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zusulik
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Posted: 01-20-2007 03:25 |
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Hi everyone... or at least those people who cared enough to look into this topic.
I'm planning on building a platform for... I'm not actually sure what this illusion is called. Let me try to explain in my own words: a lady walks onto the platform, puts a big silk in front of herself (so you can't see her), throughs the silk into the air and dissapears. I think the trick is called metamorphosis. One of the variation is that the lady changes to magician. I hope you know what I'm talking about.
Anyways I was thinking, instead of building the whole thing myself, could I not use some simple table and make few adjustments to it? Such as making its legs wider to allow for easy curtain drop. What are your ideas on this one? Or should I build the whole thing myself, from top to bottom?
Any other comments on this illusion are welcome. YOu can PM me, for it would be inappropriate to discuss it here.
Thanks,
Alex
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mystery-mark
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Posted: 01-20-2007 03:54 |
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Great questions because I do the trick myself a lot!
You only mixed up two tricks...
'Metamorphosis' is the fast trick where the assistant indeed changes into the magician. It's done on top of a huge box and after the change the assistant is the one who is locked up instead of the magician who was in side of the box before.
The 'Disappearing Lady' illusion is done a very very different way... If you do that one on a 'Metamorphosis' box or just a platform, you'll get a quite weak illusion while if you doing the 'Metamorphosis' effect on a 'Dissapearing Lady' platform your illusion even gets much better! (The only thing is the 'Dissapearing Lady' platform is many times as huge as the 'Meta's...
So...
METAMORPHOSIS
-Done on top of a box, the magician gets locked up into a bag what will get into the inside of the box. Then the box gets locked up and the assistant is getting on top of the box holding a cloth. When she trows the cloth in a flash the assistant changed into the magician and now the assistant is locked up into the box. This illusion most of the time is done without a box but by just using a plaform. The change is done the same way... and spectators could watch underneath the platform and usually if you use a box you could watch underneath that as well...
DISSAPEARING LADY
A lady gets on top of a platform holding a cloth. When she trows it, in a flash she disappeared. The cloth will fall onto the platform. The whole setup on stage what's needed for this is many times as huge as the platform what's used in the 'Metamorphosis' illusion. But the platform is much higher as well so spectators could see much more...
DISAPPEARING LADY ON METAMORPHOSIS PLATFORM
This is a weak illusion if you would do it this way. The spectators want to see as much as possible and if you take that part out you'll ruine the illusion...
METAMORPHOSIS ON DISAPPEARING LADY PLATFORM
Awesome combination! The specs will not see a thing and they can see all underneath the high platform without noticing a thing...but it needs a huge setup instead of a regular 'Metamorphosis' illusion... But the effect will be great!
Then the answer to your question:
For stage magic I think it is much more professional by having a real platform instead of using tables etcetera but if you want to keep it easy? Why not? I think spectators will appreciate it you are only using just regular stuff instead of a platform... then they have to trust you... so I think that's okay!
Keep it uP!!!Last edited on 01-20-2007 04:12 by
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mystery-mark
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Posted: 01-20-2007 11:36 |
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I forgot to notice a very important thing about
the 'Metamorphosis' VS the 'Disappearing Lady':
At the 'Metamorphosis' it is quite a must it's dark underneath the platform and the 'Dissapearing Lady' could be done in clear daylight what makes that second effect even more impossible...
I you are talking about just the 'Metamorphosis' the whole time it's quite easy to make, but if you want to make the 'Disappearing Lady' you really need to take some time to build and calculate the whole thing...Last edited on 01-20-2007 11:42 by
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zusulik
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Posted: 01-20-2007 18:33 |
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Thanks for the reply Mark.
I was talking about the dissapering lady illusion the whole time. Just mixed up two names  . The one with the platform and dark stage. I thought it would be hard to do, but hey I didn't say I wanted to get away easy. I have about 3 months to build the thing. And I have a few questions regarding that. Such as, how to build an artificial black background?... because the stage I'll be performing at has a quite illusion-hostile background.
The reason why not metamorphosis, is because I simply don't know the setup. And I've seen many poor presentations of it. So, I never had a passion for this illusion. Although it will be worth considering if I will not be able to set up "dissapearing lady". Coz as far as I understand metamorphosis is much simpler.
Ok, so what I was thinking is something along these lines (except without a chair): http://www.magicvideodepot.com/view.php?a=v&t=3348
Any advise on setting it up will be great!
I really appresiate the help. Thanks,
Alex
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mystery-mark
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Posted: 01-20-2007 19:00 |
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The video shows the easiest way of doing a kind of 'Disappearing Lady' illusion using BA indeed (it's not the original way but it's nice and a lot easier than the original method
Don Drake is a magician who does BA Magic all of the time and he has some great DVDs about. I'll PM you...
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zusulik
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Posted: 01-21-2007 01:50 |
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So, as I understand I'm gonna need a similar setup, with three piece background to be able to perform this on stage.
Now another quesion, what about the clean-up? Is there one? Or this is the end?
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mystery-mark
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Posted: 01-21-2007 03:13 |
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| Oh boy, I LOVE the clean-up of this effect... Last edited on 01-21-2007 03:16 by
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cmohr
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Posted: 06-07-2007 15:08 |
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Zus,
First, you must have a reason to have the platform. If the platform is part of a "stage set" it justify's itself to some extent. There must be a reason to have such a platform or when she goes "south" the audience will look to the platform as the only place she could have gone. Most platforms by amatures tend to look like packing crates laid on side. If constructed improperly it will look like a suitcase that hides a woman.
Consider the "Strange Disapearance" as outlined in the book "The Greatest Illusions of Magic" by Byron Wells. This effect is good in concept and would have worked fine with an older audience of the day. However by todays standard "The Platform" would become the object of scrutiny, therefore the deception faills. This Ilusion would require the "taking apart" of the platform to prove she has disapeared.
As for the Metamorphoisis, you will have your hands full. The Sub-Trunk requires split second timing by TWO people. It is much eaisier to carry around than a platform used for one trick as it doubles for storage for transportation of other equipment for the show. If constructed properly it does not have to be HUGE as described elsewhere in this thread. Depending on how you decide to perform it there are basically two methods to achieve, I prefer a "backer" as it truly speeds the effect. It is a very strong effect when properly learned.
If you are going to stay with the "disapearance" consider an "Asrah" here you have justified the need for a "platform" as it serves as a "couch" for your assistant and could double for another "box illusion" later in the show and you have just added a levitation.
Char!
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