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MikeJRogers Veteran user Australia 354 Posts |
Hi everyone,
I was just wondering what everyones views on performing a massive illusion or publicity stunt were? I'm talking about making large monuments dissappear, levitate etc. David Copperfield has done it, Franz Harary etc. What does everyone think about these sorts of illusions/stunts. Would it be a good way to advertise your illusion show for the first time? Thanks for your input, it's greatly appreciated. Thanks again, Mike J Rogers
Mike Rogers Illusion Design - Australia - http://www.mikerogers.com.au
"Nothings impossible, the impossible just takes longer" - Dan Brown novel - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Pakar Ilusi Inner circle 5777 Posts |
If you have the budget, go for it... Plan carefully of course..
"Dreams aren't a matter of Chance but a matter of Choice." -DC-
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Scott Imler Special user Calgary, Canada 545 Posts |
Hey I think they are on of the best PR moves in the World everyone including Copperfield have got a lot of mileage from these large scale illusions, as the press eats them up.
It deos not mean to say that they are alwys the most magical but they do serve their purpose of generating hype and interest. My two cents Scott Imler |
Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
There are both benefits and downsides to massive illusion / publicity stunts. To me the first question that needs to be answered is Who will benefit? If it is only a select few, I have real problems with them if ANY public resources are used. Blocking traffic, moving firemen or policemen, shutting down ANY public facility at taxpayer expense or inconvenience also makes it automatically wrong to me.
Media coverage is another thing. People in the media business live by circulation (audience) and advertising. The decision to cover or not to cover the event and how much is their decision. It is a private for profit business. I personally do not like stunts that purposefully harm health or safety of anyone including the entertainer. (The pot is calling the kettle black here. My sport was rodeo.) But I've been there, done that, and I think it is irresponsible behavior. There is the upside to these grand stunts. Sometimes they simply fit the situation. A couple of years ago my wife and I did a stunt for the paying audience and to gain publicity for the cause that I believe was a very appropriate use of a stunt. The publicity even before the stunt was valuable to the organization. The organization was the local animal shelter. The stunt was to make a horse appear, disappear and reappear in the audience. It was right on task. It harmed no one, it entertained hundreds, and created meaningful awareness and weeks of publicity for the cause. For a magician working as a magician, it seems only reasonable to me that the stunt should be entertaining with magic. Freak shows don't qualify as magic to me anymore than being a pickpocket qualifies. Yes, I have done studio special effects but I never called it magic. It wasn't. It was billed as theatrical special effects for television. That was indeed what they were. It was cheaper than animation for the producers. Computer graphics have changed a lot of that. When a rodeo clown jumps a bull, it is a very dangerous stunt to entertain the public. When the same individual makes a horse appear, disappear, and reappear elsewhere, it is a magic trick that is probably safer than riding a school bus. It gets better publicity too! Choices mean everything. Some publicity stunts are really just vandalism and deserve the same treatment at law. Bob Sanders Magic By Sander |
cupsandballsmagic Inner circle 2705 Posts |
This thread is the proof that it works
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Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
Yes, It works! My other life is politics as a registered lobbyist and former university marketing professor published in the field of marketing professional services.
Unfortunately, publicity stunts too frequently exclude any substance. The standard joke on Navy vessels is hearing the squawk box (PA system) come on at a quite moment with the message "Now hear this. This is your captain speaking, that's all." Memories are personal property. First impressions as either a star or a fool are hard to change. Employers of entertainers are often renting the entertainer's image hoping the customers confuse it with their own image. I remember working with a company once choosing a product spokesperson (for a beer) and the problems created because one of the celebrity applicants had once in a television program, years before, played the part of a person with AIDS. Check books never forget! If you do this for a living, it's about money. More importantly, it is about other peoples' money. They decide if they want to be identified with the acts hired. Making personal statements is for those no longer planning to be employed. The world is full of choices. Be careful about selecting a forced card. It's somebody else's show. Bob Sanders Magic By Sander |
MikeJRogers Veteran user Australia 354 Posts |
Hi there,
Thanks a lot everyone for your reply's to my question. It seems as though these sorts of illusions are pretty beneficial if done correctly. I have another question regarding this topic. Is there any way that I could learn the methods behind these massive illusions, any books or anything? I have developed a few of my own methods for various stunts but I really don't know the basics so I wouldnt know if they were practical. Thanks for any help, Mike J Rogers PS: Thanks again for the responses so far.
Mike Rogers Illusion Design - Australia - http://www.mikerogers.com.au
"Nothings impossible, the impossible just takes longer" - Dan Brown novel - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
johnnymystic Inner circle North Adams Ma. 1576 Posts |
My wife suggested I should try being buried alive...
Johnny Mystic
I drink cheap tequila and vomit
<BR>I cannot eat hot wings...acid reflux <BR>I never inhale <BR>I can put a field dress on a deer |
cupsandballsmagic Inner circle 2705 Posts |
The best large scale illusion I ever did was to walk down a street in broad daylight and turn into a pub
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