If you like to know how PASS-PASS by Mickael Chatelain secret of this new closeup trick is done, let’s explore together.
I do not own this 2023 two-card trick PASS-PASS or PASSE-PASSE with transposition effect by French magician/creator Mickael Chatelain.
My explanation of PASS-PASS closeup trick is based on viewing the promo video clip.
Like all my so-called magic trick exposé, they are actually my exploration together with my assumption on how the artifices are done.
In other words, my reveal or rather explanation could be incorrect or even preposterous.
Anyway, watch PASS-PASS (PASSE-PASSE) card trick by Mickael Chatelain below:
The Queen of Hearts card has an elastic-thread attached flap, which does the transposition effect.
It has a face of Queen of Hearts on both sides.
Whereas the other card has a concealed slot or pocket at one of its side.
It’s function is to grip onto the Queen of the Hearts card, because of the sudden jolt, when the flap card turns over.
PASS-PASS By Mickael Chatelain Secret
Let’s analyze the Queen of Hearts.
As I have just mentioned it has a flap with elastic threads.
At the beginning of the video clip, I caught a glimpse of this gaffed card with the flap.
At the outset of the video clip, I think Mickael Chatelain’s right hand is gripping tightly onto the flap on the Queen of Hearts card from flipping over.
So is the performer from Ludovic Vlln Magie video.
Next, both Mickael Chatelain and Ludovic carefully slip the other card all the way to the middle of the Queen of Hearts card.
Apparently, they are inserting the flap at the back of the Queen of Hearts card into the slot/pocket at the side of the other card.
Gimmick Cards With Magnets
I presume there is a concealed magnet at both the pivot part of the flap of the Queen of Hearts, and the side of the other card.
Similarly, when they pull the two cards apart after the transposition trick.
You can see that the two cards appears to be magnetically stick to each other.
Watch both of them separating the two cards.
Mickael Chatelain at 0:21 and Ludovic Vlln Magie at 1:14.
Both cards need the magnet to stick them tightly together, because of the abrupt flipping movement of the Queen of Hearts card.
The position of the finger and the thumb holding the cards has to be precise, as seen below.
They are just at the corners of the Queen of the Hearts, which is going to turn over to the back.
To let the elastic-thread-attached flap to flip backward, slightly release the grip of both the thumb and the middle finger.
This image is captured from the video, the front face of the Queen of Hearts card is in the midst of flipping 180 degree to the back.
I think this is the sequence how the flap card flipping over to the back of the other card.
The image below of the flipping flap is taken the second routine when Mickael Chatelain uses his hand to momentarily block the cards.
The second routine, you can see him lifting up his middle finger at 0:30 to let the Queen of Hearts card to flip behind the Ten of Spades card.
In the third routine, he never show inserting the corner of the Nine of Clubs card into the flap of Queen of Hearts card.
He presses down on the front of Queen of Hearts card with his middle finger and his thumb on the flap behind together with the Nine of Clubs card.
He just lifts up his middle finger at 0:37, automatically the Queen of Hearts card flips over to the back of Nine of Clubs card.
Two Queen Of Hearts Cards
How do I know this gimmicked card has two different Queen of Hearts cards, you may ask.
By scrutinizing the face of Queen of Hearts card, before and after the transposition trick.
Look closely at the left black border of both cards, and you can tell they are both different cards.
This is the Queen of Hearts card before it flips behind the Ten of Spades card.
The border line is slightly thinner.
This is the Queen of Hearts card after it gets behind the Ten of Spades card.
The black border line is now a little thicker.
Crease Mark On Queen Of Hearts Card
Next is the crease line running down the Queen of Hearts card.
Before the trick, the Queen of Hearts card is one smooth flat piece.
But after the transposition trick, you can see the thin crease mark in the middle of the card (highlighted with white arrows).
With all these findings, I reckon this is PASS-PASS by Mickael Chatelain secret of transposing the Queen of Hearts card from the front to the back.
All said and done, this explanation of this card trick could still be wrong.
Note: This is not the 2017 PASS by Mickael Chatelain where the coin apparently penetrates through the card inside a plastic sleeve.
Watch PASS magic trick by Mickael Chatelain below:
PASS By Mickael Chatelain Revealed
I believe Mickael uses two methods for this penetration effect:
- Hidden slit at the plastic sleeve
- Gimmick card with a slot
In addition, probably together with the help of a magnet attached to his finger.
From the video, the first and the last routine, the way he inserts the card into the plastic sleeve, looks like he is secretly dropping the coin behind it.
For this routine, he doesn’t show the back of the card to the viewers, like his Cello trick as revealed in YouTube.
For Cello trick, it uses two same coins, and three tiny magnets.
The magnets are attached to one of the cards in the deck, at the coin and another at the palm of the hand.
Before you do this penetration trick, the extra coin is already hidden inside the cellophane wrapper of the deck case facing the back.
One of the playing cards inside the case is stick with a magnet.
To do the trick, you pretend to slip the magnet-attached coin into the cellophane wrapper.
When actually you are placing it on top of the case, as it will automatically magnetically stick on it, because of the magnet.
Then using the magnet on your palm to place over the coin, as it would pick it up.
As you draw your hand away from the case together with the coin, you pull down the transparent cello wrapper to reveal the hidden coin.
It appears the coin on top of the case is now inside the cello wrapper.
So for this PASS trick, I believe he also uses the same method.
He uses the magnet attached to his finger, to extract the front coin through a concealed slit in the plastic sleeve.
Then he palms it in his hand, and turns the card around to show the so-called penetrated coin.
I think this is the extracted front coin palmed in his right hand at 0:34.
This is captured from Kaan’s video, I think that is the coin hidden between his middle and ring finger at 0:37.
His two stiff-looking fingers squeezing tightly close together appears unnatural to me.
The second routine with the signed coin, he uses the gimmicked card with a camouflaged slit at the back of the card.
I think the secret slit is well hidden around the bottom circle outside the Angel Riding Bike picture.
This is from the video of Ludovic Vlln Magie and it is on the face of the Queen of Hearts card.
At 1:09, you can see his fingers dragging out the coin from the concealed slit at the slanted black color line at Queen’s crown, as highlighted below.
Again, my speculation of the methods of the PASS trick by Mickael Chatelain could be wrong as well.
Related: Mickael Chatelain’s trick called “PEN or PENCIL.
PEN or PENCIL By Mickael Chatelain Revealed
It is more of a visual gag, rather than a magic trick, like the pencil up the nose trick.
When it was released in 2015, the secret of this transformation effect trick was already openly mentioned in magic forum.
Simply because it is glaringly obvious it is a pen.
Right away, some one has already speculated it looks like a pen and pencil glued together lengthwise, and another said the effect could not even pass his so-called ‘Girlfriend Test‘.
Slow down the playback speed to 0.25.
Don’t look at the pen, focus your attention on the second and middle fingers of his right hand
You can clearly see he just slightly turns the pen with his fingers at 0:21.
These are the images captured from the video clip.
The easiest way to create this PEN/PENCIL gimmicked prop is, get a regular ball pen, and paste a strip of yellow or red sticker on half of the pen to make it look like a yellow or red pencil,
After all this is a slim prop and it is meant to be a quick visual effect, and it cannot be examined, unless you make a switch.
That’s the only secret, and the rest is the routines and handling.
Mickael Chatelain PEN or PENCIL trick is somewhat similar to the classic Paddle Move trick; a combination of rotating and tilting movement of the paddle or knife.
Right off the bat (no pun intended), you check out this old magical move from these free previews in Google books:
Card & Magic Tricks By The Diagram Group
101 Magic Tricks: Any Time. Any Place By Bryan Miles
Scarne’s Magic Tricks By John Scarne
Don’t forget to check out Dream Paddle by Kennedy Magic.
It comes with nine different changes.
Repeat your performance for the same audience, and they’ll see different variations.
You can view or download this free John Kennedy Magic’s Dream Paddle instructions online.
This is the demo video of Dream Paddle.