Sunday, March 15, 2009

Coin Vanish Zen Competition (big big prizes!)

The simplest and purest magic trick I can think of is the vanishing of a coin. Today, I'm announcing a project / competition that will showcase the array of creative presentations possible with such a simple trick.

To share and/or compete, visit http://vimeo.com/groups/coinvanish and post a video of yourself using a french drop or a false transfer to vanish a coin. The presentation is up to you. Paint any kind of picture you like.

The name of the project is an homage to csszengarden.com where a simple html page is presented in a mind-blowing array of creative ways by talented graphic artists around the world.

The goal of this project is to show just how many ways a mechanical "trick" can be presented. In the future, if you're looking for a bit of inspiration, or a trick you're doing feels stale, I hope you can stop by and be inspired by just how much more life you can breath into it.

Your video can be 10 seconds, it can be 5 minutes, it's up to you.

Also feel free to post comments on videos you like, don't like, etc. Just keep it constructive and/or positive.

To kick off this project, I'm offering a prize to the first 3 places.

1st place: $150 Penguin Magic gift certificate
2nd place: $75 Penguin Magic gift certificate
3rd place: $50 Penguin Magic gift certificate

The judging will be done by me personally. The sooner you post the better, and you can always re-post. You can also post as many videos as you like, you won't be penalized and it'll be more interesting for the rest of us! The video should consist of only 1 coin vanish and no other magic tricks.


Basically, just focus on painting a picture.  Tell a story.  Not necessarily with words, but make us care that the coin vanishes.

Did you do it?
How are you doing it?
Why are you doing it?
Is there an explanation?
Did you mean to do it?
Is it a good thing that it happened?

The deadline to be considered for a prize is midnight on April 1st (PST).

I can't wait to see what comes out of this.

Alright, get ready, get set, POOF!

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