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halejs New user 43 Posts |
Friends, I ran across this close-up floating ball effect. Is this new, or just old principals re-packaged? Still thinking about it ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=538W-gXmSJQ&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJvySJGhPMU&feature=related |
Mr. Muggle Special user 999 Posts |
Thanks for the video...
It's my opinion the first clip has had a good edit job and isn't magic. In part, I say this due to the ball's motion staying in the same pattern once it begins to float for the full video clip. It almost looks like two clips have been layered together. The second clip, however, looks to have some tell-tale signals of what the guy's actually doing; the ball's motion is also not as fluid. IMO the same method isn't being used in both clips.
"Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it because you're not really looking. You don't really want to know the secret... You want to be fooled." - The Prestige (2006)
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
The first clip looks like a modified version of the levitron.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
milesg Regular user (of experimental medications) 160 Posts |
There's no way the first video isn't some kind of camera trick.
Levitron? You mean that magnetic top? I have one of those and the top needs to be spinning quite fast to keep it's balance. That ball is just lazily turning in the air. The second one does appear to be a legitimate (ha!) float of a ball, but as Mr. Muggle said, it's not as smooth. |
Mr. Muggle Special user 999 Posts |
The motions do look very similar but the levitron has to spin on a north/south axis otherwise it will tip over and expose the method. In the video, the ball looks to be rotating much slower and on a opposite axis which tells me it can't be the levitron as the motion its self would expose the known method. If I'm wrong, and I may be, at no time is the ball spun prior to levitating - the spin is needed for the effect to work and has to be much faster than what we see in this video. The balls pattern of movement does follow the levitron's basic characteristics of levitation though... if this is a modified levitron (which is doubtful in my mind due to the limited distance the platform and object can be in relation to the axis point of the object) I doubt the second video uses the same method. The ball's movement under glass is easy to predict.
"Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it because you're not really looking. You don't really want to know the secret... You want to be fooled." - The Prestige (2006)
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
I see another way to do this using the basic levitron principle. It's just a matter of getting the right materials. Also, we don't know what is ABOVE the area where the float is going on. It could be a matter of stasis.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
dcjames Special user 577 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-01-02 03:13, Bill Palmer wrote: Exactly my thoughts as well. Perhaps a modified version of an executive desk toy... http://www.officeplayground.com/zerogsportsb.html
“Magic is very easy to do - poorly.”
Tommy Wonder The Books of Wonder Volume 2 |
ekins Special user Portland, Oregon 513 Posts |
I doubt if it's magnets, unless there's a lot of editing to hide what would have been visible. For a Levitron type of effect or the desk toy levitation, the magnet needs to be relatively close to the object. Also, he uses a metal ring, (canning jar ring) to pass around the object. It would be attracted to the magnet.
Although this would require an edit too, since it's not visible in the video, I was wondering about a stream of air directly below the object. |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
The question may be "why did he use a metal canning lid instead of a ring." He obviously has a ring. He used it in the other video. We also know what it definitely isn't.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
halejs New user 43 Posts |
FYI, the description he gives states that it does not involve magnets. ?
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Keith Mitchell Special user 799 Posts |
In the first video I have never seen anything like it, not a clue to how it works. I cannot stand to see people sitting at their computer desk in their bedrooms giving cheap performances. Where is the MAGIC? He does not bother to get dress, does not perform in a pleasant environment, and his attitude giving this performance is like he does not care. It's like he is being completely flippant about the whole thing.
The second video, again I have never seen this kind of effect before, and again I did not like the performance. Just did not like the way he gently places the red ball like it had to be placed in that one spot, slowly places the glass over the ball as if the ball would explode or something, and then whenever he places the ring around the glass the ball would go down as if it were ruining the trick. To me this looks more like a High School science project rather than a magic performance. Here is a guy that can perform, although I wish he was not smoking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qiRPe09mkg&NR=1 |
Thomas Wayne Inner circle Alaska 1977 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-01-04 10:38, madkiki wrote: I didn't mind the smoking so much, but I couldn't stand his cologne. TW
MOST magicians: "Here's a quarter, it's gone, you're an idiot, it's back, you're a jerk, show's over." Jerry Seinfeld
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Josh the Superfluous Inner circle The man of 1881 Posts |
I figured out the first one. Lower tech than anyone guessed. Cannot be performed live. Simple camera trickery. PM me for the spoiler.
What do you want in a site? "Honesty, integrity and decency." -Mike Doogan
"I hate it, I hate my ironic lovechild. I didn't even have anything to do with it" Josh #2 |
Billgussen Elite user Central Japan 497 Posts |
Josh,
Yeah, I figured it out too. I just remembered the old Ernie Kovacs TV shows, watched the way he used the "ring," and it all was explained. Bill |
Mr. Muggle Special user 999 Posts |
"Fascinating is a word I use for the unexpected. In this case, I should think "interesting" would suffice. " --Mr. Spock in 'The Squire of Gothos' (Star Trek)
"Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it because you're not really looking. You don't really want to know the secret... You want to be fooled." - The Prestige (2006)
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