Discovery Channel’s ‘Breaking Magic’

‘Breaking Magic’ follows four of the world’s most innovative magicians around the globe as they transform pure science into head-scratching magic tricks.

During the series production, Objective Productions Ltd sought the expertise of Dr Trotta to review some of the scripts, to ensure that the technical explanations of the physics behind the illusions were sound and accessible for a non-scientific audience.

 

Paul Gilheany, Executive Producer of Breaking Magic comments:

“Our illusionists are world-class, but they are not scientists. Roberto was invaluable in helping us to translate complicated scientific principles to make them understandable in an entertainment context, yet still accurate and informative.”

Sword of Damocles

Based on the legend of the Sword of Damocles, which teaches that with great fortune and power also comes great peril and anxiety, the first episode of the season saw magician Nate Staniforth put his life on the line. A sword was dropped on him from above only to be knocked off course by a basketball launched at exactly the right moment in time by fellow illusionist Billy Kidd.

 

Dr Trotta comments:

“Nate was in perfectly safe hands and his life guaranteed by Newton’s second law of motion, although of course the audience didn’t know this when they first saw the trick! It was great fun contributing to the show. The series did a great job at bringing the natural laws to life in a very spectacular way. I look forward to seeing the final cut of the rest of the episodes!”

 

Share post:

 

Related case studies

 

Bio-Inspired Aerial Robotics

Bio-Inspired Aerial Robotics

Dr Mirko Kovac is Director of the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at Imperial College London, and Senior Lecturer in Aero-structures. His research focuses on the development of biologically inspired flying robots for distributed sensing of air and water, search and rescue plus autonomous repair and construction. read more

Design advice on eco-ventilation system for homes

Design advice on eco-ventilation system for homes

Our consultants shared their expertise in sustainable energy system design to help Clean Tech start up ‘Ventive Ltd’ to move into new markets with their PVHR (passive ventilation with heat recovery) system. read more

Imperial College London Diabetes Centre

Imperial College London Diabetes Centre

The Imperial College London Diabetes Centre was established in Abu Dhabi, in 2006, by Mubadala and experts from Imperial to address the demand for diabetes care in the UAE. With continued support from Imperial, the centre now operates three branches across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain and public health initiatives. read more