Magician Troy Answers Critics Who Claim He Cheats

Troy is back on TV with his new series. Some magicians are not happy with the methods Troy uses in the TV magic show.

Magicians love to apply their own knowledge of magic when watching a TV magic show. Because of their view of magic from the 'inside', many magicians focus on the method of each trick shown, rather than enjoying the magic as theatre. Some magicians have complained that Troy is performing magic tricks that can't be replicated by a solo magician in a live situation and that this is a form of cheating.

Does Troy use camera tricks or stooges?

Here's Troys reply to these accusations:

'This series the main goal was to make it feel as if you are there watching the effect. The element that can't be controlled is that you are still watching it through a TV screen, which does make it easy for someone to dismiss the effect as though it can't be done without the aid of cheating. But I can hand on heart say, no camera tricks, not one stooge or actor was used in the making of my show……everything that you experience at home is exactly what the spectator I performed for experienced when we filmed it…. Do I perform easy things HELL NO, but floating light bulb on stage is not easy either….(if you get my drift).. Every single piece of magic that I do is a well thought out idea, with the right layers to create an amazing effect. I hope you guys enjoy the rest of an amazing series.' – Troy von Scheibner

When we as magicians watch magician Troy in action on TV, it's easy to believe own knowledge of what's possible is the last word on how a trick can be done. If we can't work it out, it's a short jump to think that a stooge or camera trick must have been used. That's human nature. We don't know what we don't know, so the easiest route is to conclude that cheating took place.

There's a difference between a camera trick and framing.

We all know what a camera trick is but what about framing? Framing is a way of controlling the attention, focus and perception of the spectator viewing the magic. Magicians use this all the time in live performance both on stage and in close up conditions. On TV it's exactly the same. Attention is focused by the magician, angles are controlled and the audience is given a 'point of view'. That's a valid method for a magician to use. When you watch magic on TV at home, you see everything, so the show needs to recreate the framing that you would have if you were there with the spectators being shown the magic by Troy.

There's no need to use stooges or camera tricks when Troy has such a talented creative team of magicians working to present magic as it should be. So much care and detail goes into meeting this standard. It's summed up well by Alan Rorrision who consulted for the Troy Series:

'I love when someone looks at an effect and thinks "OK the only method I have for that is to cheat it, so that is how its done". Thankfully [that] is a pat on the back for our team that fooled even you and the ego. Troy von Scheibner is great to work with. Very long and hard hours with great attention to detail where put in to make sure we could pull it off. But I guess the old saying is true. 'For those who believe no explanation is necessary. For those who do not non will suffice.'

Killer Magic Season 1 Episode 1- The Magic Tricks

by Dominic Reyes 15 Comments

Killer Magic just aired on BBC TV – Here's what I think of the new magic TV series.

The first episode of Killer Magic just aired on BBC three last night and magicians around the country are giving their reactions.

The first episode which was all about food seems to have got a great response from magicians. Before the show aired many magicians were concerned that the show would be exposing magic secrets, but that didn't turn out to be the case. Instead, we were presented with quite a wide range of magic tricks in a format which is very similar to Come Dine with Me, complete with scoring from the other contestants and an amusing voice over.

What magicians can learn from the Killer Magic TV Show.

One aspect of the show that really impressed me was that the contestants gave magic performance tips about each magic trick after it was performed. Chris Cox offered a meal prediction magic trick which the panel all agreed may have been over presented. Jasz Vegas suggested that taking too long to come to the finale of the trek and adding into many failed revelations may have spoiled the climax. Similarly, when Vegas performed a routine on a date, Ben Hart provided some helpful advice about handling everyday objects as props yet making them appear natural. These performance tips are really refreshing and a magic show format. Many aspiring new magicians watch TV magic shows to gain inspiration and hinting at the need to think about presentation rather than just collecting magic tricks is so useful for their development.

The format of Killer Magic.

I was a little bit bored by the format of presenting magic tricks as practical jokes to spectators. It's the same format used in just about every TV magic show at the moment. A fusion of a magic show and candid camera. However, ratings from other magic shows suggest that this is exactly what the public at large wants. David Blaine's original close-up magic series taught this to the television networks, that audience reactions are often more entertaining than the magic tricks being presented.

A simple change to Killer Magic?

A possible addition to the show would be to bring in a guest magician each episode to perform a signature magic trick. This would showcase some of the best talent in live magic at the moment. The panel could watch the performer, get some mentoring help, and talk about aspects of the performance which will help them in their own efforts through the competition.

The magic tricks on Killer Magic.

The magic tricks themselves were very good. Unlike many magic TV series, the tricks were real-world and could be performed outside of a TV production. That's one of the biggest complaints magicians have about television magic at the moment, so it's nice to see a move away from this in the Killer Magic TV series.

In conclusion, I liked the show. Killer Magic will continue later in the year with the rest of the episodes and I'm really looking forward to watching them all. If you missed the first episode of Killer magic, you can watch it online using BBC iPlayer.

What did you think of the show? Leave a comment in the section below:

Image Source: Dee Christopher

Opinion: Dominic Reyes

Killer Magic – Magic TV Series on BBC – The Magicians

by Dominic Reyes 3 Comments

Killer Magic has been commissioned by the BBC

The new TV magic show Killer Magic features five young magicians who will compete with each other to complete a series of challenges. If they fail, they will need to tackle a killer trick that could put their lives in danger. The magicians will score each other, the magician with the lowest number of points being forced to perform on the the most deadly magic tricks in the history of magic.

Magicians Dee Christopher, Jasz Vegas, Chris Cox, Damien O'Brien, and Ben Hart will star in the TV magic series.

It's an exciting project, made more so by the eclectic differences between the magicians. Although the TV show will present some amazing magic, it will also highlight the interaction between a group of five magicians competing for their lives.

The Merchant of Magic team are confident that the series will be well received by the public. Most magic on TV currently highlights a single magician and his back story. Killer Magic aims to show how magicians interact with each other and the mayhem that it can produce. The team of magicians are not only customers of the magic shop, but also friends. Ben Hart has previously been nominated for the Time Out TO&ST cabaret award, we've known him for many years and have a huge respect for his astonishing technical ability. Dee Christopher needs no introduction, his books on magic technique and mentalism have been best sellers at the magic shop for many years, and he has worked on many of the Merchant of Magic releases. Damien O'Brien is a wonderful magician and such a nice person often found chatting with magicians at magic conventions around the country. Jasz Vegas is famous for her excellent burlesque, fire and freakshow act, and gigs around the country performing close-up magic. Chris Cox has won two Edinburgh Fringe awards and performed on four UK tours.

Killer Magic has been commissioned by Zai Bennett and Alan Tyler, BBC commissioning editor for Entertainment. Executive producers are Anthony Owen, who created the format, and Objective chief executive Andrew Newman.