Somebody tell me how this is done.

[Drofder2004]

You can see how precisely he is replacing the box, taking care on how it goes back. So the trick is NOT the box itself, but something hidden by the box structure. He then says the trick can be done by anyone around 18-20st, so we know there is a mechanism that can take weight, so hydraulics for sure. I assume he controls it by footpedals or depending on the expense of the trick, wireless. The "windows" are to create a false illusion of empty space, but the sides of the box hide the small mechanical arms once they are raised.

Go by his box set from the shop, its bound to be in it...

[Drofder2004]

Honestly, its a fucking awful trick. Put this on Penn & Teller's Fool Us and watch them laugh at an old man performing level 1 illusions.

[Drofder2004]

Honestly, its a fucking awful trick. Put this on Penn & Teller's Fool Us and watch them laugh at an old man performing level 1 illusions.

Are you confident that kicking the box over fits in with your hypothesis? And also - he states that this can be performed when surrounded e.g people standing on all sides. Does that fit?

I don't see why not.

- The box is lifted and mvoed around, so it is not the carrier of the lifting device, however the trick would be better without a box, so obviously the box is important (it hides the tricks).
- There is always something covering the floor, at no point is the 'stage' empty. Something in under the cloth.
- Weight is a factor, so a lift is used (hydraulics most obvious solution)
- A 2 poster, hydraulic lift will be able to hold a lot of weight (maybe even 1 post would work).

The only thing that makes this hard is hiding the lift 'arms'. Either they are dark enough to blend in to the shadows of the box, or they fit in between layers of the box (the box is very thick and the top edges are taped or something), you can hear the box making 'crisp' noises when he bends it - a prefolded cardboard box would not make those noises, which is why I believe it is tape aroudn the edges.

[Drofder2004]

What about stability though? Surely it'd topple over unless it had a wide base? And how would you reasonably carry it on and off stage as he claims you can? It must also be small enough to totally hide in the flat curtain?

You'd be suprised by the sturdiness of lightweight metals, I would say more than a few kilos if he was using a hydraulic pump. With a bit of concealment with the curtain a little bit of acting and a small amount of misguidance, you could get it on stage.

If Paul Daniels came on to the stage carrying a large box covered in a sheet, pretending it was very heavy and then told you afterwards it was a box of air, you would assume he was putting on the act for part of the joke, where in truth the setup is actually a bit of weight. Half the magic is in the act.

Also, there is no evidence to show him producing the box, they are in both videos the box starts onstage.

Base is maybe 40cm sqaure, height maybe 80cm. No more than standing on a stool. No reason it would topple unless you wanted it too.

And that curtain is always 3 inches off the floor, plenty of room. you could store a large hydraulic pump in 3 inches of space.

[[SoE]_Zaitsev]

It's deff an elevator kind of thing judging by his smooth movement and turning (He keeps his feet still all the time).