Midnight Shift

Discuss your favorite close-up tricks and methods.
Matt Sedlak
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Midnight Shift

Postby Matt Sedlak » January 14th, 2002, 2:24 am

I have a question about the Midnight Shift. I like this version of the pass except for the rather awkward movement of the cards which really makes no sense. Ive heard that if you change the plane of rotation to a horizontal one then it is better. So I experimented with doing it under the cover of an all around square. I like the cover it provides but was wondering if anybody knew any other ways that were better

Bill Duncan
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Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Bill Duncan » January 14th, 2002, 2:48 pm

Steve Draun right? I recall playing with it years ago but I don't recall the mechanics now.

Can you site the publication so I can look it up? I had quite an infautation with the pass a few years back. I'm better now... :D

Matt Sedlak
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Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Matt Sedlak » January 14th, 2002, 2:53 pm

Its in his book Secrets Draun From the Underground. Its also on Kaufman's video on the pass.

Guest

Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Guest » January 14th, 2002, 4:42 pm

Is this move the same as the graveyard shift?

Noah LEvine

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 14th, 2002, 6:30 pm

I first published Steve Draun's handling of the Herrmann Pass (actually, it appears, invented by Hofzinser) in "Richard's Almanac" and changed the title from Midnight Shift to Graveyard Shift. When I redescribed in in Draun's book, the title was changed back to his preference.
The move is described in the book as being done both with the cards in a vertical plane, or with the cards in an horizontal plane. A different effect is achieved: the vertical plane is used for when a visible change is going to occur. The horiztonal plane should be used for a straight control where no visible change occurs.
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Guest

Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Guest » January 14th, 2002, 6:45 pm

Draun's midnight shift is a Hermann pass with a twisting motion, much like the Christ Twist half pass.

I don't see any way moving the action to an horizontal plane improves the move.

Any pass is subject to three rules. l. If you have hands the size of Bluto's (or Larry Jennings') you can get away with a lot of sneaky stuff even under heat. 2. Two, if you have normal sized hands sometimes you will get away with a perfect pass but you ought to have a misdirection component to accompany the move. 3. If you have small hands your misdirection must be of the superior kind.

I personally never use a pass to control a card to the top. I like to use passes and half-passes to effect color changes and packet upsy-downsys. . .

Guest

Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Guest » January 14th, 2002, 7:15 pm

Thank you richard for clearing that up, I like it a lot as a color change. I don't know whose it is possibly carney , but he has this thing where you show a nine "turn it over" ( executing the shift ) and it turns into a six a sweet little play on numbers, and it justifies the turnover, just thoughts.

Noah Levine

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Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Guest » January 15th, 2002, 12:53 am

I would like to point out that Richard did not (as he knows) perform the midnight shift correctly in his otherwise excellent tape on the pass. The move does emulate the all around square up action. To clear up and further misconceptions, a few minutes ago, I put a movie of a personal performance of the move on my web site, at stevedraun.com.

Steve Draun

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 15th, 2002, 7:53 am

Steve's correct in the sense that I did not perform The Midnight Shift as HE does it on my tape. That does NOT mean I performed it incorrectly--just differently.
What I forgot to mention is that I learned the move from Derek Dingle, and the version I published in "Richard's Almanac," and the way I did it on my tape, is the way I learned it from Derek. I always assumed this is the way Steve did it until much later when I actually wrote Steve's book and got things straightened out.
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Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Guest » January 15th, 2002, 11:06 am

I know Richard won't mind if I have the last word on this since he is correct. I showed it to Dingle about 20 years ago, while we were in the middle of a drinking contest which I lost. It is not surprising that Dingle got it wrong when he showed it to Richard.
There does need to be a reason to turn the deck around. For example in a published ambitious card routine I make it the magic moment, “when I turn the deck around the card comes to the top again”. Since the publication of this move, others have come out with passes that use a revolving deck action as cover for a pass. Larry Jennings and Bruce Cervon come to mind.
An important feature of the Midnight Shift is that done correctly, it should appear to the viewer that the top of the deck never went out of sight. That is why it makes such a good color change. To illustrate, here is an idea by Bill Klaush. Have a six of spades on the bottom of the deck and hold a break over a nine of spades in the center. Say “if I turn a six upside down what do I get?” When the spectator says “a nine “do the move, “you are absolutely, correct a nine”.

Steve Draun

Pete McCabe
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Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Pete McCabe » January 15th, 2002, 11:31 am

I used the Midnight Shift for a visible rise during the ambitious card. When I do, I usually turn to the left and raise my hands slightly, with a comment to the effect of "can everybody see this?"

I find that this turn both conceals the first half of the move improves the angles on the second half.

Matt Sedlak
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Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Matt Sedlak » January 15th, 2002, 11:42 am

What I have been doing most recently with it is, as I start to revolve the hand, both hands raise up to about shoulder level as a gesture as im talking. Since im Italian and use my hands alot when I talk this gesture passes very well just like Slydini's did. This also minimizes the time the right hand is on the deck to maybe a second or less which is good because it is unnatural to always be holding the deck with both hands.

Larry Horowitz
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Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Larry Horowitz » January 21st, 2002, 10:10 am

I love doing the Midnight Shift as a color change. I was fortunate enough to meet Steve Draun a couple of months ago when he was performing at the Magic Castle. I showed him my shift, he then spent time correcting and improving my work. You should all be so lucky. Thankyou Steve.

Larry

Andru Luvisi
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Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Andru Luvisi » January 29th, 2002, 1:09 pm

Richard: Could I trouble you for a reference on the Herrmann pass being invented by Hofzinser? I've never heard about that before.

Andru
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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Midnight Shift

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 29th, 2002, 4:40 pm

Andru, the news about the Herrmann Pass having been invented by Hofzinser comes from Magic Christian in Vienna, who is doing a series of books on Hofzinser. He seems to have proof that Hofzinser taught the Pass to Compars Herrmann (I think).
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