The Camera Trick by Matthew Wright

The Camera Trick by Matthew Wright is an incredible modern magic trick that combines easy-to-master magic and surefire technology. Available to both Android and iOS users, this mix of the augmented reality world and the physical magic world leaves your audience with nowhere to go other than pure amazement.

The wonderfully constructed routine by Matthew Wright allows for two separate effects or one longer double effect where a spectator selects a card and signs the back. The camera on your phone now points to the back of the signed card and instantly "sees through" the back to reveal the face of the chosen card. That would be where most magic tricks of this genre stop... but The Camera Trick still has two more phases to go! A second card is now selected and the card shown on the screen visibly morphs into the second selection. The magician explains that the signed card has also changed in the physical world but the hard part "is to turn it back to the original". The on-screen animation begins but there's a problem... The screen starts to glitch and becomes frozen.

Stuck midway between the first selection and the second, the on-screen card is a jumbled digital mess. The trick has gone wrong. The magician then turns over the signed card to reveal that the front of the card is no longer the selected card. It is a glitched, jumbled misprint.

The magician says he will "try again". A new card is selected and signed on the back. This time it is the King of Hearts, otherwise known as "the suicide king" because he has a sword stabbed into his own head. Again the camera of the magician's phone is pointed towards the signed back of the card. The animation begins and the King becomes visible. Another card is chosen... it is the Four of Hearts. The on-screen King now removes a blank piece of paper from inside his jacket. He removes the sword from his head and pierces the four hearts in the corner pips of his own card and rearranges them onto the blank card he is holding to create a Four of Hearts. The animation stops. The signed back of the card once again shows on the camera screen. The physical card is turned over to reveal that the King is really holding the Four of Hearts.

This really is an absolute killer routine that Matthew has been developing for over three years. It is easy to do and suitable for all skill levels... but don't let the simplicity fool you... this is top-level, professional-grade magic at its finest.

NOTE: This effect utilizes Matthew Wright's CTRL'D App. Currently, the app is only for iOS, but an android version is coming soon.