talkmagic.co.uk

Hello everyone,

This is my very first post on any site ever! Just thought I'd mention!

I am currently putting together a stage show and I have every element worked out except for one little problem.
The effect I need to achieve involves members of the first few rows of the audience writing onto small pieces of paper folding them up and dropping them into a box/basket positioned just up on the edge of the stage. Without switching the box, I need to pick up this box, take it to an audience member and have them select one piece of paper.
So the problem is I need a device that means people can fill the seemingly empty box with their pieces of paper and then I can take the box to an audience member and have them reach into MY collection of pre-written pieces of paper thus ensuring the CORRECT words are chosen.

I hope this makes sense and hopefully someone could point me in the right direction of an already existing product or help me with any construction designs as my DIY attempts to date have never been quite right or fool proof!

Thanks for reading and for your help!

Alex

You'll find what you need in Annemann's "Practical Mental Effects" (aka "Practical Mental Magic").


Barry

I had such a box custom made that switches a bunch of pieces of paper without putting a lid on top. I don't use it any more as don't do much stage work any more so will see if I can dig it out

Thank you for your reply Chris (Beardy). That would be fantastic if you could find the box and maybe describe its construction if possible? If you didn't require it at all any more then I would be more than happy to purchase it from you if that was a possibility as a switch box without the cover of a lid is exactly what I'm after!

Thanks again

Alex

Thank you Barry (magicofthemind) for your response.
I did look at building an OM billet switching box but I really like the idea of the box having no lid and there seemingly being an easy transition from the box being filled to it being handed to an audience member without trying to dispose of and/or mask the lid with the (what would need to be fairly large) compartment underneath!

Thanks again

Alex

listentoalex wrote:Thank you for your reply Chris (Beardy). That would be fantastic if you could find the box and maybe describe its construction if possible? If you didn't require it at all any more then I would be more than happy to purchase it from you if that was a possibility as a switch box without the cover of a lid is exactly what I'm after!

Thanks again

Alex

Of course. I found it but it is missing one vital bit - I'll see if i can find it (I think I know where it is) and let you know. I'll run through the make up for it and you can let me know if you would be interested in it. It switches out around 5-10 from memory, but I may be wrong. I think it could do more but isn't as 'clean' (in that, with less it is 100% examinable with nothing to find)

I've got a very simple box that I came up with which would do exactly what you're after, I'll pop you a PM...

Come to think of it, if you want a box without a lid, you can make one from a couple of cereal boxes. I had one years ago - the instructions were given away with the cereal! - and it worked very well. You'll find a more elaborate version of this in one of Robert Harbin's books.

If you're not hooked on a box, you could use an envelope (in Tarbell) or a paper bag (in the Mark Wilson Course).

Barry

opps I didn't see the bit about no lid. The box I sent you had a lid, although I wouldn't rule out the use of a lid. The premise of shaking the box to mix the billets up give a good excuse to close a lid.

Also Banachek's switching clipboard on his PSY series DVDs is very good, I've used that one plenty of times.