How Magic Tricks are done

I've been fascinated with magic tricks and illusions. I remember watching David Copperfield's tv shows when I was a kid. But when I watched the movie on the life of Harry Houdini and saw how he tragically died in a performance where he was handcuffed, put inside a glass tank filled with water, failed to escape and drowned to death, suddenly magic seemed un-fun. The only magic that I enjoyed since then were magic tricks performed at kiddie parties!:)

Anyway, I was able to catch “Breaking the Magician's Code” in AXN recently. They showed how some popular and some nerve-wracking tricks are made possible. Here are some of them (don't read though if it'll spoil the fun of magic):

Magic trick #1 A lady is cut into half. A lady lies down in box – you see her hands and feet at both ends of the box - and then she is cut by an industrial cutter into half.
How it's done: The box has 2 legs – one on the left and on the right. Upfront, the legs look too narrow and small to fit in anything but in reality, the each leg could fit in half of a human body – whether it's the lower or upper half. When the box is wheeled into the stage, the box already contains an individual where the upper half of her body is inside the right leg of the box. When the lady is shown entering the box, instead of lying down, she actually puts her legs inside the left leg of the box. So the only thing that gets cut during the trick is actually some fabric similar to what the lady is wearing.

Magic trick #2 A metal cap passes through a bottle.  The magician shows a glass bottle. He tries to put a metal cap inside the bottle through the bottom but since it's solid, it couldn't get in. He continuously tries to tap the bottom of the bottle with the metal cap and after a few tries, the metal cap goes through the glass.
How it's done: The magician is wearing a magnetic ring that penetrates through glass. He has also 2 metal caps – one that is actually already inside the bottle but is held by the magnetic ring and covered by the magician's hand holding the bottle. The other metal cap is the one which he uses to tap the bottom of the glass. In short, the metal cap which looks like got through the bottle was actually the cap already inside the bottle that has bounced inside the bottle when the magician removed his hand donning the magnetic ring!

Magic trick#3 The magician passes through a solid metal freight container. He is shown to enter from one side, appearing to have penetrated the metal container (shown via his silhouette behind a white cloth) , then he is shown to come from the other side of the container. Once the white cloth is removed, there he is standing mighty and proud.
How it's done: The container is elevated thus the magician needs a mobile staircase where he can go up to the level of the container. Inside the staircase is the magician's double. When the assistants wheel in the staircase and put up the white cloth, this double comes out of the staircase and stays in the far end corner of the white cloth. When the magician goes up and enters behind the white cloth, he goes directly inside the trap door of the mobile staircase (upto this point, since the lights are off, the audience doesn't know what's happening behind the white cloth). When the lights are turned on, the magician's silhouette is reflected – which is actually that of the double. Then he walks towards the container. The lights are angled in such a way that it would appear the silhouette is entering the container until it entirely vanishes – but behind the white cloth, the double actually just ends up crouching in the corner near the container. When the lights are turned off, he enters the trap door. Then the white cloth is removed and the platform is already empty. Meanwhile, another mobile staircase is wheeled into the other end of the container – yep, where the magician is. The assistants put up the white cloth, then the magician comes out of the trap door and crouches in the corner near the container (again, the audience doesn't know what's happening behind the white cloth since the lights are still off). When the lights are turned on, again, they are angled not to show the silhouette of the magician in the corner. Then the magician moves his hand forward - looking as if he was coming from inside the container until his whole body seemed to have emerged from the container. The white cloth is removed and there stands the magician.

Magic trick #4 A Bentley turns into a Porsche.  An empty Bentley is shown. The magician puts photos of 2 beautiful models inside the Bentley. He covers the Bentley with a cloth. When the cloth is removed, the Bentley is gone and it has been replaced by a Porsche driven by the 2 models on the photos (which he seemed to put into life).
How it's done: This trick can only be done on TV since the camera angle is what makes the illusion possible. The Bentley isn't really empty. Inside it, there's a driver. And behind the Bentley, there's already the Porsche with the 2 models on board. (The camera angle allows the Bentley to cover the Porsche). When the magician covers the Bentley with the cloth, the length of the cloth exceeds the TV screen (allowing the Bentley driver to drive away). Industrial fans are also turned on which blows the cloth upright allowing the assistants to adjust the cloth nearer towards the Porsche (so it would like that the Porsche occupies the same spot as the Bentley when the cloth is put down).

So that's how magicians do it. The next time I see a nerve-wracking magic trick, no need to panic or get nervous. I can sit back and enjoy once again:)