Sorry to disinter an old thread but I came across White Star accidently when looking at something else from Jim. It looks like a solid trick BUT - and in my case it's a big but - I live and work mainly near Southampton (UK). As you may know there's currently a new Titanic museum being built here and there are a lot of local people with connections to the Titanic - mainly via ancestors who worked on it as crew. My question is, would this trick be at all upsetting to such people?

This isn't an effect you'd want to perform for living ancestors of those involved in the disaster.

Far too powerful and close to home.

I rather thought that to be the case. Oh well - looks like I'll stick with Outlaw Effects for the moment! Thanks for the info.

I've performed Whitstar in Southampton for a few years now and you should have no problem.

It went down really well at an event at the Southampton boat show. And was a staple effect at several gigs booked by Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

Ive found that its all about presenting it with tact and sympathy. If done seriously, ensuring the spectators are respectful of the people in the photographs, it goes down very well indeed!

I don't own this so don't know all the workings on it. But couldn't you work it as something you picked up or learned during a trip to the states?

I did this for a class of 4th graders
They all knew about the Titanic from the movie

Set up the ambiance with a bit of history, some old coins, ans an antique pen...... As well as a copy of the Titanic DVD!

Kids reaction: stunned silence!

As a quick FYI, I just reviewed this for Magic Friday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chkSj1wxzXc

Hey there Jamie. Great review. Bad feeling/good feeling is great advice. Always felt bad giving someone the pile of dead people. Takes away a "bad feeling" (no pun intended) for one of the participants. Thanks for sharing.

Andy Quinn

This one always blows people away and is one my favorite story routines to date.

Yep this is an awesome effect, when played properly. A real favourite of mine.

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I just received this from a fellow Café member and loving the idea and its potential.

Anymore thoughts or options people would like to share?

What props do people use and how do you incorporate them in the routine?
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I own White Star and wonder whether the private discussion forum for White Star is still available and how to reach it? The links provided in this thread and at MagicShop.co.uk which sells the effect are dead ends. Thanks for any advice.
Dave

I , too, would love the forum to be available again. (seems to have stopped for UP The Ante as well!). Have just got this effect myself after christmas and am loving the premise. Now here is my take on it. I love the revisited version and I liked Pegasus idea on using an alternating set up but why not take it further........? Use the alternating set up and then riffle shuffle the photos - odd, I know!!! - ensuring that the face card of each block is differing, ie 1 is died, the other survived. The result will be pairs of photos, each containing a diied and a survived.......now who was it that once accused me of not understtanding the GP here on these hallowed forums??!! All you have to do, now, is peek at one of the photos backs as you pick the pair up. In this fashion the photos have been shuffled but each spectator will get regular goes, ie no long runs of one over the other, the photos have been randomly mixed and you are only peeking 1 photo ieach pair!

Apologies if this has already been suggested.....am new to this effect. Hats off to Mr Critchlow, however. Lovely work sir!

Great idea Capt. I will try your method. You must get lots of time to think once you're in the cruise phase of your flights. Lol. Gear up / LNAV / VNAV / chill out time.

Pegasus, are you, perchance, a fellow aviator?! Yes, these 380 ultra long-haul sectors do give you the time to think....

Hope that you like it in practice, do please let me know what you think. Have just trialled it to my daughter and her friend. Very pleased with the results thus far. A nice spooky atmosphere and no hint that they even thought about how it was that I achieved the goal.

Happy new year to you all,

Best

Martyn

Actually, I guess from your handle that you probably have amny more takeoffs than landings....!! I have 3 more takeoofs than I do landings...Let me know how your trial of my idea goes. Another successful performance this morning. This effect is fantastic! Really geta the audience slightly spooked and puzzled.....lots of scope for entertainment here

Here's an idea I'm playing around with...

Only use 10 photos, 5 of each. Put each photo in an opaque envelope (pay envelope just big enough to fit the photo). Put a large black "X" on the back of the envelopes that contain the five "Died" photos.

You show the participant the 10 envelopes (keeping the "X" side down so it's hidden.) Explain that you want the participant to separate the envelopes into two groups. You say that you don't want them to know what is inside yet because you don't want them to be influenced by what they see. Instead you want them to try and feel a difference.

You then go into Patrick Redford's Small World routine that uses 10 cards. Its actions are perfectly designed for this effect.

After the participant has separated the 10 envelopes into two groups, you turn over each group, showing that the participant has successfully separated the five envelopes with an "X" from the five without "X"s.

So, what exactly is in the envelopes, and what is the significance of the "X"? You remove the photos, keeping them in the two groups. You explain that, again, you used the envelopes because you didn't want the participant to be influenced by the faces of the people. Instead, you wanted them to simply rely on their feeling or intuition.

That's when you slowly begin to turn over each photo to show that the participant has successfully grouped the photos into those who have survived and those who have died.

Need to look that one up....dont know it. Any pointers as to where to find that?

There's a topic for Small World on the Penny forum. You could use other OOTW methods, but I think the envelopes and the "X" idea are perfectly suited to the method Redford uses in his 10 card version of Small World.

BTW, although I'm suggesting Small World, I have no connection to Redford. I just have Small World and have been playing with non-playing card adaptations if his ideas.

Will start investigating.....many thanks for your help