Technology in today’s magic

[buffalome90210]

In the olden days, magic shop proprietors were very persnickety about what tricks they would reveal to what patron. First and foremost their concern of protecting the art of magic trumped their need for profit.

A customer off the street would generally not have access to ‘high end magic’, they were relegated to the typical dime store gimmicks.

The High End magic was made available only if the proprietor was acquainted with you via the magic community.

Today with the advent of the internet things have changed.

I am very concerned with the use and especially the ‘over use’ of technology in today’s magic arena. I myself have used and still use on occasion some technological gimmicks within my routines from time to time. As of late the market appears to be increasingly inundated with high priced, highly sophisticated electronic gimmicks. This is especially true with the use of cell phones in some gimmicks.

All magicians seek the ultimate routines which create the aura and demonstrate the illusion of ‘real magic’, veritable impossibilities which teeter on mystical powers from beyond.. These new emerging technologies are very attractive to magicians especially to new comers. These devices and gimmicks often require little or no skill.

The problem is that the John Q public will catch on quickly. The public is becoming wise to available technology through everyday household innovations such as Bluetooth, alerts on phone, thumpers, live visual feeds, auditory ease dropping devices, video doorbells, automatic car starts, alexa, etc.

The continued use and over use of such technology within the magic community will cause the public to simply attribute most magic performances to some technological gimmick.

For example, we have long used gaff coin and cards, yet the public was mostly not aware that we had such equipment. Today everyone anticipates and theorizes about how everyday technology can make the magical miracles happen.

The magic becomes less magical and more of a simple curiosity of technology.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Magic has been around for centuries and this argument has been around for nearly as long.

Pretty sure I've probably said it, too.

What it comes down is this, though: The problem isn't technology, it's poor performances and presentations that don't engage the audience.

Gimmicks have been exposed over and over, and a good presentation and engaging performer will always negate that. Example: We all know how linking rings work, I'm sure. But I've had the pleasure of seeing a few linking ring performances that were so smooth and beautiful that I was convinced they had to be those super expensive [nature of gimmick censored by Moderator] rings, when in reality they were standard rings. It was just excellent choreography and presentation.

It's not the method, it's the performance.

Now, to expand on that - what you're commenting on isn't the result of technological methods but the fact that the vast majority of magicians are casual hobbyists who perform for the same groups of people over and over. As the saying goes, amateurs perform different tricks for the same people, and professionals perform the same tricks for different people.

Performing the same material for a variety of audiences allows one to hone and refine the presentation and perfect it as much as possible, whereas having to perform new tricks to the same people (who could be getting quite tired of seeing magic, honestly) doesn't allow for that.

But, the entire magic industry is focused on those casual hobbyists. Professional performers don't spend enough to support it any more. And, to be clear, there's nothing wrong with being a casual performer. Millions of people have been entertained by casual magicians and that's cool if that's your thing.

The real 'secret' of magic is that the method barely matters. The presentation and engagement is where magic actually happens.

 

[RealityOne]

Gimmicks have been exposed over and over, and a good presentation and engaging performer will always negate that. Example: We all know how linking rings work, I'm sure. But I've had the pleasure of seeing a few linking ring performances that were so smooth and beautiful that I was convinced they had to be those super expensive [nature of gimmick censored by Moderator] rings, when in reality they were standard rings. It was just excellent choreography and presentation.

I did a performance where someone came up to me and said, "I had a set of those when I was a kid, but they had a big gap between the rings."

But, the entire magic industry is focused on those casual hobbyists

Ah yes, the never-ending chase for the next amazing thing (which will have to be better than the last amazing thing). I find myself less and less interested or, at least, more and more choosy about purchases of gimmicks and effects. The stuff I perform, I go to great lengths to make it look different than effects you see anywhere on line. There is nothing that looks like electronics or technology in my show (except maybe my Walkman that I listen to psych myself up). Most of the methods are very old school too.

The real 'secret' of magic is that the method barely matters. The presentation and engagement is where magic actually happens.

I forget who said it, but "magic happens between the ears, not in the hands." @WitchDocIsIn and I actually have amazed and entertained a crowd with miracles using the most basic sleight of hand and the most basic props (well, @WitchDocIsIn can do it without any props, but that is another level there).