I hate to be the one to tell you this but geek magic doesn't push the boundaries of the mind so much as those of the stomach. It's shock entertainment, not a rite of passage involving peyote.
June 2009 :: How deep should the rabbit hole go?
- Thread starter LukeDancy
- Start date
I hate to be the one to tell you this but geek magic doesn't push the boundaries of the mind so much as those of the stomach. It's shock entertainment, not a rite of passage involving peyote.
I agree with Faust in the sense I rarely claim them to be anything I just do it.
However when I preform seance theatre around Halloween time I make sure to tell people it is theatre to prevent any uncmfortable situations.
I have spent years developing a preforming character who I try to represent as someone who can do anything.
My personal oppinion,
Magicians arent anyone special, just people who can do the impossible.
And that is what I try to get across in my preformance.
GHOST
However when I preform seance theatre around Halloween time I make sure to tell people it is theatre to prevent any uncmfortable situations.
I have spent years developing a preforming character who I try to represent as someone who can do anything.
My personal oppinion,
Magicians arent anyone special, just people who can do the impossible.
And that is what I try to get across in my preformance.
GHOST
I hate to break it to you, but magicians don't do the impossible. Most audiences know that magicians use sleight of hand to achieve their effects. So it's not "impossible".
Mentalist are usually the ones who achieve the impossible. Whats more impossible than knowing what a person is thinking.
The real secret to making a trick believable is to take the impossible and make it the improbable. At the end of the day an audience makes the rational judgment that something underhanded was done to achieve the effect. Take Copperfields flying illusion, the rational person would believe it uses wires, he then flies into a glass box to dis spell this belief. I don't know how he does it but I know there is something underhanded going on.
Now take something simple like a peek or a centre tear. You know what the spectator wrote down to simply name it would be impossible to the spectators, and then they would rationalize that there was a trick. However, if you give it enough backing people may question if you are really doing what you say you are. And in that moment of doubt they may just believe what you told them.
Now take something simple like a peek or a centre tear. You know what the spectator wrote down to simply name it would be impossible to the spectators, and then they would rationalize that there was a trick. However, if you give it enough backing people may question if you are really doing what you say you are. And in that moment of doubt they may just believe what you told them.
S
SuicideBoy555
Guest
How deep
Personally for me whenever a spectator ask's "how" or "what is this"
I simply respond, "It is what you want to believe." I say that because FOR ME, I feel like saying "It is what you want to believe" not only leaves them guessing as to what it actually is but, It also adds that mystery to your character. Now thats my opinion.
p.s.
Great topic by the way.
-Jon R.
Personally for me whenever a spectator ask's "how" or "what is this"
I simply respond, "It is what you want to believe." I say that because FOR ME, I feel like saying "It is what you want to believe" not only leaves them guessing as to what it actually is but, It also adds that mystery to your character. Now thats my opinion.
p.s.
Great topic by the way.
-Jon R.
.... Debatable.
Some people are mysterious because they don't tell you anything. Some people are "mysterious" because they don't know anything.
If you understate anything, it is ten times exggerated in their eyes.
Tell them you're doing a simple trick, then to a TiVo Transpo, and the tricks has suddenly become better. Using the term "Magic" means no bounds, so anything will be expected. It will only be surprising when it wakes them up and makes them coffee.
Sorry for bad American (Launguage)
Tell them you're doing a simple trick, then to a TiVo Transpo, and the tricks has suddenly become better. Using the term "Magic" means no bounds, so anything will be expected. It will only be surprising when it wakes them up and makes them coffee.
Sorry for bad American (Launguage)
Well
To be honest I think all of us are giving our magic just alittle bit to much credit.
In this day and age I dont think any spectator (thats not a little kid) actually believes what were doing is "real". They might think its impossible or even freaky, but not real. Even when watching or being apart of a Mental act the specs know that there is "something" or a trick behind it.
I personally if anything I refer to my magic as a "experience" as thats what I believe I provide.
To be honest I think all of us are giving our magic just alittle bit to much credit.
In this day and age I dont think any spectator (thats not a little kid) actually believes what were doing is "real". They might think its impossible or even freaky, but not real. Even when watching or being apart of a Mental act the specs know that there is "something" or a trick behind it.
I personally if anything I refer to my magic as a "experience" as thats what I believe I provide.
With card and coin magic they don't know what you did, but do have some idea that you DID you do something.
With mentalsim and I mean GOOD mentalism. People will believe what they want to believe. I know steerpike mentioned that even tho Derren Brown says all his stuff is purely psychological, There are people who still believe that he is a psychic. The same can be said about Banachek. Even tho he says he doesn't have powers, I am pretty damn sure people who see his shows are more than likely to believe that he didn't do a trick.
And yes the Shut-Eye market is another thing. If people thought Steerpike did nothing but tricks, they most likely wouldn't hire him for a Seance. There'd be no point in it. The same is most likely said about Rick Maue and Docc Hilford as well.
Actually, more than a few skeptics have hired me to do haunted magick because they like to be scared. Same with Rick. Rick performed seances almost exclusively for the skeptic market.
It all comes down to knowing what your audience wants.
Rabbit hole? Mine is somewhere in a top hat.
being a performer that works for one of the most famous magicians in the world and performing in my own show, albeit not a magic show...I have found that people will believe what they want to believe. As a world record holding escape artist, I've learned to just give them the lock to examine...wether it is gaffed or not. They will make their own mind up if it is legit or not, no amount of "proving" on my part will change their mind. The illusion show that I work on is great because the star invites people backstage sometimes and they, after seeing how it is all done, still don't believe that that is how we did it. Basically, I believe that the harder you push to convince someone of something, the greater the resistance. Just let them believe what they want to believe...if you did your job right, they will legendize you!
Jonathon Bryce
being a performer that works for one of the most famous magicians in the world and performing in my own show, albeit not a magic show...I have found that people will believe what they want to believe. As a world record holding escape artist, I've learned to just give them the lock to examine...wether it is gaffed or not. They will make their own mind up if it is legit or not, no amount of "proving" on my part will change their mind. The illusion show that I work on is great because the star invites people backstage sometimes and they, after seeing how it is all done, still don't believe that that is how we did it. Basically, I believe that the harder you push to convince someone of something, the greater the resistance. Just let them believe what they want to believe...if you did your job right, they will legendize you!
Jonathon Bryce
That's true. You know I do recall you saying that you use light orbs in your seances. Which I find odd because those usually aren't seen until people review the pictures or video footage. Tho you should about doing something with Shadow figures.
If the people BELIEVED in your card trick.
They wouldn't be surprised, it's like if a Christian saw Jesus "Make water into wine" there would be no surprise.
If the audiences think you're going to do a trick, and you do it. It will not be as expected.
This art is NOT for you.
I didn't even know people only did this for reactions from audiecnces, sad.
You can have fun practicing, or you can have fun watching them react.
My favorite? Is the one when the person knows you, and they look at you quietly.
They say "cool."
All because they KNOW it's a trick.
They wouldn't be surprised, it's like if a Christian saw Jesus "Make water into wine" there would be no surprise.
If the audiences think you're going to do a trick, and you do it. It will not be as expected.
This art is NOT for you.
I didn't even know people only did this for reactions from audiecnces, sad.
You can have fun practicing, or you can have fun watching them react.
My favorite? Is the one when the person knows you, and they look at you quietly.
They say "cool."
All because they KNOW it's a trick.
I don't think there is anyone on this Earth (and by Earth I mean AMERICA- HELL YEAH) that legitamtely believes that anthing we do is REAL or that we have POWERS.
"Yes mam, I am a magician, I do have powers that no other human has.....now pick a card." Give me a break.
My show is to do something seemingly impossible, they know there's some trick to it, but they just can't figure it out. I talked about it before and would tak a whole essay to explain fully. But bluntly put.
My magic is real not because that's the only explanation, it's because there are no others.
"Yes mam, I am a magician, I do have powers that no other human has.....now pick a card." Give me a break.
My show is to do something seemingly impossible, they know there's some trick to it, but they just can't figure it out. I talked about it before and would tak a whole essay to explain fully. But bluntly put.
My magic is real not because that's the only explanation, it's because there are no others.
This seems like the proper thread to post this on since I think that this effect is right on the borderline of this very subject. B. Smith a little while back released an effect called "Wounded" , the DVD teaches you some stigmata effects as well as blood from the eyes. I myself want to learn this simply because I love weird macabre stuff like that, but I wonder that when I invest in the trick and perfect it if I would ever perform it; simply because there are people out there that do not only believe in stigmata but also consider anybody who is blessed with stigmata to be holy. It feels like dangerous ground for a magic trick. Any thoughts?