Can anybody tell me if the levitation and dissapearance illusion in the dark cloak is easy to make and around how expensive to make...thanks alot!


Mike

Hi mental_mike, one question, since your name is mental mike, that suggests you perfom either mental magic or mentalism, why would you want to perform this levitation???!

I Just thought it might be a good ending to my show. Do you think it wouldn't be a good idea to do this at the end of a mentalism show? thanks?


Mike

Well it depends, if you are performing strong mentalism that leaves a significant impact on your audience, it will leave them with a feeling on uncertainty as to what they have just witnessed. when someone sees a mentalsim show, regardless of discalimers, some people will beleieve what they saw could be real. and if that is the impression you want to leave with them then to perform a levitation would undermine and dilute everything they have just seen, any levitation is thought of as a "magic trick" whereas mentalism can be percieved as so much more.

if you are a magician mixing a little mental magic with other magic then maybe you could get away with it, it certainly would be a dramatic and theatrical ending to your show. it all end depends on what you are aiming to achieve.

it would be interesting to read other peoples such as richard osterlinds thoughts on this.

While doing oing mental magic or mentalism and magic during the same performance is certainly appropriate and can be very entertaining to an audience, as seen on Richard Ostlerind's DVDs (ie. pulling a glass of water from an empty bag being held by two spectators), the type and amount of magic that is done must be considered and weighed.

With regards to this particular effect, it can be a very strong effect and may be totally appropraite if it is done in the proper context. This form of an illusion (levitating and a disappearance)may be considered more of a stage illusion only suitable for a stage magician/illusionist, not a metnalist or even a mental magician. In addition, this particular effect is done as a closer as opposed to a magical interlude or as an opener to a second act, as was done by Mr. Ostlerind when he stunningly performed his water glass production as an opener to his second act. Sicne you are considering this effect your closer, thatn this effect is what people will remeber you by and what type of perforemr you are. If you did this effect as a closer strictly as a magic illusion, the audience will remember you as a magician/illusionist. While there is nothing wrong with that, the spectators will not remember you as a mentalist. So it depends what type of performer do you want your audience to remember you as: a magician or a mentalist.

If you wan them to see and remeber you as a magician, then just do the illusion as is and make your dramtic levitation and dispapearance. If you want your audience to remember you as a mentalist who happens to do magic as well, then you should precede this illusion with a brief discussion of how all of the preceding mind reading effects were done with the powers of the mind and with the powers of suggestion. That many things that appear to be impossible are possible if you believe and if you have a strong mind.That just as in life many difficult things are possible to accomplish if you have a strong will and determination. That the feats of mind reading and suggestion you just witnessed and particpated in were caused by the power of the mind, something that is in reach to us all, if we only use our mind to the fullest extent possible. Then as a final demonstration of the powers of the mind, you do the levitation and the vanish. They will remember you as a mentalist who uses the powers of your mind to accomplish impossible and amazing feats, not as a magician who uses deception to do illusions.

Magicinsight,
That's exactly what I was thinking. I do mentalism...I'll do a few magic tricks every now and then but I just thought this might be good to close my show. thanks......soooooooooooo, is this illusion cheap and easy to build??

Mike