I don't know how many of you have made up a magic trick or a move of some sort, or if you've even tried. But those of you who have, do you have any thing you do to come up with ideas? Do you come up with the trick first or work backwards with the explanation first? I've recently been trying to come up with an effect of my own, but have come up a little short. Either the trick has already been created or it's just not good enough. Any ideas?
Creating a magic trick
- Thread starter NickGhilardi
- Start date
I'm pretty sure at one point, every magician has tried to create. I know I have. And about 80% of my "creations" were either already created or just not practical to perform.
Everyone's creative process is different. For me, I usually create best when I hear an interesting word and learn the meaning. Then I think of what kind of trick that would work well with that title.
Everyone's creative process is different. For me, I usually create best when I hear an interesting word and learn the meaning. Then I think of what kind of trick that would work well with that title.
when I try to create a trick, I don't really think of what I'm going to do as in sleights and gimmicks. I first think of something that would look amazing and impossible. Then I worry about the sleights I need to use to get there or gimmicks I need to make for the effect to work
I'm the same as Ang. I come up with the trick itself first and then i start worrying about the method and just tweaking it to make it practical, easy to carry round, making it a worker, etc.
If you are having trouble, buy Jay Sankey's 'Creating Your Own Magic'. Something like 1-2 hours giving you tips and ideas into how to create good and strong magic from the creative genius himself as well as a few tricks to keep you entertained. I think it's $20-$30 or maybe more. I'm not that sure. I don't own it but i have heard and read about it so i thought i might as well metion it.
If you are having trouble, buy Jay Sankey's 'Creating Your Own Magic'. Something like 1-2 hours giving you tips and ideas into how to create good and strong magic from the creative genius himself as well as a few tricks to keep you entertained. I think it's $20-$30 or maybe more. I'm not that sure. I don't own it but i have heard and read about it so i thought i might as well metion it.
I have a couple of different methods for creating. I normally come up with the trick first and then try to come up with the method. Sometimes I'll think of a gimmick with no idea of what I will do with it and then come up with a trick based off of that. Other times I will be working on an existing trick trying to come up with a different method for it that works for me and often come up with a new effect entirely
My advice is to build a strong knowledge base before attempting to create anything. If you are a beginner, your time is better spent learning the fundamentals. You can learn lot of sleights in the time it takes you to reinvent a one sleight. Also, the more strong magic you learn, the better understanding you will have about how to create strong magic.
thanks, but i've actually been doing magic for 10 years, lol, but that is true, you really have to know the fundamentals in and out before you can do anything
It really depends on a lot of different circumstances, more often than not I come up with what I want my show to consist of without any specific methods, props or effects. After I have the basic frame work of the show I think about what I already know either created by myself or others. Once I have an idea about the themes and demonstrations I wish to perform I pencil them down and leave it. I will then come back a week later and redo the presentations to see if I look at things in a different light.
Once I have the presentations set I start to work on the effects in such a way that demonstrates the theme and meta-narrative of both myself and the show as a whole. One the presentations are complete I will then go into tweeking the method untill I am happy with where it is at, whilst this includes the physical method and gimmicks it also includes staging and blocking the effect. After that I go into scripting, and fixing any little problems that may occur along he way. I will think of ways usually gimmicking certain aspects and scripting ways to take the heat of that prop and focus it on the others.
After that I decide on a perfect soultion I usually reverse engineer an entirely impromptu method as close to the perfect effect. By doing this I have an alternative method if I need to repeat the performance or if I want to. And definately a close up variation as well.
If on the other hand I am performing for magicians I will more than likely will do something overly simple that achieves an effect that would be the layman solution rather than a magicians way of thinking.
Once I have the presentations set I start to work on the effects in such a way that demonstrates the theme and meta-narrative of both myself and the show as a whole. One the presentations are complete I will then go into tweeking the method untill I am happy with where it is at, whilst this includes the physical method and gimmicks it also includes staging and blocking the effect. After that I go into scripting, and fixing any little problems that may occur along he way. I will think of ways usually gimmicking certain aspects and scripting ways to take the heat of that prop and focus it on the others.
After that I decide on a perfect soultion I usually reverse engineer an entirely impromptu method as close to the perfect effect. By doing this I have an alternative method if I need to repeat the performance or if I want to. And definately a close up variation as well.
If on the other hand I am performing for magicians I will more than likely will do something overly simple that achieves an effect that would be the layman solution rather than a magicians way of thinking.
Dont feel in a rush to create anything too. If you rush creating a routine just to say I created my own trick, odds are it wont be good. I guarantee one day a good idea will hit you, and you will wonder where it came from. This has happened to me a couple times, and the result it a really good routine after some good thought and trial and error.
My pun in the 70s & early 80s was that I dropped two hits of blotter and worked backwards. . . (you really had to know me back then and how, a drop of my blood would stone most people)
I think that most such things come by two chief routes; Dreams that help me resolve act issues, and brainstorming sessions with my peers or for that matter, someone that has a general idea as to where they want to take things but not certain how to make it happen (I love to brainstorm). At the same time there is that "curse" many of us endure; when you see something and just know way deep down, that there is a trick within it that's just waiting to be born.
Sometimes we will fool ourselves however, by reinventing the wheel. I can't count how many times I thought (I knew) I had something novel only to find out that either, it already existed or worse, I'd already come up with but forgot about it (I do that a lot these days).
I think that most such things come by two chief routes; Dreams that help me resolve act issues, and brainstorming sessions with my peers or for that matter, someone that has a general idea as to where they want to take things but not certain how to make it happen (I love to brainstorm). At the same time there is that "curse" many of us endure; when you see something and just know way deep down, that there is a trick within it that's just waiting to be born.
Sometimes we will fool ourselves however, by reinventing the wheel. I can't count how many times I thought (I knew) I had something novel only to find out that either, it already existed or worse, I'd already come up with but forgot about it (I do that a lot these days).
I personally brainstorm ideas, work backwards from an effect and forwards from a method, and sometimes just plain get hit with inspiration. I like to narrow down the kind of trick I want to create, like to card or rubber band magic, then I just go with it and brainstorm. you can also do the same thing with methods and principles, you want to use an extra card, stacked deck etc. Another thing you can do is just work on a new effect, that you can either improve upon or can inspire you to create another one. Find your prop/tool and what it is and what you will do with it.