Walking on Water!

WTH?

Ok, so this has to be the best place to post things like this, I mean if UFOs and everything else can be ripped apart logicaly then this must be a piece of cake.

Chris Angel has now walked on water

www.youtube.com...

from what I've seen this guy does some CRAZY stuff up close and personal. Now I know how he does the whole levitation thing but some of the things for the life of me I can't figure it out.

I said it once I'll say it again. This guy is not human and/or he has some "powers" that other people do not have.

Seriously though this is one heck of an illusion.

This guy does some crazy # that is very hard to explain.

[edit on 12-6-2006 by d1k]

I once saw a film made by Criss Angel where he explained how he did his levitation. And I must say, I wasn't impressed but sure, it was a very very good illusional gig

How he did the water thing, I don't know. But I don't think it was by any means paranormal.

Did you ever notice how he ALWAYS turns his back on the people before he "levitates"? It has to do with how he's standing. He goes up on his toes or soemthing like that. He's not really levitating, but the way he's standing there and the angle he's at to the people, you can't see the front of his feet, so it LOOKS like he's levitating.

Wow. Impressive illusion. It wouldn't be a great illusion if you could explain it, would it? Misdirection. It's all about deceiving the eye. Ask yourself what you are NOT seeing. A cable suspension maybe? I don't know. Camera tricks? Maybe. David Blaine is a big culprit when it comes to camera trickery. And the crowd isn't always as "innocent" as they appear. Add some plexiglass and some actors to the payroll... What do you get?

Look at about 1:09 of the video. A strange line to the left of the shoe... Is that a "clear line"?

But what do I know? Maybe he has supernatural powers. Just like David Copperfield, David Blaine, Harry Houdini, etc. But then why would he call himself an illusionist?

Several people in the pool swimming all around him including behind and in front and under him plus the camera man putting the camera directly under him. Nothing could be above him as the many people in the pool and out of the pool would clearly see it, unless everyone there are all in on it.

Misdirection does not work here cause it's such a long stunt.

Not human.

[edit on 12-6-2006 by d1k]

His steps look kind of pre-determined. When he flips his shoe off, it looks like he directs it to almost avoid something.

Clear thin pillars in the water perhaps?

The guy is one of the greatest illusionists IMO. Always enjoy his shows.

Originally posted by d1k
Several people in the pool swimming all around him including behind and in front and under him plus the camera man putting the camera directly under him. Nothing could be above him as the many people in the pool and out of the pool would clearly see it, unless everyone there are all in on it.

Misdirection does not work here cause it's such a long stunt.

Not human.

[edit on 12-6-2006 by d1k]

Really? Imagine that you know for a fact that there is a high-rise cable... Watch the video again. Is there anything in the video that could give away the "fact" that there is a suspension? Also note that he is not walking "on" the water but rather in the water - and the depth varies. Now why would the depth vary? Why would he "slide" in the water and not walk "properly"?

I must say - Plexiglass - not likely, but not impossible.

And yes, they can all easily be in on it. You know those tricks where the illusionist makes something HUGE disappear with an audience there to watch? Think David Copperfield really made the Statue of Liberty disappear? Most of these tricks are camera trickery with the crowd in on it.

I know - we really want to believe it to be true magic - it's usually a huge disappointment if you find out how a "magician" did a trick. I'm not trying to be a spoil-sport. Just voicing my opinion.

I was present at something similar for a Channel 4 program in the UK.
Two guys do 'Tricks of the Bible' and walked on Water.
It was genuinely impressive to behold, well would have been had we not, as the on site viewers, been accosted by the production team asking us to feign surprise when these guys walked, as we were witness to a three inch thick clear plastic sheet submerged 2 inches below the water surface.

If you watch this clip you will see that a) the woman that swims underneath, her air bubbles actually hit something, then look closely at the part where he takes his shoes off.
Watch how at this point he stretches his leg just that little bit further than before.

Paranormal - no.
Entertaining as an Illusionist - yes.

Another question... what happened to the other shoe?

that was impressive.
But the only thing to strike me....was that the people were "wooping" like Taylor Hicks had just appeared on screen.
If i was there and i saw that for real....i would be too damn dumbstruck to do any wooping.
but maybe thats just me.

and also, although they made a point of showing people swimming near him....is there any point where someone actually swims/moves past his point of direction?

i would like to apologise for the "taylor hicks" reference. Since American Idol finished....i have missed him. Alot. And when making my comment, the only person i could think of who would illicit such "wooping" was....taylor hicks.

Such is my life

He's got powers alright- evil, devil attained power.

Spooky.

Originally posted by Gemwolf
Really? Imagine that you know for a fact that there is a high-rise cable... Watch the video again. Is there anything in the video that could give away the "fact" that there is a suspension? Also note that he is not walking "on" the water but rather in the water - and the depth varies. Now why would the depth vary? Why would he "slide" in the water and not walk "properly"?

I must say - Plexiglass - not likely, but not impossible.

And yes, they can all easily be in on it. You know those tricks where the illusionist makes something HUGE disappear with an audience there to watch? Think David Copperfield really made the Statue of Liberty disappear? Most of these tricks are camera trickery with the crowd in on it.

Watch the woman swimming under him closely, the bubbles do not hit anything at all. Watch the camera when the camera man puts the camera directly under him, you see nothing at all. Watch the camera Chris is holding when they go to it's shot, you see nothing at all under him.

You also get a wide angle shot with a good 10 foot view above him as well where you see nothing like a cable or wire. Also the many side shots of him walking where you see no wire coming off him.

Yes you do see him stepping IN the water not on it and the way he walks does look awkward. We can guess all day what he could be doing but we'll never know. There is nothing in the video (the show) that will show us or even give us a hint at how he did it, the editors would not leave it in if they did catch something on camera.

I would say the audience was in on it but word would get around fast on his tricks. I've seen this guy do some crazy things in his video that are very hard to explain, plus why is there no other magician that can do stunts of this caliber? It would be much easier to use lights, shadows, smoke and mirrors to hide the statue of liberty to an audience that is sitting x number of miles away from it then some of these tricks Chris Angel does. Plus they call Chris angel a mentalist...why is that? I've never heard of any magician being called a mentalist. How can you explain the show where he walks up to people on the street, asks them a fear they have then "conjure" that fear out of the very hat the person is wearing (a huge spider). I'm not one to believe in voodoo and magic and all that but I seriously think this guy is not normal, either that or he is leaps and bounds beyond anything anyone else can do.

[edit on 12-6-2006 by d1k]

LoL! I don't know why we're debating this. I was giving my opinion - I have no evidence whatsoever that it's either a cable or glass or anything else. (We now have a fellow member, JebusSaves, who says he has witnessed this stunt and that it is indeed glass/Perspex/plastic/whatever.)

But just for kicks we'll continue this.

Originally posted by d1k
Watch the woman swimming under him closely, the bubbles do not hit anything at all. Watch the camera when the camera man puts the camera directly under him, you see nothing at all. Watch the camera Chris is holding when they go to it's shot, you see nothing at all under him.

Yes, I've watched the video a couple of times by now. As JebusSaves pointed out... The woman swimming under him let's out bubbles (I hope from her mouth! Don't they look odd? They don't break the surface, do they?) Also you repeatedly say, "you see nothing"... Isn't that the whole point? A see-through or "perfectly clear" material that would allow camera shots from several angels without revealing its presence. The fact that there's water just adds to the "invisibility" effect. Now, I would agree that it cannot be one solid piece of plastic as at one point there are people right in front of him. Thus it must be more than one piece that is used. Or there were some video editing, i.e. more than one different set-ups - but edited so it would look like one scene. (That is if the "plastic theory" is the one used...)
There is no camera angle that disproves a suspension, is there?

Originally posted by d1k
You also get a wide angle shot with a good 10 foot view above him as well where you see nothing like a cable or wire. Also the many side shots of him walking where you see no wire coming off him.

Ah. The Indian Rope trick/illusion is one of the corner stones of magic. That was done with a cable/rope "invisible" to the audience. The method has since been used umpteenth times to awe crowds. Are you saying that there couldn't possibly be a rope/cable longer than 10 feet? Do you expect a 3-inch thick cable dragging him across the water? Many shots... Shouldn't that tell us that there was at least some video editing?

Originally posted by d1k
Yes you do see him stepping IN the water not on it and the way he walks does look awkward. We can guess all day what he could be doing but we'll never know. There is nothing in the video (the show) that will show us or even give us a hint at how he did it, the editors would not leave it in if they did catch something on camera.

Point is that the illusion is not beyond explanation...

Originally posted by d1k
I've seen this guy do some crazy things in his video that are very hard to explain, plus why is there no other magician that can do stunts of this caliber?

Err... David Blaine. David Copperfield. Harry Houdinni... They were all great illusionists in their own right. They need to create illusions of their own to attract their own audiences.
Many moons ago I thought David Blaine was from another planet as well. That was until I read an E-Book "Magic Revealed" and was disappointed to see how David Blaine manipulated me into believing that he could actually do magic. Now if you want to see some stunning illusions... Go see David Copperfield's flying illusion.

Originally posted by d1k
It would be much easier to use lights, shadows, smoke and mirrors to hide the statue of liberty to an audience that is sitting x number of miles away from it then some of these tricks Chris Angel does. Plus they call Chris angel a mentalist...why is that? I've never heard of any magician being called a mentalist. How can you explain the show where he walks up to people on the street, asks them a fear they have then "conjure" that fear out of the very hat the person is wearing (a huge spider). I'm not one to believe in voodoo and magic and all that but I seriously think this guy is not normal, either that or he is leaps and bounds beyond anything anyone else can do.

Have you seen David Blaine's street magic? It's all the same kinda stuff. Street magic that targets "random volunteers" with "amateur" video footage is a cool effect. It gives us a sort of "real" feel. That doesn't mean that it isn't staged or that there aren’t video tricks involved. I want to tell you to go and read a couple of books on "Magic", i.e. illusions. It's astounding what they do. But on the other hand - if you still believe in Magic (illusions being more than illusions) then don't spoil it for yourself. It's no fun knowing all the tricks in the book (Not that I know all the tricks in the book). It's like finding out Santa Clause is not real. I hate to be the one to tell you it's all tricks, but if that's what it takes to end this?

Mentalist? "Magic of the Mind". That doesn't mean anything. You can call me Bill Gates but that still wouldn't make me the richest man on the planet.

Originally posted by Gemwolf
Now, I would agree that it cannot be one solid piece of plastic as at one point there are people right in front of him. Thus it must be more than one piece that is used. Or there were some video editing, i.e. more than one different set-ups - but edited so it would look like one scene. (That is if the "plastic theory" is the one used...)

Actually its all about persepective.
Notice how the Cameraman never once gets in front of him, or that the people who appear in his line of movement are shot at from an angle.....see, its one of the key ingredients of Illusion is perspective.

Originally posted by Gemwolf
It's like finding out Santa Clause is not real.

WTF, he isnt what.....don't lie, i thought you were truthing up to now, but this comment is wrong, Santa is Real, SANTA is real, i've seen him.....he brought me a bike several(being 20) years ago.....don't make me come up there!!!!

Next you'll be saying the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy work at ASDA!!!

Originally posted by Gemwolf
There is no camera angle that disproves a suspension, is there?

As I said, there is a shot that shows a good 10 feet above him and many side shots that show no hint of a cable attached to him.

Ah. The Indian Rope trick/illusion is one of the corner stones of magic. That was done with a cable/rope "invisible" to the audience. The method has since been used umpteenth times to awe crowds. Are you saying that there couldn't possibly be a rope/cable longer than 10 feet? Do you expect a 3-inch thick cable dragging him across the water? Many shots... Shouldn't that tell us that there was at least some video editing?

ummmmm. What?

Point is that the illusion is not beyond explanation...

No the point is we could go on guessing for hours on what it is and we'll never know but you see no cables and you see not plastic, plexit glass, what ever. You clearly see the bubbles from the girl swimming under him come to the surface and you clearly see nothing under him from the camera man in the water putting the camera directly underneith him.

Err... David Blaine. David Copperfield. Harry Houdinni... They were all great illusionists in their own right. They need to create illusions of their own to attract their own audiences.
Many moons ago I thought David Blaine was from another planet as well. That was until I read an E-Book "Magic Revealed" and was disappointed to see how David Blaine manipulated me into believing that he could actually do magic. Now if you want to see some stunning illusions... Go see David Copperfield's flying illusion.

They have nothing on this Chris Angel. There is no comparison what so ever.

Have you seen David Blaine's street magic? It's all the same kinda stuff. Street magic that targets "random volunteers" with "amateur" video footage is a cool effect. It gives us a sort of "real" feel. That doesn't mean that it isn't staged or that there aren’t video tricks involved. I want to tell you to go and read a couple of books on "Magic", i.e. illusions. It's astounding what they do. But on the other hand - if you still believe in Magic (illusions being more than illusions) then don't spoil it for yourself.

Again I have seen David Blane and again, he has nothing on Chris Angel.

Mentalist? "Magic of the Mind". That doesn't mean anything. You can call me Bill Gates but that still wouldn't make me the richest man on the planet.

What's your point on this comment?

[edit on 12-6-2006 by d1k]

...you see not plastic, plexit glass, what ever. You clearly see the bubbles from the girl swimming under him come to the surface and you clearly see nothing under him from the camera man in the water putting the camera directly underneith him.

Yeah, thats the point, they use clear plastics in water that obscures the edges.
I'd also wager there are perplex rods underneath every couple of meters for stability.

Like i have said before, i've seen this trick in person and it is only that, its not a feat of magic.

Originally posted by JebusSaves
Actually its all about persepective.

Indeed! Curious that at around 1:00 (when he takes of his shoes) there are people all "around" him... Except behind him? Hmmm...

Originally posted by JebusSaves
WTF, he isnt what.....don't lie, i thought you were truthing up to now, but this comment is wrong, Santa is Real, SANTA is real, i've seen him.....he brought me a bike several(being 20) years ago.....don't make me come up there!!!!

Next you'll be saying the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy work at ASDA!!!

Oops... Err... Sorry about that. It just slipped out. No, I was just kidding around. There really is a big fat jolly guy in red that has a scientifically impossible way to deliver billions of presents in 24 hours to kids all over the planet...

Originally posted by Gemwolf

Originally posted by JebusSaves
Actually its all about persepective.

Indeed!

Curious that at around 1:00 (when he takes of his shoes) there are people all "around" him... Except behind him? Hmmm...

Originally posted by JebusSaves
WTF, he isnt what.....don't lie, i thought you were truthing up to now, but this comment is wrong, Santa is Real, SANTA is real, i've seen him.....he brought me a bike several(being 20) years ago.....don't make me come up there!!!!

Next you'll be saying the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy work at ASDA!!!

Oops... Err... Sorry about that. It just slipped out. No, I was just kidding around. There really is a big fat jolly guy in red that has a scientifically impossible way to deliver billions of presents in 24 hours to kids all over the planet...

Damn straight he's real.
I even remember feeling his 'North Pole' when i sat on his lap once.