How Does David Blaine Levitate? Do You Know?

You know, so many of the posts on this thread truly saddened me, to the point that I just signed up so I can post a reply. It's amazing the lack of intelligence some people show in their arguments. Specifically the approach of "I don't know how it's done, ergo it is magic."

I'm not going to argue, I'm not going to make stuff up, I'm just going to state a single simple fact. NOTHING that you see in these TV shows, either Criss Angel's or David Blaine's or any other show, is real magic. Not "a little bit"... not just "that one trick" or the "levitation" part. NONE OF IT.

It is WONDERFUL television. It is taking a beautiful art form and presenting it to the masses in entertaining ways. But seriously folks, any of you who think the levitations, card tricks, tatoo tricks, WHATEVER are REAL? You need to stop deluding yourselves, and just as importantly stop deluding other people.

I am also a magician, I love what I do. The fun part is making the illusions look as realistic as possible.

So those of you who think Uri Geller's power are real (they're not), or that some of the TV stuff requires pacts with the devil (it doesn't), or that they are really levitating... stop passing on this misinformation and damaging the minds of those with no critical thinking skills.

Enjoy the tv shows. Just don't start a religion around them, they're just magic tricks. And anyone who says otherwise really has no idea whatsoever what they are talking about.

This is one of the best "live in the middle of non-staged circumstance" video levitations I have ever seen:

www.collegehumor.com...

It was just posted by member PetePendleton in this thread. Amazing to me, looked pretty real- 1) because of the circumstances, and 2) because of how high he levitates. Not sure who it is.

So those of you who think Uri Geller's power are real (they're not), or that some of the TV stuff requires pacts with the devil (it doesn't), or that they are really levitating... stop passing on this misinformation and damaging the minds of those with no critical thinking skills.

Disbelief

I saw Copperfield do it in person. I saw Angel and Blaine do it in the street, in front of passersby, on tv.
They sure look like they're levitating to me. If not, what are they doing? I understand that if you know and it is a trade secret you will not reveal it, but I see nothing plausible that is a better explanation than actual levitation, whether they do it by high technology, unknown natural forces, or 'magic'.

[edit on 16-9-2005 by TheBandit795]

stupid post removed

[edit on 18-9-2005 by TheBandit795]

Originally posted by BlackGuardXIII

So those of you who think Uri Geller's power are real (they're not), or that some of the TV stuff requires pacts with the devil (it doesn't), or that they are really levitating... stop passing on this misinformation and damaging the minds of those with no critical thinking skills.

Disbelief

I saw Copperfield do it in person. I saw Angel and Blaine do it in the street, in front of passersby, on tv.
They sure look like they're levitating to me. If not, what are they doing? I understand that if you know and it is a trade secret you will not reveal it, but I see nothing plausible that is a better explanation than actual levitation, whether they do it by high technology, unknown natural forces, or 'magic'.

[edit on 16-9-2005 by TheBandit795]

Obviously fake "passerby". If you recorded this, watch it again. No one "passes by". It's a typical christ angel closed-set. A gathering of people around him and not much activity around said gathering.

The camera never pulls back to reveal what is overhead. Same as in the phony bar levitation. Same with the people-in-the-park levitation.

It's TV!!!!!!!!!!! It's all a set-up!

OR, if it was on a stage (copperfield?) then it's a set-up!

[REAL LEVITATION] does not require one to stand against a building (from which wires hang) OR require a levitee to KEEP ONE LEG ON THE GROUND AT ALL TIMES!]

(I'm not yelling. Just using exclamations for emphasis of opinion/fact.)

He was not against a building.
He had a plexiglass box with lid on stage which he floated, etc. inside.
He was well over his own height in the air, and covered quite a large area of the arena, in front of and above thousands of audience members.
Also, in the Kris Angel TV special, he does one levitation in the middle of a park, far from any buildings, trees, etc. There was nothing around for him to be hanging from, unless he had a 'skyhook' or a 'windcinch'.

I've seen a special David does where it shows him and the group of women in the same shot. He looks over his shouder and says "Catch me if I fall" (or something like that). The women are in the shot with him. How could they be using a harness if the women are in the shot? I doubt they went along with a joke/trick like that. Also, where would the harness be??? In the sky attatched to the clouds? I don't see anything he could attach a harness to. I've heard Criss Angel say his levitations are real....well if his are real then Davids' are real as well. David does it sooooooo much better than Criss Angel. Criss Angels' levitation looks fake and unreal. Plus, Criss Angel has copied EVERYTHING David has done. He tries to say 'Nothing like this has ever been done' when in reality, David did something very similiar not only first but WAY better than whatever Criss does. I can't stand people that copy others. Criss decided that David made it big by doing all that stuff and wanted in on the action. He's jealous that David is better and more popular so he tries to bring David down. Also, Criss Angels' tricks look so fake and unappealing to me. I think what David does is real and he's very talented with his abilities.

Kris Angel has a much more theatrical and gothic image, and I find his act reflects a darker, more 'halloweenesque' approach to the subject. David Blaine impressed me with his modest, down to earth, compassionate human approach. He comes across as a 'normal guy', although his manners and quiet, respectful way is not as common as I would wish it to be. People are more often than not less courteous and polite than he comes across. Still, his act shows a certain caring selflessness, and I get the impression he really does not think that his talent makes him any more important or special than anyone else. He treats the clearly destitute folk with the same respect as the clearly well-to-do, and tailors his rapport to connect with whomever he is with.
I have seen David Copperfield live three times, and once sat in the 7th row, which was about 20 feet from the stage. That night I could not help laughing out loud when he was cut in two, and his upper and lower halves wheeled to opposite sides of the stage. From 20 feet away the total preposterousness of what I saw made me laugh. It was not possible, yet there it was. Each time I saw him I was unable to explain how he did the great majority of what I witnessed.
Another act that I have seen on TV, and found impressive was Siegfried and Roy. The magic that is part of their show is very good, and maybe overshadowed by the animal act. It was a great loss to the genre when Roy was so badly hurt. I hope they may someday perform again, and I would like to see them in person if they do.
And concerning whether one copied the other, etc. I look at them as all on the same side. I doubt that there is any genuine animosity between them other than possibly a goodnatured and friendly competitive streak.
They can all do things that very few others can duplicate, and many things that I have no idea how they do them or even how they are possible.

Originally posted by Paul_Richard
To not accept the observations of credible people -- like scientists for example -- is an obstacle in ascertaining the absolute truth about anything.

If observations of credible people is your only criterium for accepting something as fact. Then you would have to accept as fact that: the earth is flat, the sun is rotating around the earth, werewolves, witches, vampires etc. are real. And every single trick performed by magicians would be real magic, if you were to ask any spectator of a magic show. Which is in fact exactly what you are doing. The decision NOT to believe every observation is the reason we left the middle ages. Because human observations are NEVER objective observations, it is what someone thinks he sees, which might be right or wrong. You CAN'T just trust your eyes, there are million of simple examples of that.

The proper sequence is that following a human observation, the claim should be scientifically examined and be repeatable in experiments. This kind of reasoning has lead to electricity, computers, the internet and the ablility to discuss it in a forum in the first place.

'Because human observations are NEVER objective observations, it is what someone thinks he sees, which might be right or wrong. You CAN'T just trust your eyes, there are million of simple examples of that.

The proper sequence is that following a human observation, the claim should be scientifically examined and be repeatable in experiments. This kind of reasoning has lead to electricity, computers, the internet and the ablility to discuss it in a forum in the first place.' johnjohnjohn

I saw a man do a pull-up using just one baby finger. Good luck repeating that, but then there is likely no need, cuz that is a feat that most will not see as being 'magic'. It's just impressive, not beyond rational explanation.
Yet when I recount the things I have seen that do defy reason, of course, people cite 'reproducability' as being needed before they accept it. I agree that no one is objective, but I am someone who does trust his own senses as a rule. I get fooled, yes, but then I learn. Other times, no one is able to explain what I saw, logically. So they disregard my account as being somehow 'impossible' to have happened as I said it did. No matter, it is understandable. How do they levitate? Beats me. I just happen to think that they do levitate, regardless of how they do.

Your all wrong, he uses something called the Balducci method- which is used by having your audience close together about 8-10 feet away at a 45 degree angle, he then lifts 1 foot up (tippie toes) and makes it seem like he is floating


for the times when it zooms in on his feet- notice how it doesnt show the audience. At these times he uses the classical string method, a crew pulls him up.


Very simple- i got this info from several websites and put it all together, if you think about it- how the hell would a guy be able to levitate while others cant? that would just be crazy- and he would be thought of as a god... others allready know what im telling you- so thats why he hasnt been offered saintship yet xD



;ITS PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY TIME

[edit on 16-1-2006 by dark]

Yes we know about the balducci method, which was discussed in this thread already.

From the TV footage I've seen, we never really see David Blaine levitating. All we see is a close up on his feet getting off the ground, where are his hands, is he pulling up on something. Or we see his body with his feet off the screen. The only hints indicating he's levitating is the bystanders reacting in amazement. The audience in infomercials are also cheering in amazement like if the product advertised was the next big thing since sliced bread, does that make it true? Your call.

If I hadn't seen levitation in person, I might be able to agree that those people are not genuine. Once you see it live, the camera trick and paid witnesses argument is no longer as viable as an explanation. No one paid me.

Not sure if anyone has already posted this, it's a pretty loooong thread!

I've seen Chris Angel's show and he's pretty good at creating the illusion that he's actually levitating. It would be nice to believe that people can do this; I'd love to be able to levitate! Unless the force of gravity suddenly decides to take a vacation, I'm not going to be able to any time soon.

Anyway, a friend of mine purchased a DVD which explained the way the illusion works (no...not the Balducci method which has been discussed many times here.) This was all about the PANTS! Basically, it's a special pair of pants which will allow the illusionist to slip one of their legs out the front to step up onto a chair or a curb, etc. The shoes are stuck together with magnets so they don't come up off the ground when the one leg is pulled out, and they would need to be shoes that can easily slip on and off. Once the leg is out of the front pants panel, and the person steps up onto the chair or whatever they are using, it appears as though they are levitating up from behind. Of course, I'm sure this takes some practice since it wouldn't be easy to pull your leg out without being seen. That's why all of the shots I've seen on TV (using this method) are from behind, and in Chris's case, his feet are always stuck together.

Mystery solved on that particular illusion. However, for any of you who have seen Chris Angel's show, I would like to know how he "levitated" the girl in the middle of Fremont street with all those people around. Even if it's all smoke and mirrors, it still looked pretty convincing to me!

It took me 2 hours to take pictures of this book that I have, I hope these answer your questions:







David blaine is all gimmicks and illusions, but I believe Criss Angel is the one with the psychic abilities.

Originally posted by Paul_Richard
Back on topic...

I recently purchased David Blaine: Fearless. I got it for less than 10 USD at Best Buy. It has things on it that he has done offstage in open settings that are not in the Street Magick film. Now that some of you are more open to believing in Blaine having a telekinetic Gift like Uri Geller, you will not want to miss this DVD. Some of what he does is just as freaky as his levitation. Such as:

1. Going to a chicken farm and pulling the head and neck off of a chicken (no blood) and then reattaching it easily. The chicken shakes its head for a moment like it is getting its equilibrium back, and then goes on like nothing happened.

2. Going to a park with a bird enthusiast, finding a dead pigeon, and then, within seconds, bringing the pigeon back to life and then it literally flies away from his hands. Our cats occasionally kill birds in our backyard. That bird was D-E-A-D.

3. Asking a pedestrian to concentrate on someone that he considers to be important in his life. Then Blaine takes a lighter and burns a hole in the front of his shirt. Behind the hole (on Blaine's skin) is a tattoo of the face of the woman that the young man was thinking about.

4. Going up to a dirt poor, street person in the inner city who is holding an open, full cup of coffee. Blaine puts his hands around the hands of the person holding the cup. Within seconds, the contents of the cup transform into coins and David tells the man to keep it.

A UK article talked about him having purportedly killed a bird with his mind in his youth. It is nice to see that the energies he channels are now being used more constructively.

That coffee to coin manifestation is even more impressive than changing water to wine.

It's hard at times not to envy this guy.

[edit on 11-6-2005 by Paul_Richard]

You guys are such putzes.

ALL of these tricks are easy. Here's a link to a few.
website.lineone.net...

Are you saying that people who happen to find these guys amazing are? Because, if so, I disagree. I've seen it in person, and can say that the above accusations of video editting after the fact, camera tricks, angle of view, etc., are not the answer. Anyone who thinks that levitation is a camera trick or is somehow just a misdirection and/or 'tippytoe' maneuver really should go and see it done in person. It is not so easy to claim that afterwards. Who can honestly think that the people who are right there, a few feet away, are so blind? I know they are not, and also know that, I for one, saw levitation in person, and am not a paid shill, just pretending to have seen it. If you look online, you can find footage of Copperfield, Blaine, and Angel levitating. Having seen it in person, I can assure you, it is no camera trick. Of course, that does not guarantee that I am not a putz.

Originally posted by BlackGuardXIII
Are you saying that people who happen to find these guys amazing are? Because, if so, I disagree. I've seen it in person, and can say that the above accusations of video editting after the fact, camera tricks, angle of view, etc., are not the answer. Anyone who thinks that levitation is a camera trick or is somehow just a misdirection and/or 'tippytoe' maneuver really should go and see it done in person. It is not so easy to claim that afterwards. Who can honestly think that the people who are right there, a few feet away, are so blind? I know they are not, and also know that, I for one, saw levitation in person, and am not a paid shill, just pretending to have seen it. If you look online, you can find footage of Copperfield, Blaine, and Angel levitating. Having seen it in person, I can assure you, it is no camera trick. Of course, that does not guarantee that I am not a putz.

Well, then you are a putz.

They are entertaining, yes. Amazing, no. Read this carefully.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS REAL LEVITATION.

When you "saw" it happen, you were no doubt amazed. That's the whole beauty of magic. It deceives us and when we can't process the information logically, we become mezmorized. Someone earlier posted how amazing it was when some guy (Angel) levitated in public in a crowded restaurant. No strings, wires, etc. Yes, when you watch it at first you can't explain it so it must be real, right?

Not. Here is exactly how Angel performs this trick.

youtube.com...

All levitation tricks are either Balducci, the one shown on the link, (or a variation of them) or wires/harnesses. The earlier postings where they said crowd reactions are edited for TV is also dead on.

It's an ILLUSION...get it? That's why they call themselves illusionists.

Sorry you feel that way. I don't think so, though. If you have read my previous posts in this thread, you'd see that there is far more to this than just one levitation. Have you seen any of those three guys live, Calcas? I don't care if you agree with me or not about what I saw, cuz you weren't there. There were no cables when Copperfield flew around our local arena with a woman in his arms, just like you see on tv. There are so many other 'illusions' in the three shows I saw which you have no explanation for, or else I imagine you would be doing it yourself. They do make a tidy living at it.
I have seen many other things outside of the magic shows which also cannot be explained by current scientific theories. For example, astral travel and precognitive dreaming. I don't mention this in an attempt to convince you or anyone of anything other than that I have a lifetime of reasons for believing what I do, and someone saying 'it ain't so', especially without their having experienced the same phenomena as I, is unlikely to make any impression on me.
It is a subject I often find myself agreeing to disagree with people on. Two people, no matter how close, can never know each others life experience. None of the people in my closest relationships has shared the same things as me, and very few people I have ever met agree that the types of things I have seen are for real. If they are not real for you, and you think I am a putz, so be it. I'm not. Not even close, my friend.