Approach Archives

Podcast 3 : Shakes, the Classic Pass, and Approaching Strangers

Dominic Reyes, Ben Williams and Paul Knight find a quiet corner of the shop and sit down and chat about magic.

Dominic finally picked up a decent mic for the podcast, so this episode doesn’t have the horrible background hiss from episode 2. If you miss the crackle and hiss, just let us know, and one of the team will be happy to post some out to you!
In this episode the team answer questions that magicians have asked:

Steve: ‘Whenever I go out to perform I get the shakes – Any Advice?‘

Connagh: ‘I’m having trouble with the classic pass. Everyone sees it. What can I do?‘

Oliver: ‘I’m struggling with the confidence to go up to people out of the blue, can you help?‘

Malcolm: ‘How do I introduce new gimmicked items like pens or wallets, without people knowing they are gimmicked?‘

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Why are Magic Tricks Called Effects?

by Merchant of Magic 7 Comments

As you study magic, you will quickly come across a term of common industry slang that magicians use, but you most likely won’t hear outside the magic community. Knowing the terminology will help stop you appearing like a magic newbie.

Magic Tricks = Effects

At the Merchant of Magic we don’t tend to use the term ‘effects’ to describe magic tricks for one main reason. The blog is aimed at total beginners as well as established magicians. The public simply don’t use the term ‘effect’ to describe what magicians do. As a result, the search engines don’t use it either. We want to be as accessible to beginners as possible, so in our posts, we use the term ‘magic tricks’ instead.

Why do magicians use ‘effects’ rather than ‘magic tricks’?

Is it habit, a social norm, or simply ego? Perhaps there is a good reason behind it? We asked magicians to share their reasons for using the term:

Richard Gibson Dogs do Tricks, magicians perform magic effects. As far as the spectator is concerned I just performed a miracle for them. The word “trick” devalues the effect.

Mark Waddington It makes them feel smart. The only thing I hate more than this, is when they perform to a lay audience and offer to show them an ‘effect’.

Rob Newson I always say ‘would you like me to entertain you for the next 10 minutes?‘ I don’t like saying tricks or effects.

Derek Lee Magic trick + Showmanship = Magic effect

Ben Cook When you are performing to a spectator, you are affecting that person and hopefully they will remember you.

Harvey Kennett The word ‘trick’ has negative connotations.

Andy Russell A great trick can affect whomever your showing.

Col Balddaniels Daper Doesn’t matter to me what their called to be honest, each to there own! Myself, I call them nothing. I ask if they mind me showing them something or a little something.

Paul Cocker The word ‘tricks’ sometimes has bad connotations: tricky, trickster etc, and doesn’t sound as entertaining as an effect. I avoid both and just use the word magic, or more usually just perform an attention grabber, and let them choose which word to use.

Filip Ilinca Negative connotations aside, ‘trick’ implies deception which is usually hidden from the person experiencing it (the spectator), it is the modus operandi of the perceived impossibility created by the performer, as opposed to ‘effect’ that the deception has.

Steven Holt Snobbery I think. I’ve always called them tricks. Effects, sounds too geeky for me.

Cathy Russell Magicians bend reality. Nothing changes, but the way we perceive their art and how they apply it!

Damen William Lewis Nobody likes to be tricked….. It takes away the meaning of the art.

Matt Thefishbrainking Tavanah I don’t say that to spectators, I say ‘amaze’. I call them ‘effects’ to other magicians.

Dan Hollingshurst What matters is the ‘effect’ it has on the audience – and their resulting reaction.

It seems that magicians do prefer using the term effects rather than magic tricks, when talking with each other, but in performance, they don’t tend to use the term. If you do start calling magic tricks: effects, it’s important to stay aware of it. It’s not advisable to use professional slang, in your act: ‘let me show you this effect with a deck of playing cards’. Equally, when discussing magic with other magicians, the reasoning behind the two terms is already apparent, so is it even necessary?

Let us know your thoughts about this in the comments section below:

NEXT: The danger of a magic trick difficulty level set to ‘easy’

Not Doing Magic Tricks – How to Say No

by Merchant of Magic 1 Comment

By Ben Williams

Barry writes:

‘The bit I’m really struggling with is the people who do the line “oh, so you’re a magician…” and then expect to see something immediately. This is particularly a problem when someone who knows the stuff you do introduces you, so they have seen it all before.’

This can be a common problem. A lot of people have never seen close up magic before so they will jump at the opportunity to see magic first hand. One thing you should always do, whether you show them magic tricks immediately or don’t show them anything at all, is tobe polite. If you are polite and likeable, it doesn’t matter what you say.

If you are serious about your persona as a magician then you should always account for these types of situations. Have a few select items in your wallet or on your person so you have something to show. Turning around and saying, ‘oh, I haven’t brought anything along with me’ (unless you are a stage magician!) is a major let down and immediately ruins any mystery you may have about you.

If you are introduced as a magician, and someone wants to see some magic, remember that you are still in control of your actions. If you don’t show them a magic trick right away, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Sometimes delaying your performance and not showing them something right away can help intensify the excitement when you are ready to perform, which in turn can lead to better reactions.

Some of my favorite magicians are always 2 steps ahead of anyone else. Magicians like Gary Jones and Greg Wilson will already have loaded a card in your pocket or set something up as soon as they settle into a situation. If you pre-empt situations like this, when you do perform some magic tricks, it will seem absolutely impossible. If you keep this in mind and ready yourself, that is half the battle. Whenever possible, try to predict these situations!

However, if you really don’t want to perform you should not be afraid to say that you are having a night off. Make sure you tell your friends that there won’t be any magic tonight, and ask them not to introduce you as a magician. Most friends will understand this, and won’t want to knowingly put you on the spot.