Hi Jon, first of all I would like to thank you for Double Back, it's a total shocker, and really fun to perform.
But I would like to hear your thoughts on IT, I'm familiar with Ghost and I think it's a clever application to a borrowed bill, but I wonder what other IT routines you perform and in which settings do you choose not to perform IT routines?

-e-

Hi Erik,

Glad yu are getting the reactiosn from Double Back!

There are only a couple of routines I perform with IT, apart from Ghost. One is Spooked. It is quite a remarkable routine. The reactions that gets are quite amazing. The other routine I perform is Financial Attraction by Dan Harlan.

I played around with floating a note but then slowly went off the idea. What sealed the floating object's fate was an early interview with David Blaine on British TV. The interveiwer said he heard that Blaine could levitate. "How High?" he asked."Like that matters!"

It is true that once something is levitating and defying the laws of gravity, then it can't defy it even more. If you levitate a bill 6" off the table, it's no more impressive than a foot or even a mile. Where can you go once it's already in the air apart from proving that nothing is holding it up? Once you start doing that, people are eager to find out how it *is* being held up. I don't think it looks magical. I think it looks like a puzzle.

For this reason, I prefer to go the animation route. As I explained in Ghost, you can start of slow and minimal then build to a finale. The same happens with Spooked and even Financial Attraction.

I do believe that people know how something floats in the air. Even if they don't know, they could hazard a pretty good guess if pressed for an answer. With animation, there are many factors that can be built into a routine to throw people of trail of IT.

As for when and where I would not perform with IT, the main one is when I get a feeling from a group that they are 'grabbers'. I would not start with an IT routine because I like to get to know the audience first. Also, if you happen to get caught for whatever reason, it's a long way back up once you've been knockd down. I would always do an IT routine thrid or fourth. It can be so powerful and once you have set yourself up as a 'mircale worker' then the perception of effects done with IT is increased. I have always like the idea of floating a lady's finger ring. There is something very theatrical and 'beautiful' about it. Jamy Ian Swiss has a wonderful routine using finger rings and it may well be something I go back and look at, now I have remembered it.

I feel that the issues of light and backgronds is an obvious one. White tablecloths and candles are the nemesis of IT so stay clear of them.

IT can produce amazing effects and is one of the few areas that cannot be duplicated by SoH. Many people are afraid of IT being visible but then they go ahead and use a TT. It is like any gimmick. You have to get used to it's strengths, weaknesses and limitations.

I would second you on why it is more of a puzzle, there is always going to be grabbers. Ive had it happen lots with the ufo card. But once you apply the thread to something like those matchboxes (chinese sticks idea) it becomes not a puzzle but real magic.
Matt

Agree, but with propper presentation and building up for the "float" I belive the spectators will be more shocked than puzzled..
BTW, I'v heard the name Jamy Ian Swiss several times here at the Café, but I'm not familiar with his work, is there any DVD or a site you could direct me to?
Jack.

Thanks for the input Jon, I agree that IT can be a puzzle for spectators, and if there are someone in the audience who belive there is thread involved, I can promise you they will not keep quiet.
Just like Finn Jon thought me, a animation is more unexplainable that a float, after doing different animations, Ghost, Erectile Bill, Animated Fork etc. There are never any suspicion of thread usage, I also belive animations done with loops are some of the most powerful impromptu effects you can do.
Still I do several floats, eighter wall to wall hook up, LeClair Animator, Fearsons or ITR.
Which hook up do you perfer for a simple bill float?
-e-

Jack,

You can find out more about Jamy at http://www.jamianswiss.com

The audience may be shocked but then with something just jiggling around in mid air (Where is upper and lower air?) they now have a puzzle to solve as to how it is being suspend. I don't think they believe for one minute that it is levitatign without any physical means. Hence, they try to work out how it is being suspended.

Erik,

When I tried doign the float thing, I did try all of the above. The ITR was pretty good but I found that Elastic thread was better. I found it easier to work with becasue while the thread coming out of the ITR gave me leeway, the anchor point to the note was static. It was okay if I moved inwards but if I accidentally moved the note backwards, away from the achor point while setting up the note, the thread would break.

I now use the LeClair hookup for Ghost. Michael Ammar hooks up from the mouth because of the sensitivity of the lip being able to feel the thread. My right earlobe is pretty sensitive too but you guys will just have to take my word for it!