The Skill of The MagicianThe Skill of The Magician
August 11, 2022 0 Comments 12:00 amIn the world of theatrical magic,misdirection can be described as an art of deceit in which the performer attracts attention of the audience to a certain item to distract them from another. The ability to control attention from the audience is the goal of every theatre,and is the primary need of any magic act. If the magic is of an “pocket trick” variety or a large stage production,misdirection is the central secret. The term is used to describe either the effect (the the focus of the observer on an object that is not important) or the sleight-of-hand or the patter (the magician’s speech) that creates it.
It is difficult to say who first coined the term,but an early reference to misdirection appears in the writings of a renowned author and illusionist named Nevil Maskelyne: Admittedly,it is a method of distracting the senses of the audience to hide from noticing certain aspects that require secrecy. At the same time,magician,artist and author Harlan Tarbell noted,Nearly the whole art of sleight-of-hand depends on the art of misdirection.
Many magicians who have studied and refined misdirection techniques includes Malini,Tommy Wonder,Derren Brown,Juan Tamariz,Tony Slydini,along with Dynamo.
Henry Hay describes the chief act of conjuring as a manipulation of interest.
Magicians misdirect audience attention in two primary ways. One causes the audience to look away for a fleeting moment,so that they don’t detect some act or gesture. The other approach re-frames the perception of the audience,lulling them to believe that an extraneous factor is a significant factor in the success of the trick but it actually has no bearing on the effect at all. Fitzkee says that the real talent of the magician is in the skill of his performance in changing the mind of the audience. Additionally,sometimes a prop like a magic wand aids in the misdirection.
misdirection,even the most proficient sleight of hand or mechanical device is not likely to produce an illusion of real magic. Without question,misdirection is the bedrock of nearly all successful magic.
Misdirection exploits the limitations of human brains to give the wrong picture and memory. The brain of a typical audience member can only concentrate on one thing at the time. The magician utilizes this to influence the perceptions or ideas of the audience of sensory input which leads them to incorrect conclusion.
Some magicians have debated the meaning of the term,misdirection,creating many discussions regarding what it is and how it works.
The accomplished magician Jon Finch made a distinction in misdirection from direction. One being a negative term as opposed to the other,positive. Ultimately,he equates both as one thing. If a performer,through any means,has led the thoughts of his audience to conclude that he did something that he’s not accomplished,he has incorrectly directed them into this belief and,consequently,misdirection.
Tommy Wonder has pointed out that it is much more efficient,from a magician’s viewpoint,to concentrate on the purpose of directing attention to the audience. He states that misdirection is wrong direction. It implies that attention is diverted from something. Through constant use of this phrase,it eventually becomes so ingrained in our minds that we may begin to think that misdirection is directing the attention away from instead of towards something. Tony Slydini explained that if a magician believes it,the audience will believe it,and magic is something they don’t observe. It is true that people believe what the magician does and follow the magician. read more