This might be a silly question, but does anyone ever have the bag inspected anymore before performing the sub trunk?

Amos McCormick

Seems to be a lost aspect and probably rightly so. It slows things way down, getting someone up, walking them through the inspection and in the end people still "know" it's gaffed somehow- you've just hidden it. The emphasis of the effect is less on the "escape" part of the effect and more on the speed of the exchange that nearly every spectator knows is coming.

Yes, we have the bag inspected. We have everything inspected, locks, rope, shackles, box etc...

As the inspection goes on, I comment that the only reason I am letting them examine everything up close is because I have nothing to hide, everything is exactly what it seems.

Then, when the effect happens, it is truly baffling to the audience. We almost always have people come up to us after shows to ask about the effect. We even had an engineer come up to us after one of our casino shows to look at things. He wanted to see the box up close. We let him, with guidance, and he walked away saying, "I don't know how you did it."

Presentation is everything when you are an entertainer. There are many ways to present your effects. We happen to like letting an audience member inspect everything for this one.

All the best,

Rob

I don't have them inspect the bag but I do show the bottom of the bag so that they see it is closed. (I do this to music so nothing is said.)

Michael

Amos,

I think many just assume the bag is a bag. If you're not being chased, don't get caught.

And no, Syd and I never let anyone examine the bag. The moment of magic is the exchange, everything else is leading up to that moment.

Next time you're up here, I'll show your our trunk and bag (as well as the shop).

Rick

I agree with the "not being chased" comment. I just remember years ago when everyone had the bag examined, and all the sub trunk texts addressed a number of ways to make the bag examinable.

Just wondered whether anyone was doing it anymore.

Amos McCormick

I just don't sweat it! We don't show the trunk empty either. (It isn't!)

Lucy and I won't perform that again until Saturday! That's tough enough for kids in their sixties!

Bob Samders
Magic By Sander

Hey Amos,

There is a gimmicked bag called 'Sack X' (my partner used to call it 'Suck Eggs' when I had trouble getting out of it), it's designed to be an escape all on it's own but it could easily do the job as a sub trunk bag and it can be quite thoroughly examined.

To be honest I've decided to use the 'standard' Sub Trunk bag and not have it examined.

Cheers
Billy

For us, it's not a matter of not running if you're not being chased, nor is it a matter of being old fashioned or slow in the performance. It is simply a choice of routining that works very well for us.

We do use a Sack X style bag and with a bit of audience manipulation, it can apparently be examined rather thoroughly.

We prefer to present it as an entertaining routine from start to finish rather than just going for the payoff at the end. We like to give the audience the chance to "catch us" even before they know for sure where we are going.

So, instead of "not running when you are not being chased," you might say that we prefer to "take you down the garden path and then turn the hose on you."

All the best in whatever way you choose to present your effects!

Rob

During performace of exchange box (subtrunk) with bag, We have everything inspected, locks, rope, shackles, box etc... bag which I used is called "mail bag" which I buy from rangmagic and sub trunk is made by mayajallink

In my subtrunk I performed three ways 1) upper door 2) backdoor 3) front door so with this I do different ways all the time.

Having spent too much of my life "in the bag", I have three observations:

1. There is not a good commercial one.

2. Use a material that slides well over your clothes and packs small and never needs ironing.

3. Make sure that you can see well enough through the cloth from the inside to avoid getting hit in the head by the lid of the trunk when it is closing. (Will that be one lump or two?)

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Billy James where can one obtain a ordinary sub trunk bag. and Michael Messing what music do you use I'm thinking of using the Thunderer.

Fundamentally, a problem I have with all the "inspecting" for the subtrunk is that it can actually be the longest part of the trick. Thus, the inspection can become the main thing and the effect the minor thing. To me it should be incidental and certainly not an excuse to major in the minors.

I think a four minute subtrunk act is two minutes too long. The music we use is 157 seconds! The ending should be a surprise, and not a relief!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Bob,
Point well made. As my mentor, Eugene Burger alwasy would say...."don't run when no one is chasing you".
This is a case where the magic is in the transformation not how you got out of the bag.
The bag just serves as another step to the process.

All the best.
Michael

I'm having mine made up (my partner in magic is very handy that way), but if you want to buy one, have a look here -

http://www.chaletstephens.com/catalog.html

Scroll down to Sub Trunk Accessories

Cheers

I think that if you make a big deal out of the bag than it gets people thinking that the bag might be gimmicked. Magic is for entertainment only not to fool someone, so if you perform it well they will love it. Good luck.

Patrick

I did standard Sub Trunk in Finnish Talent TV-show. One judge said that he knows how it's done and I think the spectator feels unsecure about this, because there was no inspection part before performance. The sack has opening all the way bottom, but I'm planning next time to get a bag which doesn't have any opening on bottom, I'm gonna escape from same opening where I'm going in. That way it's possible to examine everything.

It's not about running when no one is chasing you. The trick is that you are escaping from normal restraints, when you let someone inspect one object (box) but not another (bag) it sends up a red flag. I've had many people comment on the bag and the solution. It's not that hard to figure out using the standard method. If you have time let them inspect EVERYTHING. This illusion is not based on speed but the solidity and realness of the objects used. I think in an attempt to copy the pendragons this effect moved from the original slow version where it was about the escape and not so much the speed. Of course speed is an issue but now people are focusing only at that aspect. You do not have have to do a trick a minute. Build the trick up. Take the time to inspect everything. It makes a difference. Besides the audience wants to inspect everything. It's not like you're wasting time, you're giving the audience what it wants.

The Pendragons - 1:55 start to finish. Arguably the best presentation in the business. Here is a guy that has spent decades refining this classic illusion down to the show closing, signature piece that it is for them. No wasted anything in their routine. One of the things that I noticed was their elimination of the hand restraints. Because of that, Jonathan has Carlotte out of the trunk/bag and into their final pose in just 27 seconds.

Chris

Chris,

You mean that they beat us by two seconds? Should I shorten the music? LOL

At my age I'll just have to do the LONG version. The trick is older than anyone here anyway.

To me the bag is essentially for color anyway.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander