Help....Illusionist/Magician I saw on TV few years ago:

[hech54]

There was an illusionist I saw on TV...maybe 5-10 years ago in America.
He was on the street and had a woman think of someone from their past.
A few seconds later...a bus (public transportation) goes by with that person's
(the person the girl thought of) picture on the side of the bus.

Any ideas as to who that might have been?

Thanks if you can help.

[MeDiCo_BrUjO]

I think I've seen David Blaine doing that trick... Maybe it's him?

[hech54]

I searched his stuff though....I'll keep looking into his material. It was freaky....you'd think I could find it somewhere.

[thecoalman]

I'm pretty sure that's right, I think I remember that. First show he made had a lot of freaky stuff like that.

[MeDiCo_BrUjO]

One of the tricks that amazed me the most:

He stopped a girl on the street, they were just on the outside of a store with a huge glass front, he says to the girl while holding a full deck of cards in his hand: Think of any card in the deck, the girl says ok, and he throws the cards at the glass window making a mess; but when all the cards fall to the floor... there is one sticked to the window... guess what card is it?... the card the girl was thinking!.

This is not the best part yet, obviously, David Blaine tells the girl if that's the card she was thinking about, she replies "yes".
He says "take it", she goes to the glass, and the card is sticked to the glass, but from the INSIDE!!!.... now, that's spooky!.

[hech54]

He's done some really freaky stuff. His "stunts" are dumb but his street magic stuff is great....moreso for the expressions on peoples faces than anything else....and probably mine too if there was a camera on me...
I just wish I could find that damn bus/picture trick.

[Epicurus8a]

I'm also sure it was David Blaine; the guy who recently tried to break the record for holding his breath underwater.

SPOILER BELOW:





Tricks like the bus/picture and the card stuck to the glass are set-up in advance. The "victim" is actually a paid assistant who merely acts stunned at Blaine's amazing abilities.

[MeDiCo_BrUjO]

I for sure would like to know how is it that he does to levitate....

[thecoalman]

I for sure would like to know how is it that he does to levitate....

That's simple actually, first thing to notice is the camera angle. He lifts his body on the front part of his foot you can't see. If I remeber correctly he had on some pretty baggy pants. Anyhow you can try it with someone, their attention is focused on the backs of your feet so they nevewr really see the front. He may even of had some specials shoes so the backs aarched downwards and allowed his heel to slip out of them.

[KBeee]

Derren Brown is the only street magician that impresses me - even after he explains how he did it, it's still impressive.

[AlecWest]

Darn, now I'll be bugged until I figure this out. I went to see "Lady In The Water" recently. And during the coming attractions trailers, there was a trailer for an upcoming movie dealing with a magician. The catch is that fellow magicians are convinced that this new magician has a secret behind his tricks -- that they're not tricks, they're REAL magic. Anyone know the title of this upcoming movie???

[gll99]

I for sure would like to know how is it that he does to levitate....

That trick was revealed by another street magician. It's like thecoalman says and when he slips his foot out of the shoe he squeezes it beween his stocking foot (lower ankle) and the other shoe. Then when he pushes up on his toes he lifts the visible foot with the shoe on and the empty shoe up in the air so it looks like his 2 feet are in the air. He slightly stumbles, bending his knees a bit, and wobbles his outstretched hands on the way down to distract as he slips his foot back into the shoe. At the beginning of the trick the loose pants hide the slight knee bend as he takes his foot out of the shoe. Another way to start the trick is to do a fake lift saying "wait this is hard I have to concentrate. It doesn't always work" or something like that to explain the failed attempt. What he actually did is lift his foot out of the shoe on that practice lift. Another distraction is to use the old coat or sweater trick to hide the shoe moves saying "some will hide themselves like this but I won't" when in fact that is what he has actually just done before your eyes as he removed his shoe with the coat blocking your view.

[greymalkin]

you shouldn't be any more amazed at these yahoo's than you were at huge fictional elephants and made up countries in lord of the rings..it's all edited tv/movie "magic". The only common element is your suspension of belief.

[liquid217]

Darn, now I'll be bugged until I figure this out. I went to see "Lady In The Water" recently. And during the coming attractions trailers, there was a trailer for an upcoming movie dealing with a magician. The catch is that fellow magicians are convinced that this new magician has a secret behind his tricks -- that they're not tricks, they're REAL magic. Anyone know the title of this upcoming movie???

The Illusionist.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/theillusionist/

[Lucifers_Ghost]

you shouldn't be any more amazed at these yahoo's than you were at huge fictional elephants and made up countries in lord of the rings..it's all edited tv/movie "magic". The only common element is your suspension of belief.

Agree 100000%.

[AlecWest]

Darn, now I'll be bugged until I figure this out. I went to see "Lady In The Water" recently. And during the coming attractions trailers, there was a trailer for an upcoming movie dealing with a magician. The catch is that fellow magicians are convinced that this new magician has a secret behind his tricks -- that they're not tricks, they're REAL magic. Anyone know the title of this upcoming movie???

The Illusionist.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/theillusionist/

Yup, I finally figured it out. Thanks. It looks like it might be an interesting film. I love alternate history stuff like this ... especially if there's a "speculative" fantasy aspect to it. Yesterday was my birthday and my kid forgot (grin) - so I'll suggest he take me to the film next week to make up for it, hehe.

I wish someone would do a film of Harry Turtledove's novel, "Guns of the South." No magic in the novel - but I'd love to see the South win the Civil War (courtesy of 21st Century weapons brought back by time travelers).

[MeDiCo_BrUjO]

Darn, now I'll be bugged until I figure this out. I went to see "Lady In The Water" recently. And during the coming attractions trailers, there was a trailer for an upcoming movie dealing with a magician. The catch is that fellow magicians are convinced that this new magician has a secret behind his tricks -- that they're not tricks, they're REAL magic. Anyone know the title of this upcoming movie???

The Illusionist.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/theillusionist/

Yup, I finally figured it out. Thanks. It looks like it might be an interesting film. I love alternate history stuff like this ... especially if there's a "speculative" fantasy aspect to it. Yesterday was my birthday and my kid forgot (grin) - so I'll suggest he take me to the film next week to make up for it, hehe.

I wish someone would do a film of Harry Turtledove's novel, "Guns of the South." No magic in the novel - but I'd love to see the South win the Civil War (courtesy of 21st Century weapons brought back by time travelers).

Happy B-Day!