Have you seen anyone attempt to levitate? How about someone trying to read your mind via telekinesis? If you've ever seen a live magic show, or watched one on TV, you may have seen magicians or illusionists try to teleport, levitate or use telekinesis. The effects leave the audience wondering if they can believe their eyes. Some of these tricks are simple sleights of hand while others involve a mind-boggling amount of practice to hone these skills. Some of the most popular tricks have been around for a long time, but can still leave the audience speechless. Magic shows are often where entertainment and disbelief intersect.
One of the most famous classic illusions is that of cutting a person in half. In this trick, a person, usually the magician's assistant, is placed in a box where they appear to be cut into two or more pieces by the magician. The detached sections of the box, usually featuring a head in one and wiggling feet in the other, are twirled around for the inspection of the mesmerized audience. Often, magicians increase the drama of the illusion by using lights, intense music and oversized saws, blades or terrifying weapons. At the conclusion of the trick, the box is most often reassembled and opened, allowing the unflustered and unsevered assistant to emerge.
But how is this illusion done? There are many methods behind this classic trick, and each illusionist will usually put his or her own spin on the act. Most methods, however, seem to involve a trick box. In many cases, the audience is fooled into thinking that the box is a certain size or shape. These boxes are usually misleading. In fact, they often have hidden compartments or extended spaces in which the assistant can hide. As for the wiggling feet at the end? It's a simple ruse using robotic feet!
Another famous or rather infamous illusion is the bullet catch. More than one famous illusionist has met his or her end at the hands of this dangerous trick. The idea behind the trick is very simple. A gun is fired from a distance and the magician appears to catch the flying bullet in their mouth. Impossible, you say? Indeed, it is. In 2006, the American television show "MythBusters" debunked the illusion once and for all. They proved that it would be impossible for a human to catch a flying bullet in their mouth without significant damage or death.
The trick usually involves someone firing the gun through a target before the bullet reaches the magician's mouth. The target is usually made of glass because it shatters upon impact proving that the bullet was released from the gun. How can this be faked? The most common way of performing this trick is to use blanks instead of real bullets. The gun makes a loud noise and perhaps even releases some smoke for effect, but never actually releases a bullet. The glass pane is then shattered remotely by triggering a hidden explosive attached to the glass. The bullet in the magician's mouth? Why, it's been there all along! All the magician has to do is keep the bullet hidden in their mouth until the appropriate time to reveal it.
This illusion can stun the audience. The sight of seeing a person seemingly catch a bullet with their bare teeth without injury is fascinating. Once the magician extricates the bullet from their mouth the audience often goes wild.
Another one of the common long-running tricks is the art of levitation. Magicians have often convinced their audience that they can levitate. But can they really? The answer is, of course, no.
Most levitation tricks involve angles or hidden wires that the audience can't see. Each magician has their own style of performing this trick, but it always leaves the audience astonished.
There are so many famous tricks, and endless ways to accomplish them. Many tricks involve misdirection. This means the audience is looking one way while the magician is advancing the trick without the audience even realizing. If you were a magician, which long-standing trick would you like to attempt?