Beat the Cheat

May 17, 2013 7:18 PM

Nicholas J. Johnson is a no good dirty rotten cheat. So when he invites you to play an incredible new game that he’s invented, you probably shouldn’t come…
posted by filthy light thief (18 comments total)

Cute, but I have watched too many horror films and have an eye for reverse filming and the odd way people move during it.

Also, the way he eats Oreos unnerves me.
posted by Samizdata at 7:30 PM on May 17, 2013

I was impressed by the un-drinking. And the single take.

The video is an ad of sorts for the Melbourne Magic Festival. Nicholas calls himself Australia's honest con man.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:33 PM on May 17, 2013

Nicholas has two YouTube accounts, too: TrickyNick79, with videos of himself and other cons, and TheHonestConMan, which features an Interactive Three Card Monte.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:38 PM on May 17, 2013

Beat the Chort!
posted by squorch at 7:42 PM on May 17, 2013 [3 favorites]

I am so excited to see this here - Nick and his wife are my oldest and dearest friends! I've had a lot of fun seeing his work develop over the years: almost every time we hang out I regress into being a six year old who DEMANDS to see whatever trick - ahem, sorry "ILLUSION" - he's working on and I always end up clapping my hands in glee :)

I can't find videos online, but let me assure you that Nick can hammer a six inch nail up into his nose with impunity and without injury.
posted by Alice Russel-Wallace at 7:46 PM on May 17, 2013 [3 favorites]

i wanted strongbad
posted by mhoye at 7:49 PM on May 17, 2013

Jenga!
posted by Alice Russel-Wallace at 7:51 PM on May 17, 2013

I don't think it was one take, parts of it looked like stop-motion.
posted by Brocktoon at 8:02 PM on May 17, 2013

The video is run backwards, as Samizdata says.
He picks up the solved Rubik's Cube, scrambles it, and hands it back, etc.
Deja vu.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:25 PM on May 17, 2013

Brocktoon: "I don't think it was one take, parts of it looked like stop-motion."

That's the odd motion from reverse filming I mentioned.
posted by Samizdata at 8:31 PM on May 17, 2013

Is he a MeFite?

Isn't THE CAKE IS A LIE a MetaFilter meme?
posted by dobbs at 8:47 PM on May 17, 2013

According to Presurfer:

The video was shot in one take with one hour of rehearsal including 20 people and 50 different computer and board game references.

dobbs, it's a meme from the game Portal.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:49 PM on May 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

And I only caught 14 references. There were three more I couldn't name: the video game (Braid?), the Boggle-like game with letters on six sided dice, and water pistols in the bathroom.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:04 PM on May 17, 2013

Yeah, the video game is Braid, which is clever because one of that game's mechanics is running time in reverse.

So, how'd he do the milk? I thought he just had milk in his mouth and then spit it into the cup, but he has his mouth open in later (previous?) shots.
posted by painquale at 9:26 PM on May 17, 2013

Oh wait, it's just one of those trick milk glasses. Never mind.
posted by painquale at 9:34 PM on May 17, 2013

Did you notice at 2:20 that all the words on the Scrabble board are palindromes?
posted by logopetria at 4:36 AM on May 18, 2013

Cool. So how did he do the water bit near the end, where he opened the door and was soaked by the two guys playing with super-soakers? He is dry at the start.
posted by marienbad at 5:03 AM on May 18, 2013

marienbad: "Cool. So how did he do the water bit near the end, where he opened the door and was soaked by the two guys playing with super-soakers? He is dry at the start."

Reverse filming means the super soaker sequence WAS near the start.
posted by Samizdata at 10:01 AM on May 18, 2013