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.

 

 

"The death of magicians on the internet..."

 Some people are catching on. Enjoy.

Get this guy a Merlin award.

Invisible touch...

I want to start this post by saying I am not against people trying to improve a magic effect for their own amusement/benefit/style/etc. However, I am against trying to convince people it has shortcomings that it doesn't have like it's fact just to sell it as a product.

Why do I bring this up you ask? This recent release caught my eye. Now there have been various "improvements" to invisible deck over the years. David Regal had a blank deck version, the Other Brothers have a borrowed deck variation, and there have been many presentation ideas explored with it (including the awesome Steve Bedwell version).

I bought my first ID when I was 8. That was (hand over mouth and garbled talk) years ago. It's the only gimmicked deck I use on the regular. The claims in the aforementioned video are borderline offensive. If you are having THAT much trouble separating the cards, that's a YOU problem, not the deck. Also, not ONCE in all my years of doing ID has anyone ever asked to see the backs of the cards. I am not saying it has NEVER happened, but the strength of ID is that it just seems like a normal deck of cards and the effect feels like skill and not a gimmicked deck. If you handle it like one however, it might be why people get curious.

Again, you want to make an "improvement" for yourself, cool. Just don't try and convince everyone else the original is bad as a selling tactic when there are so many people who know better.

A gift...

For all of my loyal readers, this is just for you.

If you ever need to glue pieces of flashpaper together, use rigid collodion.

It's mostly used nowadays for making fake scars but it can also be used for things like sealing the ends of rope. It also burns up without leaving any residue unlike glue stick or other adhesives you might see recommended online at large green gaudy forums.

Try it, you'll be surprised.

Comments are disabling...

What hurts magic more? Bad magic or people encouraging bad magic?

How many times have you seen a photo of a girl online in some very pre-planned pose (and likely filtered/photoshopped) that is meant to look off the cuff but probably asked the person taking the photo to re-do it 5 times to get it just right? Plenty I am sure. Now look below the photo. What do you see? The same one word praise "Beautiful", "Gorgeous", "Sexy", etc.

Now I am not here to debate about girls putting images online for whatever reason. It's more the knee-jerk praise that feels a little insincere. It's like... filler text because that person wants to be seen saying something but can't be bothered to write anything of substance... or... do they really mean it because they are easily impressed by a shiny object?

That is the crux of my discussion here today. Are encouraging comments on bad magic videos placed there because they want to be seen doing so or are they themselves bad magicians and think it's good?

First, we should probably define what "bad" magic is. Is it like porn and "we'll know it when we see it"? One bad trick can be gold in another's hands. I propose it's when the method is obvious and doesn't actually fool 80% of non-magicians. So perhaps bad magic is just poor performance? (or as per usual, no performance at all)

Social media is chocked full of quick videos of people doing magic quickly and poorly. Chances are they don't know it's bad and they are pretty proud of it. Now perhaps I am just being harsh and overly-critical as usual, but I see so many people who "know better" saying things like "so great" on these videos when it's... not.

I understand being encouraging. I'm all for it. However, you can be encouraging without it being a lie. Personally, if I see something that has merit but isn't executed great, I will message the person and offer constructive criticism without tearing it down. Some people just don't know certain things because they haven't reached a certain level of knowledge and I get that.

On the other side, I see people do questionable things and get praise for it and it makes me wonder if that person commenting is just trying to be seen in the community or if they too just have really bad judgement. There is no way to know, unless you are friends with them. Then you can message them and be like "WTF are you doing?" It could also just be habit. Much like people mindlessly clicking "like" on a post without actually reading it. Pavlov would love the internet.

Let's go back to my photos example. Are they commenting on the image just because they are female? Are they offering false praise because of their (perceived) gender? If you tell someone who is not good they are, they will stop striving to be better and perhaps that is my biggest problem with any performer in this scenario. Heaps of hollow compliments make them think they are doing a good job and don't try to improve because they are clearly not harsh enough on themselves or they might not have posted that video in the first place.

Yes I know "bad" and "good" are subjective as $^%&. It's hard to write about this without sounding like a judgey dick and I know it. "Yer just over-thinking it" I am sure some of you might be saying. You also might be right but at the same time, I might not be. Hell I have been guilty of it too when it comes to magic. However, when I say "that's real nice", I mean it but perhaps that is the problem. Too many people do mean it and their vocabulary and mental capacity is just that limited.

I guess my point is, be mindful of what you say to someone online and perhaps try to contribute to the conversation with more than one word that you might not actually mean.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

What does a hipster weigh?

I swear this journal isn't going to turn into nothing but "look at these idiots on instagram" every post. It just happens to be an easy target for my ire right now.

This is a piece of advice for those of you out there who might be new to this racket. When you get a new trick, maybe read the instructions before performing it. It's likely got two backs for a reason and showing people the gaff is just going to tell them it's a prop of some sort and in no way ordinary.

I'm not targeting this one person in particular either. He just happens to be my example. I see this all the time on social media and it feels like a slap in the face to the people who take it seriously. All I am asking is you put in more practice time than it takes to open the packaging.

We can all be better?

Can we just... not?

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.

(Post edited to make a bit more sense)

Negative Reinforcement....

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.

I know that's asking a lot.

What's this? What's this?

What is magic?

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.

Maybe. I'm no plumber...

The new currency...

How do you think knowledge should be passed on?

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.

Dunning Kruger in effect...

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.

Is that so much to ask?

Over the shoulder magic holder...

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?

It's good for you!

I have not abandoned you my children! I have just been distracted with ALL THE THINGS!

So here is something you too can be distracted by. Read it, enjoy it, let it nourish you. (Click the image to read)