The Sound
of Music
Ian writes:
"It's a pleasure to share this effect. Since
Joe Stevens is the king of magical videos, I
thought I would concoct something really good
using a video. I actually went to the trouble
to make it, then two days later presented it
to an audience. The response was: Wow! It works
like a treat."
Effect:
A video cassette is shown and removed from its
case. The case is shown empty. The video turns
out to be "The Sound of Music," the renowned
musical-film. The front of the video is shown
to establish this fact. The cassette is replaced
in its case. The magician snaps his fingers
and opens the case. The video has disappeared
and inside is a revolving ballerina, which spins
and moves as the audience actually hears
the sound of music.
Requirements:
(1) A video case that opens the same way as
The Greater Magic Videos produced by Stevens
Emporium. They have a empty black interior
that resembles a box rather than a slip-case.
(2) A
fake cassette that is really a shell.
Ian took an old video apart. He used the top
section which shows two reels and left the four
surrounding sides. He discarded the base and
insides. He purchased a silver-metallic card
from a craft shop and cut it to fit inside the
cassette shell. Using a thin-pointed brush,
a circular guide and white paint, he made a
facsimile of the two reels of tape. This was
inserted and fitted inside the top part of the
cassette-shell. Correctly done, it looks like
a legitimate video cassette.
(3) A
revolving music box that will fit inside the
video box and cassette. Needless to say, it
should play music that is apropos. To Ian's
delight, he found one that happened to play
"The Sound of Music." Do not be concerned if
you cannot find a "Sound of Music" box. Any
melody will suffice and audiences will understand
the association. The important thing is the
sound of some kind of music. Most units
are flat and will fit inside the "shell." There
is a starter lever and when the unit functions,
it revolves.
(4) A
small ballerina. This can be purchased from
a wedding cake shop.
(5) A
pipe cleaner, which is used to attach the small
ballerina to the revolving mechanism. The pipe
cleaner is pliable. Therefore the ballerina
can be put into a bent position and flat against
the device. Later, it can be bent back upright.
Setup:
Place the device and ballerina inside the shell
so that everything is neatly hidden.
Method
and Presentation:
Pick up and show the video case. Indicate that
it is apparently a tape of "The Sound of Music"
by clearly showing the label. Open the case
and show the cassette inside. Remove the cassette
and display its faked side.
Replace
it inside the case, turning it over in the process
so that its other side is uppermost. Close the
lid and make a magical pass or gesture. Open
the lid and activate the music box as you simultaneously
pull the ballerina upright. This takes less
than a second. The audience will hear the music.
As it plays, slowly turn and tilt the box toward
the audience so that they see that the cassette
has magically transformed into a dancer, moving
to the actual "Sound of Music."
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