How does the Mindfreak glass-stepping illusion work?

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I can walk through glass too. I'd require immediate hospitalisation, but...

Seriously though:
The man walks in, with another guy, then comes out to take off his shoes (in fast forward, so we don't know how long he takes) and leaves the man in there to do what he will while everyone else is distracted. At no point during the passing through can you see the other man inside, and when it zooms into look at the window afterwards, you can see him holding what looks like a sheet of clear plastic. It seems like an ordinary magic trick to me- incredibly clever, very impressive, but still just a trick (albeit a damn good one).

Edit- Notice the "Open" sign. It doesn't seem to be hanging from anything, so how would it be turned to read "closed"? A sign that says open constantly would be of little use, as it doesn't look like the kinda place that's open 24hrs. Perhaps it conceals a hinge?
 
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I actually put my hand through glass when I was 12. It hurt like hell, and I still have physical scars from that event. :frown:
 
There were roughly 48,200 ways that video/act could have been faked.
 
That was a great illusion!
 
Probably wasn't even an illusion. may have been setup
 
Pengwuino said:
Probably wasn't even an illusion. may have been setup

I have no doubt of that. The people in the video are acting. Thinking about it...they probably just used two different windows. Why go to all the bother of faking a perfect video when a piece of glass with a hole will do?
 
So here's my theory: At 1:14 they cut and put in another sheet of glass that covers the top third or so of the window frame, and another piece for the lower two-thirds, and which has the large the hole that is covered by the paper. Note that the visible line that one would expect where the two pieces meet is always covered by either the paper, or the hands and arms of the two people holding the paper. Note also their awkward positioning. After he crawls through, the paper is removed but only after the critical line is just out of the camera's field of view. It also seems that the guy seen moving around inside is used to make the switch for the last shot. He must replace the glass with the hole in it with another solid sheet. I can't quite catch them at it but there must be a hint of either a video gap, or activity along the side edges of the glass along the paper's edge, and at some time immediately after he emerges from the paper... The guy inside can be seen falling back on the couch as if amazed, but before that he was positioned to make the switch to the solid sheet for the last shot seen; where there is no hole.

Anyway, it was a fun one but that's my guess - simple trickery. I don't think any sophisticated video manipulation is used or needed.
 
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I was thinking of a window that can be shoved upwards and then they place a piece of glass underneath it, next to the sheet.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
I have no doubt of that. The people in the video are acting. Thinking about it...they probably just used two different windows. Why go to all the bother of faking a perfect video when a piece of glass with a hole will do?
That's a depressing commentary on the state of magic. If you can just do it digitally, it really takes all the fun out of it.
 
I find it interesting that the "magician" calls for a constant shot AFTER handing the paper to the people and then cutting away with the camera. Plenty of time to make a switch of some sort, but because he calls for a constant shot, the veiwer is, perhaps, convinced that the shot was continuous.
 
Illusion. Filmed illusions are the easiest of all to fake.
 
David Blaine put his hand through a glass display at a jewelry storefront and pulled out a diamond ring for a woman on the street on an Fox special a few years back. Later, he took an empty beer can from a woman at the park, crushed it in his hand, and when he opened his hand back up, the can was sealed and full again. Frankly, that is better than Jesus.
 
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meh i woulnt believe that unless i saw it in person
as long as u don't move the camera at all you cnat stop recording an not be able to tell when u start recording again they defeitnly just used to diffrent frams of glass one with a sqaure whole cut in it or smthing along the lines of that
that is my theory
 
meh i woulnt believe that unless i saw it in person
as long as u don't move the camera at all you cnat stop recording an not be able to tell when u start recording again they defeitnly just used to diffrent frams of glass one with a sqaure whole cut in it or smthing along the lines of that
that is my theory
 
secrets of walking thru glass

Secret of walking thru glass
This is a great illusion but requires tons of set-up.
1. the "paper holders" are in on it. They hold the paper in a way so as not to press against the glass
2. The "found" paper was planted, and is ridgid enough to be held taut
3. The glass is actually cut to the shape of the letter "U", with the open end of the "u" on the bottom--an upside-down "u"
4. The open sign is not attached to the glass, but is fixed to look as though it is.
5. The "U" shaped cut is critical because it shows the solid glass on both sides of the paper, BUT NOT THE BOTTOM. Holding the paper so that it covers the bottom of the window frame is critical- it makes or breaks the trick--as well a positioning the paper so that glass is visible on both sides of it
6. The next critical thing is CLEAN GLASS. It must be spotless, immaculate, otherwise you would see a dirtline or lint rising up as the glass is pulled up into the specially made frame. This is why the paper holders don't press the paper against the glass--they must hold it just off from the glass and not touch the glass with their hands or the paper.
7. Its a great illusion
 
If some really do eat glass, why can't someone walk on glass??
 
The switch was made at 1:40
 
cronxeh said:
The switch was made at 1:40
Or perhaps at 1:34. But what happens during the 10 seconds between 3:00 and 3:10?
 

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