X Finger by Geoff Weber | Q & A

[Jason Brumbalow]

Boys and girls,

Geoff Weber is here to give everyone the lowdown on XFinger.

XFinger will drop on Tues, Dec | 9 | 08 1pm PT / 4pm ET

http://blog.ellusionist.com/releasin...r-trick-decks/

Thanks for dropping in Geoff! Have a ball...

[4757joshua2]

Wow! This one sure looks like the bee's knees!

[SleepingJag]

Thanks for taking time to answer some questions Geoff.

How dirty are you at the ending of this trick?

[Dave Wiltrout]

I'm not so sure I'm into this...it looks kinda "restricted". I don't mean restricted in the sense that different applications can't be applied, but in the sense of a description from the audience point of view. Just the way your hand apparently needs to be held to perform this, makes it "iffy" looking.

Does your hand need to be held all curled and closed in like in the video and are clean at the end of the effect? Can a spectator fully check out your hand at the end without the need of ditching anything?

-Dave-

[Geoff Weber]

You end dirty, but that really is not a problem for me when I perform it. That is mostly magician paranoia/guilt talking. Your attitude and performance style can help a lot in this regard. There are a lot of presentations where the final focus will be on another object other than your hand. Also, we do cover some solutions/ideas for clean up.

[Geoff Weber]

I forgot to mention that if you want to make a drawing appear, you can end clean and your hand is completely examinable.

Dave, regarding your previous question; there is no gimmick to ditch. When you present it, the positioning is pretty much like the way it is in the video, although you can make small adjustments through practice and experimentation to make it look the way you like. This trick has been a staple of my closeup repetoire since 2003. I have performed this thousands of times and this has never been an issue for me or any of my spectators.

[Dave Wiltrout]

Thanks Geoff,

The effect itself is definitely something I could fit into a routine and I love impromptu (although I don't see how this is impromptu considering I'm sure there is something else in play besides a pen), I'm just not sure I like the "restricted openness" it seems to have.

How impromptu is this Geoff and is there a set-up or gimmick involved?

-Dave-

[Geoff Weber]

This principle can be applied to an infinite number of routines. How impromptu it is will depend on what routine you are doing. Some are 100% impromptu, some require a 2 second setup. I also teach ways that you can set up right in front of people.

And I swear there is no gimmick... Unless you want to combine it with another effect, such as Stars & Hexes or Tagged... in which case the possibilities open up even more.

[4757joshua2]

Does it have to be on your finger? If so, can you do it on any finger or just the one?

[calfan1]

how limited are the angles, can they see the back of your hand?

[Geoff Weber]

You can use middle finger or ring finger. But I find middle finger works best.

[Geoff Weber]

Originally Posted by calfan1

how limited are the angles, can they see the back of your hand?

Angles are not a problem, but you are presenting a trick with writing on the front of your hand, so the audience should be in front of you so they can see what you're doing.

There is nothing to see on the back of your hand, so you're safe if you are doing this in a crowded place.

[4757joshua2]

Are there any applications for this technique besides make/changing writing on one's finger?

[Geoff Weber]

Definitely! Let your imagination go crazy, on the trailer, I peel a scribble off like a thread. You can use it to magically heal a wound. You can draw a bomb and flick it off your hand and it explodes as it hits the ground.... this is just the tip of the iceberg.

[Logan3210]

I agree with Dave on this one.

But when you mean two second set up do you mean you can do it with nothing with you or do you mean you have to set up with something different?