Elements of Magic Tricks Revealed

A magic trick is made up of more than one component. First is the element of the expectations of the audience. If they are told they will see magic, it will help them to believe that anything out of the ordinary is magic, or at least an illusion. Expectations may not be that they will see something magic; it may simply be that they expect to be entertained. Particularly in the high budget stage shows, the entertainer has a reputation which will lead to certain expectations by the audience.

If you hear on previews that the Statue of Liberty will be made to disappear, you have some expectation that at least the Statue of Liberty will seem to disappear, simply because David Copperfield has a reputation for making things disappear in full view of live audiences plus millions on television. So, you begin watching the show believing you will see a disappearance.

Next, the magician performs several preliminary feats successfully. These will be at a level above card tricks, but may rely as much on how the trick is presented as the actual trick. The secret may be in a new twist on a familiar trick, or it may be music, lighting stage sets, or even dance routines. The point is that the magician must make the material appear fresh and new in some way.

By successfully completing the lead-in tricks, the magician is building toward the climax presentation. Undoubtedly the "studio audience" in a major magic stage show such as the Statue of Liberty disappearance did not see the same things as did the television audience. We know that the Statue of Liberty did NOT disappear one day from the New York Harbor and reappear a few minutes later. However, the television audience wasn't disappointed because the illusion was there and has led to many heated discussions on blogs and in bars not about what happened, but about HOW he made it disappear.

Even though we know intellectually that something could not have occurred, we don't argue that it actually occurred, we argue about how it occurred.

So, the point is that we don't really want a magic trick revealed; we'd rather have our illusions.

On the other hand, the illusion represents a bit of a puzzle which is a challenge to the brain. It's fun to try to determine how a trick might have been constructed. This also represents a challenge to a magician who is tasked with either finding new ways to do old tricks, or developing truly new routines. Many of the magic shop kits and items seem like cheating in a way. Coins with trap doors, invisible breaks in seemingly solid rings or hoops seem as if it's no longer illusion. If you learn on the internet you can purchase a coin which has a trap door so that a cigarette can be passed "through" the coin; you will forever after be suspicious of any similar tricks.

It would seem that this is a lazy magician's tool. Once you've learned how the classic levitation sequence is done, you will be spoiled for the illusion, and will be looking for the props. If the routine is done using a unique approach, you may still be able to enjoy, even knowing how it's done, because you recognize the performance as entertainment rather than magic.

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