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Muddy Elite user 449 Posts |
Greetings! My first post:
What do you do when you have something palmed or finger palmed and a spectator says "Let me see the other hand" ?? I suppose if you have performed correctly up to that point, then you shouldnt be asked ... however, I also suspect that this has probably happened to most (if not all) magicians at some point and I was wondering about the different ways to handle this and similar situations. Feel free to comment on different "getting caught" situations and how you handle them. Thanks! |
ShidennOdmistL Regular user Vegas 109 Posts |
Welcome to the boards Muddy. Now for your question:
How do you avoid showing the other hand after you palmed something? Solution: Well, the first way is misdirection. Calling attention to the real empty hand and quietly disposing whatever is in the other hand away takes a little practice and usually is only figured out by experience. When you perform a trick, take notice to everything but the palming hand. Ask questions, do a little dance, anything to distract the person from noticing it. And of all things, make your distraction natural. If its natural, nine times out of ten, no one will question it. Between that time, you will have already disposed of whatever you had. Second, and this is what I do, be fast. Don't be two fast to when the person doesn't understand the trick. Just be fast enough for them not to pick up any and all unnatural movements. Thats my advice. Have fun on the boards. Sol
Sol Hiden N D Mist...
Never look back.... |
Jaxon Inner circle Kalamazoo, Mi. 2537 Posts |
Welcome to the board. I can tell by your question that you've already given this some thought. I can tell because you made the right comments in your question.
Just a little something to add to the good advice Sol already gave. There are some good ditching techniques. Some mechanical and others using sleights. For example there are things called "toppits" and "servants" (SP) you can use to ditch things. When sitting you can obviously use lapping techniques. There are other methods such as using the props you are performing with to hide palmed objects. For example if you where doing a matrix routine (Cards and coins). You can secretly hold a coin under a card. Or even holding a drink or something in your hand while you are palming something. The palmed object can also be transfered from hand to hand. Like Sol mentioned, this action would have to be a natural one though. I know these are poor examples but I hope they point out some techniques you can look into. Experience will improve your skill in avoiding these situations. When something goes wrong evaluate it and think up possible solutions for when and if it ever happens again. I can tell you are already doing this or you wouldn't have asked this question. Best of luck and keep it fun. Ron Jaxon |
Muddy Elite user 449 Posts |
Thanks for the replies! and for making me welcome!
Where can I find more information on toppits and servants? I did a quick google and didn't come up with anything relevant. Thanks again! |
Reis O'Brien Inner circle Seattle, WA 2467 Posts |
Then there's the tactic of just owning up to it! I know, not very cool in many magician's eyes. But sometimes it can go well by just giving a sly smile and saying, "You like that, wouldn't you?!"
We're not real wizards here. I think it's okay to accassionally show our human side. So... who thinks I'm crazy? |
metwin1 New user Singapore 60 Posts |
*confused*
I read somewhere that magicians should never admit that they screwed up a trick; simply move on to the next one. What do you think? |
rikbrooks Inner circle Olive Branch, Mississippi 1317 Posts |
Welcome Muddy, along with what you mentioned, that you can minimize it with misdirection, etc. There are always going to be 'those people'. You'll run into them quite often, that take a magic trick as a personal challenge to 'bust' the magician.
Not too long ago a guy recognized me on the street and asked me to 'do a trick'. I didn't have a lot of time so I pulled a quarter out of my pocket and vanished it for him in a very visual way. He looked my up and down and said, "In your shirt pocket" and pointed. Well, it wasn't in the shirt pocket, he was guessing. Sometimes they guess right. I showed him my shirt pocket and he asked me to do 'another one'. I just looked at him and said, "You're joking, right?" and walked on. Sometimes it's OK to just say No. |
Reis O'Brien Inner circle Seattle, WA 2467 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-11-22 22:34, metwin1 wrote: In a perfect world, yes, we should never admit we screwed up, or they guessed right. But, when someboday says, "Let me see your other hand," they're just trying to be a smartass and mess you up. They want to show themselves that they're oh so clever and that you don't really have magical powers. So I'm just suggesting that in certain moments, let them have their little moment of glory. Otherwise they'll never let you off the hook. Even if they guess wrong, I usually say, "Very good! You're a genius!" and then walk off. |
rikbrooks Inner circle Olive Branch, Mississippi 1317 Posts |
Reis, I don't want to get into a tit for tat here, but I must insist that you are just wrong.
For example, I practiced my Vernon Wand Spin 1,000 times before I showed it to a well known Café member who so graciously pointed out that I have a finger 'click' and fist jerk when I do the spin. So now I'm back onto my second 1,000 spins to cure that. Now, suppose that you don't do the 2,000 spins for practice. You do the spin for a friend and he busts you. You both have a good laugh and go about your ways. Six months later he sees me do the spin. My hand is perfect, my execution perfect. I've invested the time and effort (and embarressment of having a man that I really respect point out that I still have flaws). After all that work that I did, my whole routine flops - because you thought it was 'OK' to 'show that you are human'. I say that if you want to show that you are human, open a vein, but don't expose the secrets that form the foundations for other people's living. |
Reis O'Brien Inner circle Seattle, WA 2467 Posts |
Whoa, Tex! relax, I didn't mean that it's ok to expose anything. Perhaps I didn't deliver my thought well. I apologize. I don't think that you should stop and then show them how it's done.
I was just thinking of a couple of times when I had a heckler who wanted to act like he new how everything was done. Both times were total strangers and both times they guessed wrong and my initial reaction was to just say"Yep, you caught me. I can't get nothing by you." But I said it with a wink in my eye that left them wondering if they really were right afetr all. But by me saying that, they're left with little more arguement left in them, because now they're just confused. But believe me that the last thing I would do is expose one of our secrets. I honestly don't think the way I handled it is going to hurt your living. I apologize if you think that was my intention. |
Jaxon Inner circle Kalamazoo, Mi. 2537 Posts |
I feel that when it is unavoidable. I ry my best not to get in that position but it can happen. When there is absolutely no way out that you can think of at that moment. It might be ok to laugh it off and move on. For example they say "Let me see your other hand". You can say, "No you may not" then move onto something else. But heres's the thing. You never showed them they are right. You jsut suggested they might be.
Here's a possible "out" for this kind of situation. If you never heard the term "out" before in magic. An out is something you can do or say to get out of the situation when something goes wrong to make it look like it didn't go wrong. Or that it was planned. Let me give an example. You vanished a coin. They say "let me see your other hand". You show them the other hand and there is indeed a coin there. You ask them to hold there hand out. Drop it into ther hand and it turns into a jumbo coin. When you showed them the coin in your hand your other hand was stealing the jumbo coin while they where reacting. You turned it against them. you used the moment they felt was there victory and turned it into an opertunity to do another effect that is much stronger and more memorable then vanishing a coin. After they see the something like this. An unsuaul accurance they didn't expect. They'll more in likely forget all about there little victory and responde to this new moment. That's just something to think about. When something goes wrong try and figure outa solution if it happens again. Out's are one possible solution to think about. Ron Jaxon |
Ollie1235 Special user England 533 Posts |
Or you could just let them know it is in the other hand because it never really dissapeared at all, it just transported to the other hand.
Tell them if it was to really to dissapear then it would look something like this. [do a vanish that leaves you clean] Doing this would let them know that there right, it was in the other hand, but you was going to show them that anyway. And you would have also proved that if you wanted the coin to vanish completely then you could do so. ollie |
blade Loyal user Philippines 208 Posts |
Welcome muddy!!! practice ditching the object while the spec is focused on the other hand (misdirection) ... and yeah topits!
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qurgh New user Independence, KY 51 Posts |
I've done what Ollie said before. Another come back that I have is the, "Shhh, don't spoil it now!" said in a rather loud and sarcastic way. Normally I get a chuckle out of other people and then I quickly move into something else as if I was in the middle of something and they interrupted me in the middle of it.
The other thing you could do is shout loudly, "Holy sh**!!! How did it get there? Oh my G**!!" and throw the coin up quickly as if it was red hot, but don't actually show it in your hand. Just kind of wave your hands together in an upwards motion, as if you had a bee about to land on your nose. Most people will be totally distracted by this, especially if you act with total surprise, and they won't really know if it was in that hand at all or if you just threw it in the air from somewhere else. There are many ways to get out of these kind of situation, just use your imagination and do something that fits your personality. For me it's being sarcastic or overreactive, for others you may just want to ignore the person and pretend they don't exist. |
Ollie1235 Special user England 533 Posts |
How about the "holy ****, how'd you do that?" approach.
ollie |
rikbrooks Inner circle Olive Branch, Mississippi 1317 Posts |
Looks like I misunderstood you, Reis. Sorry about that. So, now you know I'm a real Texan. I've got an onery side and can get my hackles up!
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