Magic?

[Chexjc]

anyone else into magic..i've got like 3 pages of me doing some magic tricks if you guys wanna check them out

http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=JasonCheckla

[thejdw]

kl trick:) Do you edit the footage or was it slip of the hand?:confused:

[Chexjc]

i don't edit any of the footage..which trick are you refering to?..the first video?

[skrobo]

haha
you have like 5 cards in your hand, and you throw one down each time you move the paper in front of it.

(there are 2 decks in the frame) it was a big hint

[sparrowhawk]

cool cool

how long have you been doing it?..cuz ive been doing it for yonks:D...i also do card flourishes and manipulation

do you do mainly close-up or stage or what??

tis good to see some magicians around!

patrick

[Chexjc]

ive been doing it for like 6 months i guess..i like to bring a deck of cards to a party and freak people out. Let me tell you though, if you though unicycling is a chick magnet...Magic is even better! haha

[gkmac]

i don't edit any of the footage..David Blaine would say that, yet his levitation trick has additional "fake" footage spliced in in an attempt to make it look more impressive.

Even without editing between different camera angles, magic just doesn't look convincing on the screen anymore. When I saw Jurassic Park in 1993, when Dennis Nedry (played by Wayne Knight) got eaten alive by the dinosaur in one continuous view, that was the moment when I thought special effects could achieve absolutely anything. And seeing Forrest Gump with Lt Dan losing his legs? Ever since, seeing a woman sawn in half on the screen is just so fake.i like to bring a deck of cards to a party and freak people out.Freaking people out is bad enough, but doing it by magic is evil, especially if you like to boast about doing "impossible" things to boost your ego to shattering levels.

Now, I'll pick a post. Any post. I won't show it to the magicians because they don't want to know what it is, but I'll show the audience.

[sparrowhawk]

gkmac, you have nooo idea what you're talking about so please be quiet.

[Chexjc]

gkmac, you have nooo idea what you're talking about so please be quiet.

yea...what are you talking about?

[Chexjc]

magic just doesn't look convincing on the screen anymore

most magic tricks are 10x more convincing on camera

[sparrowhawk]

yea...what are you talking about?

being on about....stuff:D

[sparrowhawk]

most magic tricks are 10x more convincing on camera


but still if tou watch it first hand you know there isint any camera trickery

[burjzyntski]

I used to have a magic set...still do actually...that came with all sorts of props and 'magic' things...Despite all the props and books that I had, I was best at card tricks.

I saw your vanishing silk video and remembered my thumb ;)

[Chexjc]

haha yea...its such a simple idea, but even in person i've never been caught doing that

[gkmac]

but still if tou watch it first hand you know there isint any camera trickery...but in your case I can't watch it first hand, can I? Not unless you come to me, so I have to trust that video. And having full knowledge of what special effects can do, I find trusting video and film to be absolutely impossible.

Magic shows on TV were so popular in the 80s as a way of bringing performances to a wider audience, then special effects became extremely good, and suddenly the magic shows on TV disappeared.gkmac, you have nooo idea what you're talking about so please be quiet.A rather vague response, keeping your ideas to yourself just like any selfish magician would. I am going to keep my mouth shut, but it won't stop my fingers from typing these words.

If someone came to you and asked how you did a trick, you'd selfishly keep it to yourself. Now, I can just visualise you riding a unicycle, a passer-by comes to you and asks "How do you ride that thing?" and a response of "Sorry, that's a secret". What kind of unicyclist would that be?

A more real world example, maybe if you witness someone having trouble when a computer or vending machine malfunctions, you do something to make it work again. "Oh it often does that. How did you fix it?". "Not telling.".

It's not just magicians who I have a problem with when it comes to keeping secrets. Inventors who come up with something life changing and keeping the essential parts of how it works to themselves, how innovative would that be? If whoever invented the life-saving seat-belt kept the design secrets to themselves, they would become unpopular pretty quickly, being responsible for so many deaths since they won't share the design to every car maker.

Many tricks are used to con people, such as someone offering a wager to taking part in a challenge, in which some secret mechanism resulting in always losing, effectively theft of money. Since I know you could do a such a thing, I would never trust you to look at my watch, or borrow some money. If someone did a pick-pocketing or watch-stealing trick to my uncle, I wouldn't put it past my uncle to then produce his police identity card and arrest him on the spot. After all, the magician did steal the item, which is a crime.

The only thing I see from magicians is "Hey, I can do these things, and you can't, so I'm much better than you. And I'm not telling you how I did it so I will always be much better than you.". How more narcissistic can you get?

[Chexjc]

did you have a troublesome childhood?...its just harmless fun

[sparrowhawk]

A rather vague response, keeping your ideas to yourself just like any selfish magician would. I am going to keep my mouth shut, but it won't stop my fingers from typing these words.

im not selfish...dude...i just want people to stop dising magicians...we get that you dont like them!:) ....and you have no idea how much time it takes to practice and train...how would you feel if after years and years of unicycling someone just dismisses your hard work and just says "its gay" without even knowing annything about it...its a bit like that i suppose


If someone came to you and asked how you did a trick, you'd selfishly keep it to yourself. Now, I can just visualise you riding a unicycle, a passer-by comes to you and asks "How do you ride that thing?" and a response of "Sorry, that's a secret". What kind of unicyclist would that be

A rather vauge response....why would i do that??:confused:









--- annyway..sorry if you feel im ranting, but i just feel absolutely horrible when people just dismiss my hard work over the years.

virtual hand-shake then?? eh?:p

[vuniw]

hah those are cool

[Chexjc]

thank you:) ...its nice to get compliments lol

[johnfoss]

For magician-haters:

...having full knowledge of what special effects can do, I find trusting video and film to be absolutely impossible.
Since when, 1901? Special effects have been around a long time. Loads of magic can be perpetrated on film or video by stopping the camera and re-starting it. Don't believe *anything* you see.

Magic shows on TV were so popular in the 80s as a way of bringing performances to a wider audience, then special effects became extremely good, and suddenly the magic shows on TV disappeared.
Actually, *variety* acts were very popular on TV in the 80s. They went out of popularity so much of the magic went away with them. The rest is still there. Special effects have been around for over a hundred years, and have been good enough to "fool" people the whole time. Now you can just draw better with CGI.

If someone came to you and asked how you did a trick, you'd selfishly keep it to yourself.
That's what magicians are *supposed* to do. Learn more about magicians. If every magician gave away how the tricks work, it would ruin the entertainment.

Now, I can just visualise you riding a unicycle, a passer-by comes to you and asks "How do you ride that thing?" and a response of "Sorry, that's a secret". What kind of unicyclist would that be?
One that thinks he's a magician. But unicycling is not a trick. No secrets, nothing to hide. Not the same as magic.

Inventors who come up with something life changing and keeping the essential parts of how it works to themselves, how innovative would that be?
Very innovative. For them. Listen to Bill Gates talk about innovation. There is nothing wrong with an inventor trying to profit from his genius. Why should we need to know the details of how the "life-changing" Segway works, as long as we're allowed to buy one? Patents are there to protect inventions so the inventor can hopefully benefit from it while everyone else does.

If whoever invented the life-saving seat-belt kept the design secrets to themselves, they would become unpopular pretty quickly, being responsible for so many deaths since they won't share the design to every car maker.
Inventions don't make you responsible for unrelated deaths. Seatbelts were around for a very long time before most automakers were willing to put them in their cars, and even longer before automakers were *required* to include seatbelts in all cars.

If I invent a cancer cure and keep it to myself, it's up to me if I want to feel guilty for people who die from cancer from that moment on. The FDA will let those people die too, so how guilty am I? I would expect such an invention to want to get to market as quickly as possible so it can do its job, and so the inventors (usually big drug companies) can start paying for all the R&D that was spend in developing it.

But how to make the medicine? Why should they give that up, unless they don't want ot make it themselves? It's not a magic trick, that needs to remain secret to be entertaining, but it is a property that can have ownership.

The same could be applied to new magic tricks a magician invents. He owns the trick and is not obligated to share it. That trick can earn him lots of money, either by performing it or by selling the instructions. His product; his choice on how or whether to share it.

Many tricks are used to con people, such as someone offering a wager to taking part in a challenge, in which some secret mechanism resulting in always losing, effectively theft of money.
Three-card Monty comes to mind. There's always a sucker out there willing to lose money on that one. But a con artist and a magician are two different things. A person could be both, but this is not a valid reason to distrust all magicians.

If someone did a pick-pocketing or watch-stealing trick to my uncle, I wouldn't put it past my uncle to then produce his police identity card and arrest him on the spot. After all, the magician did steal the item, which is a crime.
Hopefully he has a better sense of humor than you.

The only thing I see from magicians is "Hey, I can do these things, and you can't, so I'm much better than you. And I'm not telling you how I did it so I will always be much better than you.". How more narcissistic can you get?
I think there is a little of this in many hobby magicians, but it's a lot less obvious in professional performers. I might add the same is true for jugglers, unicyclists, and other skilled people. But most magicians who perform for audiences are trying to entertain. Most of their audience gets it.

[Chexjc]

very well put i agree w/ everything you said

[johnfoss]

very well put i agree w/ everything you said
Really? ... But that never happens! :)


I think you're just being nice and still think magicians are at least creepy. Seeing as how magicians are individuals, I can't fully disagree with you on that...

[Chexjc]

i don't want to refer to myself as a magician..more like a unicyclist thats into magic haha

[sparrowhawk]

Really? ... But that never happens! :)


I think you're just being nice and still think magicians are at least creepy. Seeing as how magicians are individuals, I can't fully disagree with you on that...


hehe ok i am kinda creepy or at least i like that style in my patter so..im creepy..yeah!:D

cheers for the support...annd stuff!:p

[gkmac]

hehe ok i am kinda creepy or at least i like that style in my patter so..im creepy..yeah!:D Ha! So you admit you're evil!:eek: I'll take up your offer of a virtual handshake, but I'll remove my watch first.

Turning down the rage a bit, I found a couple of videos that parody the "show-off" aspect of those magicians that don't talk. I found them pretty funny. Making cereal through magic - http://youtube.com/watch?v=jorlmO7D72s Best magician ever - http://video.feber.se/2006/05/best_magician_e.html

[James_Potter]

I used to do magic a lot, but I kinda gave it up...you got some nice effects in there though.

buuut...why do you show the secret to some of 'em? Magicians shouldn't do that.

[Chexjc]

because i belong to magicianschool.com..a magic forum where magicians post tutorials for one another

[James_Potter]

ooooh, I see...thats cool then (:

[headstone]

Now, I can just visualise you riding a unicycle, a passer-by comes to you and asks "How do you ride that thing?" and a response of "Sorry, that's a secret". What kind of unicyclist would that be?

Except magic is an illusion, and unicycling is exactly how it appears. Even if someone asked you "How do you ride that thing?", the best you could come up with would be "I practiced a lot."