Name of suspension effect performed by Sonny Fontana below .. (scroll to the 2:34 mark)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wfClkElfgo

No name, I would imagine that you have to ask Sonny Fontana, if he gave it a name. I believe these are all his original creations, like most all of the magic in his acts.

Yeah I tried that route already Bill. I was introduced to Sonny by a magician friend. About the third time I saw him I mentioned the suspension effect. I told him I was really curious as to how that effect was achieved and I wouldn't mind paying for the secret. He laughed and said I'll reveal the invisible man but then remained quiet. He soon moved the conversation to something else about him performing on tv again. This was about 3 years ago. Shortly, a week after, I heard through a friend he had been rushed to the hospital. And that was the last time I heard from him.

I was under the impression this suspension could have been found in the older magic books. But if its an original creation as you say Bill, then I guess we will never find out.

Well, it look to me as being Black Art, but he has modified it, and that huge outfit he wears has is not logical to the act and effects. Unless I missed something.

I love idea of trying something different and novel but there's always the danger of it not producing the aimed for results. I feel this might be the case with this selection. Great respect for innovation, novelty and trying something different. But ultimately I've no idea what's supposed to be happening.

Is it a suspension effect? I've watched it about 4 times and can't work out what it is the audience is supposed to believe is happening.

The first time I watched it I didn't see it as any kind of floating effect at all.... it appeared that he'd made his lower legs invisible.... but it also looked unsatisfyingly wrong. I realise now it looked wrong because the bottom of his pants are visible so his legs hadn't apparently turned invisible at all.... it's only his feet that have turned invisible... but that would mean he's floating above his shoes and has invisible feet..... so is it an invisible feet/floating body effect? If so that would certainly explain why I didn't get what I was supposed to be seeing.

Im VERY close to Sonny and that suspension was developed in my house in Puerto Rico.
We worked on the act and that video was shot during his engagement in Malasia.

The Invisible Man is Sonny's passion and that suspension is Sonny's creation and it uses absolutely NO black art.

Reynold... is it a suspension? I didn't quite get it but I can't see that he's supposed to be attached to anything so I would have thought this is a levitation? ... but like I said I'm not sure what the effect is supposed to be.

The act works on the theme of the Invisible Man. So the illusion as an audience member is to be perceived as his ankles having been made temporarily invisible. From a magician's POV, however, its clearly a suspension. No different than the concept of a No Feet illlusion. Obviously, I am interested in figuring out the modified "Super X" hook up to the board held up by his left hand. It appears to me that he is kneeling on a plank attached to a tripod of some sort, masked by the hanging loose tape on the caution board.

Sealegs: The effect is that he has invisible feet.

Top illusionist: You cannot be talking about methods in a public forum.

Thanks,
reynold

Reynold; I get that his ankles and feet are supposed to be invisible but I didn't (and maybe still don't) get what we are supposed to think is happening in this sequence.

Are we, the audience, meant to understand that he has apparently simply lifted up his pant's legs behind the boards so when those boards are moved aside they reveal his invisible ankles and feet? (This has only now occurred to me as a possible premise/scenario)

Or are we supposed to think he has levitated up out of his shoes which also happens to reveal his invisible ankles and feet?

If it's the former I simply didn't get that from the performance. Any raising of the pant's legs simply wasn't explicitly enough acted out for it to register with me that this was what was supposed to be happening. But it would make sense as a premise/plot for that effect.

If though the audience is supposed to think the latter had happened, then my confusion definitely would stem from having two illusions (a demonstration of both invisibility and defying gravity) happening at the same moment.

I'm still not sure which of these options is the 'right' one or indeed if something else is the answer to what the whole effect of this moment was meant to be... and I see this a great shame as I enthusiastically applaud the novelty, the originality and the fact that this didn't just stay as an idea... it got off the page and onto the stage which is always a big deal for something new.

Sealegs: "Are we, the audience, meant to understand that he has apparently simply lifted up his pant's legs behind the boards so when those boards are moved aside they reveal his invisible ankles and feet? (This has only now occurred to me as a possible premise/scenario)" THIS IS EXACTLY THE PREMISE. I agree that it was not acted properly. I had this conversation with him during rehearsals but......you know how it goes. LOL!

Ha.... Thanks for the clarification reynold. It now all makes sense.