Out of this World

[richardchild]

Hi everyone,

I'm learning Out of this World, and I want the spectator to be able to shuffle the deck first. So I need a way of separating the red and black cards in front of them. I'm aware of the Roadrunner Cull, but are there any other methods that I can search for to achieve this?

Thanks for your help!

 

[RealityOne]

Why have them shuffle? It doesn't make the effect seem any more difficult. Better to use a deck in a series of effects showing it shuffled and then do a deck switch. Alternatively, there is a great effect in Roberto Giobbi's Card College Light that allows you to use the deck in an effect which has the spectator do the setup for OOTW.

If you insist on shuffling, learn a method that doesn't use a full deck and have them shuffle the half of the deck you aren't using while you false shuffle the half you will use.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

David Blaine performs out of this world about 9:40 into the video.He has them shuffle and proceeds to then set it up in front of the spectators. You can get away with casually doing false shuffles while engaging the audience. Yiu really think the spectators are thinking "oh Let me shuffle the deck just in case you have the reds and blacks separated". Just don't draw attention to the deck and this is for anything you perform. People tend to run without being chased.

 

[richardchild]

Thank you both!

 

[RealityOne]

You can get away with casually doing false shuffles while engaging the audience. Yiu really think the spectators are thinking "oh Let me shuffle the deck just in case you have the reds and blacks separated". Just don't draw attention to the deck and this is for anything you perform. People tend to run without being chased.

We are conditioned to think like magicians and to add complexity to effects so that we can fool magicians. That is how the magic industry makes money selling you effects -- if you don't know how it is done, it seems more magical and you're willing to spend your money. Often, we think that a simple method is too simple and the audience will figure it out simply because once we know the secret and therefore we think it is obvious. Design and perform magic with the spectator in mind.

 

[CWhite]

We are conditioned to think like magicians and to add complexity to effects so that we can fool magicians. That is how the magic industry makes money selling you effects -- if you don't know how it is done, it seems more magical and you're willing to spend your money. Often, we think that a simple method is too simple and the audience will figure it out simply because once we know the secret and therefore we think it is obvious. Design and perform magic with the spectator in mind.

That right there was the most profound statement I've seen posted on here.

 

[Chris.Gowen]

Woody Aragon has a method in his book 'a book in english' Lennart Green also has a separation method somewhere. you could literally just run through the deck thumbing off cards one at a time up jogging one colour from the other then pull them apart and separate. A complete deck switch is also another option. The road runner cull is the best option and well worth the practice. I use it in %70 of my card work.

 

[Josh Burch]

I use "David's Cull", or "A Brave New World". In the past I have used a slop shuffle to separate the cards.

I don't agree with David's above statements. For those of you who are new to the forums this is very rare. I always apreciate David's input. That said, OOTW may be my favorite plot and I have thought about lot about presenting it with maximum effect for lay audiences.

First, I believe that you should be able to get into out of this world from a shuffled deck. Why? Because in my view this effect is a closer. It might be my most requested effect, and leaves a lasting impression. This makes it very hard to follow. So to make it a closer you have 2 choices. Plan ahead and have a deck set up or get into it on the fly. I prefer to get into it on the fly. If we are playing cards as friends and someone asks to see something I can pull out the big guns with a moments notice.

Second, my personal presentation is to have the deck shuffled and shown to be mixed. I then set out to prove the the participant has "memorized" the cards. This works with the versions of the effect that I do. If your presentation is different I could see a justification not to shuffle.

Third, the veils principle as stated by Darwin Ortiz applies here. At least I believe it does. The participant making decisions is one veil, it partially obscures the method. Adding the shuffle adds another veil. Which obscures the method even more. I don't see harm in this. In fact I find the line "and you shuffled the deck!" to bump up the imposability a couple notches. Of course I concede that this thought process can lead to overly complicated effects and magic that only magicians enjoy.

It comes down to when do you want to be able to perform this? At the end of a routine? At a moments notice? And, what do you want the perceived method to be? That the participant is tapping into their subconscious memory? That they are really lucky? That you have some how placed the cards in specific places as predictions of where they would put the cards?

 

[Rev]

First, I believe that you should be able to get into out of this world from a shuffled deck. Why? Because in my view this effect is a closer. It might be my most requested effect, and leaves a lasting impression. This makes it very hard to follow.

This.

I was going to point out that it's not about 'adding complexity' but more about whether you can do it as part of a series of card tricks. Like you say, it's hard to follow and is also quite a long trick so you really don't want to be having to do it as an opener!

Harry Lorayne has an effect called 'Impromptu Out of this World' in one of his books, which I think is basically the same as UF Grant's 'Nu Way Out of this World.' The effect basically looks the same (two rows with a 'switch' in the middle) but doesn't use the set up and only uses about half the deck, so the effect is much quicker. You also get the added convincer of being able to show the mixed un-dealt half of the deck at the end before revealing the colour separated piles. Only disadvantage is you have to do the first round of dealing yourself, though I've never found this to be a problem as the spectators do the second round, and always seem to remember it as them doing all the dealing.

In all honestly, this is the only version of OOTW world I have ever performed. I learnt the Curry version first as a kid but never had the deck set up, so promptly forgot about it. I then saw the 'Impromptu' version performed as an adult and my jaw basically hit the floor. I've been using it ever since.

Rev

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

The thing about saying, "And you shuffled the deck" is that you can tell them that even if they didn't really shuffle the deck, and they'll still remember it as true.

 

[ZackF]

I recently saw a bundle DvD set or something along those lines on penguin magic. I can't remember who it was, but he combined a triumph effect with "out of this world". He was already one step ahead for the Out of this world before he even began the effect. It's bothering me now that I can' t remember who it was performing it.

 

[The Magic X]

Often, we think that a simple method is too simple and the audience will figure it out simply because once we know the secret and therefore we think it is obvious. Design and perform magic with the spectator in mind.

I agree with this in every way. We need to keep in mind that we are usually performing for a laymen, not a magician. In the eyes of a spectator, a trick is a trick. A simple method is just as good as a complex method as long as the specs enjoy it, and adding too much to a trick can be just as detrimental as not enough. It's a delicate balance.

 

[Josh Burch]

Even if I prefer to shuffle the deck the trick doesn't need it to be outstanding.

 

[Nathanhorne]

Cosmos Duo by Greg Rostami will allow you to have a soectator shuffle with some audience management. You can fan out a mixed deck and then procede with the trick also... it does use a gimmick though

In most OOTW routines the audience member does most of the trick, so it does not matter who shuffles.