Telekinesis Not Physics: Trick Photography or Static Movement?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter JJbrigham
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a video purportedly demonstrating telekinesis, with participants analyzing whether the effects shown are due to trick photography, static movement, or other methods. The scope includes technical analysis of the video, hypotheses about the mechanisms involved, and critiques of the editing techniques used.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Exploratory reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note visible editing marks in the video, suggesting it is not genuine and pointing out specific timestamps where glitches occur.
  • One participant proposes that the camera shake could be an illusion created by spinning the room, although this hypothesis is challenged by others.
  • Another participant suggests the use of thin string to manipulate the bowl without detection, indicating a possible method for achieving the effect shown in the video.
  • Concerns are raised about the precision of moving the bowl and replacing it, with some arguing that the edits reveal imperfections in the execution.
  • Several participants identify multiple glitches throughout the video, questioning the authenticity of the demonstration.
  • A later reply mentions that the creator of the video has explained the hoax, although this claim does not resolve the discussion about the methods used in the video.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the authenticity of the video and the methods used to create the effects. Multiple competing views remain regarding the nature of the glitches and the potential techniques employed.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the specific techniques used in the video, and the discussion includes various hypotheses that are not definitively proven or agreed upon.

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Physics Lab Experiment, Trick photography or static movement. or your theory?



 
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Cool video, but there are definite editing marks. There's hickups at 2:52 (when he starts it) and 3:33 (when it begins to slow down). The hickups only affect the table and what's on it (it shifts slightly to one side then the other) - he stays still. It is easy enough to spin the piece of paper, put the bowl on top, then cut together the pieces of film.

Not a bad edit job, but definitely fake.
 
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russ_watters said:
Cool video, but there are definite editing marks. There's hickups at 2:52 (when he starts it) and 3:33 (when it begins to slow down). The hickups only affect the table and what's on it (it shifts slightly to one side then the other) - he stays still. It is easy enough to spin the piece of paper, put the bowl on top, then cut together the pieces of film.

Not a bad edit job, but definitely fake.


Nice catch Russ, Your good. I looked at it 7 times before I saw the hickup. Do you know how it's done without the edit?
 
I'm not following - it isn't done without the edit.
 
I see the hiccup - at least the 2:52 one - but what it looked like to me was camera shake.

My first hypothesis - I thought I was so clever - was paper impregnanted with a ferrous precipitate but he ruled that one out.

My second hypothesis is that he's spinning the room. This would explain the camera shake. It might have worked before I saw how fast the thing spun.
 
russ_watters said:
It is easy enough to spin the piece of paper, put the bowl on top, then cut together the pieces of film.
How does he move the bowl and replace it with perfect precision?
 
Couldn't you use some very very thin string (like magicians) and wrap two pieces around the center cap thing its sitting on or the toothpick, one CW, one CCW. Then with his left hand, off camera, he barely has to pull on it to start it spinning. You can't tell that the stem is sitting still because it's clear. The string is thin enough that it wouldn't let air in, and slick enough to not move the bowl.
Just a guess, probably wrong. But you'd barely have to move your hand if the "witches hair?" was wrapped around the toothpick, probably like 3mm = 1 rotation.
 
DaveC426913 said:
I see the hiccup - at least the 2:52 one - but what it looked like to me was camera shake.
The camera is on a tripod and only the table shakes - the person doesn't shake. If the camera shook, you'd see the whole image shake.

[edit] Looking at it again, it looks like everything in the frame below his hands has that little glitch.
 
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DaveC426913 said:
How does he move the bowl and replace it with perfect precision?
It isn't perfect. That's why you can see the edits.
 
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  • #10
Looking at it more, there are lots of skips and glitches. There are glitches at 2:53, 2:57, 3:09, 3:14, 3:32, 3:34, 3:55...

As one commenter pointed out, it would be more convincing if he got someone to shoot it handheld, which would make editing a lot more difficult.
 

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