Misdirection
- Thread starter Ghost89
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i'll answer your first question with another question. Shouldn't magicians have to use misdirection practically always?
And the second question... I use it when the trick requires it, of course.
I would say very few of my effects require me to misdirect the spectators attention while I do anything dirty. Most of my effects are done right in front of them and I normally like to try and end clean.
I love effects with hard core misdirection. I'd love to learn a watch steal or a coin on shoulder or under watch routine. Effects like that are absolute eye candy.
Personally I do card to mouth, and my version of triumph requires a little bit of dirty work that I do while the spectator chooses their card. I wish I knew more.
Personally I do card to mouth, and my version of triumph requires a little bit of dirty work that I do while the spectator chooses their card. I wish I knew more.
Believe it or not Mac King blatantly asked for my friends watch up on stage while standing right next to him. My friend handed it to him while his hands were behind his back and the audience didn't even see it. 20 minutes later Mac reveals it as if he stole it.
Performers will do all kinds of crazy bold things like that as well.
I would say my card to mouth is pretty bold and as I learned it from my mentor 2 years ago....I never thought it would work until I started destroying people with it and it flies right by them.
Performers will do all kinds of crazy bold things like that as well.
I would say my card to mouth is pretty bold and as I learned it from my mentor 2 years ago....I never thought it would work until I started destroying people with it and it flies right by them.
I think the key to good misdirection is justification. You need to have a reason to direct the spectator's attention away from the dirty work. Think the final load in cups and balls. The audience is directed at the what is under the cups as you do the load. For card to mouth, the audience is directed to the spectator pushing the card in the deck. Another great effect is Doc Eason's Card Under Glass.
This is how some of the best pick-pocket acts in magic lore, gained their reputation; Harry Blackstone used it throughout his career as have dozens of others.
"Misdirection" is frequently misunderstood as something bold. In Mentalism however, we rely on the subtle and psychological aspects of this "art" and to some degree, this is how most magicians incorporate it, without even realizing that's what they do --- look at all the false cuts & shuffles out there and the various coin moves; they all rely on a subtle version of misdirection vs. the more bold requisites found in making your loads during the Cups & Balls or stealing out the next bird in your Dove Act or, to get back to the beginning, steal a watch.
Misdirection takes place in many, many ways few of which are more than a gesture; the old pointing and saying, "Look" ain't misdirection . . . at least not how it applies to our world.
Thanks Craig. I remember reading that Harry Blackstone used to do the exact same thing.
I think it was in Hiding the Elephant if my memory serves me correctly.
I think it was in Hiding the Elephant if my memory serves me correctly.
Yeah, misdirection could be explained as the larger motion covering up the small motion as well. It exists anytime a magician does something and something else is happening. In a DL the focus is brought to the displayed card in order to hide the second card. I'd consider that a simple act of misdirection.
Probably a passing gesture and then moved onto something different right away. "Hey, can I see your watch for a second." then he moved onto a new joke or something else.
I like Craig's point of having justification for the misdirection. Card to mouth is one of my absolute favorite effects, especially when it's placed into an ACR since I tell them to look for anything fishy. I have like a day and a half to load the card, it's just too perfect.
I think another good misdirection tactic is simply looking at, addressing, and talking to someone. I've had someone's card in the middle, look up and ask "Now you won't forget it, right?" and as soon as they look up I do a pass. Talking can also provide good time misdirection, in sleights such as the criss cross force.
I think another good misdirection tactic is simply looking at, addressing, and talking to someone. I've had someone's card in the middle, look up and ask "Now you won't forget it, right?" and as soon as they look up I do a pass. Talking can also provide good time misdirection, in sleights such as the criss cross force.
Harry Jr's dad had a bit of misdirection that was priceless and latter borrowed (kindof) by Franz Harrary. . .
Mr. B would do a classic silk strand production to one side of the stage, producing a huge number of silks that got balled up between he and an assistant... when they were tossed into the air and fell to the floor a Burro would appear. The audience would gasp and applaud when a sudden boom and whoosh of smoke filled the other side of the stage. When the smoke cleared a full grown elephant was seen.
The burro and silks were the misdirection; the elephant was walked onto the stage without any sort of concealment.
I used this same concept in a short lived club act I did many years ago; The act opened with me in a high backed leather chair with me doing misc. manipulations with cigarettes, pipes, cigars and Champagne bottles ultimately leading to the girl appearing in a huge glass of champagne. . . we moved into and Asrah levi and while the audience was watching her float into the air, etc. the real assistant walks out in a very flashy white dress, lights a cigarette as she sits in the chair, turning it away form the audience to face the back curtain. . . no one ever saw her do this because of the Asrah.
These are extreme examples of stage-craft misdirection but they each show just how powerful the ploy can be.
Nice....great examples Craig.
I was not there when Mac asked my friend for his watch but he (my friend) said that Mac whispered it to him right up on stage while doing another effect and acting completely normal. A lot of performers will whisper cues to the spectators up on stage to get them to do certain things.
I was not there when Mac asked my friend for his watch but he (my friend) said that Mac whispered it to him right up on stage while doing another effect and acting completely normal. A lot of performers will whisper cues to the spectators up on stage to get them to do certain things.
reminds me of this.
[video=youtube;Ahg6qcgoay4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4[/video]
EXACTLY!
I love that kind of challenge, there's a bunch of them on line and they are used frequently in Psych as well as classes for law enforcement.
I love that kind of challenge, there's a bunch of them on line and they are used frequently in Psych as well as classes for law enforcement.
Here is the thing. If you were just shown that video without being told to count the number of passes, would it be as effective?
If what you SAY engages the audience's minds your misdirection will be much more effective. Good patter has the audience drawing connections between what you are doing and what you are saying RATHER than trying to catch you doing something sneaky.
If what you SAY engages the audience's minds your misdirection will be much more effective. Good patter has the audience drawing connections between what you are doing and what you are saying RATHER than trying to catch you doing something sneaky.
I believe I'd mentioned the value of patter/scripting and how it tends to be the more important not to mention the most used mode of misdirection going. Kenton Knepper has a select handful of books covering this very issue that everyone who is serious about performing, needs to study and work from; Mystery by Association and Secrets of Indirection being two of my favorites even though WonderWords is something EVERY magickle entertainer needs to spend time with. So few of us put time into learning the theatrical side of this craft; script writing, blocking, proper character development, etc. and yet, we have the audacity to claim that we are "but actors playing a part"... how can you be an "Actor" when you have no such training?
Important things to think about.