I know you are supposed to use a metric ass load of hashtags to "get views" on Instagram but for the love of... maybe don't use #femalemagician if there are no performers of the feminine persuasion in it? It's pretty damn sleazy.
We all know the internet, and social media specifically, is an echo chamber right? It's a place where people go to justify their bad behaviors and prove themselves right to other people and themselves. We all mostly agree on this correct?
Well before social media, to inflict your bad performing habits on others, you had top go to your local magic club or, Zeus forbid, a paid gig. The average bear who knows little to nothing about the "secrets of magic" can be easily impressed by the simplest of store bought mysteries. Even the ones you weave some overly contrived story about a fictional elderly family member teaching you.
If you do enough performing for people, you will get better and start to hear how "great" you are. "You should be on America's Got Talent!" they say. The problem comes when you start to believe this stuff. It digs into your brain and you start to think you are better than you might actually be. You start to make some questionable decisions because you have had some modicum of success fooling people at private gigs or, more currently, on the internet. You start to believe your own bullshit.
Due to social media some people think they are more amazing or funnier than they actually are. Let me give you an example: Remember that magician who got in trouble for doing questionable material at a college? Do you think he learned a lesson from that? Well if Instagram is to be believed.... nope. Why do you think that is? Take a gander at the comments. They are encouraging of this behavior. In his social media bubble he gets the ego stroke he needs to believe this is another good idea and he's not alone. Tons of mediocre practitioners of the art get this fluffing every day and every hour.
I'm not saying praise is bad. What I am saying is that you need to remember that the things people are saying to you online they would say to anyone doing the same thing. They might even say it to a video of someone microwaving a burrito. It is the internet after all. You are not a beautiful and unique snowstorm snowflake. These are the same people who can't think of anything better to put other than "Beautiful" on every photo of a girl they see on the internet. I'm just saying temper what people say with reality.
This argument discussion goes around the forums and groups every so often and everyone has a varying opinion on what is what. I'm not saying this article is gonna do anything other than muddy the waters, but I felt like sharing.
I think a lot of people think magic is the tricks and procedure that creates the effects. For me that is more skill and technique. "Trade secrets" as it were. Plumbing is not pipes and the tools needed to attach said pipes. It's the finished product.
I think magic is the end product. It's the feeling/effect the audience experiences. It's what happens in their eyes and brain. It's what they SEE, not what they don't see. Magic is a feeling of wonder and awe. Magic has been used by non-magicians to describe many things that aren't traditionally the art form. Ever heard the term "movie magic"? It's a feeling one gets. Some things are considered "magical" like sunsets and nature. It's because of the feeling one gets from such visuals.
So while for many of us the art of magic is the creation of gimmicks, methods and skills to facilitate such things, I think it's the people who don't know the minutia that goes into creating those moments that get to define the term.
Before people were "literate" and could read and write it was all oral (giggity). Knowledge was passed down from parent to child, elder to contemporary, master to novice. Someone who had been there and done that. As times changed, knowledge became easier to come by. You no longer had to prove yourself to receive these trade secrets.Technology has helped people find jobs and hobbies they never would have found in the aforementioned archaic system.
As we have progressed through the ages, trade has also been a way to garner favor. Scratch my back and I will teach you something. Sometimes it's tit for tat with a skill but more often than not, in today's society, it's monetary in nature. In the last few decades, this is how a lot of magic knowledge has been spread across the globe. From books and videos to magic shops both online and brick and mortar. You can learn how to do some cool stuff to pick up gals, amuse friends and sometimes even jump start a career for some of your hard earned cash. Seems fair right?
Why did I regale you all of this? Well it's because today I saw a video that made me want to punch babies (more than usual).
Yah good luck with that kid...
It seems the new stock and trade for learning something is now fake internet points. The worst part is, it's not even THEIR secrets to give away. It's other people's knowledge they are offering to divulge. Information they are selling and the perpetrator has likely not even paid for themselves. They didn't earn this knowledge through hard work or trade and yet are willing to offer it up freely for a fleeting moment of "fame" and a few button presses.
We are living in a world of amateurs teaching amateurs and I'm not sure how I feel about.
I made the mistake of subscribing to some of the magic based hashtags on instagram a while back. Now, while I have seen some clever stuff on there, it is more just face palm inducing than anything.
As a consultant and director of magic and entertainment, I try to keep up with what is going on when and where I can. Because of that I know about a lot of the products released into the magic wilderness and this is where my problems come into play. I see far too many people who essentially just do effects verbatim from the demo video. Nothing added. No personality, no reason, just a beat by beat recreation. I then glance at the comments and people are going gaga for these videos. That's fine, good for them. However it got me wondering...
Does using other people’s tricks with no alterations
gives you a false sense of accomplishment and mastery when you are essentially just a cover band?
I have seen the same effect in three separate videos in the same day, all done the same way. Very few stand out and when they do, they just get copied. It's a never ending cycle. Of course, you can be so good, they CAN'T copy you, but how often does that occur?
Maybe it's none of my business to be exasperated by these things but... I can't help it. I just want magic to be better.
Ok I really want to talk about this because I have seen it happening more and more in magic videos, demos, etc. How many times have you seen a magic demo and they shoot the effect from THIS angle:
Nice kitchen counter top...
I see magicians hold props so they can watch themselves do it while they are showing other people, but this is a little much. Are you showing us what the magician sees because if so, that's not a great selling point. How many times have you ever told someone to look over your shoulder to show them a trick? I'd wager little to never.
If that is the best angle, maybe it's not worth selling huh?
I was discussing special FX in movies with someone last night. I was discussing how a lot of "movie magic" has been drained from film because no one asks "How did they do that"? anymore. Even if it was a brillian practical effect, it is layered with so much bewlchit, that it LOOKS like CGI even if it's not. We have reached a point that everyone assumes it's just green screen even if it's not.
What does this have to do with magic you ask? A lot actually. There are people out there who like to think that we are "competing" with movies and TV shows but the truth is when you see something amazing live you KNOW there is no green screen. Magic has always been fascinating for most and always will be. Movies are a different medium and people know that. The effects in a movie are a different (but adjacent) art from what we do.
Even technology can't trump magic, merely enhance it. The people who sit around worrying about their empty safe need to get out more and perform for real people instead of sitting on forums giving their armchair opinions based off the three tricks they do for their family once a year.
TL;DR - Movies have reached a saturation point, magic is fine.
I don't mean the type of crediting where you tell who invented the double lift or other move in a lecture or instructional treatise. I mean the kind of crediting where you acknowledge the people who have helped you, especially in a public space. TV shows, stage shows, etc.
For TV, a name in the end credits is almost mandatory obviously. Web video it's a little different. If it's a YT video or the like, it's easy to thank someone in the descriptions. If it's a long series of things, a blanket statement somewhere publicly goes a long way.
You'd think this would be a "well duh" thing, but there are a lot of damaged assholes in the world (and especially the entertainment business) who want everyone to think they did everything themselves. Everyone who has any modicum of success has a team behind them. Big or small there is still more than one person who gets that person into the limelight. Some of those people thank that team any chance they get, and others... well....
You know who you are...
I am now speaking to the young up and coming guys: As someone who has been on some of those teams for various performers, let me tell you that monetary compensation is not a thank you. For some people it might be because it's just a job to them, but some of us are trying to make cool magic and art. To pretend we don't exist is a good way to get a bad name in the industry and word spreads fast if you are a little diva and take credit for other people's work.
So make sure you acknowledge those who lift you up because if not, eventually, they will drop your ass.
TL;DR - There are some really big pieces of shit in magic.
Today was the Johnny Thompson memorial in Las Vegas. It was chocked full of nuts magicians from all over. The outpouring of respect and love for him was impressive to behold.
For me the most depressing thing is that we will never have another person with his kind of career because we live in different times. Oh sure, there are a handful of knowledgeable magicians still alive but no one will ever have the arc he did. The lack of venues, respect for live performance, and the rise of the internet are a few of the reasons for this.
The generation after Johnny who looked up to him have been dealt a hefty blow for sure. My generation has a little bit more to go before we lose someone of his magnitude that we watched growing up as kids. It makes me curious who the current generation will look up to and learn from down the line.
I know I have spoken quite harshly of the most recent crop of kids on the internet doing social media magic. It's not because I don't like them but more what they are doing (or not doing). I just want them to be better. None of us made good decisions in our youth. The difference is we didn't have a world stage to parade our bad decisions around on. I can't tell you how much I hope to see the likes of Julius Dean or Jibrizy wise up as they get older and become great. To rise above their mistakes and become iconic performers future generations look up to and learn from. Basically I just want to be wrong.
I recently saw a magic show and was reminded of a bad habit some performers fall into and want to share it with you so maybe you don't fall into the same trap.
Don't know what has happened before the audience does.
What do I mean by this? Imagine You are doing a drawing duplication and before you ever see the drawing your helper has done you pronounce "and the drawings match" THEN you look at them both and THEN show the audience. This usually happens when you are following a script too tightly or have been doing a routine for so long you just speed through it (or you have not been taught anything about being theatrical AT ALL).
Now there are times when this is ok. When you cause the magic to happen on purpose and you know ahead of time what the outcome is supposed to be. The problem comes into play when the magic is supposed to be a "surprise" for you and the audience. I don't mean you have to act surprised, but you discover something at the same time as them.
If you know what has happened before you are supposed to know, it lends itself to the fact that there was no free will on the part of the audience and can even point towards a method.
So be aware that even if you are playing the part of a mind reader, you shouldn't get ahead of your audience.
The past week, (hell the past few months), have been rough on magic. A lot of magicians are in a period of mourning and if you don't know why you might just need to look into it.
I could do one of my usual waxing poetic posts about who we lost like I have in the past and I still might but today I decided to do an experiment... a social experiment.
I thought to myself, "I wonder if any of the high profile social media guys have posted anything about any number of the people we have lost."
Did I find anything you ask?
Male, female, none of the people whose social media I slogged through said word one about Johnny, Dusheck, Sonny, Denny, or any of the others who have recently passed. Actually, I take that back. One person mentioned Johnny. So that means I could find 7 whole words across 4 platforms about one of them.
Why is that you ask? Could it be because the current crop of people using magic to garner attention couldn't be bothered to acknowledge that which has come before them and pay respects to the shoulders of those who they are treading all over?
Most of their pages are just a glut of "LOOK AT ME BUY MY STUFF LOOK AT ME!" To be fair I didn't see EVERY page they post on. Some have their personal FB profiles hidden well (or don't exist). However, you would think that even on their "official" pages they would mention the passing of SOMEONE to the public out of respect. I don't care if you have millions of invisible fans or won a TV show competition, you should take your blinders off and look around sometime.
Acknowledge the knowledge that has gotten you this far.
Passion breeds many things. Love, education, sadness, and even anger (especially anger). I cannot think of one person more deserving of the word "passionate" than Denny Haney.
The highest compliment I can give Denny is that even my wife liked him.
I only got to truly meet him within the last decade when I lectured at his shop in Baltimore. After that, any chance I got I would stop by and visit just to hear stories and talk shop and gossip a bit. Him and I saw eye to eye on many things (even if he was shorter than me). His magic shop contained a wealth of knowledge and with his passing that shop has got a lot less of that knowledge in it.
I have mentioned before how we are losing our greats slowly and they are NOT being replaced. It's like a sports tournament bracket. (or the Highlander if yer nerdy like me) We are slowly being whittled down to the last man standing.
My prediction that has been in full view the entire time...
I'm not trying to be dire or come off as one of those idiots who like to claim "magic is dying". I'm not that delusional. We are however seeing a definite decline in magic of those who know any history of the art or how to perform. The worst part is the ones who are dipping their taint in the well will be long gone before the damage they are doing fades away.
There are very few of us who care enough to try and inject some knowledge into the lives of magicians at large. The fewer there are, the fewer there are that can be helped. I personally have no idea how to reach those who need to be reached on a macro scale. The ones who need it don't want to hear it and you can't really give it away for free because no one will value it. You can't even put it on social media so the people who really need it will see it.
I stole this from Shaun Robinson on Memes for Magicians
I think I am a mix of excited and terrified to watch the next decade of magic unfold. I want to see who will step into the light to rise up and take over the mantles of those whose hearts were too full and just had to give some of that passion and love away to those who wanted it. If you are very lucky you might one day become that person. Someone people will look up to and travel just to learn from and hang out with. If you are really REALLY lucky, one day some weirdo might even talk about you on the internet in their magic journal for 3 people to read.
For those of you who might remember, I did a post about how to run your own sound. It seemed to help people out and I am always looking to update the community on new stuff that might help them.
Today I share with you two new tools to help you make your music making experience easier. The first one was shown to me by Naathan Phan (the magic asian man). It's a bluetooth media button that doesn't go to sleep on you after 30 seconds and has a decent range. The weird thing is, if you search for blutetooth remote, it won't pop up because it's a "media button". Regardless, it's small and easy to use.
Little, yellow, different... (except for the yellow part)
The other audio toy comes to us from Ryan Stock. He runs his music from on-stage when he can. To do this you usually need a direct box to get a balanced signal which can be a pain to deal with if you have the wrong cables or there is no DI box handy. Well that's a thing of the past now!
A company with a weird long name (rapcohorizon) has produced the LTIBlox. It's part of their line of Blox named audio stuff. This one in particular is intended for use with a laptop or other audio device that takes a headphone input. It also has a volume knob built right in so you can adjust on the fly. This lets you have your ipod/ipad/media star/etc right there on stage with you so if something goes wrong, you can adjust it tout suite. Just make sure you have an XLR cable handy because you never know what you are up against in a new venue.
That's a sexy knob right there...
So make a new year's resolution to pick up some new equipment to make your life easier.
I think if you are a female in magic and happen to be considered "attractive" there are a few things you should know.
If you become high profile you will become a target. Plain and simple. People will attack you for the way you look over what you can do. Humans are shitty that way. Don't let it shake you but also don't become famous if you can't handle it.
The second thing is you will be a role-model and you should be more aware of how you present yourself, especially in the age of "the internet is forever". The younger generation, male and female (and other), look to those they see in the media, social or otherwise. It's where they draw their inspiration from and if you are on TV or have a big social media following they are looking at you closely.
It is (or should be) your responsibility as a performer to be the example of how to do things right be that in skill or motivation. There is nothing wrong with being hot and showing off what yer mama gave you, but temper it with talent as well. If what you show is nothing but TnA there are those out there who will think that is all you need and voila', more shitty performers in the world trying harder to get by on their looks than cultivating a skill set.
There is nothing wrong with choosing to use your assets to your advantage. It's entertainment after all. People like their "celebrities" to be easy on the eyes. However, the novelty will eventually wear off and if you can't deliver in the talent portion of our show, you might just fade into obscurity (or become a judge on a shitty TV talent show).
This post brought to you by Ariana Grande.
Ellen is an incredible & kind human being.. I use my talent AND my sexuality all the time because i choose to. women can be sexual AND talented. naked and dignified. it’s OUR choice. 🖤 & we will keep fighting til people understand. i say this w all due respect but thank u, next. https://t.co/wSknRSlJN8
I have talked a lot about creativity. Not only on this journal but in my lectures and to anyone who would ask (and some who didn't really). However I haven't really gone into a lot of detail about a process on it.
I'm getting there calm down you creepy %$#&.
One of the biggest things you can do to be creative is to place restrictions upon yourself. This means doing, or not doing, certain things. More accurately, it's creating within certain parameters. When you have a framework to operate in it's MUCH easier than having an open field of possibility at your disposal.
Having TOO MUCH freedom can lead to Overchoice or choice overload. Whenever someone hires me as a consultant for a TV show or to create something for them I always ask for the details. It can be something as simple as "I want to do X with B". Mind you that's if I create for others. What about creating for yourself? I find it best to start with asking questions. What is the main goal? Why am I doing this? What are the props? What am I trying to say/do? What is the ending? Asking questions is very important to the creative process. This allows us to erect Tent Poles.
Much like a real tent, these ideas give everything else structure. There is a reason you hear certain films from a studio referred to "tentpole movies". It's what gives that studio a structure. It's a different type of structure than trying to create magic, but the concept is still similar.
You need the main ideas that will support everything else that you will be doing. Take this routine for example:
When I decided I wanted to do tricks with duct tape I made a list of the things I could DO with that tape. Once I knew how it started and how it ended it made everything else find it's "natural progression". I also knew I wanted certain visuals. Smiling through the roll and then the tape appearing over my mouth was one of those moments. I almost always think of the effects first and worry about method later.
Sometimes you add more poles as a routine progresses. I didn't plan to split the rolls initially but I felt the act needed "something". When I decided on that happening, up went another structure to support the other parts of the story to make that happen. Having those moments and a story, either obvious or subtle, really helps. You don't HAVE to have a thread pulling you through the act, but people respond better to some sort of structure or theme because we like what we know. Humans are easy that way.
So if you are trying to make something new, or change something you have that already exists, just try to give your routines some framework with certain ideas/moments/effects/etc. It will force you to focus on what's important and cut the wheat from the chaff as it were.
PS: I hope you appreciate how difficult it was for me not to make any dick jokes while talking about tents and poles.
Lets talk about magic demos. There are more or less three prevailing kinds.
Filmed Live during a Show : These might be the most preferable for the serious professional entertainer. You can see how it works in front of a normal audience and hear/see the impact. Scott Alexander is pretty good about doing this as he pretty much lives on a cruise ship it seems.
Sometimes it's a teaser, sometimes it's a full performance, and sometimes he is black. Regardless, it's likely he has done these routines more than thrice and it shows. His stuff does tend to be on the expensive side but at least you know these tricks have seen battle.
Filmed using random people who said yes to being on camera: This is the kind of demo you usually see for the bigger stores like Penguin, T11, E and so on. They walked up to someone and asked if they wanted to see some magic (or more likely lied to them about filming for a TV show and testing out effects on camera all without signing film releases). This kind of editing usually cuts around the important moments and might even splice in some reactions from other magic effects or jokes. There is no real way to know.
You have to be careful with these videos as what you see may not be what you get, especially if it's chopped all to hell and you don't see how they get into or out of the effect. I wish more of these demos would specify if it was for your social media feed or for real world performance.
Filmed in your parents living room a studio for just the camera: This one you tend to see for solo releases and kids who own a smart phone and don't tend to see sun light too often. This one tells us the LEAST of the three. You don't see real world reactions, handling, or practicability (I'm not entirely sure that's a word). If the ad copy sounds too good to be true it likely is. Here is an example:
On the website it says "Examinable Box has been Blake's GO TO opener for years" and yet there is no live video to be seen. You'd think after all these years he would have recorded at least one of those shows right? For the price tag of an effect like that, I'd like to see real people reacting to the prop to see if it justifies the price tag.
There are hybrids of all of these and some outliers obviously. Just make sure you educate yourself.
