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jolyonjenkins Inner circle United Kingdom 1181 Posts |
I sometimes do a routine with a Lippincott box. A marked coin vanishes (after being folded in flash paper) and reappears in the box. One spectator marks the coin, the other holds the box. The discovery of the coin in the box ought to be a big moment but it doesn't quite work. This is because I have to get spectator 1 to confirm to spectator 2 that it is indeed the same coin. This seems more clerical than dramatic, and if the spectators are both children then they are a bit shy and downbeat. How can I make this into a bigger event?
Jolyon Jenkins
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Sealegs Inner circle The UK, Portsmouth 2597 Posts |
One device you can employ is to find a way of delaying the climax of the effect so the climax is focused into one moment rather than being smeared out over a comparitively long time frame as it is at he moment.
A way of doing this is to suggest that the coin in the box can't be the same one that vanished... In other words you provide the voice of doubt for the spectators... you verbalise the very thought process you want the spectators to have. By manipulating how they are thinking about the effect you can provide a stalling mechanism that makes the confirmation (that the coin is the same one that vanished) the climax of the effect. This is different from having the confirmation of the coin as something that happens after the climax of the effect. So, rather leave them thinking; there's something in the box.... it's probably the coin that just vanished... it's the same sort of coin so it looks likely it is indeed the same one...and yes it's the same exact coin. You instead direct their thinking process to; there's something in the box but it can't surely be the vanished coin.... it could be anything... hold on it is a coin but it can't be the same coin that just vanished....it must be a different coin..... it is the same coin. Hopefully you can see that by verbalised the doubts you delay the moment of the climax until the confirmation. This gives the end of the effect a single moment and focus.
Neal Austin
"The golden rule is that there are no golden rules." G.B. Shaw |
Spellbinder Inner circle The Holy City of East Orange, NJ 6438 Posts |
Get rid of the flashpaper, because you can't give it to children to hold. Instead, make the first surprise the vanish of the coin in the hands of a child spectator. The coin under a handkerchief is one way, but you could also use an "anti-rattle" coin box. This can be made from a small drawer box or any craft store box. The original coin is placed in the box and given to the child to hold. The second child, the owner of the coin, gets the sealed Lippencott box to hold. The Lippencott box is "proved" empty by shaking it (instead of sealing it with noisy chains and locks, tie it with string, rope or ribbon). Nothing is heard, so the box must be empty. The other box is shaken and the coin is plainly heard inside it. Now you do the mystic passes that transfer the coin from one box to the other. The first box is shaken and no sound is heard. It is opened by the helper and it is empty. Now the Lippencott box is shaken and a coin is heard inside it. When the helper opens the box, the coin is removed. "Is that your coin? Does it still have your initials? Let's give my helpers a round of applause as they go back to their seats. Make sure you show everyone your magic coin that jumped from one box to another by magic."
The coin arrives in the boxc of the owner who can verify it immediately.
Professor Spellbinder
Professor Emeritus at the Turkey Buzzard Academy of Magik, Witchcraft and Wizardry http://www.magicnook.com Publisher of The Wizards' Journals |
jolyonjenkins Inner circle United Kingdom 1181 Posts |
The flash paper is the best bit! I have a very nice cast iron cauldron which I put the paper into, together with some sparkle powder. I put the lid on the cauldron and give it to the child to hold. There's then a bit of "magician in trouble" business when the coin fails to travel (child opens cauldron and sees folded paper still there). I then take the cauldron and set light to the paper - which provides some drama. The difficult bit is what to do next. I think verbalising the doubts and dealing with them one at a time maybe the way to go.
Jolyon Jenkins
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Spellbinder Inner circle The Holy City of East Orange, NJ 6438 Posts |
If you are convinced that the flashpaper in the hands of a child helper is safe, then I would suggest putting the Lippencott box into a second identical cauldron and having a remote control device set off a second flash there, before removing the box and revealing the coin. In any case, having the owner of the coin be the helper that holds the box or the cauldron with the box makes the identification of the coin quick and easy. You can even have the owner "call the coin over" to the box. Good luck.
Professor Spellbinder
Professor Emeritus at the Turkey Buzzard Academy of Magik, Witchcraft and Wizardry http://www.magicnook.com Publisher of The Wizards' Journals |
jolyonjenkins Inner circle United Kingdom 1181 Posts |
No I take the cauldron from the child before I light the paper! Although I am thinking about using remote control, and adapting my famous remote control candle (instructions still available from Spellbinder's site)
I have a bit of business where I make one child call out "come to me, come to me, come to me", and the other one shout "go to him, go to him, go to him". Thinking about this, I may have stolen that from Kimmo.
Jolyon Jenkins
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jolyonjenkins Inner circle United Kingdom 1181 Posts |
Hmm - not sure why this has been moved here. It's about boxes, not coins! Still, maybe coin experts will have ideas.
Jolyon Jenkins
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