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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
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On 2004-07-13 05:55, MarkTripp wrote: The Annemann way was specifically for a theatrical setup. It was actually a method that Orville Meyer invented. Quote:
On 2004-07-13 11:17, georgefl38 wrote: Thanks for explaining this. The red flag went up primarily because I saw a television broadcast of a very well-known expert on the bullet catch doing his performance of it in front of a house, with traffic driving by in the background! When I saw that, all sorts of alarms went off. To a discerning observer, it could only mean one thing -- that there was no actual bullet in the weapon. So, even if you are really in a safe mode, you need to create the impression that what you are doing is extremely dangerous, and that you are taking every possible precaution. It didn't appear to me as if the performer on television had done that. Again, thanks for clearing it up. Quote:
On 2004-07-19 01:06, Pete Biro wrote: It would depend on the individual crossbow and the bullet. The longbow was a much more formidable weapon than the crossbow, as the battle of Poictiers proved to the French. It had a greater range than the crossbow, and was far easier to reload. It's only been since about 1875 or so that the pistol and rifle have really made bows and crossbows fairly obsolete, except for their use in clandestine operations where silence was absolutely mandatory.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
Bill -- no problem. After reading your post and re-reading mine, I realized I should have said "some type of a firing range" instead of "a field." Same with the duelling pistol. Just goes to show... I need that coffee in the morning!
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
I'm the same way!
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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seanalexander Regular user UK 194 Posts |
Hi all, I've been conidering doing a type of bullet catch for a while, but using an air rifle and pellet! Rather than using a real gun. (mainly because here in the uk guns are banned!) A powerful air gun would still do a serious injury or even kill you if hit in the right place! How do you think a cruise audience would take this? Has anyone done a bullet catch or russian roulette on a cruise ship?
I look forward to hearing your opinions!! |
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Scott Alexander V.I.P. 1471 Posts |
I have performed a bullet catch both on land and on the ships and it will soon be released ... not long after the Final Answer ships. We hope to debut it at Magic Live ...if the timing works out.
The working title is Velocity and it is a safe and practical answer to the problems that a traditional bullet catch poses in regards to travel, safety, and the negative images that guns conjure up. If you are interested in performing this kind of stunt you may want to give this a look. Stay tuned, Scott |
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Magicduck Elite user Washington State 484 Posts |
I saw that crossbow act in Vegas about 1984. I spoke, after with Gary Darwin, dean of Vegas Magi, I said "what is the trick." He said there is not one, they guy just has the stage marked in those locations where all the bows, targets, people stand.
Having been a magician for years, and having seen numerous bullet catches, including Penn and Teller and one at the IBM convention with a high power, modern rifle, that crossbow act was still as amazing as anything, and better than any bullet catch, I have ever, ever seen. The described conclusion, was the end of perhaps a 15 or 20 minute act. It build up to this, after a number of earlier bits. As I recall, the guy used multiple crossbows, like four or five ganged together. I recall in one, he shot the arrows at a bail of hay, when the hay was knocked away, his female assistant was behind it, spread eagle, with arrows near her appendages....knife thrower style. At the end, he shot an arrow at a target across stage, which activated another crossbow, this fired a cross bow across stage towards him which hit another target, which fired another arrow back to the other side, then the arrow sent from that side, as I recall, is the one aimed at his head which impaled the apple. Also, this act was on a tv special a few years ago, and at one point there was an accident and someone was shot by a crossbow. Think it was a female assistant. It was not fatal. Either way, can you imagine trying to talk someone into being your assistant in this act. No tricks, just physics, monitoring your equipment and marking locations. I will stay with magic, but it was one whale of an act. quack |
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Scott Alexander V.I.P. 1471 Posts |
Just a follow up to let everyone know that Velocity is now available from Bob Kohler.
Thanks, Scott |
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MCM Elite user Minnesota 456 Posts |
Just had an amusing idea that someone is free to take and run with:
It is announced that the magician will be doing the bullet catch with much pomp and fanfair. It turns out, however, that the gun used is an old blunderbuss (the gun where the end of the barrel looks like a horn). The "bullet" would either be a ball the size of a pool ball or "grapeshot" (marbles). The atmosphere is mock serious with exagerated tension. The bullet and powder are loaded, gun aimed, a loud bang is heard as the shot is taken. Smoke obscures the stage for a moment with the shot. If the bullet is the pool ball, the magician ends up on his/her back, ball in mouth like an apple in a cooked pig. If it is shot, they could bee spit out of the mouth (with some "teeth") or, his/her face now looks like some of those cartoon characters looked when they got shot in the face. For added effect, the barrel of the gun is now splintered as if it backfired. |
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collective foundry Inner circle 1404 Posts |
We just finished design on a new interactive bullet catch illusion. We do it in the middle of the audience. Completley safe. And uses no "IN AIR" bullets, or devices that COULD or can projectile anything. But LOOKS real and SOUNDS real.
The effect is so real infact we plan on a disclamer being shown before the illusion. (dont try this at home, sort of thing)We ended up doing what the VFX industry uses for this sort of thing. We actually put a hole in the other performer on "accident" using a squib. Really great. But it all turns out good, and the performer with the hole ends up saving the day. Good times. The age of technology will make us and our audiences that much safer. I'm glad I was born in this age. This solution is simple. Use a real gun or something with an actual projectile that can be shot out or the potential of it....SOMEONES GOING TO DIE. So. Cut out the danger. And create the ILLUSION of a real gun. Be smart about it and we can all carry on this illusion without the drawback of death or something exploding in our face or shooting some poor audience member or your best friend acrost the stage. |
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magicusb Inner circle 1135 Posts |
The bullet catch, in our opinion, should not be done as part of act. The great Penn & Teller excluded. Exception proves the rule. It should only be done for special events as by most who have done it. Dorothy Dietrich, Ted A, Ben Robinson are examples, where it can be set up for a special historical or publicity event. Big however...... Since 9/11 and all sorts of new laws it is more difficult to carry a gun around, fire it, display it, etc. We kind have lost our right to bear arms, even for a show. Also, currently many TV shows might refrain from showing such an event due to complaints, copy cat failures, law suits, etc.
Also be sure you know what you are doing as many have died or been hurt doing this. Dick Brooks and Dorothy Dietrich Houdini Museum "Haunted!"
Check out http://HoudiniOpoly.com
Houdini Museum Tour & Magic Show. Only building in the world dedicated to Houdini. http://Houdini.org http://HoudiniDisplays.com http://PsychicTheater.com Scranton, Pa (570) 342-5555 "The truth shall make you free, but first it will make you angry." -Robert Ingersoll-Atheist (on the mind of Houdini when he died.) We are thrilled we were able to bring The Grim Game to the world! Thanks TCM. |
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ricker Special user Tampa, FL 914 Posts |
Mike Webb wanted to do it at SEAM 2005 and had to use a paintball gun instead of the shotgun.
Doing a bullet catch is a bad idea, read Jim Stienmeyer's The Glorious Deception for details. Dick, Didn't Houdini think it was a bad idea too? (I share his birthday BTW, March 24th, and Sydney and I were married 100 years after he and Bess). |
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Face Elite user 495 Posts |
I personaly don't like this kind of illusion, but then again, this is just my personal opinion.
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daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
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On 2006-05-16 12:10, magicusb wrote: It's sad the kind of world we are now living in...all it takes is a few idiots to ruin it for us all, doesn't it? Just out of curiosity, I googled this to find out how fast a bullet travels. Fastest is about 5000 feet a second. That transletaes to roughly the length of 16 and 1/2 foot ball fields in one seconds time. Pretty %#$% fast! Smokin! I have to do some math to see what that comes to in MPH.
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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