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Lately I've been thinking of releasing a trick the Internet. Basically, it's going to be a rope through neck trick where I tie the rope around my neck, suddenly yank the rope tight and the rope falls off my neck. I have, however, been thinking of an interesting way to portray it in the video. I was thinking of posting it almost like a suicide note. Before and while I tie the rope around my neck, I'll talk about how my life is horrible and I'm planning on ending it by streaming it directly to YouTube. I plan to make the whole video about seven minutes where I read my "will" and tell viewers what I hope my last moments alive will be like. In the last ten seconds, I plan to pull the rope through my neck, shout "I can't do anything right!" and end the video. I've contacted administrators at YouTube, Myspace, and Break.com and they say as long as I show I am fine at the end, they will allow it to be posted. However, I worry that I might cause a bunch of copycat acts that would result in death. What should I do? I want to make this as real as possible by making no references to magic or warnings in the video description. Is this a wise thing to do?

On the basis that you will always get some fool who doesn't catch on that it's a spoof, I would say don't do it like that. Afrterall, what are you trying to achieve if it's not intended to show people somehow that it's a good magic effect?

a bit too far i think, especially if you are trying to sell it. trailers of effects should be quite short and just show the effect.

plus, i've had enough of all the emo kids saying they're going to kill themsleves because their life is so c*** (not the best).

so it would be a no from me
sounds like a cool effect though!

There's a better presentation in there for your effect.
Work on it and you'll be glad you did!

Mikey.666 wrote:a bit too far i think, especially if you are trying to sell it. trailers of effects should be quite short and just show the effect.

plus, i've had enough of all the emo kids saying they're going to kill themsleves because their life is so c*** (not the best).

so it would be a no from me
sounds like a cool effect though!

I'm not trying to sell this video, it's just going to be for entertainment and to show people what I can do. Also, it's supposed to reference all those kids who want to kill themselves and make fun of the situation. So, for pure entertainment purposes, should I release a video like this onto the Internet?

monker59 wrote:Lately I've been thinking of releasing a trick the Internet. Basically, it's going to be a rope through neck trick where I tie the rope around my neck, suddenly yank the rope tight and the rope falls off my neck. I have, however, been thinking of an interesting way to portray it in the video. I was thinking of posting it almost like a suicide note. Before and while I tie the rope around my neck, I'll talk about how my life is horrible and I'm planning on ending it by streaming it directly to YouTube. I plan to make the whole video about seven minutes where I read my "will" and tell viewers what I hope my last moments alive will be like. In the last ten seconds, I plan to pull the rope through my neck, shout "I can't do anything right!" and end the video. I've contacted administrators at YouTube, Myspace, and Break.com and they say as long as I show I am fine at the end, they will allow it to be posted. However, I worry that I might cause a bunch of copycat acts that would result in death. What should I do? I want to make this as real as possible by making no references to magic or warnings in the video description. Is this a wise thing to do?

This all sounds horribly derivative... Do something demonstrably NEW!

Hi Monker,

I really think this stands on people's morals/opinions on this type of subject.

I personally think it'd be ok, if a little long... But think of those who have lost friends or relatives to suicide. I don't really think it's something to be made light of.

If it were a build-up to an illusion on a TV special, then people wouldn't blink an eye; but because this is an internet thing where people actually DO commit suicide (take that guy who did it on a chatroom a few weeks back) I'd say steer clear!

I think you're being creative, which is one of the main factors of magic, but maybe come up with something else?

I agree that it sounds like it'll be too long the way you planned it. The presentation is where the self expression in art is, but, in magic, the effect comes first. Too much build-up for a moment of what - from my uneducated guess- would be more confusion than magic, is not worth it. I can tell what you're aiming for . I've found potential violence and bloodiness to be fascinating myself. Usually, though, small build up (or even no build up, but in the case of a rope, it's inevitable) seems best.

Do it dressed up as Saddam Hussein.

To be honest I think it might be going a little bit too far.

I was going to dop something similar in my Black Bob routine (a routine about the life of a highwayman). At the end he is captured and I was going to have him hanged, I was going to tie a rope around my neck and have two specs pull it tight. Only for the rope to pass right through my neck. It's a lovely effect but I dropped it because I was worried that someone might go away to try to copy it, which could be very dangerous.

where's the magic though?

if you did it as a performance piece on stage, as a story...maybe...

but otherwise...meh...dunno if you should make fun of the situation..maybe as an awareness thing?

or just make it as ridiculous as possible...if you did a series of events that are horrific, all with some kind of magic even taking place inspite of it..then yeah...but maybe for the stage only...

there was a guy would recently did commit real suicide on the internet, so maybe not via that medium (pardon the pun)

I have to say I think its a boring idea.

I'd rather see you do magic tricks on street and they would all go wrong, you failing trick after trick. After that you would do the "hanging" and there would be atleast some funny idea about it.

The original idea sounds just like a waste of everyones time.

theres a video on youtube of a guy performing chain through neck and he pulls it tight and has a pained expression on his face that you think for like a split second it might have gone wrong but its just him acting.

Anyway what I understand you want to do is satirise people who kill themselves and show it online which is in poor taste and would have a much better impact if you just get on with the effect rather than building up a lot of suspense, a little is good but a lot is just overkill (how many people actually sit through all those boring seven minute long videos to witness the effect in the final minute?)

Btw if you're doing the Criss Angel chain through neck its been explained all over youtube

Wasn't there already a trick where you put a rope around your throat and pull it and it goes through? I thought I've seen that before...

Maybe if you posted a warning in the beginning that the whole clip must be watched till the end, or DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME...

If anything bad did happen, as least you'll be famous!