the-exit-door.pdf

7/23/2019 The-Exit-Door.pdf

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THE EXIT DOOR

Copyright J C Sum 2015


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THE EXIT DOOR


Dear Fellow Magician,

I have spent a lot of time & effort putting this set of E-Plans together.It is my way of giving back to the magic industry that has enabled me to have a

career in what I do.I hope you will respect this request not to share or upload this E-Plan.If you think there is value in this E-Plan, please direct your friends to

www.IllusionBooks.comand ask them to subscribe to the website to downloadtheir own copy.

Copyright 2015 by J C Sum

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage andretrieval system, now known or to be invented, without permission in writing.

All commercial manufacturing rights of the illusion contained in this publication are reservedand strictly remain the sole property of the author.

The author accepts no responsibility for damages or injuries resulting from the fabrication orperformance of the illusion in this publication.
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THE EXIT DOOR


EFFECT

A free-standing doorway is positioned at an angle in the center of the stage away.

The door in the doorway is opened and the audience can see an exit sign on the front of thedoor. The exposed back of the doorway is covered by a roller blind.

At the end of the show, the illusionist walks behind the "exit door" and moments later, thedoor is pulled shut against the doorway.

The roller blind springs open to reveal that the illusionist has completely vanished and all theaudience sees is the back of the door with a sign that says "The End".

INTRODUCTION

This is an effective and novel way to make a person disappear. It can be used to make a girl

vanish at the end of an illusion act or is also a poetic exit for the illusionist to make at the endof the show. You can also use the same prop to perform a teleportation illusion as well.

It is relatively easy to build, inexpensive and plays quite big.

You can perform the illusion solo, if you are making yourself vanish, but it will make thingseasier to have a secret backstage assistant or stage hand to help you.

WHAT YOU NEED

You will need the following materials to build this illusion:

Assorted Lumber & Plywood

The prop is almost completely built out of wood and you need to cut, file and sand the woodas necessary.

Door Knob/ Latch Assembly + Door Hinges

The door will require a door knob/ latch assembly to be installed on the edge of the door. The

door itself must be hinged to the door frame.

Bolts with T-Nuts

M8-sized bolts and T-Nuts are used to assemble the prop together so that the parts can bedisassembled for transport. T-Nuts are nuts that are embedded into a piece of wood so thatbolts can be screwed into them.


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THE EXIT DOOR


1" Aluminum Angle (2mm thick)

These lengths of aluminum angle act as backing support for the door to close against in thedoor frame.

Shelf Supports

Purchase two strong "L-Shaped" shelf supports used to mount shelf units to the wall. Theseshelf supports should be about 20" long on each side.

You can buy decorative steel or stainless ones or even wood ones, depending on the themeof your prop and budget.

Bolts & T-Nuts 1 Aluminium Angle Shelf Support

Roller Blind

You need to buy a specific type of roller blind for this illusion. You want the sort with acardboard tube. One end of the tube has a flat pin and the other end that has a round pin thatboth fit into mounting brackets.

Most good hardware stores or stores that sell curtains and drapes should carry this model ofroller blind. You do not want high-end roller blinds with multiple casings, gears or a motor.

Cut the cardboard tube core to length so that it fits on the inside of the door frame. I havefound using a hand saw or Mitre Saw (power tool) works best.

Next, remove the spring catch from the roller blind so that the blind will not stop halfway butwill retract all the way once released.

Use a flathead screwdriver to pry off the cap at the end of the roller blind with the flat pin. Usea pair of needle-nosed pliers to remove the Pawl (See diagram below) that acts as thespring catch.

Replace the cap and use electrical tape to secure it in place.


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THE EXIT DOOR


Roller Blind Fabric

You will need an opaque black fabric such as a cotton and polyester blend. Cut the fabric tosize so that it fits the width of the cardboard tube core of the roller blind. The length of thefabric should be 3" longer than height of the doorway.

Prepare the fabric as follows:

Cut a 1/4" diameter wooden rod so that it is the same length as the width of the fabric.Tape two strips of 1" double-sided tape onto one end of the fabric. Mount the woodenrod onto the end of the fabric and roll the fabric tightly around the rod. The double-sided tape will keep everything in place.

Buy a 1/2" grommet set (you might have to buy a couple in a pre-packaged set) andcreate a grommeted hole in the center of the fabric just above the wooden rod at theend of the fabric. You can learn how to attach the grommet to the fabrichere.

Take a 1.5" split ring and fit it into the grommeted hole and over the wooden rod.

Use duct tape to tape the other end of the fabric to the cardboard tube core of the rollerblind.

Wood Rod Grommets Split Ring
http://www.sew4home.com/tips-resources/sewing-tips-tricks/how-install-metal-grommetshttp://www.sew4home.com/tips-resources/sewing-tips-tricks/how-install-metal-grommetshttp://www.sew4home.com/tips-resources/sewing-tips-tricks/how-install-metal-grommetshttp://www.sew4home.com/tips-resources/sewing-tips-tricks/how-install-metal-grommets


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THE EXIT DOOR


1 x Split Pin (2.5 long)

3 x Screw Eye (1 diameter head)

Door Brush

This comprises of a row of bristles on a plastic strip that attach to the bottom of a door,typically to keep dust out of a room.

Rope

Two lengths of rope will be used as pull cords to close the door and to release the roller blind.I recommend black braided polypropylene nylon rope with a core, 5mm thick.

Door Brush

Split Pin Screw Eye Rope

HOW TO BUILD THE PROP

The main prop considers of a gimmicked doorway mounted on a base with a door. Thedoorway consists of a frame mounted on a base as well as a roller blind set-up.

Door Frame & Base

The doorway is made from three lengths of lumber and measures 75" high and 36" wide. Thedoor frame itself is 2" thick and 4" wide. The doorway can be made taller if the person"disappearing" is very tall.


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THE EXIT DOOR


The doorway is mounted on a base made from 1" ply measuring 36" x 36". Drill holes in theunderside of the vertical supports of the door frame. Insert T-nuts into these holes. Drillcountersunk holes through the underside of the base so you can secure the door frame to thebase with two countersunk bolts. The bolts should be at least 8mm in diameter.

The "L-Shaped" steel shelf supports will act as side supports that bolt to the sides of the door

frame and the base. The side supports extend on the back side of the door frame to the base.You can use T-nuts and 3/4" long bolts with washers.

See Figs 1 - 2.

Door

The door is made of a lumber frame sandwiched between two sheets of plywood. Thefinished door should be 1.5" thick and just fits into the doorway.

The door is mounted to the door frame with door hinges. The door has a door knob/ latchassembly with the corresponding component embedded in the frame.

Add four lengths of 1" aluminum angle, 2mm thick, to all sides of the inside of the door frame.These lengths of aluminum angle act as backing supports for the door to close against.

FIG 1

FRONT VIEW

75

36


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THE EXIT DOOR


Attach the door brush (cut to length) to the bottom of the door. The purpose of the door brushis to cover the gap created by the height of the 1 base of the prop. This prevents theaudience from seeing under the door when it is opened.

Roller Blind

Mount the roller blind brackets on the inside top of the doorway. Mount the roller blind ontothe brackets.

You will need to turn the metal flat end of the roller blind to create tension. Fit the metal endsinto the brackets without losing the tension. The fabric needs to be rolled over the roller blindso that when you pull it down open, it will spring back closed around the roller blind.

On the base of the doorway, under the center of the door frame, mount two screw eyes about1/2" apart from each other.

THE END

4

FIG 2

SIDE VIEW

(Viewed from the Back with

Door opened)

36

Door Brush

Roller Blind Mounted

in Door Frame

Holes for Pull Ropes

Aluminum Angle acts

as backing support fordoor to close against


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THE EXIT DOOR


Pull the roller blind down so that the split ring fits down between the two screw eyes. Take thesplit pin and insert it through each screw eye and the split ring. This will hold the roller blinddown and open. See Fig 3.

Note: The 1 aluminum angle on the bottom of the door frame (not shown in Fig 3) helps toblock the view created by the gap under the roller blind when it is pulled down.

Pull Cords

Drill two 1/2" holes (next to each other) through one side of the door frame, just above thebase. The holes are on the side opposite the hinged side of the door. See Fig 2.

Take the last screw eye and screw it into the bottom corner of the door, about 2" from thebottom and long edge of the door.

Take one pull cord and tie it to the screw eye on the door. Thread the cord through the 1/2"hole closer to the door.

Take the other pull cord and tie it to the end of the split pin. Thread the cord through the other1/2" hole.

If you pull the first pull cord firmly, it will close the door into the door frame.

If you pull the pull cord, you will pull out the split pin causing the roller blind to spring open.See Fig 4.

Grommeted Hole with

Split Ring Wooden Rod in end of Fabric

Pull Cord attached to

Spilt Pin

Screw Eyes

FIG 3

FRONT VIEW

(Bottom of Roller Blind Set-up)


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THE EXIT DOOR


Finishing the Prop

You can finish the prop in a colour of paint that fits your show.

An "EXIT" and "THE END" sign are mounted on the front and back of the door respectively.

You can customize the signs with a sign maker or even license plate maker.

SET-UP

This illusion is designed for a theatre setting with stage proscenium so that the audience donot have extreme side angles of the illusion.

There needs to be a back curtain that has a center split that will act as the "escape route" forthe person vanishing.

Prepare the curtain by using large bulldog or binder clips to clip the center split of the curtaintogether so that only the bottom 5ft of the curtain can be parted. This is so that when theperson goes through the curtains, there is no movement at the top of the curtain above thedoor.

The prop is set as far in front of the back curtain as possible, ensuring that sight lines areprotected. Naturally, the further away the prop is set from the back curtain, the moredeceptive the illusion will be.

When Pull Cord is pulled, Spilt Pin will be pulled free from Screw Eyes,

releasing Split Ring and causing Roller Blind to retract

FIG 4

FRONT VIEW


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THE EXIT DOOR


The prop is set at a 45 degree angle so that when the door to closed into the doorway, thefront of the door faces the back curtain. At the start of the performance, the door is opened sothat it is parallel to the front edge of the stage. See Fig 5.

The roller blind is pulled down and held in place by the split pin as described above.

The pull cords for the split pin and the door are laid out taut from the prop to the back of thestage under the back curtain.

PERFORMANCE

When you are ready to perform the illusion, deliberately and slowly walk behind the door. Youwant to do it slowly so that it creates a false sense of time when you quickly make yourescape once behind the door.

Once you are hidden behind the door, as quick as you can, make your way to the center splitof the back curtain and go through it. This is where it helps to have a backstage assistantpage the curtains for you.

FIG 5

TOP VIEW

AUDIENCE

DoorBase

Door Frame

Back Curtains

Pull Cords

Center Split


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THE EXIT DOOR


Once you are through and the curtain is closed together. The backstage assistant or you pullthe first pull cord to close the door shut into the door frame.

Wait two beats to allow the audience to register the closing door. Then pull the second cord torelease the roller blind, revealing your complete disappearance.

Use stage lighting to enhance the illusion. A single spot can frame the entire illusion prop.Several other coloured spots can be added to create texture and light up the area.

Once you walk behind the door and it closes, turn off the coloured spots, leaving the singlespot on the prop.

After the roller blind has sprung closed and the audience has time to register thedisappearance and the "The End" sign, slowly fade off the single spot for a complete blackart. This is an aesthetically pleasing and theatrical end to the act or show.

BONUS "TELEPORTATION" EFFECTFor an enhanced killer version of this illusion, you will require an additional assistant who is ofsimilar build to you and dressed identically. This person will essentially be your secret bodydouble.

You will also likely need sunglasses and a hat or a mask (depending on your performingstyle).

The illusion is set up as described above. However your body double starts off behind thedoor.

During the performance, you step behind the door out of view for a moment and your bodydouble steps out (switching places with you).

You (the double) needs some motivation to come out from behind the door so it might be toadjust the "Exit" sign on the door that is crooked. Or, you (the double) walks to a table to pickup a bag or scarf as though you forgot to take it before)

This gives you time to go through the back curtain and run to the side or back of the theatre.

Your body double walks behind the door again and "disappears" as described in the originaldescription.

You then make your reappearance at the appropriate time to create a stunning teleportationillusion effect.

Have fun and own the stage!


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THE EXIT DOOR


For more advanced and sophisticated designs for The Exit Doorillusion, check out my book"Illusionary Departures"HERE.

"The Exit Door" is combined with an original design for a black art table system or a fulldeceptive base so that this illusion can be elevated on a platform with legs off the floor andthe audience can see underneath and behind the platform during the illusion for an even more

deceptive effect.

EXIT

Floodlights

Rubber Stopper

Roller Blind

0.125" Hole throughthe Roller Blind & the1" Aluminum Flat Bar

Key Ring

Triangle Support Legs(x 2) constructed from2" x 1" thick Lumber

Door Knob

Door constructedfrom 0.125" thick Plysandwiched between3" x 1" thick PineFraming

I considerIllusionary Departuresmy most value-for more book as it contains 35 illusiondesigns & presentations in a single book. It also details my approach to modern base designand fabrication.

If you found value in the quality of this free illusion design, check out my range of illusionbooks for beginners to professionals at the world's largest online illusion book shop:www.illusionbookstore.com
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THE EXIT DOOR


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