Tricks and illusions. Revealing the secrets of classic tricks

Street magic is one of the most ancient types in the art of magic tricks. Its history goes back centuries, when traveling artists gave performances in the squares of cities and villages, earning their living. Now that an entire industry dedicated to stunts has emerged, this art not only has not disappeared, but has taken on a new life.

A serious difference between street magic tricks and stage performances is the almost complete absence of special equipment. As a rule, for most of these tricks, the dexterity of the trained hands of a magician and simple devices that can easily be hidden in a pocket are sufficient. However, many of the tricks performed by illusionists to passers-by amaze the imagination even more than the colorful staged tricks of professional magicians. An important role is also played by the fact that the magician performs his miracles at arm’s length from the amazed spectator, every now and then involving him in dialogue, offering to take part in the action or “help” in performing the trick.

Teleporting your phone into a bottle

Can you put your phone in a regular soda bottle? “No,” everyone will tell you. And he will be wrong. You can amaze your friends and random passers-by on the street by pushing the device through the plastic with a careless movement of your hand.

For this you will need:

Plastic bottle;
stationery knife;
finger pad with invisible blade.

Since teleportation, indeed, still remains the province of science fiction, you cannot do without a sharp “finger tip.” It can be purchased in specialized stores or, using your imagination, you can make it yourself. The bottle can be anything, but stick to a one and a half or two liter container with a narrow neck: it’s more spectacular.

It is important! For a successful performance, you must stand in front of your audience in such a way that none of them can see the side of the bottle facing you.

Tell the audience exactly what you want to do and let them check the bottle carefully. It is, of course, completely intact, which will convince the public that there is no catch. Now you only need a second to turn an entire bottle into a prop that you can easily insert your phone into. The easiest way to do this is to ask someone in the crowd for a cell phone. This will turn everyone's attention to him for a moment, and while he is rummaging through his pockets, you can quickly run the blade of your fingertip along the side of the bottle, cutting a wide slit in it.

How to do this correctly is described in detail in this video:

After this, you can easily, assuming a mysterious look, push the phone inside. This trick invariably causes amazement and delight on the part of the audience. And all you have to do is cover up the traces of your cunning: take a previously prepared stationery knife and, pretending to cut a bottle, draw it along the already made slot. The owner of the phone will receive back his expensive property, and you will gain fame as a miracle worker.

Restoring a Coke Can

Many things in modern world so undeniable that people, when faced with them, do not even think about the possibility of changing them. It is on this kind of confidence that people are based on the focus on restoring a can of cola.

An illusionist shows his audience an empty, crumpled Coke can. An absolutely useless item, according to most people. But the magician has a different opinion on this matter. He states that he can restore the can and return the drink he drank to it. Obeying a slight shaking, the can begins to straighten right in front of the astonished public, and everyone clearly hears the gurgling of the liquid that suddenly appears in it. Finally, the magician runs his fingers forcefully across the lid, sealing the jar. Now everyone can not only inspect the jar, but also, after opening it, pour themselves a delicious drink.

This trick invariably amazes the audience and, at the same time, is very simple to perform. Like any street tricks, it requires neither an assistant nor complex technology. In order to repeat it, you will need:

An unopened can of cola;
scissors;
push pin or needle;
black marker;
a piece of white paper.

If you wish, you can replace the marker with plain black paper; this will not affect the success of the trick.

Everyone knows that it is impossible to crush a full and sealed can of cola, since the drink is under high pressure. Therefore, in order to create the illusion of an empty, crumpled can, you need to make a small hole in the tin.

It is important! Please note that you should be able to pinch the hole at any time, so it is better to make it at the top of the can, where your index or middle finger would be when you take it casually.

It is most convenient to prepare everything for the trick near a sink or lawn, where you can drain excess liquid. When the pressure decreases, carefully crush the can on both sides. After this, no more than 2/3 of the liquid will remain in it, but this is quite enough for a successful trick.

Now cut out a small oval from black or marker paper, the same shape as the sealed jar lid, and slide one end of it under the latch. Your props are ready. The black paper will give the full impression of a hole, and the crumpled shape of the can will convince everyone that it is really empty.

After this, you can start focusing. The only thing you need to do for a can of cola to miraculously get a second life is to pinch the hole with your finger and start shaking it, thereby causing a rapid release of gas from the drink. In less than half a minute, the increased pressure will level the tin walls, and you will only have to pretend to seal the lid, quietly remove the paper “hole” and show everyone a whole and, undoubtedly, full package of cola.

You can watch a detailed tutorial on this trick in this video:

An integral part of street magic is money tricks. You can choose one of the simple tricks with banknotes, based only on sleight of hand, or opt for a more spectacular, but requiring special props trick with a bitten off coin.

A street trickster's statement that he will “eat” a piece of a five-ruble coin and then restore it again evokes laughter and disbelief. However, you can easily demonstrate it. To do this, you will have to purchase a special prop: a coin with a spring that can easily be broken in half. This trick does not require much preparation, like almost all street tricks. You can see how to learn this trick in this video:

You can order such a coin

Grasp the counterfeit coin by the edge so that the break line is horizontal above your fingers. Bring the coin to your mouth, pretending to take a bite, and at the same moment bend it away top part back, pressing it with your finger to the second half. From a distance of several steps it will be impossible to distinguish a folded coin from a bitten one.

Street tricks can be called universal due to the fact that any of them can be shown not only to passers-by, but also to friends at parties or home celebrations, and even on the big stage. The main thing that must not be forgotten when demonstrating such tricks is that the charm and artistry of a magician in street performances plays a much larger role than is required in stage performances. Indeed, in this case, the illusionist does not have the opportunity to use either complex technology or lighting tricks. All magic is created solely by the dexterity of his trained hands.

There are many films about illusionists and magicians, but few of them are remembered for years. The thing is that it is not easy to show a truly impressive illusion in cinema; the viewer must believe in a genuine miracle where every second is a miracle. Still, we managed to implement several noticeable tricks on the screen.

We invite you to recall the most memorable screen tricks.

The illusion of deception - 2

Those who watched the film will probably remember the moment when Atlas in the square, surrounded by a crowd of spectators, stopped the rain and then made it go in reverse. It looks so impressive that doubt creeps in: is this a special effect? But no. At the beginning of the film, in the magic shop, the riders pay attention to a small device in which the drops move in reverse, like rain at the end of the film, this is the solution.

Stroboscope - that's the main thing actor in this focus. This is a device that allows you to quickly reproduce repeating bright light pulses. To roughly understand how it works, remember any night club and flashing bright White light, thanks to which it seems that you are moving in jerks, like a robot, this is a strobe and stroboscopic effect, i.e. visual illusion.

For those who find it difficult to understand what we are talking about, this video the blogger talks in detail about this trick and even repeats it.

Illusion of deception

And again, Daniel Atlas, the hero of Jesse Eisenberg, surprises you already in the first minutes of the film, plus he makes you part of his card trick. Admit it, you also wished for the seven of diamonds? The secret is that while flipping through a deck of cards, he pauses twice for microseconds on this particular card.

Simple to the human eye you can't catch it, but if you look video in slow motion, you'll see what we mean.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Not the most successful, but quite funny comedy “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”. Alas, impressive cast, which included Steve Carell, Jim Carrey and Steve Buscemi, did not save the picture from a box office failure, but this film will not simply be erased from your memory. If only because some tricks from it penetrate like a drill into the very brain.

Not very smart, but fun and a little scary - Jim Carrey drilling himself temple.

Prestige

The fight between the characters of Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale gives the audience many impressive scenes that excite the imagination, and the explanation of the tricks will drive you crazy. How do you like, for example, a trick where Hugh Jackman's character moves between two doors at fantastic speed?

The secret of this magical teleportation is simple and, of course, like all the tricks in this film, is explained to the viewer, but focus looks elegant and truly spectacular.

Illusionist

Neil Berger's film "The Illusionist" only hides behind a sonorous title - in fact, the film contains much more drama and romance than magic tricks and mystical transformations. And yet, the film could not do without demonstrating the skills of the mysterious Mr. Eisenheim.

The impressive scene with an orange seed growing into a full-fledged bush bearing fruit will not leave the demanding audience indifferent. We, too, are ready to applaud Edward Norton's hero, especially in light of the fact that this trick was actually demonstrated to the public in the 19th century by Robert-Houdin.

Secret The trick lies in the pot itself and the special mechanism.

The Dark Knight

The villain from the film “The Dark Knight”, the Joker, pulls off a very impressive, but deadly trick, “The Vanishing Pencil”. True, we wouldn’t wish anyone to be his assistant in performing this trick - the Joker’s assistants are kind of disposable. Although

The secrets of magic tricks have always aroused our imagination and interest. Even as children, we believed that somewhere in the world there was real magic, and even as adults, many of us, somewhere in the depths of our souls, retained at least a small part of this hope. This is why magic tricks are so popular all over the world: they allow a person to plunge into the world of mystery and, at least for a few minutes, believe that miracles really exist.

Secrets must remain secrets

Among illusionists there is a rule not to divulge the secrets of tricks, although not everyone follows it. One of the most famous magicians in the world, Harry Houdini, himself personally told the public how some of his magic tricks are performed. And the Safronov brothers, now popular in Russia and the CIS countries, even hosted a program on Channel One, where they showed the disclosure of the secrets of many tricks, for which, by the way, they were expelled from the Society of Illusionists.

But this is rather an exception to the rule. And at a time when many tricks are just sleight of hand, and even a simple schoolchild can solve them, there are also secrets of magic tricks that not only spectators, but also other professional illusionists have been struggling with for many years to no avail. Having become acquainted with the principle of performing classic tricks, perhaps you will be the one who will unravel the secret of their execution in the future.

Levitation

One of the tricks that has amazed audiences for many decades not only on stages, but also right on the street. The secret of the trick lies in a hidden mechanism that lifts the magician.

You can note that under the illusionist, even if he performs in an open space, there is always a mat, an assistant or some kind of platform, under which the main heavy part of the device is hidden.

Its other flexible part is hidden under clothes that are quite spacious to hide not only it, but also a small seat.

Torn bill

There are many variations of this trick, but the classic version used a pencil, with which the bill was torn in two, and then appeared whole again in front of the audience.

The secret of the trick is in the pencil: it consisted of two halves magnetized to each other, between which, thanks to sleight of hand, the piece of paper slipped easily.

Cutting in half

One of the most well-known tricks, which now also has a lot of different performances.

But the classic magic of magic is more than simple: the box consists of two separate sections, in one of which the assistant is already hidden in advance.

During the cutting, the saw passes between them, and the audience essentially sees parts of the bodies of different people.

Catching a bullet with your mouth

A fairly simple trick, which nevertheless led to several disastrous cases throughout the history of its existence.

Of course, it is impossible to catch a bullet with your teeth, and, as many viewers guess, the weapon is fired with a blank cartridge.

The most common version of the execution is this: the bullet that the audience is given to sign is not real, and while the image is being applied to it, cameras are filming this process close-up, broadcasting it to screens behind the stage.

The assistants who are there quickly repeat on another bullet an inscription similar to the one applied by the viewer, and smear it as if it had actually been in the barrel.

Metamorphosis

This was the name of the famous Houdini trick that he performed with his wife.

She tied his hands, put him in a bag and locked him in a box, which she hid behind a curtain, where she disappeared. There she clapped three times, the curtain fell, and it turned out that Houdini was already free, and his wife was in the box.

The secret of magic lies in simple skill and practice. Excellent ability to handle different types knots and ropes, the magician's hands were free already at the moment when he was placed in the bag.

It was also possible to easily get out of it through the back panel, and it was no longer his wife who clapped her hands, who at that time was doing the opposite of his actions, but he himself.

Through constant training, the couple learned to perform all these actions in just three seconds.

Do you want to know what other secrets of magic tricks have been hidden from the average viewer all this time? Watch the following video:

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!

10. The Disappearance of the Statue of Liberty

In 1983, David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear. The secret of the trick is explained simply. The monument was covered with cloth and turned off its backlight, leaving the spotlights on, which created the illusion of emptiness and blinded the audience. After the blanket fell, people were unable to see the outline of the statue in the dark, since their vision did not have time to adapt.

9. The disappearance of the truck

How can you make a cloth-covered truck (wagon or plane) disappear if it is surrounded by spectators? Easily! You just need attach the bedspread to a special structure so that it stays in place, invite dummy observers and take the truck to the utility room. Therefore, we can only see this trick on TV and never live.

8. Levitation

A person frozen in the air is not a magician or a yogi. Under the magician's layers of clothing hidden support, thanks to which you can hang out for several hours in a row without getting tired.

7. Walking through the mirror

To pass through the mirror, the magician needs special screens with slits in the middle. The one that attaches to the back of the mirror contains two mirror panels. The design allows move the real mirror and put two fake ones in its place, and crawl through the hole. At the end of the trick, the assistants put the real mirror in place.

6. Transformation of a bill

To turn $1 into $100, a magician rolls up a bill of lower denomination in a special way and hides it behind his fingers. Then, in the process of magic, he replaces one bill with another, demonstrating a miraculous transformation.

5. Walking on water

The trick is performed in a pond with muddy water or in a pool where people swim and create waves. The main goal is to distract attention and hide from cameras a transparent platform along which the illusionist walks.

4. Freeing yourself from chains underwater

The secret of the trick lies in physical training magician and in castles. The task of the assistants is unnoticeable pull the rods out of the loops holding the locks, and the illusionist - to tense up, wriggle out of the bonds and climb out of the water tank.