Magicians: How do they do it?

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Batman

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Topic # 123135 25-Jun-2013 20:45

David Copperfield, David Blaine, now Dynamo ...

I guess you could call me gullible but I always get amazed by their tricks - eg walking through the great wall of china, making statue of liberty vanish, etc

But can science explain how they do it? I mean if they could actually do it don't you think the KGB, CIA would have kidnapped them and made them into superheroes to conquer the world or something?

SOrry my imagination fails me :D

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Reply # 845241 25-Jun-2013 20:47

Magnets

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Reply # 845246 25-Jun-2013 20:48

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lokhor: Magnets

How do they work!?

tigercorp

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Reply # 845250 25-Jun-2013 20:48

lokhor: Magnets

Half right.

Magnetic mirrors.

lokhor

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Reply # 845251 25-Jun-2013 20:50

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ubergeeknz:
lokhor: Magnets

How do they work!?

QFT

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Batman

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Reply # 845270 25-Jun-2013 21:04

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QFT for quantum field theory - as in these guys can manipulate mass <-> energy <-> mass using E=mc2 ?

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Reply # 845276 25-Jun-2013 21:16

tigercorp:
lokhor: Magnets

Half right.

Magnetic mirrors.

You forgot the magic fog. It won't work without the magic fog.

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richms

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Reply # 845282 25-Jun-2013 21:25

Usually distraction, fake items, misdirection etc.

If you watch where nothing is happening, rather than the show they are putting on you can often find where things are happening. Hand in a glove? No, probably a fake. Deck of cards which show different things depending which way they are fanned out.

If they turn something around to show you both sides of it, there is a reason for that etc.

Richard rich.ms

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Reply # 845326 25-Jun-2013 22:19

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I recently attended the Illusionists and ended up on stage during a mentalist trick as were two others. Despite the fact I have a reasonable understanding of how a mentalist works, he still managed to manipulate me. I've never ended up on stage, but it did prove to me that the show was genuine and that not every show involves a "plant".

I also saw Penn and Teller in Vegas and have enjoyed a few of the shows they have done on TV. I got an autograph and was talking to them after the show about the time they were on the West Wing etc...

My suggestion is that you just enjoy the show and not worry too much about how they did it. There is plenty of reality in life as it is, a little magic and mystery is sometimes what we need.

If you can't bear not knowing, google will happily reveal most magic tricks for you.

NonprayingMantis

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Reply # 845331 25-Jun-2013 22:27

Well it's a trick, that's part of the fun.

Either that or they can harness the power of the gods.

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Reply # 845334 25-Jun-2013 22:32

I still cant believe you can walk through the great wall of china or make the statue of liberty vanish *sigh

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mattwnz

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Reply # 845338 25-Jun-2013 22:43

joker97: I still cant believe you can walk through the great wall of china or make the statue of liberty vanish *sigh

The statue of liberty one was done with camera angles. With the Dynamo one, all you need to do is freeze frame by frame tot to see how he does it. With the car one, it looked like he was looking through the top vent of the helmet, as it made it look like his head was bent down, but only the helmet was, so could see fine.
With the phone in a bottle one, you could see him fling the phone into his coat, and the bottle was switched for one which already had a phone in it. I suspect that a lot of the people around him, are working with him. The one where he went through the glass, you could see that all those people in front of the window were in on it, it looked like he just went around them through the door and to the outside, as the gaps between them all closed up. But they could have also had a fake window. Many of the people outside were perhaps paid actors. I do a few simple tricks myself. you can also learn quite a few on youtube. Many of the props magicians use are special fake ones you can buy.

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Reply # 845342 25-Jun-2013 22:57

lokhor: Magnets

Love it!

jaylittlie

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Reply # 845343 25-Jun-2013 23:02

joker97: David Copperfield, David Blaine, now Dynamo ...

I guess you could call me gullible but I always get amazed by their tricks - eg walking through the great wall of china, making statue of liberty vanish, etc

But can science explain how they do it? I mean if they could actually do it don't you think the KGB, CIA would have kidnapped them and made them into superheroes to conquer the world or something?

SOrry my imagination fails me :D

The great wall of chain trick is easyer then you think basically how its done is, they put the white screen up and david copper field does the shadow figer thing and it makes it looks like he is passing though the wall by mineing it. then the light turns off and he hides down in the trap door in the stair case then they transfer the stair case to the other side of the wall. the white screen goes up the light goes on and he mines coming out of the wall then the screen comes off. and there you have it trick done.

David hides in the stairs the entire time it's a cool trick i love it. its pure amazment.

If you really want to see how there tricks are done go to youtube and search for
" Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed"

there are lots of videos done by val valentino and a cast of assistants showing you how the magic tricks
are done. first they show you the trick with out the secrets then they show you the behide the sences on how its done some of it is so simple you wont believe it at first.

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Reply # 845365 26-Jun-2013 06:57

A friend of mine was made to disappear by David Copperfeild in Vegas recently, he said it was all just basically smoke and mirrors, trap doors etc.

However I prefer to believe it is magic!

freitasm

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Reply # 845373 26-Jun-2013 07:44

Magicians are just people like you, but they rehearse, train, repeat, ad infinitum. Practice make things look smooth.

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