need some tips and i have some questions.

Struggling with an effect? Any tips (without giving too much away!) you'd like to share?

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need some tips and i have some questions.

Postby Xzwer » Oct 24th, '05, 17:51



i have started with doing tricks/illusion 5 days ago :P and i have tricked a couple of people with the levitation illusion and the arm twisting thingy. and i have done some card tricks on my friends. but i am having some problems doing a DL that people think is real. every time i do it thay say but you have two cards there. but they dont see two cards they just say thar\t i pick up the card verry strange :P so do you guys have any tips/moves on how to make a DL look real?
and what learning movie of cards do you think is the best? the things i want to learn most is cool moves, tricks and the thing i want to learn most is the torn and restored card trick (does that trick need some spesial cards?)

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Postby Jeremy » Oct 24th, '05, 18:10

I had this same problem when starting out.

Here is what I did.

I watch myself flipping over one card. I took not of the exact manor in which I slid it off the deck and how I flipped it to show the face.

Then I tried my hardest to get the DL to contain the same moves. It is difficult--and even now there are subtle differences between the two-- but the differences aren't noticeable.

SOOO much of magic is psychological. Simply handling two cards as if they are one can be all you need to sell a huge effect ta spec, if you leave room for doubt it can permeate the whole trick.

The biggest thing is it takes A LOT of practice!!!!

Good luck and I hope that is helpful.

Jeremy

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Postby dat8962 » Oct 24th, '05, 18:58

As Jeremy says, like most other things the DL requires practice.

Part of the problem may be that you've only got five days experience but are already showing tricks to people that are not well practiced.

There are a number of different methods of doing a DL with the same result from the specs viewpoint. Oz Pearlman teaches one on his Born to Perform DVD and you can search for this as well as DL's on this site.

If you watch any seasoned cardie executing a DL then the one thing that you should notice is that the turnover looks so natural and there doesn't appear to be anything else going on other than a card being simply turned over. This is what you should be aiming for.

Less experienced card handlers subconsciously show that there's a slieght happening by either watching the turnover, making a thumb count obvious etc.

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It's not really an optical illusion - it just looks like one!
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Postby Xzwer » Oct 24th, '05, 23:30

Thanks for the turnover tip. it helped allot and looks natural because i just turn the cards a little and they fall over like on card :P but when i say 5 days i realy mean five days... i have gone around with my cards and flipped them and doing tricks for my self and stuff :P but i allways do the easy tricks that impress allot like the trick with the ashes that you rubb against you`re arm and the number of the card is showing on the surface on the arm, those tricks is easy to perform and do not get noticed because people get very confused.. but what learning movies do you recommend?

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Postby Nikodemus » Oct 28th, '05, 11:02

One simple point I came across (in Royal Road To Card Magic, I think) -
separate the preparation for the DL from the execution of the DL.
So - holding cards in left hand you apparently square the pack with right hand & count 2 cards with your right thumb. This is the preparation. If you were to lift them immediately, most people will be suspicious of the 'fiddling you were doing. Instead you hold the break with left little finger & continue with some patter. gesticulating in some way with right hand. THEN you execute the DL in a very casual way (without looking). The lift looks much more natural cos you were not fiddling with the cards immediately before you turn over.
I guess if you are really good, you can do the whole thing as one - but I can't (yet) so I do this.

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