Hello everyone! My name is Misha, and I'm a circus artist from Europe. I love to astonish people and give them bright emotions. I want to make my show even more shocking. I'm looking for tricks like "Russian roulette" or "Catching a bullet with my teeth." I would appreciate any information. If someone manufactures equipment for these tricks, I'm ready to buy it or simply get information.
Russian roulettes and Bullet Catch
- Thread starter Misha23
- Start date
To be sure we're on the same page, a clarification of terms:
Russian Roulette - also called Smash and Stab. A number of opaque containers are used, such as cups or bags, and one has an apparent danger in it, usually a spike or otherwise pointy object. The containers are smashed one at a time, hopefully eliminating all but the dangerous one.
Note - this routine is, to my knowledge, banned from the Magic Castle due to how many people have messed it up and hurt themselves or others.
Bullet Catch - an object is launched at high velocity towards the performer, who is miraculously able to catch it, usually either in the teeth or hand. I've seen everything from actual guns to pennies launched with leaf blowers. There's one product that's a mini canon. Several performers of the bullet catch have died performing the trick.
There's a lot of things you need to consider when looking at these plots/routines.
First - how much danger are you willing to accept for yourself? Note, I do not mean how much danger will the audience think you're in, I mean what is the chance that you actually hurt yourself?
Personally, I will not generally put myself in real danger.
Second - how much do you want to worry about consumables? Some routines require more stockpiling than others.
Third - what are you actually trying to accomplish?
This is an important one for me. I like to shock an audience but I don't want to shock them just for the sake of shocking them. The problem with doing shocking things for the sake of being shocking in the spectacle creep. How do you build momentum? You have to keep getting more dangerous and more shocking and it doesn't take long for an audience to stop caring about such things.
So, all that being said -
There's two 'Russian Roulette' routines I am willing to perform. One is Scott Alexander's 'Nailed It!', which is 100% safe as the danger is all perceived not real. I used that for several years. The other is Jon Allen's 'Pain Game', my current preference. It is 99% safe - the only way to get hurt with this one is to skip a step.
Ultimately there were two things that motivated me to switch from the former to the latter. One was the amount of consumables, and the other is related to a problem with the method which I can't explain on an open forum.
As for bullet catches, I don't perform them but there's only one that I would ever consider and that's Velocity Extreme by Scott Alexander. A good friend of mine helped modify the original make/method to make it significantly better than the original and having seen those developments I would be willing to use that one.
Russian Roulette - also called Smash and Stab. A number of opaque containers are used, such as cups or bags, and one has an apparent danger in it, usually a spike or otherwise pointy object. The containers are smashed one at a time, hopefully eliminating all but the dangerous one.
Note - this routine is, to my knowledge, banned from the Magic Castle due to how many people have messed it up and hurt themselves or others.
Bullet Catch - an object is launched at high velocity towards the performer, who is miraculously able to catch it, usually either in the teeth or hand. I've seen everything from actual guns to pennies launched with leaf blowers. There's one product that's a mini canon. Several performers of the bullet catch have died performing the trick.
There's a lot of things you need to consider when looking at these plots/routines.
First - how much danger are you willing to accept for yourself? Note, I do not mean how much danger will the audience think you're in, I mean what is the chance that you actually hurt yourself?
Personally, I will not generally put myself in real danger.
Second - how much do you want to worry about consumables? Some routines require more stockpiling than others.
Third - what are you actually trying to accomplish?
This is an important one for me. I like to shock an audience but I don't want to shock them just for the sake of shocking them. The problem with doing shocking things for the sake of being shocking in the spectacle creep. How do you build momentum? You have to keep getting more dangerous and more shocking and it doesn't take long for an audience to stop caring about such things.
So, all that being said -
There's two 'Russian Roulette' routines I am willing to perform. One is Scott Alexander's 'Nailed It!', which is 100% safe as the danger is all perceived not real. I used that for several years. The other is Jon Allen's 'Pain Game', my current preference. It is 99% safe - the only way to get hurt with this one is to skip a step.
Ultimately there were two things that motivated me to switch from the former to the latter. One was the amount of consumables, and the other is related to a problem with the method which I can't explain on an open forum.
As for bullet catches, I don't perform them but there's only one that I would ever consider and that's Velocity Extreme by Scott Alexander. A good friend of mine helped modify the original make/method to make it significantly better than the original and having seen those developments I would be willing to use that one.
I appreciate your response. In regard to the potential risks I may undertake in my performances, I wish to emphasize that my primary act involves the art of swallowing swords, executed with genuine blades. While I seek to maintain an equally thrilling appearance in my upcoming act, my unwavering commitment lies in safeguarding my life to ensure a long and prosperous career on the stage.
I alluded to the classic "Russian roulette" illusion, a performance featuring a revolver. I hold a particular fascination for Derren Brown's rendition of this act, where he chambers a live round, firing it into a bag of sand (to convincingly demonstrate the authenticity of the bullet, notwithstanding my awareness that it is not). He then proceeds to load a fresh cartridge and engages in a game of "roulette," pressing the trigger against his temple, culminating with the final discharge into the sandbag. I trust this description clarifies the concept, though this version can be readily found on YouTube.
As for the "Bullet Catch" performance, I am inclined toward the utilization of contemporary firearm props, rather than their 19th-century counterparts. I admire the interpretations offered by renowned magicians such as Penn & Teller and Hans Moretti. Their renditions are also accessible on YouTube by searching for their names alongside the title of the trick.
If you happen to have any contacts or recommendations for individuals proficient in crafting the intricate mechanisms required for these illusions, I would be immensely appreciative.
So you're more sideshow focused. I'm friends with several sword swallowers including Guinness record holders. Very familiar with the genre.
I had never seen Hans Moretti's version before. Clearly a big inspiration for David Blaine's bullet catch.
Unfortunately I can't think of anyone other than Derren Brown who has done that style of Russian Roulette. Derren has largely worked with the same team of creators and consultants for his entire career since his TV shows, and they have likely signed heavy duty NDAs in regards to any workings or manufacturers of the props and routines he's performed over the years. So that's a dead end.
As for bullet catches - again, I'm not familiar off the top of my head with anyone that creates a version that uses an actual firearm as the prop. It's just too dangerous to sell to a general market, and I don't know anyone that has the skill set to create a one-off for you.
What you're probably going to need to do is put these ideas on the shelf for a while and work on networking within the magic community until you're able to locate professional consultants and prop builders so that you can create a personalized routine from the ground up. This will likely not be cheap.
I had never seen Hans Moretti's version before. Clearly a big inspiration for David Blaine's bullet catch.
Unfortunately I can't think of anyone other than Derren Brown who has done that style of Russian Roulette. Derren has largely worked with the same team of creators and consultants for his entire career since his TV shows, and they have likely signed heavy duty NDAs in regards to any workings or manufacturers of the props and routines he's performed over the years. So that's a dead end.
As for bullet catches - again, I'm not familiar off the top of my head with anyone that creates a version that uses an actual firearm as the prop. It's just too dangerous to sell to a general market, and I don't know anyone that has the skill set to create a one-off for you.
What you're probably going to need to do is put these ideas on the shelf for a while and work on networking within the magic community until you're able to locate professional consultants and prop builders so that you can create a personalized routine from the ground up. This will likely not be cheap.