Andrew Mayne - Light Storm.pdf

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When I was performing overseas and had a lot of spare time on my hands, I
began to create a list of ideas for stage illusions that wouldn
't
take up a lot of
space. I started playing around with the all the different things you could do with
a fake hand. I like the concept of a fake hand. It's sort of like a trick base except
in reverse. Where a magician's base is used to hide someone's body, a fake
hand is used to make you think that someone's body is there (or part of it). This
led to my walking through a mirror effect and few other creations.
One of my earliest ideas was a variation on a very old stage illusion. There's an
old effect where a magician's assistant would walk out on stage holding a tray.
The magician would reach through the back of the assistant and shove his hand
out through the chest and pour himself a drink (I guess he
really
needed that
drink). I liked this idea and tried to come up with a version that didn't require as
much set up. I came up with an effect that was kind of a box that fit around the
assistant. The magician would reach through from behind with a handkerchief
and pass
it
through the assistant's body. Rand Woodbury developed a more
sinister version of this in his book Diversions using a knife.
I took another route and streamlined the
"box"
and switched the handkerchief to
a work light and put the magician at the center of
the
effect.
This illusion is best performed as a quick
interlude.
The assistant shouldn't have
his hand passed through your body for more than 10 seconds
.
The effect is best
presented as a moment of
"weird".
My favorite line from Tw
iligh t
Zone: The
Movie is when Dan Aykroyd as the ambulance drive asks the passenger,
"You
wanna see something really scary?" and then bites his head off. That's a very
John Landis moment. Light Storm is more freaky than scary, but the pacing is
similar.
Although the props for this effect are easy to assemble, the real key is
in
the
choreography. It's up to you and your assistant to sell the illusion. Your movements
are what will create the illusion
,
the gimmick is just the clincher. Use a mirror and
a video camera to rehearse your movements.
Finally,
create
an atmosphere of mystery for your effect. Try music from horror
movie soundtracks. Play with the
lighting.
You're not
j
ust performing a
trick,
you're
creating a whole
scene.
Best,
Andrew Mayne
The lights
in
the theatre darken
.
Strange music begins
to
fill the air as
fog rolls on
to
the stage. The magician
picks up a thin board. An assistant in
a clean room suit holding an eerie
green work light walks on stage.
The magician places
the
board
in front
of
his body.
The assistant
walks behind the
magician and raises the light. He lowers
the
light
behind the magician and begins
to push.
The
magician pulls
the board
closer towards his chest.
The green light begins to
emerge
from the
center of the
board.
-
--
,.
---
The assistant's hand emerges
holding the light. He pushes the
light to one side passing through
the magician's body as if it were
made of fog
.
The magician
remains
motionless.
The assistant
pushes the light
to other side
passing through
the magician's
spine.
The assistant
slowly retracts
the light letting
green
its
intensity pass
through
the
magician's body.
The assistant pulls the light
completely through and holds it above
his head. The magician lowers the
board and reveals that his body
is
completely intact. The green light
fades out with the eerie music.
the secret
T
he thin board
th
at the
magician uses to shield his
body actually has a fake
hand that can attach to it.
The hand has a magnet in it
that can adhere to a magnet
in the
board
that allows
the
magician to
remove the
fake
handto make the
effect more
deceptive.
.
./
When the assistant steps
behind the magician, the
magician putsthe fake right
hand in place then reaches
behind to grab the light
from the assistant.
The assistant holds on to
the light cord
to
make it
appear
that th
e light
is
really travelling through
the
magician.
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