my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » Film-Yak   » David Blaine's Drowned Alive Stunt (Page 2)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: David Blaine's Drowned Alive Stunt Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-09-2006 08:57 PM                     quote: "David Stambaugh" Everything is set up in advance and carefully controlled. Completely bogus. quote: "Mike Blakesley" You just described every magician in the history of the universe. That's what magic is all about. Presenting the "impossible" as if it was possible. No self-respecting magician would try to claim that they really CAN perform illusions without some technical assistance or some psychological manipulation of the audience. The difference is: 1) Blaine tries to claim that he isn't using tricks to accomplish his feats. 2) He's just not interesting enough that I want to watch him. Now, when Lance Burton does his Las Vegas show and pulls a dozen scantily-clad young women out of a 12" X 12" suitcase... THAT's magic! With Burton, I permit "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" to take over while I watch the show. With Blaine I will not permit it.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 05-09-2006 09:03 PM                        What I was getting at is his more elaborate "street magic" stunts are probably completely staged. Last night I caught just a few seconds of him allegedly removing a woman's front tooth and then putting it back. As if that's not enough, he of course didn't touch her at any time. At least that's the gist of what little I watched.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-09-2006 09:21 PM                     We are in agreement on that. His so-called "Street Magic" is staged. I did street magic. What he does is not street magic. It is phony. Magic, IMHO, means that there is some skill involved on the part of the magician. What he does is camera tricks. (I was that goofy guy standing in Harvard Square during the summer of 1991 who stuck steel spikes made from sharpened coat hangers through his arm and swallowed sewing needles. You might not have seen me even if you were there. I only did it a few times. Street magic... REAL street magic is hard to do... VERY hard!)  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-12-2006 05:41 AM                       quote: Randy Stankey I believe that this is a publicity stunt for some bigger event down the road. I think you are absolutely right. Before reading your last post, Randy, I was just going to say it sounded like you had some experience with legerdemain. I'm a sleight of hand enthusiast (particularly card manipulation). Not so much into coin work or silks, but I do have a decent thumb tip.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-12-2006 09:47 AM                     My wife is a better card worker than I am. I can handle the basic Hindu Shuffles and Double lifts and things like that but for Faro Shuffles and Strip-Out Shuffles, I am shit. If I am having a good day I can pull off a Mexican False Shuffle. I can't Pass to save my Grandmother's life. Coins are a different story. I love doing French Drops to Back-of-Hand recovery. I like the "Comeback Coins" (One-Ahead) routine. Give me some bottle caps and I'll show you how to do a neat "Matrix" routine that a guy named Peter Sosna showed me. Last I saw him, two years ago, he was a busquer at Quincy Market/Faniuel Hall. "Top Steal" or "Back Steal" on that Thumb Tip? I used to sit on the platform at the Park Street T-Stop smoking a cigarette just to attract attention from the cops. They'd holler at me to put it out and I'd drop it into my fist. "What cigarette?!" I'd reply. They couldn't kick me out because I DID comply with their order to "Get rid of it." He just didn't specify HOW! "Wise-Ass!" was the usual reply.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-13-2006 04:07 AM                       quote: Randy Stankey "Top Steal" or "Back Steal" on that Thumb Tip? Oh, you've got much more in this than I do. I've never heard these terms before. I do know it's a nice flexible rubber tip with a very close color match, not one of those cheap hard plastic ones. My best card sleight/flourish is a back palm, but you probably know you've really got to watch your angles on that. Can also palm off the top card of a deck while holding it motionless in one hand. Good for a bunch of tricks when used in conjunction w/Hindu shuffle. Double-lifts I'd love to be able to master, and I've never been able to smoothly pull off a fan snap-back. I can fan a pack like nobody's business, very even and pretty, but closing it with one hand has eluded me. Have spent 20 years on that one! So, I yield to the master, sir...  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-13-2006 08:40 AM                     No, it seems like we are about the same but specialize in different subjects. If you can Back Palm, you're pretty good in my book. Cards have always eluded me. I know HOW things are done but I have never been able to train my hands to do what my brain tells them. Do you use any fanning decks? I've seen some pretty neat designs in fanning decks! (Can't fan to same my own ass!) If you want to make double lifting easier, hold the deck in dealing position and press your fingers against the outer edge of the deck, forcing it against the flesh at the base of your thumb. The top few cards will "bevel" off the top of the deck. You can pick them up with the thumb and first finger of your dealing hand just as easily as you page through the phone book. Bend the cards just slightly so that the curve causes them to "nest" together as they come off the top of the deck. Use cards with a white border on the back design to disguise any misalignment as they come off. When the average magician goes to steal-out the thumb tip they most often use their thumb like "Little Jack Horner" who "...Stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plumb..." That's a "Top Steal". Dead giveaway! Picture of Top Steal. Taken from Magician's view. Fingers open to better illustrate. (Would normally be closed into a fist.) Try a "Back Steal" instead. When you go for that final "crush" use your INDEX FINGER instead. Push it down into the fist ALMOST like you do with the "Top Steal" but MISS. Let your index finger go BETWEEN the thumb tip and the palm of your hand. Done correctly, this will cause the thumb tip to "tip" out he back of your hand. Under the misdirection of the finger going into the fist, slip the thumb into the tip and steal it out the BACK of the fist. Picture of Back Steal. Magician's View. Fingers artificially opened to reveal the move. I think you'll find this to be a much more effective and deceptive method for stealing-out the thumb tip.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-20-2006 12:17 AM                       Thanks for those good pix, Randy. That's it, indeed. I always did the Little Jack Horner thing, with the exception that I'd switch back to my index finger one last time after stealing the tip. Other than a couple of Svengali decks for posterity, I don't have any special fanning decks. I just use regular ol' Bicycle Poker size, and keep them clean. quote: Randy Stankey Use cards with a white border on the back design to disguise any misalignment as they come off. This is a good idea. Thanks. Btw, do you have the Erdnase book?  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.