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.'

Ben Hanlin Tricked Performs Deceptus Keys inside Soda Can

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Deceptus – Keys inside Soda Can Trick Performed on Ben Hanlin Tricked

Great to see Ben Hanlin Tricked feature Deceptus on the magic TV series. Ben approached the magic shop whilst Deceptus was still in development because the magic trick was a perfect fit for the show.

Because Dynamo performed Deceptus earlier in the month, we were excitied to see how Ben Hanlin – Tricked would present the magic trick differently. Ben added his own TV magic twist to the presentation by having the spectators go into a shop and purchase a soda can to use in the trick. Obviously, performing conditions may no allow this in a live performance without some extra work from the magician, but it was a perfect fit for the episode and worked very well. Here's Ben Hanlin performing the trick:

As the makers of Deceptus, it's important to add some points about the performance that will help other magicians perform Deceptus correctly.

1) Once the item has been placed inside the can, try to minimise the amount of handling you give the can. You don't need to squeeze or twist the can before handing it out for inspection. Just insert the object, and turn the can around fully so it's seen to be intact.

2) Be very careful opening the soda can. Ben Hanlin rips open the can with his hands. We suggest using protective gloves if you are going to do that. The edges of a ripped open can are sharp!

3) DON'T have the spectator reach in and remove the object with their fingers! Those sharp edges are an accident waiting to happen if you allow someone to push their fingers into the can. Instead, empty the object onto their hands, or give then tweezers to extract the object.

Those points aside, it's a great performance and we are pleased to have worked with Ben Hanlin Tricked to show you Deceptus in action.

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