Profanity and Magic: The appropriate use of language when performing
Many magicians, will tell you that swearing when performing magic is completely unprofessional. However, if you watch some of the videos we produce for Magic Secrets, you may notice that, the language used can be of an adult nature and on occasion contains profanity. Does this mean that we think its acceptable to swear when performing magic?
Our society has branded particular words as being profane. The use of these words is acceptable by some and not by others. Because some people can be offended by hearing the use of these words, avoiding using them altogether is a sure way of avoiding offending your audience. Today though, many societies have evolved to the state that people use many of these words in their everyday lives. Many people have grown somewhat accustomed to hearing words that in the past would have been considered taboo. As such, rarely in today’s society does swearing on its own cause serious offense.
That being said, the appropriate use of profanity is very situational and if you do swear during performance, you have to be sure that you are not going to offend your audience by doing so. Sometimes the use of particular words can enhance a performance. For example, spectators love the ‘magician in trouble’ premise. A worried look followed by an expletive can convey to the spectators that you really in trouble and may even add to the humour of the situation depending on how you present it.
Whilst it may be acceptable to swear in front of people you know well or in casual performances down the pub, there are some situations (such as performing for children) where you would never swear at all – without exception. You have to be mature about your language use and use your initiative when deciding on the words you are using.
If you are in any doubt about causing offense, simply avoid the use of profanity altogether.
Why I use Plastic Playing Cards
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In this Magic Secrets video I explain why I use Copag playing cards as my weapon of choice for performing magic tricks. Plastic cards wont suit every magician, but in some cases they do offer some advantages over paper ones.
Magic Secrets: The history of Card Tricks
Everyone loves a good card trick. Who hasn’t heard the line “Pick a card, any card”. The first mentions of card tricks in history dates back to the 13th century and at present they are the most commonly practiced form of magic tricks in the world.
The art of card tricks however has a much shorter history than most other genres of magic. The first major milestone in card magic literature was published in 1902 by an author who published his book under the false name “S W Erdnase”. This book was called The Expert At The Card Table. This book detailed many sleight of hand card techniques used by crooked gamblers however it was from the principles and techiques taught in this book that modern day card tricks evolved from.
After Erdnase came the godfather of card magic, Dai Vernon. He was known affectionately as “The Professor” by his peers and is arguably the most influential character in the history of card tricks. As a young man he famously fooled a magician who had previously boasted that he could not be fooled. That man was none other than famous escapologist and magician Harry Houdini.
Vernon originated some of some of the most popular plots in card magic and many of his magic books are still in print today. Vernon is credited with mentoring many of the creative card magicians who would continue his legacy long after his death.
One notable contemporary of Vernon was Ed Marlo. It is unlikely that you will be involved in the world of card magic tricks for long before you’ll hear his name. This remarkable man published more than 2000 tricks, sleights and techniques. His book “Revolutionary Card Magic” is something of an encyclopaedia of his work, and is essential reading for the serious card magic student.
Today, most magicians use the DVD is the chosen medium to release their work. New books being published on card tricks are few and far between. Unlike conventional magic shops, Road 2 Magic’s chosen medium is in digial download format. This has the benefits of allowing customers much faster access to the effects they want. If you truly want to learn the art of card magic – you have came to the right place.
Magic Secrets: Basic Jumping Rubber Band Trick
Put a rubber band around the base of your index and middle fingers of your left hand. Take a second rubber band and put it around the tips of your left hand, starting with your index finger, and twisting once between each finger. Next, fold your hand into a fist, inserting the tips of the fingers (as in the basic jumping Rubber Band) into the band which is to jump. Straighten out your fingers, and the band will jump.
Magic Secrets: Alan Rorrison – Smoke – Schmoke
Due to a complete sell out of stock, this Magic Secrets featured product is no longer available. You will have to contact Alan himself to find out if another run of this effect is to be produced. Visit AlanRorrison.com for contact details.
Smoke By Alan Rorrison
(Previously titled Shmoke)
Highly recommended by Magic Secrets .info
Have you ever wanted to Produce a mouth full of smoke at any time during an act/effect?
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Alan Rorrison has created a new gimmick that allows you to produce a puff of smoke from your mouth at any time. Using atomiser technology, the simulated smoke that is produced is 100% safe. No harmfull substances and no out of place objects to carry. This unit looks like something you already carry and the loading process is so natural that even magicians won’t notice it!
Magic Secrets.info highly recommends this item. Smoke can be produced to enhance almost any effect. For example, you can use it to make the face of a card, signature or coin vanish into a puff of smoke at any point that you desire. Or make objects appear or change with the added smoke.
In the package you get a DVD explaining 5 full effects and many bonus ideas to get your creative juices flowing, along with your Shmoke gimmick, 5 refills (over 1,000 performances) and a USB charging unit that will work with any PC or MAC this way you do not need to worry about having the correct power adaptor for your country.
Click here to visit Alan Rorrison.com for more information
“Alan has made smoking cool again, without the disadvantage of cancer” -Liam Montier (Pro magician)
“Alan just showd me this and I must admit, this is Shmoooking! Every part of this effect has been thought out to the T. There’s no “Butts” about it, this is an awesom effect that will add class and wonder to any trick! I don’t condone smoking kids but this is 100% safe and it is a must!”- Jamie Daws (Pro magician)
Magic Secrets: Revealing Magic Tricks
Many magicians will say you that you should never reveal how a trick is performed.
In the past, anyone who revealed magic tricks was shunned by the magic community. It is unfair to magicians to spoil their performances by revealing how they do their magic. However, in recent years, television programmes and countless people on video sharing websites have exposed magic to such an extent that keeping the secret of a trick may seem a bit pointless. If someone wishes to find out how a magic trick is done, chances are they will be able to able to find it if they look hard enough for it.
Revealing Magic On TV
In 1997, Val Valentino shook up the magic world by debuting a TV programme that exposed how many magic tricks were done. The TV ratings for the series was huge but the tone of the series was very negative. People watching the program would come away with the opinion that magicians were nothing more than crooks out to deceive people and would think less of the art of magic in general.
On the opposite side of the scale, magicians Penn and Teller also made a reputation from exposing their tricks, however they did so in a very different way. Many routines they developed were created specifically for the purpose of being exposed. They would often perform a trick and get an applause from the audience then show an exposed view of the same trick and perform it again to achieve a second round of applause. Instead of portraying magic as the art of deception, they made the audience appreciate the skill, thought and effort that it took to perform it. The audience would come away not feeling deceived but they would appreciate the skill and thinking behind the methods.
Many people have become magicians after watching magicians on TV, went looking to discover the secrets themselves and developed a keen interest in the subject from there. So is exposure wrong? Well, it depends entirely on the context that it is done. You have to expose magic in order to teach magic. Without teaching magic, the art would die out. At the opposite end of the scale, if the audience is aware of how a trick is performed, they will not be interested in the magic aspect of the performance.
Give people a mystery, not a useless piece of knowledge
The general consensus among magicians these days is that it is okay to teach magic to someone who wishes to perform but exposing magic for the sake of doing so is not. Revealing how a trick is done can take the fun out of magic. People enjoy having a mystery. People love to be fooled. When you reveal how a trick is done to someone, they gain a piece of useless knowledge but they lose something a lot more valuable. They lose a mystery.
Magic Secrets: Balducci Levitation
The Balducci Levitation
Effect: The magician appears to rise a few inches off the ground.
The Magic Secrets: In order to achieve this effect you need to position your audience about 8 to 10 feet away at a 45 degree angle .You need to keep your audience small so they are within this field of sight. This trick is very angle sensitive so it is essential that you get your angles right when performing this so not to expose the magic secret. It is wise to practice this trick before performing it for your friends.
Whilst this trick looks fantastic, the method is really simple. The magic secrets with this one is that you are simply standing on one food. This looks fantastic as the foot on your tip toe is hidden by your trousers, the nearest foot and the angle they are watching at. You only rise a few inches off the ground but the impression is fantastic. This trick is all in the presentation with you appearing to rise slowly, wait for a second or two and then return to the ground quickly so as the audience do not have time to figure the trick out.
The picture shows the beginning on the left and the climax of the trick on the right .
David Blaine Version: David Blaine used various camera shots in his TV special with the audience reaction being filmed close up and linked to other clips of him in mid air with some of the angles showing the Balducci levitation .
The view that shows him rise a good few inches in the air and does not show the audience, would possibly have been done with a bar attached to a pivot like a seesaw.
The end of the pivot could have had a hook which clipped onto a harness attached to his belt and a member of the crew would have pushed down on the other side of the bar lifting David up in the air. The camera angle would have hidden the props.
This film would have been mixed in with the audience clips in the studios later.
Magic Tips: You can improve this effect even further by bending your knees as you pretend to land. This gives the impression that you floated higher than you actually did!
Magic Secrets: The Card Matrix
The Effect:
12 cards are laid on the table. The magician instructs the spectator to place his finger on one card and talks the spectator through making secret random moves. After a few moves the magician stops and is able to predict exactly what card the spectator has landed on.
The Magic Secrets
Set up the cards as follows: 12 cards are placed face up on the table in the same pattern you see in the diagram below here. You can use any red or black cards.
You give the spectator the following instructions.
- Secretly pick any BLACK card..
- Move UP or DOWN to the nearest RED card.
- move LEFT or RIGHT to the nearest BLACK card.
- move DIAGONALLY To the Nearest RED card.
- move UP or DOWN to the nearest BLACK card.
If the spectator has followed your instructions correctly, they will always end up on the middle card of the bottom row.
Magic Tips: You can experiment with how to reveal the ending here. You could ask the spectator to think of the card that they have landed on and pretend to read their mind. You could also have a pre-written prediction in a sealed envelope. You could have something written on the back of the chosen card saying “You will choose me”. Be inventive with your revelation to make this trick more interesting and original!
Magic Secrets: Linking paper clips
Fold a bill into thirds, ensuring that when folded there is a fold on the left first, and then a fold on the right. Take two paperclips and place one around the first and second folds, then place the other clip around the second and third folds. If you pull the upper corners away from you reasonably quickly, the paper clips will link and drop to the floor.
Magic Secrets: What is an illusionist?
Entertainers such as The Pendragons, David Copperfield, Sigfried & Roy, Jeff McBride, Lance Burton and The Gamesters are among the magicians who can clearly be classified as illusionists. Due to the requirement of expensive props, the hiring of trained assistants and other reasons, this branch of magic generally requires more money to put together than a typical close up magic act.