Amazing Video - Can Anyone Explain?

I don't know if this man levitating is entirely genuine or not. It strikes me odd that after learning how to do such an amazing feat he would remix cds of African tribal music and sell them on the beach while encouraging people to give him donations. Just seems like taking something great and mystical (if authentic) and turning it into a cheap sideshow for cash. Either way, it is interesting.

reply to post by SonOfTheLawOfOne


was never good at embedding youtube vids...
www.youtube.com...


https:// www.youtube.com/watch? v=6MC6DC8X5wA&feature= youtube_gdata_player...
i left a few spaces in there if someone can make it wirk, thanks in advance, if not try googling "dynamo jack"
edit: wow i got the vid to work first try lol...

in any case, there is much we do not understand about the world around us as well as within us, to say that a person cannot achieve such feats is... almost ignorant.
there is actually more evidence in support of these feats than there are against it.

nevermind

Originally posted by AlphaHawk
reply to post by SonOfTheLawOfOne

 

Discussed and explained here my friend


www.abovetopsecret.com...

Good one. This vid in that thread explains a lot.



Thanx

Originally posted by SonOfTheLawOfOne

Originally posted by opethPA

Originally posted by SonOfTheLawOfOne

Originally posted by xxdaniel21
reply to post by SonOfTheLawOfOne

 

Look above his head as he throws the smoke bomb. Replay it if you have to.

There are 2 shiny reflections that could very possibly be wires. Working on a screenshot

EDIT: Screenshot below. Look back at the video and focus on the circled area. When you see him being raised as the reflections change, it will make more sense as the strings are synchronous with his actions.


Link to image

(Sorry i'm unable to throw the picture in this post, i'm yet to learn how such sorcery is achieved)

edit on 9-6-2013 by xxdaniel21 because: (no reason given)

Nice try, but explain this one...

No where for wires my friend, he's on the beach in the sand.

~Namaste

From the other ATS thread on this illusion...

"basically the performers loose fitting robe is concealing a solid metal seat that has a support on one side in the form on the "staff" "

Makes sense on multiple fronts.

That wouldn't explain how he's able to lay the stick down first in front of him... where does the seat go and how does it stay attached to the stick if it's laying down and completely disconnected from his body?

~Namaste

At what point in the video does he lay the stick down in front of him?
How come all the people in this video have the same layout, stick on one side, large baggy clothes.
Finally watch the video above and see where it's explained in detail.

Originally posted by Nevertheless

Originally posted by SonOfTheLawOfOne
Really??

Really. Tricks will always be tricks.

So Shaolin monks can't break cement blocks with their heads, which would kill anyone else?

Yes they can, with the right blocks, right spacers and proper technique. But it sure does look remarkable.

Or lay on top of spears that should go through them like butter?

That's where you got fooled. The spears should not go through them like butter. If you're interested in how this is done, a simple google will give you the answer.

if its just a trick then why not recreate it yourself?

Originally posted by D.Wolf

Originally posted by AlphaHawk
reply to post by SonOfTheLawOfOne

 

Discussed and explained here my friend


www.abovetopsecret.com...

Good one. This vid in that thread explains a lot.

Thanx

That video is one minute long and couldn't possibly explain everything. It shows in the video that the stick and seat are ONE UNIT, completely attached, which would be necessary to properly support the weight of the individual. That is not the case in the videos we're looking at, so either he has re-mastered the trick in a new way that we can't reproduce or figure out, or it's legit.

It explains and shows one way to do the trick, but like I already mentioned, the video I posted shows him laying the stick down in front of him. So if you're correct, you'd have to show how it's possible to detach the seat from the stick, and then re-attach it without being noticed, because that would be the trick. That's not happening in the video and there are several of them that show the same thing in different environments.

The only reasonable explanation left is the seat, but that's easy to dismiss once he lays the stick down flat on the ground in front of him, because that would pivot the seat and reveal the structure attached to the stick.

Do people read the entire thread or not? I already mentioned this earlier on and have seen the videos on the other thread, and they still don't explain this specifically, they explain something else.

~Namaste

reply to post by opethPA


How about you watch both videos and then tell me how they are different? They are obviously not the same...

The Yogi in the video gets off the seat and you can SEE the seat is attached with an upside-down U-shaped support structure. It is completely attached to the stick. In order for him to pull off the trick, he CAN'T move his hand from the stick, and can not lay the stick down without revealing the seat. You're so quick to dismiss something based on a one-minute video?

If he wanted to pull of the same trick, he would NOT be able to lay the stick flat on the floor without giving away the fixture attached to it. I'm not saying it's not possible, I'm saying that your explanation based on the 1 minute video is not enough on its own merits without looking at how the sequence of steps between both the Yogi and the OP video are different, which completely dismissed the Yogi's video since the stick lays flat on the ground. All other things being equal is not enough to say it's the same trick, just because he happens to be wearing a robe and holding a stick.

~Namaste

he does it in shorts with no props or it is trickery

Originally posted by RadicalRebel
if its just a trick then why not recreate it yourself?

...what?

Not buying that it's really levitation, but he is a good magician and is obviously talented at doing what good magicians do: convincing people that his 'magic' is real. This interests me more than the trick... how people will naturally be convinced about something when they can't figure it out. Interesting how his robe doesn't hang down, but seems to be flattened out as if he were sitting on something flat. When he does this in just a pair of shorts without his stick, that would be more convincing, although I still wouldn't believe he was really levitating. I would also point out that in other levitation videos it takes these guys (supposedly masters, old guys who have been doing it for years) quite some time (hours - a whole day) to prepare to levitate. It took this guy about two minutes. Definately a trick, and entertaining. I don't believe in chakras either, so I knew straight away it was going to be a trick. People are so easily fooled by BS.

reply to post by Nevertheless

you seem surprised by the suggestion, dont worry i tried it once, in high school.

lots of 16p nails in a sheet of plywood, parents were more upset than principle...

if its just a trick, then do it.
not sure if i recommend trying to balance on a spear head but a bed of nails doesnt hurt toooo bad...lol

so any ways, if this levitation is just a trick then why not try to recreate it?

edit: on a side note im still looking for someone to debunk this chris angel fellow, he levitates alot! there is also another magicial who levitates objects rather than himself but i cant think of his name atm. its curious that there are so many people who attempt to "debunk" the spiritual teachings of certain cultures but why not the entertainers who make the same claims?

If anyone here knows me at all, you know that I work in the film industry. Well we use 'Magic' all of the time.
Part of my early career I spent doing stunts at Excalibur in Vegas as well as working with some of the best prop makers in the industry. I spent time working on David Copperfield's props as well. They're all just tricks. Due to a very rigorous confidentiality contract, that's all I can say about DC's act even after twenty plus years. Men in black will get me.Haha, Actually men in very nice dark gray suits from a law office will get me. Worse!
Anyway, the AGT show is an easy one to explain, but first, the apparatus:

The Rig
* Under the carpet lies a steel plate.
* Attached to that plate in the up stageleft corner is a rod.
* From the top of that rod runs an armature shaped and bent to be concealed by his garment.
it follows his arm to a seat/ bracket that he is strapped to.
* During his performance, of which you'll only ever see the gag part, he keeps his weight on the apparatus so that when he does lift his legs, the pipe doesn't bounce and flex dramatically. It does to some extent and is noticeable.
* One of his videos shows him in the street and walking around the carpet but only in a very defined radius and limited angle of arc. His hand and arm never change their orientation other than to pivot on the cane.
* He lifts his legs, sells the gag and drops his legs. Done. Tah Daaaaaahhhh!!

America's Got Talent
* Same deal here. Same rig. Just a little extra production value thrown in.
* The smoke pot (hehe...I said Smoke pot and got away with it) is something added in order to
motivate a 'Flash Wipe' .( No toilet humor here) When he does the gag, you never see a one-shot through the whole gag. He preps, they make several cuts and then they have the hero shot of him doing his thing.
* Now, he drops his legs and the smoke pot blows. The gag's over but he's still rigged. Now, they remove the rig, he resets and they shoot the last part of the gag complete with a smoke pot again and he falls to the floor to 'sell it' . They edit the two together at the smoke pot and add a 'Flash wipe' of a few frames of white screen on both sides of the edit and VOILA!! Modern day magic!! Frame-by-frame through the smoke pot (haha, that never gets old) and you'll see the edit. The smoke is already full when the frame clears from the wipe.

Now, it's a pretty cool rig and I'm happy for him as a street performer getting his 15 minutes. I have friends in NOLA who are, or have been, street performers just as I did on the beach in Destin FL for a time.
I'm sorry for all of the gullible people here looking for a real levitation though. Gullible is a strong word. Mostly, I think, people want to be amazed and want to believe that something impossible can happen. It's our nature. We want to see the spiritual side. We are just conditioned to regard it as silly though and push it aside and only live in the matrix.
Peace to all.

Oh, and when the current movie that I'm working on comes out in a year or so, check it out. You'll see ALOT of my artwork and "magic" in it. "Maze Runner". Fox Productions.

reply to post by wirefly


You must not have watched the beach video of the same act. Where's the electrical source or the rig? Buried under the sand? Other videos have outside on the street doing it, it's not just America's Got Talent editing, there are other Youtube videos that show it. Also, how does he disconnect and reconnect the rig when he lays the stick on the ground and let's go of it?

Just saying, I am not doubting your "magic" because I'm fully aware of what can be done with computers and video editing, but some things don't fit into his version of the "trick".

~Namaste

reply to post by SonOfTheLawOfOne


I did watch the beach video. I didn't comment on it because it would be the easiest to do. Just bury the plate. Also, all you'd need to do to debunk him is just pick up his til and walk away. Haha
Reread my explanation about the editing. I can't explain it any better than that.
Anyway, if you don't find my explanation sufficient, that's ok. Enjoy the magic and share it with your friends. That's why he's out there doing it. We love to make people wonder.

Originally posted by RadicalRebel
reply to post by Nevertheless

 

you seem surprised by the suggestion, dont worry i tried it once, in high school.

That sounds unsafe, unless you knew what you were doing - of course.

lots of 16p nails in a sheet of plywood, parents were more upset than principle...

I can imagine.

if its just a trick, then do it.

I said that it's a trick, as in it is perfectly doable if it is done right, there is nothing supernatural about it.
I'm not saying that I'm willing or even able to do martial art tricks.

not sure if i recommend trying to balance on a spear head but a bed of nails doesnt hurt toooo bad...lol

I know it doesn't, if it's a proper bed of nails.

so any ways, if this levitation is just a trick then why not try to recreate it?

Partly for the same reason I don't want to build a boat even if I know I could.
Partly because I'm not trained in such art.

It's a trick and it's quite well performed. Nothing can be taken from him regarding that.
However, the person seems slightly dishonest, as it appears as if he's not calling himself an "illusionist", but someone who's really levitating. Haven't watched/listened to him enough to know his stance.. It doesn't really matter to me.

Well in my post about this it was fairly made clear that it is an illusion. I'm thinkin he made his own rig, more capable of being hidden and less bulky like the other videos. That makes the most sence to me.

reply to post by SonOfTheLawOfOne


It is an old "yogi" trick. The pole or "staff" hitches to a platform hidden in his robe. There is a support platform beneath the rug, or in this case sand, into which to plant the "staff."

This trick and tricks like it have been around for centuries.

Ask yourself, if he wanted to really prove levitation, why have the rug, and why have the stick? Take the stick away and the trick might be a little more interesting.

The rug and the stick are part of the trick, and the stick at least is necessary.

Read this:

www.randi.org...

There are different variations of the trick but they all follow the same principles. It astounds me that you'd watch a silly show like America's Got Talent and what is clearly an illusion act, and come away convinced of supernatural powers.

In the example where he does this on the beach, the sand is used in place of the rug - to cover the base of the contraption being used to levitate him. As for the guy who said electromagnets - no, it's far simpler and more basic than that.

Originally posted by Credenceskynyrd
he does it in shorts with no props or it is trickery

Good answer.

If this guy does the same trick in just a pair of shorts then we can be impressed, but he cannot