Sleight of Hand VS Gimmicks

obrienmagic

Elite Member
Nov 4, 2014
1,469
1,422
Orange County, Ca
www.obrienmagic.com
I thought this would make for some interresting discussion. Some people seem to swear by sleight if hand, claiming those who use gimmicks are lazy. Others say that gimmicks make a performance look more natural. What do you guys think? Which is better? SOH? Gimmicks? Maybe a bit of both? Does it depend on the situation?

 
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WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,877
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To me, the end result is all that matters. Like Derren Brown's "No visual compromise" thing - the only thing I care about is the audience's experience. I use whatever method best creates that experience for them.

Aside from a few theatrical motivations I can't really think of any real reason why one would avoid any subset of methods, personally. Well, other than satisfying ego ("I do it the *hard* way!") or avoiding work ("Why waste time learning sleights when you can carry three dozen gadgets to do it for you?").
 
May 21, 2018
69
28
Cincinnati, OH
I don't buy into negative stigma about gimmicks, or look down on performers who use them as being less of a performer than those who don't. Just think practically. Your goal is to entertain the spectator. Gimmicks work just as well for that. But they also take up pocket real estate, which is always at at premium for us, whether you are a magician or a mentalist. Therefore learning sleight of hand to replace gimmicks is a good practice. It doesn't mean you're a better performer, but it means you have more flexibility and and larger repertoire and the any given time. My 2 cents.
 

DavidL11229

Elite Member
Jul 25, 2015
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Seattle
I agree with everything above and I think the correct answer is 'both'. However I appreciate the view of those who strive to see what they can do without gimmicks simply because they choose to. Strangely the sometimes seems to be backlash from either side!
 
May 28, 2018
106
100
Saint Louis, MO
And of course gimmicks can be used in combination with SoH to create killer routines that are magical because the two methods can cancel each other out. For example you could do a knuckle buster of a card reversal and offer to repeat the effect and switching to one of the gaff versions for the repeat.

@DavidL11229 It is typical amateur thinking. As a guitar player I used to hear the same sorts of things when it came to capos--clamps that act as a movable nut--and the people who used to rail about them where always bedroom guitar heroes never people who played guitar for other human beings--except maybe other BGHs.
 
May 28, 2018
106
100
Saint Louis, MO
Another good ambitious card example would be Daryl's roped deck finisher. Back in the day I got to see Daryl do this several times for lay people and it always killed and I never once heard anyone talk about suspecting anything hinky with the deck--because it this point they had seen the deck being thoroughly used, spread, etc.
 
Sep 10, 2017
347
231
Where I live, it is impossible to buy any magic stuff and if I am to buy them online, the shipping would be too expensive.
Because of that, even the few ones that I can get (like tarantula 2) I dont usually use because of how delicate and expensive they are.
There are some gimmicks that you can make for yourself with household items, that I wouldnt mind.
Still, when it comes to card magic, my inner move monkey disdains all card related gimmicks. Why would you practice 5 minutes and use a gimmick, when you can practice for weeks or months and accompolish the same thing without a gimmicked(seriously, I mean it)
 
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May 28, 2018
106
100
Saint Louis, MO
There are some really, really strong card effects that can only be accomplished with gimmicks. I do what basically amounts to T. Wonder's Wild Card handling. If it didn't have enough gimmicks to it, I put the packet in a Himber style packet switcher at the end, that way I am clean if anyone asks to see the cards...........Personally the way I handle this is say Spec A asks to see the cards. I call them over and take them aside and say, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Ok, but you can't tell anybody how it is done." I then show them the normal cards. People will ask them latter and they will either believe him/her that all the cards were the same or they will bug them the rest of the night trying to get the "secret" out of them.

I also do a repeat card to pocket. The first two times the card goes to the pocket are pure sleight of hand, the third time uses a gimmick--a very, very old gimmick that I have used to fool magicians under the age of 40 quite badly.

One of the best do it yourself gimmicks I ever learned was from a Darwin Ortiz book. Yes, Darwin Ortiz. So even one ofthe most famous mechanics isn't above using them to accomplish his goals.
 
Dec 22, 2017
15
13
29
South West England
I personally use very few gimmicks for a couple of reasons:
1. I like to start clean and end clean, so if people want to burn my deck they can.
2. I'm always worried i'll ruin/break them! Which i know is daft but i cant help it.

BUT i have no problems with magicians who do use them! At the end of the day its another tool to enhance the performance! I guess gimmicks just don't suit my style.
 
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WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
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Why would you practice 5 minutes and use a gimmick

Because they're lazy/bad performers. By which I mean that gimmicks don't remove the need for skill. A gimmick is a tool, it makes a thing happen. When using a gimmick you still have to practice to be smooth and natural, and you still have to have the theatrical skills to make the performance look good.

I'm one of the people that rarely uses gimmicks, but that has nothing to do with thinking gimmicks are somehow inferior. It's just that I don't need gimmicks to do most of what I like to do. One of the big reasons I like mentalism is that it requires very little pocket management. Some billets, a couple markers, a lock, a little notebook - this is all that's in my pockets for a simple strolling gig.
 
Aug 15, 2017
651
413
I think, a bit of both. But it also depends on the situation in the sense that if you are doing magic for a camera, by all means use the stupidest gimmicks...switching them on camera is not much of a problem :D

I use few gimmicks as I wanna end completely clean, like @danielsutton95 ...

It's somewhat a more paranoid thought, I know. At the end of the day, the audience couldn't really care less about the ''side-objects'' (usually the ones gimmicked. Think of pens, hankies, and gaffed cards/coins which can be palmed out or switched). They examine only what we allow them to.

However, there ARE cases when things don't go our way and well, I wanna be prepared for those certain FBI-type spectators.
 
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