I thought this style of large groups of shills started with those over-the-top David Copperfield specials, making planes "disappear". Infomercial magic.
I am a big fan of closeup with natural objects. I think the problem is that so much of magic is really lame compared to special effects. It takes a personality to sell it, and that seems to be lacking in most big name magicians. David Blane actually has anti- charisma. Here is my favorite old-schooler, Tony Slydini: http://youtube.com/watch?v=FW6oQZc_c80 They have a lot of his stuff on youtube but this is his most famous. Maximum personality minimum props. --- In [email protected], Duveyoung <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Criss Angel uses camera tricks and paid "innocent bystanders." > > There's no trick he's ever done that I can't do with the same freedoms. > > He may be able to do actual slight of hand etc. and have some magician > chops, but all the stuff he's putting out with the camera tricks is > merely for the lower bell curve folks, and, well, I think he's done > the artful magicians a dirty low deed by pretending to be "like them." > > Same for David Blaine. Lots of editing of the final film product. > > He'll show his levitation trick to bystanders, get their reactions on > video,then he'll do a camera trick of him floating much higher in the > same setting but now with the bystanders not in view -- he'll use a > crane and blue screen etc., and then he'll put that into the film as > if it were what the bystanders were seeing at the time. Blaine > started it so Criss is just trying to horn in on the marketing to > stupid people. > > Bletch, puke, retch. > > Edg > > > --- In [email protected], "Rick Archer" <rick@> wrote: > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2eFL5-TiSQ > > >
