[drum roll]
Nothing...
Nothing.
They add up...
to nothing!
[laughs maniacally]
[low frequency thud]
[intro music ramps up to speed]
Greetings, children! Captain Disillusion here.
Hustle culture is out of control.
If I forget to debunk a video for 12 to 16 months
this whole operation starts falling apart!
And all the worker rats start abandoning ship.
My own unpaid intern went on some reaction channel
And pretended to know stuff about visual effects!
[all laugh]
It is an honor to have you join us on the couch.
I do feel at home.
- [Niko] Oh! Through the fingers - [Alan] Yes!
- [Sam] Really well done. [level audio fades]
Look at them. Having fun...
Sounding cool...
Exchanging loving glances...
Well, guess what.
They edit those Corridor videos to make themselves look clever.
Gee, I hope no one...
accidentally leaks a deleted scene from that very episode
that they didn’t want you to see.
[electric zap]
You know, I’m always on the lookout for a legit video
I could talk about for a little bit.
And this is like, a known magic trick, Card Through Glass.
Traditionally, you just figure out a way to get a card
in that place already, on the other side.
But here obviously it’s an effect because
it’s not there and then it’s visible there.
Except there’s glass with reflections
and an animal that you can’t really control, their behavior.
I wanted to work on this with you guys.
At some point here we’re cutting...
to footage with the card on the inside of the glass.
You have to hide a cut.
Well, if the card was there the whole time, that means
they have to paint it out.
So I think his entire performance
is without the card on the window at all.
Did they put black over the window
completely to just have clean reflections?
That’s too much work.
Yeah, you need no reflections on the monkey or...
- See, this is... - I mean the card’s sideways.
- Oh yeah, so look... - Yeah, he doesn’t even...
The card’s at a different angle...
Ok! But, but, of course it’s at a different angle
‘cause they’re different cards! - [Niko laughs] - [Alan] Yeah.
There’s something simple we’re not seeing
‘cause we’re too overqualified for this!
- [Niko] The monkey has to react at just the right time.
Does it look like something was painted out there?
See, that nice, like, movement of him placing it
- It really looks clean. - Yeah.
I think his head is where the card would’ve been.
- [Alan] Yeah, that’s right.
Aaah! [laughs]
Ok, so this just... This is complicated, man.
This is like...
Man, I’m stumped on this one.
[electric zap]
Ha!
So the Three Horseboys of the VFXpocalypse
couldn’t crack a simple case of
orangutan-based card magic, eh?
Well
looks like the Captain is gonna have to show ‘em how it’s done.
Now, as you know, I never reveal magic trick secrets.
I left that life behind.
But when a supposed “performance”
is augmented with visual effects
well, that’s not magic at all!
That’s my turf.
I don’t come to where you work
and knock the handkerchief garland out of your mouth.
And in the case of this video
it’s actually an animal rights issue.
See, that’s not just any orangutan.
It’s Rajang
a majestic, pregnant belly-loving resident
of Colchester Zoo in Essex
England’s New Jersey.
Sadly, Rajang passed away a couple of years
after this video, at a ripe old age of 50.
He was beloved by many.
The zoo even named the entire area after him.
And the whole conceit of this video is that this guy
a local boy mentalist called Matt G
gave elderly Rajang a special gift
a magical experience
a little taste of the divine.
And that sounds heartwarming.
but as people with brains, we know a playing card
can’t go through glass.
So what we’re seeing here didn’t really go down this way.
It was just a VFX-dabbling performer’s sick ploy
to entertain YOU.
As adorable as Rajang’s reaction may seem
in real life, from where he was sitting
he didn’t really witness a miraculous magic trick.
And dammit, he deserved to!
[player shatters] So let’s put our collective
years of experience casually spotting
VFX imperfections in viral videos
to good use, and figure out exactly
how this travesty of a magic hoax was accomplished.
Keeneyed viewers will notice that...
outside of this video, Matt G’s modest
online presence consist of
clips that often use the same compositing tricks
we’ve seen used by influencer-gicians
time and again.
Things that are supposed to vanish
getting painted out for a few frames, as they fall out of shot
Things that are supposed to appear
getting painted out until they do.
And things that were never there getting added as CG elements.
In the Rajang video itself, there are plenty of
as your uncle might say, “sus” details.
The gentle, handheld camera shake
suddenly stops... [lock clicks]
just in time for the magical moment.
And when we stabilize the shaky part
we see absolutely no parallax shift.
[distorted voice] Fake shake confirmed.
When Matt G places the card, it’s at an angle.
But once through the glass, it’s perfectly vertical.
[distorted voice] Inconsistency.
As he pulls his hands away
there are all kinds of wonky matting artifacts on them.
[distorted voice] Wonky matting articats!
And no light occlusion on the card
like at the beginning.
[voice reads phrase fast]
And a shimmering, dark halo around the card!
[distorted voice] Halo-o-o!
So much sus!
And if you’re the kind of viewer for whom that’s enough
then...
we’re all set.
It’s fake. Somehow.
We got him. [outro music plays]
Thanks for watching.
C’mon.
Right this way.
Make sure you have all your stuff and, ah...
See you later!
- [muffled] It’s ok, breathe normally.
- [computer beeps] - [valves release]
Hey, uh, just make sure the pressure regulator is...
[deep thud] [alarm beeps]
Oh no... Listen, it’s gonna be fine.
You need to locate the auxiliary-- [radio noise]
[metal creaks]
Do you hear me?
Recalibrate the auxiliary-- [radio noise]
- What are you doing?! - [glass cracks]
You have to act now!
Oh, god! No-o-o--
--o-o-o!--
--oh, well.
At least you’re still here.
The VFX nerds who understand
there’s a little more to this thing.
We need to figure out what all these clues add up to.
Because something just doesn’t feel right.
There are three standard ways the effect could’ve been set up.
One:
The card on the inside of the glass was there the whole time
and simply got painted out for the beginning.
That would be the easiest way to approach it.
You could take a moment from after the card is removed
and use it as a patch.
Except...
what about when this hand reflects over the area?
Or when Rajang’s furry arm
and entire, magnificent, perspective-shifting face
hovers in that exact spot?
No, seems like...
the card could not have been there at the start.
Two:
Maybe the whole thing is some kind of fancy split-screen.
The two primates are not performing these actions
at the same time.
Ok, let’s follow that through.
I guess that would explain why Matt places the card
at a different angle than how it ends up hanging.
Except...
even if we take for granted that all the beats of their behavior
lined up so perfectly in this continuous shot
with no sign of any speed ramping
or transitions on either side --
Believe me, I checked.
-- how were these reflections composited?
I want you to really think about it:
if Rajang isn’t there when Matt G is performing
Matt’s reflections are falling over an empty habitat.
Over this bright hay.
How could they be cleanly extracted
to be artificially put over Rajang’s dark fur?
Hmm.
Something extra clever like blacking out the window
from inside for Matt’s take would provide clean reflections.
But even then, the could only add them over Rajang’s take.
His footage would have its own reflections of the environment.
Like this bright frame of the terrarium window across the hall
Doubled-up when both sides are combined
how could it be fully occluded by Matt’s body
over Rajang here?
It wasn’t a split-screen, that’s how!
All of this, on both sides, had to be happening
in one take, as it appears.
Three:
Uh... uh...
The card on Rajang’s side...
isn’t there. At all.
It’s a fake, CGI card animated in his hands.
I mean, it does seem awfully dexterous
the way he’s able to handle that card.
And... we know the technology
to do something like this exists.
Have you seen the various Planets of the Apes-es?
Except...
this couldn’t be the answer either.
Because of a simple phylosophical principle.
You’ve probably heard of Occam’s Razor
but not the less known yet highly regarded
Captain’s Quadruple-blade Hair Eradicator.
which states:
“Events cannot be explained by advanced VFX
“in a shot where crappy VFX are present.”
So please stop doing that in the comments of every
questionable video that’s every existed.
Just think about it:
the amateur camera wiggle...
the janky roto on the hands...
Does this really look like the work of someone
who could also pull off ILM-qualuty rig removal
or Weta-level character animation?
No... No, it doesn’t add up.
- [panel snaps] - Look.
At the very beginning, as Rajang settles
He breathes on the glass, leaving a blob of condensation.
And this blob slowly dissipates throughout the video
while receiving shadows
and refracting Rajang’s hand behind it the entire time!
Which means...
that all our... special little... VFX clues
add up to nothing!
[electric crackle] [metal slam]
- [body thuds] - Ugh!
Nothing. [chuckles]
They add up... to nothing! [laughs]
And this is where you leave me.
It’s not worth it.
A bit too much drama for ordinary nerds
to find out how a random video was faked.
Bye-bye.
But you’re still here.
The obsessives.
The ones who’ve seen every video of mine
and of my enemies.
The ones playing this on a second screen at 4 AM
while typing your own 80-page video essay script
on the socioeconomic problematicism
of climate identity. You inspire me.
[exhales]
I feel like I can still crack this...
I just need a bit...
- more... focus. [reversed bell crescendoes]
[gentle wind chimes tinkle]
[tranquil synth pad fades up]
- [all sounds stop] - I got it!
- Woah... - [body thuds against floor]
The ultimate dillema is...
Both sides of the action have to be happening simultaneously
but the card cannot be there at the start.
So how does it get there in the brief time
between Matt G stepping back and Rajang grabbing it?
Someone, or something
has to be placing it there, in realtime.
But who slash what?
And from where?
There’s no room beneath Rajang
I don’t think he’d be so nonchalant
with even the world’s tiniest zookeeper
laying tucked away under his legs.
We already know the effects artist who made this
doesn’t possess nearly enough compositing skills
to convincingly erase someone reaching from behind
this furry, complicated moving creature.
And Rajang would probably react to something like that.
The area inbetween them is a hotbed of changing reflections
and... hey, is that the original card
wriggling its way into his sleeve?
Perhaps assisted by some sort of classic
magical assistive device?
I’ve said too much!
Anyway, it just wouldn’t be a sensible plan
to bet the success of the entire visual effect
on disguising something that’s
right in the middle of all the action.
But what’s going on up here?
Not much, right?
After Matt G finished penetrating the card
he could’ve just put his hands down.
But he steps way back.
Love that little wiggle.
It’s as if he wants to make sure the space back here
is as boring as possible
free of any moving reflections.
With a bit of enhancement we can just about make out
a brief freeze-frame in this area.
Could the card have been...
lowered into place from up there?
If only there was some way
to see what’s beyond the edge of frame.
- Oh! - [communicator beeps]
Dronus!
- [drone buzzes] - You know what to do.
[jets boom]
[jets scream]
Well, what do you know!
There is a convenient catwalk up there
from which a qualified staff member
could, hypothetically, lower something down.
Here’s an old video of them hanging something right there.
It’s not very close to the glass
but there clearly are ample little slats
that make it easy to get right up against it.
Matt G would have to work in close cooperation with the zoo
but, I mean... he was performing an entire show there.
And he’s from the area...
Uh-oh. Dronus, you’re being watched.
Maximum vicinity scan.
- [dramatic music sting] - [Captain D] Oh, no!
It’s a wild Matt Parker! Return to base, return to base!
- [Matt Parker gowls] - Ah, man!
Now I gotta print a whole new drone!
Okay, it’s like this.
When Matt G pulls his hands away
what we see is a real card
but one which isn’t there yet at that moment.
It’s a still image of a card from the future
when Matt has already stepped back.
The dark halo around it is a lack of his reflection.
In reality, the reflection is scrolling over an empty spot
While above, the card is being lowered into place
on invisible thread. And this is being covered up
by a frozen patch of clean background.
Now, there’s no way to know whether this lowering
was performed manually by a person
or via some other high tech way.
It’s not like there are... miniature, industry-standard
magic devices that can operate invisible thread
in highly controlled ways we’ve seen Matt use.
And it’s not like he’s actually ever performed a version
of this Card Through Glass illusion on stage
using special props.
Some things are just... bound to remain a mystery.
But one way or another,
the card creeps down along the glass like a spider.
At a certain point it enters Rajang’s field of vision
and he looks up.
Naturally, he reaches for the object.
And this moment, exactly one frame away
from his fingers making contact
determined exactly where and how
the card would appear to be stuck on the glass.
That’s why it’s neither rotated, nor positioned
Exactly where Matt placed his card.
In the static image, the card isn’t even necessarily
flush against the glass.
It’s kind of hanging in mid-air.
At the moment of impact, both, his fingers and the card
travel a tiny bit forward.
Now Rajang’s extreme dexterity starts to make sense.
He’s not deftly peeling the card off without dropping it.
He’s hooking his finger over the top of a hanging object
and guiding it toward himself.
The beauty of this setup is that as soon as Rajang takes the card
no more effects are needed.
It’s a clean finish, coveted by every magician.
The patch covering up the card’s descent goes away.
Rajang’s strength immediately breaks the fragile thread
leaving the card in his full control.
He wisely and skillfully
mimics the actions that were just shown to him
but without the help of any magic rigging.
And Matt G just has to pretend
like the original Ace of Hearts isn’t chafing his forearm.
I gotta admit, this is the cleverest way to do it.
It’s elegant.
If it wasn’t done this way, that would be very stupid.
Luckily, this was the method, so... props.
But it wasn’t bulletproof.
Rajang could’ve noticed and reached for the card earlier
outside the penetration area.
The thread could’ve broken too early
sending the card straight to the floor
or awkwardly dangling off his hand.
a bird or insect could’ve flown across the reflection
at the exact wrong time
making things extra difficult to composite.
It all still depended on a lot of luck.
But in the end...
it did work.
turningout as a very charming video
that seems to have touched the hearts of a lot of people.
And promoted the zoo.
And demonstrated the inventiveness
and technical creativity of the magician, but...
if it’s a showcase of the VFX themselves
well, then... Matt, I’m sorry
but... they’re not good enough, mate.
Too timid.
You gotta really go for it!
Maybe use much thicker glass.
In fact, double it up.
Have everything move around in a legit way.
And why cover the card up with your hand?
Just use a bit of telekinesis to push it through
into the center, between the two panes.
Then give it one more little nudge.
to get it all the way through into the front
where a species of your choice can peel it off.
[chime rings] [outro music plays]
But now I’m afraid it’s time for me to go, kids.
A studio in Los Angeles is about to desaturate
all the greenscreens in the behind-the-scenes footage
of their next blockbuster!
Remember, love with your heart
use your head for everything else!
Captain Disillusion!
[thud against glass]