Tony Chang Magic Book.pdf

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| WAS KIDNAPPED LEFT IN TAIWAN

© Copyright 2013 py"g by Tony Chang and Cherry Villain corp y y 8 Y P Bi GH All Rights Reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now

known or to be invented, without permission in writing.

METHOD

Allow Jane to select a card While she’s looking at it, turn

your head and torso to the right as if to shield the selection’s

identity from sight The real purpose for doing this is to create a reason to torque your upper body — a movement that will prove useful in a moment While turned, spread the pack between your hands in a wide arc You want it so Jane can easily return her card back into the deck, and a tight spread will hinder this Keep both ends of the deck in straddle grip to aid with a later move

When Jane is ready to return her card, twist back around, but not completely Stop in the proverbial ‘one

o'clock’ position [PHOTO 1] “Hold your card tight and insert

it into the deck.” You don’t want her taking her hand off the card Once she’s inserted it halfway, [PHOTO 2], assert, “Don't let go.” During this comment, complete the twisting motion back to the ‘twelve o'clock’ position You'll now be facing Jane straight on What happened in the process is that the spread also moved along with you Jane's tightly held card, however, did not That’s the moment Jane herself culled the card under the spread [PHOTO 3] It’s a small, barely discernible movement, but the work is done The position of the selection is now hidden beneath the spread

“Push it in all the way.” Once Jane pushes her selection flush, it will appear as though you leave it where she inserted it In reality, you'll be secretly repositioning it to the bottom Thanks to the subtle movement earlier, the selection has now been culled beneath the spread, but not out of it Its left long edge will still need to be pulled clear if it’s going to be

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slipped to the bottom of the deck

A tell with culling is the separation of the deck when the card is slid out to the right This is due to the rest of the deck above the culled card going along for the ride To combat this— and keep the spread intact —a modified straddle grip plays a key role The modification is that only your pinky is doing the straddling, not your index finger This grip forces your pinky to act as a rail for the culled card, keeping it straight to prevent any edges from being exposed Plant your left thumb on the spread past the imaginary center line that separates the two halves [PHOTO 4] With your thumb applying pressure, pull the culled card to the right with your right index and middle fingers Don’t move your pinky or that will be a tell—only move your first two fingers [PHOTO 5] The card will slide out the rest of the way, clear of the spread, without moving any of the visible cards in the process Closing the deck will bring the selection to the bottom Unlike a traditional cull, there should never be an accordion action involved The only outward action should be closing the spread The cards never go right, only left

Continue on with your planned material This will be the first time you thank a spectator for her help and actually

mean it

COMMENTS

In a traditional cull, the spread stays in place while the card is moved beneath In this handling, it’s the opposite The card stays motionless as the spread is moved above This is why it’s vital for the spectator to hold the card still If the instructions are not clear, she will most likely let go of the card once she’s inserted it halfway into the spread Emphasize that she is to keep a tight hold on her card, and not let go until it has been fully pushed into the deck This instruction only exists because the method requires

it to exist Situations of this type are greatly benefited by

CREDITS

+ Culling a card under a spread or fan didn’t hit the printed page until the mid-nineteenth century It appeared within the context of a force in R.P’s Ein Spiel Karten (1853, translated by Dr Lori Pieper in 2005), in a trick with the translated title of “Touche.” Unpublished notebooks suggest the move dates back another 150-200 years, or more It was described in an entry to an anonymous notebook circa 1800 (transcribed by Will Houstoun as The Notebook in 2009) An even earlier appearance was in the unpublished Asti Manuscript (c 1700) The move is used in a trick with the translated title of, “To have a card taken from the deck and looked at, have it given to you, put it back in the said deck to shuffle, and that then, that person touches the card he

wants, it is the one he took.” This manuscript was translated by Dr Lori Pieper in the Winter, 2013 issue of Gibeciere (Vol 8, No 1)

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PRECRASTINATION

A RECURRING THEME THROUGHOUT TONY'S MAGIC is the use of a spread There are a number of reasons

why Tony is drawn to getting work done when the deck is in this condition The obvious benefit is the

additional coverage a spread provides It becomes easier to physically hide secret movements A more

important reason, though, is what a spread represents Look at a squared deck A squared deck is a

final state There’s no reason to mess with a pack in this condition It’s at rest This is why so many

moves look suspicious from a squared deck; you're doing something to an object that doesn’t need

anything done to it It’s the equivalent of sending an email, and then going back to spellcheck what you wrote A spread is not like that A spread is different A spread is in flux It’s not a final position; it’s an intermediary situation rife with in-built motivations for movements and manipulations In fact, it would be strange if you didn’t do anything with a spread It’s not a final state — a spread must be closed It is this action that can be exploited in a multitude of ways, and Tony takes great advantage of this

Here, Tony takes a move of Paul Le Paul’s that is normally done from a squared deck, and retools it to be used during the closing of a spread It’s a method to delay the acquisition of a break, creating a looser, carefree feel to his card handling While the concept is versatile, it will be described within the context of a basic card control

METHOD

Spread the deck between your hands for the return of the selection The type of spread is important: a tight, straight row of cards won't work Instead, sweep the cards out into a wide arc [PHOTO 1] Keep the spread as one unit, but think of it as two parts: the selection and everything below it in the left hand, and the upper half in the right hand In a moment, the pack will be closed with both hands acting independently of each other Begin by closing the left hand’s cards slightly quicker than the right hand’s With the upper half not far behind, push your right fingers forward The bottom cards

of this top half will splay forward without compromising

its properties as a standalone unit Because the spread is curved, the untidy top half will cover the front and back of

the bottom half [PHOTO 2, EXAGGERATED] It shouldn't look

purposeful, but rather a touch on the messy side [PHOTO 3] Keep the top portion of cards horizontally squared with the

lower half of the deck below [PHOTO 4]

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At this point, it looks like a dishevelled deck, but upon

closer inspection from the sides, you'll notice a large gap

directly above the selection [PHOTO 5] This gap isn’t going anywhere, so don't feel rushed to do anything about it Take advantage of the freedom you're given when you don't

need to worry about holding a break A subtlety that Tony

uses here is to mirror his hands’ positions and gestures He does this by opening his hands up, moving his thumbs outward His deck hand mimics his empty hand, creating an unmistakable feeling of relaxed, carefree handling

When time comes for you to transfer the step into a break, insert your left pinky onto the lower ledge [PHOTO 6] Support the majority of the deck between your left

thumb and middle finger at the outer left and right corners,

and square the messy deck up You're now in classic break position, and ready to continue on with your planned material

It’s also an easy matter to transfer the step into an injog To do this, plant your left pinky onto the step, and then pull down and back The card will slip out the back of the deck

as you square up Tony regularly uses this injog strategy for

the Diagonal Palm Shift as a reason to have both hands on the deck at the same time It naturally creates much-needed context for the move

COMMENTS

If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it This cliche epitomizes why secret moves from a squared deck draw attention The deck is in a perfectly fine condition, so there’s no reason to ‘fix’ anything An unsquared deck does need to be fixed, and it’s in this fixing transition where sleights can hide Context is often the best cloak of invisibility

Try using transitions for your sleights, no matter how small If it ain't broke, then break it

+ Tony was inspired by Paul Le Paul’s A Natural Jog-Control

from The Card Magic of Le Paul (1949)

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There are a lot of clever, unintuitive hook-ups for invisible thread — some using pivots, pulleys, and anchor points in ways that would cause Archimedes to weep with pride Despite this, one nagging feature remains no matter how intricate the setup: 1:1 This ratio means the hands (or hips, or head, etc.) must move the same distance as the object being animated Even for non-obvious uses like the Haunted Deck, where the hands are moving up while the deck is moving side-to-side, this 1:1 ratio still exists It’s a tell that is present in the vast majority of thread work

In Looper, Tony strived to not just lessen this ratio, but eliminate it altogether It is an animation with no apparent movement from the magician whatsoever None The result feels nothing like “strings,” and everything like magic

EFFECT

While at the bar, Tony lays a drinking straw across the mouth of his drink He brings his hands to the side of the glass to focus his power, but keeps them far from the straw After intense concentration — and no movement on Tony’s part — the straw shoots into the air, and across the table The straw is examinable at every stage of the event

REQUIREMENTS

- Invisible thread with tension (the handling will be described with a looped strand of elastic invisible thread, but an I.T.R may also be used)

+ 1 drinking straw

+ 1 glass

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METHOD

Before heading out for drinks with friends, put the looped thread around your right wrist as you would a watch It will be unobtrusive all night long, but ready when you need it

At some point in the evening, naturally place a few napkins between you and your drink This has nothing to do with the actual method, but it will provide a wonderful moment soon When you're about to perform, slide the thread down your wrist until it’s just past your thumb, encircling the center of your palm You're now ready

“Jane, check this out I’m going to move this straw without touching it.” Lay the straw across the top of your drinking

glass, pointing directly to and away from you After a bit of suspense, blow hard in the direction of the straw This is a funny moment, not only because it seems to be a joke, but because everything but the straw moves! The napkins spread across the table, the table candle (if present) flutters, etc The straw, however, doesn’t move an inch Because the wind was blowing down its length, there wasn’t enough force to budge it Tony does this not just for a joke, but in order to subtly discount the method as a possible solution for what's about to happen If the straw doesn’t move when he openly blows on it, then there’s no way a secret puff of air will be able to explain the upcoming animation It prevents the line of reasoning from becoming a line of reasoning And it’s cleverly wrapped in a joke

During the laugh, slide your left middle finger between your right palm and the thread Pull the hands back apart to create a taught circle of elastic [PHOTO 1, THICK ELASTIC

USED FOR VISIBILITY | “Damn That usually works ” Bring your

hands close to the glass, with each hand on their respective side of the straw On the journey, rotate your right hand to an almost palm-down position In the process, ensure that the tip of your right thumb catches on the thread, pulling it down with the rest of your hand Anchor your hands near

14| TONY CHANG

the glass, with the thread barely beneath the straw [PHOTO 2] The tension in the thread is what’s about to launch the straw If you've ever shot rubber bands across the room, you know the kind of force they're capable of unleashing

“Watch closely, Jane It usually doesn’t move much, so | don’t want you to miss it.” This will not only ensure she’s paying attention, but will also lower her expectations, creating a larger impact when the magic does occur Begin feigning concentration, as though you're trying to ‘will’ the straw to move The thread will eventually be coming off your right thumb, but the key is to not move your thumb at all Keep it still Instead, slowly, and subtly move the entire left hand forward It won’t take much movement, and that small amount seems even less when spread out over the time used for ‘concentrating.’ After that small, slow movement, the thread will slip off the right thumb and propel the straw into the air and across the table It’s a shocking moment because of the strong disparity between the still image of nothing moving, followed immediately by a burst of unexplainable energy

At no point is the thread ever attached to the straw, so the visible props are examinable at every point of the routine

I.T.R

As mentioned, the handling can also be adapted to an 1.T.R While a reel may not be as practical as a looped elastic thread, it makes up the difference in flexibility: your hands can be farther apart for the animation They don’t need to be in close proximity to do the deed The tension on the thread will work across longer distances than a looped elastic thread will allow, lending even fewer visual clues to the method

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QUEENS GAMBIT

COMMENTS

When a magical effect is as focused as this, it is imperative that the conditions are not changed before and after the effect In Looper, it feels natural pull the right thumb off the thread to facilitate the animation, but fight the urge

Otherwise, a spectator can attribute the movement to

THERE ARE COLOR CHANGES WITH CARDS There are color changes with coins There are even color changes with six little gems along a rod As dissimilar as these objects are, they share one common feature: they're tangible Tony took a conceptual leap to try something different, and landed in fertile new ground His aim was to perform a color change not by manipulating a physical item, but by manipulating an audience’s expectations In other words, this is a method for a free color change — by crafting what

the audience Is expecting to see, you never need to touch the object itself

the method If nothing but the straw moves, then there is nothing a spectator can attach the effect to Sleight of hand is a slave to an effect, not the master If the primary reason for any action —no matter how small —is to ‘do a sleight,’ then it’s the wrong action Efficiency of method does not

always translate to simplicity and clarity of effect In Looper,

the clarity of the effect is directly proportional to nothing moving except for the straw A jerky movement from your right thumb will destroy this impossibility

CREDITS

- The use of secret thread to cause an object to seemingly move on its own was published in Reginald Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), under the title, “To make a Pot or

any such thing standing fast on the Cupboard, to fall down

thencs by vertue of words.”

- Finn Jon pioneered the use of invisible elastic loops in his

book, Invisible Elastic Thread (1988)

16 | TONY CHANG

Kì bai

From a shuffled pack, Tony explains to Jane how a set of mixed cards can determine the identity of an unknown card To illustrate the point, one card is placed on the table face down Four other cards are turned face up After looking at these cards intently for several seconds, Tony reveals, “The card on the table is the Two of Clubs.” The card on the table is, indeed, the Two of Clubs “Let me show you how it works.” Again, Jane selects a card to place on the table as four other cards are turned face up Tony explains, “There are more red cards than black, which tells us the card on the table is red There aren't any diamonds among these, which tells us the card is a diamond Adding them up, they equal ten That card must be the Ten of Diamonds.” The system's accuracy is verified when the tabled card is turned up once more to prove Tony right

It’s Jane turn to try One card is placed on the table, and Jane quickly decodes the other four cards into revealing its identity: the Five of Hearts Tony commends her on her accuracy When she turns the card over to check, she’s shocked to see the Queen of Spades staring back at her, with the other three Queens in Tony’s hand “In retrospect, these cards were clearly pointing to a Queen I'm not sure how we missed that.”

METHOD

Spread through the face-up pack, “It’s probably obvious,

but if one card is placed on the table, it’s easy to deduce what

it is All you have to do is switch your attention to the other

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the task The concept can be streamlined to work with as few

as four.” During this time, cull the four Queens to the 11", 12", 13", and 14" positions The exposition of the premise gives plenty of leeway to display the cards in such a way to simultaneously illustrate the point while getting the Queens

in position One casual approach is to cull the Queens to

the top and then perform two overhand shuffle sequences, adding five cards to the top with each shuffle The exact mechanics don’t matter as much as their integration with

your natural card handling You haven't started the trick yet,

so it shouldn't look like you're doing anything important Instead of your card handling, your focus should be on your dialogue with Jane A genuine conversation is often the greatest misdirection

“I'll show you Which of these should we place on the table, Jane?” Spread over five cards [PHOTO 1] Upon Jane touching a card, outjog it in position Give Jane one last chance, “This one?” With this comment, push the outer-right corner down and let it slip off your finger [PHOTO 2] It should look like you gave it a soft flick for emphasis In reality, you had a more sinister agenda The index of the card will dip down below the spread and stare you in the face for a brief moment [PHOTO 3] Depending on how low you're holding the deck — such as when performing for a seated audience

while you're standing up— you may need to angle the pack

down before the flick in order to catch a glimpse of the selection’s index Remember this card

When Jane agrees, place the card on the table “Let's see

the other four.” Slide the spread to the left, butting against

the left thumb As the cards begin to square, turn the

packet over onto the deck [PHOTO 4] These are the same

outward actions used in the Zarrow Block Addition — which will be executed later in the routine —so this conditions the

18 | TONY CHANG

diamond Adding up the even cards gives us a total of ten,

which tells us the card is a ten, the Ten of Diamonds.”

“The color red is missing, telling us the card on the

table is red There’s an abundance of royal cards, which tells us the suit of the card denotes luxury — certainly a diamond The only number card is a five But there are two fives on the

card; one at each end.” Point

to the two index values “Two [Ives is ten, which tells us the card is a ten, the Ten of Diamonds.”

“The color red pops out from

the sea of black, telling us

the card on the table is red The one red card is royal card, which is vertically symmetrical The only vertically symmetrical suit is the diamond, which tells us the card is a diamond The number

cards spelÏ out the value: the

T’ from ‘Two,’ ‘E’ from ‘Eight,’ and ‘N’ from ‘Nine’ spell 'T-E-N.' Thịs tells us the card is a ten, the Ten of Diamonds.”

audience to the movement

Spread the face-up cards off the deck as though you're analyzing them After some apparently deep calculations, announce the name of the card you peeked earlier, “The card on the table is the Two of Clubs.” Turn the card over to prove the concept’s effectiveness “Here, I'll show you how it works.”

Place all five cards on the bottom of the deck and repeat the same sequence that was performed in the first phase Things change once you spread the four face-up cards in front of you Instead of silently analyzing the cards, do it

openly Here is where your best bullshitting skills will come

into play You are going to fake your way through explaining how these four cards reveal the identity of the card you just peeked It’s an exercise in improvisation and is adapted

from Paul Chosse’s Triple Header First, start with the color Then disclose the suit Finally, reveal the value For this example, let’s assume you peeked the Ten of Diamonds It would be impossible to list every possible permutation of cards you may encounter — along with the myriad of ways to interpret them— but see the facing page for three scenarios along with one possible reading for each to give you a good

overview of the concept

These examples were purposely troublesome scenarios

in order to show that every situation can be dealt with The

permutations of cards you encounter in most cases will have easier, more direct ‘solutions’ than these If it sounds daunting to make this up on the spot, it’s not Any gibberish will do The key is to not worry about the logic You don’t need it to sound like a water-tight system Remember that the proof is in the results You're showing that the system works Simply talk through the system loud and proud, with conviction and authority It’s easy to talk with confidence when revealing the color and suit They're simple; the same few strategies come in handy for every situation Your mouth can go into automatic pilot for these first two properties,

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