Hello all,
One issue that sees a fair amount of discussion is the nature of card magic. Often, it is regarded as being less than "proper magic". As a working professional, I have had to add other kinds of magic to my act in order to make it more well rounded just because of that perception. Many magicians warn against opening with cards because of this very problem. And the source of that problem is that a deck of cards is such a common object, and at some point just about everyone and their dog learns a simple card trick, that it is difficult for many people to appreciate the level at which you're working. "Familiarity Breeds Contempt" in other words.
So what can we do to elevate card magic in the eyes of our audience?
I don't think it's about the effects. No seasoned magician is going to perform magic like Uncle Charlie at the family BBQ - items like the 21 card trick, the "behind the back reverse" etc. don't usually find their way into professional repertoires. So, if it's not about the tricks, then that leaves presentation.
More specifically, the context.
Place a card trick into a larger picture, and suddenly, you're not doing a card trick anymore, you're illustrating something bigger - using a deck of cards. One of my favourite themes is time travel; effect by effect, I demonstrate the ability to jump back in time until the audience has bought into the presentation so much that they forget it was ever "just a card trick". As an exercise, take any effect and think up several different presentations for it. Try and get as wildly outside the box as you can - and you will probably come up with something special.
Cheers,
David
One issue that sees a fair amount of discussion is the nature of card magic. Often, it is regarded as being less than "proper magic". As a working professional, I have had to add other kinds of magic to my act in order to make it more well rounded just because of that perception. Many magicians warn against opening with cards because of this very problem. And the source of that problem is that a deck of cards is such a common object, and at some point just about everyone and their dog learns a simple card trick, that it is difficult for many people to appreciate the level at which you're working. "Familiarity Breeds Contempt" in other words.
So what can we do to elevate card magic in the eyes of our audience?
I don't think it's about the effects. No seasoned magician is going to perform magic like Uncle Charlie at the family BBQ - items like the 21 card trick, the "behind the back reverse" etc. don't usually find their way into professional repertoires. So, if it's not about the tricks, then that leaves presentation.
More specifically, the context.
Place a card trick into a larger picture, and suddenly, you're not doing a card trick anymore, you're illustrating something bigger - using a deck of cards. One of my favourite themes is time travel; effect by effect, I demonstrate the ability to jump back in time until the audience has bought into the presentation so much that they forget it was ever "just a card trick". As an exercise, take any effect and think up several different presentations for it. Try and get as wildly outside the box as you can - and you will probably come up with something special.
Cheers,
David