Designing Miracles

Creating the Illusion of Impossibility

2006
Written by Darwin Ortiz
Work of Darwin Ortiz
200 pages (Hardcover), published by A-1 MagicalMedia
No illustrations
Language: English
31 entries
This publication has been reviewed by
Cover photograph
Creators Title Comments & References Page AA Categories
Whit Haydn Foreword
9
Darwin Ortiz Introduction
  • Magic as Craft
  • Designing the Effect
 		13
Darwin Ortiz Chapter One: Picking the Best Method
  • Cleverness
  • Creativity
  • Difficulty
  • Efficiency
  • Whether It Fooled You
  • Novelty
  • The Trick with No Method
  • "It Doesn't Matter"
  • Design
Also published here 17
Darwin Ortiz Chapter Two: The Magical Experience
  • The Magical Experience
  • Deception vs. Illusion
  • Puzzle vs. Miracle
 		29
Darwin Ortiz Chapter Three: Causality
  • No Way
  • Making Casual Connections
  • The Design Bonus
  • Analytical Tools
    • Inner Reality vs. Outer Reality
 		35
Darwin Ortiz Chapter Four: Temporal Distance
  • The Critical Interval
  • Case Studies
  • The Magician Mentality (on Larry Jennings's "Aces for Experts")
 		45
Darwin Ortiz Forward Time Displacement
  • Time Misdirection
  • Time Displacement and Acting
  • Time Displacement and Magic Gestures
  • Time Displacement Convincers
  • The Time Displacement Device
  • Case Study: Carlyle's Homing Card
  • Forward Time Displacement Methodology
  • Double Time Displacement
  • Time Displacement and Presentation
 		50
Ring on Wand Subtlety
55
Gary Plants, Darwin Ortiz Pseudo Estimation performer cuts off specific number of cards
 		57
Darwin Ortiz Backward Time Displacement
  • Psychological Surrender
  • Case Study: Carlyle's Homing Card
  • Case Study: Oral Hygiene
  • Backward Time Displacement Methodology
  • Backward Time Displacement and Intensity Misdirection
 		68
Darwin Ortiz Oral Hygiene
71
Darwin Ortiz Time Displacement and Sleights
  • Where the Dirty Work Happens
  • Where the Move Happens
 		77
Darwin Ortiz Chapter Five: Spatial Distance
  • Positioning Effect and Method in Space
  • Time and Space
  • Removing the Evidence
  • Secret Transfer
  • Shifting Location of Revelation
  • Isolation
  • Producing a Distant Duplicate
    • The Two-Out-of-Three Rule
    • The Vanish and the Production
    • Subverting the Timeline
  • Creating False Proximity
 		81
Darwin Ortiz Gold Medaillon Handling see also p. 105
Inspired by 86
Darwin Ortiz Twisting the Case see also p. 175
Related to
  • Strong Magic
 90
Darwin Ortiz Deck to Pocket Climax for Travelers
 		96
Darwin Ortiz Chapter Six: Conceptual Distance
  • Physical Barriers
    • The Hole Container
  • Information Barriers
    • Case Study: The Trick That Can't Be Explained
    • Information Barriers and Conservation
    • Creating Information Barriers
    • Case Study: Note Under Cup
  • The Veils Principle
  • Barriers of False Explanations
  • Eliminate Suspicion Before It Forms
 		103
Brother John Hamman, Darwin Ortiz Bold Card to Pocket deck previously cased and pocketed
 		104
Dr. Stanley Jaks Jaks Trick that Cannot Be Explained unknown card marked on back, spectator choses it from the face, TTTCBE
 		107
Lu Brent A Prediction Supreme TTTCBE
Also published here 108
Darwin Ortiz The Trick that Takes Forever to Explain TTTCBE
Inspired by 108
Darwin Ortiz Note Under Cup Finale discussion and number reading ending
Inspired by 114
Darwin Ortiz Chapter Seven: The False Frame of Reference
  • The Straight and Narrow Path
  • The "Too Obvious" Theory
  • Method as Effect
  • The Method/Effect Shift
  • The Final False Solution
  • Frame of Reference and Kickers
  • The Crooked Path
Related to 127
Darwin Ortiz The Fire Test lit match placed in hand
 		134
Darwin Ortiz Chapter Eight: Visual Magic
  • Defining Visual Magic
  • Visual vs. Mental Components
  • Laying the Groundwork
  • Strengthening Visual Magic
    • Momentary Delay
    • Time Displacement in Visual Magic
    • Conceptual Barriers in Visual Magic
  • Limitations of Visual Magic
  • Exploiting Visual Magic
    • As a Time Displacement Device
    • As a Validating Phase
    • As Part of a Visual/Covered Deisgn
    • As Incidental Magic
 		143
Darwin Ortiz Chapter Nine: Correlation: Making and Breaking Patterns
  • Conviction
  • Repetition
  • Elimination Pattern Clues
    • Method vs. Technique
    • Complete Time Displacement
    • Combining Different Methods
  • The Composite Perfect Method
    • Case Study: Carlyle's Homing Card
  • The Rule of Three
  • Thematic Misdirection
  • Creating False Correlations
 		163
Darwin Ortiz Homing Card Variation handling variation, three phases
Inspired by 171
Darwin Ortiz Chapter Ten: Manipulating Memory
  • The Fallacy of Deep Motivation
  • Telegraphing Motivation
  • Ruses
    • Incidental Actions
    • Accidental Actions
    • Extraneous Actions
  • Altering the Final Picture
  • Final Points
 		179
Darwin Ortiz Afterword
193
Darwin Ortiz Appendix One: Darwin's Laws
195
Darwin Ortiz Appendix Two: Glossary
197
Data entered by Denis Behr, July 2020.