# Person in half illusion



## Dark Lord (Jul 25, 2007)

OK here is the info for anyone interested on making the "person in half illusion"
I posted a vid demo on it in the halloween section, Hopefully the pics will come thru, they are a liitle fuzzy from my scan,but should be enough to give a descent visual;
Half person illusion
----------------------------------
What you need to make this;
1 pair of pants that matches the one you will wear when you 
perform this. ( I usually go to the thrift store & find a pair that 
are close to what i would wear to do this. No one will notice 
minor differences,just make sure that if you are wearing a belt,
you will need to copy it to the prop,i try not to wear one when
doing illusion)
----------------------
1 piece of thin aluminum bar1-1 1/4 wide & as long as the 
INSIDE of waist.Should be a 3-4 inches longer as you will need
to connect the ends to make a loop.I get one that is as about a
wide as the belt seam is (the strip around the top of pants that
the belt loops are sewn).
------------------------
1 piece of cardboard -A few inches larger than area of your waist.
------------------------
1 piece of soft foam- you will need at least a piece 2" w x 6"L x 1"D
( cut this in half = 2- 2"x3"x1" pieces)
** a 2nd piece of soft foam if you want to go the "gore-ier" way 
like i did.This piece needs to be as wide as the INSIDE of your
waist area.1"-1 1/4" thick.** 
-----------------------
some flat black spray paint,siccors, black tape,2 srews or rivets for
aluminum bar,hack saw if you need to trim the alum bar down.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1- Cut off the legs just at the crotch,the pants should now form a 
tube.(with the pants buttoned at top)
------
2- Bend the aluminum bar around your waist to form a ring.
Give about a couple of inches overlap.Cut off extra. put ring 
inside of pants top,like an inside belt,Let it sit as tight against the
inside of pants as you can.Mark the inside edge were the alum
overlaps,remove & screw or rivet the alum ring together.
(I used rivets).Check/replace the ring inside of pants & should 
be as tigh as possible inside.
-------
3- remove alum ring & pale it on the cardboard,trace out the area
inside the ring. Remove ring & draw in flaps(1") about 3-4" apart
all the way aroundthat you will fold & to tape to ring.This will be
the area that will show to look like missing top of body,
** or add the foam to make it look like torn flesh**more on this opt
-----
4-** Optional insert piece- if you want to add this for a better effect 
like i did,place the ring in the larger foam piece & trace the inside
of alum ring,make sure you cut it out with a little extra on the 
edges so it will fit snuggley inside.More on this opt later
-----
5- Take the 2-2"x3"x1" foam blocks & tape or glue them to one side
of cardboard in center (left-right to pants) with a little space 
between them. You will use these to balance this on top of your
head. 
-----
6- Now here is the part were you will attach the cardboard piece,
pending on if you just go the simple route or the opt insert piece
to add that extra "ewww" effect.
A- simple; spray flat black on the side that you do not have the
foam blocks attached to.If you choose this,the you will place
the cardboard (foam blocks facing down)so the the black
is to the top & as high as the top of alum bar.fold flaps down
& tape to inside ring.(foam blocks should be to left & right of
your head) Spray the ring edges too.
B- if you go with the "ewww" style,then no spray painting needed,
you will attach the cardboard so that is at the BOTTOM edge
of the alum ring,tape the flaps UP on the inside ring (foam
blocks still face down) so you have a kind of "bowl".
------
7- If you went with "A" then glue the ring to the inside top pants lip
& your done.The black cardboard should be at the highest point
of the top edge of pants
** If you go with "B",then you can still glue in alum ring to inside of
pants,& there should be an inch from the bottom of cardboard &
the top of pants.Take the foam insert time to have fun with it.
To add the "ewwww" effect,I pinched pieces of the top to make3
like moon cratered effect.I then used water based paints & with
my airbrush,sprayed red on it,then used a rootbeer brown & 
spotted in areas & them some lighter red in high areas.I followed
this up with gloss clear & whalaa, from a distance gives it the look
like the upper half of the missing body you see the torn (or melted)
flesh on the bottom half.........
------
8- (You can use trench coat),or cloth curtain.The lenght of long piece
of cloth sewn or glued to wood dowel.This depends on the 
performers hight.You should have at least a foot of cloth higher 
than the performer,too much lenght will hinder you,too short &
will create other probs.This can be done surrounded,however
an assistant will have to raise & lower curtain for you & you will 
need to make a circle curtian.
-----------------------------------
To perform:
pends on performer,with a coat it is hidden inside of back,performer
takes off coat & swings it around in front of them
with curtian,pick up curtain at top with dowel/rod with prop inside 
(centered). With curtain/coat directly in front of you,when you raise it,
then prop will be at eye level,lean your head & upper body forward
& place it on your head.continue to raise curtain/coat to the reach of
you arms, as you lower curtain/coat, lean forward alittle & then start to
squat.Using the curtain/coat to shield the movment of your legs/feet
balance your self in the squat postion & lower the curtain/coat.
* this is the tricky part, practice lowering it to about your nose level
were the crouch should be about,not enough & you show only top of
pants,too much & they will see the prop secret,you want to show as
much of the pants as possible without the reveal.moving around a 
little gives a creepy look,like somehting went wrong.......a few sec
after,raise curtain/coat as you stand up above your head,remove
prop & drop the curtian/coat on the floor with prop inside.

-------------------------
Now this is were i have fun,like in vid,1st i tell them that i will make
myself disappear, raise the curtain above your head,lower it & as
you raise it lift one of your feet,i do this again with the opossite foot
to get them off guard & thinking that i am just joking around with them.
Then the last time you raise the sheet / coat load prop & lower.
show them the "half body" for couple of sec,then raise it back up &
"reappear" your top section. (TIP) when you are showing the illusion
move back & fourth & side to side a little as if the trick went wrong.
When you reappear yourself look uneasy/disoreinted as if you knew
something went wrong but not sure or comment that it seems that
you seem to get this trick "half" right !! 
----------------------------------
Will try to get som pics in with this for visual,I'll try to answer any
questions on this,hope i explained well enough,Enjoy!! Thanx-Dark Lord


----------



## Dark Lord (Jul 25, 2007)

*additional pics*

Here are 2 more pics that didn't get on the 1st post.......
they show the standing & squating postion of the illusion.


----------



## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

Cool...Looks like how some have figured, but if the prop isn't concealed behind the curtain, where is it until needed?


----------



## Dark Lord (Jul 25, 2007)

There are a few different ways to conceal it,just pends on the performer & the condition they need to do it in.It can be hidden on the performer clipped to them (on they're back,etc)or clipped to a nearby table (hidden behind a chair back,etc) & is "stolen" when you open up the curtain,clipped to the inside back of overcoat,or covered with the curtain as you pick it up......


----------

