Continuing with three more clips of the exciting TV series - T.H.E.M episode 2. Just like Just for Laughs tv program, its fun to see the natural reactions of those in confusion caught on camera :) Enjoy...
Episode 2 (Part 1)
Episode 2 (Part 2)
Episode 2 (Part 3)
"What if magic was real? Would you believe your eyes?" - This was the opening statement of a short-lived TV series called T.H.E.M or Totally Hidden Extreme Magic, consisting of a gang of street magicians: Rico, Chris, Justin, Cyril, Lisa, Michael, Jason, Dan, Thomas.
As I have blogged about Cyril Takayama here, here and here before, he actually used to be a member of T.H.E.M. Its actually an interesting program that shows magic as 'real' to those unaware before revealing the truth rather than showing magic in the usual way that magicians do.
There are no tricks revealed here but the natural reactions of those caught unaware are fun to watch. Enjoy!
Episode 1 (Part 1)
Episode 1 (Part 2)
Episode 1 (Part 3)
Since we are on a string of comedy magic strips, here's a series of funny magic tricks by Barry and Stuart. Kick back and enjoy some laughs.
Back in July, I posted an interesting video on how to learn some COOL magic super duper fast. Here's a few more from the same magician. Check them out!
And before you know it, some are following in his footsteps.
Okay, maybe Cyril Takayama is not for you. There's just too much trouble trying to learn the art of magic or simply too lazy to practice 24/7. Here's one way you can be an instant magician without any skills at all.
Easy, isn't it?! :))
This is a featured article that appeared in Metropolis issue #648 (Aug 25, 2006) on the Wonder Boy - Cyril Takayama
Wonder boy
From a troubled youth in Los Angeles to sold-out arenas in Japan, Cyril is enjoying a magical ride.
It seems entirely fitting that Japan’s most popular magician shows up for our interview in disguise. Just moments earlier, Cyril’s manager had assured us he was on his way, but as we look up and down the busy Harajuku street corner, the performer is nowhere in sight. And then, suddenly, he’s right there in front of us, wearing a black cap and sunglasses and offering his hand in greeting. Cyril has appeared just as he should—as if by magic.
During the next hour, over coffee and cigarettes in a trendy neighborhood café, the man who single-handedly sparked Japan’s love affair with magic talks about his rise to fame and his upcoming shows in Tokyo. Poised, articulate and almost painfully courteous, Cyril discusses his craft the way a 6-year-old talks about dessert—as if it’s the only important thing in the world. And listening to him describe magic’s ability to inspire people and bring them together, we get the feeling that he may be right.
Cyril has captured the imagination of audiences—and the hearts of female admirers—with TV specials and live shows both here and in the US. Fluent in Japanese and blessed with an idol’s good looks, the magician combines a stylish demeanor with a hint of the exotic. But it’s his jaw-dropping illusions, performed everywhere from street corners to auditoriums to bowling alleys, that have caused audiences around the world to slap their foreheads in amazement. Some of his notable acts include:
The card in the window
Cyril performs his signature piece of magic in a variety of settings, even on glass-bottomed boats: a spectator selects a playing card and signs it, and after Cyril flicks the entire deck at a window, the chosen card is left by itself stuck on the glass—the outside of the glass.
Hamburger-menu grab
Cyril stands before a fast-food menu trying to figure out what to order, and then decides to sample the wares. He does this by reaching into the menu… and pulling out an actual burger. The trick is completed when he restores the sandwich—missing the bite he’s just taken—to its 2-dimensional backdrop.
Samurai bungee jump
Perhaps Cyril’s most dramatic act took place high above the Las Vegas skyline. From a perch 52m above a hotel pool, Cyril bungee jumps with a sword in hand and spears his co-host's chosen card from a full deck floating in the water.
Sero-jisan
As Cyril’s fame grew, he noticed that bashful Japanese were becoming intimidated when he passed them on the street. His solution? To go undercover. Disguised as the character Sero-jisan (or “Old Man Sero,” a pun on the performer’s Japanese name), Cyril blends into the crowd, only to astound them with bizarre physical tricks. In one memorable episode, Sero-jisan sneezes—and, much to the horror of passersby, his head falls off his shoulders.
With a repertoire that includes sleight of hand, acrobatics and disguises, and with his ability to work street corners, arenas—even, as in a recent TV special, rural Nepal—Cyril is one of magic’s more versatile acts. Yet he strives for a common touch. “I like to stimulate people’s minds using the things they’re already knowledgeable about,” he says of his preference for tricks that involve gum, food and money. To emphasize the point, Cyril takes a coin from his pocket and makes it disappear with the nonchalance of someone turning on a light switch.
Recently, though, he’s turned away from the “gotcha” aspect of manipulation tricks in favor of more theatrical work. This is partly due to the fatigue of creating dozens of pieces of street magic to fill nine lengthy TV specials over the past three years. Arena shows mesh well with Cyril’s preference for illusions that have a narrative arc, a recognizable beginning, middle and end. “I no longer want to trick people,” he says. “I want to make them wonder.”
As Cyril’s magic has matured, so, too, has the magician himself. Born in 1973 in Los Angeles to an Okinawan father and a French-Moroccan mother—both of whom were beauticians—Cyril Takayama had an eventful yet troubled upbringing. A recent profile in Magic (“The Magazine for Magicians”) describes him being expelled from school at 15 and then, on a visit to relatives in Okinawa the following year, how he got off the plane during a stopover in Tokyo and never got back on. Cyril wound up busking on the streets of Shinjuku, and at times had so little money that he could afford just one meal a day.
Luckily, he was able to fall back on one constant in his young life: magic. Cyril first became hooked on illusionism at age 6, when friends of his parents brought him to a live performance in Las Vegas. He then largely taught himself, honing his skills through constant practice and by watching famous performers on videotape. At 12, he entered the junior program at the prestigious Magic Castle in Hollywood, and his enthusiasm persisted even after his parents, concerned about behavioral problems, took away his props. “I was shattered and stopped for about six months,” he told Metropolis in a 2004 interview. “But the magic in me was so strong that I came back to it.”
After lean times as a Tokyo street performer, Cyril's dedication began to pay off. In 1991, he was awarded a top prize by magic's international governing body, the International Federation of Magic Societies, and in 2001, he and a partner won the Golden Lion Award at Siegfried and Roy’s World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas.
Cyril’s career has been helped by a surge of interest in magic during the past decade, especially in the US. The boom can be traced, perhaps, to the avant-garde stunts of David Blaine, to whom Cyril is sometimes compared, and the TV show Magic’s Secrets Revealed, in which a hooded performer demonstrates the tricks behind well-known illusions. Though the program was widely derided by magicians, Cyril has a more nuanced take. “It did two things,” he says. “One, it hurt magicians—or I should say, it hurt average magicians. Two, it raised magic’s profile.” Secrets became so popular that other networks scrambled to produce their own versions, and Cyril looked on in dismay as magicians rushed to cash in. “Magic was a well-protected art form for centuries,” he says, “but now it’s all about the money. It pisses me off.”
Overall, though, Cyril is heartened by magic’s newfound openness. “When I was a child, I couldn’t find info about magic, and the info that was out there was boring. There were no sources, and magic wasn’t accessible.” Now, he says, DIY magic kits abound in department stores, there are performances all over TV, and anyone with an internet connection has access to virtually unlimited resources about the topic.
Cyril, for one, has embraced the new media, and has even been dubbed “Magic’s First Cyber-Celebrity.” When asked to provide some clips of his performances, he refers us to YouTube, where a search turns up hundreds of videos of the magician in action. Cyril’s Wikipedia entry provides a link to his MySpace page, and readers can keep up with his comings and goings via his blog. And then there’s his look. Sporting a spiky hairdo and multiple body piercings, Cyril is definitely not your father’s magician.
The same could be said of his friends in Magic X Live, a US-based group of 10 “modern-day Merlins” who practice a guerilla brand of illusionism. “The ‘X’ stands for generation X. We’re a bunch of sorcerers and magicians,” Cyril says of the group, which includes good friend Enrico de la Vega, who helped Cyril develop acts for his Japanese TV shows. “We’re all busy performing around the world, but when we get together, we jam, just like musicians.”
Considering Cyril’s success in Japan, it comes as a surprise to learn that his upcoming shows at the spacious Tokyo International Forum (see sidebar) will be the first in front of a ticket-buying audience here. Following a previous tour that included stops in Aichi and Nagoya, “Magic Revolution: The Xperience” promises to reprise Cyril’s well-loved TV acts while offering considerable new material, including pieces set to music. “There will be a side of me that no one’s seen before,” he says.
One thing that fans may not be able to enjoy is Cyril’s post-performance tradition of accepting gifts from the audience; the ritual is becoming too popular and has created logistical problems for the venues. “There was one woman recently who gave me a hug—and wouldn’t let go. We had to pry her off of me,” he says with a laugh. Yet as he reminisces about presents he’s received from fans, which have included everything from flowers to cup ramen to a single piece of umeboshi candy from a little boy, it’s clear that he relishes close contact with his audiences. The talon-like silver charm he’s wearing around his neck, in fact, is a gift from an admirer.
When asked what causes such an outpouring of affection from his fans, Cyril has a ready answer. “Magic creates an energy, a bond and a relationship between people,” he says. “You don’t even need to speak the same language. Some people approach me and ask, ‘Can I do magic?’ I always tell them, ‘Of course you can—magic is in all of us.’”
Here's an article on some useful tips on how to take care of your playing cards.
Card Care
As magicians, XCMer's, and flourish people, we all know how a new deck of cards feels. We all also know what it's like to invest large amounts of money into new decks of cards. Whether it be normal Bicycles to Tally-Ho Playing Cards to the new Black Tiger and Viper decks. But the cards still need to be taken care of. Hopefully, this will answer all questions about taking care of a deck of cards.
XCM vs. Magic
This is not a battle or anything like that. For XCM, I recommend using the Tally-Ho cards and Bicycles for Magic.
Tally-Ho cards are not typical cards that people see everyday, so the trick card suspicion is in play for the laymen (not by much, but it is). Tally-Ho cards have a different finish on them that allow them to last longer than Bicycles, and all you XCMer's know that you can go through cards pretty quickly, so a higher quality card is well worth it.
Bicycles are common to the layman. There are many trick decks out there for Bicycle. They are inexpensive, and last for long enough for magician.
Breaking in a New Deck
We all love the feeling of a new deck, but they are so stiff. Here is my method of breaking in a deck:
1. Riffle shuffling the cards face up, then face down about four or five times.
2a. Springing the cards on the short side from hand to hand face up, then face down twice.
2b. Springing the cards on the long side from hand to hand face up, then face down twice.
If you can do a one-handed shuffle, then the second half of the routine is really good for breaking in cards. If not able to do the one-handed shuffle, then repeat steps one and two multiple times.
3a. Performing the one-handed shuffle face down in the right hand.
3b. Performing the one-handed shuffle face down after rotating the deck 180 degrees with the right hand.
3c. Repeat 3a and 3b face up in the right hand.
4. Repeat step three with the left hand.
Repeat entire routine a couple of more times. Once you are done, you can put the deck underneath something heavy to flatten it out, but the deck should be flat after this work out.
I highly recommend Steps 3 and 4 for XCMer's, I've broken in a deck of Tally-Ho Fan-Backs this way about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and I'm still using the deck.
How to Conserve a Deck of Cards
When a new deck is received, the deck of cards before it can still be put to use. One way is to use the deck as a practice deck.
Wash your hands before you begin to practice. Wash in cold, soapy water; then fully dry your hands afterwards with a towel. This prevents the cards from absorbing moisture on your hands from sweat.
When practicing, if you feel your hands becoming sweaty; stop and wash your hands again.
When practicing, don't leave the top card and the bottom the card the same. Cut the cards numerous times during practice.
Keep the old deck of cards in a dark, cool corner; leave it there, and forget about it. A couple of weeks later, you will eventually find it again. This deck will be better than it was before, all the moisture is now out of the cards and they are great again.
When to Call it Quits for a Deck of Cards
Eventually there comes a time when you need to call it quits for a deck of cards. There are many phases of calling it quits:
- When a deck has about half of the cards left.
- When there is a line in the middle of the long side going down the entire deck from where you've bent the deck so many times (this does happen, trust me)
- When they don't fan well any more and the clumps are in at least 6 to 10 cards.
There are reasons that once the cards get to this point that they aren't even good for practice, except for tearing up, folding, burning, stuffing in your mouth, etc.
First of all, it doesn't help with new decks. New decks have a slippery feeling to them. If you are used to the cards sticking together, you will have less control over them (fans may jump out of your hand, cards may slide during a one handed cut, etc...)
Secondly, if the deck has less than a full deck, your hands are not using the usual amount of cards, which will mean that a normal deck will feel big for your hands which can effect the magic greatly.
Black Deck Care
This is covered in the black deck book. Here is a little something though for those who don't own the book (I highly recommend buying the book, it has miracle ideas within its pages, and sparks many more ideas to your mind)
Treat the deck with a little more respect than the normal white cards, even though it will last longer, this doesn't mean that it won't last forever.
Don't add fanning power, it becomes a gray deck of cards.
I recommend a Card Clip for it. This can make the case last for a long time, works well.
Practice black deck tricks with a white deck so that the black deck cards don't go through unnecessary wear and tear.
Whenever you get a new deck of cards, if it is from the United States Playing Card Company, it usually (should) come with a seal on the box.
Removing the seal
How do you open the box? You usually have to either rip the seal with your fingers/knife as if opening a letter, or carefully peel the seal off.
It looks a lot better with the seal completely peeled off, but a lot of times the sticky stuff remains on the box. So if you keep the deck in your pocket, a lot of fabric fluff, dirt, etc. will stick on the adhesive from the seal and looks quite unpleasing.
So how do you exactly get all the stick stuff off? Follow these simple steps:
1. Carefully peel off the seal. If it rips or some part still stays on, don't worry. Try to remove as much of the seal as you can.
2. Taking the removed seal, re-attach the seal wherever there's a sticky spot. Quickly take the seal off, and repeat until all of the adhesive is taken off.
3. If the seal loses its stickyness, you can do step 2 with a piece of scotch tape.
I guarantee this will work for you and will leave the deck box looking as though it never had a seal on it in the first place.
Article source: Magic Hat
Here is an interesting article on useful tips about magic tricks using the invisible thread.
Have you ever been to a magic show, sitting there mesmerized as you asked yourself, 'How did they do that?' As you know, magic is more an illusion, creating the vision that something is happening although it is not. While magicians use many different tools of the trade, one of the most popular is the invisible thread. Trying to get magicians to divulge their secrets associated with the invisible thread is near impossible.
However, we do want to provide you with some highlights and tips about the top seven magic trick tips performed using invisible thread.
What is Invisible Thread?
The first of the seven magic trick tips using invisible thread is to understand what it is. This type of thread is actually a very fine stand of nylon used primarily for getting small objects to levitate. For years, magicians worked with invisible thread and their hands only, meaning they had to be very precise in their movements for the magic tricks to appear flawless.
Today, magicians can use an invisible thread reel, which not only dispenses the thread but it is also designed to retract it.
Because of this, the magician is able to maintain a constant tension on the line so there are no mishaps in the performance.
Invisible Thread Reel Size
The second tip when using a thread reel is to use the appropriate size. Since different objects need different types of control, thread reels are made in a number of different sizes. Typically, the longer the tube the more distance you will get from the reel while the more tension the less distance.
For magicians, the idea is to use the smaller size invisible thread reels for close-up work opposed to a larger reel for distance. As far as size, a stage reel is capable of extending 35 feet, which means a magician could easily perform a 'floating bill' trick in the center of a room with no nearby walls.
However, if you want to really impress a crowd, you could perform the same floating bill trick outdoors simply by anchoring the reel to the ground. With this, it would appear the trick was impossible and the crowd cheers.
What about Tension?
Third on the list of seven trick tips using invisible thread is using the right tension. As you pull the invisible thread out of the reel, there will be an increase in tension. What happens at some point is that the pull will become too much for the thread, causing it to break. If you want to put more tension on the thread reel, wind more of the invisible thread into a wax ball. What you do not want to do is add additional winds on the elastic, which would only make it cumbersome.
Floating Objects
Next on the list is insight into working with floating objects. When using invisible thread for a magic trick, keep in mind that you want something that is light enough not to sag by putting too much weight on the thread. The key is to choose objects that you can easily move and maintain in a position in space, which is why the floating bill is such a popular choice. Other choices to use an invisible thread magic trick include ring fingers, an empty soda can, etc. The greatest benefit of using a thread reel is that when you walk away from your floating object, you are actually transferring energy to the reel, which can then be used to make the bill float from the floor to your hand - magically.
Lights
Next, to use invisible thread, you have to know how to use correct lighting. If you are a magician or just practicing to be one and you want to perform tricks with the invisible thread, remember that lighting is crucial. The two main factors to consider when using the thread reel are light source and clothing. Typically, the best conditions for a magic trick with invisible thread are cloudy days and the worst, direct lighting that comes from behind you. With this, the light will only reflect off the thread, thus being seen by the audience. For clothing, anything dark will serve as a backdrop for the thread, thus making it easier to see. For this reason, you should go with lighter, non-reflective type clothing. Magic is always fun and with some practice, you will soon learn a number of magic tricks with invisible thread, perfect for entertaining family and friends.
Methodology
The sixth of the seven magic trick tips using invisible thread has to do with methods of performing the tricks, such as the Hoop Pass. This is actually considered one of the greatest tricks you can do with the invisible thread reel, which involves passing a solid hoop over a bill. The key is to use a ring with a relatively thick stock, which will put less strain on the thread as it goes over the metal hoop. Lay the hoop on the thread so it is between you and the floating bill. Then, with your hand, scoop the ring through so the thread is now on the back of the left hand. Next, use the right hand to pass the hoop over the bill. To complete the trick, all you do is let the thread slide off from the back of your hand. Remember, this is just one of many methods used with the invisible thread, so have fun practicing them all.
Finishing the Show
The final tip is that whatever trick being performed using invisible thread and/or a reel, it should never kill the effect.
In other words, you want to keep your audience wanting more. If you carry a trick on too far, you will lose the interest of the audience so it would be far better to keep the tricks short and sweet. In addition, put some meaning and emphasis in your performances to leave your audience with a memory of your magic ability. We recommend you use the invisible thread late in your show, which will end the performance on a fun note.
Article source: Magic Hat
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Read More......This is a short documentary clip about the College of Magic in South Africa that is giving hope to kids from poor rural areas to make it big. Magic do bring hope and dreams to the young and the despair.
I realize it is not easy to reveal the secrets of magic by working alone. Furthermore, things would get rolling faster if there is more than one author.
So, I am calling for a small group of author-wannabes and contributors to write to me and help me grow this site into a community of dedicated readers and writers.
For the author-wannabe:
Please take a look at my ideas and aims in my previous post for what this blog is about. Comments are of course welcomed.
Only serious authors please, those who are interested in magic/tricks and are motivated to see this site grow in depth and width.
If your aim is to make a quick buck, this is not for you.
For the contributor/reader:
Do you know of a trick or two that you would like to share? It could be a simple one yet would amuse people. You could write it up or video it and send it in to me.
I would also appreciate it if you could share with me a website, source, article, opinion, etc. that you think would contribute to this blog.
I am always open to suggestions and ideas. So do drop me a line via comments (moderated) and do tell me about yourself and how you would like to contribute. Thank you!
Hello and welcome to MagicSecretsReveal.
Before I get started, allow me to explain to you my ideas and aims for this blog.
I asked myself what exactly am I interested in, what do I want to know, and how 'knowing' is going to benefit me or the people around me. I got to thinking and I came up with this blog.
I have always been fascinated with magic and illusion since young. I am sure many of us are. Its entertaining, its fun and its exciting. Yet, we never could get enough of it and we always want to know how it works. Its the not-knowing-how-it-works part that is killing us!
With that idea, I thought why not set up a blog to try to reveal some of the secrets of magic. In other words, I hope to provide some information on how magic and trick works. Magic comes in different degrees and while it may be difficult to learn the more complicated and higher-level ones, there are plenty of simple ones to start with that even a layman could use to entertain his family and friends.
This blog, however, is not about trampling over or undermining the work of professional magicians. I respect their work and being a closely knitted group that they are, it is probably impossible to unveil their deep-seated secrets anyway. Still, that shouldn't deprive us from learning some of the tricks of the trade.
While the blog title and description expresses my ultimate aim, it should not be narrowly defined. This blog would also include other aspects of magic such as informative stories, magic video clips and pictures, articles about magicians and their trade, reviews, magic tips and much more.
So, in blogging this blog, these are what I hope to achieve:
