Why do we do what we do?

[Habanero]

Why do we do what we do?

Why do we have someone pick a card and then prove that we can find it? Why do we make a cell phone go inside a balloon? Why would we read other peoples minds?*

The reason i think magic should be shown to other people is because it will teach them a valuable lesson or show them a real life experience that will relate to them. I dont think magic should just be about showing off 'tricks' to impress the audience.*

I went and saw David Copperfield's "An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion" not that long ago. I have to say that it was one of the best experiences ever. David really connected well with the audience, but it was because he was telling us of his childhood and his life, and how he was expressing those magical moments through magic. For example, he told us how his grandfather and him were really close together, and that his grandfather had this car that was his most valuable posession. He went on to say some of the things they used to do together..... and in the end he made that car appear onstage. After that, he did a mentalism routine that he would "dedicate to my grandfather." Three audience members were chosen at random and they each said any two digit numbers. David then had a box lowered from the top of the theater that had been in full view the entire time. An old license plate was shown, from his grandfathers car, and on it had the numbers named out from the audience members. So basically, through his presentation and how that presentation connected with the audience was he able to make his magic have meaning.

And then about magic teaching a valuable lesson.... Greed by Daniel Garcia comes to mind. That effect can be structured to teach people
what happens when one gets greedy, and how greed is a bad thing. The lesson being that you have to go with what you have and make the most out of it.

Most of you will say that we do what we do just to entertain... well thats true. We are entertaining, but can we leave our audience with a lifelong memory of the miracle they just witnessed and how they connected with it? Or will they just remember a guy showing off a couple of tricks? **

 

[Aaron.Williams]

Magic is a performance art. You don't always have to teach a lesson or remind someone of past experiences. When you watch dancing or singing there is still a connection with the performer and the audience. They don't have to teach a lesson. It's fun to watch, it's fun to do and it amazes people.

 

[blakehensley]

I do magic on a daily basis.

There are a couple reasons i perform.

1. I love it. Enough said. 2. I love to entertain people. Now, i also do magic because it shows people that truly anything is possible.... We know that we cannot put the 2 of hearts into the middle of the deck and it actually appears back on top of the deck... We know we must execute the Double Lift. (thats not exposure, is it? seeing everyone here knows what a double lift is...)

But in the spectators minds, it truly is magic. And yes you will get some people, i know we have allllll had them. That try to ruin the effect, but your going to meet more of those people. Just keep doing what you love.

-blake.

 

[Habanero]

I do magic on a daily basis.

There are a couple reasons i perform.

1. I love it. Enough said. 2. I love to entertain people. Now, i also do magic because it shows people that truly anything is possible.... We know that we cannot put the 2 of hearts into the middle of the deck and it actually appears back on top of the deck... We know we must execute the Double Lift. (thats not exposure, is it? seeing everyone here knows what a double lift is...)

But in the spectators minds, it truly is magic. And yes you will get some people, i know we have allllll had them. That try to ruin the effect, but your going to meet more of those people. Just keep doing what you love.

-blake.

"You never understood, why we did this. The audience knows the truth: the world is simple. It's miserable, solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for a second, then you can make them wonder, and then you... then you got to see something really special... you really don't know?... it was... it was the look on their faces...*" - from The Prestige

 

[worldwideme]

giving performances Meaning.... almost half of strong magic by Darwin Ortiz look it up

 

[descartes]

The reason i think magic should be shown to other people is because it will teach them a valuable lesson or show them a real life experience that will relate to them. I dont think magic should just be about showing off 'tricks' to impress the audience.*

Why does it have to be some great moral lesson? I don't understand the need to make a morality play out magic. If it works for you, go ahead with it, but I think few people can do this without coming across as somber and preachy.

And then about magic teaching a valuable lesson.... Greed by Daniel Garcia comes to mind. That effect can be structured to teach people what happens when one gets greedy, and how greed is a bad thing. The lesson being that you have to go with what you have and make the most out of it.

I don't have a problem with a performance pointing to something beyond itself. I like metaphors and I like a good narrative that serves as a framework for the magical effects. What I don't understand is why you are particularly focused on some nebulous valuable lesson.

Take the example of Dai vernon's cutting to the aces. If you look at the trick with his patter, it has a nice premise, a nice presentational hook and it is a good effect overall. Does it have a valuable lesson? Not as it was originally written up. Does it need one? i don't think so. This is an effect that does more than merely amuse the spectator without getting preachy about the "evils" of gambling or similar things.

 

[Tynman]

Depending on your setting I think would really depend if you want to portray a moral lesson along with you performance. It flies sometimes in stage magic and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes people just want to be entertained. The same can be said for close-up. But when you're performing you always want to have the right presentation to create that memorable moment for your audience. And to have the right subtleties to blow up their mental bridge of what happened (Endure lecture notes by Justin Miller)

 

[Dylan P.]

Magis is so much more than just entertaining crowds and people. I mean sure people are entertained and have fun in the process, but that's really just a bonus to what really happens.

I was very intrigued when you brought up "Greed". It is very true that an effect or its patter could be altered in order to better portray a certain theme, message, or moral. As a matter of fact I've seen people do that very thing before. I mean, just look at David Stone's "Quit Smoking" routine. That trick can easily be conveyed to people in an anti-smoking manor, no problem. But what if you take a deeper look and realize that you don't even need to alter your effects or do anything to make it more than just entertaining people. Every time you do a magic trick you are doing so much more than just allowing people to have a good time, you are also letting them tap back into their imagination, which is the best thing you could do for anybody.

It seems that as you get older you seem to dream less. Well, of course you don't actually have less dreams, but you ae able to recall less. When you are young you can't really distinguish between what's possible and what's not. But as you get older and you learn about science and the reality of everything, your imagination seems to diminish because you realize that flying, or magic, or fairies, or hogwart's and Harry Potter aren't real. It's almost like some sort of imagination blocking filter was placed in your mind against your will, and it slowly takes away from your imagination.

When you do magic for somebody, mainly speaking about adults, you essentially allow them to tap back into their now lost imagination, and for one breif second they can rethink their reality. However you have to play the trick up in an appropriate manner. You can't do a routine demonstrating how gambler's cheat when playing cards, and tell the spectators that you are using moves in order to create the effect. Instead, you would want to play it up bigger by convincing the audiance you really are doing the impossible, or conjuring magic. Once the audiance believes it and is convinced within their mind, your trick will leave a lasting impression on that person and make them feel good. Because in that breif moment where cards are changing, balls are multplying, and birds are appearing, the spectator starts to immerse themselve's back into their imagination. You take the line they have drawn between reality and impossibility and temporarily erase that line, making their thoughts and feelings rush out. You make their mind run wild for few minutes and once again they become enthralled with the world like they were as a child. And even once you're done and they again focus on their reality they are left with a happy feeling that can follow them throughout the day.

By doing this you can do so much more for a person than just entertain them. You let them remember what it was to be a child and be able to imagine. And for a while after you show them that trick, they get a good feeling. A feeling of happiness, wonder, excitement, and confusion.

The feeling of Astonishment...

Dylan P.

 

[OttoZhen]

but can we leave our audience with a lifelong memory of the miracle they just witnessed and how they connected with it? **

Yes we can.

 

[AsherF]

To me, Magic doesn't always have to make sense, much like a painting doesn't have to make sense. It's about the moment. The moment doesn't always need a thick Godfather like plot to be amazing. What I shoot for is an image. Much like looking through a gallary of optical illusions. Do they makes sense? More often than not, they don't have a point. It gives your audience something to wonder about. To puzzle them. Sometimes it's to give them an interesting idea to think about, even if it's false. To inspire. You don't need to have a reason for the cards to transpose. Can it not simply be an odd curious moment to ponder? If the cards can transpose like that? Can people? Can ships? Can this new technology be used in the military? Just because you're only using cards doesn't mean these thoughts and ideas aren't being created in your spectators heads. I know they did for me when I first started. There was a story about the Navy creating a technology for teleporting a ship from one location to another invisibly in a matter of seconds. Urban legend, but, it makes you think. I hate when people say you need patter, you need to make sense. Sometimes, the only sense that needs to come out of it, is that it's beautiful. I've thrown many effects out of my repertoire because they went on too long. had too much plot development, where it becomes more of a demonstration than an image. Yes, it made sense, but it wasn't what I wanted to give. Let magic mean something to your audience. It will become universal when they develop their own interpretation sometimes. Like music. or Film. Or Poetry. Or paintings and sculpture.

 

[Mr.MadMan]

You know every time i walk on stage i ask this very question.
And there does not have to be a solid answer to this. And there isn't. We do it because we love it.

The same question goes for football. Why do 24 grown men run around a grass field and chase a ball. Or why do writers stay up endless nights to write up another love story.

Mostly because it brings pleasure and greatness to their lives. They can do what THEY want not what society wants. Or more yet, they are doing it for their own self pleasure. Why do i go on stage knowingly beating myself every time backstage. I tend to think suicidal thoughts because my nerves are so tight i can't feel the ground below me.

I just love the gosh darn feeling of applause of gratitude, the pleasure of people saying, "that was good". Accomplishment is what i am after, if something fails i hit my hand against the wall and perfect it. If it turns out good just once i will be happy for the rest of my life.

Thats why i do it, my ego just gets a superboost and i feel like i have done something that other people like.

I love it, and thats what counts.

M.

 

[KeoSilver]

I just want to point out that a magic trick doesn't need a moral lesson behind it ie magic doesn't have to be a morality play. I know no one explicitly said that, but someone interpreted words to mean that. However, magic does have to make logical sense to the observers.

To me, Magic doesn't always have to make sense, much like a painting doesn't have to make sense.

Humans have to make sense of everything around them. We are constantly using logic to explain illogical happenings. Even when something abstract like modern art is viewed, people make sense of it and give it their own meanings.

Take a look this painting and make sense of it. Okay, cool I got the solar system from that picture, what did you get? Bet it is something different. But I am sure you got something from it. Now if this painting was to be translated into a magic trick, it wouldn't be a very good trick even though this painting is a work of art. Why? Because it gives people to many different options onto how the trick could have been accomplished, just like this painting can be interpreted in many different ways. Make your magic look as simple as possible.

Need to do a pick a card trick? Try to modify it and use a peek and break method. Have to control that card to the top? Use as little unnecessary movements as possible, like a pass or one card shift. In doing this you are creating an image that is crisper and easier for the larger masses to come to a common conclusion. The card was looked at and somehow ended up on top. With out all the extra movements, the abstractness. That normally would allow your spectators an opportunity to draw their own conclusion, whether it be fiction based or reality, on the method, more correct a method.

I hate when people say you need patter, you need to make sense. Sometimes, the only sense that needs to come out of it, is that it's beautiful.

That is a touchie one, but it is your opinion. Personally, I feel that yes magic needs some sort of patter or guidance to make any sense. That is one reason why I hate the terrible magic music videos. You know, the ones showcasing music and a kind of sort of in sync trick. Leave the music videos to the professionals.

I've thrown many effects out of my repertoire because they went on too long. had too much plot development, where it becomes more of a demonstration than an image.

Depending on your situation, longer is better, and simplest is king. A long trick that involves a lot of build up that hits incredibly hard is something like a seance. Or maybe these effects that had build up either a) needed to be trimmed of extra story telling, or B) wasn't practiced enough.



Silver


PS


If anyone is interested in seeing a movie, go see INCEPTION!

 

[Justin.Morris]

I think that this is what separates neat magic from great magic. If there is purpose and meaning to what you do and why you do it, and the audience believes that or buys into it, it will impact them more. And the deeper that meaning is for the audience, it will become even more incredible for them.

Or you can just do tricks. People will say "wow, neat!" or "That was really cool!". But will they remember you in 20 years? Not very likely. I've seen a lot of different street performers. There are very few that I remember well. Those that I do, had an impact because of the meaning in their act, and I connected with the performance..

Good magic versus great magic.

Easier said than done.

 

[blakehensley]

"You never understood, why we did this. The audience knows the truth: the world is simple. It's miserable, solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for a second, then you can make them wonder, and then you... then you got to see something really special... you really don't know?... it was... it was the look on their faces...*" - from The Prestige

Yes this is exactly what i mean.

 

[AsherF]

I agree that it should make sense. But I don't always feel that it is the artist's job to make sense of it. I was listening to an interview with the lead singer of Train talking about Drops of Jupiter. He went into the meaning of the song and why he wrote it, which was completely different than my interpretation, yet both had a significant meaning. He told his story, yet I saw it my way. If you look at an abstract painting, someone might see clouds, another might see and crowd of people, another might see a train, or a bird, or even a volcano. The point is, it doesn't have to be your job to structure how the audience sees it. Sometimes a story works. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes silence tells it's own story, while other times, you need some patter to even make the trick work at all. One really needs to look at the effect they have at hand and decide how they want to present it. Or how it should be presented. I remember a video from a member here. A pretty popular video. Lorenzo Paletti I believe. Sorry if I spelled the name wrong. The one with the smoke and the glasses. If there were any patter in that effect at all. It would decrease the power of the effect tremendously. He told a powerful story without saying one word.

I'm not denying that long is good. I was just speaking of a few effects that went on tooo long and even I got bored by the end of it.

 

[KeoSilver]

I agree that it should make sense. But I don't always feel that it is the artist's job to make sense of it. I was listening to an interview with the lead singer of Train talking about Drops of Jupiter. He went into the meaning of the song and why he wrote it, which was completely different than my interpretation, yet both had a significant meaning.

Right and I may have not properly communicated what my point was. The fact that you and her and possibly many more of you all came up with different significant interpretations of the same song piece. That is a good thing in art (painting, sculpting, music, etc.) But not necessarily a good thing for magic.

You do not want to have audience to look at your effect like they do abstract art. You do not want them to speculate on METHODs that could lead to the trick being well not magic, but a puzzle.


But to move back onto how to make a magic effect have meaning without a story. Sure you can do something and not tell your audience what to take away from it. But maybe they will take away that you are nothing but a coyote trickster as appose to a magician. There needs to be some guidance given to influence the participants to stay away from that area and take away something much more that will last in there minds a heck of a lot longer. That is all I meant by that long tangenty post I made hehe.

 

[AsherF]

I disagree though. Just because they look at it like an abstract painting does not mean that they are speculating the method. I think it's okay to puzzle the spectators mind. Not in a "how is this done" way, but in a way similar to an opticle illusion. Where there is no answer. Yes, I agree that it's a scary line and risk to take when you leave it up to the spectator to interpret. On one hand it could work to your advantage. on the other, like you said, it could lead to them figuring it out. That's why you must truly know what you want out of your effect and how to present it.

 

[RikAllen]

This is something I've read a lot about, but never figured out.

Why do we do magic?

A lot of people say to entertain. Great, but why magic? Jugglers, actors, singers, and small children can all entertain you, so why choose magic?

I don't know, I just know I enjoy every minute of it. I'll have to agree with Mr. Madman, it's very self-gratifying. It's for my ego. I think I'd add one thing to everything he said though.

I do enjoy the praise from others, but I also enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when I finally get a move down or when I finalize a routine or trick that'd been bugging me for months.

I like entertaining people, whether it's through story, magic, or through some other medium-magic seems to have that extra something to keep me hooked. The knowledge that, with enough patience and thought, I can do anything...and then let others experience that impossibility, in a moment I created, that's why I think we keep doing this.