How Do David Blaine And Similar Magicians Make It Appear That They Can Hover Above The Ground?
David Blaine is amazing, totally. But he’s not the only one who does this trick. He’s just the one who’s gotten the most TV time doing it! People watching him, standing right next to him look truly astonished–as if there could not possibly be any trickery going on…but is there?
invisible string?
maybe some hidden device.?
idk
There’s a few methods that are employed by David Blaine and other magicians to pull off the illusion. In the Television series, multiple methods are employed to make it believable.
First of all, there’s the basic “levitation” in which they can appear to levitate just a few inches off the ground. Utilizing certain body motions and angles, it is possible to present the illusion of actually floating off the ground and back.
There’s also several “Gimmicks” that can be purchased to “Levitate” you momentarily. They have a similar effect to the first method, but can be performed surrounded. Though they’re generally very expensive.
For higher levitations, levers, or cranes with wires can be employed to lift the entertainer off the ground.
These last two methods are very tricky and require a lot of control over the environment including viewing angles, stage/area sound and lighting.
In the case of David Blaine, many of the above methods are utilized along with some camera trickery. The actual levitation he performs for the live people is most likely the first one, requiring only skill and practice. The camera crew doesn’t film him entirely, but wants to focus on the reactions of the spectators. Later on, the stunt is filmed from the spectator’s point of view, looking over the shoulder of actors/extras posing as the audience. Cords or camera effects can be used to hide the “lifting” mechanism, giving a clear view of the Magician floating several feet in the air. To pull this off live, the magician would need to be working in a very controlled environment.
If you’re interested in the specific details of the levitations, there’s a few videos that explain various methods to pull off the levitation effect. I recommend that you visit your local magic shop (or search for one online). They might be able to show/teach you some basic effects or recommend the best video based on your physique, skill, etc…
I’m not 100% sure, but you’ll notice the people viewing the “hovering” are always in the same spot, relative to him. Behind him and to the right (I think), always at about the same angle (maybe about 15 degrees from being directly behind him). I’m sure it is an optical illusion that only works from that particular angle.
Yeah it’s video editing dude. If you notice in the videos where they levitate high…there is no one else in the shot.
If there are people around they do something similar to this videohttp://www.metacafe.com/watch/156939/how…
video editing