Search found 635 matches

by Tom Moore
February 5th, 2024, 6:11 am
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Close up Pad Material?
Replies: 6
Views: 1298

Re: Close up Pad Material?

Neoprene is the most common material that's used though normally a thicker piece (6mm - 1/4 inch) backed straight onto your surface material.
by Tom Moore
December 30th, 2023, 5:42 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Mundane Tasks of the Unreal (full show)
Replies: 4
Views: 837

Re: Mundane Tasks of the Unreal (full show)

I’ve got to put it on record - this show has some of the most beautiful, logical, magical, brilliant pieces of stage magic (and more importantly, stage magic staging) I have ever seen! This sets a standard all stage magic shows should strive to achieve and which shows with 100x the budget couldn't a...
by Tom Moore
December 18th, 2023, 6:53 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Dynamo review - 2 stars Telegraph
Replies: 6
Views: 1608

Re: Dynamo review - 2 stars Telegraph

//boring hat on//

Uk laws about “passing off” means that trading under a name that was a misspelling of the previous name wouldn’t pass because of how blatant and deliberate it was to not be (but imply) the previous trademark.
by Tom Moore
December 17th, 2023, 1:11 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Dynamo review - 2 stars Telegraph
Replies: 6
Views: 1608

Re: Dynamo review - 2 stars Telegraph

To skip a very long story, he didn’t actually own the name “Dynamo” and his (former) management did. There’s been several years of back-and forth but ultimately this special was the way to formally end ties and previous obligations and go forward under his own name (Steven Frayne) without legal rami...
by Tom Moore
October 18th, 2023, 4:14 am
Forum: General
Topic: Trying to find info on a buried alive escape with a steel plate from a 1990's magic TV special
Replies: 4
Views: 3700

Re: Trying to find info on a buried alive escape with a steel plate from a 1990's magic TV special

Lance burton - https://youtu.be/02Afpc-rXRM?si=q7wtt0cl3-Jc3a9F

His tv specials were produced by Gary Oulette who produced all those other glossy multi magician tv specials and had the same creative team on all of theme so they do all look and feel the same - even down to the music :-p
by Tom Moore
September 28th, 2023, 5:07 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Derren Brown's Unbelievable - a review
Replies: 57
Views: 14488

Re: Derren Brown's Unbelievable - a review

"Critical Flop" is not the phrase I would use when a show is getting three our of four (or five) stars. "Critical flop" is one or two stars. None of the reviews you cite have given the show that low of a rating. "Fair to middling" is the expression I would use, and a m...
by Tom Moore
September 25th, 2023, 4:20 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Tony Hassini speaks ...
Replies: 41
Views: 7080

Re: Tony Hassini speaks ...

Well apparently he came to England via the cargo ship docking at its final destination of Brighton which is remarkable for a town with no docks...
by Tom Moore
September 9th, 2023, 9:41 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Tony Hassini speaks ...
Replies: 41
Views: 7080

Re: Tony Hassini speaks ...

It's a poorly edited pair of podcasts - the first one is basically entirely a puff-piece for Tony & IMS. In the second he takes him slightly to task but it is very half-assed and really doesn't come close to taking tony to task until the literal post-script; even then Erik skates around actually...
by Tom Moore
August 30th, 2023, 12:26 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Derren Brown's Unbelievable - a review
Replies: 57
Views: 14488

Re: Derren Brown's Unbelievable - a review

It would be fair to say that the show as currently presented is quite some distance from the show originally intended/announced. It is also fair to say that the reviews thus far are decidedly 50:50 - a few people rave about it, a few absolutely hate it, a lot in the middle are "it was kinda ok ...
by Tom Moore
May 23rd, 2023, 4:09 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Copperfield piece on CBS Sunday Morning
Replies: 11
Views: 1256

Re: Copperfield piece on CBS Sunday Morning

Perhaps the international version is different to the home broadcast but all we got was some stock footage, a hint at a “discussion about design” that lasted 10 seconds and some more stock footage? I hope they can do the deal and announce the new special because I can’t wait to see some new footage ...
by Tom Moore
March 12th, 2023, 2:25 pm
Forum: Magic History and Anecdotes
Topic: Amac's Find The Lady
Replies: 56
Views: 15797

Re: Amac's Find The Lady

Brad, I heard the same allegations (that the Steinmeyer version was not the same as the Amac version) and that this was being claimed by Taylor, though I wonder how Taylor gained his knowledge of Jim's method, since he was not at the performances (presumably someone in attendance informed him of th...
by Tom Moore
March 6th, 2023, 5:19 pm
Forum: Book of The Month Club
Topic: David Copperfield History Book.
Replies: 32
Views: 10363

Re: David Copperfield History Book.

That's a pretty tough measuring stick. Surely there's room for success somewhere on the spectrum between the bestseller list and "doomed"? Having the leftovers sold off as remainders is part of the lifecycle of most new books from major publishers. He published a decent book, and in a qua...
by Tom Moore
March 6th, 2023, 4:08 am
Forum: Book of The Month Club
Topic: David Copperfield History Book.
Replies: 32
Views: 10363

Re: David Copperfield History Book.

David is a fine fine performer who has rightly earned his place in the history books and this book has clearly had a lot of effort out into it but it was doomed from the start- whilst his vegas shows sell well he hasn’t had any meaningful mainstream media exposure or high profile tours for more tha...
by Tom Moore
March 5th, 2023, 3:59 pm
Forum: Book of The Month Club
Topic: David Copperfield History Book.
Replies: 32
Views: 10363

Re: David Copperfield History Book.

David is a fine fine performer who has rightly earned his place in the history books and this book has clearly had a lot of effort out into it but it was doomed from the start- whilst his vegas shows sell well he hasn’t had any meaningful mainstream media exposure or high profile tours for more than...
by Tom Moore
January 24th, 2023, 5:14 am
Forum: General
Topic: Who said ‘you should be able to describe a trick in a single sentence?’
Replies: 35
Views: 7004

Re: Who said ‘you should be able to describe a trick in a single sentence?’

I fear we're mixing descriptions for "archive" purposes with descriptions for "marketing" purpose; both are valid but serve very different purposes. In the midst of a long discussion with others, when pondering ones own thoughts or when writing a review then a deeper understandin...
by Tom Moore
December 19th, 2022, 9:13 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Awakening - brand new 'magical' Vegas spectacular
Replies: 15
Views: 2051

Re: Awakening - brand new 'magical' Vegas spectacular

They're not humans (although ironically it could be) as it's part of a show scene that has to repeat 46 times per hour, 12 hours a day. Video's don't really do it justice as the whole ride was designed to be viewed with human eyes not flattened by a camera but there's a good PoV here https://twitter...
by Tom Moore
December 17th, 2022, 5:49 am
Forum: Reference Room
Topic: Owens Magic Supreme
Replies: 0
Views: 3815

Owens Magic Supreme

Looking for some pointers towards a person or reference for the large props built by Owens in the late 70's / early 80's. I have technical questions about construction methods (and materials / standards) and design elements that aren't answered by the published material i've found so far. Is there a...
by Tom Moore
December 6th, 2022, 11:15 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Magician charged with murder!
Replies: 10
Views: 1703

Re: Magician charged with murder!

Various threads on Facebook confirming it’s him. Also a back and forth of negative reviews posted about dynamike magician by a lady of the same name.
by Tom Moore
November 26th, 2022, 10:26 am
Forum: Collector's Marketplace
Topic: Paul Daniels Auction Results
Replies: 8
Views: 1222

Re: Paul Daniels Auction Results

Mildly interesting behind the scenes info - despite a lot of global participation i'm lead to believe that the vast majority of the items went to Uk buyers; something in the region of just a few dozen lots going out of the country.
by Tom Moore
November 21st, 2022, 6:08 am
Forum: General
Topic: Is Coin Magic Obsolete?
Replies: 43
Views: 6805

Re: Is Coin Magic Obsolete?

I would argue that coin and money magic are more relevant than any other form of close-up, because it is logical (IMHO) to do magic with money as an impromptu form of entertainment. Richard makes a point that he tried to borrow a quarter but was not successful. But no one would be surprised if you ...
by Tom Moore
November 20th, 2022, 4:31 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Is Coin Magic Obsolete?
Replies: 43
Views: 6805

Re: Is Coin Magic Obsolete?

I’m in my early 40’s- I haven’t carried “change” for several years. There’s a slight grey-zone but anyone under 20 right now won’t have any meaningful concept of coins. If you’re presenting coin magic then unless your effect is just as powerful if the coins could be replaced with “cookies” you shoul...
by Tom Moore
November 17th, 2022, 2:02 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Dani DaOrtiz
Replies: 132
Views: 81537

Re: Dani DaOrtiz

They may have come up on stage and joined other magicians at the table, but from what I remember they were always very reserved (specially Teller, ha ha ha). But I've never seen them gush and swoon over any other magician like they did over Dani. Again i have to highlight that this is just plain wr...
by Tom Moore
November 17th, 2022, 10:41 am
Forum: General
Topic: Dani DaOrtiz
Replies: 132
Views: 81537

Re: Dani DaOrtiz

That isn't exactly what I meant. I am referring to the fact that both Penn and Teller were sitting at the table which I have never seen them do for any other magician on the show not to mention bringing in Donny Osmond to sit there too. I have never seen this arrangement with any other performer. T...
by Tom Moore
November 8th, 2022, 12:03 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Pendragon Harness
Replies: 2
Views: 753

Re: Pendragon Harness

Douglas Nelson was managing that closing sale on behalf of Owens - reach out to him and i'm sure he'll be able to put you in touch with the bidder and help out.
by Tom Moore
November 3rd, 2022, 7:06 am
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: 3D Printing Designer
Replies: 11
Views: 2647

Re: 3D Printing Designer

The project I am working on is a download. Besides the manuscript, the files for 3D printing of the gaffs will be provided. 3D printing services are everywhere these days. I was wondering: has anyone else done the same, offered 3D files for magic gaffs? I fear you have over-estimated the ubiquity o...
by Tom Moore
October 28th, 2022, 6:20 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: 3D Printing Designer
Replies: 11
Views: 2647

Re: 3D Printing Designer

I have a whole floor of our workshop dedicated to 3D printing across multiple technologies. Feel free to dm me with an outline and I’ll happily give you an overview of whether it can be done
by Tom Moore
October 13th, 2022, 5:35 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: The Original Tiger Kings - S&R in The Atlantic
Replies: 3
Views: 1399

Re: The Original Tiger Kings - S&R in The Atlantic

It’s one of the more honest pieces written about them but still heavily PR’d and quite noteable for the things it doesn’t say - I can’t help thinking that the (relative) failure of the auction has forced a rethink of what the legacy should be. FYI loved the show, had only great experiences with the ...
by Tom Moore
October 5th, 2022, 7:41 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Awakening - brand new 'magical' Vegas spectacular
Replies: 15
Views: 2051

Re: Awakening - brand new 'magical' Vegas spectacular

From my understanding it's closer in concept to an old school vegas spectacular than cirque in that it is dance and performance based rather than circus act based
by Tom Moore
October 4th, 2022, 12:05 pm
Forum: Platform & Stage Magic
Topic: No-Egg-Bag Egg Bag
Replies: 12
Views: 4038

Re: No-Egg-Bag Egg Bag

With respect; 99% of magic principles are using more "complications" & contractions than any normal person would think necessary so i wouldn't be so quick to throw out a tried and tested method in this scenario. Chop cup is closeup of which i have almost no experience so others can spe...
by Tom Moore
October 4th, 2022, 5:06 am
Forum: Platform & Stage Magic
Topic: No-Egg-Bag Egg Bag
Replies: 12
Views: 4038

Re: No-Egg-Bag Egg Bag

I'm not sure you are using it in a different context and i'm still certain what you're describing probably isn't magical. But lets flip the question around - when there are existing methods for doing what you're trying to do what advantage does your method have over those and how does that weigh aga...
by Tom Moore
October 3rd, 2022, 7:30 am
Forum: Platform & Stage Magic
Topic: No-Egg-Bag Egg Bag
Replies: 12
Views: 4038

Re: No-Egg-Bag Egg Bag

I'm not sure it's magic - the reason an egg bag works is because an egg is to big (and fragile) to palm and that the bag and your hands can be cleanly shown empty at the same time. Producing a smaller, easily palmable object using your hand and a bag neither of which have been shown conclusively to ...
by Tom Moore
September 10th, 2022, 2:54 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Chop Cup Magnet Revitalization
Replies: 12
Views: 1969

Re: Chop Cup Magnet Revitalization

Good tip, Jonathan. I am experimenting with the original idea of having the cup and the ball in contact with a really string magnet for a couple of days. For boring physics reasons the only way to transfer magnetic power is with the addition of significant additional energy - a static magnet severa...
by Tom Moore
August 23rd, 2022, 10:40 am
Forum: General
Topic: Wise words if you're putting on a show
Replies: 0
Views: 2097

Wise words if you're putting on a show

Some very astute observations about the cliches and mistakes being made (far too) often in magic performances at the moment that is well worth a read - https://twitter.com/WestMagic/status/1560962828437229572
by Tom Moore
August 14th, 2022, 3:31 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Jerry Sadowitz at the Edinburgh Fringe
Replies: 23
Views: 2872

Re: Jerry Sadowitz at the Edinburgh Fringe

When one’s whole career is to be counter-culture and pushing against the norms time plays a cruel trick over overtaking you when you least expect it. Also I have a feeling pleasence’s reaction has more to do with the fact the show wasn’t selling as well as expected - well by comparison to most festi...
by Tom Moore
August 11th, 2022, 3:11 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Magic in the Magic Kingdom (Anaheim, CA); 8-2022
Replies: 40
Views: 3040

Re: Magic in the Magic Kingdom (Anaheim, CA); 8-2022

I can’t offer and specific answers here but as someone who has worked in resorts and parks across the world- non-branded entertainers have gone from almost every park on the planet. A minimum wage actor who has spent weeks or months training to play a specific character following a tightly defined c...
by Tom Moore
August 10th, 2022, 4:32 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Magic in the Magic Kingdom (Anaheim, CA); 8-2022
Replies: 40
Views: 3040

Re: Magic in the Magic Kingdom (Anaheim, CA); 8-2022

Disney parks earn literally billions of dollars revenue from ticket sales and ANYTHING that diminishes the quality of the DISNEY experience people have paid for is shut down in an instant because even if something only dissuades 0.1% of customers from returning that represents millions of dollars lo...
by Tom Moore
July 31st, 2022, 5:22 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Musings from Blackpool
Replies: 73
Views: 7973

Re: Musings from Blackpool

*Marc Oberon died a horrible death with the WTF moment of the show - a weird floating alien along with a white UV spandex clad glow in the dark alien spawn that was closer to a high school experiment in black art. It was that bizarre. Please do tell us more about this. Marc Oberon died a horrible d...
by Tom Moore
July 31st, 2022, 5:15 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Musings from Blackpool
Replies: 73
Views: 7973

Re: Musings from Blackpool

Making the costume change inside the trunk as quickly as it had to be made (and using the skimpy costumes she was famous for) meant that there were several near misses and wardrobe malfunctions. That is what the comment referred to.
by Tom Moore
July 29th, 2022, 11:04 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: FISM 2022 Day 4
Replies: 44
Views: 4744

Re: FISM 2022 Day 4

FISM 2022 Day Four Why is America not developing the shining stars it used to in the world of competition acts? Perhaps America's shining stars aren't interested in competitions. The problem is the structure of FISM - it has finally created a proper league and tournament that is designed to find th...

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