Anyone have any ideas?

Hello Limhanchung,

You've posted this query in the "New To Magic" section of the Café. Since you've posted here, are we to assume that you have little or no experience?

Don't take the question the wrong way, it's not a challenge, it's just that you'll get a wide variety of answers and it will help all of us if you provide a little background on your abilities and interests in magic...

I have six month of magic experience.
I currently have
RRTCM
Expert Card Technique
Modern Coin Magic
I'm looking for magic tricks that are visual that can be done surrounded and end up clean.

Again, scotch and soda is a "trick" that ends clean, but I find the best tricks that can be done to be coin sleights.

When I say tricks, I mean effects.
Sorry not making it clear.

I think one of the best tricks done surrounded is the hot rod, done anywhere.

Hot rod sometimes has angle problem and it cannot be done surrounded. If you have little experience, go for some more books and videos before you decide. I cannot recommend anything to you because your style may be the same as me, as well as the preference. Sorry.

Alex

You might want to try something with ropes; perhaps a "Professor's Nightmare." There are lots of things that can be done with a(some) handkerchief(s) and a TT that are a lot of fun.

I like the cups and balls, but not surrounded. But I once saw Jim Cellini do a great surrounded version.

Check out Gregory Wilson's On The Spot. It is chock full of walk around routines and many of them (I think just about all of them) can be done surrounded.

I enjoy doing a torn and restored card effect .

Perfect pen thru anything

Florian R

I recommend a ring and rope routine:
Gregory Wilson's Ring Leader Video or Bob Miller's Relentless String Video. A great ring and rope is on the Video by Eric DeCamps. The first two use a finer ring and cord and the last video a 3-4 inch ring and rope.

Raven's good.

Hello LimHanchung,
Been quite awhile, eh? Maybe we should catch up soon. I agree w/ r4bid's suggestion on Greg Wilson's On the spot stuff, his "recap" 5 phase routine is great-all done w/ a normal pen. You ok w/ obtaining videos back home?

There are a lot you can find in a magic shop. When you go there mention you want the ones you don't have to reset. Because when you walk around, you should always be ready.

I recommend Scotch and Soda. It is a miracle effect that happens in the audience's hands.

Peter Marucci P.M.ed a wonderful 'clean' Scotch and Soda routine.

It requires one of the linchpin moves of magic and really leaves you clean to do the trick over and over.

Just do a search for Peter Marucci

My second recommendation would be two or three card monte. Unlike Scotch and Soda, you will not be doing the trick before a little (a lifetime of?) practice.

Do some rubberband effects !
Crazy Man's Handcuffs (the linking rubberbands) is a great effect and it's one of those rare effects which has really NO RESTRICTIONS:

1) No lighting problems
2) No gimmicks, no setup, no reset
3) Do it super close
4) Do it surrounded, no angle problems
5) Repeat it several times
6) Involve the spectators, give them some rubberbands, let them try it
7) And what's really great about it, you do not need a table or anything (as card tricks do). Perform it standing in an elevator or at a house party. The music is too loud? No problem. You do not have to say any word. It is such a visual effect.

Use "Stargazer" for a great climax ending, where one of the rubberband PERMANENTLY stays in the shape of a star!
Here's a clip:
http://www.jbtv.co.uk/videos/stargazer_hires.avi

Don't do just tricks or effects, entertain them, involve them, tell them stories, give them a souvenir at the end.

Hope this helps

Magic Chris

There are some very good versions of Coins Across and Copper and Silver Transposition that can go over very well in strolling type venues. Some with gimmicks and some without.
Also, there are other classics that have versions that are adaptable for these environments. Ambitious Card, Multiple and Single Location routines, Doc Daley's Last Trick, many packet effects, paddle effects, etc., etc., etc.
Anyway, these are some of the choices I have made.

Merry Christmas.

Steve

Just saw that video now.... looks interesting. Can I show the star shaped rubber band before hand as normal shaped?

No you can't...but that's not a problem.
Let's first begin with the linking rubberbands routine (as you can see in the videoclip)

CRAZY MAN'S HANDCUFF:
I highly recommend you to first learn the Crazy Man's Handcuff (Copperfield has performed the linking rubberbands in one of his tv-special). Put some effort to learn this incredible effect and you will be able to perform a true miracle all the time.
The linking rubberbands are a great icebreaker to get in contact with your spectator for starting your magic performance. You don't have to introduce yourself as a magician, simply start your act by playing around with some rubberbands ... suddenly they are unlinked.. you can be sure that at this moment you will have spectators' full attention.

Where can you get this routine?

1) I've learned it directly from Michael Ammar's script: "Crazy Man's Handcuffs"
($8.50 by Hanklee for example)

Here

2) or you can buy Michael Ammar's Video:
"Classic Renditions 2" where you also find
- TRAVELING CASH (A spectator wraps a folded dollar bill around the top strand, and holds on. Then, one by one, the money jumps from the top down, one strand at a time)
- and THE BROKEN & RESTORED RUBBER BAND
(great effect !)
http://store.yahoo.com/ammarmagic/rubbanmagpro.html

3)Dan Harlan's "Magic With Rubber Bands" - The Video Series Vol 1 - 3. There are full of rubberband magic. I think it's on the first one, but ask a magic dealer first.

By the way...I met Dan Harlan at a seminar. He sold large packs of rubberbands
(great quality, very thin, very elastic).

STARGAZER
Now for Stargazer. Show CMH with your normal beige color rubberbands. Give them to the spectators for trying themself. Show it one more time, using different color rubberbands now, giving spectators a better chance to follow your acts. After showing CMH go directly into Stargazer. You do this in a continuous action. They see this colored rubberband is "normal" shaped during the whole act (you show them different shapes like a 5-Star, a Triangle, a 5-Star inside a 5-Star...). At the end when they see that one of these rubberbands (no switch!)PERMANENTLY stays in the shape of a star...they will be totally baffled. It's such a great climax.

Magic Chris