Introduction
There are generally speaking four fundamental aspects to a magic trick: Effect, Method, Misdirection & Reconstruction.
Effect is what the spectator sees, and includes an event that the spectator regards as incompatible with his view of how the world works (ex. magician places a coin into his hand. When he opens it, the coin has vanished).
Method is the secret behind the effect such as a secret move or 'sleight', or it may be a secret device or unknown procedure of some sort (ex. magician used sleight of hand to make it appear has if he placed the coin in his hand but actually didn't).
Misdirection are the physical and psychological ploys that the magician may use to enhance the effect and conceal the method. (ex. magician looks at and raises the hand which he appeared to place the coin into drawing attention away from the coin actually holding the hand).
Reconstruction is when, following a conjuring trick, the spectator attempts to reconstruct events with a view to understanding what happened. Magicians often times will do things to try and influence the reconstruction process.
Chapter 1 Magic tricks and how they are done
A Classification of Conjuring Effects
1. Appearance - An object appears where it was not (ex. rabbit from hat).
2. Vanish - An object disappears from where it was. (ex. coin vanishes from hand).
3. Transposition - An object changes position in space. (ex. coins invisibly travel from one hand to the other).
4. Transformation - An object changes form. (ex. coin changes into another coin).
5. Penetration - An apparently impossible case of matter through matter. (ex. linking rings)
6. Restoration - An object is damaged then restored. (ex. torn and restored newspaper).
7. Extraordinary Feats
a. Mental Feats - Display of extraordinary mental abilities. (ex. memory, rapid calculation feats).
b. Physical Feats - Display of extraordinary strength or invulnerability (ex. lying on a bed of nails.
8. Telekinesis - Apparent ability to control movement of objects without physical contact
9. Extrasensory Perception
a. Clairvoyance - The acquirement of information not known to others apparently via extrasensory means.
b. Telepathy - The acquirement of information from others apparently via extrasensory means (ex. mind reading effects).
c. Precognition - The apparent acquirement of information from the future (ex. any prediction effect).
d. Mental Control - The apparent control over another's mind. Rather than predicting the selection, the performer influences the selection process.
B. Methodological Strategies
1. Appearance
Three general strategies:
a. Object was already there but was concealed.
b. Object was secretly put in position.
c. Object is not actually there but appears to be.
2. Vanish
a. Object was not there but appeared to be there
b. Object was secretly removed
c. Object is still there but concealed
3. Transposition
a. Object appeared to be at A but was already at B
b. Object is still at A but appears to be at B
c. Object was secretly moved from A to B
d. A duplicate object was used
4. Transformation
a. Object A was secretly switched for B
b. Object B was already there but was disguised as A
c. Object A is still there but is disguised as B
5. Penetration
Methods generally the same as those used in transposition and restoration.
6. Restoration
a. The object was not really damaged
b. The object was not really restored
c. Duplicated object was used
7. Extraordinary Feats
8. Telekinesis
a. Action caused by external force
b. Action caused by internal force
c. Action did not take place but appeared to
9. Extrasensory perception
a. Forcing information
b. Discovering unknown information
c. Revealing information as if known (ex multiple outs, swami gimmick)
Chapter 2 Misdirection
Misdirection - That which directs the audience toward the effect and away from the method.
A student magician performs a new move. He shows a coin in his right hand, then apparently passed it to his left but secretly retained it in his right. He opened his left hand to show that it had vanished. But much to his disappointment, he realized the spectator was staring at his right hand.
Successful magic requires that the spectator perceive the effect and not the method. In this case, the spectator did perceive the effect, but he also perceived the method.
At any given time, the spectator will have a primary area of focus. From an infinite number of visible stimuli, the spectator must select what to see at any given moment. The magician simply influences this selective process through establishing certain areas as more interesting than others.
The method may then take place in an area of secondary interest, while the effect should take place in an area of primary interest.
I. Physical misdirection: directing the spectator's attention
A. Directing where the spectator is looking
1. Passive diversion: the use of natural conditions of primary and secondary interest using:
-Novelty - People are attracted to the novel (newly introduced object, unfamiliar action, etc)
-Movement - The eye is drawn to movement (moving hand vs stationary hand, larger movement vs smaller movement)
-Contrast - (court card among spot cards will stand out)
2. Active diversion: the creation of areas of primary and secondary interest using:
-Eyes - (if you want somebody to look at something, look at it. If you want someone to look at you, look at them)
-Voice - Use of patter to direct attention, addressing spectator by name, asking a question
-Body Language - Tension draws attention. Conversely, relaxation induces relaxed attention.
-External sources of diversion - Ex. action of assistant or member of audience. An appropriate magical surprise could direct attention away fro the area of method for a subsequent magical effect.
B. Directing when the spectator is looking
Reducing attention at the moment of method:
-Outside the effect
-Inside the effect
Increasing attention at the moment of magic:
-Separating the moments of effect and method
-Reinforcing the moment of effect
2. Psychological misdirection: directing the spectator's suspicion
a) Reducing suspicion
Naturalness
-Consistency
-Necessity
Justification
-Familiarisation
-Ruse
Conviction
-Charisma
-Self-conviction
-Reinforcement
b) Diverting suspicion
False solutions
False expectations
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