Design by Andrew Mayne 95i EFFECT The Magician offers to give the audience a demonstration of his abilities to fuse through objects. Alarge mirror is brought an stage and shown to be thoroughly without gimmick. The mirror is backed into a tall U:shaped curtain with the magician in back of it. With his arms. on either side of the mirror, he grasps a cloth and holds it before Lhe mirror and himself. The top of the mirror is visible at all times, as are his hands. In one smoath gesture, the clath moves forward and is lowered. The flagicfan is now in front of the mirror. METHOD The mirror and curtain are un-gimmicked. The sloth however is of the seance type. IL has a fake hand at the right carner. This allows the Magician to let go with his right hand and pass his body around the left side of the cabinet Although the audience can see above the cloth, they can't see around the frame. y -O 10s =<MIRROR 7 5p — L_ 20" CLOTH QW HAND) 74 ag CURTAIN A244Magician steps around AUDIENCESHRINKEFFECT The latest wonder of science is introduced to the audience. The Magician explains that the device makes people more economical in size, so they'll consume less and use less space. He offers to give a demonstration. He steps into a frame work and closes the front with a roller shade. His feet, hands, and face emerge from holes in the front. In one swift motion his feet and hands brought together at the middle of the framework. The audience can see that there is nothing above or below him. METHOD The illusion is accomplished by a combination of black art, bevel masking, and prosthetics. The torso of the Magician his concealed in the mid- section of the cabinet by the base formed from the top and bottom joining together. His legs are hidden in the walls of the cabinet. The feet the audience sees during the shrinking process are mechanical in nature. 2 | ao oS x<poe al 74 FRONT VIEW APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS ShrinkBOY Plate IFRONT DESIGN CABLE ~ Head hele SIDE VIEW FRONT EW INTERIOR PosmioN SIDE ShrinkBOY Plate Design by | Andrew Mayne | 3s 23 |ENC. ‘When one goes through the insidious ist of possible/impossible tortures that can be visited upon a human body, one eventually comes to the {dea of shrinking someone. Oddly enough, Im only aware of two other illusions that accomplish that. One of which Im not sure of the origin, the other is by Andre Kole. Andre Kole’s shrinking has been performed very successfully by himself and a few others who have been granted permission to do so. ShrinkBOY was one of my first do it yourself illusion ideas. Currently itis third in line in my own private list be built (The next is something from a future book, the second fs ultra top secret (Know anything about patent +#324-4886622))._ Ive got several illustrations of different variations on the effect, some using mirror, others bases, this method however appeals to me the most. Youve really got to squat down in front of a mirror before you can appreciate how little space your body takes up in the position The space in the frame at the beginning and end of the illusion allow for the possibility of a costume change (to shrunken clothes?). Much like TRIPLEX, | think this illusion might be served by the wacky approach. But that's entirely left up to you. 25 |Box Trick Design by Andrew Mayne 95 56EFFECT Before one can walk, one must crawl. Before one can fly, one must be able to float - the Magician explains. A wooden dolly with a cardboard box resting on it is wheeled out. He pulls out a few items and tells the audience that the box serves as training wheels to aspiring levitators. It gives them a point of reference to keep from floating to high. He offers to demonstrate and sits in the box. He appears to be sitting somewhat higher than the floor of the box. The Magician tells the audience that he’s floating - only not very high. Since they can't see what's happening in the box he offers to show them. The box is lifted several inches off the ground and the open top is revolved forward to show the Magician floating in mid air. METHOD The gimmick is exactly the same as used in a Super-X or other standard levitation, with one exception - It’s much lower to the ground. The box has a slit in the back which allows the support to pass into it. A flap covered with package tape serves as camouflage for the stit. The support is hidden fram the audience's view by a paper sack haphazardly left on the dolly. i -—O 10 x<36"——_] SideSide View [- | le So - - Angled Cutaway ViewMECHANICS ‘cardboard box with a slit in the back, @ dbly, a U-shaped metal strut bolted ta the dolly, and a paper bag, any questions? ‘The suppart can be cut from box steel and welded together at a welding shop for Uitle cast. You might want to experiment a tittle onseats. The smaller the better. Yeull be amazed at what you can balance on-with a little practice. The rest can be put together with out much etfficulty, If flap made front tape doesn suit your purist appreach, you can make a folding pancl out of carcboard that wauld flip over the slot when the box fs lifted and tumed, The whole box, interiar and exterior could be trade ta look like a childs toy chest if you went to add some calor te the sluston, In that case you's want to finish the interior ina bright and confusing mianner. "Youd also Wwant ta substitute the paper ba for samething else, perhaps 3 stuffed aniral,ETC. | think a levitation {more accurately 3 suspension in this case) is one of the most pure farirs of illusion. Everything is pretty much out in the ‘open. Something Is ether floating or its not. The froublets wath the Super-K and other suspensions Ike it, there's net much of a buile up. They soem Lo work better in publicity sills User on slage, | think part of the prapteme is that audiences expect the persan ta fleat higher ence the supports have been removed. Everything else is anticlimactic after the audience sees the person flaat for two seconds, Close-up magician wnichael Ammar makes 2 really good point when he discusses hs views on the floating dollar. Me prefers to have it float in short bursts Just Long ‘enough for the audience to be made aware thar something weird is happening. Let it hang in the open air, makes it more of a puzzle then a tery, The difference being that a puzzle hes a definite obvious solution, while 2 mystery is often left unsolved. “The fact that you're floating so very clase to the ground makes this trick alittle bit more intriguing. Wes a kind of subtlety that makes the alidienee Jump te all arts of wang canclustans. ‘Tre principal for Unis effect lends ite to al sarts of vartatians.. The paper bag usee here was enly a suggestion, Inthe mechanics section | suggested a chiles toy chest, You can thers this Lhing ary variety of ways. do however that you keep the bax itself as flimsy as possibie ‘This adds tremendously 20 the illusion. 6EFFECT The Magician displays an open box with two two funnels, He has a spectator sign a basketball. The ball is aassed through the the spectator to verify the signature. The Magician says,"I Know what you are thinking, emerges from the other side METHOD the illusion of depth to the box. which light projects from external fixtures. i funnels facing each other. He then intraduces a compact disc. He places the disc between the funnels and the disc, The ball is brought back to cither he’s a stooge or | have twa balls, Well fm going to prove both those thearies wrong.” The Magician walks to one end of the box and passes his arm then his whole bady into the funnel and The Magician and the ball bath pass thraugh a secret passage formed by two mirrors that give The mirror effect is similar to that of the dagger head chest and the twister illusion, In this case the mirrors refleet the top and bottom af the box as opposed to the sides. li order to insure a consistent reflection, the top and bottom panets are covered with a translucent canvas through -O 10S xANGLED VIEW —— CUTAWAY VIEW OF ‘CONE ASSEMBLY | PASSAGE SIDE VIEW ie