Theory11 released "Pressure" a while ago. A crappy effect, but lots of people like it. Including me. It never fooled me, but this is so much fun to do. But I realised that a small minority of people really are fooled. And for those I think it is worth doing it. The rest will perceive the effect as a visual gag, as nothing that spectacular.
So I thought of a few ways to "clean up" the effect, without tearing up the balloon.
- If you are working outside and you do a few card tricks, you can stop and get out the coins... but stop right before that and take out the balloon. "In case it rains, I need water protection for my cards" as you do the Pressure effect. Those few people who are fooled by this can marvel at this "gem" and the others now know a funny way to protect a deck of cards from water. Leave the balloon packet on the table, do your coin tricks and later get out the cards.
- Again this works best if you work outside for a crowd that are strangers to each other.
Ask for a cellphone and do the Pressure effect. Then take the phone with the balloon around it and put it back into the spectators pocket. "Now it is save...." The funny thing: To an ordinary mind of a spectator it proves to be genuine. Why else would the magician give the balloon to the spectator, if it is not really all the way around. Again, for those who aren't fooled it still is a nice gag. - Switch the packet after the effect. It will not work with a borrowed cell phone, but you can do it with a deck of cards and still give the impression of "free choice" by forcing the balloon colour earlier on.
- Have a few objects inside balloon and one of those in pressure fashion. Show all those objects. You just need to hide the back of that one object. Now force the object using the magicians choice or whatever and "pop" the object out of the balloon without hurting the balloon itself.
I am aware that the last one is a different effect, but it uses the same principle and might be a better effect than you might think.
I never bought the effect by T11 (and according to the magic folks on youtube, neither did they), so I don't know if the "clean up's" above are thought of by the T11 guys. Could be.
3 comments:
I couldn't even imagine this was released as "the new cool trick to amaze chicks" by those lame T11s...I mean...this principle is so old...so old...that I've even been doing a personal version of Airtight for years (Sankey's gem before turning to a crappy creepy magic salesman)which includes that among many other subtleties (of course, including the appropiate clean up to throw off sceptics...).
By the way, your 4th suggestion looks a lot like a little effect by Ray Kosby (if I'm not mistaken) with some coloured balls (game balls, not Kosby balls...)and a big garbage-type bag...Real clever effect anyway.
Their theaching is decent, but in no way worth 20 bucks.
I do the efect on my paid gigs,both stage and up-close, but using a different handling known as "Pressure 2,0", properly modified to fit my needs.
Its a pretty cool effect, but T11 once again managed to turn it into garbage.
Umm ain't it just the old Dental Dam trick?
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