One of the best magic tricks ever? Can anyone tell me how this is done

a reply to: Gazrok

Yup, I showed that video to a magician. He told me that he could tell me, but if he told others he could be in hot water. Secrets of the trade stuff I guess. Anyways, I tried to hint as much as I could as to what he told me.

What I was told was basically what you said. The way my magician friend put it, " The card trick is familiarity with the equipment. The with the bills was where the real skill was at."

Absolutely Simon was in on it, as well as the other 'judges', and some if not all of the stage production crew. That's how it's done.

Members of the trade want to cling to their secrets because it's just that embarrassing. This form of entertainment relies on ignorance and the viewer's willingness to suspend disbelief.

Take it from someone that's worked in the entertainment industry.

The only reason anyone is mystified by this is because they have suspended their disbelief in the reality that it's all a con, if for only long enough to be entertained.

This is not meant to detract from the skill and talent required to perform impressive feats of prestidigitation, or the nerve and charisma it takes to work a tough crowd, but serves only as a reminder that TV-land is a fantasy. All of it.

The house and network... in on it too. Simon, in person or by proxy, hired that guy. Of course he's in on it. There is network money at stake. Made sure to feature himself in the act. Nothing here was impromptu.

I've built sets for magicians. One might be surprised at how many 'random' audience members, venue staff, stagehands, and work crew are in on it. (And what kind of subflooring the joint might have.)

They didn't have to be in on it for it to work (see the tutorial on the previous page).
In fact, on a show where they could be X'd, them being on it would be detrimental to the performer.

As the above poster mentioned, the REAL talent was in the performance of the bill trick. That's where the best sleight of hand was needed (and done).

The last trick is really just being able to use a little sleight of hand to put the right card at the end of the deck, and familiarity with the trick card deck. Knowing this, just about anyone could perform the second trick, if they have that deck (and the deck is only about $15).

Of course, many tricks are done with audience plants....or even better....TWINS! (this is how they get someone to disappear one place, and reappear another....both are where they started, but they are identical twins!)

Meanwhile, Simon now is a true believer of magic. That was easy.

There was a magician on AGT last season, that was really pretty good.
I had to watch most of his tricks a couple of times to figure it out.

It's funny, because my family wants to know, but then doesn't, so they beg me to tell them, but then chide me for it afterwards, for destroying the wonder....

I'm not sure why I can figure these out well. I mean, I've seen some specials before, that revealed some basics, but nothing most others haven't seen. Those ones where the masked guy explained them. Amazingly, even the most elaborate illusions tend to use one or more of these basic deception tools to fool the audience.

hehe He got lucky when Simon said hearts. At 3:46 he had it much easier with hearts which were on the top of the deck, he shuffled through to the tenth card (because of jokers in the top of the deck), pretty obvious why he stopped right there.

originally posted by: smurfy

Watch 18 seconds into the clip. The order of the cards of the deck is exactly the same since the stick figure thing would not work otherwise. I figured this much without the video but this proves it very nicely.

Then switching it is easy while he at 3:53 asking if they remember the flip books he has intense eye contact with the judges and and no cameras at his hands, instinctively you'd look him in the eyes because that is the polite thing to do.


EDIT:

originally posted by: southprk76

https://youtu.be/TrbjalE-jtA

Missed this one, this explains the trick better than mine.

Well..when the magician determined the card he needed, the camera zoomed out of the cards and into his face allowing him to shift it to the bottom of the deck. Each card has a pictures of 2 oppositely drawn stick men. which can be seen at 4:03. one of the painting on the back of each card is the stick man doing a a move and the other is him lifting a card. when the card is chosen the magician would hold the deck so the figure with the number is to his side and the one with the movements is to the audience side, and start revealing how it would do it's animated move while counting till he reach the chosen card, which when located most be taken from the deck rotated and placed underneath the deck which has been done in 3:54 when the camera zoomed out.
conclusion:
1-Yes.... BGT is on it. to zoom out when the magician would need it to do so, so he can do his slight of hand to take the card and rotate it.
2-Simon maybe is cooperating too, for him to choose a card that is closer to the surface of the deck.


we cant trust the media !

originally posted by: Cuervo
a reply to: SecretKnowledge

Only a guess here but here's what I think he did:

He never showed the bottom of the cards so we only assume they were playing cards on the other side. However, on the other side were the final drawing of the stick man but with a different card on each one. So he only has to count the cards as he's handling them and then flip the corresponding one to the bottom of the deck.

Doing something like that right in front of hundreds of people is simply amazing. Makes you wonder how many things people do in front of us that we never actually "see".

But how did he know in advance what card Simon had selected? Unless Simon was part of it, though he looked pretty surprised too. Good acting?

But how did he know in advance what card Simon had selected?

He didn't. He picked it out of the deck (the deck is in order) when Simon selected it, using sleight of hand.

I will agree with the above poster that the directors of BGT have to be in on it at least from an editing standpoint/camera angles, etc. to not reveal it, but I don't think the judges are in on it. You'd want their amazement as part of the show.

Still, he's VERY good at sleight of hand (as evidenced in the bill trick), so even if the camera was on it, it was likely quicker than it could catch.

The first trick the magician performed was done using a "fake" thumb-tip
on his right hand. If you downlaod the video and slow it down enough
you can actually see the fake thumb tip.

That being said...the sleight of hand was amazingly fast and slick.

a reply to: FlySolo you fool, its all for entertainment and ratings. It doesn't have to be genuine. All these shows are scripted.

a reply to: Anubis259
Funny who's calling who a fool. I know how the trick was done. And suggesting the owner and judge of his own show is going to be in on it because you can't figure it out makes your critical thinking rather limited.

originally posted by: FlySolo

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: SecretKnowledge

Unless Simon Cowell is in on it, which he isn't.

How can one be certain that he isn't in on it?

Some of the most convincing tricks are the ones that use a plant.

Uh, because Simon's a judge perhaps? Kind of hard to impress someone when you tell them how it's done.

The "Got Talent" television franchise format was created by Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv.
He's not just a judge. He owns it.
Whether it was fake or real, and simon was in on it or he wasn't, will never be known.
But ask yourself, do you think the owner of a tv show would refuse to be part of a faked segment that would pull in more viewers? Or to put it a little differently, do you think a billionaire would turn down an opportunity to make more money?

originally posted by: symphonyofblase

But ask yourself, do you think the owner of a tv show would refuse to be part of a faked segment that would pull in more viewers? Or to put it a little differently, do you think a billionaire would turn down an opportunity to make more money?

Cowell isn't in on it. The got talent franchise is not built on fraud and misrepresentation. In order for your premise to be accurate, it would mean every single winning contestant is a questionable fraud along with the entire got talent franchise. Do you think a billionaire like Cowell who's made is fortune not on the franchise but in the recording industry, would risk that? Do you think the lawyers would risk that? How about their liability brokers? What about their sponsors and their lawyers? What about the millions in advertising revenue?

It's stupid to say the host and owner, along with all the minions would jeopardize the integrity of the show because a few slack jawed couch potatoes can't figure out how the trick was done. Double facepalm. Really, I mean it. All the guy did was slip the right card into the bottom of the deck with slight of hand. There's tons of tricks with the same theme done all the time. Nothing new about it at all, just a different format.

Like this America's got talent shtick


Guess they're all in on it eh? Stern, Osborne and Mandel.

ETA: pick a number between 1 and 10.















seven.

dun dun dun duuuuun
ATS is in on it.

originally posted by: calstorm
a reply to: Gazrok

Yup, I showed that video to a magician. He told me that he could tell me, but if he told others he could be in hot water. Secrets of the trade stuff I guess. Anyways, I tried to hint as much as I could as to what he told me.

What I was told was basically what you said. The way my magician friend put it, " The card trick is familiarity with the equipment. The with the bills was where the real skill was at."

That's absolutely correct. Magic tricks are becoming popular today as many corporate entertainment events are also including them. That event was organized www.corporate-event-entertainment.ca.... This is what I like about magic tricks they just blow your mind and keep you guessing what is going around & what will happen next. I usually like card and illusion tricks.