As a supplier of magic tricks to Ben Earl, The Merchant of Magic is excited about the new TV release. The series is, at it’s core, a magic show. However, Ben Earl – Trick Artist will also build in creative thinking, sleight of hand and some stunning stunts.
There will be four shows in the first Ben Earl series. Each presenting magic tricks around it’s own topic: art, science, crime and money. The first show centres on crime.
The motivation behind Ben Earl – Trick Artist.
The idea is to create a magic show that is distinctive from much of the magic tricks shown on television. By using creativity and art, the show hopes to express the uniqueness of Ben Earl and his magic tricks style, which is sleight of hand based:
Ben Earl – : ‘It’s a really tricky thing but I think initially there’s a question of format, the visuals and style and all that kind of stuff. For me it’s also a different form of experience and expertise. What I do is so predominantly sleight of hand based but comes from a creative place. We’ve been able to write very ambitious and creative scenes and then inform that through a skill set that is slightly different from other guys.’
What’s featured in Ben Earl – Trick Artist.
In the footsteps of David Blaine, the Ben Earl series will feature invited guests that Ben Earl will amaze with his magic tricks and the show will build up to an ambitious and dangerous stunt. The word from the production company is that it will include Jumping off a building, climbing over moving cars and Ben Earl setting himself on fire. Each stunt is built into a larger story to create a theme for each episode.
Ben Earl also claims he will perform a bullet catch magic trick in one of the shows, some magic with a venus fly trap and a set routine built on the theme of his heart beat.
The shows will also feature some magic tricks performed to children. Ben Earl will take a very popular magicians theme: Using chocolate coins to perform coin magic tricks, and show how he likes to perform this. As many close up magicians already use chocolate coins during their close up magic shows, it will be of interest to see what new ideas he will bring to the subject.
How Ben Earl practices his magic.
Like all professional magicians Ben Earl continues to practice and perfect his technique. Although Ben won’t be using it in the show, he is a keen practitioner of contact juggling. He claims that it enhances his timing, touch, technique and control.
Ben Earl – ‘Your hands and your body are learning a relationship between themselves, a little secret language about balance, speed and timing. I spend a lot of hours partially mentally rehearsing but a lot time physically rehearsing timings, moves, pieces of sleight of hand, I just never stop practicing.’
The Ben Earl – Trick Artist series is has been commissioned by C4 Entertainment Commissioning Editor, Madeleine Knight and the 4 one hour shows were made by Magnum Media.
How Ben Earl got noticed.
Ben Earl first came into the public eye after his appearance on Penn and Teller – Fool Us. The hit show, now sadly dropped by the TV networks was very popular with magicians and general public. Ben Earl was one of the highlights of the TV show. He went on to release several magic DVD’s teaching many of his techniques and methods. The most popular of his magic DVD’s being Ben Earl – Past Midnight
In the past, magicians that have been commissioned to produce TV shows tend to discontinue their instructional magic tricks DVD’s and guides. This removal of magic secrets is often from personal preference as their popularity grows or on the insistence of their management. It remains to be seen if the Ben Earl training DVD’s for magicians will continue to be available as the show becomes popular.
Sources: C4
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