"Jump"

[JoshuaGillespie]

Why do we say "jump"?

"The coin jumped to your shoulder"

"The cards jumped to under the box"

Surely there must be a better word than "jump" which has absolutely no bearing on what we actually mean.

 

[Steerpike]

The reason people still say "jump" is for the same reason they still do a lot of things that make no sense: because the guys who came before them did it.

 

[D@n]

An alternative theory merely based on speculation, I think because it is a short word (as opposed to teleported) and attributes some human characteristics to the object it allows the audience's imagination more to work with than say, moved. Expanding on this, "jumped" makes it seem like the coin/card did the action as opposed to the magician performing the sleight.

 

[WyattSB]

It sounds better than: "And now you can see I secretly placed the coin on your shoulder beforehand."

 

[Diavo]

I love discussing the origins and connotations of words. =)

Jump implies a quick motion from point A to point B.

I always figured magicians say "jump" to imply the action that occurs, invisibly.
It gives the audience an action word for them to understand; a false hook to occupy their minds. As D@n said above, it implies that the action was carried out by the object, and not via the magician's motions -- as you know, we usually flat-out lie. ;-)

"Teleport" doesn't give the mind much to focus on -- what does teleportation look like? We only have sci-fi media to tell us it looks like sparkles.
"Magically disappears from here and magically reappears over there" is too verbose.

 

[TeeDee]

I tend to agree with Steerpike on this. People say "jump" just because everyone else does and they haven't considered how best to serve their own character and percieved abilities with their script. I always think that with Ambitious Card. If the card "jumped up" to the top of the deck, then you'd see something happen. The top card would slightly move because it was just "landing" there, and the cards in the middle would slightly shift as a card disappeared from between them. I think, in cases like that, the use of the word "jump" can be harmful to your presentation because it instantly makes your claims unbelievable, and unless you've designed your character in a way which can sustain that, then the audience could start to see you as patronising.

 

[RikAllen]

I think, in cases like that, the use of the word "jump" can be harmful to your presentation because it instantly makes your claims unbelievable, and unless you've designed your character in a way which can sustain that, then the audience could start to see you as patronising.

Just to move the discussion forward, and this is for everyone to answer - how does Jump make the impossible more unbelievable than anything else you could say?

And if it's moving from the middle to the top without the deck moving what sort of words do you think could take place of it?

I agree with Steer in the sense that most people are imitating what they've seen done and said before them - but acknowledging this is only half the battle - how (or should) we get away from the word Jump?

Or should we actually make the deck look like it jumped in order to reinforce what we already say?

 

[TeeDee]

Or should we actually make the deck look like it jumped in order to reinforce what we already say?

One of the reasons the standard "pop-up" closer to an Ambitious Card routine is so impressive to a lay audience is, in my opinion, because it delivers on the promise of the card "jumping" to the top. Therefore, a couple of previous phases in which this process was invisible become justified. If a performer insisted on the word "jump" without backing it up with a visible "jump" moment, then that's where it can begin to look patronising.

If the process is invisible, then perhaps the word "melt" might be more appropriate, or another word that suggests a smooth process rather than a sudden event. I think a line like, "Watch, it's almost like the card melts up through the rest of the deck..." with this notion supported by an slow riffle of the corner of the deck and an upward gesture of the other hand, lends some dramatic realism to what's supposedly occurring. I feel as though lines like "I click my fingers and it jumps to the top" invite the audience to supply the next line in their collective mind head: "No it doesn't." The very fact of the slow deliberation of the "melting" process which is apparently occurring under their eyes encourages the audience to suspend their disbelief: why would you put so much intention into this process if it wasn't, in some way, at least a part of the method?

 

[Simon_Magic]

Just to throw in a different word here, I tend to notice I say 'Your card will come to the top' rather than jump although I do of course say jump also. Although I do like using melt, that sounds more magical I think.

Simon_Magic

 

[JoshuaGillespie]

This is good stuff, I didn't expect this much of a discussion! In terms of teleportation, are there any words we could use in place of "jump"? Because the literal action of jumping would be seen and is therefore false.