This sounds interesting.

http://www.hanklee.net/hotlist/index.html

Andrew Mayne, creator of Facelifter and Shock-FX presents a brand new effect for the solo illusionist. At any time during your show make half your body disappear in a fraction of a second. Just as quickly as your body vanished, it returns. Perform it anytime, anywhere. There's even a way to perform it surrounded. It's a perfect effect for the street magician or stage illusionist. Included are step-by-step instructions for building the apparatus and performing the effect.

Total time to build the effect: 20 minutes.

Total cost to build: $10 (or less) (60.1102)

$15.00

WOW!!! Seems interesting.... please post some review about this product...

I have corresponded with Andrew in the past & have always found him to be a pretty decent person, if you are refering to the demo on his website it seems pretty clear to me what the effect is.

You can read several more comments on this effect if you go to "Bi-section" by Andrew Mayne on the first page of stage illusions on The Magic Café.

It is well thought out and takes some practice but it is a great effect if applied right. I love doing it!

This effect can be good or bad. It is extremely good if it is built properley and of thin, light materials and if it performed fast. I mean lift up coat, bring it back down and remain invisible for maximum of 5 seconds, bring the coat up again and reappear. I love performing it. I only do it on stage as a quicke sort of interlude... and usually have my angles very controlled so no messing up. The effect took me about a week of practicing (one hour a day, five days a week) to get it perfectly smoothly and fast. If done when spec's are in the right state of mind... very very good.

As for the concept... haha Sneaky Andrew style as usual. What else can you expect?! The materials might have to be purchased. I improvised and used other stuff to achieve the same effect. As for ease of performance, well it's easy once you've got the hang of it. This is much like Airtight in the sense that you have to be quite bold to perform it on the street. I don't, so I can't comment on its effectivness in that medium.

Overall, a great effect. Worth the buy.

I have it, use it, and its gets a solid reaction. I am working on a differnt themed routine for this illusion. Well worth the 15 dollars or so that it costs.

Sounds like to much money for an idea. And no detailed explaination plans on materials. Your audience "must be in the right state of mind". Just what state is that? The magicial world of make believe.

You have to do in less than 5 seconds. Why? Will the audience see something or catch the method that eaisly.

By this I mean that If you perform Bisection by itself it will be confusing and it will go over the audiences head and they will be thinking "What just happened?!" (in a bad way.) It may even look silly. But if it is done in context then it can be bewildering. Example, If you perform a rope through body (for a small scale thing) and then Bisection it will have a better imact. Or you could talk about how you can pass through solid objects and perform bisection as a demonstration and then go into something like Windshear. Now that's what I'm talking about. Haha... Do you get what I'm trying to say?



This illusion is not meant to be a Fearson Sawing in half where you can 'openly' display you 'severed' body. It is simple to figure out if you look at it for a longer period of time. This is why it should be performed fast.

Also when I say five seconds I mean that you should display the dissapeared portion of ur body for no more than five seconds. The jacket covering and uncovering at the beginning/end are not included. When I perform this illusion I susually do it under 13 seconds (5 of those being the displaying itself.)

There is a video of a guy performing this on sleight geek. It looks awesome.

I just bought this and I think it looks cool. My wife likes the way it looks too. I haven't had a chance to perform it though, but I think it will be a good addition to my show.

I bought bisection a few months ago...i improved the gimmick a little to make the illusion faster...total cost - $8.38 plus the $15 for the manuscript...

it's been said before, but I'll say it again, it can be performed surrounded, but I personally choose not to...5 seconds sounds quick but it is a loooooooong time for the display...

here's a tip for you guys that have and those that plan on buying it and making the illusion...during the display, try "walking" forward a few steps...this looks eerie as hell...get your wife or some trusted friends to view it each way and see what they think, or either record yourself doing it both ways...i think you'll like the difference...

I just got this today so I haven't performed it. Looks cool so far though.

Also, be sure to check out the video of the effect being done on Japanese TV show . The link is on Andrew Mayne's web site:

http://www.weirdthings.com/plans.htm

Also being a bit artistic on gimmick helps aswell . if you can form a bit of a spine and some innards out of papire mache and paint them to look like the real thing it helps in the audience reaction

Would this be good to add into an interlude routine ?

I find this a very good effect. It can be done alone or combined with something else. Let your imagination go wild.

Michael

I don't think this would have any particular affinity for an Interlude routine; the sliced-in-half premise would not be consistent with a through-the-middle penetration, per se.

Like Jeff, I also have found that advancing a "step" or two forwards (especially with some slight accompanying movement of the hips)enhances the effect.