Same as it ever was...

 "Repetition is the death of magic" - Bill Watterson

Visual magic seems to be the crack cocaine of the magic world. Everyone is looking for that next fix. That next "hit" if you will. As a consultant for other performers and TV shows, I am often plagued by taking a magical idea and "making it more visual". There are a few problems with this line of thinking however....

1. You chew thru more material - "Visual" magic is often presented with little to no presentation other than "watch this". Without build up it becomes a throwaway gag sometimes.
2. Weaker Magic - A lot of stuff that is done visually on camera can be re-wound and watched frame by frame and figured out OR it falls prey to the "too perfect theory" and people will dismiss it as CGI because that is the most obvious answer, even when it's not.
3. Too much of a good(?) thing - If you already have a dozen "visual" effects in your show/on your timeline/etc, eventually everything starts to blend and look the same.
4. No Mystery - The audience needs a breather. Sometimes obscuring something and letting the magic happen in the audiences' head is WAY stronger than shoving it in their face. Give those watching a little mystery and it will stick with the longer. (But don't turn it into a puzzle)

 While visual magic might thrill TV producers and get you that contract, not everything has to look like a camera trick.

 

 

This post will not cut away...

Magic on TV/internet/etc has evolved a lot since... well since screens became a thing. Georges Méliès started with trick photography in films like "A Trip to the Moon".

 Over time we went from that to live performing with magicians like Mark Wilson. As time went on, magic being performed like it was onstage was the norm (nielsen). Doug Henning, David Copperfield, Harry Blackstone Jr, Paul Daniels and so on. In the mid 90s Gary Ouellet dominated the TV scene with shows like World's Greatest Magic and Champions of Magic. Eventually David Blaine and the street era would crash the party and companies like Elluionist and Theory 11 would glorify it to no end.

Now we are in the time of internet magic. TV specials have been replaced with netflix specials. Spectators are now voyeurs with shows like Carbonaro Effect (and pretty much any other show). Have you ever heard the phrase "it all comes back around"? well we started with tricky editing and we have come back full circle to it... or have we?

There was a time when every magic show was prefaced and even INSISTED there were no camera tricks. Many of those shows were live which would have prevented that from happening anyway. When taped recordings started to be a thing, it was stressed EVEN further. Eventually that warning tag fell away when it started to become a lie for certain performers (you know who you are).

Having said all of that, let me ask you a question. Where do we draw the line on what is a "camera trick"? It used to mean altering the footage somehow or using technology to "enhance" something. In a lot of modern magic shows the magical effect is made in the edit. They change the order of things and get "pickup shots" to enhance the magic. There has been editing and camera cuts to make the magic appear better in past shows for sure, however it was liberally sprinkled around. Like a spice girl.

There are now magic shows where every trick, every shot, every other minute has been altered in some form or fashion through quick cuts and time remapping. You could pretty much hire an actor with NO magical skill and the outcome would be about the same. (I'm not saying they should. If any TV execs are reading this forget you read that last line)

So where do we take a stand as a magical community? Well, we don't. We never have and likely never will. There will just be a group of us standing in a corner muttering to ourselves. If any of you younger magicians are reading this, try to be better. Don't let the asshattery of the current social media magicians affect you or your ethics or devotion to magic as an art form. You can... and SHOULD be better.

And now a word from your sponsor...

The Hypocrisy of it all...

I want to preface what I am about to say about the Wizard Wars TV show. Just because I am close to the source doesn't mean I don't see/know it's flaws. It's not a perfect animal but very few things ever really are. That said...

You know how I can tell magicians don't hate Wizard Wars? They all aren't up in arms about it. They aren't singing it's praises from the rooftops either but the complaining has been at a minimum and that in itself is an achievement because let's face it... you magicians LOVE to bitch.

The small rumblings I have seen are very hypocritical however. Let's look at some of the statements I have seen online.

"I don't care for magic being in a competition format" All I have to say to these people is I bet dollars to dog nuts that you have sat thru your fair share of magic competitions at a magic convention. Most of the magic on that show is far better than people who work for years on a competition act. (no not all of it but you get my point)

"I don't like the concept" The concept they are referring to is taking objects and, in a short amount of time, making magic with them that might not be as polished as other time tested stuff. The problem is these are the same people who laud the magician who can perform magic impromptu. Picking up objects they have never handled and, using the skills they have honed for years, doing magic with those items. There are whole competitions at magic gatherings doing just this and THAT seems fine.

"I miss the days of Copperfield/Henning/Carson/etc" Holy shit this one irritates me. This is why magic is so far behind most other performing mediums. We can't let go of the past and accept the evolution of a medium. I mean, I don't like the way most magicians dress like they just put on whatever was clean that morning but it is modern dress. (Who cares if they want to look like everyone else and not stand out.) I might not like it but I can accept it. At least this show is taking magic back onto the stage and in front of a live audience.

So while you are entitled to your opinion, in the future please spare me your duplicitous bullshit.

"I don't care for it."

Be still my throbbing migraine...

The more "TV magic" I watch, the less and less respect I have for those involved creating it.

Call me kooky but I find it interesting to see the differences in those who focus on things other than being able to perform. I see so many younger performers working hard on getting that next viral video. Why not? It has been proven to work! You have a hit video, someone sees you and then BAM yer on TV or working creatively for someone behind the scenes. Who can argue with that!?

Me. That's who.

You take most of these guys out from a controlled environment and they will curl up and die like an ant under a magnifying lens. You take away their "can only be done on camera" BS and they have no real world skill... but hey that's ok! That's the message the modern world is sending the current generation already. Are you smarter than a 5th grader? No? Then maybe you can have the next hit TV show!!

We are creating reality TV now, not magic. Oh we THINK it's magic because we want to keep something that resembles "integrity" but the moment you let someone else tell you how to do YOUR art for a paycheck you don't have that integrity anymore. Just stop pretending and tell people what they are about to see is just BS and that yer not a magician and everyone is an actor playing along to make good TV. Half the audience is gonna think that anyway.

Abracadabra has been replaced by "We'll fix it in post".

Foaming at the lips...

I have just been witness to some of the worst magic on television I think I have ever seen. (Which says a lot considering the most recent Criss Fishing Rod shows) I am 90% sure at one point they just ran the footage backward to make the "magic" happen. I have never seen so much obvious (and bad) editing in a magic special EVER.

In my opinion good magic on TV died with Gary Oullet. Today we don't have magic shows, we have reality TV with some magic in it. The worst part is shows, like this and the other before it are HURTING magic. I don't mean outwardly. The target audience of these shows will like it or they won't, just like with live shows. However internally they are doing more magic than good. By using camera angles, audio editing, and other such nonsense you are effectively telling the future generations it's ok to not have skill and cheating at your magic is ok as long as it gets ratings.

"You don't have to work hard. We can fix it in post!" 
"Just stare at them until they react. Knowing how to perform is so passe."

I am sick of this shit. As someone who takes magic seriously as a performer and an artist, this makes me very angry. I have no respect for those in front of or behind the camera. The so-called consultants who allow this kind of bad magic and TV to happen can just choke on their own magnificent penis for all I care.

For those of you thinking "Well let's see you do better captain critical", my response to you is find me some TV execs with half a brain in their head willing to give people like me a chance and I'll be happy to.

Until then we get stuck with "master magicians"...

I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors...

But I think that Itricks has a sick sense of humor. (Just kidding guys. I needed something to tie the song lyric to the post.)

Anywho, if you believe what they say, then next Tuesday you will get to see my grinning visage on a show that I personally can't believe lasted this long. In celebration of this... um.. thing... I have decided to dispense some advice should you ever find yourself in a similar position. (missionary?)

Having been on two TV contest shows (And possibly a third if I'm lucky) I want to throw a few ideas your way. First thing should be a given, but try as I might some poeple need this idea beaten into their damn heads. Be Professional! Seriously. There is nothing worse than a performer who does not conduct himself in a way not becoming of a person who does his art for a living. (hunh?)

In the same vein, don't be a prima donna dick. (or cunt if yer a chick. You are not excused from this article just because you have breasts. Sorry. Also, if that word offends you.. deal with it.) You cannot.. or more accurately, SHOULD not go into a place such as a recording studio and expect to be treated any differently than the rest of the cattle and then throw a fit when they don't bend to yer every beck and call.

Also, be nice to the other performers. (Who return the courtesy of course) This is a PRIME time to network, meet other people who know people, hand out cards, etc. You never know when knowing someone with a similar or differing talent might come in handy. If you treat them like crap, (And vice versa), then you will be known as that arrogant performer who no one wants to work with. This goes for the people running the show. They can edit yer sorry ass out like you never existed.

From a magician standpoint, it is also a good idea to go perform some minor miracles for the other non-magical performers who might be in their 3rd hour of stale donuts and false sincerity. Go cheer them up and be sociable. Free samples are never bad in these situations. Also, from a magician standpoint, don't be discouraged when they don't pick you out to advance or win. Magic takes it from behind in most contests... on or off TV. Remember what you are REALLY there for: Name Recognition. The more people who know who you are, the more pull your name has, the more you can charge down the road. Also doesn't hurt to pad your demo reel with some footage of you on national TV.

So to re-cap: Be professional, DON'T be an asshat, hand out free samples, and make nice with everyone because you just never know.

Experience is ALWAYS the best teacher.

Bizzaro.