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I ght st or m
When I was performing overseas and had a lot of spare time on my hands, I
began to create a list of ideas for stage illusions that wouldn 't take up a lot of
space. I started playing around with the all the different things you could do with
a fake hand. I like the concept of a fake hand. It's sort of like a trick base except
in reverse. Where a magician's base is used to hide someone's body, a fake
hand is used to make you think that someone's body is there (or part of it). This
led to my walking through a mirror effect and few other creations.
One of my earliest ideas was a variation on a very old stage illusion. There's an
old effect where a magician's assistant would walk out on stage holding a tray.
The magician would reach through the back of the assistant and shove his hand
out through the chest and pour himself a drink (I guess he really needed that
drink). I liked this idea and tried to come up with a version that didn't require as
much set up. I came up with an effect that was kind of a box that fit around the
assistant. The magician would reach through from behind with a handkerchief
and pass it through the assistant's body. Rand Woodbury developed a more
sinister version of this in his book Diversions using a knife.
I took another route and streamlined the "box" and switched the handkerchief to
a work light and put the magician at the center of the effect.
This illusion is best performed as a quick interlude. The assistant shouldn't have
his hand passed through your body for more than 10 seconds . The effect is best
presented as a moment of "weird". My favorite line from Tw iligh t Zone: The
Movie is when Dan Aykroyd as the ambulance drive asks the passenger, "You
wanna see something really scary?" and then bites his head off. That's a very
John Landis moment. Light Storm is more freaky than scary, but the pacing is
similar.
Although the props for this effect are easy to assemble, the real key is in the
choreography. It's up to you and your assistant to sell the illusion. Your movements
are what will create the illusion , the gimmick is just the clincher. Use a mirror and
a video camera to rehearse your movements.
Finally, create an atmosphere of mystery for your effect. Try music from horror
movie soundtracks. Play with the lighting. You're not j ust performing a trick,
you're creating a whole scene.
Best,
Andrew Mayne
The lights in the theatre darken .
Strange music begins to fill the air as
fog rolls on to the stage. The magician
picks up a thin board. An assistant in
a clean room suit holding an eerie
green work light walks on stage.
1) The fake hand allows the magician to use his own hand as the
assistant's.
2) By using a fake hand that the magician can slip his hand in
and out of he can create movement in the fake hand making it
look real.
6) By limiting the light source on stage to just the green light, bad
angles are reduced and the effect looks more dramatic.
5" 20"
- - - - - - - , , - 30" - '--'-'-'-'--'-.,..'--'--'--'--'-'
o
Magnet attach ed
to board
Black marker
preparation'---- _
(1) According to the blueprint diagram
cut out the center section of both boards
with a box knife or scissors. Use a round
object and a ruler to make your
guidelines.
I
When you begin to shift the light from side
to side you should do it slowly with your
assistant slightly shifting his body to match
the movements. Be careful not to stick your
hand out too far.