Magic Tricks How to Vanish

With enough creativity and magical performance knowledge, one is able to make the illusion of vanishing something under certain conditions. There are many different principle used in doing vanish kinds of magic tricks. Let’s discuss an important now.

The two most common yet powerful magic effects are appearance and vanish. They are the two faces of the same coin, in the sense that the reverse of one can be used as the other one. The main difference that prevents the direct application of the reverse of a principle is the factor of anticipation. For vanish, the object to be vanished exists from the spectators’ perspective, and therefore they are anticipating any move to be executed on it. This adds difficulty to vanish tricks than production tricks.

The use of misdirection can help magicians to handle the difficulties met in vanishing an object. If the audience focuses on something else rather than the real object itself, the magician will have the required opportunity to execute his moves. The use of a form of the object does the trick. For instance if a glass is to be vanished, a form of it can be a ring form of the same diameter of the glass hidden inside a covering handkerchief. That way when the ring is held, it is perceived that the glass is held.

One way to achieve the vanish can be similar to the following. First, the magician covers the glass with the gimmicked handkerchief. Then, the ring form is position on the rim of the glass. His left hand holds the ring while the right hand clips the stem with the curled second and third fingers. This is all under cover of the handkerchief.

The ring is placed on a frame to stand and appear to be the standing glass. Now the right hand opens the fingers and let the glass be hung upside down between the fingers.

When the magician wants to present the vanish effect, he takes the illusionary glass which in fact is nothing more than a handkerchief and a ring with his left hand. At this moment, his body is turned to the left a little bit to provide the necessary cover for the right hand to dispose the real glass inside the secret pocket between the coat and the vest. Immediately, the right hand come up and takes the corner of the handkerchief. It is shook and the glass vanishes into thin air apparently.

It is taught that magicians should never notify the spectators about the magic effect he is going to perform, because the spectators will be looking for any signs of movement that is possibly involved in the effect and therefore any tells would ruin that trick. But by misdirection, we can direct their attention to someplace else so that the real work is not seen.

When I was young I always wondered how magician vanish something at their will. The only possibility I knew of is trap doors. But for most of the time, no matter how hard I stared, I could not see how the thing is drop into the supposed trap door. And then I learnt other magic vanish principles.

Theoretically, the reverse of the production of something like a glass, should prove effective as a vanish. But it won't. This is because the production had the advantage of surprise, with the necessary moves taking place before the spectators knew the effect. But, using the reversed routine as a vanish cannot be made effective because all of the moves take place after the trick is done, with little possibility of shaking off the watchers' scrutiny.

If, however, we add the use of a form, it might be possible to accomplish a vanish through a slight modification. Suppose the handkerchief were equipped with a ring fake. Suppose it were even equipped with a ring form built so that this wire circle which simulates the top rim of the glass could be held at a fixed height above the palm of the hand, giving the appearance of the glass resting upon the hand.

Now we try the moves: The handkerchief is thrown over the stem wineglass that is resting upon the palm of the right hand. It is thrown over in such a manner that the ring form coincides with the rim of the glass. Under cover of the foulard, the fingers of the right come up around the base of the glass, the stem being between the second and third fingers. Grasping the ring form through the folds of the cloth, the performer apparently lifts the goblet from the right hand.

Immediately the right hand opens, carrying the goblet around beneath the hand to a position somewhat similar to the back palm, in a movement the exact reverse of that used for the production. All this, of course, is concealed beneath the folds of the foulard. The left hand again apparently lowers the goblet to the palm of the hand, but really the ring form is supported on the framework previously provided with it.

With the left side of the body towards the audience, the performer picks up the "glass" and as he does so, the right, with the real glass, moves behind the drape, to the left, drops the goblet into a body servante, which has been installed between the coat and vest on the left side, moves on up over the left forearm, grasps the front corner of the foulard and shakes it out. The glass has apparently vanished. This makes it possible to do the necessary moves before the spectator realizes that the vanish has been accomplished.

The success of this trick lies in the ability to delay the time when the audiences expect you to do the move to accomplish the effect. This is an important application of misdirection. You can apply the principle to a lot of tricks.