Coin "from the elbow" alternative

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

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Coin "from the elbow" alternative

Postby BigShot » Feb 5th, '10, 14:28



I've been trying to learn a coin flurry routine (think that's what they are known as anyway) but something I'm not too keen on in a few I've seen is the coing "from the elbow" trick.

I'm not completely sure what it is about that move, but I don't like it. I know it's no more ridiculous than a coin appearing from nowhere, being invisible or any other common move in flurries, but something about coins from certain body parts seem unnatural to me.*
The main offenders are the elbow and knee.

Anyway, in this flurry I've been trying to learn there's a coin-from-the-elbow" trick I've been replacing with "coin-from-the-(rolled-up)-sleeve".

I think the move makes a bit more sense, if a coin dematerialising and reappearing up a sleeve makes any sense, but I do wonder if it's a bad idea to pretend something is going into or coming out of a sleeve... particularly as part of the point of rolling them up is to avoid exactly that thought.

Any input on this? Good idea? Bad idea? Ways to deliver it so it doesn't have spectators thinking everything is going into and out of sleeves for the rest of a routine?




* One for the "Bingo" crowd.


EDIT:
Moderators, I have a feeling this thread might have been better in the Support & Tips section - if so, please forgive my relative-newcomer error and shift it. Otherwise I'm happy enough with it in here, I just thought I'd acknowledge the potential error and see about having it remedied rather than look like I'm the sort to post just anywhere.
Cheers.

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Postby daleshrimpton » Feb 5th, '10, 15:09

Hmmm.

Gary Jones mentioned something about this reproduction in his lecture. He said, that people assumed that he has a small pocket hidden in the sleves, and that the coin was in there all the time.
I think that a major stubling block to producing the coin from a rolled up sleeve, is that the audiences will find it logical that the coin was there all the time.

In a way, it would be better if you can dispense with the sleeves all together, by wearing a short sleved shirt, or tee shirt.,and produce it from your skin.

you're like Yoda.you dont say much, but what you do say is worth listening to....
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Postby magicdiscoman » Feb 5th, '10, 16:34

coin under watch is logical to this situation yet another way would be to show both hands empty and then produce coin from closed fist, sort of retension in reverse. :D

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Postby BigShot » Feb 6th, '10, 01:46

It seems there's no perfect solution then.

Do something that makes more sense and have the spectators assume I've got multiple coins or do moves that don't make any sense to me at all.

Dale - I'm usually in short sleeves, be it a tee, short sleeved shirt, shirt with arms rolled up or a jumper hiked above the elbow. That's what lead me to thinking about producing from the sleeve rather than the elbow since it's already in that neighbourhood. It's really only a matter of moving a couple of extra inches before the production and changing the words, but as I suspected and Gary and you have confirmed - it introduces new problems and incorrect explanations (and not a helpful kind either).

I'd be interested to hear any other input people might have.

:D

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Postby Gary Jones » Feb 9th, '10, 16:25

Many coin flurry's are pure eye candy to watch and look great to other magicians, but......In the real world it is IMO much better to produce the coin/s from the say, the spectators ear or their clothing etc, and with your sleeves well pulled back.

All the best,

Gary Jones.

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Postby daleshrimpton » Feb 9th, '10, 16:41

You know Thinking about it, how many of us got into magic, because an uncle pulled a coin out of your ear? :)


I know i did.

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Postby Gary Jones » Feb 9th, '10, 18:09

daleshrimpton wrote:You know Thinking about it, how many of us got into magic, because an uncle pulled a coin out of your ear? :)


I know i did.


Me too Dale!!

Just watch Pat Page or Jeff McBride do the Miser's Dream, especially when they do the productions from the spectators, looks like real magic to the spectators.

Gary.

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Postby bmat » Feb 9th, '10, 19:25

I agree, all those coin productions may be great for practice and great in magic competitions. But for the laymen it gets to the point of "So what?" and when it goes on too long, which it usually does, it goes to "Who cares?' Card and billiardball manipulation suffers the same fate. After the 2th deck of cards (and I am being generous) it ceases to be magic and starts to be a puzzle. There are the exceptions, Julianna Chen, Romain, McBride, Cardini. But they do or did shows with a character, Mcbride was constantly fighting his demons and they always fought back, Cardini and Romain were drunks and were seeing things and were just as suprised as the audience, not sure why a drunk would have a deck of cards, but it doesn't matter. There is a story to it all not just some guy standing there pulling coin after coin from nowhere, mugging for the camera with a smirk that says. "look what I can do". Yes from a magicians stand point Gary Kurtz's 'Lets get flurious' is jaw dropping, to most laymen it is not.

Just something to think about.

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