talkmagic.co.uk

Good Morning Everyone,

Isn't it just the most bodacious day!!! Well, okay, you probably still have flooding over across the pond so my question is, is it surfable?

Actually, the reason I'm writing is that I went for a walk this morning, and I was minding my own business, I'm always doing that when these type of things happen, and, a truck was driving rather quickly down the single lane dirt road I was on and heading right for me.

Okay, maybe it wasn't that dramatic, the truck was still 50 feet away, so I did the best thing I could think of at the time.

I stepped off the side of the road.

Hmm, Amanda, some of you might be thinking, that's all well and good and all and we'll talk about it over biscuits and tea I'm sure but what does that possibly have to do with magic?

Well, I'm glad that some of you Mentalists out there asked. You see, just as the truck almost got to me, I looked at the hood of the truck, oh, and I smiled and waved because that is the kind of girl I am, but in any event, I looked at the front of the hood and I had the idea of leaping over the hood and roof of the truck. I guess it was years working out as a gymnast, aerialist, and trampoline girl that put such thoughts in my mind.

Patience now, I'm getting to the Illusion. In the split second, an Illusion act came to me.

So, here's the act. I'm on a dirt road, a truck is racing toward me, I'm going to leap over the hood and roof of the truck and before I hit the ground on the other side, I am going to materialize boquets of flowers in each hand. A simple stunt. Or so it seems.

I do a few practice runs and it doesn't quite work. Once I miss time the leap, once I can't do the flower illusion. And then on the third attempt I'm getting "tired," but decide to try it one more time.

I leap into the air and there is a loud hiss from the hood of the truck and steam soars into the air as I go over the roof. And, I disappear.

Well, that's the Stunt/Illusion.

Now granted, I haven't done it yet but in the split second it took to imagine the Illusion, I also figured out how I would do it. So now comes the fun part. Building the thing. I'm so excited.

There I was, simply minding my own business walking down a country lane and I got this idea. So now you know my plans for the day. There's so much to do. Buying parts, honing my jumping muscles into steel, working out speeds and heights of jumps. Oh what fun.

Well, that's my day so far. I hope all of you are having truly magical days too. Oh, and in case some of you missed, it, the whole flower illusion was as a form of misdirection.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

sounds like a good one my dear, best of luck with it

OK, thinking laterally (i.e. lying down!) your stunt sees a truck moving towards you and at the last moment you rise into the air. Rotate that effect through 90 degrees left or right and you have the classic silent movie stunt of the car trying reach and get over the level crossing just before the express train crosses the same point. That effect was relatively straightforward to rig and stage; looking at the safety angle, I'm not sure if a human being brandishing a couple of bunches of flowers would be as well protected as a driver in a car but it all sounds like a rather nice idea !

Hello Lady of Mystery,

Oh chica, thank you, that is so kind of you to say that. I am so excited. Oh how I love to create so!!! And, who needs a gym when a girl has a truck to jump over.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

Certainly sounds interesting. Best of luck with it! Don't forget the reappearance somewhere else though, otherwise the ending will likely feel a little bit abrupt and the effect incomplete.

You will also want to make sure that it is made clear that you were supposed to disappear otherwise people may be left scratching their heads for a moment as to what exactly was supposed to happen.

Also the flowers aren't an example of misdirection but a dramatic device: like a red herring .

Good Morning Mandrake,

Your idea of lying down to think. Brilliant!!! Now then, I actually was able to follow your 90 degree rotation and all, perhaps I studied too much geometry.

Hmm, safety. Well, sure, there's that. But then again, shooting big tubes (a surfing thing) isn't the safest thing in the world either.

So, protection. I guess there is that. Okay, it just came to me, thank you, I mean, it takes away from the pure physical challenge of it and makes the trick kind of girly (of course, I am sort of the girly girl so perhaps that should not matter) but using my aerial work, there is indeed a way to make the trick at least moderately safer.

But, being me, I'm going to have to train as though the protection I just thought of was not there, otherwise, what is the point?

Thank you for your thoughts, Mandrake, you gave me in those few brilliant sentences of yours many wonderful ideas. And, well, I really think it's kind of neat that you'd think of my safety. You are very kind.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

[quote="Cardza"]Certainly sounds interesting.

Thank you Cardza.

> Best of luck with it! Don't forget the reappearance somewhere else >though, otherwise the ending will likely feel a little bit abrupt and the >effect incomplete.

Silly girl. Okay, I got it. I'll be the one driving the truck. How's that? I just thought of a way to do that. Oh wow, I am so excited.

>You will also want to make sure that it is made clear that you were >supposed to disappear otherwise people may be left scratching their >heads for a moment as to what exactly was supposed to happen.

Well, my point of the flowers was to make it seem like THAT was the point of the Illusion and also that it was simply a jumping stunt. I kind of liked the "huh?" factor. Do you think it is too much? If so, then the flowers are not even necessary.

>Also the flowers aren't an example of misdirection but a dramatic device: like a red herring :wink:

Silly chica. Thank you for correcting my terminology.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

You are quite obviously David Copperfield incognito...and I claim my $500 reward for spotting your cunning disguise

Hello RobStanely1,

Goodness, I am giggling so hard I can barely type. Oh my gosh you are funny. I'm still laughing. Thank you, laughing is so wonderful.

Love,

Amanda Angeli

I'm so pleased I was able to bestow you with a few giggles and laughs, Amanda - I feel my work here is now done

Love,

Rob x

Hello Rob,

Oh please, now that your work is done, please oh please don't disappear. The world needs people like you who can make us all giggle.

But, for the record, if you were to disappear, you've already read how I'd do it by jumping over a truck.

How about you?

Love,

Amanda Angeli