First off, good to see you back Fallingblood. Penguintown just isn't the same without your esoteric rants.

I agree with you. Criss is entertaining, to certain people, but more often than not, I am encountering people who are convinced that what he does is REAL. That he has some connection with the "dark forces" and that he has sold his soul to the devil in order to do these impossible things. With his goth look, bad hair, and lisp, it's easy to see how some people with limited intelligence can come to these conclusions. If I had the IQ of a coral reef, I might agree.

However, I fall into the category of I-just-don't-like-him. I can't watch him on TV. It's like a lot of things out there. I can't explain it, nor try to justify it. I just don't care for him or his style. I respect that he's successful, but so is Dr. Phil, but he annoys me as well. That's just human nature.

You have your opinions, and I have mine, and that's okay. Some here can worship the ground Criss walks on, others could care less if he drops off the face of the earth, never to be heard from again.

I think, and again, just my ranting opinion, is that Criss is akin to several huge rap phenomenons, that were the best ever, only a few years later to have fallen into VH1's "Where are they Now?" category. Criss will fade away eventually, because his skateboarding/goth fan base will grow up, and, like the New Kids on the Block fan base, be ashamed to say they ever thought he was cool.

Just my three cents.

What do Criss Angel and Daniel Radcliffe, (Harry Potter), have in common?

They can only do magic in front of a Camera...

Except his stage show...

I like to see stuff I can't explain, but when you can slow down frame by frame and see the digital composition, it gets a little cumbersome. His one card stab was nice. I could try and figure it out, but in the end it was fun!

I will admit that magic is easier to explain the older i get, but there's still people out there that amaze with out digital resources.

The more bling I see Criss adding, the farther he gets from me being to identify with him. And in all stories, it is important that the viewer can identify with the hero.

This is my opinion, i know ill probably make a few people mad by saying this but hey.

I think people that can't figure out his stuff, just say that its a camera trick. I think that they dont want to admit they can't figure it out. they could be jealous, but thats not wat im saying, thats how i see it, i honestly do not think he uses camera tricks, yes some stooges. but i really dont think he uses camera tricks..

For the less experienced, that opinion may be good enough for you. But for experienced professional Magicians and persons with a long background in magic; they can usually spot how the method is done with the first viewing.

I won't expose Criss Angel's methods because of professional magic ethics, but let’s just say most of the speculation is not far off target. His television show is for the layperson. I find myself repeating a statement I make all the time. His TV show is not for Magicians.




“If this be Magic - Let it be an Artâ€

This is the topic of a thread I posted a while ago. There's actual proof, right there.

I dont think he uses them all the time. Just somw times are obvious.

Every Magician will use "camera tricks" (the ones on TV and has a TV show), its just what they do to entertain us who watch their show. It's not a bad thing its just an different way on entertaining us.


-MagicTay

He didn't use them for the walking on water, but he did use actors in the pool which is just as bad.

I beg to differ on this point. Penn and Teller, no camera tricks. Copperfield, no tricks.

Penn and Teller do use camera tricks, but they then reveal them. Or they make them so obvious, that you can see it's a joke. David Copperfield has also used the camera to his advantage, by having multiple takes of the same stunt. For instance, the one where he is in a strait jacket, suspended upside down, above spikes, and the ropes he's being suspended by, are on fire. That took multiple tries. And the audience was live, but it wasn't a regular audience either. I don't know if they were paid or not, but I do not think they had to pay or anything. And they knew that their might be multiple takes. Many tv magicians end up having to do that.

To add to that list though, Doug Henning jumps to mind.

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=StuckMic&p=r

That only skims the surface. He is very famous for his "cut-shot" to help him pull off sleights that he has not practiced enough yet. Also because it is all too easy to cheat on TV, and it saves a lot of rehearsal time. I also cannot stand his presentation style, especially how he always feels the need to scream at the conclusion of every camera trick, and show the inside of his disgusting mouth filled with multiple cavity fillings. I also find his new haircut to be even more feminine looking than when it was long.

Criss thinks he is above and beyond everybody, when actually he is the illusion. He claims what Houdini did was not really dangerous, and what he is doing actually is. The opposite is actually true. Houdini did not have stunt doubles, and fancy editing. Just another "illusion" that Criss is creating, that he is some type of illusionist; which is in fact the best illusion he ever did or will do.

I take the view that Criss uses camera tricks, but other magicians use sleight of hand tricks or gimmick tricks. Criss' use of camera tricks angers magicians who do sleight of hand or otherwise "live" magic, but the "live" magicians (as in most magicians) are just "ripping off" REAL magicians like Merlin or whatever.

THE POINT IS, in my opinion, it isn't the fact that he is using the camera tricks, but rather that in doing so, he puts no REAL physical effort into creating these illusions.

Criss is getting half and half of his credit to his name from live magic and camera tricks, while other magicians are working on getting credit to their name from doing live magic. That is the true way of magic. But magicians do what they can to entertain us.

-MagicTay