Can you explain David Blaine's 'Voodoo Ash trick'?

[pie]

There are many variations, one goes something like this:
A name is written on a piece of paper on a notepad by the spectator, the paper is torn off unseen by the magician, crumpled up and placed in an ashtray.
It is then set alight.
The ashes are then rubbed on the magician's arm and the name of the person written on the paper mysteriously appears.

How is it done?

[SixStrings]

1. I'd like to know...

how he does all of his tricks. I think he's the anti-christ. How the hell does he levitate like that???

[glaucon]

4. that's an easy one

Here's how it's done.

Align yourself with your back to the observor, and at a slight angle. If you are turned slightly to the right from the observor, slowly raise yourself up on your left tiptoe, keeping your right foot parallel to the ground, and your heels pressed tightly together (as they were when both were on the ground). The angle keeps the observor from seeing the left toe on the ground. All they see is the right foot "levitating" and the heels together as if the left foot was also levitating. The mind assumes the left foot is also floating.

Works great.

:)

[LuminousX]

10. In addition to what has been said

on camera they do a lot of extra editing. So they will film several different shots, editing it together to get the effect of levitation, when in actuallity, Blaine is just standing tippie-toe on one foot. Les than impressive.

[NV Whino]

2. I don't know, but

I would guess some of those ashes get rubbed on the notepad where an impression of the name remains. Haven't seen this so it's just a wild guess.

[AutumnMist]

3. From What I Have Heard

(and I don't know for sure) a clear sticky substance is put on the body to trap the ashes. When the loose ashes are shaken off the appearance of the letters written in the sticky substance are seen. Hence the names. How the names are known are another thing. I read that I was to pay attention to the thin shirt David Blaine was wearing to allow the ashes to penetrate his shirt. But to be honest, I have no idea if this is true or not. I think he rocks! I love the falling head trick he does. LOL. The look on peoples faces...priceless.

[pie]

5. I hope a magician will appear and explain some stuff

The guy is the master of close-up magic.
But they are tricks all.

[bush_is_wacko]

13. Yes they are all tricks!

Anyone that thinks he has "magical" "good" or "evil" powers would be mistaken. My nephew can do SEVERAL Blaine tricks including the "levitation" thing! Practice, intelligence, and a really fascinating personality is what you need. That isn't as easy a combination as people may think!

[gratuitous]

6. I saw an expose show on (choke) Fox

Sorry. But they had a magician in disguise (mask to cover his face, voice distorter to change his voice) who revealed the secrets of a whole bunch of magician's tricks.

First of all, magicians on TV have the easiest gig in the world. If the trick doesn't go right or the mark isn't sufficiently gullible, that bit of tape never makes the show. Everyone is astonished, everyone gasps in shock and amazement, everyone is simply blown away by the hopped-up parlor tricks and the jiggery-pokery of camera angles, lighting and the rest.

The name on the forearm trick is done in two parts, and the first part isn't usually seen: The magician asks the mark to write down the name of somone on a piece of paper. The person complies, and the magician takes the paper and says, "Did you write it down? It looked like you printed the name. I wanted you to write it in cursive." He hands the person another piece of paper, and then tears up the first piece of paper.

What the person doesn't realize is that the magician used a "circle tear" on the first piece of paper. That is, he tore the paper in such a way that the middle of the paper (where the name was written down) remained intact, and he scattered the pieces of the edges like confetti. While the person is writing down the name a second time, the magician turns his back to heighten the drama of the moment. Oh, and he also checks the name on the piece of paper, hikes up his sleeve, and writes that name on his forearm with a bit of wax pencil hidden in his other hand.

The magician turns back around, concentrates on the piece of paper, sets it ablaze, and then rubs the ashes on his forearm and presto! The ashes stick to the wax pencil writing on his forearm and the name appears as if by magic.

Everyone gasps and the magician takes his bows. Of course, if the person writing down the name changes his mind between the first and second piece of paper, that take somehow doesn't quite make it into the TV special. I don't know why.

[pie]

8. I see - there is a part to the trick that they don't show us.

That makes sense.

[pie]

7. I have seen him perform this where he never touches the paper

or where the imprint is larger than the paper.
He may use the wax imprint method at times but it
seems to me he has some other... trick up his sleeve.

[LuminousX]

9. Multiple Angles

Good magicians have multiple ways of accomplishing the same trick. Penn and Teller blatantly say this. They will expose one method because they feel it is getting trite and only after they had developed a second or third way of doing the trick.

Blaine is less than impressive.

[Beelzebud]

11. It's TV.

This man is no more magical than ILM or KNB Effects.

[bush_is_wacko]

12. I don't have a clue either but I have an AMAZING nephew that can do a

whole lot of Blaine's tricks. HE'S ONLY 16! It takes an AMAZING mind AND a LOT of practice from what I can see. The kid started at about age eight and he is ALREADY doing shows for people! He is the delight of ANY party!

I haven't seen him do that one ....YET!

[cyberpj]

14. Here you go -

When he's doing TV, a cameraman or helper uses lense to see the writing and relays it to a wireless receptor in Blaine's ear, that's how he can tell them to leave the paper and pencil behind. Or - the person that picks up the paper and pencil simple reads it and relays the info.

This explanation is for if you're doing it alone. The "trick" is learning how to do the writing on your skin and misdirecting the lookers so as not to be seen.

go to: http://goodtricks.net/frameset6.html
click on "Street Magic" then choose the voo-doo ash trick

[othermeans]

16. Thanks for the link. There are some great tricks there. n/t

[Az]

15. He cheats

But as long as he admits he's a cheater (ie calls himself a magician) then his secret should be protected.

[othermeans]

17. However the real trick is making George Bush disappear n/t