Mark Leveridge - Lecture Notes [PDF]

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THE

BEST OF THE LOW DOWN ON CLOSE UP, CLOSE UP ENCOUNTERS THE MAGIC

OF CLOSE

IN ONE REVISED

UP and THE DECEPTIVE AND UPDATED

VOLUME!

DECK

Contents INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p2 FOREWORD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p3 PRIVATE EYE

.p5

PAPER MONEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p8 COUNTDOWN PREDICTI ON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . plO CARDS AND COINS THE SENSITIVE QUEEN THE MAGIC RING . THE BLANKETY-BLANK PACK LOOP IT THE INVISIBLE DECK ROUTINE

pI2 pI6 .pI7 pI9 p22 .p24 THE WRISTWATCH COIN VANISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p28 THE MAGIC SQUARE PREDICTION p29 IT PAYS TO BE A LADY p31 FLICK BOOK .p35 POOLS WINNER p3 7 A KEY ROUTINE p38 THE FASTEST FOUR ACE TRICK IN THE WORLD p41 THE THOUGHTINDICATOR CARDS p44 COIN VANISHER .p47 NO PALM CARD TO POCKET p49 THE MELTING COIN p50 THE BIONIC CARD .p52 NEW ACES THROUGHNEWSPAPER p55 THE SLAP COIN VANISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p59 TRANSPO CARD p61 DEVI L 'S ISLAND p65 THE DETECTIVE COIN .p67 TRANSPARENT SWITCH .p70 THE HOMING COIN p74 THE RIGHT WRONGPREDICTION p77 CONFUSING CHIPS p81

- 1 -

Introduction I first

began

DOWNON CLOSE

giving

close

UP. Between that

up

lectures

in 1977

with the appearance of THE LOW

date and 1982 I produced a total

of four different

lectures, three being on general close up (CLOSE UP ENCOUNTERSand THE MAGIC OF CLOSE being the other two) and one being a shorter lecture devoted to card magic entitled THE DECEPTIVE DECK. The one thing they all had in common was that all the material presented was practical and required few if any specialised props. I have always possible. Al though I for the sake of it, skill than I am with

tried to make my close up entertaining and as easy to do as am not averse to some sleight of hand, it is never used just as I am less interested in trying to impress people wi th my trying to amuse and entertain them.

This book combines in one volume much of the material presented in those four lectures. All the effects have been either revised, up-dated or in some cases, changed entirely in order to reflect the methods and presentation which I now prefer. Most of the effects themselves appeared in the original lecture books, but eight of the items which were in the lectures but not in the books are appearing in print here for the first time. On the These letters

same line as each trick title you will are a code to tell you in which lecture

So (LD) = Low Down On Close Up and (DD) = the Deceptive

this

Up, (CUE) = Close Deck. If there is

item was not in the original

lecture

see some letters in brackets. the item originally appeared.

Up Encounters, an * after the

(MCU) = Magic Of Close letters, it means that

book.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this selection and that if you have not seen the material before that it wi 11 provide inspiration and practical effects which you will use. Those who had the original books will I am sure find the up-dated versions of interest and will hopefully like the extra material from the lectures which were not originally included. MARK LEVERIDGE

THE MARK LEVERIDGE LECTURE EXPERIENCE is copyrightto MARK LEVERIDGEMAGIC, Exeter, Devon from January this publication in any form or otherwise,

may be reproduced, stored by any means, electronic,

without

permission

1990. No part

of

in any retrieval system, or transmitted, mechanical, photocopying, recording or

of MARK LEVERIDGE MAGIC. DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my friend CHRIS PAYNE whose help, encouragement and knowledge helped to get me started and who sti 11 continues to provide me with invaluable enthusiasm and assistance in all aspects of my magic business.

- 2 -

Foreword Having seen Mark Leveridge lecture and perform most of the effects described in the following pages, it is a pleasure to write this Foreword to some really entertaining and practical close up magic. There are those who say that there is nothing new in magic, that everything is merely a variation on that which has gone before. Well, to a certain extent this is true, but there are al so those who, being blessed wi th a mind that can think differently, constantly strive to produce new effects and methods, and Mark is one of these. I would think his main strength is his ability to achieve a directness of method, using subtleties rather than sleights whenever possible, so that every attention can be given to presentation. There are sleights, of course, but never for their own sake. A good example of this is in the "Private Eye" routine, in which a card must appear reversed. The problem is overcome not by finding yet another way of reversing a card, but by a far more subtle approach. You will not find in this book the umpteenth variation of the "Grimble Slip", whatever that may be!! What you will find are thoroughly practical moves that have been tried and tested in working conditions, and only retained when they have passed that test. In April 1989 Mark presented the first ever British Close Up Magic Symposium. I was privileged to be present and felt that the large attendance on that day was a measure of the esteem in which Mark is held by the close up fraternity. He loves his subject and it shows.

I am sure that this collection of practical effects will prove a most useful source of material for the working performer, and hope that a further collection will follow. BOB OSTIN, LIVERPOOL January 1990.

- 3 -

PRIVATE EYE

(LD*)

EFFECT:- A card is selected and returned to the deck which is shuffled. The performer then introduces his own personal Private Eye. This turns out to be a picture of an eye which is inside a transparent plastic key fob. The Private Eye is going to look at the cards and reveal to the performer which one has been chosen. The deck is fanned and the Private Eye looks along the cards. Unfortunately he is a bit short sighted (!) and so has to have the aid of a magnifying glass in order to see the cards properly! After a few moments he reveals to the performer the name of the selection. Not only that, but when the deck is spread again, the selection has turned face up...plus, the Private Eye itself is turned over to reveal now inside the perspex fob a miniature duplicate of the selected card. COMMENTS:-This is quite an unusual little effect which was in The Low Down On Close Up lecture but which I did not include in the original notes. There is quite a lot of potential for gags and puns here, but I will spare you the ones I use since they are hardly very original and you probably know a few 'eye' jokes yourself already! REQUIREMENTS:- 1. Your main requirement here is a set of two small transparent fobs. (NOTE:- See section 16 below). The ones I have are shown in Fig.l.

These are usually supplied with car keys. They normally have the car manufacturer's logo inside. You will need to remove the car logo from both the fobs and also remove the key rings themselves so that you are just left with the transparent fobs.

t;G.\

2. You will

need 2 pieces

of square

key

white

card which can be fitted

inside

the

fobs.

3. If you look through some magazines you will be able to find some pictures eyes! You need to find two identical eyes which you can cut out and which will inside the particular fobs you are using.

4. A miniature you can usually

card. These are the sort buy them in toy shops.

you sometimes

get

in Christmas

crackers

of fit or

5. A pack of cards. 6. One duplicate card to match the miniature card you are using. Let's assume the 6D is being used as the miniature card. Get an extra 6D from a deck which matches the pack you are going to use in the trick. 7. A pocket

magnifying

8. Some paper

glass.

glue.

SET-UP:- Stick an eye onto each of the pieces of card, attaching the miniature card to the back of one of them. Insert the cards into the fobs and then replace the snap in piece of plastic to seal the cards on the inside. The fobs should look identical except that one has a miniature card on its rear, the other does not. slip

Put the fob with the card on its rear into your right the magnifying glass into your left jacket pocket.

-

5 -

jacket

pocket,

and then

To set up the deck all you need to do is put the 60 on the top and then slip 6D FACE UP about three cards up from the bottom of the face down deck. Have the deck and the fob with just the eye in it to hand.

the extra

PRESENTATION:- 1. Bring out the deck and remove it from the box being careful not to flash the face up 60 as you do so. You can fan the deck face up to show the cards as long as you keep the bottom few together. 2. Square left little

the deck and hold it face down in the left hand. Cut the deck finger break in the centre after you have completed the cut.

3. Riffle force the card immediately below the finger the 60). If you are not familiar with this force here

keeping

break (the original top is a brief description.

a

card,

4. With the deck held in the left hand and the break maintained by the left little finger in the centre, raise the face of the pack towards the spectators and with the right hand riffle from front to back along the top short edges of the cards. 5. Ask a spectator to call 'stop'. When he does so, you hold the pack open with the right fingers at the selected spot, then lower both hands to a horizontal position, at the same time cutting the deck, NOT at the chosen spot, but actually at the break. Complete the cut and push off the top card. 6. Get the spectator to look at and remember his chosen card, the 60. Spread the deck between the hands and have him insert his card anywhere he likes back in the deck. Shuffle keeping the bottom few cards in place. This will retain the face up 60 in position and unseen. 7. Bring out your seen to be blank. few cards together.

Private Eye and freely display it, making sure that the rear is Pick up the deck and fan it face down, again keeping the bottom

8. Pick up the Private Eye and run it along the underside of the fan as if you are trying to give him a view of all the cards. Bring him out and hold him up to your ear as if you expect him to whisper the name of the selected card (I told you this is an unusual trick!).

9. However, a problem has arisen. Unfortunately your Private Eye has eye trouble(!) and needs glasses (or in this case 'glass', as he only has one eye!) to see the cards properly. 10. Square the deck and place it down. Your two hands go to their respective pockets simultaneously, the Private Eye sti 11 being retained in the right hand. The left hand emerges first displaying the magnifying glass and attention is turned to this as the right hand comes out having left the original Private Eye behind and bringing out the other one with the card inside. 11. Place the magnifying glass and Private Eye down for a moment. Fan the deck again and then place the magnifying glass on top of the eye and lift both in the right hand. Run them around the underside of the fan. 12. Place the eye and glass down and then square the deck, casually the process. This sends the face up 60 to the centre of the pack. 13. The Private you reveal that the audience!

cutting

it

Eye now apparently whispers to you the name of the selected card he says the spectator chose the 60. That is the first surprise -

6 -

in and to

14. Then you explain that in order to prove that he really did know which one it was, the Private Eye has done something to the selection. Ribbon spread the deck face down to reveal the 6D now face up in the deck! 15. Finally, just in case there are those who doubt all this, the Private Eye has

made a prediction - and you turn him over to reveal the miniature 6D sealed inside the fob along with the eye. 16. If you wish to dispense with the switching of the eye I see no reason why the whole thing could not just be done with one fob already set with the card inside. At the start of the trick, simply do not show the other side of the fob! This would also mean you did not have to make two eye fobs!

-

7 -

PAPER MONEY

(CUE)

EFFECT:- A blank piece of paper is freely shown, folded changes into a bank note which can be examined or spent you!).

and when unfolded instantly (if anyone will take it off

COMMENTS:- This quick item is really excellent for carrying around in your wallet so that you are ready to make money at any time. After all, one of the things lay people often ask when they discover you are a magician is "can you make money?". Well, now you can. This effect has been copied a couple of times by others who have

marketed their

Iimprovements '.

But this original versionscores in that it is

magical rather than just a paper folding novelty and finish can be examined. REQUIREMENTS:-

1. A new flat bank note of the largest

2. A piece of white

opaque

paper

cut to exactly

the money produced at the

denomination

you can afford!

the same size as the bank note.

3. A small piece of Blu Tack. SET-UP:-

ITJ (0)

Lay the bank note on the table.

~

[IJ

Fold as shown

in Fig.l.

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'B< o~

-

~

~

h

a..

_:. ij}

c

et

FIG. I

1"'"E. D>'~V~ \=\G.2.

which

has a large

hole cut out

of

[2J t=""lG:3

A piece of opaque card on one side of which is a rough outline of the island.

Fig.3.

This

card has to be small enough

to fit in the envelopes.

7. A pen. SET-UP:-

On the prediction liTHE

card write

the following:-

PERSON WITH ENVELOPE NUMBER 5 WILL FIND THE MONEY"

Arrange the numbered envelopes in any order, but ensure that the one numbered 5 is on the bottom of the pile when they are held flap side up. Place the envelope with the hole in the back on top of the pile. Have all the other props to hand.

PRESENTATION:- 1. Show the map and choose a spectator to help. Ask him to mentally select any of the six locations. 2. Hand him the piece of opaque card and the pen with the request that he record his choice by writing it in the little outline of the island. This makes him centralise his writing on the card.

3. While he is writing, pick up the top envelope from the pile (the one with the hole in the address side) and open the flap. Take the card from the spectator writing side down and slip it into the envelope. 4. Seal it and as you hold it up to show that it is sealed, you can sight the name of the chosen location through the hole in the envelope. Place the envelope down in view.

5. Hand out the six location cards and have them looked at and shuffled. Get the spectator to arrange the cards in a face down row of six. 6. Look along the row and spot, via the markings on the back, chosen location and remember its position in the row.

which

card matches

the

7. Pick up the pile of envelopes and arrange them in a fan in the left hand. Invite the assisting spectator to pick up any of the tabled cards. Each time he picks up a card which is NOT the one naming the chosen location, pass him an envelope from the TOP of the pile with the instruction that he slip the card, without looking at it, into the envelope and hand it to any person in the audience.

8. As soon as he picks up the chosen location card, the right hand grips all the

envelopes left in the fan and the left hand passes him the BOTTOM envelope. This -65-

ensures that the correct location card is put into envelope number 5 and thus will make your prediction correct at the finish. 9.

By the time all the cards have gone, six members of the audience will have been

given

a location

card.

10. Point out the prediction card and explain that although no one could possibly know which of the six locations the spectator has selected, and although he shuffled the location cards and has, himself, placed them into envelopes which have been given out to members of the audience, the prediction wi 11 actually lead to the spectator who is holding the correct location card. 11. The prediction card is given to the assisting spectator who reads it aloud. members of the audience look at the numbers on their envelopes. Number 5 takes card out and it is shown to name the location chosen at the beginning. 12. Incidentally, it is perhaps a tear open the envelope containing location, and to display what he This confirms the mental choice removed or changed in any way.

The his

good idea, before the prediction is read out, to the spectator's card on which he wrote his chosen wrote before proceeding to the end of the trick. and also shows that the card was not secretly

0

-66-

THE DETECTIVE COIN

(LD)

EFFECT:- A card is selected

and returned to the pack. A coin, which is supposed to be a detective coin, is shown. The pack is put back into a drop lid card box and the coin placed on the top, after which the lid is dropped on. When the box is opened, the coin has gone from the top of the pack and is found near the centre resting on the actual selected card. COMMENTS:-This is one of my all time favourite plots and I have devised a number of different ways of achieving the basic effect. The trick was originally brought to my attention when I read a method in Abra. That version required magnetic coins, which I did not have, and this lack of a gimmick encouraged me to come up with this very simple solution. [See THE BRITISH CLOSE UP MAGIC SYMPOSIUM BOOK for a table hopping version of this trick]. REQUIREMENTS:-1. A drop lid

card

box. Fig.l.

Ftc;..l 2. A pack of cards 3. Two coins.

to fit

I normally

in the

Rlbbon

box!!

FtG.2

use lOp pieces.

4. Some Blu Tack. SET-UP: - On the inside of the card box there has to be a piece of thin ribbon attached to the centre of one long side of the box base. The ribbon should be long enough to stretch across the bottom of the box when there is a deck inside and some of the ribbon should protrude out of the other side. Fig.2. Many drop lid card boxes come with this ribbon already in place. If yours does not have it, add it! The ribbon is simply used as a neat way of lifting the cards out of the box, because when the protruding end of the ribbon is lifted up, it raises one long side of the deck sufficiently out of the box so that the deck can be gripped. Stick a piece of Blu Tack in the centre of the inside of the card box lid. Fig.3. Also attach a small piece to the rear of the card box base. Fig.4.

Fl6.3

Attach one of the coins to the Blu Tack on the base of the box. This is simply so that you do not have to palm an extra coin during the first part of the routine.

~\G. 4-

-67-

Put the deck into the box and then drop the lid in place. Check that the top card of the deck does NOT stick to the Blu Tack in the lid. If it does, remove and discard a few of the cards from the deck. PRESENTATION: - 1. Begin by displaying detecti ve coin. You aim to put it "criminal".

the second to the test

coin and explain to see whether

that this is it can find

a a

2. Place the coin down and pick up the card box. Remove the lid and place it down, making sure that you do not turn it over so that the inside of the lid is on show. The presence of the Blu Tack might cause some comment!

3. Holding

the

base

of the

box on the

left

palm,

use

the

right

ribbon and thus raise the right edge of the deck. Allow the right to grip the deck and lift it clear of the box. 4. Drop the lid back on the empty box and then place it deck and have a "criminal" card freely chosen (and signed I do not.)

hand to

fingers

lift

the

and thumb

on the table. Display the if you feel it necessary.

5. Split the deck and have the chosen card returned to the top of the lower half. As the right hand places its half on top, get a left little finger break above the selection. Having squared the deck, cut at the break and riffle shuffle the two halves together so that the selection is the last card to fall. The chosen card is thus the new top card of the deck. Place the deck down. 6. You now explain that the detective coin is in fact an undercover agent, and so in order to make him feel at home, you will place him under cover. Pick up the box with your right hand and place it on your left hand. As the right hand removes the lid and places it down, the left fingers pull the extra coin held under the box on the Blu Tack away so that it falls onto the fingers. 7. As the right hand lifts away the base of the box, the left fingers twist towards you to conceal the fact that they now hold a coin. The right hand places the base of the box on the table for a moment. 8. The right hand then picks up the deck and places it into the left hand and thus over the coin secretly held there. Spread the face down deck across into the right hand and split the cards about half way so that both hands hold some spread cards. Flash the faces of the cards by twisting both hands palm down, then place the cards held in the right hand UNDER those in the left, trapping the coin between the two halves as you do so. Square the deck. 9. Your patter to cover the somewhere in amongst the other him.

above cards

10. As soon as the deck is squared, ensure that your hands cover the deck coin already in the deck centre.

is that and the

the" criminal" detective coin

card has been will now try to

lost find

drop it straight into the card box. Try to sufficiently to mask the fact that there is a

11. Pick up the box base and place it in the left hand. Take the detective coin and position it on top of the deck in the centre. Pick up the lid and push it down on top. Because there is a coin already in the centre of the deck, the upper half is lifted up slightly. This coupled with the thickness of the coin placed on the top of the pack will mean that if you squeeze the box top and bottom centre as you place it down, the coin will be stuck to the Blu Tack on the inside of the lid. -68-

12. After a few moments, lift off the lid to reveal that the coin has gone. Showing both your hands empty, lift up the ribbon and allow the spectators to see the gap in the side of the pack where the coin rests in the middle. 13. With the right fingers, lift off all the cards ABOVE the coin and place them one side. Tilt the box so that the audience can now clearly see the coin resting the remaining portion of the deck.

to on

14. Lift the coin off and then remove the card it was lying on. Ask for the name of the chosen "criminal" card. Snap the card and turn it over to show that another case has been successfully solved!

-69-

TRANSPARENTSWITCH

(DD)

EFFECT:- The performer offers to Iexplain' how magicians are able to apparently predict events before they have actually happened. From a small envelope he removes a completely transparent plastic wallet, inside which the back of a playing card can be clearly seen. The envelope is shown to be otherwise empty. This card is to be the magician's prediction and he even shows the face of the card to the audience, explaining however that normally the card's identity would remain undisclosed until the end. The card, inside its wallet, is left face down on the table. A pack of cards is shuffled and a card chosen and placed next to the prediction. The magician confidently explains that the prediction card will always match the selection, even though the spectator has a choice of 52 cards. As he says this, the magician fans the balance of the deck faces towards the audience and the spectators will suddenly notice that the card matching the prediction in the wallet is in fact still on the bottom of the deck! A mistake appears to have been made, and when the selection is turned over, it is indeed another card. However, all ends well when the magician flips over the transparent wallet to show the prediction card inside has changed to match the selection. COMMENTS:-This effect is similar in plot to the The Right Wrong Prediction described elsewhere in this book, but the method is entirely different. The basic principle using the transparent wallet to switch cards can be used to change either the face or the back of a card placed inside and this means there are several other effects which are possible with the set up described. REQUIREMENTS:- 1. Two small completely transparent plastic wallets, size approximately 4cm x 7cm. Fig.l. These can usually be bought in larger stationery shops and are normally sold in packs of 5. 2. A brown manilla size 7~cm x 12cm.

envelope,

HG.\

approximate

3. A pack of cards. 4. Two extra and 4D.

matching

cards,

say

the

KS

SET-UP:- Cut out one complete side from the second wallet and insert it into the first wallet. Fig.2.

g

This creates a kind of changing bag wallet. In the rear compartment of the wallet slip the duplicate KS face up. From the discarded side of the second wallet, cut a tongue of plastic about 3cm long and attach it wi th sellotape to the rear of the 4D. Fig.3. ~~~ -70-

of c..A~1>

t='\G.2

t-\G- .3

Fold the tongue over onto the face of the 4D so that a crease is formed in the plastic level with the top edge of the card. Unfold the tongue and slip the 4D face up into the front compartment of the wallet so that the 4D is exactly aligned with the KS. Fold the tongue down onto the outside of the wallet. The cut out may have to be enl arged si i ghtl y to do thi s .

40

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