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.'

How did Magician Troy Push a Coin Inside a Playing Card

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

After magician Troy pushed a coin inside a playing card in his magic TV show, we are getting a lot of questions about the magic trick technique.

When John Webb Carter invented the C2C technique back in 2006 the magic shop released a book for magicians that detailed exactly how to perform the magic trick in close up walk around conditions. It was a huge hit amongst magicians that perform in walk-around close up magic conditions. Many magicians focus on card magic tricks, as coin used a different skill set. Signed coin in signed card acted as a perfect bridge to move from a card magic routine into a coin magic piece.

Here’s the demo video for signed coin inside signed card back in 2006

Here’s some of the questions he have received about the magic trick and magician Troys performance.

Does magician Troy use duplicate playing cards or duplicate coins in order to perform coin in playing card?

You only use a normal ungimmicked coin which you can borrow from the spectator and they can keep at the end. It’s usually a stronger magic trick if you borrow the coin. The object doesn’t actually nedd to be a coin. We have had great feedback from a magician that uses a mobile phone sim card that he demonstrates putting into the deck, just like he does with his phone. The playing card used is the one that the spectator selects and signs.

Can the coin and card can be kept as a souvenir?

YES! You should do that! The spectator will often take the playing card out of their wallet or purse and describe the magic trick to their friends. A momento like the playing card is a great advert for your services and magic!

Does magician Troy switch in gimmicked props?

Signed coin inside signed playing card was designed to be used in surrounded close up magic conditions. That’s how magicin Troy likes to do his magic too. You don’t need to switch in any extra props or gimmicks. It’s all contained within your deck of playing cards.

Is the coin really inside the card or is it just an optical illusion?

Magic on TV can sometimes use optical effects or camera tricks. Magician Troy doesn’t use that for his presentation of coin inside playing card, and you don’t either. The coin really is inside the playing card. You cut the coin out with a pocket knife, or the card is ripped open to release it. The spectators can feel the coin in the playing card before it is cut open.

Is coin in playing card repeatable?

Yes! You ruin one playing card each time you perform this magic trick, but that is the only additional cost to perform it. You can use any normal deck of playing cards.

Magician Troy doesn’t have to worry about repeating a magic trick on his TV series. He can do several takes that result in a single performance. Real work close up magicians, need to be able to repeat the magic trick many times each booking. That’s the way signed coin inside signed playing card was designed to allow. A few moments before, they were holding both items then WHAM! The coin is GONE and really does become impossibly buried INSIDE the spectators signed playing card!

You can learn more about C2C Signed Coin Inside Signed Playing Card here

How does the magician Troy do his new magic tricks?

by Dominic Reyes 97 Comments

We have blogged about magician Troy already and shown a little preview of his magic from his new show Troy. We expect a lot of calls at the magic shop asking, ‘How does magician Troy do his magic tricks?!!?’ and for good reason too! We at the Merchant of Magic discuss what we can learn from watching TV magicians like Troy and Dynamo Magician Impossible.

Real name Troy Von Scheibner, Troy is the newest name in magic to hit the mainstream media, and we predict big things for this young talented magician! Just check out one of his new magic tricks here, in this little video Troy astonishes some people at his local barber’s.

Troy Aired on 11th February on the UK channel E4 Troy and caused ripples in the magic community and the general public! His smooth and casual demeanor allows him to shock his unsuspecting spectators with his own brand of magic tricks!

So, how does Troy do his magic tricks? Unfortunately, that is for Troy to know and all of us to wonder!

Whenever the team at The Merchant of Magic look at the magic being presented on TV instead of trying to replicate what we see we like to try to learn from it and gather inspiration. Instead of asking, how does Troy do his magic tricks? or how did Dynamo Magician Impossible put the phone in the bottle? we simply enjoy the feeling and try to tweak the magic tricks we already do. If we like the magic tricks we see we think about how to take the magic we know already and elevate it to that miracle status. For example if you perform coin magic tricks is it possible to use their coins instead? By taking an item from a spectator and using it to perform magic, it instantly elevates the magic to a higher status in the spectator’s mind. They know there is nothing set up with their item, check out items like Manoj Bottle and Hide and Seek for some great magic with borrowed items. Also by performing magic in the spectator’s hands it can elevate the level of magic perceived by the spectator, a great example of this is Garrett Thomas’ Imagination Coins.

The viewing public understands that magic on TV is utterly impossible, but with the correct presentation and understanding of magic you can make your spectator’s feel the same way with simpler tricks suited for live performance. By utilising props like Loops, PK Magnets and even something as simple as a Raven or Thumb Tip you can create miracles for people if presented correctly.

If you really wish to leave a lasting impression on your spectators with your magic tricks you must ask yourself this question, ‘If I could really do magic, how would I present it to people, what would it look like?’