9678.ultimate Illusion Collection Vol 2 by JC Sum [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

0

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

CONTENTS METAMORPHOSIS & ESCAPES

3



Reinvent The Sub-Trunk Eight Different Variations & Presentation Ideas For The ‘Substitution Trunk’

4



ATA Sub Trunk A Design for a Fast “Classic” Substitution Trunk

17



Crystal Metamorphosis A Transparent Sub Trunk Designed For Speed

25



Chain Reaction An Instant Escape With Costume Change Kicker

34



Fortress A New-Age Assistant’s Revenge

38

BOX JUMPERS

51



Reinvent The Zig Zag Girl

52



Multi-Vide Mis-Made Girl Redone

61



Seven By Half V2.0 A Multi-Cut Divided Lady Illusion Reinvented & Improved

67



Wall 2 Wall An Interpretation Of A Woodbury Compressing Illusion

77



Squeezed & Skewered A Fresh New Design For A Time-Tested Plot

86

MENTALISM ILLUSIONS

95



Presenting Mentalism Illusions

96



First Impressions A Powerful Opening Prediction Revelation For Stage

99



Unseen Forces A 3-Phase Telekinesis Stage Routine

106



Shatter A Dramatic Glass-Breaking Routine

112



Paycheck A Magic Game Show Where The Prize Turns Into A Box Of Money

117

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

1

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2



Wedlock A Light-Hearted Comedy Interactive Mentalism Routine

122



Psychometric Touch A Powerful Climax To Fogel’s Signature Routine

126



Jumbo Visible Deck Adding A Visual Element To The Invisible Deck Routine

133



Fashion Statement A Prediction Routine With A Logical Kicker Ending

136



New-Age Spirit Cabinet The Manifestation Of Inanimate Objects With A Kicker Ending

145

STAGE ROUTINES

150



Creation Of Life A Paradigm Of Powerful Illusion Presentation

151



The Time Machine A ‘Cerebral’ Stage Routine Performed To A Time-Travel Plot

155



Sweepstakes When Motivation And Combination Collide

164

COMEDY ILLUSIONS

167



The Vanishing ‘Tiger’ A Comedy Big Cat Illusion Without The Cat

168



Hiding In Plain Sight A Sucker Comedy Teleportation

172

VEHICLE PRODUCTIONS

176



Ultimate Full Throttle The Surrounded Motorcycle Appearance ”‘Perfected”

177



Bluff Appearance A “Cheat” Production Of A Car Or Large Inanimate Object

194



Phantom Car Appearance A Worker’s Car Production For A Launch

196

CREATING THE MEGA STUNT 

206

The Impossible Teleportation Teleporting 50 Stories In 5 Seconds

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

2

209

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

METAMORPHOSIS & ESCAPES

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

3

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

REINVENT THE SUB-TRUNK Radically different variations & presentation ideas for the ‘Substitution Trunk’

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

4

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Introduction: This chapter explores alternative presentations for the classic classic-style. Firstly, a disclaimer: I do not find anything inherently wrong with the Sub Trunk. It is a fantastic illusion when performed well, just as with the rest of the acknowledged classic illusions. The problem is not in the effect, but in the fact that too many magicians across the world are performing almost exact versions of the illusion. If you do a simply Internet search and visit various websites of illusionists from across the globe, I almost guarantee that 9 out of 10 feature the Sub Trunk in their show. I think (as do many other illusionists and builders) that the Sub Trunk is an excellent first illusion but I encourage you to reinvent it if you are a more seasoned illusion performer. I personally do not consider themed presentations, idiosyncratic choices in music selection or cosmetic variations as reinventions of the illusion. If you perform the illusion in the standard way but with a pirate chest and in pirate costumes, it is novel but not different enough to make a significant psychological or emotional impact on the audience. The Pendragons defined the modern 'look' of the performance of the Sub Trunk with their sheer speed and later enhanced it further with their center-cloth-split revelation. Their approach to the illusion is a reinvention of the illusion as performed by their predecessors. My specific intention in this chapter is to offer reinvented suggestions for the Sub Trunk, which many illusionists already own - not a radical prop design or effect. Creative ideas on the reinvention of the Sub Trunk by no means end here. You need look no further than some innovations of the classic illusion to see that there is much unexplored ground. Some notable radically different versions of the Sub Trunk that are excellent in their own right include Copperfield's 'Cocoon', John Taylor's 'Suspended Animation', Greg Frewin's 'Shrouded Metamorphosis', 'Anthony Reed's 'Water Tank Metamorphosis', Alan Wakeling's 'Excalibur' and a distant relative in Harbin's 'Assistant's Revenge'. I currently perform a see-through Sub Trunk, “Crystal Metamorphosis” in my show but with an original design. The design allows me to do a lighting fast exchange and because of the see-through design of the trunk, the switch looks instantaneous to the lay audience. Here are 8 ideas for reinvented presentations/ handlings for the Sub Trunk. The first 6 ideas are for Sub Trunks with a Top Trap. The last 2 are for Sub Trunks with a Back Trap. Reverse One-Inch Hole Presentation Effect: A leather restraint belt is locked around the illusionist's waist. A long leather strap is attached to the belt and threaded through a 1" hole in the bottom corner of the front side of the trunk. A spectator is invited to hold tightly onto the end of the strap to restrain the illusionist down in the trunk. The illusion is performed as per normal and when the trunk is reopened after the exchange, the leather belt is seen secured around the waist of the assistant.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

5

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Method: This handling/ presentation adds another dimension to the illusion and strengthens the psychology of the illusion further through audience participation. There is only a remote similarity to Steinmeyer's "Through a One-Inch Hole" but I named it out of respect due to the fact that this features a 1" hole and a leather strap secured around the waist of the person inside the trunk. The presentation also deserves a nod of acknowledgement to the Wakeling Sawing. The leather belt has to be custom-made with metal rivets, clasps and buckles to give a strong heavy-duty look. There is a clasp to hold a genuine padlock that locks the belt after it is buckled around the waist. However, one segment of the belt is actually secured together by Velcro, so the belt can easily be detached and opened up. In the performance, the trunk, locks and belt are examined by the spectator and secured around the waist of the illusionist. The illusionist steps into the trunk and the leather strap is threaded through the 1" hole. There is an extra knot in the leather strap about 18" from the belt so that it stops at the hole, giving the impressive of a firm grip for the spectator holding the strap. The trunk is closed and locked up. The illusionist simply opens the belt and performs the exchange as usual. After the exchange, the assistant puts on the belt and the trunk is reopened. The length of the strap should be long enough so that the spectator is at a far enough distance to not hear any suspicious noises and so that he/ she remains out of the 'spotlight' (i.e. does not pull focus away) during the 'Metamorphosis moment? Exchange Caper Effect: The illusionist is locked into the trunk and the assistant approaches and steps onto the trunk from the front. She is wearing a large cape that includes a hood. She steps up completely on the trunk and instantly, the cape is thrown aside revealing the illusionist on top of the trunk. Method: This uses a Stage Vanishing Cape that includes a wire form for the shoulders and head (under the hood). The form for the shoulders should be significantly wide. The 'wings' of the cape should also have two aluminum rods sewn inside so that the cape can be opened up wide. The radical differences in this 'handling' of the illusion is that the assistant steps up from the front of the trunk and that there is no real cloth or curtain to mask the exchange. I do not think that the fact that the exchange shows the illusionist facing front when the assistant was back facing the audience is an issue or necessarily illogical. After the illusionist is locked into the trunk, the assistant wearing the cape and hood stands in front of the trunk and turns to face the trunk. She opens up her cape wide (with the use of the rods) to shield bad angles. It is at this time the trap is opened and the illusionist starts to climb out. Simultaneously, the assistant steps up onto the trunk and lowers her hands to her side. The illusionist takes hold of the form and the assistant lowers herself into the trunk and closes the trap. It will take lots of rehearsal to ensure the 'takeover' of the cape is smooth. © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

6

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The movement of the assistant stepping up onto the trunk should mask the movement made by the 'takeover' Once the trap is shut, the illusionist collapses the cape and tosses it aside revealing his appearance. This presentation is purely conceptual as I have not attempted this but I believe that it can work. If anyone has any success with this, please let me know. Colour Changing Trunk With Double Costume Change Effect: The illusionist wearing a black costume is locked into a black trunk. His assistant standards on top of the trunk and raises a curtain. When the curtain is dropped, the illusionist is now seen on top of the trunk dressed in white and the black trunk has also changed into a white one. The trunk is reopened to reveal the assistant inside, also in a different costume. Method: This presentation features a colour change of both performers' costumes and the trunk. I'd be the first to admit that there is really no real motivation or logic for this presentation but it is good visual bubble gum to the eyes. This was an idea suggested by fellow Singapore magician, Jeremy Pei. Although, he has no practical working method (at least at the time of the suggestion), I designed the following: You will need a custom designed trunk or an ATA-style/ strong box/ steamer trunk. The colour change will not work for a crate-style Sub Trunk due to the method. For purposes of illustrating this presentation method, the trunk is a white one with aluminum trimmings (like a ATA flight case). The outside front and sides of the trunk are faked in the following way: There is a horizontal slit at the top and bottom of each side. The horizontal slit runs just below or above (depending whether it is the top or bottom of the side) the aluminum trim. Three roller blinds with black fabric or PVC are attached on the inside at the base of the front and sides of the trunk. In the set-up of the illusion: for each side, the black fabric of the respective roller blind is fed through the bottom slit to the outside, pulled up and fed through the top slit to the inside, where it is Velcro-ed in place. If the roller blinds are taut, the trunk will convincingly look like a black trunk from a short distance. Besides the 'colour changing trunk' both performers will need to wear tear-away costumes with a different set of costumes underneath. In the performance: once the lid is closed over the illusionist, he gets out of his restraints and removes his outer black tear-away costume. Once the assistant raises the curtain, shielding the trunk from view, the illusionist releases the 3 roller blinds and opens the t***. The illusion performance continues as per normal.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

7

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Metamorphosis Escape Effect: The illusionist explains that he will attempt to perform the world's fastest escape. He is strapped up in a strait jacket and locked in a crate by a male assistant. The assistant climbs on top of the crate and raises an all-round curtain. Instantly, the assistant is seen to have transformed into the illusionist, minus the strait jacket. The music for the illusion climaxes and the illusion ends here. This is not presented as an exchange illusion but as an escape. The approach is significantly different from presenting the Sub Trunk as a metamorphosis. In this case, the build-up and psychology is that the illusionist has to free himself from his restraints (strait jacket and crate) in the fastest time possible. Thus, the climax is the revelation of the illusionist. This presentation has an in-built comedic after-note: When the illusionist finishes accepting his applause for the escape, knocks from inside the trunk are heard and a voice cries out for help. The illusionist shrugs it off and tells the assistant in the trunk to take a coffee break. The crate is then wheeled offstage by stagehands. The reason that the audience does not mentally question why the assistant climbs onto of the trunk and raises up the curtain is because of the justifying patter given before the escape. The illusionist explains that to protect the secret of the escape, the crate will be shielded from view, but only for 3 seconds. To milk the effect even further, one of two items down into the program, the same assistant can push out an illusion prop for the next illusion but still strapped up in the strait jacket. He looks disgruntled and storms off stage after setting the prop. This subtly reinforces in the audience's minds that it was a complete exchange earlier and adds to the situation comedy created. metamorphosis escape vanish kicker This is exactly the same presentation as in Metamorphosis Escape but with the vanishing of the assistant after the exchange. After the revelation of the illusionist, he jumps off the trunk. Gesturing to the trunk, the fours sides of the trunk drop down simultaneously to reveal the 'vanish'. This has to be built from scratch. The trunk is mounted on an illusion base. At least 4" of the base should be built into the trunk. The prop should be built so that it simply looks like a crate resting on a dolly. The trunk itself is an open 4-sided box frame but has 4 panels that hinge at the bottom. Thus, when all the panels are hinged up, the trunk looks like a solid crate. There is a quick release mechanism so that the person inside the b*** can release all four sides to drop open simultaneously. Metamorphosis Transfiguration This is similar to the above Metamorphosis Escape Vanish Kicker but instead of the vanishing of the assistant' he is revealed to have transformed into a cheetah!

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

8

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Obviously, 99% of magicians will not be performing this reinvention of the Sub Trunk, but I thought I mention it anyway. This will obviously have to be built from scratch as well - larger and with an additional wall (ala Lion's Bride illusion) to separate the performers from the cat. Credit must be given to Kalin's & Jinger's 'Transfiguration' for the inspiration of this presentation. If you are thinking of substituting the cat for another person, I disagree. I do not think transforming the assistant into another person or into your principal assistant is a good idea. 3 people will just confuse your audience and lessen the impact of the otherwise strong illusion.

Curtain Call Next to Robert Harbin’s ‘Zig Zag’, the ‘Substitution Trunk’ is probably one of the most popular illusions in magic. I offer two presentation variations of this classic illusion. The first is a radical departure of how the actual ‘metamorphosis’ is presented. The second is a ‘Sub Trunk’ without a substitution of two people as the effect. ‘Curtain Call’ is the classic ‘Sub Trunk’ presented with an ‘Assistant’s Revenge’ type switch revelation. The common ways to present the ‘Sub Trunk’ are to use an all round curtain or cloth cabinet. This alternative presentation method: 

Gives the appearance of an almost instantaneous switch without the difficulty of using the all round curtain method



Offers a much cleaner presentation than the traditional cloth cabinet presentation as the trunk is completely enclosed in a 2-sided cloth cabinet for less than a second

Method & Requirements: For this presentation, you will need a ‘Sub Trunk’ that is a ‘back-loader’ with a locking trap. You will also need a skeleton framework mounted on castors. The framework is constructed from a combination of polished aluminum angles and flat bars, held together with wing nuts and bolts. It breaks down and can be easily transported in a custom-made canvas bag. A curtain track with cloth curtain runs along the entire front top bar of the framework. The curtain can be lightly secured to one of the front vertical supports via 1” x 2” Velcro tabs. Two cloth sheets are Velcro-ed to the two side top bars of the frame to form ‘sidewalls’. Each cloth ‘sidewall’ has a 0.125” aluminum pole sewn into its bottom length for weight. The two ‘sidewalls’ are rolled up and secured to the top of the framework with rope prior to performance. The back of the framework is left open to give a cleaner and more open look. Fig 1 shows the construction of the framework. Dimensions are based on a ‘Sub Trunk’ measuring 36” (L) x 28” (W) x 28” (H).

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

9

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 1

Front View

Curtain Track

1" x 2" Velcro glued on Aluminum Vertical Support & back of Curtain

1.5" Aluminum Square Tubing

Curtain 3" Castor Wheel (x 4)

Side View

1.5" Aluminum Square Tubing

Rolled up Cloth tied up with Rope (0.25" Aluminium Pole sewn in the end of Cloth)

1.5" Aluminium Flat Bar

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

10

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

Set-up: The trunk is set center stage. The open framework with ‘sidewalls’ rolled up is placed downstage behind the trunk. The front curtain is drawn completely to one side and one end is lightly secured to the vertical support. Performance & Presentation: As in the traditional presentation, have the trunk examined and allow yourself to be handcuffed, tied up in the sack and locked into the trunk. Once inside, free yourself from the restraints and sack. Escape out of the back trap and hide behind the trunk. After the assistant has locked you in the trunk, she wheels the framework over the trunk and releases the two cloth ‘sidewalls’. Standing on the inside of the framework, she then takes the front curtain and draws it closed as she walks from one side of the framework to the other. The Velcro prevents the curtain from opening prematurely from the vertical support as the curtain is being drawn. As soon as the curtain is completely drawn and the assistant is out of audience view, immediately move out from behind the trunk and start to draw the curtain open (from the Velcro side). At the same time, the assistant quickly scoots behind and into the trunk via the open back trap. Fig 2 illustrates the sequence clearly. The illusion continues as per normal and can also include a costume change kicker. With practice, the perceived switch should take less than a second due to the cover provided by the ‘sidewalls’ and front curtain. J C’s Notes: 

Ensure that there are no backlights on stage that might cast betraying silhouettes onto the front curtain

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

11

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 2

Top View Audience

Curtain A

Assistant Trunk I

Illusionist

Framework

Audience

A

I

Audience

I

A

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

12

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Trunk Escape Effect: The illusionist is locked into an examined empty trunk and is secured with shackles and in a sack. A cloth screen attached to two poles is slowly raised in front of the trunk. Upon the full extension of the cloth screen, it is suddenly split in two at the center - revealing the illusionist standing on top of the trunk - free from all restraints. As a kicker, the trunk is reopened to reveal a beautiful girl inside! Method & Requirements: In this illusion, the ‘Sub Trunk’ is presented as a magical escape and does not involve any switching between illusionist and assistant. It features a dramatic revelation of the illusionist and the production of a girl as a finale. For this illusion you will need the following: 

A ‘Sub Trunk’ with a back trap, preferably with a lockable trap that can withstand examination



A cloth screen made from an opaque cloth that is attached to two 1.5” PVC or aluminum poles. The cloth is split down the center from top to bottom but held together with strips of Velcro. See Fig 1 for specs.



A pair of escape handcuffs or ‘Electronic Release’ shackles and an escape sack



Two onstage assistants



One girl assistant in costume



You will also need a set of stage wings with curtains or side drop (if at an event) to perform the kicker finale

Set-up: The trunk is placed at the side of the stage in front of the side wing curtains, overlapping the edge of the curtains. The girl to be produced is hidden behind the side wing curtains or side drop. The shackles and sack are placed center stage on a small side table or barstool. The front curtain is set-up center stage directly in front of where the trunk would be during performance. The set–up of the front curtain is illustrated in Fig 2. The cloth screen is first stretched out to its maximum length and the two poles are held upright, perpendicular to the floor. The top of the poles are then dropped towards each other and finally laid to rest on the floor in front of the trunk. Performance & Presentation: Invite two audience members on stage to examine the trunk at the side of the stage. When they are convinced that the trunk is solid, direct them to center stage to examine the shackles and sack.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

13

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 While the audience members are busy examining the shackles and sack, the two assistants unlock the back trap and close the lid of the trunk. Immediately, the girl crawls out from behind the side wing curtains and into the trunk via the back trap. The assistants then carry the trunk, with the girl inside, center stage. After examining the restraints, the audience members are invited back to their seats. The assistants then proceed to restraint and lock you into the trunk (with the girl inside). While the trunk is being locked, free yourself from the restraints, escape out of the back trap and hide behind the trunk. The two assistants raise the cloth screen in the opposite way, as it was set. To erect the screen smoothly, the assistants put a foot on the base of the poles and simply raise the pole upright, perpendicular to the ground. If the cloth screen was set-up correctly to begin within, the cloth screen will open up smoothly as the poles are raised during performance. As the cloth screen is opening up, climb onto the trunk and stand up. Once the screen is fully opened, grab the center of the cloth and split it into two pieces. Jump down from the trunk and walk upstage towards the audience to accept your applause. At the same time, the two assistants unlock the trunk. Walk downstage to the trunk and open it to reveal the girl inside.

FIG 1

Front View

1" x 3" Velcro Strips (x 4, Hidden)

1.5" Pole (x 2)

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

14

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 2

Poles fold towards each other

Poles Set-up : folded onto floor Fig 3 shows the entire stage set-up prior to performance. FIG 3

Back Curtains or Backdrop

G

Side Wing Curtains

Girl to be produced

Trunk Cloth Screen

Stage

Table with Shackles & Sack

Audience

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

15

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

J C’s Notes: 

The effectiveness of the entire illusion is based on timing. Ideally, you should climb up onto the trunk while the cloth screen is being raised. You should split the cloth just as the screen reaches its full extension



Angles can be tricky for this presentation. The trunk may have to put further downstage depending on your audience’s seating arrangement. You may also want to start off with a larger sized cloth screen and downsize as you get more comfortable



Besides the girl, you can also produce a celebrity, CEO or VIP as long as they don’t mind being squeezed into the trunk with you



The splitting of the center of the cloth for the revelation was inspired by The Pendragons’ ‘Metamorphosis’ revelation in their superb ‘Sub Trunk’ presentation

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

16

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

ATA SUB TRUNK A Design for a Fast “Classic” Substitution Trunk

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

17

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: An ATA case is shown on stage and a spectator is invited on stage to examine it. The illusionist enters the case that is latched and locked with a padlock. The female assistant steps up onto the top of the case and lifts up an all-round curtain. Instantly, the female assistant is seen to have transformed into the illusionist. The curtain is dropped to the ground and the female assistant is nowhere to be seen. The illusionist jumps off the case, opens it and reveals the assistant to be inside. Introduction: The essence of the “Sub Trunk” or “Metamorphosis” is the switch. If the switch is not instantaneously (or perceived to be instantaneous), the effect is not strong. A delayed or clumsy switch also spoils the effect and overall illusion. The strength of the illusion lies in the 1 - 3 seconds that it should take to perform the switch. So, the whole illusion depends on a very fast switch. The Pendragons defined the modern 'look' of the performance of the ‘Sub Trunk’ with their sheer speed and later enhanced it further with their center-cloth-split revelation. Their approach to the illusion is a reinvention of the illusion as performed by their predecessors. More than a handful of modern performers also match their speed for a classic-styled Sub Trunk. The advantages of this Sub Trunk are that it looks modern, has dual function and most importantly facilitates a fast exchange. As you probably know, the regular Sub Trunk that I perform is my original design of a clear Sub Trunk called “Crystal Metamorphosis”. I think this specific ATA one for a Japanese TV show. In my plans for “Crystal Metamorphosis”, I detailed six specific “secrets” that makes a Sub Trunk fast. One secret that makes all the difference is the design of the trunk – the size, trap style, position and how it opens down. I have applied much of those design elements into this traditional classic-styled Sub Trunk. For this ATA case-style substitution trunk, I use ATA (airline transport approved) or flight case components and designed the illusion to be sturdy, lightweight and durable. I also designed it to be built solid and be used as a transport case for other props. However, I share a “pack flat” version in the building description as well. The trunk will not withstand critical examination but you can allow an onstage inspection of the trunk as described below. For other references on the modern Sub Trunk and how it should be performed, check out the Pendragons’ DVD set, of which one volume specifically discusses the ‘Sub Trunk’. This should be a must-have if you intend to perform the ‘Sub Trunk’ in any shape or form. I also suggest you purchase Rand Woodburry’s excellent book “Diversions” where he offers his experience and tips on performing the ‘Sub Trunk’. Method & Requirements There are two ways you can make this, build it yourself or have a professional ATA case company build it for you.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

18

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

The Trunk Two key aspects of the design of a fast Sub Trunk are the trap size and dimensions of the trunk in relation to the trap size. The trap needs to be relatively square in shape and as large as possible. Correspondingly, the trunk has to be high to allow a fast duck down so that the trap can swing open/ close past the performers. The length (width as opposed to depth) of the trunk must also have enough space to allow the performers to move to the side within the trunk for the trap to clear their heads/ bodies. The dimensions of the overall trunk are shown in Figs 1 – 3.

FIG 1

FIG 2

Front View

Side View

40”

28” 2.5”

Latches

Padlock Shackle & Hasp 28” Handles

FIG 3 Top View

Trap Rubber strips on either side of the trap for grip

25”

Air Holes

24” © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

19

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

Figs 4 & 5 show photos of the completed prop. FIG 4

FIG 5

The following materials are used to build the prop. 

For the main sides/ walls, ½” ply or ½” ABS honeycomb plastic. I use the honeycomb plastic as it is almost as strong as wood but about half the weight. But it does cost 2 – 3 times more than ply. The outside of the trunk is finished in plastic laminate in the colour of your choosing. The inside should be lined with heavy-duty black vinyl.



1.5” double angle bars are used throughout as the framework for the prop. Double angle extrusions are two angle bars that sandwich the material between them. See Fig 6 for a cross section view of a double angle bar. FIG 6 Cross Section View



The top lid is 2.5” thick and is hinged along the entire back edge. There are supporting locking arms that hold the lid up 90 degrees. There is a trap that swings down. There are three 1” “air holes” evenly spaced apart in the center of the trap.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

20

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 

There is a trap, 25” x 25” built into the top lid in the center of the lid. It is piano hinged along one side and swings down from one side to the other. It does not matter which side it swings down, either from right to left or left to right. However, if the performers use your right hand to open the trap (i.e. right handers), the trap should open from trunk left down to trunk right. That is, from audience view, the trap swings down to their left. This is the way mine is built. The trap is held in place with a spring-loaded latch that, from a distance, looks like a design feature. It is not hidden but in full view. There is an identical latch on the other side but positioned so it does not hinder the opening or closing of the trap. Two strips of 2” aluminum flat bar (2mm) thick are mounted on the underside of the trap to hide the lines of the trap and add to the design feature to disguise the real secret of the latch. There are 2” x 2” aluminum angle bars (3mm thick) mounted under the left and right short sides of the lid. There are added supports to take the weight of the performers standing on the lid during performance. The entire underside of the lid should be carpeted with black carpet before the latches and aluminum flat bars are mounted on. See Figs 7 & 8. FIG 7

FIG 8



The top of the lid has two 2” aluminum flat bar (2mm) thick mounted on either side of the lines of the trapdoor to hide the lines of the trapdoors. This also clearly defines the “safe” zones to step on for the performers. The “safe” zones are covered with ridged rubber strips to increase friction and grip when the performers step onto of the trunk.



There are two handles each mounted on either short side of the trunk.



There are two ATA latches and a shackle & hasp for a padlock in front of the box.



If you like, the trunk can be mounted on 3” locking castors. This is optional.

Pack Flat Version of the Trunk For this version, instead of using double angle bar to build the structure of the trunk, you will use single 2” x 2” aluminum angle (4mm thick). You will require 6 lengths of

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

21

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 aluminum angle in all four for the vertical supports and two for the front and back bottom of the trunk. The two bottom aluminum angle bars are permanently mounted on the back and front of the base piece. The front and back panels attach to these aluminum angle bars via two M8 bolts and wing nut sets for each angle bar. Naturally, M8 holes have to be drilled into the front and back panels. The four vertical aluminum angle bars are permanently mounted onto the two short side panels. The two front and back panels bolt to the four side angle bars via two M8 bolts and wing nut sets for each angle bar. As before, M8 holes have to be drilled into the front and back panels. So, a total of 12 bolts/ wing nut sets are required to set up the prop. The lid is built the same way as the solid trunk and is a single piece that is permanently mounted via hinges onto the top edge of the back panel. All-round Curtain You can use a front cloth method if you like and if your performing environment allows you to. But for most practical working conditions, you will need an all-round curtain. Based on the dimensions of the trunk, the curtain measures. (L) (W) x (H). There is an aluminum frame, made from 1” square tubing (1mm thick) inside the top edge of the allround curtain. The curtain frame can break down via corner connectors and bolts/ wing nuts and packs inside the trunk for transport. For easy set-up, the curtain is tied at the center of each side with magician’s rope. See Fig 9.

FIG 9

Others 

Depending on your choreography and physical prowess, you may or may not need a set of steps. I use a step of custom aluminum steps fabricated from 1” aluminum tubing (3mm thick) with 3mm aluminum sheet steps. This is a custom welded piece and measures high, long and wide. See Fig 10.



You can also use a short step ladder that will be just the right height. Fig 10



You will need a large padlock with a key on a key ring.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

22

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 10

Performance and Presentation: If you are performing this with no onstage examination of the trunk, the trunk starts center stage, inside the all-round curtain that is set-up on the floor around the trunk. Make sure the curtain material is not caught under any part of the bottom of the trunk or the castors. The padlock with key inside is hooked onto one handle of the trunk. If you are performing this with onstage examination of the trunk, the trunk starts center stage. The padlock with key inside is hooked onto one handle of the trunk. The allround curtain is tied up and is backstage with your assistant. Invite a spectator onto stage and allow him to visually inspect the trunk all around. Highlight that all the sides are solid and there are no holes or anyone hiding behind the trunk. This is misdirection from the thought of trapdoors or sliding panels. After all, the audience has no idea what the illusion is about yet. If your trunk is on castors, you can also spin it around before locking the castors. Position the spectator so that he is on the side of the trunk with the padlock hooked onto the handle. Open the lid and ask the spectator to look inside to make sure it is empty. Again, this misdirects away from the underside of the lid. Once, he has a good look inside the trunk, ask him to look down on the side of the trunk and remove the padlock. Ask him to inspect the lock and try it out. Under this misdirection, close the lid of the trunk. Retrieve the padlock and hook it back onto the handle of the trunk. Your assistant brings out the all-round curtain. Together, both of you place it over the trunk and onto the floor. Ask the spectator to walk around the set-up to see if all is in order. Your assistant starts to untie the ropes and collect them. Escort the spectator off the stage and invite him back to his seat. Give an introduction of the illusion as your assistant clears all the ropes off stage and brings out the steps (if you require them). Once both of you are in position, cue your music to start. Here is the basic technical handling of the illusion: (This description assumes the Illusionist starts off inside the trunk) Once you are locked up inside the trunk, the girl goes behind the prop and lifts the back of the curtain so that it rests on the back edge of the trunk. She then steps up the steps © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

23

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 onto the lid of the trunk. She should be standing on the rubber strips but on the back half of the lid. At the same time, you unlock the latch with your right hand and place your right hand against the underside of the lid and feel for the ‘air hole’ closest to the free side of the trapdoor. Extend your finger through the hole. The girl reaches down and grasps opposite sides (left and right) of the curtain in an overhand grip; i.e. fingers on the outside pointing down. She raises the curtain in a natural unhurried pace. The instant you see the top edge of the curtain cover the trunk through the air hole or front edge of the trap, move your body to the your left against the side of the trunk and simultaneously pull the trapdoor down open. Do not use gravity; instead pull it down and to the side. You now have to perform the following in one smooth continuous series of actions. Reach up with both your hands grabbing the front edge of the lid. Pull yourself up at the same time as you jump up onto the lid. Aim to have your feet land on either side (left and right) of the trapdoor. You do not climb up. You jump up in a single vertical leap. It requires precision as you have very little landing space. If you jump too far out, you will jump out and over the trunk. If you do not use enough strength, you will not make it up and out of the trunk. If all goes well, you will land in a crouching position with both feet on either side of the trap, directly in front of the girl. In a continuous action, use your quadriceps muscles to stand up and at the same time, extend your hands up and outwards to take over the curtain from the girl. Tuck your head to the side so that your head is not exposed prematurely. You literally must take over the curtain, throw it up and then immediately pull it down to waist height in one continuous action. Be careful that your head does not brush against the front of the curtain while you are moving up, Once the girl feels you take hold of the curtain, she immediately drops down straight into the trunk, using the back of your body as a support guide. She allows her body to drop to the side of the trunk, then swings the trapdoor up shut. The action of you throwing the curtain up and the girl dropping into the trunk are performed simultaneously. After the exchange, hold the curtain at waist height for just one beat, and then allow the curtain to drop down back to the base. If you are performing on an elevated stage with all the audience below the line of the top of the trap, you can perform an even faster exchange. You can open the trap earlier, once your assistant steps up onto the trunk and you can drop the curtain immediately after the exchange, even before your assistant closes the trap. This can make the exchange about 1 second faster, which is a lot in the context of an apparent split-second exchange. J C Notes: 

As per traditional Sub Trunk performances, you can use handcuffs and a sack. However, just bear in mind that the switch is the most important aspect of the illusion and if it is not fast and perfect, no additional convincers will make the illusion better.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

24

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

CRYSTAL METAMORHPOSIS A transparent sub trunk designed for speed

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

25

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: A modern geometrically shaped transparent trunk, made entirely out of aluminum and plexi-glass, is seen on stage. The illusionist steps into the trunk and the lid of the trunk is hinged closed over him. Two thick chains secure the lid shut. His partner steps on top of the trunk and raises an all round curtain. Instantly, the curtain is dropped revealing an instant exchange of the performers.

Introduction: ‘Crystal Metamorphosis’ is currently one of the highlights in my ‘illusion show. This is an illusion that gets great reactions from both magicians and laymen alike. In fact, it is the most popular illusion when it was first released in “Urban Illusions” and many magicians around the world built and performed it. The prop looks cool and modern yet simple enough that it does not look ‘gimmicky’ and the exchange is virtually instantaneous. Every magician who has watched the illusion live has commented on how fast the exchange is and the fact that they did not expect the speed even though they were anticipating the exchange. Like most magicians, I have always liked the ‘Sub Trunk’ because it is a fantastic illusion when performed well, just as with the rest of the acknowledged classic illusions. The problem is too many magicians across the world are performing almost exact versions of the illusion. I think (as do many other illusionists and builders) that the standard ‘Sub Trunk’ is an excellent first illusion but I encourage you to reinvent it if you are a more seasoned illusion performer. The Pendragons defined the modern 'look' of the performance of the ‘Sub Trunk’ with their sheer speed and later enhanced it further with their center-cloth-split revelation. Their approach to the illusion is a reinvention of the illusion as performed by their predecessors. They have released a DVD set, of which one volume specifically discusses the ‘Sub Trunk’. This should be a must-have if you intend to perform the ‘Sub Trunk’ in any shape or form. I also suggest you purchase Rand Woodburry’s excellent book “Diversions” where he offers his experience and tips on performing the ‘Sub Trunk’. I have always liked the concept of a see-through ‘Sub Trunk’ but for some reason have not seen it performed much. I suspect it has got to do with the obvious speed limitations that a see-through trunk has. With a solid trunk, the curtain can be dropped once the 1st performer has dropped into the trunk (even if the lid is not completely closed, assuming the audience is at a lower level than the audience). But with a see-through trunk, the performer must be in position with the trap closed before the curtain can be dropped. Through much studying and experimentation, I determined six specific ‘secrets’ that helped me design ‘Crystal Metamorphosis’. It is these six ‘secrets’ incorporated into the illusion design and performance coupled with the fact that the ‘trunk’ is completely see-through, that facilitates a perceived, dare I say, ‘Pendragon-like’ instantaneous switch. The six ‘secrets’ are: 1. The size of the trunk, specifically the height A large trunk obviously allows a larger trap but more importantly, it allows for more space for the performers to maneuver inside the trunk to open and close the trap. If the trunk is higher specifically, it means the trap can be opened and closed with less maneuvering than a shorter trunk will allow; i.e. one does not need to duck down so much in order for the © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

26

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 trap to clear the body when inside the trunk. A higher trunk also allows the 1st performer to drop down faster into the trunk. A shorter trunk means the performer has to drop down then physically crouch or duck down to get fully into the trunk, this loses valuable speed. The negative aspect of too high a trunk is that it is harder and slower for the person inside the trunk to climb out of the trunk into position. 2. The slanted vertical side of the trunk To create the most streamlined series of actions to open and close the trap, the slanted vertical side of the trunk is critical. It allows the performers to just shift to the slanted side to open and close the trap, instead of needing to duck down and to the bottom corner of the trunk so that the trap clears the performer’s head. This saves valuable split seconds. The fantastic bonus for this design is that it gives a beautiful asymmetrical modern look to the trunk. The perfect combination of form and function! 3. Design of the trap The way the trap drops down is also crucial. Traps that drop down side ways inside of front to back or back to front allows for faster movement due to our physiological movement. We can move easily move fast and sense our environment naturally sideways than we can front to back or back to front. Next, the way the trap locks shut has to be instant so that there is no fumbling with latches or catches. I use strong flat earth magnets to hold the trap in place. The trap is also opened by inserting a finger into ‘air holes’ built into the design of the lid. So, there are no handles or knobs to try to locate. 4. Technique This is the exact position that each performer gets into and the series of the actions that the performers must perform in relation to each other. This is by far the most important aspect of the exchange. I believe that the movements are very idiosyncratic and specific to the performers physiology. So, you have to experiment and think about the movements that will create the most economical series of actions that then results in a fast exchange. 5. Physical fitness This is very important. Speed requires both performers to be as fit as possible because you need to move fast and be flexible. In their peak, The Pendragons attained their instant speed partially due to their incredible physical capabilities. 6. Perfect Practice This is probably the most obvious ‘secret’ but I should stress the importance of ‘perfect’ practice. You must practice the right movements so that both performers’ muscle memory will come into play when executing the illusion. I also caution against doing the illusion too much as it is physically demanding and very tiring. Rehearse the entire illusion in sets of 3 – 5 times for maximum results. Other benefits that the ‘Crystal Metamorphosis’ design has are: 

It can be performed completely surrounded because it was designed to be used with an all-round curtain. The curtain itself packs neatly around the trunk at the recessed © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

27

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 base of the prop. You can of course choose to use a front cloth instead of an allround curtain. 

It has wheels so that it can be easily moved onto stage.



The base of the trunk also serves as the bottom of its own ATA flight case, A cover is simply put over the trunk and is locked into place using standard flight case components.

Construction: Main Box ‘Crystal Metamorphosis’ is made entirely out of plexi-glass and aluminum. Only the base of the trunk is made of solid plywood. I use ATA case components to build most of the non-plexi-glass parts. The main box is a four-sided case that fits into a base (upside down ATA case cover). It is secured to the base via lengths of 2.5” aluminum angle (3mm thick) bolted to the inside surface of the base and along the bottom edges of the main box. There are two stainless steel rings screwed into the front inside edge of the base. Two stainless steel chains are attached to the rings using steel clips. The other ends of the chains also have clips that will subsequently hook onto corresponding rings on the front edge of the lid. See Fig 1 for an overview of the prop. FIG 1 Overview of Prop

Fig 2 shows the Front View of the Main Box (without the lid) and dimensions. Fig 3 shows the Side View.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

28

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 2 FRONT VIEW – Lid NOT shown

34.5”

2.5”

2.5”

35.5”

2.5”

3.5”

3.5” 3”

44.5” 51.5”

27.5”

Fig 3 SIDE VIEW – Lid NOT shown

4”

4”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

29

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The Lid The lid is essentially an ATA-style cover that is hinged to the back of the main box using heavy-duty 4” stainless style hinges. The trapdoor opens to one side of the lid by a piano hinge that runs the entire width of the trapdoor. The trapdoor opens away from the slanted vertical side of the main box. The free side of the trapdoor is held in place with five strong earth magnets embedded in a row in the underside of the lid. There is a steel flat bar that is bolted along the entire edge of the free side of the trapdoor which contacts the magnets to keep the trapdoor shut flush with the lid. There are three 1” ‘air holes’ drilled centered in a row in the trapdoor. One of these ‘air holes’ is used to open the trapdoor during performance. The underside of the lid is finished in black carpet with the outline of the trapdoor cut out using a razor. 2” aluminum flat bars riveted to the underside of the lid fame the trapdoor to mask its outline. There are two strips of rubber (4” wide) on either side of the trapdoor for better footing and grip. Two stainless steel rings are screwed into the front edge of the lid for the chains to be hooked on during performance. Fig 4 shows the Overview of the lid. Fig 5 shows a Top View and dimensions of the lid Fig 6 shows the underside of the lid. Fig 7 shows a Close-up View of the trapdoor and magnets. FIG 4 Overview of Lid

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

30

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 5 TOP VIEW – Lid (Trapdoor in grey)

37.5”

29”

4” 25.5”

26.5”

FIG 6 Underside of Lid

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

31

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 7

FIG 8

Close-up View of trapdoor and magnets

Overview of Steps

Steps

You will also require a set of steps to match the look of the main prop. My two-step set is made of honeycomb aluminum, angles and reinforced with an internal ‘X’ brace. The steps are 24” high (each step is 12”) and 20” wide. See Fig 8 for an Overview of the steps. All-round Curtain The all-round curtain is a standard rectangular curtain with a 1” aluminum square tubing frame that measures 48.5” x 34”. The height of the curtain is 122”, but may have to be adjusted to your height. Set-up: 

The all-round curtain is gathered down and tucked neatly into the base of the prop.



The stainless steel chains are gathered and placed on the curtain frame in the base of the prop.



The prop is set center stage and all castors are locked.



The steps are set next to the vertical size of the prop, about 4” from the base. This is so that the steps do not get in the way of the curtain when it is raised and dropped during the performance.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

32

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Performance (The Exchange): The presentation of the illusion should be apparent so I will focus on the actual mechanics of the exchange. For purposes of this description, I will assume the illusionist will start off in the trunk and the girl will be on the outside. Please see the demo video at www.illusionbooks.com (Under the “Urban Illusions” page) as a reference. Once you are locked up inside the trunk, the girl goes behind the prop and lifts the back of the curtain so that it rests on the back edge of the trunk. She then steps up the steps onto the lid of the trunk. She should be standing on the rubber strips but on the back half of the lid. At the same time, you place your hand against the underside of the lid and feel for the ‘air hole’ closest to the free side of the trapdoor. Extend your finger through the hole. The girl reaches down and grasps opposite sides (left and right) of the curtain in an overhand grip; i.e. fingers on the outside pointing down. She raises the curtain in a natural unhurried pace. The instant you see the top edge of the curtain cover the trunk, move your body to the your left against the slanted side of the trunk and simultaneously pull the trapdoor down open. Do not use gravity; instead pull it down and to the side. You now have to perform the following in one smooth continuous series of actions. Reach up with both your hands grabbing the front edge of the lid. Pull yourself up at the same time as you jump up onto the lid. Aim to have your feet land on either side (left and right) of the trapdoor. You do not climb up. You jump up in a single vertical leap. It requires precision as you have very little landing space. If you jump too far out, you will jump out and over the trunk. If you do not use enough strength, you will not make it up and out of the trunk. If all goes well, you will land in a crouching position with both feet on either side of the trap, directly in front of the girl. In a continuous action, use your quadriceps muscles to stand up and at the same time, extend your hands up and outwards to take over the curtain from the girl. Tuck your head to the side so that your head is not exposed prematurely. You literally must take over the curtain, throw it up and then immediately pull it down to waist height in one continuous action. Be careful that your head does not brush against the front of the curtain while you are moving up, Once the girl feels you take hold of the curtain, she immediately drops down straight into the trunk, using the back of your body as a support guide. She allows her body to drop to the slanted side of the trunk, then swings the trapdoor up shut and moves to the right and freezes in that position. The action of you throwing the curtain up and the girl dropping into the trunk are performed simultaneously. After the exchange, hold the curtain at waist height for just one beat, and then allow the curtain to drop down back to the base. The exchange will appear instantaneous. And because the trunk is transparent, the visual exchange appears even more instant, surprising and impossible. J C’s Notes: 

Be aware that this is a very physical illusion and accidents/ injuries can and will most likely happen. Ning and I suffered the most injuries from this single illusion. Ning received a total of 18 bruises during the initial 2 months we worked on the illusion, including a particularly nasty bruise that swelled up her entire inside thigh. © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

33

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

CHAIN REACTION An instant escape with costume change kicker

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

34

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: The illusionist is shackled in a complex system of previously examined chains and padlocks that secure his hands, ankles and neck to a central steel bar. An all-round curtain hoop is raised around and over the head of the shackled performer. In three short seconds, the curtain hoop is dropped and the magician is seen free of all restraints and in a different outfit complete with sunglasses. Introduction: The escape illusion is the first original illusion that I came up with. It features a “do-ityourself’ chain restraint system that I developed for the escape. It is a great budget illusion that includes audience participation, a strong visual picture, an amazing climax and can be performed completely surrounded. It was first published in my Nov 2002 IBM Linking Ring One-Man-Parade. Method & Requirements: All chains and locks are ungimmicked. The entire chain restraint system is depicted in Fig 1. The hands are locked using a dealers’ item called the “Electronic Chain Release” or Wrist Shackled Escape. Look for one that is made of steel and not aluminum. It comprises of a central shackle bar with four short chains and two locks. The ankles are secured using two chains that are wrapped and locked around each ankle and are also locked on the central shackle bar. A third chain is wrapped and locked around the neck and is also locked on the central shackle bar. The central shackle bar is maintained at waist level. The secret behind the ankle and neck restraints is in the way the locks are secured in place. Although the chains are legitimately wrapped around the ankles and neck, each lock is threaded through the links of only one side of the chain (near the end) and locked around the links of the other side of the chain that wraps around the neck or ankle. This allows the lock to slide freely along the chains. See Fig 2.

FIG 1

FIG 2

= lock The lock is threaded through a link towards the end of the chain but the lock is locked around the chain that loops around the ankle

Shackle Bar

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

35

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

Due to the nature of the shackling system, once the ankles chains are locked onto the central shackle bar, you will need to hold them straight and taut at all times so that they do not slack and accidentally slip off your feet. You will need the following for the ankle and chain restraints: One length of heavy gauge chain about 40” long for the neck restraint; two lengths of heavy gauge chain about 48” long each for the ankle restraints; five large padlocks that must be able to fit through the links of the chain. The costume change is actually a partial cheat. Although the impression is that there is a complete costume change, only the magician’s shirt changes, the pants remain the same. The sunglasses are an added convincer that creates the impression of a complete wardrobe change. To achieve the quick costume change the magician’s dress shirt is a tear-away one. The back of the shirt is held together by ½’ wide Velcro running down the center of the back of the shirt, from collar to shirttail. You can also use Lee Alex’s “Magna Seams” that are used for quick “tear-aways”. An important point is that the illusionist should start off dressed all in black. The change should be to a white or bright coloured shirt. The sunglasses are placed in the inner front folds of the all-round curtain hoop prior to performance. When the curtain is raised, the sunglasses will automatically fall out of the folds to your feet. The all-round curtain hoop consists of a 36” diameter x 72” long cloth tube with a two 36” hula-hoops sewn into each end. The inside lining of the curtain is black and a 36” round piece of black fabric is sewn over one end of the tube to create a base. The black interior allows the black tear-away shirt to blend in after it is torn off. The outside of the curtain is made from a glittering silver fabric. You will need one onstage assistant to perform this illusion. Performance and Presentation: A spectator is invited on stage to examine all the chains, central shackle bar and locks. You can also hand out some chains and locks to audience members without having them come onstage. After all the restraints have been examined, explain to the audience that the spectator will shackle you wrists while your assistant shackles your ankles. While the spectator is securing your hands, your assistant secures your ankles with the two chains and two locks as outlined in “Method”. Don’t worry about the onstage spectator seeing that your ankle locks are not really locked into the links of the chain. From a standing position, it is very difficult to see that the locks are not in the links. Furthermore, he will be too busy ensuring that your wrists are secured tightly. Once your ankles and hands are chained, your assistant pulls the ankles chains so that they meet at the central shackle bar. The ends of the chains are locked onto the central bar with another lock. The spectator can snap the lock shut if you like. The spectator is invited back to his seat.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

36

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 As if just for good measure, your assistant secures a chain around your neck and locks it onto the central shackle bar. It is locked the same way as the ankle chains are locked. In this case, the loop of chain around your neck can simply be pulled wide open and slipped over your head during the escape. When you have been fully chained-up, step into the all-round curtain hoop. While recapitulating to your audience the extent of your restraints, your assistant raises the curtain hoop to about chest level over your hands and central shackle bar. Once under cover, release your hands from the Electronic Chain Release. At the same time, gently shuffle your legs and allow the chains to loosen and slide off your feet. The heavier the chain, the easier it will be for you to slide the chains off. Gravity is your friend in this case. Once you free your ankles and hands, hold onto the central shackle bar, otherwise your neck will be holding up all the weight of all chains and locks. When you are ready, give the signal to your assistant to raise the curtain over your head. Once the curtain is raised, you perform the following actions: One Second – Pull the neck chain off your head and drop the entire chain restraint system to the floor. Two Seconds – Pull off your Tear-away Shirt and allow it to drop to the floor. Three Seconds – Put on the Sunglasses. Reach up, grab the top of the curtain hoop and pull it down. Once your assistant feels you grabbing the hoop, he lets go. Step out of the hoop and accept your applause. Your assistant can clear the hoop and everything inside by sliding the hoop off the stage. J C Notes: 

The sunglasses are an important touch that should not be overlooked. The psychology behind it is that it makes the overall costume change seem that more instant. To the audience, it would seem that you not only had time to escape from all restraints, even had time to change your clothes and put on a pair of sunglasses.



My chain restraint system can also be used for some of the Sub Trunk Escape presentations detailed earlier.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

37

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FORTRESS A New-Age Assistant’s Revenge

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

38

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: The illusionist is locked and chained inside a formidable-looking vertical cage. Three front arms of the cage are closed and padlocked over the illusionist's neck, waist and knees. Stainless steel chains are criss-crossed over the front of the cage and locked in place. Finally, the illusionist's hands are chained and padlocked securely. A cloth is pulled over the cage, however the audience can still see the bottom half of the illusionist at all times. An assistant stands in front of the cage and opens up a 3-sided cloth. The cloth is raised and instantly lowered to reveal that the assistant has magically transformed into the illusionist. The assistant's lower body can now be seen inside the cage. The cloth is whisked away to fully reveal the assistant, locked and chained inside the cage.

Introduction: Fortress represents months of designing and prototyping to create a brand new metamorphosis-style illusion. It features a custom-design prop that looks formidable and large but is lightweight and extremely practical to set-up and transport. The idea behind the design was to create a modern-looking prop for an escape or transposition illusion. The choice of brushed aluminum, stainless steel chains and locks was deliberate to give a heavy industrial look but keep the weight manageable. The skeletal framework design allows the performer to be seen at all times. It is reminiscent of Robert Harbin's 'Assistant's Revenge' but that is where the similarity ends; from presentation to method. There are no curtain ring tracks and the switch revelation is more akin to a modern-day presentation of a 'Sub Trunk' cloth switch handling.

Method & Requirements: The prop is basically a cage-like structure with 3 front arms that close over the person inside. Each arm has a stainless steel hasp to hold padlocks that secure the arms closed together. Hand chain restraints hang down from a head frame that hangs over the person, extending from the back of the cage. There are three fakes that contribute to the method of the illusion. First, the latch of the padlock hasp on the lowermost front cage arms is gimmicked with magnets so that even when locked with a padlock, the cage arms can open and ‘lock’ back into place. The second fake is the hinged back panel on the back frame. During the performance of the illusion, you will need space to be able to bend down and escape out of the ‘Fortress’. The hinged back panel allows the necessary room to be created. Lastly, the hand chains are secured during performance such that they can be apparently locked securely around your wrists but are able to escape at any moment. This is described later in the Performance & Presentation section. The combined workings of the fakes allow you to perform a switch that is as fast as a 'Sub Trunk' change but will require slightly less physical agility than a standard 'Sub Trunk' but it requires much more effort than an 'Assistant's Revenge'. © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

39

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

The entire prop is fabricated from aluminum square tubing, angle and flat bar; mainly 3” wide and 3mm thick material. The parts are held together via bolts/ nuts and/ rivets; depending on the level of ‘break-down’ you desire. Fig 1 shows an overview of the “Fortress” prop. FIG 1 Overview of Fortress Prop

Head Frame

Head Frame Vertical Support with Diagonal Support

Hand Chains Spider Side Wing

Stainless Steel Clasp with Key -Alike Padlock Front Frame with Front Bars

Cross Chains Back Frame with Side Arms

Aluminum Angle Legs

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

40

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Other requirements include: 

Four lengths of stainless steel chains. Two of the chains are the hand chains that will hang down from the top of the prop. This has to be measured to fit the performers. The other two chains will criss-cross across the front of the prop.



Five key-alike padlocks.



A cloth cover that is large enough to cover the entire prop so that it covers all sides past the middle arms bars.



Two people are required to execute the illusion - you and an onstage assistant.

Construction: The Main Structure The main structure consists of a back frame with side crossbars, front frame with three front arms. Back Frame The vertical supports for the back frame are made from 3” aluminum square tubing (3mm). The back vertical supports are secured together with a length of 3” aluminum angle (3mm) at the bottom and two 3” aluminum flat bars (3mm), spaced out, at the top. The entire back frame does not break down into pieces so these horizontal bars can be riveted or lockbolted in place. Three side crossbars are fabricated from 3” aluminum flat bar (3mm thick) and are attached to the Back Frame using bolts and wing nuts. During pack down, the crossbars will remain on the back vertical supports and hinge down. A hinged frame panel now needs to be created. This simulates the two horizontal bars at the top of the Back Frame but is actually hinged in place by two hinges so that it can flap open upwards to the back. The frame is made from 3” aluminum flat bar (2mm) riveted together to form the hinged frame panel. Alternatively, you can get an engineering company to laser cut it out for you from a sheet of 2mm aluminum. Each bottom corner of this hinged frame panel has a round flat earth magnet glued (with epoxy) to it. Corresponding magnets glued to the back vertical supports keep this hinged frame panel closed until needed. Once in place, the entire back frame should look like a solid frame. See Fig 2 for a Back View of the prop. The hinged frame panel is indicated in grey. Fig 3 shows a Side View of the prop.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

41

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 18”

FIG 2 BACK VIEW

21”

60”

24”

26” © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

42

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 30”

FIG 3 SIDE VIEW

16”

16”

60”

50”

16”

12”

24” © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

43

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Front Frame The vertical supports for the front frame are made from 3” aluminum square tubing (3mm) but are shorter than the back vertical supports. The side crossbars are attached to the front vertical supports using bolts and wing nuts as well. See Fig 3 for an overall Front View of the prop. The front frame is indicated in grey. There are three sets of arms that are hinged to the front vertical supports. The arms are made from 3” aluminum square tubing (3mm) but are cut at 45-degree angles where they meet. If they are not cut at this 45 degree angle, they will not be able to meet. Six pieces of 3” aluminum angle (3mm) are cut to form caps to cover the ends of the corners of the arms. The top two arms have genuine padlock hasps riveted to each side. This is so that the latch on one side can close over the shackle on the other side and a padlock can be locked in place. The padlock hasp on the lowermost arms is gimmicked in the following way. First, the pin hinge is removed from the hasp. This means the swinging ‘flap’ of the hasp can actually be fully removed from the hasp assembly. However, there are two round flat earth magnets glued (using epoxy) to the two parts of the hasp assembly. These magnets hold the assembly together. Another larger earth magnet is glued to the inside of the front cage arm. This magnet allows the entire hasp assembly to be held to the front cage arm, giving the appearing that it is bolted/ riveted down like the legitimate ones. However, even with a genuine lock locked in place, the front arm bars will open with a slight push. When you pull the arms closed, the magnets will attract, shutting the arm bars in place. See Figs 4 - 6. Four stainless steel eyelets are bolted at different corners of the front frame. These are for the criss-crossed chains to be attached to subsequently. The Head Frame Assembly This assembly extends out from the top of the back vertical supports and is made from 1” aluminum square tubing (1mm). It consists of a rectangular frame (26” x 18”) with vertical extensions (21”). Two pieces of 1” aluminum flat bar 2mm thick (12” long) are using as diagonal supports. There are two stainless steel eyelets bolted near the corners closest to the audience. These eyelets will be used to secure the hand chains that hang down. See Wings This is purely an aesthetic feature and is deigned to reduce the “block-ish” look of the prop. This “spider web-like” set of wings give an edge look to the prop and works well with the heavy industrial theme. The wings are made from 1” aluminum flat bar (2mm) riveted together or alternatively have an engineering company laser cut them out for you from a sheet of 2mm aluminum. The wings are attached to the back vertical supports at three points using bolts and wing nuts. See Fig 4.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

44

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Legs The entire main structure is bolted to two sets of legs. Each leg is made from 3” aluminum angle (3mm thick) with a 3” locking castor bolted at each end. The legs are attached to the vertical supports using bolts and wing nuts. FIG 4 FRONT VIEW

Stainless Steel Eyelets for Chains

10”

9”

51”

Gimmicked Padlock Hasp © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

45

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 5 TOP VIEW

FIG 6 TOP VIEW – Gimmicked Front Arm

Set-up: Cloth Cover The cloth cover is draped over the entire Fortress prop, i.e. over the head assembly. The back of the cloth is then accordion-folded towards the spider side wings. The front of the cloth is also accordion folded back behind the spider side wings. Fig 7 shows the cloth cover set-up. Front Cloth The front cloth is accordion folded and laid on the floor at a convenient place. Hand Chains The hand chains are left straight with the padlocks unlocked and hooked at the end of each chain.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

46

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Cross Chains Each front chain should be attached to the stainless eyelets located at the top corner of the top front arm of the prop. Each chain hangs down the side of the prop. Front Arms and Locks The arms of the Front Frame are closed and the 3 locks are placed inside the shackle of each lock clasp but not locked. Key The key should be at an accessible place that is in view of the audience. You can have the key on a large ring (like a 5” single Linking Ring) and placed on the stage floor or given to an audience member to hold.

FIG 7 Cloth Cover set up over prop

Cloth Cover is set up BEHIND the spider side wings

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

47

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Performance & Presentation: Please see the demo video at www.illusionbooks.com (Under the “Urban Illusions” page) as a reference. The prop starts either center stage or back center stage, depending on how deep your stage is. You can revolve the prop 360 degrees if you desire. After that, all four castors should be locked into place. Step 1 With your assistant and you at either side of the prop, take hold of the cloth cover and move it over the spider side wings. You do this at the start of the routine so that your assistant can pull it down over the prop easily later. Step 2 Take the lock from the topmost front bars and undo the hasp at the same time. Step forward and display the lock clearly to the audience. While you do this, your assistant swings open the top front bars. She then removes the lock from the middle bars, undoes the clasp, replaces the lock in the clasp shackle and swings open the bars. She repeats this with the bottommost bar. However, she has to be careful not to disengage the gimmicked latch. She should use her left thumb to press down on the latch, on top of the magnets, to hold it securely in place. Step 3 Step back towards the prop and hand your assistant the lock. Enter the ‘Fortress’ and face the front. Close the MIDDLE front bars, close the latch clasp and put the padlock in place but DO NOT lock it. Simultaneously, your assistant closes the topmost front bars and locks it in place with the lock in her hand. She should really lock the padlock. She then quickly moves down to the lowermost front bars, closes it and locks it into place. Once again, she should be careful not to dislodge the gimmicked latch. Step 4 Next, your assistant puts the cross chains in place. She simply takes one chain crosses it over the front of the prop and uses the attachment to hook the chain to eyelet on the lowermost front bar. She then repeats the process with the other chain. After crossing and securing the chains, the center point of the chains will be sagging just below the middle front bars. Your assistant takes hold of both chains at the point they cross each other and hooks them onto the middle bars’ padlock. (That is why you do not close that lock earlier). When the chains are hooked in the shackle of the lock, she closes the padlock shut.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

48

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Step 5 The hand chains are next and are actually a cheat. The padlock stays on the end of the chain and the chain is wrapped around your wrist. Your assistant apparently uses the padlock to lock the chain links at your wrist. In actual fact, the padlock goes around the entire chain and not into the links as the audience assumes. All you have to do is pull the chain through the padlock shackle and it will loosen allowing you to easily pull out your hand. You will notice that there is a bolt/ wing bolted through one of the links. The padlock should be locked around the chain ABOVE the bolt/ wing nut. This is so that the padlock does not slip off the chain after you remove your hand. It maintains a ‘loop’ in the chain so that your assistant can slip her hand into the locked hand chains later after the transposition. See Fig 8. FIG 8 Putting on the Hand Chains

Padlock shackle is hooked AROUND entire chain and not into the link of the chain

Padlock must be placed ABOVE bolt/ wing nut so that padlock does not slip off chain after you remove your hand

Step 6 After chaining up both your hands, your assistant walks behind the prop and pulls down the back of the cloth cover. She then moves to the front and pulls down the front of the cloth cover so that the entire prop is covered except for the front bottom and back bottom of the prop. The cloth cover must be positioned correctly from the beginning so that the front of the cloth stops just above the lowermost front bars. Once the front of the cloth is pulled down and your hands are hidden from view, you must immediately release your hands from the chains and get ready for the switch. Step 7 Your assistant walks towards the folded front cloth on the floor and picks it up. She stands in front of the prop, approximately 2ft in front of the prop. (You will have to experiment the best distance that suits you)

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

49

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 You will now perform a Sub Trunk/ Metamorphosis-style switch: She opens the front cloth completely with her hands holding onto the poles through the cloth. She should be using an underhand grip so that her fingers are UNDER the poles and not above. She should use the front cloth to form almost a ‘U’ shape to protect bad angles. When she first opens out the front cloth, she holds it at waist height. Simultaneously, she steps one of her legs behind the other and slightly moves her body to the side. This movement should not be apparent from the front. From the inside of the prop, if the cloth cover was positioned correctly, you will be able to see your assistant open up the cloth and move to the side slightly. Once you see the cloth open up, as quickly as you can, drop to your knees and slide forward. Your knees or thighs will push the bars open as you slide out under the middle front bar. You have to bend yourself backwards as you slide out to avoid hitting the middle front bar. I’ve found that this works best for me. It is the fastest method of getting out of the prop. Try this out and experiment with variations if you need. You also need to ensure that the front bars remain open so that your assistant can get into the prop easily. Once you are out of the prop, move yourself around your assistant and in front of her. Reach up and take the front cloth (poles) in your hands, fingers underneath as well. You will now raise the cloth to cover your assistant. This is the secret to a fast switch. You should be doing all the work for raising the cloth. Once the front cloth is raised past your assistant’s face, she immediately ducks down BACKWARDS into the prop. She then quickly closes the lowermost front arms and stands up. While your assistant is getting into the prop, you lower the front cloth to waist height to reveal the transformation. By holding the cloth at waist level, it provides the cover for your assistant to close the front bars and stand up. With practice, your timing should be perfect such that when your assistant stands up, you can toss the front cloth aside to reveal that your assistant is inside the prop. (Her legs will be seen under the cloth). While you pose to accept the audience’s applause, your assistant is busy getting her hands into the hand chains. The bolts and wing buts in place will make this easy for her to do so. Step to the side of the prop and grasp the cloth cover and pull it off the prop with one dramatic motion - revealing your assistant inside. Step 8 Retrieve the key and unlock the locks on the hand chains first. Next, unlock all the remaining locks on the front bars and open the latches at the same time. Finally, release the cross chains. Your assistant then pushes all the bars open and joins you center stage for applause. J C’s Notes: 

Instead of the hand chains, you can attach gimmicked instant release handcuffs to the end of the chains (one cuff per hand). This adds some variety to the restraints and is easy to do.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

50

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

BOX JUMPERS

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

51

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

REINVENT THE ZIG ZAG “Box Jumpers” refer to the fearless female assistants (sometimes male) who get into illusion books and allow themselves to be divided, cut, mutilated, compressed, squeezed, skewered, speared and vanished for the sake of the magic art. This chapter is devoted to “box jumping” illusions including original and reinvented designs for modern illusion “ boxes”. However, to kick off the chapter, I would like to share some ideas on illusion staging and presentation variations on Robert Harbin’s Zig Zag illusion. Admittedly, I do not own and have never performed the Zig Zag but have seen countless performances and ‘played’ with one before. I’m sure many of you do own a Zig Zag but might have kept it in storage ever since the Masked Magician revelation. Maybe, these ideas will help inspire new presentations to take out the prop and reinvent the performance of the illusion. These suggestions illustrate the way I approach illusions and my general thought process. I have no doubt that it is possible that someone else might already be doing these variations but these are ideas I came up with independently. BTW, Rand Woodbury has a great enhancement in Illusionworks that you should check out. However, it does require a significantly modified Zig Zag and an extra ‘table’. These first few ideas are especially ideal for presentations of the illusion performed silent to music (i.e. without talking during the performance.) Add a Skirting Around the ‘Zagged’ Section The idea is to add a cloth skirting (colour scheme and material to match your prop) around 3 sides of the prop covering the entire center section. Using Velcro, the skirting can be pre-attached around the back and side of the prop and left to hang down. After the girl enters the prop and the doors are closed, the skirting is brought up to cover the front. When the center section is initially ‘zagged’ to the side, the audience will have to mentally construct what they think is happening. Most would not think that you actually moved the center section to one side since that would seem physically impossible. They might then think that you must have shifted an outer ‘shell’ of some kind to create the illusion. Thus, when you rip the skirting away to reveal the empty space, it creates a strong specific ‘Magic Moment’ that can be accented with a high point in your music soundtrack. Although a simple idea, what this does from the visual and psychological impact on the audience is to specifically define the ‘Magic Moment’. As a fringe benefit, the skirting will also add to the deceptiveness of the illusion as their eyes do not follow the ‘zagging’ of the section towards the central support i.e. towards the ‘hottest’ part of the illusion.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

52

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Marker Parker gave a suggestion of an 'instant' center jump after the zag based on the idea of using a skirting. But based on your suggestion, I was thinking of not exposing the clear front of the center section in the same instant. My personal staging preference is to ‘Zag’, leave the front cloth skirting in place, then hinge open or slide out a front panel that covers the front of the center section exposing the girl’s middle. A beat later, whisk away the skirting to reveal empty space. Again, my line of thought was to have the audience mentally construct the effect in their minds and then lead them down the path of impossibility. This may also make the ‘dirty work’ easier (saying that with ignorance to a better method). Adding to the Visual Image of the Illusion This does not change the method of the illusion in any way but it enhances the visual image of the illusion. After the ‘zagging’ of the center section, three neon tubes or plastic tubes with LEDs inside, are pierced through each section, running from left to right for the top and bottom sections and back to front for the center section. This asymmetrical arrangement of the ‘light tubes’ creates a nice visual display, an added theatrical element and adds time to the performance as well. Costume Change It will be a simple matter and an added kicker for the girl to change her costume at the end of the illusion. Use a ‘flip-down-style’ costume as opposed to a tear-away one. 2nd Girl Production Andrew Mayne also has similar suggestion for a kicker finale for Zig Zag but this method and revelation is different. Modify and mount the Zig Zag on a Chuck Jones’ ‘Mis-**** Girl’-type ****. This allows an extra girl to be hidden in the bottom section and **** of the prop. The only difference in the standard presentation part of the illusion is to turn the prop to the side so that the doors face away from the audience. Thus, the principal girl enters the prop with its side to the audience. The same goes when she exits. After the principle girl exits the prop, it’s front should be turned back to face the audience. Use a cloth, fan, flag, jacket or a cover of your choice to momentarily shield the head cutout of the Zig Zag from view. Under this cover, the 2nd girl quickly stands up and puts her head in the head cutout to create the illusion of a sudden appearance of another girl. The Zig Zag is opened facing the audience to fully reveal the 2nd girl.

Audience Participation Zig Zag This last presentation is something I would do if I did own the Zig Zag as it suits my performance style and character. This is essentially a partial talking act with audience participation performed to a sound-bed of appropriate music.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

53

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Two audience members are invited onto stage to help out with the illusion. To make the illusion play even bigger, I will have chairs placed in a semi circle around the back of the illusion and invite spectators on stage to watch the illusion in the round. Incidentally, I use this same staging idea when performing Jim Steinmeyer’s ‘Through an One Inch Hole’. This presentation will use the skirting ideas as mentioned above. The core presentation is based on the Wakeling Sawing with leather restraints and straps that go around the neck, waist and one ankle of the girl. The straps are threaded through holes in the sides of the top, center and bottom sections of the. The neck and legs strap holes are on the same side of the prop with the hole for the waist strap running out on the opposite side of the prop. The idea is that one spectator holds the ends of both the leg and neck straps together and the other spectator is on the other side of the prop holding onto the waist strap – apparently holding the girl securely in place. None of the straps need to be gimmicked but having a stopper (such as a knot in the straps) will allow the assistant the slack needed to maneuver as necessary. Those familiar with the Wakeling Sawing will understand what I’m talking about. If you are unfamiliar with the illusion, get a copy of the ‘The Magic of Alan Wakeling’ by Steinmeyer for details. I hope you enjoyed this and maybe we will see some’ Zig Zags’ out there again!

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

54

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

MULTI-VIDE Mis-made Girl Redone

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

55

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: A tall thin cabinet elevated off the floor is seen on stage. Extension arms with shelves can be seen extending out from the sides of different parts of the cabinet. An attractive girl enters the stage and is coaxed into the box through doors opened at the back of the box. Six solid metal blades are thrust through the sides of the cabinet, dividing it into four equalsized parts. The divided sections of the cabinet are removed and rearranged so that different sections rest on different support arms to create an interesting stacked pattern of four separate boxes. The front door of each box is opened to reveal the girl's body divided into different sections as well. Her head, upper torso, lower torso & upper legs and lower legs are each seen in separate boxes. Each box is too small to actually contain the entire body of the girl. The sequence is reversed and the girl emerges from the cabinet in one piece! Introduction: Chuck Jones' "Mis-made Girl" illusion is not commonly seen nowadays. One reason is that the traditional presentation is performed as a comedy illusion that would be considered campy and cheesy for today's audience. The illusion also falls under the "boxpuzzle" illusion category that has fallen out of fashion in the last ten years. While many magicians are trying to build shows without boxes, I hold the personal opinion that a good "box illusion" does have a place in a modern illusion show. Although, I admit the percentage of magicians who agree with me may not be large. "Box Illusions" provide a certain scale and production value that cloths, pipes and drapes cannot offer. A "box" with a modern design, an interesting plot and good presentation still entertains an audience. "Multivide" is my reinvented interpretation of the "Mis-made Girl" illusion. The prop is similar to a "Mis-made Girl" illusion but is modernized and revamped with my design scheme with the modern step base, extension arm shelves, materials used and front graphic. In addition, the placement of the divided boxes after separation is also completely different and forms a fantastic aesthetic "photo moment". See Fig 1 & 2 for the basic design of the prop. I designed the illusion to be performed "straight" and not as a comedy piece. Method & Requirements From a magic technical point of view, I have always felt the “Mis-made Girl” prop looked bigger than it needed to be. In many models the base always looked thick. I also felt the traditional method where the girl's real head is revealed in the second-from-the-bottom box gave away the position of the girl and essentially the conceptual method of the illusion. This design features a small thin cabinet on a thin base that results in a prop with a small onstage footprint. The starting point was a method I developed for an illusion called "Transfo-ppearance" some years ago. The effective but crude method was based on squeezing a girl in the smallest possible space in a curled up ball position. My finding was that a slim illusion assistant-sized girl with decent flexibility could fit in a surprisingly small space. © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

56

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

This is the basic hiding position of the girl and results in a visually small box on a base that looks less than 3" thick. For the other deceptions, a fake head is required, similar to the one used in the "Disembodied Princess" illusion. You will need a FX shop to custom make one for your assistant. You could have a "generic" head made with a general skin tone, wig, sunglasses and lipstick, if you frequently use different girls. They will just have to make the make up and styling of the fake head. Of course, a good fake head without wig and sunglasses would be much more convincing and effective an illusion. The head is actually 2/3 of a head as the back of the head is flat. You could also try out an idea by Andrew Mayne. Use a high quality printer to print out a lifesize high-resolution image of your assistant's head. Wrap this photo over half a cylinder tube so that the image is curved, with the convex side facing the audience. If placed inside a box and with the right lighting, the illusion could work and is a much more affordable option than a custom fake head. The prop consists of four equally sized boxes and a base. The bottom box has two extension arms with shelves that will each hold one of the boxes during performance. The middle two boxes each have one extension arm with shelf that will hold the head box balanced between them. The Base The base is a thin three-step design on oversized castors. In my book "Illusionary Departures", I detail my design philosophy and building method for a full deceptive base. However, this is a scaled down version of that base but suits its purposes in this illusion design. Here is a brief outline of how to build this base. It is a partial base, meaning the girl does not fully lie down in this base. Instead, she sits down with her back against the side wall of the bottom box, tucks her knees to her chest, tucks her head down on her knees, curling herself tightly into a ball. Her bottom and feet are in the base that appears 2.5" thick. The rest of her body is hidden behind a fake spandex wall in the bottom box that is permanently secured to the base. The base consists of three steps:   

Main Step Top Step Bottom Step

The main step is basically built like an ATA case and you can actually use ATA case components to make it. It measures 28” x 24” x 2.5" and is finished in black laminate. There is a cutout (the hollow of the base) that measures 18” x 18”. A 1" plywood frame, with a matching sized cutout, acts as a secondary step and is screwed to the top of the Main Step. The secondary step can be painted silver or finished in silver laminate with aluminum angle to protect the edges. The cutouts of both steps should line up flush. The bottom step is basically a box without a top. It is built solid from 1/2" ply with four walls and a bottom and is finished in black carpet. It measures 18” x 18” x 4.5". It is centered under the main step and is secured to the underside of the main step with 2" x 2" aluminum angle (3mm thick).

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

57

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The resultant base will give you a hiding space depth of 5" (not counting the 1/2" material thickness of the bottom of the bottom step. Four wooden blocks, each measuring 5” x 5” x 2” are secured to the inside four corners of the main step. Oversized castors, 5" in diameter, are bolted to the underside of the bottom step. I like the look of oversized castors when possible. They fit this particular prop and raise the low-profile base off the ground enough without incurring the cost of making legs. See Fig 3 & 4 for the details of the base. FIG 1 FRONT VIEW – Original Position (Front Graphic of Girl NOT SHOWN)

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

58

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 2 FRONT VIEW – “Multi-vided”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

59

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 3 FRONT VIEW Base 28”

20”

1” 2.5” 2”

18”

FIG 4 TOP VIEW – Base 20”

2” 1”

18”

24”

20”

18”

28” © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

60

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The Boxes The boxes are made from 3/8" plywood with ATA component parts. The edges where the boxes stack together use ATA hybrid components that are grooved aluminum components that allow them to fit into each other. It is the components used between a standard ATA case lid and the box. You can make it solid with ATA component parts or to break down flat. I think it is easier not to break down the boxes. Each box has a front square window cutout with a 2.5" frame all around. A hinged door covers the front window and open up to reveal a fake body part in front of a fake wall. Each box has a door cut out at the back that hinges on one side (all back doors hinge on the same side. All the doors on the back of all the boxes are cut out all the way do that your assistant can enter the prop from behind. Each door (front & back) is kept shut with a door latch. Each box has a secret black art wall that divides the box into two compartments. One compartment hides a fake body part that corresponds the girl when she stands upright in the cabinet. There are two slots measuring 16” x 1/4" at the top on each of the side walls of the box. There are to take the metal blade that will run through the box. 1" x 1" aluminum angle (2mm thick) are bolted to the insides of the front and back walls of the box. The angle on the back wall has to be cut into three pieces because of the door. The top of the angle is in line with the bottom of the blade slots on the side of the box. They act as guides for the blade to be easily slot through the box. The middle two boxes have additional blade slots and support angle at the bottom of the boxes. The head box only had a slot at the bottom of the box. Here are the specifics of each box: Bottom Box This box has no top or bottom. It measures 18” x 18” x 18” It is permanently secured to the base with 2" x 2" aluminum angle, 3mm thick, on the inside front and back walls of the box to the under side of the main step. The front door hinges open down towards the floor. The fake wall for this bottom box is made from black velvet. But each side of the black velvet has a strip of 3" wide thick elastic sewn along the entire edge. The elastic is secured to the inside sides of the box via rivets and Velcro. The elastic allows a bit of allowance for black velvet wall to move as the girl gets into her hiding position. The lower part of two fake legs, dressed to match your assistant's costume have to be placed inside this fake black velvet wall. The fake legs must be lightweight and can be made from fiberglass, carved foam or plastic. You can look for parts at a mannequin supplies store or get a costume shop to make the parts for you out of foam. If you are using a FX company to make a fake head, you can get them to make you exact sized fake body parts too.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

61

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 There are two extension arms that extend out from the sides of this box. You can buy pre-fabricated metal arms uses for shelving units at DIY furniture shops like IKEA or good hardware stores. Bolt the vertical section of the arm into each side of the box, centered from left to right. Attach a piece of wood, measuring 14” x 14”, finished in black carpet and aluminum capping on the edges on the horizontal section of the arm. These shelves should be set away from the sides of the bottom box and not against them. The top of the shelves should be flush with the top of the bottom box. See Fig 5 for a top view of the Bottom Box will girl inside.

FIG 5 Back Door

TOP VIEW Exposed View of Bottom Box with Girl Inside

1” x 1” Aluminum Angle Guides for Blades

Extension Shelves

1” x 1” Aluminum Angle Guides for Blades

Black Velvet Fake Wall with Fake Legs

The Lower Torso/ Upper Legs Box This box is constructed the same way as the bottom box. It too has no top or bottom and both the top and bottom edges of this box can have ATA hybrid components capped over them as mentioned above. The front door hinges open to the right. There are slots at the top and bottom of the side walls with aluminum angle guides (as described above) to allow a blade to be slot through the top and bottom of the box. The fake wall for this box is made from bending 1mm thick sheet aluminum to from a box or you can construct it out of 1/4" ply. The sides facing the front should be finished in black velvet. This fake wall (or more accurately box) is attached to the inner sides of the box using nuts and bolts or Velcro. The fake wall contains a body part fake consisting of a lower torso and upper legs.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

62

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 This box has just one extension arm mounted on the right side of the box. The shelf measures 14” x 9”. During performance, the head box will be placed/ balanced on the shelf of this box as well as the Upper Torso box. There is also a handle on the other side of the box so that it will be easy to lift the box during performance. See Figs 6 & 7.

FIG 6 TOP VIEW Exposed View of Lower Torso/ Upper Legs Box

Handle

Fake Wall with Fake Lower Torso/ Upper Legs

FIG 7

16” x ¼” Slots for Blades

SIDE VIEW Exposed View of Lower Torso/ Upper Legs Box and Upper Torso Box Handle and Extension Shelf NOT SHOWN Front Door

1” x 1” Aluminum Angle Guides for Blades

Fake Wall for Fake Body Parts

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

63

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The Upper Torso Box This box is identical to the Lower Torso/ Upper Legs Box except the body fake consists of an upper torso. The fake wall is identical to the box above. This box also has one extension arm mounted on the left side of the box. The shelf measures and is identical to the Lower Torso/ Upper Legs Box but mounted on the opposite side of the box. A handle is mounted on the other side of the box as well. Note: The best way to figure out the proportion and exact parts of the body fake is to build the boxes first without the fake walls in each box. Have your assistant stand in the boxes and open the front doors. See which parts of her body shows and use that as a guide. Adjust the side of the windows/ front doors or the size of the boxes as necessary. The Head Box This head box has a front door that hinges upwards and over to the top of the box. The position of the fake wall is slightly different for this head box. It is positioned closer to the back of the box so that the fake head is closer to the center of the box. There are slots at the bottom of the side walls with aluminum angle guides (as described above) to allow a blade to be slot through the bottom of the box. Each side of the box has a handle mounted on it for easy lifting during performance.

FIG 8 TOP VIEW Exposed View of Head Box

Handle

Fake Head

The Blades The blades are identical and made from 4mm aluminum sheet with a 1" aluminum square tubing (3mm thick) riveted to one end of the blade that acts as a handle. The other corners of the blade should be rounded for safety. Each blade measures 22” x 15” but the handle extends past each side of the blade and measures 18” long. You will need a total of 6 blades.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

64

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Finishing The boxes are finished in black and dark gray laminate. In addition, a front graphic should be applied to the front of the illusion in the form of a silhouette of a standing female body. This can be printed in white or light silver on vinyl stickers and stuck onto the front of the prop. A sharp blade is used to cut out the necessary lines for the dividing portions of the boxes and the front doors. This graphic will add greatly to the modern aesthetic design of the prop as well as give a visual reference of the supposed position of the girl inside of the box. Breakdown and Transport If you make all the boxes so that they can break down, you would be able to pack the entire illusion in a single case. I prefer not to pack down the boxes so require two cases to pack the illusion. One case is for the bottom box and base unit. The extension arms are removed and packed into the same case. The other three boxes are stacked together and fit into another case. Set-Up All the boxes are stacked in order vertically and three blades can be placed on an extension arm on either side of the prop. Performance & Presentation: The illusion can be performed with just the illusionist and the girl inside the prop but I think it will play better and be more time efficient if there is an additional assistant or stagehand that assists during the performance. I will describe the performance assuming there is an additional stagehand. If you do not work with an additional stagehand, it will be a simple matter to adjust the choreography so you perform all the actions. Phase 1 "A classic in magic is sawing a lady into two halves. Tonight, I'm going to try to perform this illusion twice as well... And divide her body into four pieces. Check this out!" (Music plays) The prop is center stage and your assistant enters the stage. The prop can be turned at a slight angle as you open the doors so that the girl can be clearly seen entering the prop. Close the doors behind the girl and latch them shut. Turn the prop 360 degrees and set it back so its front faces the audience. Once your assistant is locked into the cabinet, she must quickly make her way down to the Bottom Box and base. She turns to the side, sits down and curls her self into a tight ball. The black velvet fake wall with elastic sides will allow the fake wall to move slightly to give the girl

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

65

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 more space to go down into the bottom box and base. She must later tuck her head down so that the blade that goes through the Bottom Box will be able to pass over her. Pick up two of the metal blades and clank them together to show that they are solid. Start to insert the blades in the slots. The stagehand enters the stage and assists in inserting the blades from the other side of the prop. Obviously, you should work out the choreography situation he does not insert his blades into the same slots. Phase 2 Once all the blades are in place, pause. Gesture to the Head Box and lift it off by the two handles. Display it and place it on the stage floor center front. Next, lift off the Upper Torso Box, holding it by the handle and extension arm and stand to the left of the prop (stage left). The stagehand removes the Lower Torso/ Upper Legs Box the same way and stands to the right of the prop. Cross over and switch positions with stagehand. Place your box on the extension arm shelf on the right side of the prop. The stagehand places his box and the other shelf. If done correctly, the single extension arm shelf on each box should face each other, creating a large shelf between them. Phase 3 Pick up the Head Box from the floor and place it onto the extension arm shelves formed by the middle two boxes. Flip open the front door of the Head Box, followed by the rest of the front doors of the other boxes. Reveal the divided body parts and pose for applause. Phase 4 Close up all the front doors (stagehand assists if you like). Remove the Head Box and place it on the stage floor. Reverse your actions in Phase 2 to re-stack the middle two boxes in the right order. Retrieve the Head Box and place it back at the top. Remove all the blades and replace them on the extension arm shelves. Start with the bottom blades first. This will signal and give your assistant time to exit from her hiding position and stand up. Turn the prop slightly to its side as before and open the back doors to allow your assistant to exit and receive a well-deserved applause.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

66

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

SEVEN BY HALF V2.0 A divided lady illusion reinvented & improved

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

67

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: A girl enters a vertical trapezium-shaped cabinet whose position is depicted by a graphic on the front of the cabinet. Six large stainless steel guillotine-shaped blades (examinable) are inserted into the cabinet from front through the back, dividing the cabinet into seven sections. Each section is too small for the girl to hide and the blades run the entire width of the cabinet. To top it off, the entire top half of the cabinet is titled 90 degrees to its side, effectively dividing the cabinet into half. The cabinet is restored and the blades are removed. The doors are opened to reveal the girl unharmed!

Introduction: In 2005, I designed the first version of 'Seven by Half’ that was my original design for a 'blade & box' illusion. The illusion was designed for the working performer. It was selfcontained, lightweight, packed small, played big and could be performed completely surrounded. Jack Murray built the first prop and he did an excellent job in fabricating the illusion and applying his building expertise to the project. The sword/ blade box is a time-tested plot that is strong, audience-tested and relatively angle-proof. The only 'problem' if you can call it that, with the presentation is that there is no kick or specific climax to the illusion. You simply put in the swords and then take them out all over again. That is why good presentations of illusions like Harbin 'Zig Zag Girl' and its evolved cousin, Gunther Punchinger's 'Mini Kub Zag', are much more popular and generally better received by audiences than a standard sword/ blade box or 'Geometrick-style illusion. There is a definite 'punch-line' to the illusion; after the blades are in and the prop is 'zagged'. This gives clear indication to the audience to applaud. My motivation for creating 'Seven by Half' was to create a new look and overall illusion presentation for an existing plot. The whole idea was NOT to merely transplant an illusion method/ look to another box. I designed 'Seven by Half' as an equal alternative for illusionists looking for a 'new' practical illusion and an enhancement to a blade box illusion. I also wanted the method to be fresh. While the contributing methods for hiding the girl cannot be called new by any extent of the imagination, the original design of the prop along with other elements eliminate the perception of any conventional hiding place for the girl. The effectiveness behind the deception of 'Seven by Half' is due to the simplicity of the effect and prop design. It is very straightforward in terms of the look of the prop - a cabinet with six slots to receive 6 blades that can be split into half. To the audience, the insertion of the blades is already a fooler. The dividing of the cabinet by flipping it on its side is a definite kicker/ applause moment in the performance of the illusion. The prop design is specific and intended. For example, the support arm is both functional and aesthetic. It starts off as a shelf/ holder for the 6 blades and then later serves as the support for the upper half of the cabinet when it is flipped over. The curved design of the support arm with circle cutouts and circle on the exterior graphics are juxtaposed with the straight edges of the cabinet and blades to create visual contrast. It gives texture to the prop design and an interesting look without making it look too 'boxy'.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

68

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The V2.0 of this illusion features a brand new design so it looks much more stylish and modern. Many have noted that the prop reminds them of Jim Steinmeyer’s Modern Art. This was not intended but I can see the resemblance because of the front graphic on the cabinet. Method & Requirements: The prop must be custom built and Fig 1 shows the Front View of the finished prop with blades in place.

FIG 1 FRONT VIEW – Overview of Prop

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

69

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 There are 3 secrets that create the hiding space for the girl, who is in a side cross-legged “Doll House” position: 1. The base which allows space for the girl’s legs and butt to be positioned under the bottommost blade 2. The two bottommost blades are shorter in width than the rest. This allows the blades to pass her stomach and neck. Her chest is in the space between the blades. 3. There is an extra 1” vertical space that runs in between the side support arms. The girl’s back is resting against this hollow side wall. The prop is fabricated out of a combination of wood and aluminum, The prop can be made to pack flat, if you make both the top boxes collapsible. Personally, I would go against that. In his excellent lecture notes, Chris Murphy of Oz Illusions discusses the practicality of packing efficiently, instead of flat. He prefers illusions to pack fast into the smallest space, as opposed to taking a long time and many bolts and nuts to pack flat for sake of saving a bit of space. In line with this logical thought, I suggest V2.0 be broken down and cased in the following way: The boxes are built solid, this also helps to ensure alignment is preserved over time. The bottom box is built solid with the base. The entire support arm shelf with hollow space and arms are built as one unit and can be detached from the bottom box. This top box can be inverted and fit into the bottom box. The support arm shelf is then fitted into the bottom box as well. Everything rolls into one case. Base & Main Cabinet (Boxes) The base is 3” thick and made out of a lumber frame, ¼” plywood top and a sheet metal (aluminum or stainless steel) bottom. The corners of the base are solid wood so that 3” castors can be screwed into the bottom corners and more importantly so that the base can take the weight of the prop with the girl inside. The base is covered in black carpet or vinyl and trimmed with 2” aluminum flat bar to make it look thinner. The Main Cabinet comprises of two boxes. The boxes are built solid from ¼” ply or 13mm honey comb aluminum. One vertical side is built at a slanted angle and the other vertical side perpendicular to the floor. Each box has a fake vertical ‘support’ on the vertical side of the box. This ‘support’ is made from 3” x 1” lumber, finished in black with an 2” aluminum 2mm thick flat bar vertical trim. This vertical ‘support’ hides 3” of space similar to how the vertical support of a Zig Zag cabinet hides space. The front and back sides of both boxes have slots about 5mm thick. The slots do not run the entire width of the boxes although it will look like it when the prop is finished. The slots start 1” from the slanted side of the cabinet and end 1” before the vertical ‘support’ on the vertical side of the cabinet. See Fig 2. These slots are for the blades to be inserted through the cabinet. Lengths of aluminum angles are riveted or bolted just under each slot (front & back) to act as guides when the blades are inserted into and through the slots. There is an embedded door cut out and hinged on the slanted vertical side of each box. The doors open out towards the audience and can be secured shut with bolt latches on the outside. See Fig 3.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

70

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 2 FRONT VIEW 10” 3”

Slots for blades start 1” from the slanted side of the cabinet and end 1” before the vertical ‘support’ on the vertical side of the cabinet

34”

16” 68”

16” 34”

3”

22”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

71

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

14”

FIG 3 SIDE VIEW – Door Side

30”

30”

22”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

72

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The bottom box also has a rectangular hole cut out on the vertical side of the box, the side directly opposite the door. This cutout is covered with a hollow wall fabricated by making a 1” x 1” x 1” lumber frame and covering it with aluminum sheet to form the wall. This creates a 1” extra recessed hiding space. The support arm shelf unit will subsequently fit over this hollow wall and be attached to it via nuts and bolts. The two boxes are held together with a length of piano hinge that runs the entire width of the inside of the boxes. The top box can be removed from the bottom box by detaching the top box from the piano hinge via nuts & bolts. The top box has a cover that forms the roof of the prop. Fig 4 shows a close-up front view of the bottom base only. Fig 5 shows a side view of the entire prop.

FIG 4 FRONT VIEW – Bottom Box

Piano Hinge runs across entire width of inside of the bottom box. Top is attached to the piano hinge via nuts & bolts

Hollow side wall

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

73

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 5 SIDE VIEW – Support Arm Shelf Side

16”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

74

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Support Arm Shelf Unit This unit comprises of a shelf and two side arms. The shelf is made from ½” ply top with two 1” x 1” lumber strips on the underside that the two support arms are secured to. The support arms are laser cut from 2mm sheet aluminum. They are curved with circle cutouts for aesthetic design. The support arms are screwed into the 1” x 1” lumber strips on the underside of the shelf top. This entire unit is secured to the sides of the hollow wall of the bottom box via nuts & bolts. Refer back to Figs 4 & 5 to see how the Support Arm Shelf Unit is attached to the bottom box. The Blades All the blades are technically ungimmicked, although two blades are slightly shorter in width than the rest. These are the two bottommost blades. The blades are cut from 3mm thick sheet aluminum with wooden handles along one end. The handles extend beyond the width of the blades by 1” on either side of the blade so that when slotted in place in the boxes, it gives the visual deceptive of the blades running the entire width of the boxes. However, the two bottommost blades are shorter in width by 2” than they should be. These 2” gives 2” of extra necessary space for the girl when she gets into the hiding position. See Fig 6.

FIG 6 FRONT VIEW

1”

Regular Blades

3”

Two Bottommost Blades

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

75

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Set-up: The prop is set vertically upright with blades on the support arm shelf. I place the shorter blades third & fifth from the top. Performance & Presentation: The performance mechanics as well as the position the girl has to get in should be straight forward and apparent based on the description of the effect and explaining of the method above. But briefly; you start off by rotating the prop around. If you like, you can show off the top two blades and clank them together. Open the doors for the girl to enter the cabinet. Once you close the doors, she turns to her side and sits cross-legged down into the base. Her back and head leans back into the hollow side wall. Take the first two blades and insert them into the middle two slots. The girl can help to guide the blades through the slots. Take the next (short) blade and insert it into the bottommost slot. This should pass above your assistant’s thighs and just graze her stomach. Insert the next blade into the topmost slot. The next (short) blade goes into the remaining slot in the bottom box, just under the girl’s chin. Put the final blade in the remaining slot in the top box. Once all the blades are in, tilt the top box 90 degrees so that it rests on the support arm shelf. Rotate the divided prop around and reverse all actions. Open the doors to reveal the girl unharmed. J C’s Notes: 

A costume change kicker always adds to an illusion of this nature. I use a tear-away costume design with wig, gloves over gloves and a jacket that is put on after the costume change is made. This gives for the most obvious and varied change possible. The stripped-off clothes are simply left in the prop after the girl exits.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

76

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

WALL 2 WALL An Interpretation of a Woodbury Compressing Illusion

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

77

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: Two walls each about 1.5” thick are displayed. The walls are each mounted onto a dolly so that they can be wheeled around easily. The walls are positioned adjacent to a beautiful girl posing on stage. She stretches out her arms so that each wall is at arm’s length from her. Behind the girl, a roller blind is stretched open from one wall to the other. Another roller blind is stretched open from one wall to the other in front of the girl, obscuring her from view. The front of this roller blind has a graphic of the girl with her arms stretched out, mirroring the actions of the girl inside. The two walls are now pushed forward towards each other. Slowly but surely, the space between the walls is reduced as the walls get closer together. Eventually, the two walls are pressed completely together without an inch to spare. The walls are pulled apart and the front roller blind is released revealing the girl unharmed and in a different costume. Introduction: Full credit goes to Rand Woodbury for the plot and fundamental method as described in his illusion ‘The Ex-Squeeze Me Illusion’, IllusionWorks (1993). While I liked the plot and method, I felt that the prop was a bit too big and cumbersome. My contributions are; making the size of the apparatus more manageable and making the prop easier to build. Another difference is that only one girl is used in this illusion instead of Woodbury’s two. The overall look of the prop is also quite different from the original. As a performer, backstage space is just as important as on-stage space. In fact, backstage management is a real issue for an illusion show because many smaller venues, especially events, have very limited backstage space. This particular illusion design allows for a big illusion to play big on stage but take up minimal space backstage. It also packs relatively flat. This is a fun illusion to perform and is quite unique.

Method & Requirements: The basic apparatus consists of two walls mounted on dollies, each with an aluminum support frame that also acts as a trolley handle. Although the walls are perceived to be the same thickness, one wall is actually thicker than the other. Both walls are gimmicked but one wall is thicker and has a roller blind mounted vertically on each of its front and back edges. Wall #1 The wall is essentially a double-step base placed vertically. The primary ‘step’ is the apparent solid wall. It is actually a frame with black spandex stretched over it so that it looks solid. The wall frame is constructed from 1.25” x 1” lumber and is 72” tall and 33” wide. This size allows enough slack in the spandex when the girl is compressed between the two walls.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

78

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The secondary ‘step’, which is 1.5” thick, is hidden by two vertical lengths of 1.5” aluminum tubing and another horizontal length on top. The back of the secondary ‘step’ is 1mm aluminum sheet that is nailed into the frame of the ‘step’. The dolly is a basic ply and lumber frame board assembly with four 3” castors, one at each corner. An aluminum support frame made from 1.5” aluminum tubing, which also acts as the handle for the prop, is bolted to the surface of the dolly. The dolly is secured to the wall via a length of 2” aluminum angle (4mm thick) on the underside of the dolly as well as the bolting of the aluminum support frame to the secondary ‘step’ of the wall. The exterior of the wall and dolly, excluding the spandex ‘face’ is finished in black carpet. Fig 1 shows the Side View of Wall #1. Fig 2 shows the Exploded Side View of Wall #1. Fig 3 shows the Back View of Wall #1 without the Aluminum Support/ Dolly. Fig 4 shows the Back View of Wall #1 with the Aluminum Support/ Dolly. Fig 5 shows the 3D View of the Aluminum Support.

FIG 1 SIDE VIEW - WALL #1

Bolt to Secure Support Frame to Wall

1.5” Aluminum Tubing Support Frame

Dolly with 3” Castors

12”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

79

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

1.25” 1.5”

FIG 2 EXPLODED SIDE VIEW - Wall #1

8”

10” 72” 59”

35”

2” 3”

2” Aluminum Angle (4mm thick)

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

80

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 3

FIG 4

BACK VIEW - Wall #1 without Aluminum Support Frame and Dolly Shown

BACK VIEW - Wall #1 with Aluminum Support Frame and Dolly

5”

20”

5”

33”

24”

Aluminum Angle (4mm thick)

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

81

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 5 3D VIEW Aluminum Support Frame without Dolly

Side Supports Bolt to the Sides of the Secondary ‘Step’ of the Wall

Horizontal Base Support Bolts into Dolly

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

82

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Wall #2 Wall #2 is exactly the same as Wall #1 except for two features. Firstly, the primary ‘step’ or main ‘wall’ is 3” thick as opposed to Wall #1’s 1.25” thickness. The second feature is two roller blinds, each running the entire vertical length of the front & back vertical edges of the primary step. The blinds are mounted to mask the thickness of the ‘wall’. When opened, the width of each roller blind is 42”. Fig 6 shows the Side View of Wall #2.

FIG 6 SIDE VIEW - Wall #2 3”

Roller Blind

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

83

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The spring catch in the roller blind should be removed and a 1” aluminum angle (2mm thick) is sewn or glued into the edge of the roller blind. This keeps the roller blind straight when stretched open. A flat bar would not be strong enough. Two Velcro tabs 2” x 1” are riveted to the edge of the roller blind and one side of the aluminum angle. Two corresponding Velcro tabs are glued onto the vertical edges of Wall #1. This is so that the roller blinds from Wall #2 can be pulled opened and secured to Wall #1. The material of the roller blind should be white stiffened polyester (standard material for household blinds) with the outside featuring a line art graphic of a girl with her arms outstretched to her sides. This graphic should be centered when the roller blind is fully stretched out between the two ‘walls’. When the walls are pressed in ‘frame to frame’ together, the space in the center will be 7.25”thick. This, combined with the ‘give’ from the 1mm aluminum sheet backs of the ‘walls’ will be just enough space to conceal the girl. Her feet are actually the tightest fit with just 4.25” of space to contain her feet when they are turned outwards. However, due to the design of the ‘walls’, the visible thickness will be about 4”; a majority which will be hidden by the natural thickness of the roller blind roll. When the walls are pulled apart, the audience gets a clear view of Wall#1 (1.25” thick) and will assume that the other wall is of a similar thickness. Due to the masking of the roller blind, the actual thickness will not be easily discerned. You will also require a slim girl that can fit into a 7.25” - 7.5” thick space. If you choose to do a costume change, the costume should be a ‘quick-pull’ style where the top of the outside costume is flipped down to reveal the inside costume top. The inside of the outside costume now becomes the bottom of the inside costume. For the smoothest and most efficient presentation of this illusion, you will require an additional onstage assistant. However, I will also brief a two-person presentation method at the end of this illusion description.

Set-up: There is little set-up to do except for the girl to be in costume with costume change prepared. The roller blinds will be in the closed position.

Performance & Presentation: The two walls are brought onto stage and displayed to the audience by your on-stage assistant and you. For the staging of this display sequence, I recommend that you handle Wall #1 downstage and closer to the audience while your on-stage assistant displays Wall #2 but more upstage. This is so that you and Wall #1 are in the foreground and pull focus away from Wall #2. In a synchronized series of actions, both of you rotate the walls and place them face to face about 42” apart from each other. Wall #2 is on stage right. The girl enters the stage and establishes her presence. She positions herself between the walls and stretches out her hands to apparently prevent the walls from coming any closer. She must be careful to avoid pressing into the walls which will betray their spandex surfaces. © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

84

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

When the girl gets into position, you onstage assistant pulls the back roller blind open and secures it to the back of Wall #1. You then draw open the front roller blind revealing the graphic of the girl and secure it to the front of Wall #1. Once the roller blinds have obscured the girl from view, she immediately gets into position by turning her body 90 degrees and keeping her arms and body as flat as possible. She also has to turn her feet outwards to fit them into the small space at the base of the prop. Your onstage assistant and you push the two walls together steadily. As the walls come together, the roller blinds will retract into its coil. Just as there is about a foot to go, speed up so that the two walls are quickly pressed against each other. Once the walls are butted up against each other, use your foot to hold your wall in place so that you can strike an applause cue pose. The elasticity and force exerted on the spandex may cause the wall to be pushed back if you do not keep it in place. Your on-stage assistant can do the same and mirror your actions. Once applause has been accepted, reverse all your actions and draw the walls apart. Once the walls are drawn apart, the girl turns back to face the front and pulls down her costume change to effect the change. When the walls are back to the starting position, release the front roller blind to reveal the girl unharmed and in a new costume! For the clean-up, while the girl and you strike a finale pose at the foot of the stage, your onstage assistant releases the back roller blind and wheels Wall #2 offstage. As the girl exits the stage after the finale pose, she pushes Wall #1 with her. J C’s Notes: 

If you do not have an extra onstage assistant (apart from the girl) to work with you on this illusion, you can still present the illusion effectively.

For this handling, the castors on Wall #2 must have locking castors, at least the two under the handle of the dolly. During performance, the girl will play the role in displaying Wall #2 instead of the onstage assistant. The girl will set Wall #2 in place first and using her feet, lock the two back castors of the prop. Continue the performance as before but instead of the two walls coming together at the same time, you will be pushing Wall #1 into Wall #2, which would remain stationary. 

If you have ample onstage assistants, you can have two assistants performing all the maneuvering of the walls. You can simply be on stage to handle the front roller blind and look good.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

85

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

SQUEEZED & SKEWERED A Fresh New Design for a Time-Tested Plot

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

86

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: A girl steps up onto a table and into a rectangular box. She poses thigh-high into the box. A large flag is waved in front of the girl and she disappears into the box. The box is now squeezed to half it’s size - a mere 20” square! Next, six steel spikes are impaled crisscrossed through the box. Despite this, the girl’s hand impossibly emerges from the top of the box and waves to the audience. The process is reversed and the girl reemerges from the box unharmed! Introduction: This is my original design for a 'sword box' illusion. One will no doubt see that inspirations for this design are drawn from the classic ‘Sword Basket’ and Jim Steinmeyer’s ‘Origami’, with a nod of acknowledgement to Rand Woodbury’s ‘Jam’ illusion. In fact, my pet name for this illusion is ‘Hindu Origami’. However, this is quite a different design, concealment method and has a smaller onstage footprint compared to the modern-classic ‘Origami’. I put it in the same category as another illusion I designed called ‘Seven by Half’ (Version 2.0 is detailed in my book “Urban Illusions”. Both revisit time-tested plots but are completely new in look and presentational effect. ‘Squeezed & Skewered’ is designed for the working performer. It is completely selfcontained, packs flat and the thoroughly thought-out design elements make this illusion deceptive and mechanically trouble-free. The ‘split-load’ hiding position creates the actual hiding space and makes the illusion highly deceptive. Method & Requirements: You will require a custom built prop for this illusion. The girl is hidden in three distinct areas of the prop. Her curled up upper body is bent forward and takes up most of the space in the box part of the prop. The girl’s bottom and thighs are hidden in the table base of the prop. Her lower legs are concealed in the central pedestal of the prop ala a Jarrett-style pedestal. As for the spears: On one side of the prop, four spears are passed through the prop. Two spears go past either side of her head, just above her shoulders. The other two spears go past either side of her waist. The fifth and sixth spears pass through the adjacent side of the box and go past the front of her tummy and in front of her neck respectively. This is a somewhat similar arrangement to how swords go past the girl in a sword box or cabinet illusion. Fig 1 & 2 shows the Front & Side Views of the design of the main prop. Fig 3 shows the Front View of Hiding Position of the girl when the main box is compressed and impaled with the six spears.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

87

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 1 FRONT VIEW Design of Main Prop

FIG 2 SIDE VIEW Design of Main Prop

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

88

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 3 FRONT VIEW Hiding Position with Box Compressed with Six Spears in Place

The main prop is constructed out of wood or aluminum and aluminum angle. There are three main components of the prop. Main Box The main ‘box’ part of the prop consists of two box shells, one inner and one outer, for lack of a better description. The box shells can be made from 1/4” plywood or 2mm aluminum sheet. You could also use a combination of 1/8” plywood with 1mm sheet aluminum to get the best combination of lightweight and sturdiness. The inner box is secured onto the table base via aluminum angles and round-head bolts & wing nuts. This is to facilitate the dismantling of the prop for transport purposes. (The aluminum angles are permanently screwed to the table base.) The outer box is positioned to the side (1” overlap) of the inner box, It is slightly larger so that it can slide over the inner box. There is a ½” aluminum U-tubing screwed (with counter sunk flat head screws) on either side of the inner box that act as tracks for the outer box to smoothly slide over the inner box. The bottom edges of the outer box are also capped with fitting aluminum U-tubing to facilitate smooth sliding. The front of each box has two holes and they are in line with another two holes on the back of each box. The sides of each box each have four holes that line up. When the boxes are nested, all holes should line up accordingly so that the six spears can be cleanly passed through the boxes. The boxes are finished in plastic laminate with 2” black borders to make the boxes appear smaller. © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

89

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

The inner box has dimensions 17” x 20” x 22” (H). The outer box has dimensions 22” x 22” x 22” (H) and includes a hinged lid that measures 23” x 22” x 22”. The lid has a 6” hole cut out in its centre. Overlapping spandex covers the hole so that there is a center split in the hole for the girl’s hand to pass through. Table Base The boxes are mounted on a table base which measures 42” x 32” x 3” (H). Central Pedestal on Castor Base Supporting the table base is a central pedestal that has an exterior thickness of 6”. It is constructed with a lumber frame and covered with ply or sheet aluminum. However, with the right masking and trimming, the pedestal looks even thinner. The front has a 3” aluminum vertical flat bar with two strips of ¼” aluminum strips placed ½” away from either side of the 3” vertical flat bar. 1.5” black vinyl round stickers are added at regular intervals for further deception. This is identical to the exterior masking used in the central pedestal used in ‘Singular’. Note: This is not a pedestal with tapered sides. The pedestal need not have tapered sides because it is very thin and the prop is rotated completely around during performance. The pedestal is mounted on a base with four 3” castors. The pedestal is secured to the table base and castor base via 2” aluminum angle (4mm thick), bolts, washers and wing nuts. A holder with six holes, used to hold the six spears, is mounted onto the top of the castor base behind the pedestal. Six corresponding holes (2” in diameter) are drilled through the table base behind the main box so that the spikes can be inserted through the table and into the base holder. Fig 4 shows the Front View of the prop. Fig 5 shows the Side View of the prop. Fig 6 shows the Top View of the prop.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

90

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 4 FRONT VIEW - Main Prop

17”

Outer Box

Inner Box 22”

Lid with 6” Hole 5”

22”

9”

Aluminum U-Tubing acts as Track for Outer Box

4”

2”

3”

2” Aluminum Angle (4mm Thick) 26”

Base Holder for Six Spears

2” 3” 6” 28”

32”

42”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

91

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 5 SIDE VIEW - Main Prop Lid is NOT Shown

32”

22”

Outer Box 12” 2”

56”

2”

6”

2” Aluminum Angle (4mm Thick) 3”

6”

18”

28”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

92

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 6 TOP VIEW - Main Prop

42” Holes in Table Base that Correspond with Holes in Holder on Castor Base for Six Spears

Aluminum U-Tubing acts as Track for Outer Box

32”

Lid with 6” Hole

Outer Box Overlaps Inner Box by 1”

Aluminum Angles to Secure Inner Box to Table Base

Others The six spears are made from hollow aluminum or stainless steel poles about 1” in diameter. Wood shafts (1” in diameter) are whittled and sanded down at one end to form sharp points or spike heads. The spike heads are painted a metallic silver colour, then glued and inserted into one end of the aluminum or stainless steel poles to form complete menacing spikes. The flag is made from double lined satin in your preferred colour and measures 4’ x 3’. It is mounted on a flagpole (1” aluminum or wood pole) 36” long. You will also require one assistant to perform the illusion.

Set-up: The prop is set with the six spikes through the table base and into the respective slots in the base holder. The boxes are ‘expanded’ and the lid of the outer box is open. The flag is folded neatly and placed onto the table base in between the main box and spears.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

93

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Performance & Presentation: The prop is brought out center stage. Your assistant enters the stage and you help her up onto the table base and inside the boxes. One way to do this gracefully is to kneel down by placing one knee on the floor with the other leg bent 90 degrees with your foot planted firmly on the floor. Taking your assistant’s hand, she uses your knee as a step and steps up onto the table base and subsequently elegantly steps into the boxes. Being careful not to step into the pedestal hole, she positions herself onto the bottom of the table base so that she looks like she is standing in the center of the boxes. She should tip toe so that the depth discrepancy will not be noticed. Take the flag from the table base, unfurl it and wave it dramatically with a flourish. Stand on the stage right side of the prop. Holding the end of the flag pole, wave it in front of your assistant in the following way: In a steady pace, wave it stage left to right in one broad motion, obscuring your assistant from view. Before the flag is completely waved past your assistant, immediately reverse the direction with a snap of your wrist and slow down to a steady pace waving the flag from right to left. This waving sequence should give your assistant enough time to quickly crouch down into the boxes. This sequence is ‘borrowed’ from Ayala’s presentation Spear Box illusion. Once crouched down in the boxes, your assistant maneuvers her legs into the pedestal and seats herself on the base. She then bends forward and tucks her head in. Push the outer box so that it slides over the inner box. Flip the lid over so that it covers the nested boxes. Remove two spears and insert them through the front of the boxes. The spears should pass in front of your assistant’s stomach and just in front of her neck, under her chin. Remove another two spears and insert them through the boxes from right to left. The spears go past either side of your assistant’s waist. Finally, take the last two spears and insert through the boxes from left to right. The spears go past either side of your assistant’s head, just above her shoulders. Strike an applause cue and point to the compressed box. Your assistant then stretches her hand upwards pass the spears and extends her hand out of the box through the 6” hole. Revolve the prop 360 degrees to show the impossibility of the illusion from all angles. Reverse all the actions performed to reproduce your assistant.

J C’s Notes:



For visual variety during performance, you might also consider turning the prop between the insertions of the spears so that the audience gets various views of the prop.



You could no doubt use samurai swords instead of the spikes. Simply change the size and shapes of the hopes in the boxes and holder.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

94

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

MENTALISM ILLUSIONS

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

95

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

PRESENTING MENTALISM ILLUSIONS While most probably know me best as an illusionist and illusion designer, I have been performing a professional mentalism show in some form since 2002, although I have never marketed it as a mentalism show nor used the word “mentalism” unless talking to fellow magicians. My partner, Ning & I currently perform a two-person mentalism show that features wellknown mentalism plots and uses traditional mentalism techniques. But many routines also adopt unconventional methods, staging and presentational approaches, influenced from my illusion background. We have staged two mentalism-centric "mega stunts" that collectively garnered more than $50,000 worth of PR with multiple media features and interviews for TV, newspapers, magazines, online and magic media. In the first stunt, we did a lottery prediction but what made it unique from any other lottery prediction done before was that we had an actual lottery ticket inside our prediction box along with a printed prediction. We also donated $10,000 to a children's charity as a result of our correct prediction. In the second stunt staged in Jan 2012, we set an official world magic record for reading 100 minds in 60 minutes. The record was officiated by the Singapore Book of Records and the International Brotherhood of Magicians (HQ) and was also streamed live over the Internet. I highlight these past experiences, which are all documented online, to reassure you that I have a track record in creating mentalism presentations and understand the pure side of mentalism. But, I should qualify right now that the material in this chapter was designed with the mainstream public, media and international show bookers in mind. As such, this material was written for magicians, illusionists, and mentalists targeting this specific market. As an illusionist and show producer, I see the value (often the need) to play big, regardless of the style of magic show you do. Playing big can come in the form of scale of effects, personality, attire, props, cast, stage sets, lighting and music. In a professional stage show, audiences, show bookers, clients and TV producers expect and sometimes even demand production value. This in no way undermines the importance and necessity of personality, entertainment value and the core material of the performer. It is the complete package that is so often talked about in show business. A good singer might have the best voice in the world but recording companies still know the importance of packaging, costuming, theatrical show production, dancers, stage sets, lighting and pyrotechnics to sell an album and concert experience. A mentalism or magic show is no different. While not suited for every show for every market, there is a huge market, especially in higher value shows like big corporate events and TV shows who generally favour spectacular “showy” acts with visual elements. Look at Uri Geller's franchise TV show that has run in different countries in recent years. It is a mentalism-centric show but a lot of production value is added to the acts to make them more spectacular, visually appealing and more commercial. For working performers, investing in scale and production value for your show can result in an increase in your asking fee; in turn increasing your commercial and brand value. There are only a few stage illusions that have a mentalism presentation or utilize an illusion method or principle. Two that come to mind are Fred Culpitt’s “Costume Trunk”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

96

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 illusion and the “Motley Man” illusion that Mark Wilson performed on Magic Circus. In Illusion Works 2, Rand Woodbury adopts a unique method for a prediction effect and David Copperfield’s “Graffitii Wall” is an excellent example of dressing up a mass participation prediction routine. There are quite a few stage mentalism routines that do play big. The most popular plot seems to be the roulette routines whether it is with rifles, handguns or with knives, spikes, nail guns and other dangerous objects. Chair tests, blindfold acts, two-person code acts, spirit cabinets, gypsy rope ties and routines that can involve a large number of people like the Zimmerman Prediction Chest or Don Wayne's "Dream Vision" also come to mind. Stage routines for mentalism can also be found in the published works of Lee Earle, Larry Becker, Max Maven, Ted Lesley, Steve Banacheck, Richard Osterlind, Bob Cassidy, Al Koran, Maurice Fogel, Ted Annemann, Corinda and Andy Nyman to name some influential contributors to the mentalism knowledge base. However, finding mentalism stage routines that are both large-scale and visual is more difficult. The routines in this chapter were designed to meet both these criteria. I wanted mentalism routines that have both large-scale production value and visual elements. I'm happy to say that all the routines in the chapter satisfy both criteria except for "Psychometric Touch" (which still plays big). As students of the art, it is essential to be knowledgeable in all aspects of magic (mentalism being just one aspect). This allows you to apply techniques, methods and approaches from one genre of magic to another. Mentalists generally shy away from large props or props that do not look like regular items that can be found around the home or office. I think there is room to include more "props" in a mentalism show beyond the seemingly obligatory envelopes, books, clipboards, writing pads, flip charts and pieces of paper or card. I hope this book will help bridge mentalists’ knowledge of mentalism techniques with stage/ magic & illusion techniques & prop design. More often than not, an “out of the ordinary” prop can be completely accepted by the audience if its presence is motivated or justified. It is about giving context for its use in a routine. For example, in my "Paycheck" routine, the large locked glass box is not a normal looking item but in the context of the presentation where the mentalist is hosting a magic game show, it makes perfect sense. The same goes for the giant glass box used in "Fashion Statement" that is viewed as a see-through container to keep a prediction in full view of the audience throughout the routine. The same thinking was applied to "Visible Jumbo Deck" where a wooden box is used to contain an "Invisible Deck". I also employed illusion design techniques to improve on an existing mentalism utility that is used in “Unseen Forces” and “Shatter”. I should stress that I'm not advocating that a whole mentalism show be made up of this type of material. That would compromise the integrity of a mentalism show in my opinion. However, if you add one or two of these routines to complement your existing show, I'm sure you will be able to see how your show will play much bigger and have a positive perception of scale, of course assuming the show environment is suited for a bigger scale show. In addition, in an ironic way, these large-scale routines can actually psychologically strengthen the “pure” mentalism routines in your show and ultimately elevate your show as a whole in the eyes of the audience. Not only is the show seen as a big-scale show, it has content that completely astounds the audience with seemingly “prop-less” effects. This is similar to the juxtaposition of close-up magic segments on video screens with illusion numbers in large illusion shows.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

97

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

I know there will still be a percentage of mentalists who will not like this material and may even be offended that the purity of mentalism effects is "ruined" by elements of magic, visual elements and production value as they feel it demeans the effect and presentation of mentalism. To these individuals: I respect the point of view of believing that mentalism should only be performed with minimal props, ordinary items and presented with psychological premises to make routines believable. However, that is not the only way mentalism can be presented. If it makes you feel better, you can label the material in this book as mental magic or mental illusions. If you are a mentalist, magician or illusionist always exploring new ideas, approaches and alternative perspectives, you will likely find value in this material. I would like to highlight that the script and patter provided in the “Performance & Presentation” should be taken as broad guidelines only. Scripting, choice of words, pauses and tone are essential in the presentation of good mentalism and it is no different for these routines!

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

98

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIRST IMPRESSIONS A Powerful Opening Prediction Revelation for Stage

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

99

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: A large tall framework with a cloth covering the center is seen on stage. It measures about 8ft high by 6 fit wide. The mentalist enters the stage and greets the audience. He explains to the audience that he has a prediction on stage concerning the thoughts of someone in the audience. He proceeds to read the thoughts of different audience members, and then speaks directly to the CEO/ VIP of the event. He states that the CEO/ VIP actually has a movie at the back of his mind, even though he watched it a long time ago. The mentalist highlights that the CEO/ VIP has not told anyone about the movie and no one came to him before the show to tell him to think of a specific movie. The CEO/ VIP confirms everything to be true. The mentalist asks the CEO/ VIP to name the movie that he was thinking of for the first time. The CEO/ VIP calls out “Star Wars”. A music track plays in the background and the mentalist calls attention to the covered framework on stage. With a dramatic gesture, pyrotechnics erupt from the base and top of the framework and the cloth drops to the floor revealing a giant reproduction of the “Star Wars” poster! The mentalist strikes a pose in sync with the dynamic ending of the music to accept his applause, and then starts the show proper.

Introduction: Openers for mentalism shows are not easy especially for large stage shows. As a general rule, an opener needs to be attention-getting, is short in duration, sets the tone and communicates to the audience what the show is about. Regular magic & illusion shows can use silent acts performed to music as openers but it is very hard for mentalists to open with a silent act. For one, there are very few silent acts in mentalism but more importantly, there is a need to establish a premise, context and plot for a mentalism routine to make sense to the audience, let alone be effective. This routine fulfils all the requirements of a good opener but will not work for every show. It will be most effective for larger shows with a large stage and sizable audience. It is an effect where size does matter. If the size of the revelation is too small, the visual effect will be lost and it will not have the same impact. The prediction image should literally dwarf you on stage to achieve a really visual spectacular effect. You can also customize the prediction to any show or event. Here are a few examples: 

If you are performing for a corporate event, the prediction could be of one of the client’s range of products or an employee.



If you are performing for a music festival or a club or music awards event, the prediction could be of an artist, song or album.



If you are performing for a library, bookstore or launch of a book, the prediction could be a best selling book.



If you are performing for an art festival, gallery or a very high-end high society event, the prediction could be of a famous painting or piece of art.

As you can see the possibilities are endless. The effect is strong, direct, short and you will win the audience over if the prediction is customized and relates to the audience. For the © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

100

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 purposes of this description, I will assume movie posters will be used and the force movie is “Stars Wars”. Pyrotechnics are optional but will add a lot to the effect. Some might think it is overkill, but it is a sure way to get an audience’s attention and pave the way for you to continue with strong pure mentalism routines. Method & Requirements: Pre-show work is required to force the CEO/ VIP the movie poster or image that will appear on your giant prediction. I use a set of rough & smooth cards containing 30 cards. 15 cards are identical and show an image of the force movie poster. The other 15 cards show 15 different movie posters. The backs of the indifferent cards and fronts of the force cards are sprayed with roughing fluid so that they will adhere together when spread. Before your show, have the organizer introduce you to the CEO/ VIP or someone who is significant and whose word would not be questioned by the audience. This is important because if you use a random spectator, the audience will simply assume the effect was stooged. Ensure that you speak to the CEO/ VIP privately so other audience members do not see your interaction. Explain to the CEO/ VIP that you require him to assist in the opening act of the show so that it will be a huge success and set the tone for the rest of show. Assure him that he does not have to come on stage or leave his seat for the act and all he needs to do know is make a random choice. Show the packet of cards and spread them face up to show that all the cards are show different movie posters. Turn them face down and casually mix them up without disturbing the rough and smooth set-up. Spread the cards face down and request the CEO/ VIP touch the back of any one card. Due to the gimmicked nature of the cards, he will touch the back of one of the force cards. Once he touches the back of a card, cut the packet at this point bringing the force card to the top of the face down packet. Ask the CEO/ VIP to take the card and look at the movie poster on the face of the card as you turn your head away. Once he has seen the card and remembered it, he is to place it back anywhere in the middle of the cards. After the card is selected, thank the CEO/ VIP and tell him to keep the movie at the back of his mind and not to tell anyone. This specific wording is important for your script later. You might also want to casually ask if he is familiar with the movie or if he has watched it before but make sure it does not look like you are fishing. You can incorporate this information into your script during the performance. Explain that you will ask him the name of the movie at the start of the show and he is to answer loudly. Thank the CEO/ VIP for his time and prepare for your show. To execute the revelation of the prediction, you will need several pieces of equipment and apparatus.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

101

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

The Framework

FIG 1 Front View

You have two options for the framework that holds the prediction, cloth drop and pyrotechnics. If you are being booked for a big event or show, you can request for the audio/ lighting production company to provide a “Goalpost Lighting Truss” with base plates, each plate is mounted on four castors. The truss should be box or triangle trussing and preferably lightweight. It should measure about 8ft high by 6ft wide. Fig 1 shows how the truss will look like, minus the castors.

Alternatively, you can custom make a framework out of wood. The framework is made from 3” x 3” lightweight lumber. Each length of the framework can be cut in half and hinged so that each length can fold in half for packing and easy transport. A locking clasp or latch needs to be attached on the other side of the hinged length so that the hinged length can be locked open in place. The lumber supports are secured to 16” x 16” base plates made from 1” ply. To secure each base plate to each vertical support, a bolt runs through the bottom of the base plate into a Tnut embedded into the bottom of the vertical lumber support. In addition, triangular pieces made from ¼” ply are used as corner bracing and leg braces. The framework can be finished in your choice of black laminate or stained in lacquer. See Fig 2 & 3 for the design of the framework in a wood stain finish to make it easier to see the component parts. The Prediction The prediction has to be made by a professional signage company that can print images onto vinyl or PVC sheets. You will need to give the vendor a very high-resolution image to ensure that the image does not look distorted. The size of the PVC sheet should be about 7.5’ x 3.5’. The top and bottom edges of the giant prediction are wrapped around and bolted or riveted to two 3mm aluminum flat bars measuring 2” x 6’ each. These two aluminum flat bars are bolted into the framework so that the prediction is held open and secured on the framework. See Fig 4.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

102

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 2 Front View 6’

FIG 3 Side View

Stainless steel hinges with locking clasps on the other side of the vertical support

8’

16”

16”

16”

Cloth Drop There are two options to execute the cloth drop. The first is to use a professional electronic “Kabuki Drop” system. These are basically solenoid clips that open up via an electronic switch. You will need to run an electric cable from the framework to an offstage electric outlet if you go with this approach. The good thing about this system is that it is selfcontained and the cloth drops remotely. The second option is low-tech, low-cost and 100% dependable but you will require two stage assistants. Having two pretty girls on stage can add production value and visual appeal for a big stage show. The cloth is attached to the top of the framework with Velcro tabs. Two ropes about 5ft long are sewn into the top edge of the cloth and tied to a hook or bolt in the side of each vertical support. During performance, the two assistants untie the rope and simply pull the cloth down on cue. If you are using pyrotechnics, you have to double the length of the rope so the assistants can stand at a distance from either side of the framework and pull the cloth down. See Fig 5.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

103

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Pyrotechnics If you choose to use pyrotechnics, you can mount two pyrotechnic showers at both corners at the top of the framework. You can also mount two pyrotechnic quick shots or showers on each front base plate of the framework. FIG 4 Front View

FIG 5 Front View

Set Up: The giant prediction is set up on the framework and the cloth work is set in place. The entire framework is placed center stage before the start of your show. You must complete your pre-show work with the CEO/ VIP before the show commences. Performance & Presentation: As this is performed as an opener, you enter the stage after being introduced by the emcee or show host. Ideally, to match the pacing of this effect, your intro music should be high energy and exciting. Take the stage and greet the audience. “A very good evening Ladies & Gentlemen, my name is J C Sum and tonight, I am going present a very unique illusion show. A show where the illusions take place in your mind! Let me kick off the show with a prediction I made 17 days ago. I had it printed and have it hanging behind that cloth right in the center of the stage.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

104

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The prediction is of an image that someone has on his or her mind.” Scan the audience intently. “I know someone here is thinking of the main course that is about to be served. Look at and point to a specific group of people in the audience. “You are thinking of a young child and whether everything is fine with the child” You are not pointing to someone specifically but looking in the general direction of a group of people. However, the chances that this statement is true are high because if you are at an event or show at night and it is an adults-only event, it is likely there will be young parents in the audience thinking about their child at home. Look around at the people around CEO/ VIP and then directly at the CEO/ VIP. “Mr, John Smith, you currently have … (appear tentative) a movie that is at the back of your mind. Correct? You have not watched this movie in a long time and you have not told me what this movie is beforehand. Correct? If fact, there is no possible way I could have known in advance, before today, what you are thinking of since you have not mentioned this to anyone else before. Correct? Finally, no one came to you before the show to tell you to name a specific movie. Correct?” Notice how the questions are phrased. There is a certain “dual reality” going on for the rest of the audience and the CEO/ VIP. As far as he is concerned, he is confirming your questions because they are true. But, to the rest of the audience, it seems that you have know specifically what the CEO/ VIP is thinking of, with no suggestion of pre-show work or even any interaction between the CEO/ VIP and you before the show. Once you receive the confirmations from the CEO/ VIP, continue as follows: “Mr Smith, for the very first time, could you tell me and the entire audience… what is the movie you are thinking of? “Star Wars”? You could be thinking of another movie but you have “Star Wars” at the back of your mind. You aren’t going to believe this! Check this out!” (Cue for music track to play) Gesture to the cloth-covered framework center stage, perform a dramatic action that signals the cloth to drop and the pyrotechnics to be triggered (if available), revealing the giant movie poster prediction. Step to the front of the stage and accept your audience, timing an ending pose with the end of the music. This opener is designed to be fast-paced and hard-hitting. The entire routine should be performed in less than 3min.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

105

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

UNSEEN FORCES A 3-Phase Telekinesis Stage Routine

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

106

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: The mentalist allows a metal spoon, a piece of wood and a wineglass to be examined by different audience members. He then retrieves the items and offers to give a demonstration of telekinesis. First, he uses his power of the mind to bend the spoon. Next, the piece of wood is placed on top of the wineglass sitting on a jewelry display stand. Mysteriously, the piece of wood drops off the wineglass as though touched by some unseen force. The mentalist offers to attempt the demonstration once again but under stricter conditions. The piece of wood is replaced on the wineglass and this time, everything is covered with a plexiglass box cover. Incredibly, the wineglass that the piece of wood is balanced on shatters into dozens of pieces!

Introduction: This is a routine that I performed professionally from 2002 - 2006. It was one of the first routines I developed for my solo stage mentalism show. When I first designed my show, I knew that I needed to have visual elements in the show and the glass-breaking effect was a natural choice. I always loved Copperfield’s multi-phase telekinesis routine that he presented on his 1989 “The Explosive Encounter” TV special. This can be considered a “poor man’s version” of that act. The final effect of this routine and the one that requires intricate mechanical assistance is the shattering of the wineglass. There have been several glass-breaking gimmicks on the market over the years and Bazar de Magia from Argentina currently makes commercial versions of the timer glass-breaking gimmicks. They have a table version, “Boulevard 54” that is built into a book and the “Electronic Crasher” that can be hidden in a card case or cigarette pack. Depending on your presentation, any one of the available ones may work for you. I have personally used the old model table version and the “Electronic Crasher”. However, I wanted a cleaner version for stage without the need of a card case or book. I was also not fully satisfied with the table version, both with the look and the tripod used. I designed this particular glass-breaking table to look like an elegant modern jewelry display stand. It uses the “Electronic Crasher”(EC) as the primary device but is embedded within my design for the table. I applied illusion design techniques to create a very thin deceptive base that conceals the EC. The lower tabletop of the display stand is actually a tray that collects broken glass to make cleaning up easier.

Method & Requirements Phase 1 – Spoon Bending This is a single-phase direct bend of a spoon. I use a method derived from a Patrick Kuff’s handling but you can use any spoon bending technique that you like. You want to bend the spoon at the shaft for good visibility. Phase 2 – Wood Dropping The dropping of the piece of wood is accomplished by using Bob Koch’s “Telekinetic Timber” that is now produced by Palmer Magic who has the sole manufacturing rights. This © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

107

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 is a specially gimmicked block of wood with a "timer" inside that moves from one end to the other and causes the block to tip when placed on its balancing point on the edge of an object. Phase 3 – Glass Breaking You will need a glass-breaking gimmick of some kind that can be hidden in a table. For my routine, I use Bazar de Magie’s “Electronic Crasher”(EC) and my original glassbreaking table design. The table is designed to look like a modern jewelry display stand and consists of a bottom tray with four metal legs supporting a display top (main step) with a velvet padded "cushion" (top step). See Fig 1 for a visual rendering of the table.

FIG 1 Front View

Top Step Wood but disguised as a velvet “cushion”

Main Step Wood with aluminum edging and laminate for top and bottom surfaces Legs Aluminum Tubing

Bottom Tray Wood with aluminum flat bar as trimming

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

108

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The Bottom Tray The bottom tray can be made of 1/4" plywood and finished in black laminate or made of black acrylic. Acrylic needs less work for the finishing but it is more fragile than wood. This bottom tray measures 16" x 12" x 1.5" high. There is a triangular hole at the bottom right corner of the back of the tray so that you can pour out small pieces of glass easily during clean up. There is a 2mm thick ¾” aluminum flat bar running around the center edge of the tray to form a trimming. The tray is mounted on a magician's rolling table base or a heavy tripod base such as Wellington's “Ultimate Table Base” or the Eureka table base. I personally think a very stable tripod is required, as it does not look nice when the entire table/ tripod wobbles when the glass breaks due to the force of the gimmick. The Legs The metal "legs" are made from 1" polished aluminum or stainless steel tubing 1mm thick and are 4.5” high. Cylindrical wood plugs are glued and screwed into both ends of all four legs. This allows you to secure the legs to the bottom tray and the display top. For the bottom tray, countersunk screws are screwed through the bottom of the tray into the wood plugs in the legs. To secure the legs to the main step, countersunk screws are screwed through the top of the main step into the wood plugs in the legs. The Display Top The display top consists of the main step disguised as a small tabletop and the top step disguised as a velvet "cushion". Both steps are hollow to conceal the EC. The main step is made from a 1/8" ply bottom, 1/4" ply frame (with a cutout to fit the EC) and a 1/8" ply top (with a cut out to fit the EC). It is capped with 2mm thick ½” aluminum angle on all edges so it looks like a solid metal tabletop. The top surface should also be covered with aluminum laminate. The top step is made of 3/8" ply with a corresponding cutout to fit the EC. Note that the cutouts for the EC are not centered but are actually close to one short side of the wood pieces. There is an additional cutout on one short side of the top step and main step (inclusive of the top 1/8" ply piece on the main step). These collective cutouts form a hole to allow access to the switch. See Fig 2 & 3 for the design of the table, excluding the table base.

FIG 2 Back View

Cylindrical wood plugs to secure aluminum tubing “legs” to the underside of the main step and bottom tray

8” Hole for Electronic Crasher switch

4”

Width of Electronic Crasher

Hole at bottom corner of the back of the bottom tray to facilitate easy clean up of small pieces of broken glass

12” © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

109

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 11”

FIG 3 Side View

5” FRONT 0.5” 0.5” Length of Electronic Crasher

3”

1.5”

16”

The top of the top step is partially covered by two strips of 1/8" ply measuring 5" x 1" and are hinged to the front short side of the top edge of the top step. These two strips of ply will be what the glass will rest on. They are set apart so that the gimmicked arm of the EC will pass between them when activated. They are also hinged so that the EC can be removed for set up and to change batteries. The padded velvet cushion is created with a red velvet "cushion" cover that fits over the top step. There is a slit forming a capital "I" so that the gimmicked arm/ ball head of the EC will pass through it. The "cushion" cover should be made to just fit over the 1/2" top step. You might want to add Velcro tabs to help secure it in place. One short side of this "cushion" cover needs to have a flap that allows access to the hole to the EC switch. The flap is simply two hemmed cuts in the side of the "cushion" cover that allows a small piece of fabric to flap up so that a finger can access the EC switch. See Fig 4 for a top view of the table. The Plexiglass Box Cover The protective cover that prevents glass shards from flying all over the place is optional but recommended. Based on my dimensions of my table, the box measures 15" x 11" x 18" (H). The glass box is made from 7mm thick plexiglass.

Set Up:



The spoon is in the wineglass. The wineglass and the “Telekinetic Timber” are on the top step of the glass-breaking table.

PERFORMANCE & PRESENTATION “I have three different objects with me; a metal spoon, a piece of wood and a wineglass. All three objects are made from different materials and are of different weights. I would like some of you to examine the objects just to make sure they are exactly what I have described them to be.” Go down to the audience and hand out the three objects to different spectators to examine. “Telekinesis is the power to move or manipulate objects with the power of the mind. Today, we will try to see how far we can push the power of the mind.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

110

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 I will start off with this metal spoon. It is made from stainless steel and quite solid. What if the power of the mind could alter its state…” Retrieve the three objects and place the “Telekinetic Timber” and wineglass onto the top of the display stand on the glass-breaking table. Display the spoon and perform a single spoon bend. Hand out the spoon for examination or as a souvenir. “Let us move onto the piece of wood. It is a solid piece of wood and measures 8" x 1.5" x 1.5". I'll place it over the glass like this and we will see what happens.” Turn over the wineglass and place it mouth down on the velvet "cushion" of the display top. Position it ready to be broken by the "Electronic Crasher" (EC). Balance the “Telekinetic Timber” on the base of the wine glass as per the standard handling. Step back and apparently focus your energy on the wood piece and wait for it to tip and drop to the bottom tray. “Maybe some of you think that a gust of wind might have blown it off. So I'll do it one more time, but under stricter conditions. This time, I will cover it with this plexiglass cover.” Replace the “Telekinetic Timber” back on the glass but do not worry about putting it on the balancing point. Secretly switch on the EC. Take the plexiglass box cover and place it over the display stand. Gesture dramatically and wait for the wineglass to shatter. Through rehearsals, you will be able to time the breaking of the wineglass and can speed up or slow down your actions accordingly. The shattering of the wineglass and dropping of the “Telekinetic Timber” make for a great visual and audible climax to the routine. FIG 4 Top View

FRONT

Two 5” x 1” strips of 1/8” ply hinged at the front of the top edge of the top step Gimmicked arm of the Electronic Crasher will swing between the gap formed by the two strips of wood

Side View “Cushion” cover

Slit in the “cushion” cover to allow EC gimmicked arm to pass through

Flap to access hole for EC switch © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

111

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

SHATTER A Dramatic Glass-Breaking Routine

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

112

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: The mentalist displays four wineglasses (mouth up) on a jewelry display stand on a table. Each of the wineglasses has a number tag under it from 1 - 4. Four cards are shown, each bearing a number from 1 - 4. They are given to a spectator to shuffle who then takes one card and returns the rest to the mentalist who pockets it. The mentalist walks to the table and turns each wineglass mouth down onto the jewelry display stand. A plexiglass box cover is used to encase the entire jewelry display stand and wineglasses. The mentalist stands aside and asks the spectator to reveal the number on the card that he freely chose. The spectator calls out the number (for e.g. 3). The mentalist asks the audience to concentrate on wineglass number 3. After a few seconds, wineglass number 3 shatters into pieces! Method & Requirements: This is another glass-breaking routine that I developed and it uses an extension of the glass-breaking table design that I outlined in the previous chapter. You should be familiar with the design of the single glass-breaking table to fully understand this multiple glassbreaking table. The multiple glass-breaking table is basically a much larger bottom tray that is mounted on four table legs with four (or any number of your choosing) velvet “cushion” top steps mounted on a single main step. You will need a total of four “Electronic Crashers” (EC), one for each display top. I also detail an option of just using a single EC with this same table at the end of this chapter. Suggested dimensions for the bottom tray of the multiple glass-breaking table are 48” x 16”. You will also need number tags about 4" x 4" that will be stuck to the front edge of the bottom tray below each wineglass. These tags can be made from PVC plastic, acrylic or even heavy-duty card. The plexiglass box cover is expanded accordingly to fit over all the display tops. See Fig 5 for a visual rendering of this table.

Set Up: 1. All four “Electronic Crashers” are set up and inside each display top. 

The four wineglasses are placed mouth up on each of the velvet "cushions".



The plexiglass box cover can be under the table or if you have an assistant, she/ he can bring it out and place it over the wineglasses/ display tops for you.

Numbered Cards You will need four numbered cards from 1 - 4 that are marked. The numbers can be large vinyl cut out stickers pasted onto the blank faces of four blank-faced playing cards. Use a matching coloured marker to mark the backs of the cards. It can be a simple marking © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

113

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 system like putting dots in a position so that they will not be seen at a casual glance. One dot = 1, two dots = 2, three dots = 3 and zero dots = 4. The cards start off in a convenient location like your pocket. FIG 5 Front View

1

2

3

4

Performance: Step 1 Start the performance by calling attention to the table set-up center stage. Remove the numbered cards from your pocket and display the faces clearly to the audience. Hand the cards, face down, to a spectator and ask him/ her to mix up the cards as much as he/ she likes. Once the spectator is done, ask him/ her to remove any one card from the packet and return the rest to you. Sight the marking on the selected card and put the rest away in your pocket without looking at them. You do not want people to think that you looked at the three cards to see which one was missing. Step 2 Now that you know the number that was selected (for e.g. 3), you know that you have to set the trigger for the “Electronic Crasher” in display stand #3. You will do this while you are turning over the wineglasses mouth down onto the velvet "cushions". You want to set the EC as late as possible as you only have a 45 second delay. So, if the chosen number is 1 or © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

114

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 2, start turning over the wineglasses from wineglass #4. If the chosen number is 3 or 4, start turning over the wineglasses from wineglass #1. Make sure you use both hands to set up the wineglasses so that the actions look the same. One hand turns over the wineglass while the other hand holds the "cushion" steady. Once all wineglasses are turned mouth down, pick up the plexiglass box cover and place it over the display top and onto the bottom tray. Step 3 Stand to one side of the table (the side further away from the chosen wineglass) and ask the spectator to call out the number that he randomly chose. Repeat the number so that the entire audience knows what the number is. Draw attention to the wineglass at that number and gesture dramatically. Through rehearsals, you will be able to time the breaking of the wineglass and can speed up or slow down your actions accordingly. Wait for the wineglass to break and accept your applause. Notes: If you do not want to buy multiple “Electronic Crashers” as it is quite an expensive item, you can have just one set up in one display top and force the correct number card. You can use a magician’s choice or equivoque to force the card/ number but my "Developmental Force" would fit perfectly. This is the first time I’m sharing this forcing procedure and it can be used to force one card or envelope from a group of four cards/ envelopes. For this effect, you will need a set of numbered cards and only the back of the forced card needs to be marked. Hand the four cards, face down, to the spectator and ask him or her to mix up the cards. After the spectator has stopped mixing the cards, you need to look down at the top card to see if it is the forced card. Scenario 1 If the force card is on top of the packet, this is perfect. Have the spectator remove the top card and hand you back the rest of the cards. Scenario 2 If you do not see the force card on top, it means that the force card is one of the bottom three cards. Ask the spectator to reach into the middle of the packet of cards and remove any one card. You have a 33% chance that it will be the force card. If it is, tell the spectator to keep that card and return the rest to you. If it is not the force card, tell the spectator to put this card on top of the rest of the cards and move to the next scenario.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

115

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Scenario 3 This is the last sequence of mixing that the spectator will have to do. Ask him/ her to take the bottom card and place it on top of the packet. If it is the force card, have the spectator remove the top card and hand you back the rest of the cards. If it is not the force card, the force card must be at the bottom of the packet. Tell the spectator to turn the entire packet of cards towards himself/ herself and look at the bottom card. This is a very clean force and since you will hit the right card 50% of the time within the first two steps, it is almost impossible to reconstruct or suspect the force.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

116

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

PAYCHECK A Magic Game Show Where the Prize Turns into a Box of Money

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

117

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: The mentalist displays a glass box that is locked shut with a large padlock. A paycheck is seen hanging inside the glass box. The mentalist explains that four lucky spectators will have a chance to win his fee for the show. Four spectators are randomly chosen to come on stage to play the game of chance. The mentalist shows five keys and explains that only one of the keys opens the lock. All five keys are mixed up in a glass and each of the spectators is allowed to pick one key, leaving one key for the mentalist. They are allowed to exchange keys with the one left for the mentalist at any point of time. One by one, the spectators are allowed to try their key to open the lock but to no avail. Finally, the mentalist takes the remaining key, inserts it into the lock and opens the lock. The mentalist explains that he is glad he did not lose the game as he would have lost a lot of money. He states that it is hard for the audience to visualize how much money is at stake because all they see is just a check with some numbers on it. So, he removes his jacket and covers the glass box monetarily. When he whisks his jacket away, the paycheck is seen to have instantly transformed in a box full of money bills!

Introduction: Experienced mentalists will know that this is a “souped-up” presentation of Ted Annemann’s "Seven keys of Baldpate" with a production/ transformation as a kicker. It is another example of adding scale and a visual effect to a mentalism plot to create a new combination of effects for stage. In the traditional “Seven Keys” routine, the ending can often feel almost anti-climatic with the audience left hanging at the end, especially in presentations where none of the spectators’ keys can open the lock. The combination of the two effects is strong and logical. The finale of the money appearance makes a powerful visual punch line that ends the routine definitively. The routine should be presented as a magic game show with appropriate music to set the tone and create the feel of a game show. You can also present the routine as though you are playing the part of a game show host. This presentation makes the routine entertaining and unique. Audiences can relate to the game show concept and the chance of winning prize money. I use only five keys, instead of seven, to streamline the routine.

Method & Requirements: You will require two magic dealer items to perform this routine. The first is the glass box that is a custom-made plexiglass box (with a lid and a lock shackle) mounted on a "Balloon to Dove" prop, also known as a "Dove Tray". The "Dove Tray" is a tray that can hide a dove but has a flap that flips over to release the dove from the load space in the tray. However, instead of a dove, you will be making several bunches of spring bills appear. Spring bills are sold in packets of about a dozen sets and available from most magic dealers. You can also have them custom made with real bills if you feel it is needed.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

118

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 You will need several dozen pieces of spring bills that will be compressed and loaded into the load space in the “Dove Tray”. When released, the spring bills should spring out and open up so that the entire glass box is filled with money. The second item you require is the lock and keys used from a set of "Seven keys of Baldpate". There are several different versions of this lock but essentially, it is a lock that can apparently be opened by only one key but in reality, any one of the keys can open the lock. This allows you to always be left with the key that opens the lock. The Glass Box The first item you have to obtain is the “Dove Tray” prop. It is generally a square prop about 3” thick. The glass box has to be custom built from 7mm thick plexigalss. It has a top lid hinged on the back wall of the box and a lock shackle assembly on the top front of the box. The glass box has no bottom and fits over the top step of the “Dove Tray”. See Fig 1. The Lock/ Keys As mentioned, the keys and lock come from a "Seven keys of Baldpate” set. There are several options on the market. You could buy or make a set of Stuart Judah's “Keys Of Judah” that involves filing down or creating an extra notch on all the keys. If the key is inserted fully into a pin tumbler lock (as is normal when opening a lock), the lock will not open. But, if the key is moved out one notch, the cuts in the keys will engage the pins correctly and open the lock. See Fig 2. Years ago, Carl Wolf made a set called “Key-R-Rect” but that is no longer available. However, Stevens Magic Emporium currently makes an improved version with a Master Lock called “Correct Key”. Mikame offers a version called “Luc-key” with a special gravity lock. Collector’s Workshop makes a very large lock called the “Hemingway Lock” that looks great and works well. The difference between these sets will affect how your routine is presented and managed. For “Key-R-Rect” and “Correct Key”, the spectator can open the lock in the end without the mentalist touching the lock but it is not possible for all the spectators to try to open the lock in the course of the routine. For “Keys of Judah”, “Luc-key” and the “Hemingway Lock”, the spectators can try to open the lock in the course of the routine but the mentalist must handle the lock/ final key to open the lock at the end. In the context of this routine, the latter lock sets will work better in my opinion but I highlighted the differences in lock sets so that you can decide for yourself and modify your routine accordingly. Regardless of the lock set you use, you will also need a glass to hold the keys. The Paycheck The paycheck is a real bank check made out to CASH for any amount you think is attractive or reflective of your show fee. The paycheck has several bills or an image of several bills randomly pasted on its back. This will allow it to “vanish” and be camouflaged by the spring bills when produced. See Fig 3.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

119

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 1 FRONT VIEW

14”

1” 2”

14”

All keys are filed down or cut down one notch

FIG 2 FRONT VIEW

The paycheck is hung from the top inside lid of the box via two rigid wires. When the spring bills are produced from the dove tray, the force of the spring bills will push the paycheck back and upwards so that it’s back will be pressed up against the inside top of the glass box. From a short distance, the paycheck will appear to “vanish” and transform into the box of money. SET UP 

The loaded glass box with paycheck hanging inside is on a side table and is set center stage. The wineglass with keys is also on this table.



You need to be wearing a jacket to perform this routine.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

120

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 3 FRONT & BACK VIEWS

Performance: The presentation of this routine should be apparent after reading the “Effect” and “Method & Requirements”, so here is a brief outline of the performance: Introduce the glass box and your paycheck locked inside. Invite four spectators onto stage to be participants in the game show. Explain the rules of the game show and mix up the keys in the glass. Allow each spectator to choose one key, leaving one key for you. You can choose to allow them to switch keys at any point in time and play up the situational humour that will arise from this. One by one, allow the spectators to try to open the lock, without success. Finally, use your key to open the lock and remove it from the shackle. For the kicker finale, take off your jacket and cover the glass box. Trigger the mechanism to release the spring bills. You will need to tap the top of the box at the same time to cover the noise of the flap being released. Whisk away your jacket to reveal that the paycheck has transformed into a box full of money.

Notes: 

If you like the premise of this routine but really do not want to have the big glass box, you can use a Himber wallet with a strap that has a lock hasp attached to it. The locked strap is wrapped around the Himber wallet to keep it shut and locked. In this version, your paycheck will transform into a wad of bills at the end via the switching function of the Himber.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

121

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

WEDLOCK A Light-hearted Comedy Interactive Mentalism Routine

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

122

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: A spectator is shackled, at the wrists, to the mentalist with a length of chain and a combination lock. The mentalist shows four placards, each with a four-digit number on it. The mentalist explains that only one placard contains the correct combination to the lock. The spectator is allowed to choose any three placards but must leave one for the mentalist. If the spectator fails to open the lock, he will have to be attached to the mentalist for life! Strangely enough, none of the spectator’s numbers open the lock. Being the nice guy that he is, the mentalist ‘volunteers’ his number that does open the lock and sets both parties free.

Introduction: This routine was first described in my Mar 1998 “One Man Parade” published in the IBM Linking Ring magazine for which I won two Linking Ring awards. It is another version of Annemann’s “Seven Keys of Baldpate” but not as involved as the “Paycheck” routine described earlier. It also does not use any gimmicked locks. The routine plays big as it involves a spectator on stage and has great comedy potential due to the premise. While you can use keys and a lock, I chose to use the combination lock and “combination” placards, for greater visibility on stage.

Method & Requirements: Lock & Chain You will need a four-digit combination lock. Choose a press-button style lock, as it is easier to handle on stage instead of a dial or cylindrical lock. A length of chain about 2.5ft long is needed. It should look strong, yet not be too heavy. Ideally, look for a split ring from a hardware or marine supplies shop that you can attach to the last link of one end of the chain. This will make it easier during performance to loop the chain around the spectator’s hand and then around yours before threading the lock through the chain and locking it.

Wallet You will also need a Himber wallet, the larger the better. This will be used as the switching device to switch out the correct “combination” placard. “Combination Placards” The “combination” placards can be made from white art card with numbers written on it with a thick marker. If you intend to perform this regularly, I suggest the following alternative. Cut out pieces of white 1mm PVC sheet, as large as possible, that can fit into your Himber wallet. PVC sheet is available at good craft stores or signage companies. You will need five placards in all.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

123

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The numbers are vinyl stickers available from a signage company. Stick these onto the PVC sheet cards. The result is a long-lasting set of placards that is also waterproof. Be sure to keep it out of the sun so that the white PVC does not turn yellow. One of the placards has the correct four-digit combination, which opens the lock. The others have any random four-digit numbers, which are different from each other. If you have one of the four-digit numbers be 8619, you can have an additional comedy situation during the show. If you choose a non sans serif font (i.e. no “ends” at the tips of the letters of the font”, 8619 is an ambigram as it also reads 6198 upside down. If the spectator chooses this placard, you can have him try one number first and then point out that he made a mistake and that the number is upside down. Naturally, neither number opens the lock.

Set Up: 

Place the placard with the correct combination number face down into one side of the Himber wallet. Put the other four placards into the other side of the wallet. Place the Himber in your inside jacket pocket.



Place the lock, unlocked and the chain in your jacket pocket.

Performance: “For my next effect, I require the aid of an able-bodied gentleman. You sir, could you please come up and help.” Look for a suitable man from the audience and invite him onto stage. Go through the usual formalities and find out his name. We will assume he is standing on your left. “Bob, are you by any chance a professional escape artist or locksmith? No? Perfect. I have here a length of chain. Bob, could you please examine it and make sure it is strong.” Display the chain and hand it to the spectator for examination. “Bob, today is your chance to prove yourself. We are going to make you an escape artist today. You know, magicians and escape artists all over the world have risked their lives and limbs performing escapes. Often they hang upside down from a burning rope or are locked into a steel trunk that is submerged under water. But today, you will face the greatest challenge of all that even Houdini would not have attempted as the consequences are too drastic. You will be locked up in chains and if you do not escape…” Proceed to take one end of the chain and wrap it around Bob’s right hand. ”… you will have to spend the rest of your life with me!” Loop the chain around the spectator’s right wrist. If you had the split ring at the end as suggested, this will be fairly easy. Start to wrap the chain around your left wrist as well as the spectator’s right wrist. (Be sure he is not wearing an expensive watch or bracelet that can be scratched by the chain.) This will get a tremendous laugh. Continue wrapping the chain, not too tightly, until you almost reach the end of the chain. Take out the lock from your pocket but cover the number pad with your hand and say:

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

124

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 “Bob, I am going to lock us up with a solid steel combination lock. Please close your eyes so that you do not see the secret combination otherwise this escape will be easier than it is supposed to be.” Thread the lock through the ends of the chain. Lock it and depress all the number buttons. Take out the Himber wallet, open the side that holds the four decoy placards and say: “Okay, Bob you may now open your eyes. “Over here I have four cards and four cards only. One of these numbers open the lock, three of them don’t. Your job is to guess which one opens the lock. If you get it right, you go free. If not, you spend the rest of your life… with me. But, I understand that you are not a professional so I’ll give you an advantage. You get to choose three out of the four cards. The card that you don’t want will be left with me. So, you have a 75% chance of escaping... very good odds! Bob, you are an escape artist for today. But I am a mentalist and my job is to psychologically influence you so you do not pick the right card. Are you ready? Great!” Fan the four ‘decoy’ cards face down and allow the spectator to select three of the four cards. Take the card that he did not select and place it face down into the now empty side of the Himber wallet. Close it, but do not switch sides yet. “Which number will you like to try first? This one? 2456. Try to open the lock.” Allow the spectator to try the first number. After he fails to open the lock, allow him to try the next one. Remember, if the ambigram number card is one of the three chosen cards, you can do the joke outlined earlier. Keep the cards into your pocket as they are “used”. “Bob, tell you what, I am a nice guy. Would you like to switch your last number with me?” Open the Himber wallet, showing the (decoy) face down card. Let him choose to exchange it for his if he wants. Whatever the case, close the Himber wallet and switch sides. Allow him to try the lock one last time to which he naturally fails. “Well Bob, it looks like you have failed, you will have to spend the rest of your life with me now. Do you have a wife or anybody to say goodbye to? If so, do it quick, because I’m a busy man.” Pause for a long while with an expectant look on your face. Wait till the spectator feels uneasy. Break the tension by saying: “Well, actually Bob, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’m a mentalist but I’m not mental. So, let’s do both of ourselves a favour and unshackle ourselves.” Open the Himber wallet and take out the placard with the correct combination and give it to the spectator to open the lock. After you are both released, thank your spectator, making sure he gets a nice round of applause from the audience and take your bow.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

125

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

PYSCHOMETRIC TOUCH A Powerful Climax to Fogel’s Signature Routine

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

126

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: The mentalist shows four small black drawstring velvet bags. With his back to the audience, four different spectators each place a small personal item inside one bag and close the bags up. The bags are mixed up and collected by a spectator who places them into a larger bag. The mentalist reaches into the bag and randomly removes one bag. He opens the bag and removes the item from within. Just by touching the object, the mentalist describes certain characteristics about the owner of the item. He then correctly identifies the owner. The effect is repeated again but with two bags/ items at the same time. For the remaining bag, the mentalist divines the object inside without even opening or touching the bag!

Introduction: I’ve always enjoyed Maurice Fogel’s “Second Spot” as well as Larry Becker’s “Sneak Thief” which are all classic versions of the pyschometry effect. The “Sneak Thief” plot is quite possibly the best version of the pyschometry effect but it incorporates drawings as well as a drawing duplication as the kicker. As I already have a drawing duplication effect combined with a book test in our show, “Sneak Thief” was not an option. Furthermore, it is too popular an effect and is currently featured by some of the world’s top mentalists. I like “Second Spot” because it uses items from audience members and allows for cold reading presentations that make each performance unique. It also packs small and plays big with the participation of multiple spectators. However, one thing that I felt could be improved is the ending of the routine. The drawing duplication approach as a finale in “Sneak Thief” was the inspiration for the divination ending to “Second Spot”. I also reduced the number of items to four to streamline the routine. Ning and I perform this routine as a two-person act but the solo performer can perform it and the routine is described as such.

Method & Requirements: Small Bags You will need the three bags from a Fogel “Second Spot” set of bags. These are small drawstring black velvet bags measuring 6” (H) x 4” (W). They are identical in every way except that the colour of the inside lining is different from each other. The colours in my set are Red, Green and Blue. From the outside, the bags are indistinguishable from each other. This is a simple but surefire marking system so you can identify each bag with the owner of the item inside each bag. Stevens Magic Emporium makes an excellent set of bags at a reasonable price. You will also need an additional gimmicked drawstring velvet bag. This bag is identical in appearance to the other three bags but one side has a cutout that is covered with black netting. This creates a “window” that will allow you to clearly see the object that is placed inside. See Fig 1 for a back view of the gimmicked bag.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

127

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 1

FIG 2

BACK VIEW

SIDE CROSS SECTION VIEW

16”

Large Collection Bag You also need one large gimmicked bag that will be used as a collection bag to hold the four small bags. This bag measures 16” (H) x 12” (W). There is a dividing piece of lining that that is sewn on three sides to one inside wall of the large bag. This forms a secret compartment that will be used to separate the netted small bag from the rest of the small bags. See Fig 2.

Set Up: All the small bags and the collection bag are placed on a side table that is set slightly off to one side of the stage. Stack the small bags with the netted small bag at the top of the stack.

Performance & Presentation You will need to borrow items from four different spectators in different parts of the audience for the routine. It is important that you choose four spectators that are the same gender and similar in age and appearance. If not, the objects given by the spectators may be too distinct and obvious. For example, if you choose a mature elderly man, a corporate executive, a young lady in her twenties and a teenage boy and each of them place a watch in their bag, it will most likely be very obvious which watch belongs to the respective spectators. The result will not be a very

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

128

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 impressive psychometric demonstration. By choosing four similar spectators, it would not be obvious who the owners of the objects are. See Fig 3 for the suggested positions of the different spectators from their seats, relative to the stage and your table. It also shows where they should stand when they are at the front of the stage, offstage. FIG 3 TOP VIEW

Table

4

3

2

3 4

1

1 2

Step 1 "For this demonstration, I will need several people from the audience to help out. It is important that I do not know any of the people involved and preferably have never even met before, even If it was for a few moments before the show. This gentleman, right here. (Referring to the first spectator) Hi, have we met before? No? Please do not look so happy... What is your name? Jonathan? Fantastic. You do not need to come up onto stage but could you please step up to the front of the stage, right here. I would like you to think of a small personal item that you have on you right now. Don't think of a receipt that you might have in your pocket or the ticket stub for the show. Think of something that means something to you or is valuable to you. I have a small black bag here. I would like you to take that object and place it into the bag. If possible, try to keep the object hidden in your hand so no one else can see what you put inside. I will turn my head away so there is no way I can see what you put inside." During the explanation, pick up the netted small bag, netted side towards yourself, and approach the first spectator. If you are performing on a stage, you will walk to the front edge of the stage and request the spectator to approach the front of the stage, offstage. Hold the mouth of the bag open with both hands. Hold the bag out towards the spectator to allow him to place the object inside.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

129

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Turn your head away so that there is no way that you could see what the spectator puts in. Even when you feel the object dropped in, do not acknowledge it until the spectator tells you that the object is in the bag. This psychologically reinforces that you have no knowledge of what the object could be. Pull the cords of the bag to draw it shut. Only when the bag is tightly closed up do you turn your head back to the front. "Thank you very much! By the way, the name of his act is called 'The Donation'! I'm just kidding, I assure you that the item will be returned to you at the end of the act." Hold out the bag in front of you and using your peripheral vision, glance through the netted back of the bag to see what the object is. If you do not see it, do not panic, it could be a small item like a ring or a coin or it could just be hidden by a fold or shadow in the bag. Casually gesture with your hand to shift the object and look at it. Be sure to remember some distinguishing features so that you can describe later. "For now, I will place your item in the bag into this larger bag for safe keeping. Jonathan, you are really important as I will need your help in just a while. For now, I would like you to remain here at the front of the stage. Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, please give Jonathan a big round of applause." Take the netted bag and drop it into the large collection bag but ensure it goes into the secret compartment of the collection bag. Place the collection bag onto the table. "I need three more objects from three gentlemen from the audience..." (Point to three male spectators in different parts of the audience and invite them to the front of the stage but offstage.) Please come to the front of the stage as well. Thank you very much gentlemen. I have one bag for each of you. " Pick up the remaining three small bags and hand one bag to each of the three spectators. Remember which spectator gets which coloured bag. We stack our bags in red, green and blue (RGB) order and hand out the bags from our left to right so the second spectator gets the red bag, the third spectator gets the green bag and the fourth spectator gets the blue bag, based on our suggested spectator positioning above. "Just like Jonathan, I would like each of you to think of an item that you have on you that is valuable or means something to you. Please take that object, place it into the bag and close up the bag tightly." Turn your back to the audience but keep talking to guide the spectators and to ensure there is no "dead time" silence in the performance. Once you have verified that all the spectators have each placed an object into their respective bags, turn back to face the audience. "Jonathan, could you please collect the bags from these three gentlemen and mix them up so no one knows which bag is whose. Finally, place all the bags into this larger bag along with yours." Pick up the collection bag and hold it open keeping the secret compartment closed so that all three bags will drop into the main compartment of the bag. Step 2 "We will mix up all four bags even more just to make sure this demonstration will be very fair.” © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

130

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

Once all the small bags are inside the collection bag, gather the mouth of the bag closed and give it a shake to further mix up the small bags inside. Place the collection bag mouth up onto your side table. "There are four bags each containing an object from each of these gentlemen. No one knows which bag holds the object that belongs to each person. However, I will attempt to use the sense of touch to return the objects to the rightful owners. Let's get started!" Reach into the collection bag and take out any one of the small bags. Open up the small bag and remove the object inside. It is a simple matter to sight the colour of the lining of the bag as you will be looking right down into the bag when you remove the item. Casually, toss the small bag onto your table after the item is removed. You now know who the owner of the object is since you know the colour of the lining of the bag and can match it to the corresponding spectator. The next part of the presentation is crucial. You cannot simply just identity the owner of the object. You need to perform some cold reading and apparently divine characteristics of the owner. The descriptions of the owner must be much more than what could be known just from looking at the object. Deductive thinking, intelligent guesses and a confident delivery are required to make this credible and make the overall routine effective. Since you know who the owner is (although this is unknown to the audience), you have an added advantage. Read “Maurice Fogel - In Search Of The Sensational” by Chris Woodward and Richard Mark, “Mind, Myth & Magic” by T.A. Waters and “The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading” by Ian Rowland to learn how to cold read the objects and the owners. After doing a cold read, identify the owner and return the first object to the correct spectator. Step 3 "This time, we will make things more interesting. I will attempt to try two objects at the same time." Reach into the collection bag and pretend to feel around and mix up the small bags inside. Remove the two remaining small bags from the main compartment of the collection bag. Remove both objects from the bags, sighting the colours of the linings of the bags and then toss the bags onto your table. Once again, you can identify the owners of the objects based on the colours of the bags. Cold read both objects/ owners and return each object to the correct spectator. I like to perform a feint just to create interest for the third object. Although I know that the third object does not belong to the first spectator, I deliver the flowing lines: "This watch belongs to a man who is meticulous and thrifty, yet is willing to spend money on others. He has a slight nagging pain in one of his knees that does not really bother him except when he is doing some form of intensive physical activity. Jonathan (referring to the first spectator), this watch... does NOT belong to you! This watch is yours!" (Turn away from the first spectator abruptly and give the watch back to the other spectator.)

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

131

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Step 4 “Jonathan, it seems that we have saved the best for last. Obviously, the last bag is yours and contains the mystery object that you placed inside. So, let us end this demonstration with something completely different. We know that the last bag contains your item but we have no idea what the object is. So, I would like you to think of your object… its shape… its size… its colour and its features." Keeping your distance from the table, dramatically describe the first spectator's object. The more details you can highlight, the more impressive it will be. After describing the object, reach into the collection bag and remove the remaining bag (from the secret compartment), open it and triumphantly remove the object inside. Return it to the first spectator and accept your applause.

Notes: 

If you are a skillful presenter and are confident, you can increase the impossibility of the effect by being blindfolded for all the "readings". That is, you apparently use just your sense of touch to read the objects and identify the owners. All you need is a see-through blindfold so that you have a full view of everything including the spectators at the front of the stage.



Instead of just describing the last object in the netted bag, you can draw it out and reveal it after the spectator names what it is. You then remove it from the netted bag for a final visual verification.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

132

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

JUMBO VISIBLE DECK Adding a Visual Element to the Invisible Deck Routine

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

133

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: The mentalist shows an empty wooden box and opens it claiming it contains an invisible jumbo deck of cards. A spectator on stage is asked to remove the invisible jumbo deck of cards. Through an entertaining presentation, the spectator is asked to freely choose a card from the invisible deck and replace it back face down in the face up deck. The entire invisible deck is placed back into the wooden box. Almost instantly, the invisible deck turns visible in the wooden box. The visible deck is now removed, taken out of its card case and spread face out to the audience. A single card is seen face down in the face up deck. This card is revealed to be the card freely chosen by the spectator!

Introduction: Eddie Fields created the “Invisible Deck” presentation for Joe Berg’s "Ultra Mental" deck and it was made popular by Don Alan. This is a simple idea to add a visual element to the now classic “Invisible Deck” routine and increase its visibility for stage work. The “Invisible Deck” is a staple in many mentalists’ repertoire. Many used it as a dependable “stand-by” routine as an “out” or back up routine. It is self-contained, has a great plot and has a strong magic outcome. I performed the “Invisible Deck” routine with jumbo cards for my stage shows earlier in my career. However, one thing I felt the routine lacked was the transition between the “invisible” deck expository phase to the introduction of the “visible” deck for the revelation phase of the routine. Making the “invisible deck” become visible was a natural logical effect that bridged the two phases together. The visual appearance of the jumbo deck proved to be very effective. It also added a visual magic moment in a routine that is largely “acted” out with pantomime. Method & Performance: I assume that anyone reading this book is familiar with the “Invisible Deck” method and handling so I will not detail it here. You will require a jumbo version of the “Invisible Deck” for this routine that is available from most magic dealers. To make the “invisible” deck “visible”, a standard stage prop known as the “Drawer Box” is used. This is basically a box that has a sliding shell that can be pulled out, like a drawer, to show the box apparently empty. The deck remains in an inner box that is left in the body of the box usually held in place by pressure applied onto a specific area under the box. To make the deck appear, pressure is released and the inner box and sliding shell are drawn out of the box together as one. A “Drawer Box” is available from most magic dealers or can be custom-made by stage magic prop builders. You need one that can fit a jumbo deck of cards that measures 7” x 4.5” x 1.5”. You can also contact Thomas Clark (www.magicsax.com) who can build you a custom “Drawer Box” built to my specifications at a reasonable cost. He offers it in a variety of finishes including a classy mahogany and walnut finish. In fact, Thomas can also build any of the props you need in this book.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

134

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 In the context of the performance, the visual effect of the “invisible” deck turning visible is created with the handling of the “Drawer Box”. After the “invisible” deck is replaced into the “Drawer Box”, the box should be kept open but with the box held vertically, with the mouth of the box facing to the ground. The hand holding the main box is kept still and the other hand pushes the sliding shell (drawer) upwards to close the box. Pressure is released so the inner box will be free. Simultaneously, pull open the sliding shell (drawer) down again. Gravity will assist in making the inner box with jumbo deck drop quickly. To the audience, it should look like you simply opened and closed the box. Performed correctly, it will look like the jumbo deck appears in the box almost instantly. See Fig 1 – 3. FIG 1

FIG 2

FIG 3

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

135

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FASHION STATEMENT A Prediction Routine with a Logical Kicker Ending

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

136

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

Effect: The mentalist introduces a large glass box (approx. 4' x 2' x 3' H) isolated on a short platform. The audience can see a large prediction envelope hanging inside the glass box. The mentalist shows three different fashion catalogues. Each catalogue features pictures of a specific apparel. One features different designs of blouses and tops. Another features pants and the last one features shoes. Three spectators each choose one random piece of apparel from each catalogue forming a unique complete outfit. The prediction envelope is removed from the glass box and opened to reveal a single large photo inside. It shows a female model wearing the exact same outfit. As a kicker, a cloth is dropped down all sides of the glass box covering it from view. Seconds later, the cloth is whisked away to reveal a real girl wearing the exact same outfit! Introduction: This is a spectacular prediction routine that the audience can relate to and has a logical and surprising kicker. It combines both mentalism and illusion methods to create a stunning piece of impossibility. The entire illusion/ mentalism routine is completely selfcontained and can be built to pack flat for transport. This would be considered relatively small by illusion standards. I originally designed this for a clothing company that held an event that included magic and a fashion show. The clothes and images of the clothes used in the illusion were naturally those of the client's brand.

Method & Requirements: The apparel items are forced onto the spectators. However, one thing not highlighted in the "Effect" description is that the spectator who chooses the catalogue featuring the blouses/ tops actually has a free choice of two tops featured on the page. This means that two "outs" are needed for both the prediction and the girl who appears. The "out" for the prediction is in the form of a double-backed prediction with a picture of the model wearing either top on each side. The girl magically appears from a standard illusion prop known as the "Crystal Box" or "Crystal Casket". She also wears two layers of tops. The outer layer is a blouse and is modified to be a "tear away" top so that she can rip it off if needed to match the prediction. Here are the specifics of the requirements of the routine: The Catalogues The apparel items are forced using the long and short principle. The catalogues have to be custom made and are made from large black art paper (A3 size). You will also need to look for images of clothes from the Internet or obtain multiple copies of a real clothing catalogue.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

137

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 There are 30 pages in each catalogue. 15 pages show different designs of apparel, one design per page, except for the catalogue that features blouses/ tops, which has one or two images on each page. For the pants and shoes catalogues, 15 pages each show the exact same design/ image of each apparel item. For the tops catalogue, 15 pages each show the same two different images of a top and a blouse. The top and blouse must be very different from each other for contrast and so that the top can be hidden under the blouse. See “Costume/ Tear Away Blouse” below to see more specifications for the clothing required. The identical pages for each catalogue are the force pages. The lengths of each of the force pages are trimmed short about 5mm shorter than the regular pages and are inserted alternatively between the regular pages. This whole set is then spiral bound. If you flip the catalogue with your thumb from front to back, all the different images will be seen. But if you hold the catalogue by its spine with the left hand and use your right index and middle finger to flip the pages of the catalogue from back to front (ala Larry Becker's “Flashback” book handling), you will always stop at a force page. You have to create three catalogues in all and the cover of each catalogue should be labeled "tops", "pants" and "shoes" respectively. The Prediction Envelope The prediction is made from a piece of mounting card. On one side is a photo of a female model wearing the force outfit with one of the force tops. The other side is a photo of the model wearing the force outfit with the other force top. You will likely have to take an actual photo of a model or your female assistant wearing the clothes. This prediction should be as large as possible for greater visibility and to be proportionate to the large size of the glass box. The envelope is ungimmicked and it is hung from the inside top of the glass box with a velvet cord and bulldog clip. The Glass Box The central prop for this routine is known in the illusion trade as the "Crystal Box" or "Crystal Casket". All good illusion builders will offer the prop as it is a standard illusion. It is essentially a glass box made from plexiglass with aluminum angle supports and aluminum flat bar trimmings mounted on an illusion deceptive base. An illusion deceptive base, or usually just referred to as a “base”, is a "tabletop" designed and built so that it looks thin but is actually hollow that allows a person to be concealed inside. The design and the build of the base have to be good to be deceptive. Two solid hinging trapdoors that hinge outwards and meet in the center of the base cover the hollow of the base. In most designs, one trapdoor is larger than another, typically a 1:2 ratio. This allows your assistant to enter and exit the base easily. A 1:1 ratio for the trapdoors will not give her enough space to maneuver easily when she is confined in the space of the glass box top. Most standard crystal boxes or caskets have a lid that forms the top of the box. For this routine, the top is solid and the door is on the front of the glass box. The door is a piece

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

138

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 of plexiglass hinged to the front vertical support of the glass box and has a clasp on the other side of the door to keep it shut. I outline my design and dimensions below for a standard sized slender female illusion assistant. However, if you would like to build this yourself, you will need to consult professional resources to build it. Rand Woodbury’s “Base Book” and “Illusion Works Volume 1” video are essentially resources for anyone looking to build a base. Whether you are building your own base or supervising/ commissioning a builder to build one for you, his thoughts and experience are invaluable. He highlights different types of base design styles; such as a Bevel, Wedge and Step Base. I share my original base design philosophy and building method in Volume 1 of this illusion collection. What differentiates my base design is that it is deceptive, very lightweight but very strong, a huge advantage for working performers. My bases are generally always multi-step bases, which means the thickness of the base is visually broken up by different steps. For this base, I have three steps - a main step, secondary step and top step. The aluminum framework of the glass box that sits on the base hides the majority of the top step. The thickness of the base is 8.5”. See Fig 1 - 3. You will also need an opaque cloth that covers the entire glass box. Based on my dimensions, the cloth should measure 114” x 96”.

FIG 1 FRONT VIEW

Top Step

Secondary Step

Main Step

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

139

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 2 FRONT VIEW 44”

3”

32”

4” 5”

½” ply frame as secondary step

1”

3”

1” 3” 2”

18”

1” 3” 62”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

140

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

26” FIG 3 SIDE VIEW

2” 4”

2”

1” 3”

3” 38”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

141

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Costume/ Tear Away Blouse Your female assistant has to be wearing the outfit that matches your predictions. She will be wearing two tops, one over the other. The inner piece should be a tight fitting spaghetti strapped top, halter-top or a tube top. The outer top is a loose fitting blouse of constraint colour that must completely cover the inner top. This outer blouse must also be gimmicked to be a tear away costume. The entire back is cut down the center vertical of the blouse as well across the upper back, just under the armpits. The back of the blouse is held together with 1/4" Velcro strips forming a large “cross” across the back of the blouse. You can also use snap buttons or even better, Lee Alex's "Magna Seams" product. The design of the tear away blouse allows your assistant to grab the front of the blouse and "rip" if off her body by pulling the blouse forward. See Fig 4.

FIG 4 BACK VIEW

¼” Velcro strips holding the back of the blouse closed

Set Up: 

The girl wears the outfit with tear away blouse and is loaded into the base.



The glass box prop should be set center stage. The cloth is placed over the glass box so that it completely covers the box evenly on all sides. The four sides that are hanging down over the sides of the box are folded up neatly onto the top of the box. This is similar to how a cloth is set up on a vanishing birdcage or vanishing radio prop. This allows the audience to see through all sides of the glass but allows you to easily drop the cloth so the box is completely covered in performance.



The prediction envelope is hung from the inside top of the glass box via a velvet cord and bulldog clip and a bolt under the top of the glass box.



The catalogues are placed on a side table on one side of the stage.

Performance & Presentation: “The fashion industry is a $1, 252.8 billion business. Professionals, experts, designers and fashion magazine editors spend hours trying to predict what the latest fashion trends might be and what styles will be popular in the next season. It is

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

142

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 virtually impossible to predict fashion trends although it has been said that trends can be manipulated and set by influential heavyweights in the industry. I am not a fashion expert. I cannot predict what the next fashion trend will be but I do have a good sense of fashion and have an instinct of what people like. I would like to call attention to the large glass box on stage. Inside the glass box contains a single large envelope that holds a single prediction. I will show you my prediction in a while. I also have three fashion catalogues over here. One catalogue features the latest styles of blouses and tops. The other catalogue features pants and the last one features shoes. Three audience members are going to randomly create a unique outfit that might just be the next big thing. Who would like to be part of this historic event?” Look for spectators from different parts of the audience and invite them onto stage. Alternatively, you can throw out an object into the audience to randomly select the volunteers. Have the three spectators stand on one side of the stage, near the front of the stage in front of your side table. Go through the usual formalities of having them introduce themselves. “Now that we have gotten to know you better, I would like you say that all of you look like very fashionable people. I need your help to create a unique outfit from the latest fashion designs from around the world. Jennifer, we will start off with you. I have a catalogue here that features all kinds of shoes. As you can see, there are high heel shoes, sandals, boots and more.” Pick up the shoes catalogue and flip through it so that all different images of shoes are shown. “Jennifer, I would like you to say stop, anytime you like, as I flip through the catalogue like this. Ready? Go! Here? Perfect, let’s have a look at the pair of shoes you stopped at. Ah, a pair of black leather boots with stainless steel buckles. A very good choice! Please hold the catalogue against your body so the audience can see the boots.” Flip through the catalogue and stop at a force page. Open the catalogue at the page and fold the catalogue back over itself so that the force page is now the front “cover” of the book. Give it to the first spectator and ask him/ her to hold it so the force page faces out to the audience. You will now repeat this sequence with the second spectator with the pants catalogue. “Peter, you will have a choice of the latest pants in fashion. Now, I should mention that these are all ladies pants so imagine you are going to try to pick a pair of pants for a lady friend. However, if wearing ladies pants is your thing that is perfectly fine as well. As you can see, there are many different pants to choose from… different styles and different colours. Peter, I would like you to say stop, anytime you like, as I flip through the catalogue like this. Ready? Go! Here? Let us see what you stopped us at… a pair of denim jeans with leather trimmings. This will go perfectly well with Jennifer’s boots. Great

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

143

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 choice! Please hold the catalogue, just like Jennifer, so that the audience can see the pants.” Repeat the same with the third spectator with the tops catalogue but the spectator will have a choice of two different tops. “Finally, we come to Karen. You will complete the outfit by randomly choosing a top from this catalogue. Just as before, please say stop anytime you like. Here? There are two tops on the page that you stopped me at… a stylish red blouse and a sexy black halter neck. Both tops will go very well with the rest of the outfit so please make a choice and tell us which one you want. The red blouse or the black top?” Once the top is chosen, your assistant in the base will know whether she has to remove the tear away blouse when she exits the base. You will also know if you need to give her just a bit more time before revealing her so that she can safely remove the tear away blouse. For purposes of this description, we will assume the black halter-top is chosen. “The black halter-top? An excellent choice, that is the one I would have chosen too. Please hold onto the catalogue so that everyone can see how it looks like. Perfect! Could all of you please stand in a row so that we can see the unique outfit that you have created?” Have the spectators stand in a row with each of them holding the force page of their respective catalogues to the audience. “Before we even started this demonstration, this glass box has been sitting on stage. That envelope has been encased inside the glass box and in full view throughout the act. No one has touched the envelope since we have begun. I mentioned that the envelope contains a prediction. Specifically, it is a photo. Let me show it to you.” Walk over to the front of the glass box and open the door. Remove the envelope from the clip and close the door. “From over one hundred thousand possible combinations, three different random choices were made to create a one-of-a-kind outfit. We have Jennifer’s black boots, Peter’s denim jeans and Karen’s free choice of a black halter-top! Believe it or not, this random unique outfit is a perfect match to my fashion prediction!” Dramatically open the envelope and remove the prediction with the correct side showing. Accept your applause and place the prediction with envelope onto the side table. “We are going to take this one step further and make this fashion prediction into a fashion statement. Watch!” This is the cue for a music track to be played. Walk behind the prop and drop the sides of the cloth so that all sides of the box are covered. Hold the top corners of the box through the cloth and revolve the entire prop 360 degrees around. This will give your assistant enough time to exit the base, rip off the tear away blouse, and get into a posed position. Whisk away the cloth with a theatrical flair to reveal the girl in the matching outfit. Open the front door of the glass box and allow her to exit for a finale pose. Retrieve the catalogues from the spectators and invite them back to their seats. © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

144

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

NEW AGE SPIRIT CABINET The manifestation of inanimate objects with a kicker ending

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

145

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: The illusionist displays an elegantly crafted urn and explains it contains the remains of an unsettled soul. He suggests an experiment to discover if the spirits of the unsettled soul are active. To contain the evoked spirits, the illusionist introduces a special ‘spirit cabinet’ to aid in the experiment - an open frame prop with solid sides, no back and a hinged down front door that sits on a thin tabletop. With the front door down, the audience has a clear see-through view of the prop. The urn and a hand bell are placed into the center of the ‘spirit cabinet’. The front door is closed and instantly, the hand bell is heard to be frantically ringing inside the cabinet. The door is reopened to reveal the hand bell to be still and unmoved. The bell is removed and two unlit candles are placed on each side of the urn. The front door is closed up again. Seconds later, the door is reopened to reveal that the candles are now lit and burning brightly. The candles are removed and this time, the lid of the urn is removed and placed to its side. Smoke bellows out from the mouth of the urn and the front door is closed for the last time. Almost immediately, disfigured hands are seen reaching out through openings in the two sides and top of the cabinet. The hands disappear back inside the cabinet. Next, hands, a face and an upper body of a ‘spirit’ emerge through the front of the cabinet. After a brief appearance, the ‘spirit’ disappears back inside the prop. The illusionist quickly reopens the door to reveal that it is completely empty, save the urn and with its lid back in place! Introduction: This is another illusion that I developed using a slightly modified ‘Crystal Casket’. It is a ‘Spirit Cabinet’ plot that features only a partial appearance of a person (ghost). This illusion would be perfect for a mentalism-type routine, gothic-themed show or for performers staging a Halloween show.

Method & Requirements: You can modify an existing standard rectangular top box ‘Crystal Casket’ to create the ‘New Age Spirit Cabinet’. Simply remove all the plexi-glass panels, leaving just the framework. The standard rectangular ‘Crystal Casket’ framework is covered with overlapping spandex on all sides, except the back, to form a ‘box’. You can also construct the framework out of 2” x 1” thick lumber. There is also a front door that hinges down that is constructed from a wooden frame with overlapping spandex. The base should have a split 2-door trapdoor that acts as the ‘floor’ of the ‘box’. The front trapdoor (nearest the audience) should be about ¼ the size of the other. This allows the various props to be placed onto the ‘floor’ of the ‘box’ but still allow the girl to exit (at least partially) the base.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

146

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Fig 1 shows the visual of the ‘New Age Spirit Cabinet’. You can adopt the dimensions I gave in ‘Crystal Striptease’. FIG 1

Top View

2" x 1" thick Wooden Framing

Front Door with Overlapping Spandex

Front View (Front Door not shown) Overlapping Spandex

Velcro Tab to secure hinged Front Door closed

Aluminium Angle 'Box Frame'

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

147

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

Side View (Trapdoors shown open) Overlapping Spandex

Trapdoors

Aluminium Angle 'Box Frame'

Velcro Tab

Front Door

A piece of dry ice with water added in the urn and closed just prior to performance will add a theatrical element to the illusion. You may also want to go the extra distance and gimmick the urn with a shallow ‘Foo Canstyle’ compartment. Water is placed into this compartment, separated from the dry ice in the main section of the urn. When the urn is gently shaken, the water will spill out onto the dry ice and react to create the smoke effect. Fig 2. FIG 2

Water

Urn

Dry Ice

Set-up: The ‘New Age Spirit Cabinet’ (closed up), with the ‘spirit’ (girl) is hidden in the base, is center stage. One hand bell, the gas stove lighter and the fake hand are in the base with the ‘spirit’. She holds on to the hand bell at the start of the illusion. The urn, the other hand bell and candles are on a side table. Performance & Presentation: Phase 1 Pick up the urn from the side table and introduce it to the audience as outlined in ‘Effect’.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

148

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Place it down and draw attention to the ‘spirit cabinet’. Open the front door so that the audience can see through the empty prop. Place the urn onto the front trapdoor. Display the hand bell, ring it for effect and place it into the ‘spirit cabinet’ next to the urn. Close the front door of the ‘spirit cabinet’. This signals the girl to lift the main trapdoor, extend her hand out with the hand bell and ring it loudly three times. Once done, she retracts her hand and allows the trapdoor to fall flat. Once the third ring stops, open the front door to reveal the hand bell next to the urn to be still and unmoved. The girl now carefully places the hand bell away in the base and takes hold of the gas stove lighter. Phase 2 Remove the hand bell and place the two candles with holders next to the urn, one on each side. Close up the front door. The girl opens the trapdoor, lights the candles and carefully closes the trapdoor to ensure that the candles are not blown out. Open the front door slowly to reveal the lit candles. Blow out the candles and remove them from the ‘spirit cabinet’. Remove the urn’s lid and place it to the side of the urn. If you are using dry ice, smoke will start to bellow out from the mouth of the urn. Close up the front door. Phase 3 Once the door is closed, the girl lifts up the main trapdoor completely and takes out the fake hand. She pushes it halfway out of one of the sidewalls, through the overlapping spandex slit. She then stretches her left hand through the other sidewall and her right hand through the top of the ‘box’. This creates the illusion of the appearance of three hands. The girl retracts her hands and pulls in the fake hand. After dropping the fake hand in the base, she proceeds to move herself over the urn and press her hands and head against the front spandex. Next, she places the lid back on the urn and maneuvers her entire upper body and one leg through the front overlapping spandex slit, giving the audience a view of the ‘spirit’. Her body movement and facial expressions should be almost ‘demonic’ and eerie. After four or five seconds, the girl pulls herself back into the ‘box’ and quickly positions herself back in the base and allows the main trapdoor to fall flat. You walk over to the ‘spirit cabinet’ and quickly open the front door, revealing that the cabinet is empty, save for the urn with its lid back in place. J C’s Notes: 

A haunting soundtrack, low lying fog (dry ice machine), a darkened stage with a single weak profile light shining from above, slightly in front of the prop will add tremendous theatrical impact to the illusion.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

149

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

STAGE ROUTINES

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

150

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

CREATION OF LIFE A paradigm of powerful illusion presentation

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

151

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: Performed to an emotional piece of music, the illusionist displays a piece of tissue paper and skillfully crafts it into an origami rose. The origami rose is lit on fire by a candlelight flame and magically transforms into a real white rose. A petal is plucked from the rose and placed into a large glass goblet. The goblet is swirled around and the petal magically changes into an egg. The egg is removed and cracked into a cage. Amazingly, a live canary appears from within the egg!

Introduction: This is not an illustration of original illusion methodology but it is a model for how different effects can be combined logically and progressively to create a powerful emotional piece. I make no claim to any of the illusion methods or gimmicks used, only the structuring of the act. I have a total of 3 original illusion presentations, developed over the years, which evoke strong emotions (often inspirational) in the audience. ‘Celestial Ascent’, ‘A Diary of Dreams’ and ‘Creation of Life’ all share common traits in that they are all theatrical show pieces that impact the audience both visually and emotionally. I share the routining of ‘Creation of Life’ with you here. A few credits are in order: The flash paper to real rose sequence is credited to Kevin James who features it as a climax in his now classic ‘Floating Rose’ stage routine. Victor & Diamond have a similar rose petal to egg to canary sequence in their dove act but it is performed in a different context. Method & Requirements: To perform ‘Creation of Life’, you will need: 

An artificial white rose complete with stem and leaves



A sheet of 9” x 9” flash paper



A candle with candleholder on side table



An inflatable white egg skin (as used in the classic ‘Egg on Fan’ effect)



A stemmed large goblet



A canary or similar small bird



A canary cage (as used in the Orange, Lemon, Egg and Canary illusion) This prop allows a canary to be apparently produced from an egg that is cracked in the cage



An assistant

I also cannot stress the importance of the right choice of music. I recommend an orchestral piece (not MIDI created) that has a moderate progressive build up to a powerful climax. © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

152

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

Set-up: 

The egg skin is folded into a small packet and placed between the petals of the rose. The similar colour of the petals will help camouflage the egg skin’s presence.



The rose is placed in your right sleeve, stem first



The candle in candle holder is on the side table center stage



The canary is loaded into the cage. Cut some pieces of white cardboard in random shapes and sizes and load it in with the canary. This is to simulate the pieces of egg shell when the egg is ‘cracked’



The flash paper sheet is folded and placed in any convenient location

Performance: The requirements, set-up and effect detailed above should make the routining evident. Briefly; Phase 1 Display the sheet of flash paper. Unfold it and craft the flash paper into an origami rose. This is detailed in Kevin James’ ‘Floating Rose’ video and will not be explained here. It is also explained in Doc Eason’s ‘Bar Magic’ videos under the name ‘Cocktail Rose’. As you are putting on the finishing touches to the origami rose, allow the real rose to fall down into your right palm, stem still up your sleeve. Hold the origami rose in the same hand. With your free left hand, use a lighter or match pull to light the candle. Touch the base of the origami rose to the candle flame. As it burns brightly, bring your left hand towards your right hand and grasp the stem of the rose, just below its head. Continue moving forward into the flame and pull the rose completely out of your sleeve. Your right hand remains stationary throughout. Move your left hand with rose upwards creating the illusion of pulling the rose out of the burning flame. The rose from sleeve handling was shown by Laurent Beretta, a professional magician from France, in the form of a close-up magic rose production from a piece of flash paper. Phase 2 Display the rose and remove the egg skin from the rose bud; simulating the actions of plucking off one of the petals. Your assistant hands you the goblet and takes the rose from you. Place the egg skin into the goblet. Move the goblet around in a circular manner so that the egg skin swirls inside the goblet. Air will soon enter the egg skin, inflating it so that it takes full shape. Remove the ‘egg’ from the goblet.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

153

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Phase 3 Your assistant brings over the canary cage and displays it to be empty. Open the cage door and ‘crack’ the egg onto the floor of the cage. At the same time, your assistant releases the canary and ‘broken egg shells’. Take the cage and raise it in front of you signaling a finale applause cue. J C’s Notes: 

Instead of producing the rose from your sleeve, you may want to consider a marketed prop by Collectors Workshop called ‘Fireflower’. This self-contained candle and candleholder prop will allow you to transform a flash paper rose into a real rose.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

154

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

THE TIME MACHINE A ‘cerebral’ stage routine performed to a time-travel plot

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

155

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect & Presentation: The illusionist explains that he has recently acquired a ‘Time Machine’ and would like to demonstrate its workings. However, he confesses that there are several limitations to his ‘Time Machine’. One, the ‘Time Machine’ can only travel forward in time and not back in time. Secondly, the ‘Time Machine’ does not travel as fast as he would like. For example, for an object to travel seven days, it would take about a week to reach the future… Although the audience seems unconvinced, the illusionist says he has found a way to make the ‘Time Machine’ travel forward in time by several hours in just a few seconds. The illusionist removes the single content from a wooden chest – a clock. The clock hands point to the present time, in this case, 9.20pm. The clock is then placed into the ‘Time Machine’, a futuristic-looking box that has doors (hinged at the base) on all sides. Almost immediately, the doors of the ‘Time Machine’ are opened to reveal that the clock hands now point to 1.45am, about four and a half hours in the future. But, the illusionist explains that what the audience has just witnessed is merely an illusion; because the fact is - traveling into the future is not possible, as the future does not exist for it has yet to happen. He further elucidates that if time travel were really possible, an object could only travel in the past, as the past has already occurred and is known to exist. The clock is replaced in the ‘Time Machine’. Upon reopening the doors, it is revealed that the clock has vanished! The illusionist clarifies that the clock has not vanished but has actually traveled back in time. He walks across the stage and opens the once empty wooden chest and removes the clock. The clock hands point to 9.20pm, the time that the routine commenced – showing that the clock has indeed traveled back in time! Introduction: I am extremely pleased with this illusionary piece as it is a stage magic presentation that is intellectual, thought provoking and has a logical ‘circular’ plot that brings the routine to a natural conclusion. The strength of the routine is in the ‘cerebral’ presentation and was inspired by Problem 43, ‘The Time Machine’ in Martin Cohen’s book, 101 Philosophy Problems, 2nd Edition (2002). Using his humourous example of a philosophical problem as the premise of my own routine, I developed the magical effects, method, prop design and presentation. My first version of this illusion was published in the ‘World Class Magic’ section of SAM’s MU-M magazine, Aug 2003 issue. This updated version features a greatly improved set of props with superior design specifications. The version as described in M-U-M was first performed for a special event in Jun 2003.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

156

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Method & Requirements: The Clocks The first thing you need to do is to find suitable clocks for the illusion before you build the rest of the props. Having a watchmaker custom-make just two clocks can be quite expensive, so it is actually much easier to hunt for suitable clocks and modify them if necessary. The best two kinds of clocks to use are large classic analog alarm clock style clocks or old timepieces. Certain wall clocks can also be cannibalized and modified so that they can be free standing. The only requirements are that the clock faces and hands should be highly visible and the clocks must not be digital. Ideally, the clocks should have at least an 8” – 10” clock face and be about 2” – 4” thick. Custom hands that are wider and longer can help make the clock more visible. The clocks I found that work perfectly are very large classic analog alarm clocks made of lightweight polished aluminum. They measure 12” in height, about 10” wide and are 3.25” thick. The clock hands are painted red for even better visibility and the clock faces even have lights around the edges to light up the face of the clock. One of the clocks is gimmicked in the following way: Switch the positions of the minute and hour hand by removing the center pin, and exchanging the positions of the two hands. Note: For the purposes of this description, we will assume that the clocks used are the same size as the ones I have. You will need to adjust the dimensions of the main props accordingly, depending on the size of the clocks you are using.

FIG 1

Front View

Side View

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

157

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The Central Prop The ‘Time Machine’ central prop has to be custom-built and decorated to look like a scientific contraption. It consists of a main box, tabletop on legs. The main box has four doors that hinge open on four sides. There is also a top lid that opens towards the front of the main box. The doors and lid are made of 0.25” ply finished in your choice of colour plastic laminate. The box frame is constructed from polished 1.5” aluminum angle. When placed upright in the main box, the clock should apparently fill the interior of the box, height-wise and width-wise. However, the clock easily fits in a 3.5”-deep secret compartment in the tabletop when laid flat on its back. The tabletop is essentially a combination ‘Stepped’/ Alan Wakeling-styled illusion base and its specific design makes it look thinner than it actually is. The tabletop actually only makes up 2” of the secret compartment depth. The bottom frame of the main box hides the other 1.5”. The tabletop is made up of a main top plus a step. The main top is constructed from 0.25” ply sandwiched between a 2” thick wood support framing. The step is 0.25” ply resting on a 1” thick support framing. Fake support legs on four corners under the step help create the illusion of separation between the main box and tabletop. Two trapdoors that open towards the side doors act as the floor of the main box. The trapdoors are made from 0.125” aluminum sheet and have two quarter-circle finger holes at the back edges where the trapdoors meet. The inside walls, including the top surface of the trapdoor, are covered with black felt. The entire ‘Time Machine’ is mounted on four (detachable) 2” heavy gauge aluminum angle legs bolted to the sides of the main top. A 2” x 2” heavy gauge aluminum plate is welded perpendicularly to bottom end of each leg. A hole drilled through each base plate allows a castor wheel to be bolted to the leg. If you are not able to weld aluminum; alternatively, you can cut a 2” x 2” x 2” block of wood and bolt it into the bottom end of each leg. The castor wheel is then directly bolted into the bottom of the block of wood. Two 1” aluminum flat bars bolted to the sides of two pairs of legs give stability to the prop. 1” aluminum flat bars bolted in a geometric design onto the front legs gives the prop a modern look. See Fig 2 for construction plans of the ‘Time Machine’. Fig 3 shows the specific construction details of the ‘base’.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

158

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 2

Top View

Top Lid Step

Main Top

Front View

Front View Hinge (x 2 per Door)

Door Knob

Top Lid (Opens towards audience)

Step

Fake Support Leg (x 4)

Main Top

Bolt & Washer (x 8) 1" Aluminum Flat Bar Option 1: Bolted through Aluminum Angle

2" Aluminum Angle Leg (x 4) 2" Castor Wheel (x 4) Option 2: Bolted into 2" x 2" x 2" Wooden Block

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

159

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 3 – Specific Construction Details of ‘Base’

Front View (Doors not shown) Fake Support Leg (Top View)

0.5" x 1" thick Lumber Framing

0.5" 0.5"

1.5" Aluminum Angle Box Frame

1"

Trapdoors 0.125" Aluminum Sheet

Hidden Space for the Clock 0.125" Aluminum Sheet (Trapdoor) 1.5" x 0.5" thick Lumber Framing 0.25" Ply (Step) Fake Support Leg 0.5" x 1" thick Lumber Framing 1" x 2" thick Lumber Framing

0.25" Ply (Top & Bottom of Main Top) The Clock Box A special double-walled chest is used to ‘reproduce’ the clock at the end of the routine. The chest has a front door that hinges down and top lid that opens towards the audience. The box is made from 0.125” or 0.25” ply, depending on the weight of your clocks. Although, the physical box looks (and technically is) only 4.5” thick, it can hold two clocks. The front compartment can hold a clock completely. The back compartment is only 1” thick, however the entire back wall of the box is made of spandex, not wood. This allows the second clock to be held ‘in’ the box between the dividing partition and the spandex.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

160

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 If the box is held to the body by its base with your fingers below and thumbs on the side, and arms straightened down, your forearms will cover the sides of the chest. This will shield any bad angles when the second clock is in the back compartment. See Fig 4 for construction details of the ‘Clock Box’. Fig 5 shows the ‘Clock Box’ with the clocks inside.

FIG 4

Top View (Top Lid not shown) Black Spandex

Dividing Partition (hidden)

Front Door

Front View (Front Door not shown)

Side View (Clocks not shown)

Top Lid

Black Spandex

Top Lid

Front View Hinge (x 2) Front Door

Dividing Partition (0.125" thick Ply)

FIG 5

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

161

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

Side View (Front Door not shown)

Black Spandex

Top Lid

Front View Front Door

You will require an assistant for this effect. Set-up: Set both clocks to the time you would be performing the routine, for example, 9.20pm. However, for the gimmicked clock, take a pinch of magician’s wax or an equivalent and stick the hands together at the base so that both hands move as a unit. Place both clocks; faces forward, in the ‘Clock Box’. The gimmicked clock goes into the back compartment. Your assistant stands by with the box off stage. The ‘Time Machine’ is placed center stage. Performance: The presentation of the illusion is detailed in ‘Effect & Presentation’, so only the mechanics and handling of the routine are outlined here. As you patter about how you have found a way to make the ‘Time Machine’ travel forward in time by several hours in just a few seconds, your assistant brings out the ‘Clock Box’; holding it as described above. Open the front of the box to show the face of the clock. Close up the front door, open the top lid and remove the gimmicked clock from the back compartment. Once the clock is removed, your assistant steps back and turns her body to the side slightly, to indirectly show off the thickness (or thinness, in this case) of the ‘Clock Box’. You have apparently simply shown a single clock in the box and removed it. Your assistant remains on stage but stays in the ‘background’.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

162

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Walk over to the ‘Time Machine’ with the gimmicked clock. Open the top lid of the ‘Time Machine’ and place the clock into it. As you place the clock in, secretly turn the dial on the back of the clock so that the clock hands show a time several hours ahead. Open the front door to show that the clock has apparently moved several hours into the future. For a clean presentation, open the other three side doors so that the audience can see through the prop and around the clock. Remove the clock and bring it forward for the audience to get a closer look at the new time. Place the clock on top of the ‘Time Machine’ and close up the front followed by the side doors. Just before closing the back door, secretly open up the trapdoors. Lift off the clock from the top of the ‘Time Machine’ and open the top lid. Place the clock inside but lower it on its back into the secret compartment. Allow the trapdoors to close over the clock and shut the top lid. Open all four doors of the ‘Time Machine’ to show that the clock has vanished. Walk over to your assistant and open the front door to reveal the duplicate clock. Open the top lid and visibly remove the clock and accept your applause. J C’s Notes: Although it might seem that a number of standard stage magic props can be used to substitute the ones used in the routine, a great deal of thought has been put into the design and choice of props used to present the routine in the cleanest and most natural manner without funny moves or suspicious handling of props. You may feel that there is a slight contradiction in the presentation of the routine because at the start of the routine, it is first explained that one of the limitations of the ‘Time Machine’ is that it cannot make objects travel back in time. But, the climax of the illusion is the traveling of the clock back in time. This is where the wording of the patter is important because you say: “… if time travel were really possible, an object could only travel in the past, as the past has already occurred and is known to exist.” So, technically, the ‘traveling of the clock back in time’ is a representation of what could happen if time travel were possible and not what is currently happening. Don’t think about it too much, it’s just magic!

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

163

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

SWEEPSTAKES When Combination and Motivation Collide

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

164

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect & Presentation: The illusionist interrupts his show by asking the audience for permission to check if he has any luck with the lottery. He explains that he bought a ticket for the first time in his life and felt good about the number. He takes out the ticket and reads out the number, ‘4848’ to the audience. He turns on a radio on stage just in time for the radio presenter to start announcing the winning ticket number, (Music is heard playing and fades to background level) “Thank you for tuning in to 98.3FM – the station that plays the hits and only the hits. We now bring you the results for the 1 million dollar sweepstake. And the winning number is 5… 2… 6… 1!” Upon hearing this, the illusionist shrugs his shoulders and tears up his lottery ticket. The presenter’s voice comes on again: ” I’m sorry folks; apparently, I made a mistake. The correct number is actually 4848 and not 5261.” The illusionist’s eyes open wide and look in dismay… only for a while. Magically, the torn pieces of the lottery ticket are restored to an undamaged one. While he is triumphantly displaying his restored winning ticket, the presenter’s voice once again comes on air, “You won’t believe this, but the number I mentioned was actually last week’s winning number and is thus - incorrect. Stick around, and I will announce today’s numbers in a few minutes. For now, enjoy this current number one pop chart hit!” (Music plays) In disgust, the illusionist takes a piece of cloth, covers the radio and vanishes it into thin air!

Introduction: This presentation gives strong motivation for two pieces of magic that are usually performed without reason or justification. It also makes the combination of two disparate effects logical.

Method & Requirements: The radio is a vanishing radio prop available on the market. Good models will include a realistic radio front, lights that can light up when you switch on the radio and a power cord that is apparently attached to the radio. Naturally, the ‘radio segment’ is prerecorded and timed to your performance length. You could hire a professional post-production studio to produce the segment but I recommend looking for an audio engineering student. You may also be able to produce it yourself if you are ‘techno-savvy’ as there are many user-friendly software products on the market that will allow you to edit and record the segment on a digital medium such as a CD or MD.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

165

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Use ‘buy-out’ or royalty-free production music for the music tracks and enlist the help from a friend with a good voice to record the ‘radio presenter’ voice-over. The restoration of the torn lottery ticket is accomplished using a $100 Bill Switch. Thus, you will need a thumb tip and knowledge of how to perform the bill switch. You will also need 2 identical lottery tickets, one that is torn up during performance and the other that is pre-loaded in the thumb tip. Since this is a stage effect, the numbers on the ticket need not match the ones called out since no one can see them anyway. The effect and presentation are clearly outlined above and self-explanatory when read in conjunction with the method and requirements. J C’s Notes: 

Instead of the professional Vanishing Radio prop, you can perform a ‘Vanishing Bowl of Water’-style vanish but using a radio and tray with the help of an assistant.



Alternatively, you can use a smaller Walkman-style playback recorder/ radio and vanish it with a pull, table well or Top-it. Of course, bear in mind that the smaller the radio, the less impressive the effect.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

166

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

COMEDY ILLUSIONS

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

167

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

THE VANISHING ‘TIGER’ A Comedy Big Cat Illusion without the Cat

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

168

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: The illusionist explains that all the big-time magicians in Las Vegas perform illusions with large exotic animals such as tigers and lions. He explains that he is no different and recently ordered a rare Bengal tiger. Since it just arrived, he is now able to perform the amazing ‘Vanishing Tiger’ illusion. He displays out a FedExTM shipping box resting on a table. He removes the box to reveal a small cage that apparently contains a 500-pound tiger. But since, the cage is too small, the tiger has been tightly stuffed filling the entire cage without an inch to spare. The tiger’s tail is seen hanging out between the bars of the cage. The illusionist claims this was the most economical way to ship the tiger and he got it overnight. He further explains that he will risk his life by attempting to perform the vanishing of the ferocious tiger. He takes a cloth and covers the cage. Lifting off the cage from the tabletop, he walks towards the front of the stage where he promptly tosses the cloth into the air revealing that the tiger and cage have magically vanished! Introduction: In my humble opinion, I think that this is one of the most creative uses of the standard ‘Vanishing Birdcage’ illusion around. While this illusion is not for everyone, it is not difficult to see how it could fit into an illusion show program even if you are a serious illusionist. This is a fine comedic ‘front of the curtain’ illusion - an interlude between dramatic illusions. Obviously, it is perfect for comedy illusionists and magicians looking to add a ‘big trick’ to their act. I first conceived and designed this illusion for Singapore comedy magician Shawn Chua. It fit his style perfectly, packs small and plays big. This small illusion will also be ideal as a prelude to a serious illusionist performing a real tiger appearance.

Method & Requirements: You will require a vanishing birdcage prop, available from Norm Nielsen, Proline and Owens Magic Supreme among others. You will not need the ‘perch’ typically used for the doves in this version. Go to a specialty fabric store and buy simulated tiger fur. You can go with the white tiger fur but I feel the traditional orange/ black stripe fur is more recognizable especially when it is squashed up in a cage. You will now need to experiment with lining the inside of the vanishing birdcage with the fur. You need to cut and sew a rectangular ‘tiger fur tube’ that just fits the inside of the cage. Basically attach the top edge of the ‘tiger fur tube’ to the inside roof of the cage. Allow the ‘tiger fur tube’ to freely hang down. If you do not need to perform this illusion in surrounded conditions, you do not even need a ‘tube’. You can work with just three sides of fur for the front and two sides. This will actually also ensure the illusion works better without the fur getting caught when you are ‘vanishing’ the cage into the base.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

169

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Also experiment with how much distance you need between the fur and the bars of the cage so that the fur does not get caught when the cage is ‘vanished’. Cut & sew up another piece of fur so that it looks like a tiger tail. One end is attached, via Velcro or tape, to the inside bottom of the table base. The tail will hang out from the back of the cage but is positioned slight more towards one short end of the cage. The tail should be long at least 24”. You will also require a FedExTM or any other recognizable shipping parcel box. Modify the box by cutting and taping it together so that you are left with just a large tube. The tube should fit comfortably over the cage and rest of the table base. Besides adding a nice touch to the presentation of the illusion, a fringe benefit is that it gives further visual and psychological separation between the cage and the table.

Set-up: Set up the vanishing cage with the tiger fur lining. The tiger tail should be on the outside of the cage. Place the shipping parcel tube over the cage and allow the tiger tail to be sandwiched between the cage and the shipping parcel box. This is so that when the tube is pulled up over to reveal the cage, the tail will fall and hang down creating a nice comedic image. The vanishing cloth can be placed folded on top of the vanishing cage as per standard handling.

Performance & Presentation: Here are two presentations you can use depending on your performance style and character. For a comedy performer: “Ladies & Gentlemen, all the big time magicians in Las Vegasl perform grand illusions with exotic animals. I am no different and I just ordered a 500-pound Bengal tiger. It arrived in the mail today, so it is with great pleasure that I present - the ‘Vanishing ‘Tiger’!” Perform the illusion and end with the patter, “Ladies & Gentlemen, please note that no animals were hurt in the performance of this illusion.”

Suggested presentation for the serious performer performing this as a prelude to a real appearing tiger: “Ladies & Gentlemen, presenting a classic Las Vegas illusion - The Vanishing Tiger!” Perform the routine as per normal. Then, immediately have your ‘Lion Bride’s’ prop wheeled out and proceed to produce a real tiger. If you choose to go with the above presentation, you can take it one step further by substituting the Vanishing Birdcage prop for a Gemini Cage, a Ken Whitaker creation. In this presentation, your stuffed tiger becomes a girl in a tiger suit, then the girl goes into a large cage and transforms into a real tiger.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

170

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT A sucker comedy teleportation

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

171

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: The illusionist claims that he will attempt to perform an amazing vanishing illusion right in the center of the stage. He explains that he will accomplish the feat using the "cloth of invisibility" - a bright red piece of cloth measuring 3' x 3'. The illusionist steps up onto a 2" thick dolly and two stage hands raise an all-round curtain around him. A few moments later, as the illusionist's voice is still heard over the sound system, he is seen creeping out from behind the curtain but holding the "cloth of invisibility" in front of his face and body. He tries in vain to hide his escape from the audience as he creeps all the way off stage to the side wings. Suddenly, the all-round curtain drops and the illusionist is seen standing on the dolly.

Introduction: This is a comedy illusion that draws inspiration from three different effects/ plots; Jim Steinmeyer's "Backstage with Cane Cabinet" as performed by Doug Henning, Lance Burton and Mark Kalin & Jinger, a comedy act by French comedy duo Shirley & Dino and Mac King's "Cloak of Invisibility". While this illusion contains elements each of the mentioned acts, the overall illusion and props used are completely different. There are several different ways the illusion can be presented and it is up to the illusionist's personality and performing style. I will explain the basic presentation and offer suggestions at the end of this explanation. Method: A double or look-alike of the illusionist starts off hidden in a partial base that is disguised as a dolly. After the illusionist steps up onto the dolly, the all-round curtain is raised up by two stage hands. The double exits the partial base, takes the "cloth of invisibility" from the illusionist and exits the all-round curtain through a large window. He opens up the "cloth of invisibility" in front of his body and creeps off to the side wings. The illusionist remains on the base and continues to speak through his microphone throughout the performance. At the appropriate moment, he pulls down the curtain to reveal his reappearance back on the dolly. The Dolly Base The main prop consists of a partial base disguised as a dolly. The hiding space depth is broken up visually by the main step (dolly platform), an under step and the top step that is hidden by the all-round curtain. All components are made from 3/8” plywood. The main step is actually just a box cover (60” x 36” x 2” high) with a hole cut out (49” x 29”), centered from all sides. The under step is a box (56” x 34” x 3”) without a top and is secured with 2” aluminum angle (3mm thick) under the hole cut out of the main step. The top step is made from four walls and secured to the top of the main step with 2” aluminum angle (3mm thick). The aluminum angles can be bolted or riveted in place. Only the front part of the surface of the dolly platform (main step) is solid. A piece of ½” ply (50” x 12” covers the front top of the top step. This is the surface that you step on during performance. The back 24” has no surface or trap. It opens down to the hiding space. © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

172

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

The double is partially hidden in the base. 1/3 of the depth of his body will be protruding out of the base, as it is only 6" thick. This top of his body will be covered by a black art cloth flap that is sewn into the inside back of the all round curtain. The outsides & insides of the top step as well as the under step should be painted in flat black or covered with black carpet. The outside of the main step should be finished in natural wood. If you like, you can add a trimming of 1” aluminum flat bar 2mm thick around the edges of the main step. See Fig 1 & 2 for the details of the dolly base.

FIG 1 Front View 5”

50”

5”

3” 2”

1”

56”

2”

2”

60”

2” Aluminum Angle (3mm) 3”

30”

3”

Fig 2 Side View

34” 36”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

173

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The All-Round Curtain The all-round curtain has a specific design to aid in the deception. Firstly, the material must be thick enough so that light does not shine through it. I recommend your choice of cloth (e.g. satin or sequin) with a heavy black lining. The lining must be black for the black art deception element. A 1” square tubing frame is sewn into the top edges of the curtain. The bottom edge of the curtain can be attached via Velcro or stapled to the base of the top step. There is a large window (50” x 30”) in the back of the all-round curtain. This allows the double to exit the curtain. There is also an additional piece of black fabric (40” x 24”) that will serve as a cover for the top part of the double's body when he is in the base. One long edge of the black fabric is sewn on the inside of the back of the all-round curtain, just above the top of the window. The black fabric is automatically pulled off the double’s body when the curtain is raised. This is also the cue for him to safely exit the base. See Fig 3 & 4. Dimensions shown are internal dimensions.

FIG 3

FIG 4

Back View

Side View

50”

30”

24”

80”

50”

3”

10”

Window in back panel

30”

10”

Black fabric flap

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

174

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Set up: The double starts off in a traditional crossed-legged lying position in the partial base. The all-round curtain is set down around the top step of the base, neatly accordion folded. The black art flap is pulled over to cover the exposed part of the double's body. Needless to say, the double should be of similar build to you and wear the same clothes. If you are using the “Cloth of Invisibility” presentation, you will need a 3’ x 3’ bright red cloth (or any colour of your choice) in a convenient location. Performance & Presentation: The performance should be self-explanatory based on the description in “Effect” and “Method” above.

Notes: 

You can perform this as an amazing escape instead of a vanishing illusion. You can use a straight jacket as the restraining device. In this case, the double will start off wearing a straight jacket in the partial base. When he creeps off, he just keeps his back to the audience and walks sideways. You should escape from your straight jacket before making your "reappearance". The bulk of the straight jacket will help hide differences in build. If your hairstyle or colour is too different from each other, simply have the stage hands put a hood over your head as part of the difficulty of the escape. Your double wears an identical hood made from a thin see through material so that he can safely navigate his way off the dolly and off stage.



If you want to perform this without the additional two stage hands, you will need to build a framework with four vertical corner supports over the top step of the dolly. In this case, both the top and bottom edges of this curtain should have a 1” square tubing aluminum frame sewn inside.

The all-round curtain is folded up and tied up to the top of the frame. That is; both the top and bottom frames of the all-round curtain start off at the top. The top frame is secured to the top framework via Velcro tabs or ropes and loops. But the bottom frame is just tied to the top frame. This allows you to step onto the dolly and release just the bottom frame of the allround curtain. This will cause the all-round curtain to open up covering you from view. For your reappearance, release the top frame so that the all round curtain drops completely down. Of course, if you are performing the straight jacket version, you will need an additional stage hand to release the bottom frame of the curtain to cover you from view.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

175

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

VEHICLE PRODUCTIONS

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

176

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

ULTIMATE FULL THROTTLE The Surrounded Motorcycle Appearance ”‘Perfected”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

177

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: A cabinet elevated off the floor on a platform is seen on stage. The front is covered with a closed white Venetian blind. The back and sides of the cabinet are covered with black cloth. The prop starts off with the back to the audience and is revolved 180 degrees by the illusionist and assistant so that the front faces the audience. The illusionist turns the front Venetian blind open to reveal an empty interior except for two metal pedestals. A strip of LED lights runs along the back bottom floor of the cabinet that shines out through the cabinet to the front. There is also a long red and white checkered streamer that runs across the center of the cabinet from side to side, one end of the streamer extending out from each side of the cabinet. The illusionist and assistant each hold one end of the checkered streamer and pull it back and forth emphasizing the empty black interior of the cabinet. The streamer is eventually pulled through and completely out of the cabinet. The front Venetian blind is turned closed and almost instantly raised up completely. A motorcycle and a beautiful girl are seen perched on top of the pedestals, one wheel of the motorcycle on each pedestal. The back and cloth sides of the cabinet are simultaneously pulled down to reveal an open skeleton framework around the motorcycle. Introduction: In 2004, I created a motorcycle appearance that could be performed surrounded and in most light conditions. In the 2008 2nd edition of the book, I offered an improved version of the illusion that made the illusion more deceptive. It was a small improvement but an improvement nevertheless. This version, I believe (for now at least), is my final word on the surrounded motorcycle production. I will be the first to admit that this is an imperfect solution attempting to achieve a perfect illusion in impossible performance settings. So this is actually a specific solution to perform a motorcycle appearance under almost any regular stage performing conditions. It is a complete redesign and improvement of the previous versions and you cannot modify a previous version to perform this version. While the basic method is the same as version 2, there are three notable improvements: Firstly, the final drop down of all sides of the cabinet makes the production stronger with no room for reconstruction. Secondly, the inclusion of the red & white checkered streamer that runs through the center of the cabinet is a nice visual deception to create the impression of an empty interior. The final addition of the strip of LED lights on the back bottom floor of the cabinet also increases the deceptiveness of the illusion as the audience apparently gets a view through the cabinet from back to front. I originally worked out an elaborate spring-loaded system as a quick release for the back and side curtains but settled for a much simpler and sure-fire solution after I developed this current system for our "The Aerial Exit" mega illusion that we staged in Dec 2010. See Fig 1 & 2 for the prop overview. To keep costs down, I recommend having different suppliers handle different components of the illusion and assemble the illusion yourself if you can. It would cost much

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

178

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 more (at least 3 times the amount) if you were to bring this to a builder and fabricate the illusion from scratch.

Method: The motorcycle and the girl are hidden from view by a black art screen that is pulled down from the top of the prop and secured to the top front of the two metal pedestals. Various deceptions and convincers are used to create the impression that the cabinet is empty. At the end, all the sides of the cabinet are dropped to the floor, leaving a see-through view around the motorcycle and girl, creating a strong visual image of the production.

FIG 1 FRONT VIEW Before Production Venetian Blind shown NOT pulled down

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

179

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 FIG 2 FRONT VIEW After Production

Requirements: You will need 3 people to perform this illusion. Apart from yourself, you will need an onstage assistant as well as a person who appears with the motorcycle. The Motorcycle The first item you will need for a motorcycle appearance is obviously….a motorcycle. I designed the illusion for a sports bike as it fits the look, style and the feel of the illusion that I wanted to create. The motorcycle can be a real motorcycle if desired but I personally find that a real bike in its entirety is too heavy to transport easily. I bought a ‘display-model’ Yamaha sports bike at a relatively cheap price. It was a new bike but was an old model that was showcased in the bike shop’s showroom. I talked to the owner and managed to get a bargain. I then had the entire engine and all ‘unnecessary’ parts removed. That is, I removed all components to leave the shell of the motorcycle; the © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

180

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 chassis, fairing and exhaust pipe. I then re-sprayed the fairing pure bright white with a glossy finish. I also had black corrugated plastic boards cut and fitted behind the fairing to fill any gaps to hide the fact that the engine was removed. The entire bike fits into its own ATA flight case to protect the fairing from being damaged or scratched during transport. Prior to buying this bike, I researched and found that this is the most economical way to get the bike, as the most expensive part (after the engine) of a sports bike is the fiberglass fairing. To try to buy the parts and put it together will cost more than finding a whole bike, either display model or second hand. For this illusion, you can use any motorcycle you want but if you choose to use a motorcycle like a classic Harley or Chopper, you will not be able to remove the engine as it is exposed and an integral part of the design of the bike. I understand that several illusion builders offer a prop motorcycle whose chassis is most likely constructed from wood or aluminum to make it light weight. However, I suspect this might be more expensive than using the approach I suggest, although I believe the bike will be significantly lighter. If you have the budget, have a look at the super lightweight prop motorcycles that Mike Michaels offers. Here is another practical reason for not using a real entire motorcycle. If you perform internationally, motorcycles are vehicles that are dutiable items. Having a motorcycle without an engine allows it to be declared as a replica or stage prop and will not be taxed as a vehicle. This saves any trouble with customs when freight forwarding your gear. Platform Base The dimensions given in this set of plans is based on a sports motorcycle 80" long, 44" high and 28” wide (handle bar to handle bar). The wheel base is 55”. You may need to adjust the measurements based on the motorcycle you use. The Platform Base consists of two main components, a base cover and four legs. The Legs The base is solid and elevated off the floor with 12" high legs with 4" diameter castors. I personally like the look of oversized castors for props but this is a personal preference. You can use 3" diameter castors if you prefer. There are five legs in all, one at each corner and one in the center of the base. The corner legs are made from thick 4" aluminum angle (4mm thick) with 5" x 5" aluminum plates (5mm thick) welded to the bottom of the legs. A 4" x 4" aluminum plate (4mm thick) is welded flush with the top of each leg. The center leg is made from 4" aluminum square tubing (4mm thick) with a 5" x 5" aluminum plate (5mm thick) welded to the top and bottom of this leg. A castor is bolted through each of the 5" x 5" base plates of each leg. See Fig 3. This is the most cost effective way to make professional illusion prop legs that are relatively lightweight and will last a longtime if the welding job is good. I highly recommend this especially for props that need to take a heavier load. The heavier the load, the bigger and thicker the legs should be.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

181

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

4”

FIG 3

4” x 4” Aluminum Plate, 4mm thick, welded flush with top of aluminum angle leg

FRONT VIEW Corner Leg

4” x 4” Aluminum Angle, 4mm thick

12”

5” x 5” Aluminum Plate, 5mm thick, welded to the bottom of the aluminum angle leg. Castor plate is bolted through holes in the four corners of aluminum plate.

5”

Base Cover The legs are attached to a platform base that measures 94” x 46” x 3”. I build the platform base as follows. The top and sides are actually like an ATA case cover. It has a solid top and four sides and is made from 13mm ply with ATA component parts. There is an additional 3/4" solid ply base that just fits under this cover for added support, to take the weight of the motorcycle and girl. You may need to use 1" ply if your motorcycle is heavy. The top surface of the platform is finished in black carpet. The top of each leg is placed under one corner of this platform base and is bolted through both corners and secured with lock nuts. The top corners of the platform base rest directly on the top welded plates of each leg. The center leg is bolted through the center of the platform base with four bolts through each corner of the 5" x 5" aluminum plate. I do not break down the legs for transport as it does not save significant space considering the overall size of the illusion. The Pedestals Each pedestal comprises of a rectangular main framework with black inner walls and a front and back hourglass-shaped design feature. The main framework is made from 1.5" x 1.5" aluminum or steel square tubing (3mm thick. 5mm thick if your motorcycle is very heavy). The inside of each pedestal main framework is covered with 1/4" plywood, lined with black velvet facing out. These black walls will hide the

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

182

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 bottom part of the motorcycle wheels that will sit in the pedestal. The walls also aid in the black art effect when the black art screen is pulled down open. There are design features, shaped like an hourglass (an “X” with a top and bottom horizontal bar), on the front and back of each pedestal framework. These design features are both decorative and functional. They add an interesting design to the pedestal but the front design features also act as "holders" to hide and hold the black art screen open when it is pulled down from the top of the prop. These design features are made from 1" aluminum square tubing (1.5mm thick) and are welded together to create the necessary shape. Each design feature is connected with two 5mm bolts, centered at the top and bottom of the pedestal. For the front design feature, there are additional spacer nuts (creating a gap of about 1.5") between the pedestals and the front design features. This gap is to allow the bottom of the black art screen to be fed behind the top of each front design feature on each pedestal so that the black art screen can hook onto each 5mm bolt. More on this catch/ latch system later. The back design features do not require the spacer nuts. See Figs 4 - 6 for the design and dimensions of the pedestals. Each pedestal is secured to the platform base with two 8mm bolts that bolt through the platform base. Lock nuts or wing nuts (if you want to break down the pedestals for transport) are used to hold the bolts in place in the underside of the platform base.

FIG 4 FRONT VIEW Pedestal 18”

Main pedestal structure in light grey

Black art inner walls on all four sides of the pedestal frame

12”

Hourglass Design Feature in dark grey attached by center bolts

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

183

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

1”

17”

FIG 5 TOP VIEW Pedestal

Hourglass Design Feature 5”

Front

Bolt with Spacer

Bolt with No Spacer

Hourglass Design Feature

20” Wheel of motorcycle rests in this slot. The 5” width should be used as a guide only and the actual width depends on the tires of the motorcycle you use.

FIG 6

Black Art Screen

SIDE VIEW Pedestal

Bottom edge of Black Art Screen hooks on the bolt with spacer on each pedestal

Front

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

184

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Cabinet Framework Base Supports There are two 2.5" x 2.5" aluminum angle bars (4mm thick) that are bolted on the top of the platform base. These are the base supports that the cabinet framework will subsequently bolt to using 8mm bolts and wing nuts. The Cabinet Framework The skeleton framework of the prop is made from 2.5" x 2.5" aluminum angle, 4mm thick. There are four vertical supports and four horizontal top supports that are bolted together to form a skeleton framework. Note that some corners of the angle bars have to be cut at 45-degree angles so that the pieces can be fitted together. The assembled framework bolts to the base supports already secured to the platform base. The entire framework assembly is designed to breakdown flat for packing. There is a horizontal 3” x 3” x 3” aluminum U-channel bar that bolts across the top of the skeleton framework from left to right. It is positioned just above the front of the two pedestals mounted on the platform base. The black art roller blind screen is hidden inside this Uchannel bar. A white Venetian blind is mounted on the top front side of the cabinet framework. The blind measures the width of the frame and drops down flush with the bottom of the platform base. A cloth roof is made from a piece of heavy black fabric (same material as the 3-sided curtain) and is attached to the top of the framework using Velcro. To aid in the black art deception, all the inner surfaces of the aluminum angle and U-channel should be painted black or covered in black carpet. LED Strip & Housing The strip of LED lights needs to be custom made and run off a single dry cell battery with a simple on/ off switch. Buy a pre-fabricated strip of LED lights in blue with the most powerful LEDs you can find/ afford. The strip actually only runs the distance between the two pedestals. It is also secured in a housing so that the light only shines forward and under the black art screen. The housing is 3” high and 6” deep. It fits snugly between the two pedestals and is set just in front of the back of the 3-sided curtain. The housing is made from 1/2" plywood and the top cover should hinge at the back so that the housing can be easily opened to switch on/ off the LED strip as well as replace it as necessary. All sides of the housing are finished in black carpet. See Fig 7. FIG 7

LED Strip Housing Top can hinge open to access LED Strip

SIDE VIEW Cabinet Framework and 3Sided Curtain NOT SHOWN

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

185

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 See Figs 8 - 10 for the details of the prop.

FIG 8 FRONT VIEW 3-Sided Curtain NOT SHOWN

86”

Venetian Blind

72”

LED Strip in housing

18”

12”

4”

3” 9”

4”

Legs are 12” high. Top 3” of legs are under the base cover

94”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

186

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 40” FIG 9 SIDE VIEW 3-Sided Curtain NOT SHOWN

12”

20”

14”

LED Strip Housing 6”

46”

FIG 10 TOP VIEW Black Cloth Roof, 3-Sided Curtain, Pedestals and LED Housing NOT SHOWN

Black Art Roller Blind hidden in 3” x 3” x 3” Aluminum U-Channel

12.5”

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

187

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The Black Art Roller Blind The black art screen is a standard roller blind (but with spring catch removed) with black velvet as the shade material. The end of the material has a 1" x 1" aluminum angle bar (3mm thick) hot-glued and sewn into the entire bottom edge. Some preparation has to be done to the angle bar first. Two notches have to be made that will act as catches that will hook on the two 5mm bolts running through the top front of the pedestals. You will first need to drill a 1/2" hole and then use a hand saw to cut out an opening at the bottom of the hole. This will allow the aluminum angle bar (with black art screen) to hook/ unhook onto the 5mm bolts easily. After the notches are done, the flat bar can be sewn and hot-glued into the entire edge of the black art screen. Use a sharp knife to cut out the material around the notches. See Figs 11 & 12.

FIG 11 FRONT VIEW Bottom edge of Black Art Roller Blind Only one notch cutout shown

1” x 1” Aluminum Angle hot-glued and sewn into the bottom edge of Black Art Roller Blind See Side View Below

FIG 12 SIDE VIEW Bottom Edge of Black Art Roller Blind

Front

Notch cutout to hook bottom of Black Art Roller Blind on 5mm bolt with space on front top of Pedestals

Black velvet is sewn together above aluminum angle along this point

Horizontal part of aluminum angle acts as a handle for roller blind to be unhooked and released.

Black velvet is wrapped around aluminum angle bar and hot-glued in place

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

188

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 3-Sided Curtain - The Cloth Back & Sides The cloth back and sides of the cabinet are actually made up of one piece of double layered heavy black fabric to form a 3-sided curtain. A Velcro strip is along the entire bottom edge of the fabric and adheres to corresponding Velcro that runs around three sides of the top of the platform base. This keeps the bottom of the curtain from flapping up during performance or falling off the platform after the curtain is dropped. A u-shaped aluminum frame made from 1" aluminum square tubing (1mm thick) is sewn into the entire top edge of the curtain, forming the 3-sided enclosure. The curtain release system is simple but effective. There is a nylon strap, 2" wide by 4" long, sewn in the top center of each side of the curtain. 1” of one end of the nylon tab is sewn securely and riveted to the top and side of each side of the curtain and into the embedded 1” aluminum square tubing. The other end of the nylon strap has a metal eyelet punched through the nylon strap. Just under the metal eyelet is a 2" x 2" piece of industrial strength Velcro or two 2" x 1" strips of Velcro sewn securely to the nylon. A cord about 1ft long is tied to each of the eyelets in the nylon strap. The curtain is held up by the Velcro on the two nylon straps connected to corresponding industrial strength Velcro stuck to the top side bars of the skeleton framework of the cabinet. To release the 3-sides curtain during performance, the two cords attached to each nylon strap is pulled to detach the Velcro, allowing the curtain to fall to the platform. See Fig 13. FIG 13 SIDE VIEW Curtain Release System

Cord is tied securely to eyelet in the top 1” of the Nylon Strap

Nylon Strap 2” wide and 4” long

2” x 2” corresponding industrial strength Velcro

2”

Nylon Strap sewn down and riveted through top and side of 3sided curtain and into the 1” aluminum square tubing

1”

1” 1” Aluminum Square Tubing sewn inside entire top edge of 3-side Curtain Cabinet Framework Cord used to pull off Nylon Strap attached to top of Aluminum Angle via Velcro Top Side Aluminum Angle Bar of Cabinet Framework

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

189

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 There is one more gimmicked featured of this curtain. There is a slit on either side of each side wall to allow the long checkered streamer to apparently pass through the center of the cabinet. The slits are 6.5" long. However, there is a cheat. Remember, the curtain double layered. The slits on the outside layers are in the center of the sides of the curtain, as they should be. However, the slits on the inside layers are 8" closer to the front. This deception allows checkered streamer to apparently pass through the center of the cabinet from side to side, while in actual fact, when the streamer is actually in the cabinet, it is in front of the black art screen. With these cheats, the streamer is actually 8" in front of the center of the cabinet. This deception will not be seen due to the distance of the audience as well as the fact that the streamer will be seen through the front Venetian blind. See Fig 14.

FIG 14 TOP VIEW Exposed and expanded view of the double layers of the curtain and how the checkered streamer “cheats” through the center of the cabinet, in front of the black art screen

Black Art Screen

Checkered Streamer passed through double layers of the curtain

Checkered Streamer The checkered streamer has to be custom made. Look for red & white checkered patterned fabric in specialty fabric stores or buy checkered flags and make the streamer from them. The streamer measures 150" x 6". Set-up: 

First, the LED light strip has to be turned on.



Next, the motorcycle with the girl is perched on the pedestals and the black art screen is pulled down open and latched into place.



The 3-sided curtain is raised up and secured in place using the Velcro nylon straps.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

190

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 

The checkered streamer is threaded through the cabinet through the side walls so that it is straight and stretches across the width of the cabinet and hangs out of the sides of the curtains evenly.



The front Venetian blind is lowered down and turned closed.

Performance: Phase 1 The prop starts off with its back to the audience. With the aid of the onstage assistant, turn the prop to face the audience so they see the closed front Venetian blind. Turn open the Venetian blind so that the audience can see inside the cabinet. They should see the LED lights, two pedestals and checkered streamer. Grab one end of the streamer while your onstage assistant grabs the other. Pull the streamer back and forth slightly so that the audience can see it move in the apparently empty cabinet. Finally, your assistant releases his end of the streamer and you pull it completely out of the cabinet from your side. Phase 2 Turn the front Venetian blind close. You need to give the girl hidden with the motorcycle an audible cue like "Now!". This signals her to unlatch the black art screen and allow it to retract upwards into the roller blind. Almost immediately (you will get the timing down after rehearsals), pull the Venetian blind up closed completely, revealing the motorcycle and the girl. A beat later, get a hold of the cord tied to the Velcro nylon strap on your side of the cabinet, while your onstage assistant takes the cord on the other side. In a coordinated action, both of you pull down on the cord, releasing the Velcro tabs and allowing the 3-sided curtain to drop to the platform floor. Strike a finale pose for applause. Notes 

The entire illusion (excluding the motorcycle) can be packed into a single ATA case. The legs do not detach from the platform base but the pedestals do. The pedestals are kept under the platform base in custom compartments built in the case.



The cabinet framework can be fully broken down and placed under the platform base or can be partially broken down and laid flat on the platform base. The 3-sided curtain can simply be folded down and placed on the platform base.



Here is a small but important tip. Make sure that the girl who is being produced with the motorcycle is not wearing boots with metal studs or buckles. This can scratch the paintwork of the motorcycle when she climbs down from it during performance. I learnt this lesson the hard way.



Here is a great thing about this motorcycle illusion. Instead of making a motorcycle and a girl appear, the exact method and prop can be used to make a stunning instant appearance of five girls.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

191

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 For the set-up: Two girls each balance themselves on each of the pedestals. The 5th girl stands with one leg on each of the pedestals in the center of the cabinet. For the production, the center girl drops down onto the platform base. One girl from each pedestal drops down to the platform base, maintaining their position in front of each pedestal. The remaining two girls remain perched on each pedestal. In this position, it appears that the girls fill up the entire cabinet and the appearance appears impossible since it would seem to take more than a few short seconds to get the girls in place but in actual fact, the girls can get into place very fast with rehearsal.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

192

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

BLUFF APPEARANCE A “Cheat” Production of a Car or Large Inanimate Object

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

193

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: A raised platform that the audience can see beneath at all times sits on stage. An allround curtain that is raised up and held up by a four-post structure (imagine a four post bed) is on the raised platform. Four girls enter the stage and one by one step into the curtained enclosure through two vertical splits on either side of the curtain. Seconds later, the curtain drops to the platform to reveal a car - the girls have vanished. FIG 1 FRONT VIEW

FIG 2 FRONT VIEW

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

194

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Introduction & Method: As you can see, this is a bluff appearance because the object is always behind the curtain. But the visual effect of the revelation of the object combined with the vanish of the girls create a strong visual illusion. It is an effective way to reveal an object for a launch when staging, space, logistic and budget constraints prevent from presenting an actual magical appearance of a car. The platform is really a deceptive base on a solid platform. See Figs 1 & 2. Due to the weight of the car, the section of the base under the car has to be a solid steel structure. The hollows of the base are really only in the front and back of the car. The traps open up in front and behind the car. See Fig 3. You will likely have to build a ramp made from steel, the same height of the platform, so that the car can be driven up the ramp and set in place. For a car launch, the car can also be driven down the ramp and around the stage or into the audience. The curtain is basically a large all-round curtain with an aluminum tube frame sewn in the top edge, like a Sub Trunk curtain. It is held up by four vertical sections of box lighting truss about 2m high. The mechanism to hold and release the curtain can be electronic solenoids with release catches or simply rope and pulleys. You can also adopt the curtain system as described in “Ultimate Full Throttle”. Naturally, the “Bluff Appearance” can be adapted for any size large inanimate object. The rule is, the bigger the object, the more girls you vanish. FIG 3 TOP VIEW Trapdoors to base are indicated by dotted lines

This entire section of the base/ platform under the car must be built solid from steel to hold the weight of the car.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

195

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

PHANTOM CAR APPEARANCE A Worker’s Car Production for a Launch

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

196

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Effect: A large enclosure is seen on stage. A solid panel bearing the client’s logo or the illusionist’s name covers the front. As the performance starts, the large front panel slides to the side to reveal another panel. This panel has a slatted front so the audience can see the empty black interior inside the enclosure. This slatted panel is slid over to the other side, giving an unobstructed view of the inside of the enclosure; consisting of two side ‘walls’ and a back ‘wall’ made of black cloth. The illusionist and assistant audience move to the back ‘wall’ and raise it off the floor to show that there is nothing behind the enclosure. The back ‘wall’ is lowered back in place and the illusionist and assistant move back to the front of the enclosure. The two front panels are slid back into place covering the front of the enclosure again. Literally 2 seconds later, pyrotechnics erupt and the panels are pulled apart to reveal a magical appearance of a full-sized car with four dancers! Introduction: I call this the “Phantom Car Appearance”, not just because the car makes a magical appearance from nowhere but because the method was inspired by The Phantom Cage illusion. Although the basic workings are nothing like the Phantom Cage, the principle is similar. This is the perfect appearance for a car launch or even a car show, if the conditions can be controlled. It is designed to be built inexpensively by an exhibition stand builder or events props contractor; not necessarily a professional illusion builder. It cannot be performed surrounded but the sightlines are very good and easy to control. You do not need special staging or lighting, just a flat level performance area. There are also branding opportunities as the front panel is designed to feature a client’s/ car logo or image. If you intend to use this for a touring or theatre show, you can easily fabricate a troupeworthy one. In fact, this ‘set’ can be the backdrop for your show and is all set and ready to perform at any point of the show. The overall set is lightweight but will pack into fairly large pieces, but not unmanageable for a touring show used to moving illusions. It is also great for a one-off theatre show if you can get a car company to be your sponsor. Nothing can create more value to the sponsor than making their car appear at the show and inviting the media to cover this spectacular illusion. In many ways, I feel this illusion is superior to ‘Instant Auto’, described earlier – although it is completely different in method, look and presentation. The only two requirements for this illusion are that you will need a total of 5 people assisting and it will require a fairly wide stage, although not necessarily deep. “Instant Auto” does not require a long stage but needs depth. Nevertheless, you now have two car appearance illusions to choose from based on your needs and performing conditions.

Method & Requirements: You will require a total of 5 dancers or costumed assistants to execute this illusion. One assistant will be with you in front of the illusion at all times and the other four will be with the car and doing the secret work. The illusion works as follows:

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

197

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The car starts off in the enclosure with the four dancers. When the front solid panel is slid over the right, two dancers raise the side ‘wall’ on that side and the other two push the car out to the side behind the solid panel. Once the car is clear of the side ‘wall’, it is quickly lowered with the dancers now on the outside. (The car should be in ‘drive’ position with brakes off. Once it is out of the enclosure, one of the dancers must shift the gear to the ‘reverse’ position.) The reason why the audience cannot see the movement of the car and dancers is because there is a black art roller blind behind the slatted panel. This roller blind is attached to the left front vertical support of the enclosure. When the slatted panel is slid to the left, the black art roller blind retracts into the roller thus allowing the audience to have a see-through view of the slats as it is moved to the left. Once the slatted panel is fully opened, the illusionist and assistant enter the enclosure and raise the back ‘wall’ to show that there is nothing behind. After putting it back down, they move out of the enclosure and the slatted panel is moved back to the front of the enclosure. Once the slatted panel is in place, the car and dancers are moved back into the enclosure. When the car and dancers are in position, the solid panel is moved back to the front of the enclosure. Once the solid panel is back in position, one dancer releases the black art roller blind from the right of the slatted panel and moves to the left, allowing the blind to retract into the roller. This will remove the black art screen from behind the slatted panel. The four dancers then position themselves at each corner of the car. The solid and slatted panels are then simultaneously pulled apart to reveal the car and the dancers. Two dancers then detach the two side walls so that the cloth sides drop to the ground, while the other two do the same with the back ‘wall’, giving the audience an open view of the car and very little to reconstruct the method of the illusion. Figs 1 – 3 shows a top view storyboard of how the car is hidden during the performance of the illusion. Fig 4 shows the front view of when the front Solid Panel is slid to the side.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

198

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 1 TOP VIEW Set-up at the start of the performance

CAR

Black Art Roller Blind

Audience

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

199

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 2 TOP VIEW When Front Solid Panel slides to the right, the car is pushed behind it

CAR

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

200

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 3 TOP VIEW Slatted Panel slides to left and the black art roller blind retracts

CAR

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

201

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 4 FRONT VIEW When Solid Panel slides to the right, the audience sees the Slatted Panel and black art roller blind (apparently the empty black interior of the enclosure

Solid Panel bearing illusionist’s name or client’s logo

Slatted Panel with black art roller blind screen behind it

(Car is hidden behind this panel)

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

202

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 Construction: The main apparatus for this illusion is the enclosure that consists of five main components The Main Structure Note: The dimensions of the apparatus are based on the size of the car you are producing. As a guide, the length of the enclosure should be 4ft longer than the car. The width should be 3ft wider than the car. The height should be about 6ft high or taller if you are producing a tall vehicle. The skeleton framework structure consists of four vertical supports and crossbars. The structure is made from solid lumber or can be made from aluminum square tubing. The stability of the structure is taken from bottom crossbars on the front and back of the structure as well as the bottom of the right side. Naturally, the left side where the car is moved in and out does not have a bottom cross bar. The front top and bottom of the structure each has an ‘overhanging lip’ (for lack of a better description) made from 3/8” plywood. Screwed into these two ‘overhanging lips’ are two lengths of 2” x 2” x 2” aluminum U-channel. These will act as guides for the Solid and Slatted panels to slide in and out. See Fig 5 for a side view and close-up view of the assembly of the front panels. The top of the structure is covered with black cloth. If it is a one-off show, the cloth can be stapled to the top of the frame. If not, you can custom make a cloth with Velcro tabs. The Solid Panel This panel is a skeleton frame made from 2” x 1” lumber and covered with a PVC sheet. The PVC sheet is wrapped neatly round the back and stapled/ taped to the back of the frame. The panel will be very light as a result and best of all, the PVC can be replaced with custom printed PVC sheets bearing the client’s logo for different shows. The Slatted Panel This panel is ¼” plywood mounted on a 1.5” x 1.5” lumber skeleton frame. Slats are cut out in the plywood sheets as depicted in Fig 4. Black Art Roller Blind A black art roller blind made from a standard roller blind system and matt black synthetic velvet with a polyester backing is mounted vertically on the right vertical support of the framework structure of the enclosure; i.e. the side away from where the car will be pushed in and out from. The height of the blind must be taller than the slats in the Slatted Panel and as long as the Panel. A length of 3mm thick 1.5” aluminum angle is sewn/ taped into the edge of the black velvet. The angle will keep the edge of the velvet rigid and also offers a grip for the dancer to hold during performance. A ½” is drilled in the center of the aluminum angle and velvet. This hole will be placed over a bolt on the back of the Slatted Panel so that the roller blind screen can be ‘locked’ onto the Slatted Panel. This allows it to retract and pull out based on the movement of the Slatted Panel.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

203

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The Cloth ‘Walls’ The side & back ‘walls’ are made from opaque black cloth. There are attached to the top crossbars of the framework structure via Velcro strips so that they can be detached during performance at the end as well as for transport. A 2” aluminum pole is sewn inside the bottom edge of each ‘wall’. The length of the poles corresponds with the length of the respective curtains. This will also facilitate the raising of the ‘walls’ during performance. Set-up, Performance & Presentation: The set-up & performance are basically as described in “Method & Requirements” above.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

204

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

FIG 5

Overhanging ‘lip’ to hold the aluminum U-channels that act as guides for the front panels to slide on

Aluminum U-channels

SIDE VIEW WITH CLOSE-UP SIDE VIEW OF FRONT PANELS ASSEMBLY SIDE ‘WALLS’ NOT SHOWN

Framework of the Enclosure

Solid Panel Slatted Panel

The side where the car is pushed in and out from does not have this bottom cross bar © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

205

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

CREATING A MEGA STUNT The vanishing of a national monument, escaping from a locked box in a river, predicting newspaper headlines and being buried alive are all mega stunts that several successful magicians around the world have staged and benefited from. These mega stunts managed to capture the imagination and interest of the public, media and industry, resulting in media buzz and publicity. I use the term mega stunt to describe any large-scale magic effect or escape stunt. It can also be used to describe some kind of physical endurance stunt since the likes of David Blaine and Criss Angel have established such feats as part of the modern day magician's repertoire. In the past half a decade, my partner, Ning, & myself have staged ten mega stunts in Asia. Each of our stunts have garnered quantifiable media coverage and I suspect (hope may be a better word) many readers know our names because of some of our mega stunts. Our stunts have ranged from original mega-scale illusions, innovative mentalism acts and escapes. In this article, I hope to share some of our experience in creating successful mega stunts. There are a couple of things you need to be aware of before embarking on staging a mega stunt. First, you must understand the objectives of staging the stunt. In most cases, the purpose of a mega stunt is to create publicity and garner media coverage that in turn leads to brand building. If you are lucky, you can even get paid for your efforts. Next, you need to have the technical expertise and experience to stage a mega stunt well and most importantly, safely. The mega stunt as a project is quite a big undertaking and besides the technical aspects of the stunt you are doing, you need to understand and be able to manage the event logistics which encompasses the staging, audio, visual, lighting, security, licensing, permits, crowd control, media management and other event related components that have nothing got to do with magic. It is impossible for you to do this alone and you will need a team to work with you. The average size of the production team for our stunts is around 20 - 25 people each time. If you think you are ready to stage a mega stunt, the next most important step is to actually create the stunt. Here are three hallmarks of a successful mega stunt:

1) Wow Factor This may seem obvious but the stunt must have a wow factor that appeals to the general public and media, not just to magicians. For example, being able to back palm two decks of cards may seem like a big "wow" to magicians but is unlikely to evoke the same response from laymen.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

206

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 The wow factor can be created by doing something so impossible that it baffles the mind, using an iconic location or person or item, be incredulously dangerous or just massive in scale. David Copperfield's "Walking through the Great Wall of China" and "Vanishing the Statue of Liberty" had the wow factor due to the size and significance of the iconic objects used. While not a visual illusion, predicting the national lottery has a wow factor because it appeals to the greed of humans and due to the implications of having the ability to predict the lottery. We managed to create a wow factor with our "The Mind Heist" stunt, which saw us set a world magic record of reading 100 minds in 60 minutes, due to the large number of people participating in the stunt. It was also staged as a world record attempt with officials adjudicating the stunt that made it even more intriguing. Any stunt that is suspended high above the ground is generally quite a spectacle as it scales the effect upwards over a great height. 2) Never Been Done Before This is the biggest selling point for a large number of stunts. The value to sponsors, clients, media and your own branding is to attempt something that has never been done before. As all artistes know, nothing is 100% original and everything new is the old reinvented. So "never been done before" is a term that has to be contextualized to have value. It could be a "never been done before" stunt in your country or city. Or you could be the youngest or oldest person to attempt the stunt. For example, performing the Houdini Water Torture Cell is not something that has not been done before, but if it is with a tankful of piranhas or it is performed at the top of the tallest skyscraper in the world, it would be "new". The key is to find a stunt and a context to make your mega stunt unique in the world. David Blaine drew inspiration for his buried alive stunt from Houdini but what made his version new was the fact that he was underground for a week in a see-through coffin and people could stop by and visit him. All our mega stunts have some element of "newness". In "The Impossible Teleportation", it was the world's first real time teleportation of a person from the street to a 50-storey skyscraper rooftop, performed completely surrounded in front of over 9000 people. In our national lottery prediction, the "new" element was the fact that we claimed we had an actual bought lottery ticket sealed in with our printed prediction. While the lottery prediction is by no means original with us, no one had a genuine lottery ticket sealed in with the prediction before.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

207

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 3) Newsworthiness As most stunts are staged for publicity and media coverage, the nature of the stunt must be newsworthy. While a stunt that has "never been done before" can be a newsworthy point, it may not necessarily be enough for media to be interested. For example, you may be the first person in the world to escape from 500 ft of chain and 100 padlocks, but the media might not find this newsworthy enough to cover. Again, the key is to contextualize the stunt to make it newsworthy. The classic sawing in half illusion is almost clichéd and one would never think it could be a mega stunt that would be of interest to the media. But what if, the person you were sawing in half is the President of your country and you were performing it on your national or Independence Day at city hall? I guarantee that if you were able to do this, you would make every news outlet in your country. It is the person, event and venue that gives the stunt context and makes it newsworthy. Read PR books on how to develop angles that media likes and look out for. There are some tricks and tips to ensure your stunt is contextualized in the right direction and is designed to interest the media. In June 2012, Ning performed a mega stunt we called "Extreme Inversion" stunt, no female (to our knowledge and research) had ever performed an inverted escape from TWO straight jackets high above the ground from a burning rope. So, there were a combination of three factors that made it newsworthy. One, Ning being a female. Two, her escaping from two jackets, which is uncommon. And three, it is a dangerous escape high above the ground. The media loves the angle of the "underdog", "unlikely hero" or in this case, the untraditional women-empowering babe putting her life at risk attempting a typically male-oriented dangerous stunt. Plan your mega stunt with these three elements in mind and you might just make news headlines that are worth tens of thousands of dollars in PR value! Best of luck and most importantly, be safe!

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

208

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

THE IMPOSSIBLE TELEPORTATION From Street to Roof; 50 Stories in 5 Seconds

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

209

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 This is the first ‘mega’ illusion that I staged in 2007 in front of over 9000 people. The illusion garnered tremendous publicity and made the news in Singapore as well as in several other countries. It was also reported in MAGIC Magazine and MagicSeen. I define a mega Illusion as a large-scale illusion spectacle that involves a large or iconic object and/ or covers a large area or distance and most importantly; is performed for a live audience and in an uncontrolled environment. What made this teleportation unique was the fact that a teleportation of this scale had never been done before. We did it live, in real time, with no twins, doubles and no stooges of any kind. My purpose of including it in this book is to share the method and psychology that enabled us to pull off this one-off illusion successfully. It is truly an urban illusion as it was staged right in the heart of Singapore’s business district with an iconic commercial building. It is unlikely that this illusion will be performed again in this form because of the costs and logistics required to pull it off. But, hopefully, this will inspire some thought for you to create similar large-scale illusions. You can watch the illusion highlights at www.illusionbooks.com (under the “Urban Illusions” web page). There were several magic principles and elements involved. The only illusion apparatus used were two open-frame cabinets built on Deceptive Bases. One prop was on street level and served as the “Teleportation Launch Pad”. The other was the “Destination Platform” on the roof. The design of the props was very elegant and simple so they did not look like magic props but looked like intriguing open framed structures, with four hinged doors that opened like flow petals, on raised platforms. The “Teleportation Launch Pad” on street level was surrounded by thousands of people. We had multiple cameras on live feeds to multiple giant video screens so that everyone could see what was going on. We also had a live feed to a giant outdoor media LED screen that served as the main video screen. The “Destination Platform” on the rooftop 50 floors above was surrounded by a ring of witnesses. The witnesses comprised of twelve prearranged but ‘un-stooged’ business and media personalities as well as three randomly selected spectators during the presentation of the illusion. At the start of the illusion, everyone was on street level. I threw a souvenir towel into the crowd to get a random 3-digit number. This was written on my arm with a black marker. Next, I introduced the twelve prearranged witnesses and randomly selected three more spectators by throwing 3 more souvenir towels into the crowd. I then invited the witnesses to be led by my crew to the rooftop by taking the lifts. I remained on the street level and introduced the “Teleportation Launch Pad” and explained what was about to take place. During this time, the witnesses were not led directly to the rooftop yet but one floor below it. This was for my crew to buy time and disorientate the witnesses in the guise of giving them a safety briefing. We also confiscated all mobile devices from the witnesses, explaining that the radio waves might interfere with the teleportation attempt. Meanwhile, I was on street level and told the audience that I had to take a few minutes to prepare while they watched a pre-taped video sequence of how the rooftop set-up looked like. While the audience assumed I was backstage preparing, I sneaked out to the lift and headed to the rooftop and loaded myself in the “Destination Platform”. (My team controlled all the lifts and the entire lift lobby was out-of-bounds to the public). © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

210

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

Once I was in position, my crew brought the witnesses up to the rooftop by walking them up through the fire escape stairwell. By this time, they were disorientated, had lost track of time and were waiting in anticipation. They were told that I was about to teleport up so had to get in position. Once the witnesses were led on the roof, we had a camera team standing by to film everything. The witnesses (and everyone before that) were told that the camera was for the live feed to be projected on the video screens on street level so that the mass audience could see the teleportation on the roof. In reality, there was no video feed from the roof to the street. The witnesses were positioned around the “Destination Platform” and the crew acted as those they received a message from the street level team via walkie talkie. They reported to the witnesses that I had just teleported from the street and would be arriving on the roof any moment. The four sides of the Destination Platform” were closed up and I got out of the Base as quickly as I could and made my ‘impossible reappearance’. Breathing heavily, I made a triumphant gesture, showed the 3-digit number on my arm and proceeded to shake the hands of all the witnesses who were stunned. Essentially, all they saw was an appearance but the conditioning and setting made them assume I had teleported from the street level. I thanked them and announced I had to return to the street level to thank the audience. My crew explained to the witnesses that they now had to record video interviews with them before they could be released. In reality, that was just an excuse to ensure they remained on the roof. I quickly head back down to the street level, along with a crew member who now had a DV tape of my reappearance that was just taped. I headed back to the “Teleportation Launch Pad” to announce to the 9000-strong audience that I was ready to attempt the teleportation. The DV tape was brought to the audio, visual & lighting control booth where it was cued to playback on the giant video screens. I entered the “Teleportation Launch Pad” and dramatically ‘vanished’ while surrounded by thousands of people. Attention was directed to the giant video screens that immediately showed me ‘reappearing’ on the roof; 50 stories above, while surrounded by the ring of witnesses. Stunned reactions and a strong ovation ensued. The “Teleportation Launch Pad” was left open for 15 minutes to ensure that the audience had no doubt that I had vanished. So, yes, I was flat in the Base for 15 minutes. After which, my crew descended upon the “Teleportation Launch Pad” to close it up and ‘pack down’, In reality, I got out of the Base, put on a crew attire with cap and switched places with a crew member so that I could make an escape back to the lift lobby. I literally walked through thousands of people to get to the lift lobby. Once at the lift lobby, I removed the crew attire and made it seem that I just came back down from the roof. Minutes later, the witnesses were also led down and when they started talking to the people on the street; both sides verified what had just occurred. The people on the street level verified that I did indeed vanish into thin air and the witnesses on the roof verified that I reappeared out of thin air. Hence, the only logical conclusion was that the teleportation was real. The dual-reality aspect of the illusion was what made it very difficult for the audience to reconstruct or deduce a method. The motivation given to each set of audience was sound and logical. It worked well because half of the illusion was in the © Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

211

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2 minds of the audience. Of course, the well-built Deceptive Bases ensured that the vanish and reappearance were very clean and could be done surrounded. In short, the mega illusion employed a series of very simple deceptions that added up to one complex method to create one direct teleportation effect.

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

212

ULTIMATE ILLUSION COLLECTION VOL. 2

OTHER PRODUCTS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:

Behind the Illusions (DVD)

Corporate Illusions Made Easy

The Event Magician Vol. 1 & 2: Books for Performing Magic for Special Events

Simple Showstoppers: Easy Illusion Projects for Magicians

For more information of all of J C Sum’s illusion products, visit: www.illusionbookstore.com

© Copyright J C Sum 2004 - 2014

213