Which type of production box do you think is more deceptive, one using a mirror or one with an interior that masks a load chamber?

Once upon a time the magician would show a hat box or a tea chest or a card box or an envelope or a cardboard box empty. Then he would reach into the container and remove one or more objects that had apparently by magic materialized inside it.

The point being that those watching were familiar with the box, more than likely having a similar box at home.

At about the same time large stage illusions were becoming increasingly popular. These illusions were large cabinets used to make a living person appear, disappear, or change into an entirely different person. These cabinets initially employed first surface mirrors or interior false panels to keep the person in the box from view.

Magic dealers began turning out reduced versions of these illusion cabinets, at first imitating the generally bland look of the cabinet, then decorating their exteriors so attract the eye of the purchaser. Eventually magicians began to think of these as production boxes, ignoring the fact that they looked like what they were: trick boxes.

While the faked interior production box can appear convincingly empty for a production box, the use of a mirror to hide a portion of the interior can prove unpractical depending on the box design, ambient lighting, and quality of the mirror surface.

The majority of production boxes sold by magic dealers rely on a specially prepared box which as the advertisements say, “Can be shown empty.” In purchasing such a box, the magician must hope that empty is actually convincingly so.

There are also production boxes which do not rely on interior alterations. These are usually referred to as hanging load productions in that the load is maneuvered so it isn’t seen when the box is handled. The best source for this approach is in magic books as they are rarely offered by magic dealers who don’t want to disappoint their customers by failing to supply a gimmick.

Of course the underlying question that must be answered is why you want a production box in the first place. No matter how it hides the items to be produced, there should be a magically valid reason for producing anything from a production box.

Any suggestions for the final effect in a close up show?

Every magic show has three distinct portions. The introduction when you present yourself and your magic to the audience; the various effects you perform during the body of the show; and the ending when you present your final effect.

Many performers refer to the introduction as the opener and the last effect as the closer. There are many philosophies about putting together an effective show and just how it should open and close. Old time illusionists often opened by appearing in a puff of smoke and then presenting a dozen or so flash effects in two or three minutes. They closed their shows by filling the stage with assistants and quite literally waving the flag of the nation in which they were performing.

The opening effect is where you set the entire tone of your show. It is also where the audience gets their first look at you, hear you speak to them for the first time, and decide whether they like you and should sit back and have a good time. So the opener is about creating the proper atmosphere, a satisfying visual and reaching out to make contact with the audience. Some performers break this into two portions. First they create atmosphere through some highly visual silent effect, then they step forward to speak with their audience for the first time.

The most important part of the final effect is letting your audience know the show has ended. This is not as simple as it may seem. After all, it is just one more of a series of effects.

Some performers simply announce that it is their last effect. Others, with a better understanding of theater, choose an effect and dialog or music which makes it obvious that the show is over. Much of how this is managed depends on the individual performer. It may be as simple as dialog that makes it obvious the show has come to an end or as complicated as filling the stage with more noise and activity than the audience has previously experienced during the show.

Every performer must work out the opener and closer to suit his or her particular performing style. There are some tricks that will help along the way. Among them are simply making it obvious through dialog and body language that you’re done, this can be a simple as the kind of bow you take.

Or you can choose an effect that is more splashy and colorful than anything you’ve done up to that point, then increase the tempo of your performance to make everything happen more quickly until you come to an abrupt and amazing halt. Finishing clean is also an issue, you don’t want audience assistants on the stage when you end or to be holding a bunch of props or standing behind something. Keep in mind that it is you that is finishing the show and accepting the applause, not your tricks or props.

As to particular effects that might work to open or close, there is really nothing to recommend. Any effect is potentially the correct one if it works for you, and just because it works for you doesn’t mean it will work for anyone else. Magic really is wrapped up in the personality of the magician so the only secret here is to perform effects that you really enjoy doing.

What’s the best way out of a challenge situation where someone insists that I do a trick but is only concerned with catching on to how it is done?

There are challenges and then there are challenges. Some close up card and coin workers perform effects where they challenge those watching to catch them out. While this kind of trickery has no place in theatrical magic, it can be effective in the I’m cleverer than you are approach to fooling an audience if not entertaining them.

As for a spectator placing demands on the magician with the intent of showing up the magician, this is an issue that is best addressed by avoiding it. In fact its a good time to hear you phone ring and take the call. There are people who don’t like to be fooled and don’t like magicians. They have a mean spirited, confrontational approach anticipating that the magician will go away. And probably he should.

On the other hand if for some obscure reason the need to badly fool the challenger can’t be controlled, it is worth learning one of those challenge effects that are used by the card and coin workers mentioned above. Of course you’d better have the challenge effect down cold, messing it up will only prolong the experience.

The most important thing a magician can learn is how to stay at least one step ahead of those watching. Whether working on stage or impromptu this is a valuable ability since it gives the magician the opportunity to avoid mishaps which spoil the magic as entertainment.

Staying one step ahead can mean any number of things. In this instance it means having an effect where the secret work is done before the spectators are aware anything out of the ordinary has occurred. You’ll have to think about this in relation to the tricks you perform, if one or two don’t satisfy that requirement, then find a couple that do.

With adequate preparation and proper presentation it doesn’t take much to fool someone. The secret is to be ready in advance so when the challenge situation arises you’re prepared to deal with it.

What are the most effective colors to use for silks, production items and other props so they’re visible to the audience?

This is an important issue that many magicians seem unaware of or chose to ignore. If magic is touted as a visual art, visibility should be just as important as artistic presentation. In other words there’s no magic if those watching can’t see or properly understand what the magician is doing.

Visibility issues are dealt with by proper staging, prop dimensions in relation to the distance to the spectators, pointing up, timing, tempo, and lighting. These are theatrical considerations which the performer must understand, appreciate, and craft his magic to satisfy.

The color or finish of props, costume, and stage set are all important and must not be ignored. One might assume that producing red silks from a red box or wearing a black suit while working with a black egg bag obviously diminishes the visibility of what’s going on but many aspiring magicians often fail to understand that color equals visibility.

Color and more importantly the contrast of colors is crucial to successful visual communication with the audience. In addition various color values elicit different responses, information that is well known among theatrical set and lighting designers but so far hasn’t reached most magicians. Without going into the moods elicited by hot and cold colors, those interested might want to read up on theatrical conventions.

The easiest way to achieve a semblance of control over color and visibility is to consider each object in relation to what its background will be for those watching. If there is contrast between the object as foreground and the background then the object’s visibility will be maximized. If the colors are close to each other the audience will have difficulty seeing what’s happening. Go sit in the front row and see for yourself.

Some colors have more visual impact that others. Red, a favorite color for silk producing and vanishing magicians, is an example. In fact magicians seem enchanted by red green blue yellow. Of course this soon dulls the impact of the colors and makes the performance repetitious. Vanishing and appearing red silks, appearing and multiplying red billiard balls, empty and full red metal tubes, red to yellow silk color changes in the hand, red yellow and blue blendos. One might think they’re seeing the same trick repeated using different shapes.

Magic dealers aren’t that much of a help to aspiring magicians since with only a few exceptions they decorate props with primary colors, offer only primary silk colors, and otherwise assist the magician in acquiring props that have a certain sameness. Given most magicians unwillingness to redecorate their props the result limits the contrast potential.

While it is probably wise to avoid the explosion in a paint factory effect of too many colors, it is just as important to ensure the visibility of each prop and object by having it be an appropriate color. The end result of this effort will not only create a certain harmony that makes the magician’s magic unique, but will also give the intended effects their full potential.

What’s the best way out of a challenge situation where someone insists that I do a trick but is only concerned with catching on to how it is done?

There are challenges and then there are challenges. Some close up card and coin workers perform effects where they challenge those watching to catch them out. While this kind of trickery has no place in theatrical magic, it can be effective in the I’m cleverer than you are approach to fooling an audience if not entertaining them.

As for a spectator placing demands on the magician with the intent of showing up the magician, this is an issue that is best addressed by avoiding it. In fact its a good time to hear you phone ring and take the call. There are people who don’t like to be fooled and don’t like magicians. They have a mean spirited, confrontational approach anticipating that the magician will go away. And probably he should.

On the other hand if for some obscure reason the need to badly fool the challenger can’t be controlled, it is worth learning one of those challenge effects that are used by the card and coin workers mentioned above. Of course you’d better have the challenge effect down cold, messing it up will only prolong the experience.

The most important thing a magician can learn is how to stay at least one step ahead of those watching. Whether working on stage or impromptu this is a valuable ability since it gives the magician the opportunity to avoid mishaps which spoil the magic as entertainment.

Staying one step ahead can mean any number of things. In this instance it means having an effect where the secret work is done before the spectators are aware anything out of the ordinary has occurred. You’ll have to think about this in relation to the tricks you perform, if one or two don’t satisfy that requirement, then find a couple that do.

With adequate preparation and proper presentation it doesn’t take much to fool someone. The secret is to be ready in advance so when the challenge situation arises you’re prepared to deal with it.

LESS TROUBLE DOUBLE

By Doug Edwards

Done properly this is an imperceptible double turnover. It may feel a bit awkward during your first few tries, but it will reach a comfort level pretty quickly. It probably will be done just a bit differently in different hands, but the basic idea is the same for all.

Hold the deck in left hand dealing position and bevel the top cards to the right by pressing inward with the base of the left thumb. Then contact the top card of the deck at the right long side with the fleshy part of your right first finger tip. Lift that top card ever so slightly as the finger tip contacts the side edge of the second card. The beveling makes this easy. The first finger tip is now under the top two cards (Fig. 1). Note that the right hand is basically palm up.

Turn the right hand palm down and start to ‘ride,’ or glide, the first finger tip down towards the deck’s inner end and it continues moving to the left. The nail of the first finger glides along the two cards directly above it (Fig. 2). Firm pressure by the left thumb is maintained during the above action. Read more »

CLASSICS

By Richard Robinson

There are sleights and effects that have been used by magicians for so long that no records exist of their origins. Many of these sleights and effects are given the honorific classic as recognition for their effectiveness as manual technique or for creating the illusion of magic.

Some sleights, such as the Classic Pass and Classic Palm, are specifically identified as manipulations worthy of being mastered by the magicians. Other techniques are considered classic in their intent, for instance the second deal or double lift, but the manner in which they are best executed remain a matter of opinion among performers.

Classic effects and the props needed to accomplish them vary of course with the era or century. Some, such as the Cups And Balls, are traced back to early civilizations. Others may have established themselves more recently, for instance the Chop Cup or Card To Wallet. Some classics will eventually fade from magic consciousness because the objects involved are no longer familiar to the audience, although magicians will sometimes persist in using objects and references long after they have passed out of common usage.

It is worth investigating manipulations, effects and props touted as classic – not just in this era but in previous eras. In some instances the reason for a trick’s success and popularity may be dependent on the moment in time it flourished; in other cases magicians or their audiences may have tired of it as they sometimes do.

All of this is important because classic usually means dependable and performable, qualities less frequent than the magician in search of material might expect.

It should also be noted that some classics have antecedents that aren’t quite classic. For instance Michael Zens version of Cards Across where three selected cards pass by magic from a sealed envelope held by one spectator to another sealed envelope held by a second spectator was proceeded by numerous effects, some with cards others with coins, that didn’t quite achieve the impact of Zens’ effect. Another example is the Egg Bag which began as an entirely different trick and and prop then it is today.

Understanding why a specific method and handling raises an effect to classic status is an important issue in determining the value of a trick, its mechanics and its potential to appear magical.

The why of what magicians do and have done is as important as the how. The happy combination of a nearly perfect how and why will usually result in a classic accreditation; however interpreting a classic for use may require more work than simply accepting it as classic because it is touted as such.

OKITO’S COIN VANISH

By Richard Robinson

The magician flips a coin in the air and catches it in his right hand. He then opens his hand, showing it front and back with the fingers wide apart. The coin has vanished.

While this vanish has probably been around forever, the first description of it in detail appeared in Okito’s book “Quality Magic” published in 1921. The move is one of the more brazen in the art of what magicians call sleeving. As Okito noted it is an easy sleight to do with practice, but a difficult one to do convincingly unless the timing is exactly right.

Handling

The traditional heads or tails move of flipping a coin is the basis of spinning the coin up in the air, although to a greater height than the normal flipping move. The coin must travel up to a point where the arm can be extended.

As the coin travels up and then begins to fall the performer turns his arm so the back of the hand is towards the spectators. The second finger of the extended hand should line up with the falling coin.

The coin falls down behind the hand, at which point the spectators no longer see the coin. The hand apparently closes around the coin, catching it. The hand is opened to show the coin has vanished. The hand is then turned palm down.

In reality the coin travels down behind the hand and falls into the sleeve.

In learning the move, if the coin trajectory is wrong, the performer can catch it with the fingers and immediately release it to fall into the sleeve. If the shirt sleeve is loose enough, the coin can go into the shirt. Many performers prefer to pull up the shirt sleeve at the shoulder so it is snug against the arm which allows the coin to fall into the coat sleeve.

Handling Details

The natural magical tendency would be to flip the coin once or twice before working the vanish. However Okito implies that it is best to avoid this, simply spinning the coin up, catching it and then opening the hand to show it is gone.

Performance Notes

The diameter and weight of the coin will influence the handling to a certain extent. Work with a larger, heavier coin until the move can be done successfully, then decide on the coin to be used and practice with that coin.

CARD MEMORIES

By Richard Robinson

The magician hands the spectator a packet of nine playing cards. He asks the spectator to mix the cards then spread them face up on the table. He then asks the spectator to mentally choose one card, concentrate on it for a moment, collect up the cards and mix them again.

Removing three coins from his pocket which he places on the table, the magician deals the cards into three face up piles. The spectator is told to note which pile his selected card is in and place a coin in front of that pile. The magician gathers up the cards and deals them out again, again asking the spectator to place a coin in front of the pile containing his card. The magician repeats this dealing for a third time and again instructs the spectator to place the last coin before the pile of cards containing the one he is thinking of.

Gathering up the three piles, the magician deals three cards face down on the table and places one coin on the back of each card.

He asks the spectator to point to a pile. The spectator does so. The magician gathers up the other two coins and places them on the selected pile. He puts the two unselected cards back in the pack, presses on the coins for a moment, then turns over the only card on the table. It is the card mentally selected by the spectator.

Props & Setup

Nine playing cards, three coins. The coins can be borrowed from the spectator.

This is a self-working effect using a simple principle that is completely obscured by the introduction of the coins which have absolutely nothing to do with the working. For that reason you should put as much focus and emphasis on the placement of the coins as you can, handling the cards as if they had little to do with the effect.

Give the cards to a spectator to mix, mentally select one card, mix again then return the cards. Deal the cards into piles of three as explained below, each time a deal is completed have the spectator place a coin in front of the pile currently including the thought of card.

The cards are dealt out from left to right into three piles. The first card going on the left pile, the second on the center pile, the third on the right pile, the fourth on the left pile and so on in rotation left to right until each pile contains three cards.

Whichever pile the spectator marks with a coin becomes the center stock when you pick up the piles to reassemble them into a packet for the next deal.

For instance, if the spectator puts the coin in front of the center pile, the right or left pile is picked up first, the center pile then added under it and the remaining pile added under that.

The selected card (in this case the Six of Diamonds) is the middle card of the top three after reassembling the packet from the third deal.

For the first two deals, the three cards that include the selected card are placed between the other two piles when the packet is assembled.

After the last deal, the pile containing the selected card goes on top of the other two piles when the packet is assembled.

After the third deal the selected card will be the middle card of the last pile marked by the spectator. When you pick up the piles this last time, assemble the packet so that the three cards from the marked pile are on top of the packet.

Now deal out the three cards face down onto the table from left to right. This puts the selected card in the center.

Ask the spectator to place a coin on the back of each card.

The Revelation

There are three possible endings, although only one out is needed. Tell the spectator to touch one of the coins (not one of the cards.)

If the spectator touches the center coin, take the two other coins and add them to the center card, then take the cards on the left and right and return them to the packet.

If the spectator touches either the left or right coin, take that coin and put it on the center card.

This leaves two coins on the center card and one coin on another card, the result will be as pictured, with one card taken away, the center card with two coins on it and the other random card with one coin on it.

Tell the spectator to point to another coin. This is a bit of a psychological force. Say ‘Coin.’

No matter what the spectator points to, take the single coin and add it to the two on the back of the center card. This approach makes the classic magician’s force impossible to detect.

Touch the coin(s) on the card as if pressing lightly on them, then slide the card out from under the coins, turn it face up and leave it on the table.

Move back a bit and let the spectator focus on the card.

Performance Notes

The surprising impact of this effect may tempt you to repeat it. Don’t.

SILK VANISHED

By Richard Robinson

A vast array of secret gimmicks have been invented to assist the magician in the vanish of a silk handkerchief. Some of these hidden mechanisms are quite effective, others are less practical. Each gimmick has certain advantages in terms of the particular effect created and related disadvantages in terms of get ready and disposal. Generally, the performer needing to vanish one or more silk handkerchiefs should research all available vanishes and their related gimmicks. Only with a knowledge of all the methods can the performer determine the proper method based on the situation on stage when the handkerchief needs to be gone.

One method of vanishing a silk is usually overlooked since no gimmicks are used. Instead simple sleight of hand is employed, similar to that used to vanish a coin or ball. In the case of a silk however, a certain knack must be acquired through practice to work the effect.

Effect

The magician displays a silk handkerchief, gathers it up between his hands until he holds it in one closed hand, opens the hand and the silk has vanished.

Some descriptions of this roll up vanish suggest that one corner of the silk should be quickly bunched together to form a core around which the silk is wound. This is more easily suggested than accomplished in performance. I’ve found the following technique produces more a more satisfactory result. Read more »