I think it depends on what kind of stage magic you are referring to. Are we talking Tossed out Deck or a helicopter production? I think it all depends on the effect and the magician. I know the last time Copperfield came down to my area, a bunch of laymen I know went, and none of them could stop talking about how he made that car appear on stage. I think people usually just think of gimmick boxes and trap doors and mirrors when they think of stage magic because that's the cliche', the same way people tend to think all magicians use wands and pull rabbits out of hats or the same way people tend to think all close-up magicians pull quarters out from behind the ears of children at their birthday parties.
I should have clarified, my bad. I was referring to illusions on stage that play for stage. Something like the Death Saw or even the Corvette production, where lighting, blocking and staging all have to be there in order for the effect to be accomplished. A lot of my friends are laymen to magic, but not laymen to stage, as most of them work in either the television industry or in the theater.
There was a time when about 10 of us went to go see Copperfield in Baltimore, and after the show, all they kept talking about was how the lighting was used as well as the positions of the illusions on the stage. Not saying they figured it all out, but they all knew that none of those illusions could be performed surrounded and off stage.
True, and some were more successful than others. As I stated earlier, the problem with how Criss Angel uses camera tricks and special edits compared to a few others you listed is that Criss overuses those methods and he's not getting them by anyone anymore. Laymen have caught on and his "magic" is being dismissed and boiled down to just two methods (camera tricks and stooges) no matter what he does. Not saying it's fair or not, but that's the reality of how many laymen look at Criss Angel's magic now.
Actually...if you have never seen Franz Haray on the World's Greatest Magic, you need to YouTube it. In his Space Shuttle illusion, he uses the WORST actors I have EVER seen...ever! And when I say the worst...I mean THE worst of the worst! Like worse than mixing Lucky Charms milk with a Caesar salad.
You also have to take into consideration the fact that while Mindfreak IS his show, there have probably been many instances where he disagreed with what the networked wanted aired, vs what he wanted aired. How he wanted something shot, vs how the network wanted something shot. That is a reality in the film industry. So I don't really think all the blame needs to be brought to Angel for that.
I disagree. I rarely watch TV, but when I do I always see incompetent people doing their jobs poorly (journalists, actors, screenwriters, politicians, hosts, etc.). I'm not saying Criss is or isn't a bad magician--simply that just because someone has a job that puts their face on television definitely doesn't mean they're good at what they do.
When I said "doing something right", I was not referring to him being a good magician or a bad one. I was referring to the fact that in order for a show to continue to be aired on television, it has to have an audience. I seriously don't think that the network would continue to air a television show (6) seasons, that had no viewers. And in that respect, Criss Angel and his team ARE doing something right. Again, I don't really like the show, but SOMEONE out there must. Well, millions of someones.
But I definitely agree with the post about the "Mindfreak Aces"...I watched the video performance and there is not one single "move" in there that would signify any sort of originality at all. So on that note, I am going to go work on my newest original effect, "Card stuck to the top of a structure of some sort"
Mike