Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Small Daniels Reveals All

My name is Small Daniels, you may know me from such television programs as the popular Small Daniels Magic Show and Blankety Blank. For many years me and my partner Webby McT have performed countless unexplainable illusions and sorcery but for the first time I am going to let you into all my secrets with a trick called The Mysterious Curious Disappearing Line Illusion, guaranteed to baffle young and old alike.

First get yourself a piece of card, any card will do even flattened out toilet roll tubes or cigarette packets. The dimentions can be varied too, I use the old 6'' x 1.5'' method but feel free to use more racy sizes such as 8'' x 2'' and even 6' x 3' for a large scale version that can be seen at the back do an auditorium.

Using construction lines carefully devide the paper into eleven equally distant dots, it's important you maintain accuracy at this stage as this is the 'magic' and failure to comply will cause serious injury to the performer or assistant.

Once the dots are completed draw eleven equal sized lines through the centre being careful to stop a consistent distance from the edges as shown above. When all lines are drawn slice the paper in two just hitting the top left line and the bottom right line as shown. This is the 'illusion'. With the 'magic' added and the 'illusion' prepared you are ready to 'wow' your 'audience'. Get used to the lingo, us magicians use it to sound mystical.

Select a member of your audience to step forward, it's best if your participant can count so ask them if they can before you commit then with the two pieces of your magical equipment placed as above ask them to count the lines.

1,2...11! They will gleefully shout, now comes the 'magic'

Using the art of distraction bring on a troupe of tigers, place them in cages and make the disappear. Place your assistant in a wooden box and carefully cut her in half before restoring her back to normal moments later and whilst you are doing this distraction use slight of hand to 'shift' the pieces of your 'conjuring illusion' into the positions shown above.

Get your participants attention and ask them to count the lines again. Miraculously 'as if by magic' there are now only ten! Take a bow and leave the stage job complete, congratulations you are a master 'illusionist'!

How does it work? It's all down to mathematical probabilities and the help of a 'plant' in the audience who subliminally pushes the figure ten into your participants head through subtle mind games. The 'illusion' you made plays on this brain trickery which is why the lines had to be accurate to alter brain wave patterns. Feel free to try this at home but not with cats, cats can see through the trickery and will claw you for your stupidity as this trick has been known to them for years.

I have been Small Daniels and you have been watching the mind of a genius, do not pass this secret on or I will chase you down and bite your ankles.

 

No comments: