Questions to ponder

[010rusty]

Marketing.

quite possibly the most true thing said in the history of these forums

 

[010rusty]

I'll most likely turn this into a thread itself, but here:

Is it possible that there is an amazing magic book, like an autographed copy of the entire Tarbell course, in your local thrift store? This also goes for Magic DVDs. When you walk in a thrift store do you ever check the book section for magic? Who knows you might leave with something special.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

When you walk in a thrift store do you ever check the book section for magic? Who knows you might leave with something special.

Yes, every time.

 

[Josh Burch]

Are levitation really that impressive? All spectators know, Magnets and strings. Do you get better reactions with Animations or levitation?

They are crazy impressive! It's an uphill climb though. Look at David Copperfield'flying. He takes more time proving than he does flying.

Was Dai Vernon approving camera effects and stooges? He states that the effect on the AUDIENCE (which is the people at home on their TVs and Computers) is the most important. If Dai was alive today would he approve of Mindfreak?

I can't imagine he'd approve of Criss Angel or camera magic. If you ask someone(a lay person) to describe a Criss Angel trick half the time they'll claim its a camera trick, a stooge, or the devil. So the effect the have in mind is, "He sets this thing up, goes and gets a stooge, then uses after effects" there's no magic there.

If the spectators know how you did it, does it really matter if they are smiling? Your goal was to entertain them. By discovering your secret, you made them happy. Even if you do not like it, but they do, is their really a problem?

I'm going to be blunt here. I can't stand this mentality. You might be entertaining them but you're not doing magic.

If this is what you are aiming for maybe you should be a clown, a juggler, a storyteller, or a comedian. Those are all good titles. Don't kid yourself and call yourself a magician.

 

[Josh Burch]

I'll most likely turn this into a thread itself, but here:

Is it possible that there is an amazing magic book, like an autographed copy of the entire Tarbell course, in your local thrift store? This also goes for Magic DVDs. When you walk in a thrift store do you ever check the book section for magic? Who knows you might leave with something special.

I do, I have found a few great books there. Klutz Book of Magic, Mark Wilson's Complete Course, Cards by Josh Jay and a couple hard to find Karl Fulves books.

 

[Josh Burch]

What makes magic different from similar performance arts? Like comedy, and acting.

The audience forced to experience the impossible.

In every other artform, unless they are being dishonest, what you are seeing you understand to be possible on some level.

 

[010rusty]

If this is what you are aiming for maybe you should be a clown, a juggler, a storyteller, or a comedian. Those are all good titles. Don't kid yourself and call yourself a magician

Solid point

 

[TCrone]

What makes magic different from similar performance arts? Like comedy, and acting.

First, the magic. Performance of magic can contain comedy and acting, and other such, but probably not singing. Copperfield danced. As to the entire "art" vs other "arts" part, not much. Does it help to add that Picasso said, "Everything you can imagine is real"?

 

[TCrone]

I have a question to ponder about actually...credit to @Antonio Diavolo for making me think about this...

Why does the term self-working even exist? What ARE self-working tricks?
I mean, all tricks require you to do SOMEthing. Now what you need to do may differ.
For some tricks you may need to count 7 cards off the deck, for some you may need to remember the third card from top, for some you may need to execute a DL, for some a force, for some a second deal.

I don't think there is any trick that's really Self-working...

So isn't the idea of self-working tricks wrongly labelling tricks which require more performance skills than sleight-of-hand-skills?

Isn't that what makes self-working tricks kinda notorious among beginners at least? They either avoid perfectly great ''self-working'' tricks thinking that they want to perform magic and not self-working stuff OR they feel since it is ''self-working'', it need not be practised.

Should they be better called, "Non-manipulative" or something describing the amount of prestidigitation required? A card trick that requires any manipulative skill is not self-working, so a DL, a force, a pass, is not ever "self working". Say I ask you to cut the cards, look at the card cut to, place it on the other pile and complete the cut. I know the original bottom card, hence the key card. Thereafter, it's all about remembering what I have to and giving instructions; plus some magic theater, etc. So, if using ones brain removes the self -working part, then there is no self-working trick. If the cards need be shuffled, is that manipulation removing self-working? To be fair and to the point, I hope, if the obtainer of a "self-working" trick doesn't understand the meaning, then there's a learning process in the making.

 

[TCrone]

Should they be better called, "Non-manipulative" or something describing the amount of prestidigitation required? A card trick that requires any manipulative skill is not self-working, so a DL, a force, a pass, is not ever "self working". Say I ask you to cut the cards, look at the card cut to, place it on the other pile and complete the cut. I know the original bottom card, hence the key card. Thereafter, it's all about remembering what I have to and giving instructions; plus some magic theater, etc. So, if using ones brain removes the self -working part, then there is no self-working trick. If the cards need be shuffled, is that manipulation removing self-working? To be fair and to the point, I hope, if the obtainer of a "self-working" trick doesn't understand the meaning, then there's a learning process in the making.