"The Trick with the Gun" on Superchannel

From the Times Colonist:

Chris Gudgeon doesn’t seem like a guy who’s into guns, and not just because he’s a peace-loving poet.

So why did he suddenly find himself at the North Saanich Rod and Gun Club to learn the finer points of marksmanship?

It was for the The Trick With the Gun, director Michael McNamara’s high-calibre documentary that the Victoria-based writer and producer wrote and appears in.

In the 90-minute film premièring tonight at 9 on Superchannel, Gudgeon agrees to pull the trigger for the Bullet Catch, a notoriously dangerous illusion.

Read more.

Toronto: Win tickets to see Scott Hammell in "The Trick with the Gun"

This contest is now closed.  The winners have been announced at "Winners of tickets to see Scott Hammel in "The Trick with the Gun."

Updated November 15 at 11:20am to add:

• We're experiencing technical difficulties with the Rafflecopter widget.
• The contest remains open until Sunday November 15 at 11:59pm ET.
• If the widget won't let you enter, leave your entry in the comment form below.  You MUST include your e-mail address for your entry to be valid.
• Optional Twitter entries may also be included in the comment form below.  The URL to the required Tweet must be included for your entry to be valid.
• Apologies for the inconvenience.

I have been offered eight pairs of tickets to give away to my readers, to attend "The Trick with the Gun" at the Thursday, November 19 at 6:30 p.m. screening in Toronto, Canada.  (I understand that there's also a Q&A with director Michael McNamara and subjects Scott Hammell and Christopher Gudgeon.)

Did you know that Scott is a four-time Guinness World Record holder?  I know he's got the record for "Highest Suspension Straight Jacket Escape."  Can anyone let me know what the other three are for?

Watch the trailer at  Markham Street Films YouTube channel.

If you don't want to leave tickets to chance, you can either purchase them at the cinema box office, or have a look at this post in the Browser's Den of Magic Facebook group:

Markham Street Films is looking for three young magicians to perform close up magic on November 19, 2015 from 6:00pm-6:30pm, at the premiere of their film The Trick with The Gun.If interested please contact Hilary at 416-536-1390 ext 222 or email hmuth@markhamstreet.com for more information. 

(This is a volunteer thing. In exchange for some walkaround, you will get a ticket to the screening.)

I will be holding a random draw for each pair of general admission tickets.  (There will be eight winners. Each winner will receive a pair of tickets.)  The draw results will be posted on Monday November the 16th.

To enter:

1. Log into the RaffleCopter widget below, using Facebook or a valid e-mail address.
     
2. Mandatory: Leave a comment in the widget, telling me your favourite Scott Hammell memory (from a personal encounter, an interview, a performance etc).  (You do not need to be a magician to enter the contest.)(Your favourite memory could be entering this contest!)
     
3. Optional: For an additional entry:
   a) Sign in to your Twitter account
   b) Use the RaffleCopter widget to send this message to your Twitter followers:
   "Enter by Nov 15 to win 2 tix to see @scotthammell in "The Trick with the Gun" at @TheBloorCinema via @canadasmagic
   http://canadasmagic.blogspot.com/2015/11/toronto-win-tickets-to-see-scott.html"
   
   c) Enter the URL of your Tweet into the RaffleCopter widget to validate your entry.
       (The optional entry is only valid if the Tweet URL is included.)
     
4. If you win, you must be willing to provide your full name and contact information for me to share with Alex from the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema.

The fine print:

• To participate in the contest, you must be 18 years of age or older.
• One entry per person.
• This giveaway is open to Canadian residents, excluding residents of Quebec. (Je m'excuse!)
• This giveaway is void where prohibited by law.
• If you experience difficulties leaving a comment, you may e-mail it to me for posting.  (I am not responsible if your e-mail is misdirected or gets stuck in my Spam folder.)
• This giveaway may be terminated or withdrawn at any time.
• You must be able to use the tickets as offered.  (No cash value will be offered if you cannot use the tickets.)
• Photo ID will be required to claim the tickets at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema box office prior to the show on your way into the screening.
• The odds of winning depend on how many people enter the contest.
• Contest closes on Sunday November the 15th, 2015 at 11:59pm EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



With thanks to Alex from the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema for generously making these tickets available to you!

Toronto: Scott Hammell in "The Trick With The Gun"

Tickets are now on sale for the Toronto showing of Christopher Gudgeon and Scott Hammell's "The Trick With The Gun."  The trailer for the movie was previously posted.

From the Bloor Cinema:

Director Michael McNamara and subjects Scott Hammel and Christopher Gudgeon will introduce the film and participate in a Q&A. Don’t miss a special live magic act on stage. 

Co-presented by Sorcerer's Safari. [sic]

Visit the Bloor Cinema website to buy your tickets for the Nov 19 showing.

Scott Hammell in "The Trick With The Gun"

Watch the trailer for Christopher Gudgeon and Scott Hammell's "The Trick With The Gun."  [Warning: strong language.]

Some of it was shot during Sorcerers Safari at Camp White Pine!

From Markham Street Films YouTube channel:

Toronto: Markham Street Films at the Browser's Den of Magic

From the Browser's Den of Magic Facebook page:

Hello everyone! Tomorrow a film crew from Toronto's Markham Street Films will be at Browser's Den of Magic starting around 2:30pm to shoot footage for a documentary film about the bullet catch. The documentary features Scott Hammell, Magic Mike Segal (who will be in attendance at Browsers), and numerous other magicians. The crew would love to meet some young, budding local magicians to hear their stories, see them shop and talk about tricks, and to discuss the joy and wonder of getting into magic for the first time. Please come out if you are interested in participating. Please note, individuals under the age of 18 must have a guardian with them to sign a consent form to appear on camera. We hope to meet everyone there! 

Read more.

Scott Hammell: A Day In The Life (Oct)

Feel like you're juggling a lot of things this month?

Watch this YouTube video of Scott Hammell juggling every day in October:

Scott Hammell: A Day In The Life (Sep)

From Scott Hammell's YouTube channel:

Scott Hammell: Down and Out for Free The Children

From YouTube:

Scott Hammell overcame his fear of heights so that he could jump from an airplane while handcuffed to his waist. As part of a challenge to inspire high school students to fundraise enough money to build a school in Ecuador, Scott added the potential of a blindfold to offer some incentive.

Read more.

Scott Hammel juggles live explosives

From Youtube:

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIDEO OF A SECOND DEGREE BURN.

Roman Cascade was an ambitious project about art and going after your dreams. Scott Hammell talks about his idol, Penn Jillette and how he inspired Scott to think about art differently. After a disastrous first attempt, Scott Hammell successfully juggles live explosives.

Read more.

The fashion of magic

From The Toronto Standard:

This week photographer Sarah Blais literally stepped on a stage to find out what was up the sleeves of Toronto’s Magicians. From mentalist to escape artist, they all bring their own style to their performance - in this weeks edition of The Uniform Project.

Read more (and see great photos!) of Magic Mike, Bobby Motta  and  Scott Hammell!

Guinness World Record holding magicians

Did you know that Canada has THREE Guinness World Record holding magicians?

• Doug The Great:  Heaviest Stilts Mastered.
• Scott Hammell:  Highest Suspension Straitjacket Escape.
• Lucas Wilson:  Fastest Suspension Straitjacket Escape.

 

Lucas was recently featured in the Simcoe Reformer:

Wilson escaped from a straitjacket and chains while hanging upside down as the audience watched with rapt attention. He performed the stunt in 43 seconds, shaving more than 11 seconds of the previous world record. Wilson did the same trick at last year’s Norfolk County Fair.
Read more.

Rumours abound that there's soon to be a fourth!  Who could it be?