Does anyone here know who is Mystery Mark? I found this guy on youtube recently and I am amazed by every single video he posted in youtube. And here are the few that really kills me!

Signed Force Impossible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGWfwUOiCdA&feature=channel

MTL control: http://www.youtube.com/user/MarkHilkemei......qxyWg500

and his color change that kept me awake for a couple nights
http://www.youtube.com/user/MarkHilkemei......WxXOYKvQ

I don't want to place doubts on someone just because I can't do any of the tricks he does. But I really find his tricks way too good to be true! So I just want to post them here and see what do you guys think about it.

All three are well-executed camera tricks.

That's what I thought. But he had so many videos on the web and apparently he was selling tutorial DVD for some of his tricks on his site.

Theres a lot of countroversy surrounding him and his work, you just need to search to find the multitude of threads. Theres definite proof that he has editing abilites; just look at his "Matrix Revealed" video, and the fact that he has three cameras. But theres also a bunch of people who claim to have seen his stuff first hand, and own his DvD's. When people do try to dissect these "miracles" he comes into the thread talking about how it's horrible to do exposure ect ect ect, while offering no counterarguments about possible camera editing.

I personally have never seen any content of his DvDs, and I have a few doubts of whether they exist at all, but the guy and his team are creative geniouses, in the way they get traffic into their youtube channel and website.

Heop this helps,

Zaw

P.S. Mark usually responds to pms or messages on youtube if you have further questions for him.

Every few months somebody starts a thread like this. Every few months the responses are the same. Dude's a twit.

Why is he a twit?

Others before him, including some we think very highly of (like Robert-Houdin) made use of new technology to fool their audiences- Mystery Mark is simply using the tools available to him to do so as well. As can be seen from his YouTube account he's got a lot of people fooled, and as we can see from the threads that pop up on a regular basis here on the Café he also has a lot of people inspired and interested.

A magician who generates interest, deceives, and inspires others?- that's better then most of us could ever dream of accomplishing (and more then most of us ever will). I have no more of a problem with his approach then I do with someone busting out a Svengali Deck or using pre-show work.

Ben

If he were doing his thing for regular audiences, then that would be something. Be thankful you didn't have to go through his nonsense over at Magic Video Depot. He'd regularly put up a video and make all sorts of ridiculous claims about what he had accomplished, somebody would put up a reply that point out the claims to be full of it, and the video would be taken down, before being replaced by another video, etc. etc.

Oh, and a quick note- I'm not suggesting he DOES use camera tricks, merely that if he did (hypothetically) then I wouldn't have a problem with it.

Ben, if somebody used a camera trick to promote himself to other magicians as a teacher and innovator of magic, what would you think?

I had a chat-session with him a year ago or so, he showed me some stuff over webcam..., which fooled me pretty badly,
so he is definitely very talented.

I've mailed him with the question if he is still selling his stuff (g*mm***ed or not) but after a week still no reply..
I've seen his youtube performances a zillion times (normal speed, slowed down etc.) and still looking for any kind of movement.
There is no finger or muscle activity and no (ultra quick) p**m.
The only explanation I can give is that it's heavily g*mm***ed.
There are some quick sleight of hand artists but there will always be a little noise or muscle/finger activity which normally will be covered by misdirection.
In Mark's video's you are allowed to burn his hands from different angles and there is simply zero activity, if you ask me I would say; sleight of hand? IMPOSSIBLE!

He has written on the Theory 11 forum that he has sold about 10 or 20 DVD's from his so called 'sleights' to avoid exposure. But why has nobody reviewed it yet ?
You can review a sleight without exposure....
Mark is creating a mystery/ illusion with his video's and he is fooling all of us (I think)
I also use an existing g*mm*** for another application. If I film this and telling you it's pure sleight of hand would you believe it ? I think not....but it's still a nice illusion for laymen.
The only thing that bothers me about Mystery Mark is that he is not telling us that it's a sleight or a g*mm***. You can be honest about that without exposure.

I believe he can do some (excellent) sleight of hand but do not believe this ios shown in his youtube video's

For example the so called (MTL)......
As a magician you have to think logical...can something happen or not.
A card is pushed in the middle (really!) and without any movement it's all the way down..This simply cannot be done without the use of a g*mm*** or duplicate card.

And why is he turning the card face up on the bottom? Is there a reason for it?
He could also push the ten of hearts upside down in the pack which make it unnecessary to flip over the bottom card.

If it's a real control I would be baffled but since there are no reviews, he doesn't respond to mail it looks heavy g*mm***ed.

Sorry for this late reply, but I haven't been bothered to sign up earlier nor to reply to any thread like this. But here I am, and here is my reply, which actually is a reply to all similar threads too.


@kelvinkind
I am sorry to tell you this is not the place you should expect to get a proper answer at. Read the rest of this post and you will see why exactly.

However, I would like to thank you for your very kind words. I am very glad I have been able to astonish you, and I hope to keep doing this in the future.


@Jack of Spades
Care to elaborate? I can understand your doubts as for the second and third video, fair enough, but how did the first video even possibly involve anything 'camera trick' related? Also, I don't see why or how the other two videos would be edited, but I will leave that for people who know more about video editing than me.

Then again, your statement can only be based on doubts, and that is not the way you worded it. Hmmm.


@Zaw
I have to agree with the controversy, but it seems like you did not do your research very well because you then would have known we actually paid a professional animator to edit the ‘Morpheus Exposed' video (I am pretty sure you meant that one). The fact that I got three cameras (only one decent HD one though, all the other cameras I got are digital photo cameras) doesn't seem to be very valid either.

Indeed, there are quite some people who have seen me perform live (in real life or by online streams) and now and then you will indeed bump into someone who owns any of the things we released.

Also, I think I made clear in the Theory 11 forums (the place where I replied to a similar thread) about why I didn't flat out say I didn't edit the videos. I personally wouldn't have a problem doing that too, but I can tell all of the haters (like Andrew here) will then call me a video editor ánd a liar. I am totally fine with the fact he thinks I edited the videos because that doesn't do much harm. Many people know better.


@Ben Train
Thank you, Sir. I appreciate smart comments. I don't necessarily agree with the point of view myself, but at least you made your points very clear and know exactly what you think about certain things. As this is very rare nowadays, I will have to give you major props for that.


@Andrew Musgrave
Well hello again, after all those years.

I am wondering: when are you going to just flat out say you are upset at me for being one of the main reasons why Magic Video Depot got very inactive, or at least give a summary of everything happening between me and the staff (and then I really mean everything)?

For instance, the fact that I won this contest and you guys never sent me my prize? What about the fact that there was an error in the board which made the moderator forums visible for everyone so that regulars were able to see a thread in which you guys flat out hated on me and which made lots and lots of regulars (who actually liked me) leave? Or that I then sincerely asked my account to be removed and after I left the site it was put back online? What about that my original tricks and handlings were used and eventually even got stolen by some higher leveled members and the staff covering up for the theft? Or the fact that one of the (by the MVD staff) well respected haters who worked in the city next door gave me a surprise visit, was massively fooled by the ‘Force Impossible', promised to post about the experience in the forums, never posted anything about it, and when I made a thread on that, this was removed by you guys in no time.

Then realizing I was only a beginner magician transforming into a paid magician at that time, alone on the board, unlike you guys who, from my point of view, totally abused your staff powers. At least there was one staff member who liked me, but he couldn't make a difference on his own.

So the next time you are about to call me a twit or are about to call shenanigans on me, I hope you realize what you actually did yourself and was a huge part of.


@Matze
True that, and thanks a lot for the compliment. But how come you actually haven't seen me perform ever since? I have been performing online quite often lately.


@Bietfriek
When exactly did you send us a message? Usually we answer everything within 8 hours of time, if the question wouldn't be answered by our website itself. Questions on YouTube will always be answered within a day.

I see your reply as one of the biggest compliments I ever received so thanks a lot for that. Feel free to PM me on YouTube anytime because I would really like to have a good magic talk with you.

I don't actually do magic to baffle other magicians (my first crowds, both online and offline) were laymen-only) but apparently lots of magicians caught up with my magic and videos, and ever since I try to do magic for both magicians and laymen. The 'MTL Control' is a good example for that. I actually turned over the bottom card in that video just for the magicians to show it was an actual control. Also, at the time we uploaded it, it was actually an amateurish trailer for the related DVDs we sold the same day.

But if the only thing that bothers you about me or DarkSleightZ in general, is that we're not telling you if something is sleight of hand or not, if anything is indeed sleight of hand/clean/impromptu, we usually put that in the video descriptions. I hope that helps.

Tonight I've had a chatted with Mark.
To be honest...it's great. I can not say to much BUT for the MTL control NO video editing just pure sleight of hand!
Mark is a bit mysterious but has some great knowledge..

Mark,

I was never a staff member on Magic Video Depot, you idiot.

Ugh, I'm sorry. I confused you with someone else then. My apologies for aiming that part of the reply at you.

But why exactly do you keep saying things like "Be thankful you didn't have to go through his nonsense over at Magic Video Depot" if you didn't have to do that yourself either, not being a staff member who needed to keep an eye on me or on any other member for that matter.

That being said, it doesn't make much of a difference as for the immature, baseless statements you left about me. Granted, if you would have been a staff member at MVD you would have known better and these kind of posts would be much worse, but it really seems like you have been influenced (or rather manipulated) by them too.

However, I do not seem to know you nor do I think we ever even talked so I will leave it with this. Sure, feel free to think about my magic whatever you want, but do not randomly call me or anyone things.