How Magicians Create A Winning Atmosphere For Magic

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

Arthur writes: So my question is: How do I set the atmosphere to “magic is an art, enjoy” and not to “I bet you can’t catch me”?

This is a GREAT question. In fact, I’ve been waiting for an excuse to write about it for absolutely ages. When you are performing magic, the last thing you want is for the audience to believe they’re in some kind of conflict with you. Magic shouldn’t be an ‘I win by fooling you, you lose by being fooled’ situation. Instead, it should be a ‘win-win!’ situation for both the spectators and magician. But how do we get to this good atmosphere for magic?

I’m going to try to explain the answer to this question in three easy to understand steps. To help with this, I’m going to use a definition from Darwin Ortiz’ thoughts on this very question (which you can find in his book, Strong Magic).

Ortiz would define the ‘I bet you can’t catch me’ atmosphere as the CHALLENGE atmosphere, in which the magician is challenging the audience to a battle of wits. This is what we want to avoid.

So, here are the steps…

1. Don’t Use ‘Challenge’ Vocabulary In Your Acts

2. Don’t Undermine Your Audience!

3. Avoid The Challenge Attitude, Not Challenging Tricks

4. Stop Reminding Your Audience That It’s A Trick!

1. Don’t Use ‘Challenge’ Phrases In Your Acts

This is a pretty simple one but we need to get it out of the way.

If you’re trying to present an effect and you want to avoid creating this challenge scenario, then don’t use ‘challenge’ phrases.

For example, within a routine we might be tempted to say…

‘Watch the card!’

We vanish it, and say…

‘Did you see it? No? Then I guess you weren’t watching close enough!’

Can you see how a phrase like this immediately creates a ‘challenge’ in the mind of the spectator. Now they’re really going to be watching you close, and just waiting for you to mess up. This isn’t good for you or them!

Now I know that was an obvious example, and not many of us will realistically be guilty of it. But the same thing can happen without our noticing; only on a much smaller scale.

For example, what if we vanished a card and then said…

‘Did you see it go? No? You didn’t? Really?’

This isn’t a blatant challenge like the phrase above, but it could easily be read as one by your audience. Now they’re determined that next time, they ARE going to see it.

You need to be really careful that you avoid all use of confrontational language like this within your routines! This shouldn’t be a big problem for most of you, but it can sometimes slip through the net.

2. Don’t Undermine Your Audience!

There’s a reason the challenge attitude doesn’t end well for both the magician and the spectators. When the audience feel like the magician is fooling them to prove how much ‘better’ he is than them, they aren’t going to be happy.

You want your audience to feel comfortable around you, and that they are EQUALS within the trick. If they feel like you respect them and are treating them as equals, they won’t care about ‘challenging’ you. There’s no need!

But if your audience feels like you don’t respect them, they suddenly have a point to prove to you. How do they prove that they’re your equal to you?

Why, by figuring out your trick! Which immediately sets them into the ‘challenge’ mindset; the very thing we wanted to avoid.

3. Avoid The Challenge Attitude, Not Challenging Tricks

There’s nothing wrong with using tricks that seem to have a ‘challenge’ element to them. It’s ALL about the attitude that you present them with.

For example, the three card monte.

Plenty of magicians can use this trick without their audience falling into the ‘challenge’ mindset. It’s one of the classic magicians subtitles never explained in magic tricks instructions..

Why?

Because of the way they present it, and the attitude they present it with!

This goes back to the previous point we made; if the audience feels like you’re on their side, they won’t want to challenge you. There are plenty of magicians who present the three card monte as a challenge; but they do it in a friendly way and with an attitude that communicates the fact that they would rather just have a good time with their audience than necessarily ‘fool’ them.

Bill Malone is a great example of a magician who presents challenging tricks but does it with such a friendly manner that his audience loves it! I would definitely advise watching his material to get a feel for how you can create a similar atmosphere for magic.

4. Stop Reminding Your Audience That It’s A Trick!

When the audience is reminded that they are watching a TRICK, they are reminded that there is a SOLUTION to that trick. And so they set about looking for the solution; creating the ‘challenge’ mindset.

How do you avoid reminding the audience that they’re watching a trick?

I think one of the best ways of doing this is by telling a great story.

Everybody loves stories; it’s a great way of gripping your audience and taking them out of the ‘trick’ and into an ‘effect’. Even silly stories or nonsensical stories have a similar effect on your audience.

When we listen to stories, it has a way of taking us ‘out’ of the moment and into a dreamlike state where everything we hear is true. It’s the same in magic; when the magician tells a story, the audience is transcended ‘out’ of the moment and into a plane in which everything the magician says is true. They don’t ‘challenge’ the magician because he is the storyteller; and as the storyteller, everything he says is true.

Do these tips make sense? Feel free to get in touch if you still have any questions!

READ THIS NEXT: How to stand out as a magician

How to Stand Out as a Magician

by Merchant of Magic Leave a Comment

Here’s a question from one of our readers, James:

“What is that ONE magic trick that will make me stand out?”

I’m so glad I’ve got a chance to address this question. I see it a lot; and the answer might either be a really frustrating one or enlightening, depending on how you act on it.
You can either take this advice and create an incredible, showstopping trick that WILL make you stand out, or you might choose to abandon it in favor of the easier answers out there.

There is no ONE trick that will make you stand out; but there can be YOUR one trick that will.

What do I mean by this?
Even the best effects, if they don’t work with your persona and style as a magician, will be weaker than basic effects that DO follow suit with who you are.

Imagine if Derren Brown were to perform a Dynamo effect. Sure, it wouldn’t be bad, but it wouldn’t be anything memorable either. That’s because it doesn’t fit who Derren Brown is as a magician.

So, the answer is that the ONE trick that will make you stand out is ENTIRELY dependent on who you are as a magician, and ultimately, as a person.

To illustrate my point, let’s compare this to a similar question I often see in the world of fashion.

“What is the ONE outfit that will really make me stand out?”

Again, it’s obvious that this question is completely subjective. There’s no clear answer. The answer will vary massively depending on a bunch of factors; your height, weight, gender, build, etc. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution.

It’s exactly the same in magic. Although the factors that are perhaps slightly less visible, they need to be taken into account nonetheless.

So, how do you decide which trick is the No.1 trick for YOU?

Here’s five simple steps that should help you narrow it down…

Step 1: Evaluate Your Audience; Who Are You Trying To Impress?

You mention in your initial question that you want to ‘stand out’.

Great. But you first need to really zone in on WHO you want to stand out to; the tricks that impress one demographic might fall flat in front of another.

For example, some tricks that might work like a charm at children’s parties would not fool an adult audience, and vice versa, some of the tricks performed for adults would go straight over the heads of any children watching them.

As a general rule:

– Simple and visual tricks will work well for younger audiences as they require less concentration and hold attention better.

– For story or narrative based routines, make sure the audience is mature enough to understand the messages and values you are trying to convey through the story. Consider tailoring the narrative to make it more relevant to the respective audience.

So when preparing to select a knockout trick, you first need to consider your audience. What’s more, your choice of audience will undoubtedly affect the presentation of the effect too.

Once you have your audience in mind and understand what you need to deliver based on their needs, let’s move on to the next step.

Step 2: Persona and Entertainment Level

This is a really key step.

In order to create a trick that will make you stand out, YOU as a person need to stand out. It’s not enough to simply rehash a presentation of the trick that you’ve seen before. You need to find your own spin on it.

In fact, I would argue that the best magicians are remembered for their presentation MORE so than the trick performed.

A great example of this is Penn and Teller; the comedic magic duo. A lot of the tricks they perform are fairly common in the magic world (such as the Cups and Balls) but they have such unique takes on the presentation that their performances are highly entertaining and definitely ‘stand out’ for their audience. This suggests that the real key to standing out is to have a memorable persona rather than just relying on a memorable trick.

How do you create a persona?
I’ve found that the best way to develop a persona is by consistent performing over time. The more you perform, the more your own style will emerge. Initially you’ll be tempted to stick to the same formulaic approaches to effects, but once you gain more confidence, your persona will naturally start to shine through.

Now I’m not encouraging you to just wing it and hope that sooner or later something will stick. Every time you perform, analyze your performance afterwards. Which bits worked? Which bits didn’t?

The key thing is to try to make sure you come away from it having learnt something new. A certain one liner might have landed really well, whilst a new phase to your routine didn’t. As you make a note of these things and edit your performances accordingly, you should see a persona starting to emerge.

Step 3: Mastery

Now that you have an idea of a trick and the presentation you are going to use in your head, you need to practice it until you can do it in your sleep.

Why?

Well, the more you need to concentrate on your getting the sleights right during the trick, the less you can perform. As a result, the weaker your grasp of the sleights, the weaker the entertainment level.

So, you need to ensure that you are COMPLETELY comfortable with every sleight required to the point where you can perform the routine blindfolded or distracted.

Basically, you want to be able to place all your focus on the presentation and selling of your persona; and one of the best ways to do this is by gaining a really strong muscle memory of the sleights.

By now, you should have a trick, persona, and a strong grasp of the sleights. What next?

Step 4: You Have The Final Say

Even if you think you’ve managed to tick all the boxes with a trick, the final decision should be made on the basis of how it feels to you personally; whether or not you choose a trick might just come down to the fact that it does or doesn’t FEEL right.

And that’s how it should be.

You might have a great trick that is perfect for your audience, fits your persona, and you can do easily. But if it doesn’t sit well with you, it’s still not going to be that knockout trick you want it to be. At the end of the day, you need to perform what you feel most comfortable and happy performing.

Your attitude will rub off onto your audience!

Step 5: Trial and Error

Once you’ve selected a trick that fulfills all the requirements we’ve gone through, and you’re happy to perform it, the next step is to just get out there and try it!

Don’t be dissuaded if it isn’t a home run first time round. It’s unlikely that it will be!

Professional magicians might perform and refine their material for years before they settle on a few firm ‘signature’ tricks. You might do it sooner, or you might take longer. The important thing is to keep on evolving and improving! Eventually you’ll find a few solid tricks that you can really ‘own’ and will definitely make you stand out!

I hope that helped you gain an understanding into how you can stand out as a magician! The secret is not to rely on the tricks themselves, but your persona as an individual.

I do appreciate that this might not have been the answer you were looking for, and if you have absolutely NO idea where to start, here’s a few solid tricks that you can’t go wrong with to set you on the right path…

The Invisible Deck
A mind reading miracle using a single deck of cards.

Cube 3
Possibly the most visual magic trick you’ve ever seen. Solve a mixed up Rubik’s Cube, INSTANTLY!

Cardtoon
A captivating card trick that uses a stickman to read the mind of your audience.

How to be yourself as a magician

The tricks to professional magicians use

About the author: Benji is a hobbyist magician from the UK who also runs The Daily Magician

Magicians Subtleties – How To Convince Your Audience

by Merchant of Magic 4 Comments

Today I want to talk about a topic that has been on my mind for a while now.

It’s a technique of magic that I’ve found tends to be used instinctively by a lot of people who don’t actually realize they’re doing it. This technique is the perfect way to seriously strengthen your effects without adding or removing any aspects of the trick itself.

What am I talking about?

Subtleties. Or as others refer to them, convincers.

What are subtleties?

I first ran across the idea of magicians subtleties whilst studying books on Magic Theory, and it was one of those ‘lightbulb’ moments for me.

As far as I understand the term, a subtlety is an offbeat moment within your magic where you intentionally do something that appears accidental or unintentional, for the purpose of increasing the strength of the effect.

I know. Sounds confusing, right?

But don’t worry. Subtleties are far easier to demonstrate then they are to explain.

Let’s imagine you’re performing a card trick in which you intend to make the spectator’s card appear in some crazy location; your wallet, perhaps.

You ask the spectator to choose a card, and show it to everyone; yourself included. Let’s imagine it is the Queen of Spades. You take the card back off him and perform a Top Change.

You hold the switched card in your hand, and as you are about to push it in to the middle of the deck, say something along these lines:

‘Now I’m going to place your card, the…’

You act for a moment as if you can’t recall the card, and lift it up to take a glimpse at it.

‘…Queen of Spades, into the deck.’

What was the point of that?

Well, picture the situation from the point of view of the spectator. The little act of ‘forgetting’ their card and taking a glimpse at the switched card to recall it has just solidified in their mind, the idea that the switched card really IS their original card. From here, the routine is made much stronger as the spectator will swear they SAW you place their exact card into the middle of the deck.

This move takes mere seconds to do, but can seriously improve the overall impact of the trick.

This is a subtlety. A seemingly insignificant act you put on to convince the audience that you really are doing what you say you are (even though you NEVER are!). These subtleties are almost always presented as unintentional and improvised, when in fact they are the result of meticulous planning.

So, now that you have an idea of what subtleties are, how do you go about incorporating them into your magic?

How To Incorporate Subtleties Into Your Routines

Well, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably already using subtleties without realizing it! For example, for any of the mentalists out there, how many of you will intentionally make small mistakes in your predictions in an attempt to convince the audience that the whole thing is real?

This is just another example of a subtlety, or convincer, in action.

For those of you who aren’t already using subtleties, or want a better grip on how to add them to your routines, here’s a four-step technique that has worked well for me. I’ll use this as an opportunity to develop a new subtlety for one of my own magic routines so you can see how it works in real time.

Step 1: Identify Weak Spots Within Your Routines

Within most magic routines we perform, there are one or two ‘weak spots’ that we tend to either rush over, or hope that the audience won’t draw attention to. Most of the time, we are afraid of them noticing that something isn’t quite right, or perhaps asking one too many questions about an aspect of the effect.

A great way of identifying these weak spots is to listen to the questions a spectator will ask you once you’ve finished the trick. For example, if you’ve just done a Book Test, they might say ‘But that wouldn’t have worked if I had picked a different page, right?’

In this case, this question indicates that the weak spot within your Book Test is the moment at which the spectator picks their page.

If you’ve just done an Ambitious Card Routine and the spectator says ‘that was great! But I bet you couldn’t have done it with MY deck of cards’ that suggests the weak spot within your ACR is the way in which you try to convince your audience that the deck is a normal one.

Whilst I was brainstorming ‘weak spots’ within my own magic, I realized that the very beginning of any trick I do with a Rubik’s Cube tends to be an uncomfortable moment for me.

For example, one of my favorite pieces of magic is displaying a mixed Cube, placing it inside a bag, and letting the spectator ‘solve’ it with their mind. Now, this trick requires a certain amount of ‘preparation’ work and I need the Cube to be in a very specific pattern.

However, as soon as I tell people I’m going to do magic with a Rubik’s Cube, the first thing they say is ‘Can I mix it up?’

I’ve had a lot of trouble getting around this question in the past so I could do with creating magicians subtleties that should stop this problem.

Step 2: Identify What This Weak Spot Is Communicating To Your Audience

The second step is to step backward and try to see the weak spot from the point of view of your audience. What is it that you are communicating to them through this weak spot? The questions they ask are a reflection of what you are communicating.

In the case of the Book Test we mentioned, it appears you are communicating that the page they land on is important to you. This creates a suspicion that they don’t have complete control over the page they choose, which weakens the effect.

In the case of the Ambitious Card Routine we discussed, it appears you are communicating that the deck is in some way special or gimmicked. This weakens the effect as they believe you are in some way ‘cheating’.

And in the case of my own Cube routine, it appears I am communicating that the pattern of the Cube is important to me; and maybe even set up. Which is not what I want them to think! I want them to think that the Cube is completely and randomly mixed.

In all of these examples, these are things we DON’T want the audience to imagine.

Step 3: Figure Out How To Communicate The OPPOSITE

In the above cases, we have identified what our weak spots are communicating. The next step is to reverse engineer it and work out how to somehow communicate the opposite through our performance. This is where the subtleties come in.

In the case of the Book Test, we are creating the suspicion that the page the spectator lands on is not entirely their choice. We need to find a way to communicate the opposite; that the page they land on is completely insignificant to us.

This is the perfect place to add magicians subtleties to your routine. Subtleties do an amazing job of communicating something to the audience without the magician saying a word.

In this case, the subtlety could be as simple as reading the page number wrong, or remembering the page number incorrectly later on in the trick.

If the magician says ‘So, let’s recap. You chose a random word from page 27…’ and the spectator corrects them by pointing out they actually chose page 26, it communicates to the audience that the page isn’t important to them and that the trick could be accomplished on any page.

In the case of the Ambitious Card Routine, the subtlety could be as simple as asking the audience if any of them have a deck of cards. By asking them to borrow a deck, it creates the impression that the deck you use isn’t important to you.

This is one of the easiest magicians subtleties to incorporate into your routine; 99% of the time no one in the audience is going to have a pack of cards. It won’t impact the effect in ANY way. But what it does do is communicate to the audience that you could just as easily perform your tricks with a borrowed deck.

On the off chance that someone does hand you a deck, you could simply move into a different trick that can be done impromptu.

For my own Cube routine, I was able to develop a subtlety that communicates that the pattern of the Cube isn’t important to me.

I decided to go with the following presentation.

As I reach into my bag and pull out the Cube, I say ‘I’m going to show you a great magic trick you can do with ANY solved Rubik’s Cube’.

As it comes out of the bag mixed up, I act surprised. ‘I could have sworn this was already solved! Oh well, I’ll see if there’s anything else I can do with this.’ I then go into the trick as normal.

This extra second or so should add a great element to the trick; that it is being improvised, and it isn’t quite what I was planning on doing. For this reason, if done right, no one will even think to ask to mix up the Cube when I pull it out; as far as they’re concerned, it already is!

Step 4: Refine

The next step is simply to try out the magicians subtleties you’ve developed during your performances. Try to get a gauge on what is working and what isn’t. From here, it’s just a process of slowly developing and refining the subtleties over time.

I think you’ll be surprised at just how powerful this can be for your magic. Subtleties are a great way of selling your magic without acting overly dramatic or adding anything to your routine; they’re simply little moments on the offbeat that really make your magic real to the audience.

I hope this four step process made sense to you! If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section.

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