Does anybody know how David Copperfield flies?
I heard that he floats in a huge tank of water; is that possible?
Why, exactly, do you want to know? I don’t mean to be mean here, but if it’s just curiosity because you were amazed by the trick, you’ll be disappointed and the trick will be ruined for you if you know how it’s done.
If you want to know because you plan to duplicate it, there are a lot of cheaper and easier methods. Your local library probably has some good magic books to get started.
Two things to remember about magic in general:
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Methods rarely change much. The presentation, however, can often make a very old trick look brand new. Most of the time, the difference between a great magician and a crappy one is the presentation. The trick itself is the least important part.
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The simplest answer is usually correct. Rule out the impossible methods and go from there. I know it looks like magicians do the impossible; that’s the whole idea. Illusion, not reality.
[sub]Yes, I am a magician, not just a butthead.[/sub]
True I was amazed by the trick. But what I like most about magic is that most tricks have a simple solution behind it but are presented in a mind-boggling manner. That’s what tickles my curiosity.
Magic itself doesn't fascinate me unless I know how craftfully and simply the trick was performed. I can't rule out probabilities because I haven't seen all of his flying tricks...that's where I need your help. I am taking for granted that he doesn't use ropes/wires because I respect Copperfield's word on that.
The idea of floating inside a tank of water is interesting.
What else could it be? Electromagnetic field? It is possible to levitate a metal bowl over a plate-shaped electromagnetic field (a Physics lab experiment). Could it be that David was wearing an aluminium jacket and there was a big electromagnet underneath the stage? Fields can be netralized so it won’t be felt by the audience. But then how does he move so smoothly?
I like to discover it myself. I like to think of every magic as a challenge for me to figure out. That's where I get the most pleasure.1 What seawitch said (the art of magic is in the illusion / misdirection, not the mechanism).
2 (a) Can I sell you London Bridge?
2 (b) I am taking it for granted that he does use ropes/wires because it’s simple and cheap.
Oh yeah… it MUST be a magnetic field! …and crop circles must be made by UFO’s cause theres no other logical explanation.
Me, myself I think he’s a demon and the flying is real. How else do you explain him landing Claudia Schiffer.
::cracking knuckles::
mohyneenm,
I’ve been known to answer a magic question now and then. I worked as a magician for a number of years.
Ever see a magician show you that his hands were “empty” before producing something? That’s the same way David “flies without ropes.”
Here’s the solution as described by a fellow on alt.magic.secrets.
There are some magicians whose word is reliable. David Copperfield is not one of them. He’s good at the little things, but each and every one of his big illusions is done in exactly the way that it looks like it’s done. I haven’t seen one yet that wasn’t blatently obvious.
Personally, I think that using camera tricks or 500 planted audience members is cheating, but that’s just me.
I am no magician, but I can guess how most Copperfield tricks are done the first time I see them. (I used to believe they wouldn’t go to all that trouble just for a trick, so looked for alternative explanations, but no, they’re right, the obvious one is usually the way it is done)
The only one that totally stumped me (apart from some bait and switch prestidigitation, that always mystifies me) was the Great Wall of China, but I have since had that one explained to me.
That guy who did the “Magic Secrets Revealed” pretty much explained all the major tricks, even though he demonstrated with very lame examples. The principles, though, were all there.
Actually, I’ve never heard the “official” word on this. I mean, I could think of several ways in which it could be done, all of which would be pretty simple… so how was it, really, accomplished?
Ahhh.
Don’t you know all magicians have big hands 
I guess Cluadia is just a sucker for those magic fingers.
ducks and runs for cover
Part of the misdirection, is, of course, lying. I always add the unspoken last part of any sentence when I hear a performer.
The best magicians and spoilers for my money are Penn and Teller. They show you how a trick is done, then fool everyone with a different presentation of exactly the same trick. I love those guys.
Me too. They tell you that everything they do is just a trick, and then proceed to baffle you with these seemingly impossible stunts. Their craftsmanship is amazing. I saw them in Seattle a few months ago. The “Flag” and “Bullets” tricks were awesome. Copperfield’s a hack.
There is a patent for the device that David C. uses.
I’m not going to post a direct link, but the info is out there for those who care to search for it.
“Me, myself I think he’s a demon and the flying is real. How else do you explain him landing Claudia Schiffer…”
Perhaps this is another “illusion” Mr. Copperfield is creating.
From accounts in the German press, Claudia had a written contract and was paid $millions to be Copperfield’s grilfriend and required to make a certain number of personal appearances with him in public. This was all over the German media, with copies of the contract…
Of course, everyone knows that the real trick to flying is throwing yourself at the ground and missing…
Penn and Teller often reveal their techniques, but sometimes their ‘explanations’ are just really elaborate put-ons, just as much of a trick as the original trick. So just because P&T say (or, I guess it would be Penn doing the talking…) “here is how we do it” don’t automatically believe them. Post modern magic at its finest.
I really like this David Blaine magic guy. Not his silly ice block tricks (which are more stunts than magic), but his street magic and mentalism. His tricks are usually simple slight of hand, but his disarming low key approach really suckers people, their reactions are great. He has a good grasp of misdirection and the psychology behind good magic. Even if the tricks are fairly simple.
If by “slight of hand” you mean film editing.
Yeah, Blaine has taken some shots for the editing of his specials, but that would apply to every magician. How come there’s no camera backstage showing us the set-up for a David Copperfield trick? That is a form of editing that is accepted by the audience as a pretense. Magic is not journalism or documentary film making.
I’m not saying Blaine is the greatest magician, he hasn’t invented any new, novel tricks like Teller’s shadow flower vase trick. He just emphasizes the important part of magic, suckering your audience. Look at the reactions of people in his street magic, even with fairly transparent gimmicks they are blown away. Its fun.
I know how Copperfield makes the Statue of Liberty disappear - saw Penn and Teller do a similar thing. Its so lame, just a matter of having a moving camera mounted on wheels and all the “independent witnesses” are in on it. I have a problem even considering this true magic since it could only work on TV.
Some of the David Blaine tricks are brilliant but the best guy Ive seen recently is Derren Brown, mind control expert. Its not really magic and its not hypnosis - he reads what you are thinking by the expressions on your face.
Some things Ive seen him do:
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He guessed some guys PIN number for his cashpoint card (and I dont think the guy was a plant, as I said its not really coventional magic).
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He learnt the entire dictionary in 20 minutes and then got tested on it and passed
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He asks people to think of the surname of a person they once knew from years ago. Then without them saying anything at all he guesses that name. Correctly. First time. In the example I saw the surname was “Kington”. Again I dont think the person was a plant - just somebody he went up to on the street.
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he asks you to think of a letter of the alphabet then he writes down that letter on a piece of paper, correctly.
Obviously these people COULD possibly be plants, I dont know for sure but my feeling is that they aren’t. Hes had a couple of shows on TV here in the UK. If any of these shows come on in the US, as Im sure they will soon (he’s a bit of a rising star) I recommend you check them out and then you’ll see what I mean.
In the meantime, this is his website: