David Copperfield's Lear Jet Trick
Dragon
elses.
Long ago in the 1980's I was watching David doing a great job on TV
until his final illusion "to make a jet dissappear". He came out on a
runway with 40 people holding hands, blindfolded, circled the jet. He
placed up 4 walls, danced a little, then turned on the lights and one
could see the shadow of a jet clearly behind the screens. He danced
around some more shut the lights off and dropped the screens, no jet
was to be seen. The ring of 40 blindfolded people remained. Now if
you want to know what I know scroll down...
Sure you want to know?
Jets and other heavy vehicles can be moved with ease since they are on
wheels, my dad use to move frieght cars with using a crowbar. At
least 10 people in the ring were in on the trick eight stepped out of
line removed their blindfolds and proceeded to move the jet out the
back quietly 2 members remained holding hands to give the people the
effect of an unbroken chain. Next the lights were turned on showing
the shadow of a jet (however I noticed there was no people in the
shadow on the screen and the image was painted on the screen). Now
the jet was moved (into a nearby hangar) while DC did his dance and
the 8 people hurried back to complete the circle and put back on their
blind folds. The lights are shut off, the screens fall, and 40 people
are standing on an empty runway.
I have been looking for a VHS of this show, however I doubt any exist
but if you can find a copy and watch for the "shadow" you will see
what I mean.
Art Begun
night's sleep.
Ray Haddad
"Art Begun" <beg...@mindspring.com> instead replied:
>Now, after about 20 years of wondering, I'll finally get a good
>night's sleep.
Art,
The trouble is, he's not correct about his supposition. The real
method is in a common magic book.
Best,
Ray
Ray Haddad
drago...@yahoo.com (Dragon) instead replied:
>Since I asked for help, I feel I should give up a trick; or someone
>elses.
Perhaps you should read the various FAQ documents regarding this
newsgroup. Even though the word SECRETS is in it, the meaning is not
at all to do with EXPOSING those secrets. It has to do with preserving
them as secrets while being able to discuss magic.
Ray
Rahul Dhesi
>Jets and other heavy vehicles can be moved with ease since they are on
>wheels, my dad use to move frieght cars with using a crowbar. At
>least 10 people in the ring were in on the trick eight stepped out of
>line removed their blindfolds and proceeded to move the jet out the
>back quietly 2 members remained holding hands to give the people the
>effect of an unbroken chain....
No! David Copperfield using stooges? I can't believe it.
The reason those spectators circled the jet was to make it impossible to
vanish except by magic. If you allow for the possibility that some of
the spectators moved out of the way, then it's not magic any more. If
David Copperfield would do that, then he might as well use camera
trickery -- what's the difference?
--
Rahul
Trent
"Rahul Dhesi" <c.c....@66.usenet.us.com> wrote in message
news:at497s$jcj$1...@blue.rahul.net...
> The reason those spectators circled the jet was to make it impossible to
> vanish except by magic. If you allow for the possibility that some of
> the spectators moved out of the way, then it's not magic any more. If
> David Copperfield would do that, then he might as well use camera
> trickery -- what's the difference?
> --
> Rahul
The difference is that when people see a magician on TV, they trust that
what they see here is what they would see in a live performance. With David
Copperfield, this is almost always the case (although his last special was a
bit sketchy in this regard). If I go see David Copperfield live, he can
still use his stooges, and he'll look just like he did on TV. If I go see a
magician in a live performance, who usually relies on camera tricks, then I
will not see the same thing I saw on TV.
-Christopher
C-C-C-Cainman
"Ray Haddad" <rha...@iexpress.net.au> wrote in message
news:s3pavuop4b79m0f6q...@4ax.com...
Perhaps, but what he posted was nothing that hasn't been shown in the Masked
Magician series. Remember that freakin' tank? That was HUGE and definitely
bigger than a jet but used the same idea to perform the trick.
C-C-C-Cainman
The trouble is, there's always more than one way to do a trick.
Ray Haddad
and "C-C-C-Cainman" <noe...@here.invalid> instead replied:
>> The trouble is, he's not correct about his supposition. The real
>> method is in a common magic book.
>
>The trouble is, there's always more than one way to do a trick.
Yes, there is. But, the method described won't work. It truly won't.
There are at least two ways I know of that do work but this is not the
place to discuss the actual operative moves and methods. It's just too
public.
Ray
ed rhodes
> Perhaps, but what he posted was nothing that hasn't been shown in the Masked
> Magician series. Remember that freakin' tank? That was HUGE and definitely
> bigger than a jet but used the same idea to perform the trick.
Yeah, but we should be aspiring to be better than the Masked Nobody.
Art Begun
in 20 years and now I'll be up again wondering about where the plane
went. I know, he flew it out of there when we weren't looking.
"Ray Haddad" <rha...@iexpress.net.au> wrote in message
news:32tavuka1jdslb689...@4ax.com...
Art Begun
visible when they raise their hands as requested by DC.
"Dragon" <drago...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:62ef78e5.02120...@posting.google.com...
Art Begun
"Trent" <chris...@the-ether.port5.com> wrote in message
news:__iJ9.236378$gB.43...@twister.nyc.rr.com...
Well said.
Rahul Dhesi
[ use of stooges vs camera tricks ]
>The difference is that when people see a magician on TV, they trust that
>what they see here is what they would see in a live performance...
Wait a minute...
Given that the whole point of the Learjet vanish was that it was done
even though there was a circle of spectators around it, isn't the point
defeated if there are enough stooges there to make a gap big enough for
the airplane to be moved through it? If you do that, there is no magic!
We are trusting the magician that the people in the circle are all
spectators and not stooges.
Is it magic if a volunteer from the audience mentally selects a card and
the magician locates that card, if the audience member is a stooge? If
you are going to do that, why even bother having a magic show?
--
Rahul
Art Begun
other people in the circle would have been completely fooled. There
is a big difference between that and the example you suggest.
"Rahul Dhesi" <c.c....@66.usenet.us.com> wrote in message
news:at5ekf$16v$1...@blue.rahul.net...
fLaMePr0oF
What I'd like to see is him make the Statue of Liberty disappear in exactly
the same way, now that the twin towers have gone.
One thing you can be sure of with these massive open-air dissapeareance
illusions, all or some of the audience are almost ALWAYS in on the act.
fLaMePr0oF
fLaMePr0oF
fLaMePr0oF
fLaMePr0oF
angles, so that the shadows of either side of the ring of people actualy
meet in the centre of the curtain at the front - it was just clever and
precise placing of the flood lights. (Which are always present by the way
on any big outdoor camera shoot). The shadow of the jet it's self was
either created by being on the curtain, or more likely, from 2 small
templates which were mounted in front of the lights in the precise positions
so that the two shadows formed one large shadow on the curtain.
fLaMePr0oF
Art Begun
obvious way to have the arms move while not showing the shadow of the
real plane is to arrange the lights so only the front third or so of
the circle is being lit. You guys have no imagination.
"fLaMePr0oF" <ne...@REMOVEabpc.biz> wrote in message
news:CWrJ9.240$4k6.35421@wards...
fLaMePr0oF
obviously distorted, unless these people were also in on the trick and all
turned round to face a partyicular angle to facilitate natural looking
shadows...
fLaMePr0oF
Ray Haddad
and "Art Begun" <beg...@mindspring.com> instead replied:
>You make it too difficult. Without giving away any secrets, the
>obvious way to have the arms move while not showing the shadow of the
>real plane is to arrange the lights so only the front third or so of
>the circle is being lit. You guys have no imagination.
Art,
Remember that book on special effects?
Ray
C-C-C-Cainman
Does this mean I have to take you for dinner and dancing first?
Ray Haddad
and "C-C-C-Cainman" <noe...@here.invalid> instead replied:
>Does this mean I have to take you for dinner and dancing first?
Kissing my ring wouldn't hurt, either. ;)
Best,
Ray
C-C-C-Cainman
Can't you just saw me in half instead?
Aaron Balcom Entertainment
retired builder by the name of Harry Colestock. He's a friend of Johnny
Gaughan's..........
Art Begun
I'm 49 years old.
I barely remember my name.
(Waiting for reaction from really, really old Ray.)
Trent
Well, This argument could be used for any magic secret. For example, If I
use a double lift to make a card appear to jump to the top of the deck,
where's the magic? If I have an extra ball for my cups and balls routine,
then where is the magic? The answer is that there is none. The secrets are
the least magical part of magic. In fact, the secrets have the power to
completely eliminate the element from our magic, turning what could be a
very pure moment of emotion into a puzzle.
Moreover, many magicians that I see each day understand what I have just
written, yet what they don't understand is that the secrets can be just as
detrimental to our art, even if the audience doesn't know them. If magic is
*based* on a secret, then it is unimportant what that secret is; The fact
that the secret is being presented as the important part of the performance
is enough to make the whole thing a puzzle, rather than a magic trick.
Still, I see magicians every day who's performance seems to say nothing more
than "I know the secret, and you don't."
Now, I'm certainly not here to tell anyone how to perform their magic. I
just wish that more magicians would approach the art from the direction of
art, and affecting the audience members emotionally, and using the secrets
as a tool; Rather than simply asking the audience, "Can you figure out how
this is done?"
When I say that we are trusting the magician on TV that his performance will
be the same live as it is on the screen, that is exactly what I mean. I
certainly do not mean that we trust the magician when he says, "I am going
to make this Jet dissapear into thin air, with no trickery." I think very
pure people are that wonderfully pure of mind that they could believe such a
claim. But it is understood that we aren't to trust the magician that he
will do exactly what he says he will do. What I meant is that we are
trusting the magician that he can at least *appear* to do these things,
whether he is on camera or live right in front of us.
I find that as a magician, I am constantly striving to watch magicicians
perform and seperate myself from the secret. I long to be able to truly
believe that humans can fly and some people simply have magical powers over
their pocket change. The closest I can get is when sometimes, if a magician
is very good, I am view the performance and not worry about the secret, but
instead tap into my emotions and get a sense of how I would feel if what
were in front of me was actaully real. I know in my head that it isn't
real, but when the right magician performs, I don't care. What I care about
is that it could be real, and imagine how overwhelming it would be if it
were.
David Copperfield is a magician who consistently allows me this freedom
from secrets. His art has a message, which is that we can allow ourselves a
few moments every once in a while to let go, and be amazed, and not feel
stupid about it. This is what I feel when I watch him perform, and I
appreciate it greatly. I have great respect for the man and how he has
advanced our art.
So, those are my thoughts. I'm not arguing with anybody, but just spouting
some things out from my head. Please comment, if you have something to say.
I'd be thrilled to hear from people about these matters.
Best,
Christopher
Ray Haddad
and "Art Begun" <beg...@mindspring.com> instead replied:
>I'm 49 years old.
>I barely remember my name.
>
>(Waiting for reaction from really, really old Ray.)
Hahahaha! Good one!
Best,
Ray
David Bond
news:at6fgs$bkv$1...@slb2.atl.mindspring.net...
>
>
> I'm 49 years old.
> I barely remember my name.
>
> (Waiting for reaction from really, really old Ray.)
>
>
You young whipper-snapper! Just wait until you are 50 like I am and
your body starts falling apart
...at least I think I'm 50... 8-)
--
- David Bond
David Bond
> Really? you can't? Didn't you know, he's the Stooge Master?
>
> What I'd like to see is him make the Statue of Liberty disappear in
exactly
> the same way, now that the twin towers have gone.
>
> One thing you can be sure of with these massive open-air
dissapeareance
> illusions, all or some of the audience are almost ALWAYS in on the
act.
>
> fLaMePr0oF
>
>
>
I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but there are very practical
methods to accomplish this without the use of stooges. The whole
scale of the illusion is what makes these techniques possible.
Stooges have their place, but why go to the added expense of using
them when it is not necessary?
--
- David Bond
Eric H.
> I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but there are very practical
> methods to accomplish this without the use of stooges. The whole
> scale of the illusion is what makes these techniques possible.
> Stooges have their place, but why go to the added expense of using
> them when it is not necessary?
Well put.
--
Parts of this message, including the email address, © 2002-Eric Haddix
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conditions made available on my homepage. Keep the Internet free, refuse
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rights reserved. U.C.C. 1-207
visit my homepage @ http://www.eyescreme.com/
fLaMePr0oF
professes to actualy use 'supernatural' powers when doing some of his tricks
(like the 'mind reading' card guess), or myself in my younger days, when I
sadly presented a 'secrets' act rather than a magical performance; I cringe
when I remember what a smart-arse I was back then =O/
These days, I find the best way, particularly with close-up and table magic
which I love, is to tap into the emotions of those watching - I find it not
to difficult to 'share' their emotions and reactions of wonderment by simply
allowing myself to become part of the group and soak up body language /
reactions etc.
I'm sure my audiences don't really believe that I'm just as surprised by the
results ast they are, of course they know that I'm 'in on the secret', but
they genuinely do believe that I share their wonderment and love of all
things 'magical' and it's that connection which keeps me doing magic =OP
fLaMePr0oF
John L
"fLaMePr0oF" <ne...@REMOVEabpc.biz> wrote in message
> or myself in my younger days, when I
> sadly presented a 'secrets' act rather than a magical performance; I cringe
> when I remember what a smart-arse I was back then =O/
This reminds me of my daughter who, long agao and far, far, away when she was
nine years old, used to talk misty-eyed about when she "was younger".
Of course, I know, you aren't nine years old. Ten maybe, but certainly not nine.
John
Timothy Wenk
> David Bond wrote:
>
> > I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but there are very practical
> > methods to accomplish this without the use of stooges. The whole
> > scale of the illusion is what makes these techniques possible.
> > Stooges have their place, but why go to the added expense of using
> > them when it is not necessary?
>
> Well put.
The best aspect of this trick, overall: That the audience (in
general) remembers it as him having made a "jet" disappear... the
legend quickly grows to mean a 747 or similar!
Just like when you produce a 3" jumbo coin in a close-up routine...
the spectator later asks you do show his friend the trick where you
"produce a coin this big," as the spectator holds his two hands apart
to indicate a coin that would be 8-12 inches in diameter!
Fusion
> This reminds me of my daughter who, long agao and far, far, away when she
was
> nine years old, used to talk misty-eyed about when she "was younger".
>
> Of course, I know, you aren't nine years old. Ten maybe, but certainly not
nine.
>
> John
now john was that really called for? i mean really
John L
"Fusion" <mikefusion...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ataejh$128frc$1...@ID-169047.news.dfncis.de...
Of course not. But since Steve, clearly, is not ten years old, and I have a
rather unhidden and long-running propensity for ribbing people in alt.magic and
alt.magic.secrets, I wouldn't take much of what I say seriosly, Mike.
But it is nice that you took up for Steve. He seems like a nice fellow. Maybe a
bit too uptight <g>, but nice.
John
Chris Doyle
Very good Ray. That cheered me up today.
--
Chris.
selyod AT hotmail DOT com
<reply to is invalid>
"But you're just stood on one foot"
Mike Serrano
LOL then yewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww would only be 2 feet 2 inches tall!!!!!!!!!
nicosug...@gmail.com
the people do have shadows on the screen and the shadows even move towards the end..... so....
???