David Copperfield




This is probably Copperfield's most stunning illusion. He teleports himself and a member of the audience to Hawaii. They disappear from the platform right above the audience and reappear on the beach thousands of miles away. The whole thing is just amazing.

Explanation: There is no possible way we could know how this was done for sure. But we do know one thing: It was a trick. And we spent a lot of time figuring it out. There are two ways this could have been done. We'll explain both and let you decide which one is more plausible.

OPTION ONE: The beach is real, but the video is pre-recorded.
This is a less plausable option, but still worth mentioning. If the beach on the recording is real, there is no other explanation than the pre-recorded video. There is no way they could have moved from the stage to the beach is such a short amount of time. Therefore, all communication between Copperfield and his assistant on the beach must have been determined in advance. Also, people from the audience who appeared to be selected at random were actually stooges. The photograph that is shown on the beach has already been taken before the beginning of the show. During the performance, they create the exact same scene and take (or maybe just pretend to take) another picture, which is identical to the one in the video. The initials T.S. are also given by a stooge. It only takes some skill and a large number of accomplices in the audience to create an illusion that they were randomly picked. However, there is an even better explanation that involves no stooges.

OPTION TWO: The video is genuine, but the beach is fake.

This may seem a little crazy, but that is the most probable explanation. You may have noticed that the camera never shows a 360 degree view of the beach, just a small part of it. Watch the video once again and pay more attention to the beach. Does it really look genuine? Is the sea real? Is the sky real? Why do they only show us such a small portion of the whole thing? Remember all the amazing things we can achieve with special effects. Could the beach be fake?

Then, after disappearing from the platform (which we'll discus later), all they have to do is come to the fake beach under the stage where the film crew is waiting. No stooges are needed. No pre-recorded footages. Everything is real, except for the beach.

How do they appear and disappear?

Probably the most amazing part of the illusion is when David and the spectator disappear from the platform which is in full view and right above the audience. It seems totally unexplainable, a true miracle.
Indeed, we can only speculate how exactly it was done. But some things are pretty clear. You can find a detailed explanation on this site.

The appearing and disappearing at the beach was probably achieved using mirrors or video editing (in case the video has been pre-recorded).

Other tricks by David Copperfield

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