment of misdirection to quickly hit the send button on your phone. Take your hands as far away from your phone as you can, and look them in the eyes. Tell them to concentrate on their card. It
will take a few seconds from them to receive the message, which is perfect. It should seem like their sheer concentration on their card has caused it to appear on their phone. If you and your spectator both have a camera phone, you could even do this with a picture of the card, instead of just the name of it. Also, good patter to go along with this is by explaining how “thoughts are simply electrical signals, which could sometimes be picked up by other electrical devices.”
The spectator selects a card, replaces it in the deck, and shuffles the cards. Suddenly, he receives a text message on his phone. He opens the message, and discovers his card.
- Presentation -
First, you need to borrow a spectator’s cell phone. Comment on how much you like the phone, and, as you pretend to just be examining it, you need to send your own phone, which should be on silent, a text message. The key is to send the message as quickly as possible, so you don’t arouse suspicion. You might need to familiarize yourself with several types of phones in order to be able to do this step quickly. As soon as you’ve sent yourself a text message, clear the screen, and hand them back their phone, and get out your own. Comment on how your phone isn’t as nice as theirs, and how you’re thinking about getting a different one. As soon as you get your phone out, you should have received their text message. What you need to do is, as you’re talking to them and providing verbal misdirection, hit reply on your phone, and quickly type in the name of a card you want to force. It helps to abbreviate the card’s name, such as 7c, for the seven of clubs. Now, put your phone back into your pocket, but without sending the message yet. You need to know where the send button is on your phone without having to get it out and look at it, and you need to be just one screen away from sending the message. Now, pull out your
cards, and use your favorite method to force the card you input into your phone earlier. Have them put their card back in the deck, and give them the cards to shuffle. Take this moment of misdirection to quickly hit the send button on your phone. Take your hands as far away from your phone as you can, and look them in the eyes. Tell them to concentrate on their card. It
will take a few seconds from them to receive the message, which is perfect. It should seem like their sheer concentration on their card has caused it to appear on their phone. If you and your spectator both have a camera phone, you could even do this with a picture of the card, instead of just the name of it. Also, good patter to go along with this is by explaining how “thoughts are simply electrical signals, which could sometimes be picked up by other electrical devices.”
Arm Through Body
- Effect -
the magician shoves his arm through the stomach of a spectator.
- Presentation -
Find an assistant, or even a random spectator, who is wearing a button up shirt. Have them unbutton the second button from the bottom, and untuck the back of their shirt. Walk behind your assistant, and stand with the middle of your right shoulder directly above the middle of their left shoulder. Bend down so you and your assistant are the same height, look directly at the audience, who should be positioned in front of you, for the misdirection for the next move. Push their torso forward slightly so they are leaning forward, slip your right hand into the back of their shirt, wrap your arm around their body, keeping it as close to them as possible, and in a quick, sudden move, shove your hand through the open button on their shirt. If you spread your fingers open at this point, it will give a much wider appearance, and a better illusion. Pause for a few seconds, and then, in an equally fast and abrupt motion, jerk your arm back out of their shirt, making it look like you just yanked it out of their stomach.
the magician shoves his arm through the stomach of a spectator.
- Presentation -
Find an assistant, or even a random spectator, who is wearing a button up shirt. Have them unbutton the second button from the bottom, and untuck the back of their shirt. Walk behind your assistant, and stand with the middle of your right shoulder directly above the middle of their left shoulder. Bend down so you and your assistant are the same height, look directly at the audience, who should be positioned in front of you, for the misdirection for the next move. Push their torso forward slightly so they are leaning forward, slip your right hand into the back of their shirt, wrap your arm around their body, keeping it as close to them as possible, and in a quick, sudden move, shove your hand through the open button on their shirt. If you spread your fingers open at this point, it will give a much wider appearance, and a better illusion. Pause for a few seconds, and then, in an equally fast and abrupt motion, jerk your arm back out of their shirt, making it look like you just yanked it out of their stomach.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
String From Neck
Effect - The magician swallows a length of thread, and then pulls it straight out of a hole in his neck!
Preparation - First, you need to get a spool of thread. Any color will work, but the more visible it is against your skin, the better, so, when I perform this effect, I usually choose black. Break off a length of thread, about 3 feet long. Now, you’re going to coat the area of you neck just below your adam’s apple (if you’re a guy), in an area about 3 inches tall, and 2 inches wide, with a thin layer of rubber cement. Make sure it’s rubber cement, and not some other kind of cement…trust me. Let the rubber cement dry, which won’t take long, and then carefully lay the thread down the middle of the cement, grab a piece of skin on each side of it, and pinch them together. The rubber cement will cause the two pieces of skin on either side of the thread to stick together, locking the thread in your neck. Now, pull down on the thread, until about only a quarter of an inch is sticking out of the top of the hole. Tuck the rest of the thread into your shirt.
Presentation- Your audience should be positioned in front of you, about 5 or 6 feet or more away. Stand with your head tilted down slightly, to hide the “scar”. Bring out the thread, and very openly, measure out a piece about 3 feet long, and break it off. Place the thread into your mouth, and start sucking it up like spaghetti. Once it is all in your mouth, work it into a little ball, and stick it into the area of your mouth between your gum and your cheek. Pretend to swallow it. Don’t really swallow the thread! Now, pause for a moment, and pretend to be concentrating. Show your hand to be empty, and then reach up, and pull straight up (up, not out) on the thread until it comes out about an inch or two, and then let go. They will see the thread and start to freak out. Reach back up, and this time, begin pulling straight out from yourself. Make the removal of the thread seem like a long, painful procedure. The longer it takes you to remove the thread, the better. As soon as you’ve pulled out all the thread, look straight up into the air and, under the guise of checking your neck for wounds, pull apart the skin, and rub off the rubber cement.
Preparation - First, you need to get a spool of thread. Any color will work, but the more visible it is against your skin, the better, so, when I perform this effect, I usually choose black. Break off a length of thread, about 3 feet long. Now, you’re going to coat the area of you neck just below your adam’s apple (if you’re a guy), in an area about 3 inches tall, and 2 inches wide, with a thin layer of rubber cement. Make sure it’s rubber cement, and not some other kind of cement…trust me. Let the rubber cement dry, which won’t take long, and then carefully lay the thread down the middle of the cement, grab a piece of skin on each side of it, and pinch them together. The rubber cement will cause the two pieces of skin on either side of the thread to stick together, locking the thread in your neck. Now, pull down on the thread, until about only a quarter of an inch is sticking out of the top of the hole. Tuck the rest of the thread into your shirt.
Presentation- Your audience should be positioned in front of you, about 5 or 6 feet or more away. Stand with your head tilted down slightly, to hide the “scar”. Bring out the thread, and very openly, measure out a piece about 3 feet long, and break it off. Place the thread into your mouth, and start sucking it up like spaghetti. Once it is all in your mouth, work it into a little ball, and stick it into the area of your mouth between your gum and your cheek. Pretend to swallow it. Don’t really swallow the thread! Now, pause for a moment, and pretend to be concentrating. Show your hand to be empty, and then reach up, and pull straight up (up, not out) on the thread until it comes out about an inch or two, and then let go. They will see the thread and start to freak out. Reach back up, and this time, begin pulling straight out from yourself. Make the removal of the thread seem like a long, painful procedure. The longer it takes you to remove the thread, the better. As soon as you’ve pulled out all the thread, look straight up into the air and, under the guise of checking your neck for wounds, pull apart the skin, and rub off the rubber cement.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mentalist Book Test
Effect - The magician gives the spectator a sealed envelop to hold for safe keeping, pronouncing that he has made a prediction which is contained within. The spectator signs the envelope, to ensure that no switches will take place, and then he stores the envelope away in his pocket, or some other safe place. The magician then holds out three books, and offers the spectator to select one of them. Having selected his book, the magician then riffles down the pages and instructs the spectator to call out “STOP” on any page he chooses. Once the spectator has stopped the magician, the magician turns his back as to not see or glimpse anything, and instructs the spectator to memorize the page number he stopped on, and also to remember a single word from the top line of that page. After the spectator remembers the word and the page, he closes the book and instructs the magician to turn back around. The magician gazes into the spectators eyes, and, with what appears to be genuine mind reading, he not only tells the spectator what page he stopped on, but the word he was thinking of! BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Now is the truly magical part! The magician instructs the spectator to turn to the page he selected in his book. The spectator tries to turn to that page, but it’s missing! The page the spectator selected, and only that page, has been torn out of the book! The magician backs away, as to insure that no sleight of hand or other form trickery will take place, and instructs the spectator to take out the envelope that was given to him and was signed before the effect began. He takes it out and opens it, to find that the page he selected was sealed in the envelope the entire time! Not only that, but the page matches up PERFECTLY with the one torn out of the
book!
Preparation - To prepare for this effect, you will need two copies of the same paperback book. The books need to have a relatively large amount of pages, between 200 and 300 works perfectly. The size of the books needs to not be too big, although you can do it with any sized book, it makes it harder to effectively pull of a switch that you will need to do later on if they’re too big. The perfect size is about 6 or 7 inches tall, and about 4 inches wide. Good ones to use are those old romantic novels that your grandmother or mom always reads and gets for a buck at the local dollar store. Now, preparing the books. A very clever thing you can do is to give the books a distinctive mark, such as a creased corner, or a slight tear on the cover, but to do it on BOTH of them. If the spectator remembers this mark from before, it makes the effect seem all the more powerful and impossible. From one of these books, you need to select a page a little bit past the middle of the book, and one that has ONLY one large word on the first line of that page. Once you have found a page, tear it out. When you’re tearing out the page, make sure to leave distinctive, jagged rip marks all along the edges, so that when you match up the page later, it shows a perfect fit. After you have torn out the page, fold it neatly into either quarters or eighths, and place it inside an envelope and seal it in. Also, it’s not necessary, but it definitely adds to the suspense of the effect if you put ANOTHER envelope over top of the one containing the torn out page and seal it. That way, they have to go through two envelopes to get to the page, and it not only makes things seem even more impossible, but also more magical.
Next, go get a playing card, or anything that acts as a bookmark, and mark the page number, but in the one that WASN’T torn out. Now, go get two other books, but different ones than before. What these books are or look like doesn’t matter in the least. Now, take the duplicate book with the page torn out, and place it in your jacket pocket, or one of your back pockets, or tuck it into the back of your pants, and cover it with your shirt, where you can easily access it, but no one can see. Next, take the duplicate book with the page still in it, and put it in the middle of the other two books, so you have a stack of three books, with the duplicate being in the middle. That’s all for the preparation!
Presentation - The first part of presenting this effect is making sure that the spectator, and everyone watching in the audience, knows that an envelope switch is absolutely impossible. Declare that you’ve made a prediction which you won’t reveal until later, and have the spectator sign the envelope. If you get 3 or 4 spectators to sign the envelope instead of just one, it makes the effect even better. Next, give it to one of the spectators to store away and hold for safekeeping. A subtlety on this is to make sure to give it to the spectator that stands the furthest away from you, which makes the climax of the effect seem even more impossible. After the envelope has been stored away, pick up your stack of books, and have a spectator select the duplicate book. The way this is done is with the magician’s force. In case you aren’t familiar with it, I’ll briefly describe what it is. You invite a spectator to take a book. If they take your force book, great, that’s the end, just sit the other two books aside. If they take either of the other books, tell them that you needed to eliminate one, and have them sit that one down away from the other two, and then invite them to take another. If they take the force book, sit the book you’re left holding down on top of the other book they selected so you’re left with only the force book, and if they take the other, instruct them to place it down with the other one, so you’re still only left with your force book. After they have selected your force book, get a pinky break at the you’re going to force, and casually let the book mark fall out. This adds to the effect that the book isn’t anything special, it’s just a book you happened to grab on your way out. Keeping a pinky break, tell them that you’re going to riffle through the pages, and instruct them to call out “STOP” at whichever page they like. As you riffle through the pages with the thumb on the same hand you’re keeping the break with, time it so that they call out stop as you’re getting near the middle of the book. As soon as they call out stop, pick up the page AT YOUR BREAK, and NOT where they called stop. Timed properly, this looks exactly like ou just opened the book where they called out stop at. As you’re opening the book, tilt the book
towards them so they can see the page they stopped at, and cover up the page opposite it, so that they don’t mistakenly think THAT is their page.
Turn your head away as you’re doing this to insure that no one thinks you peeked at the page. Tell them to memorize the page number they stopped at, and also instruct them to think of a “fairly long” word from the first line of that page. As soon as they tell you that they memorized it, instruct them to close the book, and then turn back around. Look them directly into their eyes as soon as you turn back around, reach out your arm and casually take the book back from them, and place it in your jacket pocket (or wherever you hid the other duplicate book). Do this very casually, like the book doesn’t matter at all anymore, concentrate entirely on them. Pretend to be reading their mind, as you slowly reveal the name of the page they elected. Then, slowly just like before, reveal the word they thought of. By this time, most people will have forgotten about the envelope and will have thought the effect has ended. Use this opportunity to reach into your pocket and remove the duplicate book WITH the page torn out of it. Remind them that they could have stopped you on any page they wanted. Once they agree, hand them the book, and tell them to turn to the page they selected. To their surprise, the page is missing! Now, take a few steps back, and instruct them to take out the envelope that you gave them before the effect began. Once they do, have everyone verify their signatures on the envelope, and have them examine it to make sure that it hasn’t been tampered with in any way. Once they all agree, tell them to open it. After they open the envelope and find their page inside it, wait for the reactions to calm down slightly, and then have them match up the torn out page to the page in the book to show that it fits PERFECTLY.
book!
Preparation - To prepare for this effect, you will need two copies of the same paperback book. The books need to have a relatively large amount of pages, between 200 and 300 works perfectly. The size of the books needs to not be too big, although you can do it with any sized book, it makes it harder to effectively pull of a switch that you will need to do later on if they’re too big. The perfect size is about 6 or 7 inches tall, and about 4 inches wide. Good ones to use are those old romantic novels that your grandmother or mom always reads and gets for a buck at the local dollar store. Now, preparing the books. A very clever thing you can do is to give the books a distinctive mark, such as a creased corner, or a slight tear on the cover, but to do it on BOTH of them. If the spectator remembers this mark from before, it makes the effect seem all the more powerful and impossible. From one of these books, you need to select a page a little bit past the middle of the book, and one that has ONLY one large word on the first line of that page. Once you have found a page, tear it out. When you’re tearing out the page, make sure to leave distinctive, jagged rip marks all along the edges, so that when you match up the page later, it shows a perfect fit. After you have torn out the page, fold it neatly into either quarters or eighths, and place it inside an envelope and seal it in. Also, it’s not necessary, but it definitely adds to the suspense of the effect if you put ANOTHER envelope over top of the one containing the torn out page and seal it. That way, they have to go through two envelopes to get to the page, and it not only makes things seem even more impossible, but also more magical.
Next, go get a playing card, or anything that acts as a bookmark, and mark the page number, but in the one that WASN’T torn out. Now, go get two other books, but different ones than before. What these books are or look like doesn’t matter in the least. Now, take the duplicate book with the page torn out, and place it in your jacket pocket, or one of your back pockets, or tuck it into the back of your pants, and cover it with your shirt, where you can easily access it, but no one can see. Next, take the duplicate book with the page still in it, and put it in the middle of the other two books, so you have a stack of three books, with the duplicate being in the middle. That’s all for the preparation!
Presentation - The first part of presenting this effect is making sure that the spectator, and everyone watching in the audience, knows that an envelope switch is absolutely impossible. Declare that you’ve made a prediction which you won’t reveal until later, and have the spectator sign the envelope. If you get 3 or 4 spectators to sign the envelope instead of just one, it makes the effect even better. Next, give it to one of the spectators to store away and hold for safekeeping. A subtlety on this is to make sure to give it to the spectator that stands the furthest away from you, which makes the climax of the effect seem even more impossible. After the envelope has been stored away, pick up your stack of books, and have a spectator select the duplicate book. The way this is done is with the magician’s force. In case you aren’t familiar with it, I’ll briefly describe what it is. You invite a spectator to take a book. If they take your force book, great, that’s the end, just sit the other two books aside. If they take either of the other books, tell them that you needed to eliminate one, and have them sit that one down away from the other two, and then invite them to take another. If they take the force book, sit the book you’re left holding down on top of the other book they selected so you’re left with only the force book, and if they take the other, instruct them to place it down with the other one, so you’re still only left with your force book. After they have selected your force book, get a pinky break at the you’re going to force, and casually let the book mark fall out. This adds to the effect that the book isn’t anything special, it’s just a book you happened to grab on your way out. Keeping a pinky break, tell them that you’re going to riffle through the pages, and instruct them to call out “STOP” at whichever page they like. As you riffle through the pages with the thumb on the same hand you’re keeping the break with, time it so that they call out stop as you’re getting near the middle of the book. As soon as they call out stop, pick up the page AT YOUR BREAK, and NOT where they called stop. Timed properly, this looks exactly like ou just opened the book where they called out stop at. As you’re opening the book, tilt the book
towards them so they can see the page they stopped at, and cover up the page opposite it, so that they don’t mistakenly think THAT is their page.
Turn your head away as you’re doing this to insure that no one thinks you peeked at the page. Tell them to memorize the page number they stopped at, and also instruct them to think of a “fairly long” word from the first line of that page. As soon as they tell you that they memorized it, instruct them to close the book, and then turn back around. Look them directly into their eyes as soon as you turn back around, reach out your arm and casually take the book back from them, and place it in your jacket pocket (or wherever you hid the other duplicate book). Do this very casually, like the book doesn’t matter at all anymore, concentrate entirely on them. Pretend to be reading their mind, as you slowly reveal the name of the page they elected. Then, slowly just like before, reveal the word they thought of. By this time, most people will have forgotten about the envelope and will have thought the effect has ended. Use this opportunity to reach into your pocket and remove the duplicate book WITH the page torn out of it. Remind them that they could have stopped you on any page they wanted. Once they agree, hand them the book, and tell them to turn to the page they selected. To their surprise, the page is missing! Now, take a few steps back, and instruct them to take out the envelope that you gave them before the effect began. Once they do, have everyone verify their signatures on the envelope, and have them examine it to make sure that it hasn’t been tampered with in any way. Once they all agree, tell them to open it. After they open the envelope and find their page inside it, wait for the reactions to calm down slightly, and then have them match up the torn out page to the page in the book to show that it fits PERFECTLY.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Street Self Vanish
Effect - A blanket or towel is draped over the magician. Suddenly, the towel is dropped, and the magician is nowhere to be found!
Preparation - You need an assistant who is familiar with the effect, a blanket large enough to cover your body, but lightweight enough to not bend the gimmick, and you need to make a gimmick. To make the gimmick, gather some duct tape, a wire coathanger, some wire cutters, scissors, and an aluminum baking pan. The first thing you are going to do is mold the baking pan to the shape of your head. Place it on the top of your head, and gently press in all directions, letting it take the shape of the top part of your head. Now you’re going to trim it up with the scissors, cutting away all but the part that represents about the top third of your head. Now, carefully cut the coathanger open, and straighten it out. You need it to be about 2 ½ feet long. Now, on one of the ends of the straightened out hanger, you need to attach the baking pan gimmick. Bend the hanger so it fits nicely into the pan gimmick, and then secure its place with duct tape. Don’t worry about how it looks, no one is ever going to see it. Begin by concealing the gimmick under the blanket, with the pan part close to the center, and the wire running diagonally to the corner where your (or your assistants) right hand will be.
Presentation - Have the blanket with the gimmick hidden under it near where your assistant can easily access it. Make sure you perform in an area where there is something you could hide behind, such as a tree, car, or dumpster. You should begin your performance no more than 10 or 15 feet in front of your hideout. Make sure your audience is positioned at least 5 or 10 feet directly in front of you. Have your assistant pick up the blanket, keeping the gimmick in place. Have them drape it over your head as you kneel down, allowing your entire body to be covered. What is going to happen, is you’re going to quickly take a step back (keeping low to the ground) as the blanket is being draped over you, and you are going to let the gimmick act as you. The pan part of the gimmick should appear to be your head under the blanket, sort of like a shell, so make sure your assistant keeps it in the proper place. Quickly, staying low to the ground, walk back and hide behind whatever object you want to hide behind. Since your audience is directly in front of you, and since all their attention is on the blanket, they won’t see you. After you’re hidden away, your assistant throws down the blanket, showing that, in just a fraction of a second, you have vanished.
Ideas and Tips - It’s a good idea to have your assistant pretend to be a random spectator, so the illusion seems much less contrived, and much more powerful. One a similar note, you could have him/her be the one that vanishes, instead of you. Also, you could, after the vanish, reappear somewhere else, by simply running to wherever you want to appear, as the audience is focused on the blanket. For a more visual, eerie effect, instead of just throwing down the blanket, slowly lower it, so it looks like you’re shrinking into nothingness. You could even run to an area you wish to reappear at, and create an almost teleportation effect. Most importantly, please remember that this effect was designed, not for you to go out and perform it as it is, but to provoke your thinking, and allow you to come up with even better illusions yourself.
BONUS VANISH IDEA
Another way to make yourself vanish, and WITHOUT the use of an assistant OR the gimmick, is to stand on a chair, quickly toss a blanket up in the air, and when it comes down, you’re nowhere to be seen. This could be accomplished by making a gimmicked chair or table. All that would have to be done, is a mirror would have to be inserted underneath the table or chair, in the middle between the legs. This would reflect the two legs that are already visible, and hiding the two that are not, creating the illusion that the audience can see under the table/chair. All you would have to do is, as you throw up the blanket, jump down behind the chair/table and sit in a
crouching position. The mirror would hide you. Thank you so much for purchasing this ebook. I hope that you play with some of the ideas, create your own methods, and go far in your career in
magic!
Preparation - You need an assistant who is familiar with the effect, a blanket large enough to cover your body, but lightweight enough to not bend the gimmick, and you need to make a gimmick. To make the gimmick, gather some duct tape, a wire coathanger, some wire cutters, scissors, and an aluminum baking pan. The first thing you are going to do is mold the baking pan to the shape of your head. Place it on the top of your head, and gently press in all directions, letting it take the shape of the top part of your head. Now you’re going to trim it up with the scissors, cutting away all but the part that represents about the top third of your head. Now, carefully cut the coathanger open, and straighten it out. You need it to be about 2 ½ feet long. Now, on one of the ends of the straightened out hanger, you need to attach the baking pan gimmick. Bend the hanger so it fits nicely into the pan gimmick, and then secure its place with duct tape. Don’t worry about how it looks, no one is ever going to see it. Begin by concealing the gimmick under the blanket, with the pan part close to the center, and the wire running diagonally to the corner where your (or your assistants) right hand will be.
Presentation - Have the blanket with the gimmick hidden under it near where your assistant can easily access it. Make sure you perform in an area where there is something you could hide behind, such as a tree, car, or dumpster. You should begin your performance no more than 10 or 15 feet in front of your hideout. Make sure your audience is positioned at least 5 or 10 feet directly in front of you. Have your assistant pick up the blanket, keeping the gimmick in place. Have them drape it over your head as you kneel down, allowing your entire body to be covered. What is going to happen, is you’re going to quickly take a step back (keeping low to the ground) as the blanket is being draped over you, and you are going to let the gimmick act as you. The pan part of the gimmick should appear to be your head under the blanket, sort of like a shell, so make sure your assistant keeps it in the proper place. Quickly, staying low to the ground, walk back and hide behind whatever object you want to hide behind. Since your audience is directly in front of you, and since all their attention is on the blanket, they won’t see you. After you’re hidden away, your assistant throws down the blanket, showing that, in just a fraction of a second, you have vanished.
Ideas and Tips - It’s a good idea to have your assistant pretend to be a random spectator, so the illusion seems much less contrived, and much more powerful. One a similar note, you could have him/her be the one that vanishes, instead of you. Also, you could, after the vanish, reappear somewhere else, by simply running to wherever you want to appear, as the audience is focused on the blanket. For a more visual, eerie effect, instead of just throwing down the blanket, slowly lower it, so it looks like you’re shrinking into nothingness. You could even run to an area you wish to reappear at, and create an almost teleportation effect. Most importantly, please remember that this effect was designed, not for you to go out and perform it as it is, but to provoke your thinking, and allow you to come up with even better illusions yourself.
BONUS VANISH IDEA
Another way to make yourself vanish, and WITHOUT the use of an assistant OR the gimmick, is to stand on a chair, quickly toss a blanket up in the air, and when it comes down, you’re nowhere to be seen. This could be accomplished by making a gimmicked chair or table. All that would have to be done, is a mirror would have to be inserted underneath the table or chair, in the middle between the legs. This would reflect the two legs that are already visible, and hiding the two that are not, creating the illusion that the audience can see under the table/chair. All you would have to do is, as you throw up the blanket, jump down behind the chair/table and sit in a
crouching position. The mirror would hide you. Thank you so much for purchasing this ebook. I hope that you play with some of the ideas, create your own methods, and go far in your career in
magic!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Tooth from Mouth
Effect- The magician reaches into a “spectator’s” mouth, pulls out their tooth, sticks it in his own mouth, chews it, and spits it back into the spectators mouth, where it reappears in a flash.
Preparation- You need to have a willing assistant who will play the part of a random spectator, a fake tooth, a piece of white hard candy, and some black lipstick. First, color in one of your assistant’s front teeth with the lipstick so it looks like the tooth is missing. Then, take the hard candy, still in its wrapper, and tap it with something hard until it cracks into several pieces. Open the candy, find the most “tooth like” piece, and put it in your mouth. Now, all you need is a fake tooth (or, if you have access to a real one, go with that) to palm in your right hand, and you’re ready to go. You can find fake teeth from any novelty shop, or in many stores around Halloween. You can even substitute a completely white, press on finger nail if you’re desperate.
Presentation- Approach your assistant, and pretend that they are a random spectator. With the fake tooth palmed in the right fingers, quickly reach up, and pretend to remove the spectator’s tooth. This should be done quickly, and without explanation. Briefly show the tooth, and “hole” in the “spectator’s” mouth, and then pop it in your own mouth. Now, with your tongue, place the fake tooth in the area between your cheek and your gum, so you can keep it hidden. Crunch down on the hard candy a few times, being careful not to break your teeth, and then suddenly blow in the spectator’s face. As you do this, your spectator should reach up with their tongue, and rub off the lipstick. Timed perfectly, it will seem like you just blew the tooth back into their mouth. The key to selling this effect are that the audience believes your assistant is just a spectator, and acting, both on your part, as well on that of your assistant’s.
Preparation- You need to have a willing assistant who will play the part of a random spectator, a fake tooth, a piece of white hard candy, and some black lipstick. First, color in one of your assistant’s front teeth with the lipstick so it looks like the tooth is missing. Then, take the hard candy, still in its wrapper, and tap it with something hard until it cracks into several pieces. Open the candy, find the most “tooth like” piece, and put it in your mouth. Now, all you need is a fake tooth (or, if you have access to a real one, go with that) to palm in your right hand, and you’re ready to go. You can find fake teeth from any novelty shop, or in many stores around Halloween. You can even substitute a completely white, press on finger nail if you’re desperate.
Presentation- Approach your assistant, and pretend that they are a random spectator. With the fake tooth palmed in the right fingers, quickly reach up, and pretend to remove the spectator’s tooth. This should be done quickly, and without explanation. Briefly show the tooth, and “hole” in the “spectator’s” mouth, and then pop it in your own mouth. Now, with your tongue, place the fake tooth in the area between your cheek and your gum, so you can keep it hidden. Crunch down on the hard candy a few times, being careful not to break your teeth, and then suddenly blow in the spectator’s face. As you do this, your spectator should reach up with their tongue, and rub off the lipstick. Timed perfectly, it will seem like you just blew the tooth back into their mouth. The key to selling this effect are that the audience believes your assistant is just a spectator, and acting, both on your part, as well on that of your assistant’s.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Coin Thru Bottle
Effect- A signed coin is penetrated through a completely seal soda bottle.
Preparation- To prepare this effect, you need some cooking mittens, two identical coins, some tongs, a knife, a permanent marker, two identical soda or water bottles, a cooking pot, and some scissors. First, take one of the coins, and initial it, front and back (use a spectator’s initials if you know for sure who you’re going to perform for, if not, use your own.) Open one of the bottles, take the scissors, and cut off the plastic ring near the top, and drop the signed coin inside. Now, pour some water into the pot and heat it up until it’s very hot, but just under a boil. Take the knife, stab a hole through the unopened bottle, drain out the water, and carefully place the bottle into the hot water. Let it soak for about 30 seconds, and then remove it with some tongs. The hot water will have softened the plastic so much that you’ll be able to crunch it in and remove the cap without opening it. Take the unopened cap, and screw it onto the opened bottle, and the preparation’s all done.
Presentation- Hold the bottle upside down, causing the coin inside to fall into the inside of the cap. Approach a spectator, offering to show them a trick. Take out the coin, write your initials on it, front and back, and hold it in the palm of your left hand, with your right hand holding the bottle upside down by the cap. Now, to cause the penetration, all you’re going to do is a strike vanish. If you’re unfamiliar with it, you simply bring the bottle down in sort of an arc motion, as if you’re going to smack the coin, and you toss the coin up and catch it in the right hand as you’re bringing down the bottle, not only making the coin in your hand disappear, but causing the duplicate coin in the cap to fall down into the bottle. Give the bottle out for examination, pointing out that it is still sealed, and has no holes.
Preparation- To prepare this effect, you need some cooking mittens, two identical coins, some tongs, a knife, a permanent marker, two identical soda or water bottles, a cooking pot, and some scissors. First, take one of the coins, and initial it, front and back (use a spectator’s initials if you know for sure who you’re going to perform for, if not, use your own.) Open one of the bottles, take the scissors, and cut off the plastic ring near the top, and drop the signed coin inside. Now, pour some water into the pot and heat it up until it’s very hot, but just under a boil. Take the knife, stab a hole through the unopened bottle, drain out the water, and carefully place the bottle into the hot water. Let it soak for about 30 seconds, and then remove it with some tongs. The hot water will have softened the plastic so much that you’ll be able to crunch it in and remove the cap without opening it. Take the unopened cap, and screw it onto the opened bottle, and the preparation’s all done.
Presentation- Hold the bottle upside down, causing the coin inside to fall into the inside of the cap. Approach a spectator, offering to show them a trick. Take out the coin, write your initials on it, front and back, and hold it in the palm of your left hand, with your right hand holding the bottle upside down by the cap. Now, to cause the penetration, all you’re going to do is a strike vanish. If you’re unfamiliar with it, you simply bring the bottle down in sort of an arc motion, as if you’re going to smack the coin, and you toss the coin up and catch it in the right hand as you’re bringing down the bottle, not only making the coin in your hand disappear, but causing the duplicate coin in the cap to fall down into the bottle. Give the bottle out for examination, pointing out that it is still sealed, and has no holes.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Ring in Ice Cube
Effect: A ring is borrowed from a spectator, vanished, and reappears inside a solid ice cube, that has been inside the spectator’s drink since before the trick began.
Preparation: Obtain a simple, medium sized, gold wedding band (the kind that everyone seems to be wearing) and place it into an ice tray, fill it with water, and put it in the freezer. Once it is frozen solid, you need a way to get it into the spectator’s drink. For this reason, this effect is much easier to perform at a home gathering, where you could have the opportunity to
pour the drinks yourself. If you can’t do this, another option is to have an assistant (possibly a cook in the kitchen, or one of the spectator’s friends) help you. And yet another option would be to palm the ice cube, and casually drop it into the drink on an off moment, or as you move the drink out of the way so you’ll “have room to perform”.
Presentation: Start by borrowing a ring from the spectator. Because you need to find one that looks similar to the duplicate ring, quickly scan the spectators hands for a ring that matches somewhat. Don’t just ask for a ring, because they might give you the wrong one. Specifically tell them which ring you want to borrow, but don’t make a big deal about it, because you don’t want to draw suspicion. Now, it’s time to vanish the ring. If you already have a favorite method of vanishing objects, use that one. If not, simply do a false transfer by casually acting as if you’re dropping the ring into the left hand, when you really keep it concealed in the right. As their attention is on the left hand, secretly drop the ring off into the right back pocket of your pants with your right hand. This allows you to show both hands empty after the vanish. After you have vanished the ring, instruct the spectator to look in their drink. Have them remove the ice cube, and examine it to show that there are no holes, and it’s completely solid. Because the ice will blur the image of the ring, you don’t have to worry about them seeing that it isn’t their ring. Take the cube in your left hand, and begin cracking it against the table. While all their attention is on this, secretly reach into your pocket with your right hand, and palm their real ring. As soon as the ice is crushed enough to get the ring out, reach over with your right hand, and take the ring. Now, you’re going to switch the duplicate ring for their ring as you give it back to them. The easiest way to do this is to just pull both rings into your palm, and casually drop their ring into their hand, and retain the duplicate.
Ideas and Tips: Don’t limit yourself to using a ring for this trick. It can be done with nearly any object small enough to fit inside an ice cube, such as candy, or even the corner torn from a playing card. In fact, using something other than a borrowed ring could eliminate the switch at the end, making the effect much cleaner.
Preparation: Obtain a simple, medium sized, gold wedding band (the kind that everyone seems to be wearing) and place it into an ice tray, fill it with water, and put it in the freezer. Once it is frozen solid, you need a way to get it into the spectator’s drink. For this reason, this effect is much easier to perform at a home gathering, where you could have the opportunity to
pour the drinks yourself. If you can’t do this, another option is to have an assistant (possibly a cook in the kitchen, or one of the spectator’s friends) help you. And yet another option would be to palm the ice cube, and casually drop it into the drink on an off moment, or as you move the drink out of the way so you’ll “have room to perform”.
Presentation: Start by borrowing a ring from the spectator. Because you need to find one that looks similar to the duplicate ring, quickly scan the spectators hands for a ring that matches somewhat. Don’t just ask for a ring, because they might give you the wrong one. Specifically tell them which ring you want to borrow, but don’t make a big deal about it, because you don’t want to draw suspicion. Now, it’s time to vanish the ring. If you already have a favorite method of vanishing objects, use that one. If not, simply do a false transfer by casually acting as if you’re dropping the ring into the left hand, when you really keep it concealed in the right. As their attention is on the left hand, secretly drop the ring off into the right back pocket of your pants with your right hand. This allows you to show both hands empty after the vanish. After you have vanished the ring, instruct the spectator to look in their drink. Have them remove the ice cube, and examine it to show that there are no holes, and it’s completely solid. Because the ice will blur the image of the ring, you don’t have to worry about them seeing that it isn’t their ring. Take the cube in your left hand, and begin cracking it against the table. While all their attention is on this, secretly reach into your pocket with your right hand, and palm their real ring. As soon as the ice is crushed enough to get the ring out, reach over with your right hand, and take the ring. Now, you’re going to switch the duplicate ring for their ring as you give it back to them. The easiest way to do this is to just pull both rings into your palm, and casually drop their ring into their hand, and retain the duplicate.
Ideas and Tips: Don’t limit yourself to using a ring for this trick. It can be done with nearly any object small enough to fit inside an ice cube, such as candy, or even the corner torn from a playing card. In fact, using something other than a borrowed ring could eliminate the switch at the end, making the effect much cleaner.
Smoke from Mouth
To be able to produce smoke from your mouth at will, all you need is some matches. The best matches to use are the ones with big heads. Let out all the air in your lungs, and now, what you’re going to do is hold the match about a foot or two down from your face, in a straight line from your nose as you strike the match. As soon as the match begins to light, you’re going to take a quick, deep breath in through your nose, and hold it. What’s happening, is an invisible cloud of sulfur is traveling from the match head, up through your nose, and into your lungs, where it turns into smoke. Now you’re ready to breath the smoke out. You don’t want to rush it, you want it to look like as much smoke as possible, so just open your mouth and slowly, SLOWLY breath out. The first few times you do this, it will sort of burn, but this is completely normal, and will go away once your body gets used to it. You can even make it appear as if smoke is coming from a small object, by holding the object about 3 inches from your mouth as you breath out. Although this could be done as an effect in itself, it’s much more powerful if you use your own creativity and imagination to come up with your own ways to fit it into a routine, than just by itself.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Welcome
Welcome to my blog,
After thinking for a while, i decided to make my own blog
this blog is ment to share some of my resource in magic.
if you like magic... you will some usefull thing here...
Enjoy...
After thinking for a while, i decided to make my own blog
this blog is ment to share some of my resource in magic.
if you like magic... you will some usefull thing here...
Enjoy...
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