How Do Magicians Duplicate Signatures?

There comes a time in every consultant’s life when they must duplicate a signature. More often than not, someone has signed a card, and you need to recreate the signature to create a duplicate playing card rapidly.

As always, I tend to avoid digital methods, opting only for analogue and more reliable methods (a reminder that I love tech magic, which is almost always more impressive and almost always less reliable).

To duplicate a signature, you will first need to collect the signature. Doing this in a secretive way is part of what makes the trick fooling to the live spectator. If they sign something and then a random guy walks off with it to a nearby photocopier, the chance they’ll be impressed by your trick diminishes.

There are two core ways to collect the signature:

Sign Something Else

I’ve been on set when we chose to use a release form to collect signatures. That’s one of those one-page agreements contributors sign to agree to be on the telly. The hope here is that they will go on to sign the playing card in the same way. The truth is that they rarely do. People do not instinctively sign playing cards in a soon-to-be-televised magic trick in the same way as they sign a legal document. It would help if you used some coaching and careful wording. I’ve worded this nicely, but it’s worth saying that I do not recommend using release forms to collect signatures.

The second way I’ve used the “sign something else” method on television was when telling the contributor we needed to run a camera test. We made something up about the fact we’d only get one take at this because it’s a magic trick. And so, before the talent arrived, we asked the spectator to sign their name on something so we could either:

• Get a good shot of it in case we miss the shot later.

• Test that their signature reads well on camera.

This sounds like bad pre-show, but I assure you that in that context, when the contributor is trying not to embarrass themselves on telly, and in a world in which most humans do not know that the production crew is in on the trick, it works. It’s not the ideal method, but it certainly works. We’ve often had to test if things will read on camera (like to see if people’s clothing strobe), and we’ve also had to walk cameras through stuff so they know where to focus, etc. There are really common acts, even without secret methods.

The third way we’ve used this concept is during an earlier trick. You position your hero trick as the third trick in the set. As part of the first trick, they get a card signed. This card gets offloaded during the second trick for duplication. Such that by the time you get to trick numero three, the signature has been duplicated onto a new card that gets forced in trick three.

An issue with both these options is that you do not know where they shall sign the card, which will make it difficult to replicate. This is why the only time I would consider using such an option is when the trick involves impossibly moving the signature rather than the signed object. However, if you know what their autograph looks like ahead of time, it can speed up a live duplicate later on.

“Signing something else” is much better if the final location of the signed object is very far away or somewhat difficult to reach. This is because signing something else usually provides you with far more time to duplicate and place the item.

Sign The Real Thing

If they’re signing the thing that will actually be used for the trick, then this will likely take place during the performance. A spectator will sign an object, and then your team behind the scenes will work rapidly to duplicate it in time for the trick to be completed.

This method really relies on three crucial factors:

1. The offload/onload.

2. The speed of the duplication.

3. The guise for the delay.

The offload and onload refer to how easily the magician can pass the signed object to the team for duplication. This might not be necessary: in the past, we’ve had the magician hold the card up to the camera to show their signature. When they did this, we would freeze the shot on a screen in a backroom and use it to duplicate the signature. I would still refer to this method as a type of offload, as you are still offloading the information.

Another fairly common offload is to perform a kind of mic check in which the production crew pauses filming to check on everyone’s mics. When they do this, the audio technician will receive the signed object as they check on the performer’s mic. I will avoid relying on this method when I can for signature duplication. It’s a different story if you’re just trying to get the signed object to an impossible location. But we’re duplicating a signature, so it’s likely you’ll need to return one of the signed objects back to the performer. You’ll either need to do one long-ass mic check or two mic checks, and both are far from ideal.

The best option is to build a good physical method for the offload. This could be a simple trap in a table or placing the performer in a place where they can easily ditch the signed object behind a bar, door, chair, etc. I’ve worked on shows in which the magician has dropped an object onto a cloth on the floor, which we then pulled away out of shot and eye line.

The best way to cover the necessary delay is to add magic to the middle of the routine that you know you will delete later. This is a good form of a live edit. I suggest this because if you add space by performing a different trick, you’ll usually sense this missing chunk in the final edit. Whereas, if you simply add a few phases to the routine and delete those, the flow remains quite good.

The truth is that if your team is placed nearby or even under a table below you, then the duplication process can be extremely quick.

The Duplication Process

Consultants will have different recommendations. I duplicate signatures on signed cards using this method, which is inspired by the lightboxes I used in my graphic design classes at college.

You can use an iPad for this, but it’s just never going to compete with the power of a lightbox. Even then, I opt for a filming light because they’re even brighter than the art tracing lightboxes. To be more compact and mobile, I’ll often use a DSLR light with a matte cover. These run on batteries, so you don’t need to worry about plugging them in, and they are small and easy to keep in a consulting bag.

Playing cards are thick, and there’s only so much that light can do. What I will do is split a pre-prepared duplicate card (the same as the force card) and add rubber cement as though ready to glue the two layers back together. The great thing about rubber cement is that it’s a contact glue, so it can dry completely and only activate when the two layers touch.

You take their signed card and place it face up onto the lightbox. Above their card, you place the thin face layer of your duplicate card. At this point, it’s relatively easy to trace their signature onto the thin card layer. Then, simply place the two spit layers together. The glue will activate, and you’ll be left with a standard-looking duplicate card.

Some notes:

1. Their actual signed card should be the one that goes to the impossible location. Return to duplicate, which will not always be 100% perfect for the performer.

2. Choose a card with lots of white space, like a four of hearts. This helps the signature be clear and visible for viewers and also makes it clear and visible for you on the lightbox.

3. If you know you’re using the light box for a playing card, I suggest you use tape or a cut card to black out all unused space on the lightbox. Doing so allows for less light spill and means you’re not blinded when looking down to trace the card.

4. Test that the spectator cannot see the light from where they are standing. Be sure that the route to the lightbox is clear, and I recommend that one person retrieve the card and another duplicate the signature.

5. You should have standby split cards ready. Person 1 retrieves the card, person 2 duplicates the card, and Person 1 glues the split pieces together as Person 2 starts duplicating a backup card. This backup is there in case the glueing process fails or is misaligned. Prepare scissors to clean up that process, too.