mikeoo92

Yes this is my last podcast, for now anyways, i have alot of stuff todo, and i might come back and publish a new one but for now this is my last. sorry to let you guys go, if anyone wants to talk about anything or whatever just email me at elements37101@hotmail

Floating Note

There is a thin strip of clear plastic, just a bit shorter than the note itself,and about 1cm wide.(i found that a scrap piece of plastic laminate works well).Attach to the underside of the note lengthways, secured by a piece of tape or magicians wax in the centre (i find that magicians wax is better because you can perform it impromptu) lay the note across your palm, with one end of the plastic strip contacting just under the joint on your thumb, and the other contacting the fleshy part of your pinky. Now just move your thumb and pinky slowly inwards, the plastic strip will bend upwards, thus raising the note! tada! another note can be passed under it to show “no support”!

Note: the plastic strip should have a small triangle cut out of each end to aid the grip on your pinky and thumb. (the ends look kinda like a forked toungue shape!like a snake!) I tried to put a pic on but it wont work for me, hence the long explanation!! It is a good effect - hope this helps.

Effect: The magician announces that they are going to make an empty cup float. They release their grip on the cup and it appears to float in mid air.

Method: Take an empty large paper or styrofoam cup. Carefully make a hole in one side of the empty cup, big enough for your thumb to stick through. If the empty cup is made of styrofoam, you could even push your thumb straight through it.

Hold the empty cup with both your hands and facing the others in your party, announce that you are going to try and make the cup float in mid air. Have one thumb pushed through the nearest side of the cup to you, out of view of your audience. Then, appear to be concentrating your mind on the cup and gradually open up both hands at the same time. While doing this, push your hands slightly forward as if you are following the floating cup and eventually grab the cup with both hands. Now, discreetly slip your thumb out from the side of the cup.

This is a simple illusion but it looks great when done at the right angle. Practice in front of a mirror to make sure that you get the angles and the timi .

David Blaine And The Balducci Levitation

Effect: The magician raises his arms up by his sides and slowly appears to rise a few inches off the ground for a little while before returning to earth quickly.

Balducci Method: The Balducci method involves positioning your audience about 8 to 10 feet away at a 45 degree angle.You need to keep your audience small so they are within this field of sight.

This is a very restrictive angle trick and it is essential that the angles are practised, preferably with a friend or in front of a mirror.

The Balducci levitation involves pretending to float off the ground by going on to your tip toes on just one foot ( the one furthest from their view ) while the nearest foot is raised a little off the ground.

This looks fantastic as the foot on your tip toe is hidden by your trousers, the nearest foot and the angle they are watching at. You only rise a few inches off the ground but the impression is fantastic. This trick is all in the presentation with you appearing to rise slowly, wait for a second or two and then return to the ground quickly so as the audience do not have time to figure the trick out. The picture here shows the beginning on the left and the climax of the trick on the right .

David Blaine Version: David Blaine used various camera shots in his TV special with the audience reaction being filmed close up and linked to other clips of him in mid air with some of the angles showing the Balducci levitation.

The view that shows him rise a good few inches in the air and does not show the audience, would possibly have been done with a bar attached to a pivot like a seesaw.

The end of the pivot could have had a hook which clipped onto a harness attached to his belt and a member of the crew would have pushed down on the other side of the bar lifting David up in the air. The camera angle would have hidden the props.

This film would have been mixed in with the audience clips in the studios later.