Could I have the link to see the demo video of it?
Thanks

Hello, fellow Mac user,

You can get Windows Media Player for Mac OS X (or for OS 9 if you're still using that ) .

Go here for free download

I remember when I was a teenage magician. The props don't seem that big, until you try to get them into the van. It's no wonder that everything in my show is small, now.

OK guys, help me out here. I want to produce my wife as portably (if that's not a real word it should be) as possible. You see my wife is a Marilyn Monroe impersonator and I am looking for a way to procure her in our show. When she walks on staff...the crow goes nuts, but if I could only produce her magically...well all of you guys out there know what I'm talking about. The illusion needs to be practical. We will be doing Te Cruise ship thing next year and I need to vanish her also, sort of like a "dream sequence". We will also need to blow her skirt up...so the illusion needs to have a fan mounted into the base either during the appearance or vanish. "IMAGIQUE" stated he had a video of Bryce's Screen but I cannot contact him. Put your heads together boy's and help a blonde have more fun.

Any illusion we do with miss Monroe must not mess up the classic white dress, so let's not stuff her into any boxes, ok?

Thanks, David Alan & Tracey

Interesting thought. Here check out the Owen site.

How about stuffing her into a cake for the traditional "woman pops out of a cake" bit, complete with blower. It is, of course, the inflatable six foot birthday cake, and Jim Gerrish (who actually converted one of these for a show) assures me it would not ruffle her dress as there is plenty of room inside one of these big cakes so she just needs to hunker down for a minute as it is brought out. She emerges by splitting open a Velcro slit sewn into the top (that's the part you have to do - the cake doesn't come with one of those!) and lets the nylon cake deflate around her as the blower continues to do its thing on her skirt and her poses. Just a thought. Nice thought, too!

Thanks for the advice guys! I checked out the Owen site and liked a "Book" effect I saw which is simply a modified door frame illusion. I need a vanish and production so these are great ideas so far. About the cake thing...we have actually gotten many requests for a Marilyn from cake but never found it practical. Thanks. A great idea but...is the blowr in one of those things strong enough to lift a skirt? I have the snowstorm by Kevin James and it nees some strong music to perform it. That's not that big of a deal, but doesn't it take a lot of noise to create a lot of wind? Any final thought before I spend a lot of money? PM me and I'' send you a photo of my Marilyn. She's one of the best I have seen and she walkd, talks, and sings just like her. A special thank you from the lady herself will be included in all published material. The Café is a great place to go...You guys are always thinking and we thankyou for being there.

Go into any Home Depot or store where they sell inflatable lawn decorations and give a listen. However, to get the right kind of gust of wind from the blower, right before she reveals herself, she should have a funnel that she clamps over the blower before standing up. Once she opens the top slit, the cake will collapse anyway, and she can maneuver herself to stand right over the stream of air now channeled through the small end of the funnel.

OK... The fun begins...I'll let you guys know how it goes...

For those interested, Creative Magic has just come out with their version of Bryce's Screens (with permission from Bryce Chambers). Typical of Creative Magic they have made it so that it packs down into a small duffel bag so you don't have to worry about storing and transporting seven foot screens. They also have a teaser video up that is worth a look.

Here is a link: http://www.creativemagic.net

I have their Arabian Framework (Card House)as well and get a lot of use out of it. For me storage and transportation a VERY VERY important. The screens are made in the same fashion. Can't wait to get my hands on one.

Here are my two youtube videos of my Bryce Screen...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQmvGpJJ-V4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CQiQPdT-gA

My ex-wife, in the first video, is angry, and won't give it back to me. Granted, SHE doesn't need it for anything. She just doesn't want me to have it...

Good luck!

Jimmy

That is the first time I have seen a performance where there wasn't two people handling the screens. I looked a little awkward and not quite as spectacular but I must admit it did work.

Does anyone else perform it in this fashion?

Nobody else probably performs it in this fashion, because it's been done the other way for so long, and everyone just accepts it without applying ANY logic or personal critical thinking to the old version.

The concept has a huge weakness, initially, in that there's no way to verify that it's just not a person behind the screen somehow coming through. And, of course, the inability to view it from an eye level higher than the top edge of the screen. Sure, you can use black art, design, etc. Granted, it's not something that you want the audience sitting around talking about or focusing on... it's more of a throwaway when you question the effect on the audience.

It's like producing livestock... there's a certain amount of oohs and ahhs that you'll get if you were to bring it out of a bag... without ever showing the bag empty...

Please also see the reaction that I received when producing the lady from the screen in front of a live audience. The reaction of the lay audience is excellent.

I'm open to suggested ways for verifying the absence of a person simply standing behind the screen and somehow getting through. Using a spinning platform of that size is simply too much for the average performer to provide, and, frankly, it's totally against the spirit, beauty and subtlety of this piece. Same with having two people operate it and manipulating it to produce one person. Bringing audience volunteers onstage to circle the effect first seems a bit much, and putting mirrors everywhere seems just a bit too contrived.

Any ideas on showing the back of the screen as empty as it actually is?

I thought that a single person handling of anything would be preferable. I've had one EXTREMELY negative, rudely made comment about my handling of the prop on the youtube video, and now Michel's confusion, as well, and I just don't get it... I know that it's not flashy and well choreographed, but the handling is direct, simple and to the point. The instant fold up and the lighter weight, due to having only 5 panels, is another advantage. The more quickly it's folded up by a single performer and effortlessly carried away, the more impressive the appearance of the person is. In my opinion.

Okay, I just looked at the Creative version... What am I missing? The handling in the Creative video seems to make the load and production more obvious and adds an extra, unnecessary person onstage.

The way that the Creative version is performed, a logical person would ask, "Why don't they just use 4 panels if they are just going to fold it into a square?" Right?

Think about this... my version offsets what is so obviously centered in the other handling... if you know how this works, you know what I'm saying. Also, with so many people onstage, it takes away from the deceptiveness and impressiveness of having a person appear.

I would think that the smaller the screen, 5-panels, would be more impressive than a larger screen, simply due to relativity.

In my version, I fold the screen into a pentagon shape. I agree, I could have paused and 'sold' that the screen was closed into a pentagon before opening it again. But that doesn't take away from the improvements of every aspect of this method over the others that I've seen.

Hey, keep weighing yourselves down with a bigger prop, obvious workings, unmotivated extra stage assistants, paying another person, carrying roughly 15% more materials, having to assemble that extra panel, having something less deceptive than the 5-panel version.

But, really... watch these, and stop and think... What's cleaner, more efficient, more deceptive, and, simply, just makes more sense?

I see a lot of people just accepting what's already out there and being done, without questioning it and really thinking for themselves.

Sorry to be sensitive to this issue, but the evolution of this effect shown in my videos just seems so obvious to me.

What is it that I'm missing?

JF

Hi Jimmy,

I got about 3/4 of your message before my machine cut out. I've thought about what you said and looked at the videos again. First, please understand that I am in NO WAY an expert on this illusion. I have the Creative Magic version but have not had the occasion to use it very often yet.

I agree with you that if it can be performed with only one person handling the screens that would also be my preferred way. Anyone that knows me and the type of shows I do will also know that I agree 100% in making every prop as lite and portable as can be.

Here is my humble opinion. If this illusion is presented slowly then taking the time to have someone come on stage and look at the back and see that no one is there adds to the illusion. If that isn't part of the presentation then I think a very quick fold and appearance makes the illusion much better. In the video on you tube the screens are folded somewhat slowly and there is some business with the last flap. It kind of looked like there was some funny business going on back there with the screens that the audience was not allowed to see. If the screens had been folded and then opened quickly, I think the impression would be that there was no time for any secret business. Jason Byrne used to have this on his promo video. It was a very quick appearance. I'm just not sure that could be done without a second person handling the screens.

I'm not sure if it was the video or not but at the end I think I saw some daylight between the panels that should not have been there. I maybe wrong about that but I though I would let you know anyways.

Now I also recognize that you got a good audience reaction and at the end of the day the audience is the only thing that counts. Maybe I am just looking at this with a magician's eyes.

I also want to applaud you for challenging the staus quo. That is the only way things can be improved upon.

I like the 5 fold screen as it seems cleaner and the spacial discrepancy problem has somewhat been alleviated. however without showing the back of the screen empty it still looks as if someone just came through the screen somehow.
Perhaps just having an audience member walk around the screen to verify it vacant of a hidden assistant.

I don't have this prop, but understand the workings (aka, I don't have practical experience with the prop).

This may be a silly question, but couldn't you spin the screens around as an individual performer by taking the long end and walking it around? It may take you a few back and forths, but you have a "hidden helper" that could make sure things pivoted where they should, but still make it appear that the magician is doing all the spinning. It seems to me you could do this with the 5 panel screen very well. I really like the idea of 5 panels as it offsets the dirty part.

Would this not work? Or is the prop just not built for that kind of abuse (dragging the bottom on the floor? Or would this look just too awkward?

Jim Gerrish includes a PVC pipe version of the Bryce six fold screen in his PVC Pipe Illusions Book 4 (along with 3 other appearance screens you can also make from PVC pipe). His book is on my site. One of my suggestions for a two person handling of the screen is to buy one of those long door mirrors at K-Mart (under $10 when they are on sale). Then the person who is doing the producing holds up the mirror and walks behind the screen, holding the mirror high and at an angle so the audience can see there is no one behind the screen. Yes, you do have to practice this to get the correct angle for the mirror so they can see the back without seeing anything they aren't supposed to see. Once you figure out what that angle is, fasten a plastic protractor from the dollar store to one side of the mirror (upside down!), where you can see it as you tilt the mirror. A plumb bob on a string will tell you when you are holding the mirror at just the right angle (which you then mark on the protractor with a Sharpie pen) so you can duplicate this flawlessly every time. Once the string on the plumb bob falls along your predetermined marked line, you know the mirror is reflecting correctly.

Thanks to everyone for the great input, I feel that this prop has too much potential to just leave it at "this is the way it's always been done..."

I really like Scott Emo's idea about somehow spinning the whole thing around. At some point, you might need to put the thing on legs, and put the girl to be produced on some kind of stilts with the load area reinforced and the bottoms of the panels lined with non-marking skid pads. I don't know.

As for the daylight between the panels, the only panels that show incidental daylight will never show the loaded helper. The only possible panel that could show her is overlapped securely. Remember, there is only one joining corner that needs to be solid, and it is.

Thanks for noting the 5 panels offsetting the dirty work. I'm relieved that it didn't go unnoticed.

I just don't know if this is the kind of effect that we should be trying to hard to sell as hard as mirrors or audience members.

Oh, my god, I just came up with the total solution. You guys are going to crack up when you see how simple the solution is. I'm going to use it on an upcoming show, get some quality footage, and youtube it.

Jimmy

I have it on good authority that you are suppose to spin the screen around before the production to show it devoid of hidden assistants.
Bryce Chambers was a member of our local club up until his untimely death earlier this year and he once discussed the workings of the effect with me. Clever principle that he got paid way to little for when he sold the right to Abbotts back in the fifties.

More specifically, how did he recommend spinning it around? Dragging, folding (a la temple screen) on a platform? Other?

I'm interested.

JF