How does Teller do this?

Like Penn says, maybe we'll never know....I love their shows. I hope to sehem in person one day...

 

I saw Penn & Teller at the Rio LV. I actually volunteered to go on stage for their bullet catching routine. Still don't know how they did it. The gun was fired, Teller spit (yech!) the marked bullet into my hand. The casing in the gun was still hot and smoking, the bullet was grooved from the rifling. I still have the bullet and shell casing as momentos. Amazing magicians.

 

Intriguing!

 

Easy. Wax painted bullet, back stage hands make the initial on the bullet, when the vest goes on over his head {I don't know anyone who puts a bullet prof vest on that way}, the bullet goes into the mouth. The safety glass usually breaks from the wax bullet but sometimes doesn't {charge was lowered too much}, they ignore it and there you have it.

 

I confess.

 

Dont know for sure but I did several similar gags for some TV commercials.

Theres a step motor hidden in the vase and its rigged so that every time its engaged it pulls a wire that releases one of the petals/leaves.

Or maybe its magic

 

Everyday, I put my bodyarmor on like that. I hate adjusting the shoulder straps, so touchy...Slightest adjustment feels off, lol.

Either way, great tricks.

 

I don't completely know how it's done, but you can see a string catch the light at the 49th second right before the first pedal falls.

 

you sure that isn't the knife's reflection?

 

Wow thats very good.

 

Looked like a reflection from the knife to me as well.

 

Yeeeup this is actually a simple illusion, which usually makes for the best kind. Fake flowers are rigged with wires/motors in the vase to bend and fall off at certain times. Teller simply times his 'cuts' to match the timing in the vase. You see him cutting the shadow and assume that has something to do with the flowers, but it's actually the other way around. Imagine the scene without Teller in it. The flowers and shadows would all look exactly the same.. all he has to do is stand there and pretend to cut the shadow at the right times.

-R

 

that's the knife