STRONG

y by Darwin Ortiz

MAGIC
y Gambling

d Table

CREATIVE SHOWMANSHIP FOR THE CLOSE-UP MAGICIAN

DARWIN ORTIZ

Edited
by

Richard Kaufman, latthew Field, and Mark Phillips

Mz:

Kaufman and Company

 For Mauree he best thing that ever happened to me

tes of America

»e
reproduced or
or mechanical
a
Foreword (Juan

Introduction

Prologue:
1.
Memorable
The
The
The
The
M
A

Magic as Mystery .....

cal
N

Challenge Attitude.
Puzzle Mentalit
Illusion of Impos
2. Reaching
the E
p

perience

tions .......
Contents
Tamariz)......cccceeeeeeeenen,

Showmanship As Technique

Little Theory ...

...............

aa
Intellectual vs. Em tional Belief ........
3. Narrative Art

Chapter One:
The

The
Goal of Clarity

ository Phase.
Degrees of Conviction
Emotional Memory

2. Conditions...
Identifying Importar
The Must—Believe Test....
The No—Contact
Dramatizing Conditions
CLATTLY

Interpretation .............
Selection
ing the Audience’s Burden
Clarifying Techniques ............
Chapter Two: Conviction...
1. The Dynamics of Conviction
Dart One: The Effect
Je

cververmererssssssssmsasasssassssessass

Condition.
.......cceeeee

..........cccevess

Deteriorating Conviction............

........cesessesesseessses
.
 3. Convincers
The Inverte Question
vd
Accidental Convincers ng
The Intriguing Prop
Incidental Convincers
The Lead-In Effect
te
Why Convincers Work 75
Does Anyone Notice! 2. Progression...

i
177
What is Progression?
Weighing Pros and Cons
Intrinsic Pro
Chapter Three: Suggestion Artificial Progressions
179
181
Ww
is Suggestion?
3. Surprise and Suspense 182
Prestige
Atmosphere
A. Surprise asad aerevaR

Tw t Endings
Reinforcement
Kicker Endings
ay.
7

Desire
How Much Surprise?
Planting Suggestions......
Negative Suggestions
B. Susp av
What Suspense?
Chapter Four: Substantive Meaning. Mystery—Curiosity .

Gambling ..

Conflict/Uncertainty
Tension/Anticipation
Milking Su nse
The Oc Cait
3 n

Combining Suspense Elements

Magic
4. The Climax.....
Money .....
End on the Clin
S
Unre
Extended ( lias
The Inherent Underselling the Climax
Credibility
ation Wario Part Two: The Character
.

iss
Shoprer Five:
onflict I

Clianten Seven: The Functions Of CRaracter

sol] Audl nce Inte rest ret

haracter
x

Chapter light: Creating The C

sesviriAFesiAsg

Why You 2

Character =

Finding

racter and Daily Life

gic
tator Chapter Nine: Conveying The Character......
Chapter -Dianiatio What You Wear
.
Structure
Catche What You Say
What You Do
sre
Style. Pacing and Patter
Chapter Ten: Sty os
% pacing and Business
The Elements
0
25¢
pacing and Audience Participation 5
5
Style
Developing &

Working at Your
Style 263 Striking a Balance 118
Act 264

ES
Style as a Conscious
Style
-
265 enteen: Immediacy 18
Considerations Affecting
¢ .
«

Style 266 planned Spontaneity

Naturalness in oh
Induced Responses Ao
Part Three: The Act Special Effects 308
Audience Interaction 197
Chapter Eleven: Structure ....... . 270 Situational Meaning
Chapter Eighteen: Attention Control ..............
930
271
The Opener a31
Build 273 Mapping the Route

won
Tools of Attention Control
$91
The Closer 274 333
Chapter Twelve: Unity 276 Directional Misdirection
Intensity Misdirection
208
Characterization
a
)

EITTR
Props Distractions ..... 4

Chapter Nineteen: Audience

cowie,
Theme % 340
Motifs hn bra Attention Span
Chapter Thirteen: Variety Size
Theme Magicians oe

Props Chapter Twenty

Dramatic Structure 285 The Importance of stants
/

Chapter Fourteen: The Informal Performance. Qualities of Good Assistant.

a

I
One A int or Two?
Part Four: The Audience Who Chooses?....
Choosing an Assistant

mms
Chapter Fifteen: Audience Testing .......cocevursvesverssanssssnsissssensanes 291 Getting Them Up orisaa

1
Magicians and Consensus Reality ...............c.conen.n. :

Ai Chapter Twenty-One: HecRIers

The Blind Leading the Blind The Psychology of Heckling
STATE rT ATT 292 ..

?
Commercial Sense 293 Theorizing
hesaoarsiitis
ee

bias esata
Feedback
Debriefing
;

lest ial Ca
Boies
205
Challenging
Grabbing
Performing Experience 297 The Challenge Attitude
Chapter Sixteen: The Time Element... Interrupting
L Timing Getting Nailed
Unexpected...
299
What is Timing? Chapter Twenty-Two: The
1Timing in Sleight of Hand os AH Spl

resp800
299
Practice and Rehearsal
Sais 3 .

ra EE
Timing in Misdirection
:

Screw-Ups
Timing in Patter 802
Debriefing
Learning Timing 302
305 Unforeseen Distractions
2. Pacing
305 372
What
is Pacing?...
Pacing in Magic
.

3056 Appendix
A
3

One: Darwin's Laws

‘

306 376
5

Appendix Two: Glossary

10 n
TTee Hand of Cards-A Game-A Book

—_—
A
(Juan Tamariz)
Darwin begins the game by dealing himself a spectacular poker hand

Aa Sov
“Someone creates a trick, many Ly people
perfect its the Argentinean René Lavand, the Englishm
i

rfect it,t, but of fou

7

{ fin al SlLCCess $8
i)
5
, pi |

front of an aud ence depends on the person who

3
s

th American Tex Avery and the Spaniard Ascanio.

)

presents it.” Hitchcock, »

René Lavang These aces, and various others that Darwin pulls out of his sleew e in
the course of the book come, not coincidentally, from the passions
“All magic is mental.”
that he and I are: literature, fant sy, film, magic.
Now Darwin checks and rechecks his winning cards. He analyzes and
Tony Shiels extracts from them the maximum artistic common denominator
(Why they ace
The game reaches its climactic moment. Darwin plays with the
tremendous advantage provided by his personal experience as a
magician, as a lecturer, as a prc ound student and academic
(remember The Annotated Erdnase!), as a tire! s and curious reader
of everything dealing with the artist themes (what a personal
library he has!), as an interesting conve ationalist (he talks... and
listens!), as an analytical and methodics thinker, as an experienced
and extremely lucid writer
In this way he manages to attack the game from the most diverse
points of view, discovering winning strategies for understanding how
to achieve stronger and more fascinating ma
The hands, because of their quantity, seem oversthelming (what a
le ofcontents!), because of their subject matter, perhaps obscure ox
difficult reading

top right there! Wait. Relax. Don’t be alarmed de ir reader:

the book
adable, it's extremely clear, it's meaty, 1 thrilling in its
intellectual adventure. And it's also, clearly, enormously pract
Teal you think. It enriches you as an artist (and
therefore
ey
human being). It pushes you to wager (and heavily) for a better an
more artistic magic.

13
 Darwin Ortiz

[t gambles against mediocrity, conformity, and

misung
commercialism. It's now the showdown, the moment of ron Stang

poker
we he
hands: That initial hand of four aces has been

detected single false move) into a Royal

a
tr efor
Flygp
*d
the
(ang

ca time, the intelligence, the effort, the energy, In

know well, Darwin has employed vAand the
love that, believe
I I
in this book
;

final hand. It dc matter what cards are held So the

Ir
this
t

opponent ss Vulgarity. Darwin has won the game. And

our loveq2
art of magic has won with him
FE

all won by betting with you. Than you, Darwin

Opti

Juan Tamar,
May,
Introduction
showmanship
1994

As Technique
Most writing on magic presentation falls into one of two categories.
The first is the “we r a clean shirt, smile a lot, and be yourself”
hool. Certainly, this sort of advi isn't wrong. But it's so
lement wry and superficial that anybody who has gotten beyond the
kindergarten stage f showmanship must sense that there has to be
more to the subject
The other category is the sermonizing school. Thes are the magazine »

articles that exhort magicians to be more entertaining, think more

about their audiences, etc. Like a preacher in the pulpit on Sunday
rorning, the author rates the reader for his sins and warns him to
become more entertaining be re he's smitten by the hand of God. The
only thing the author doe is
do

(Cynic that
tell the rea how to make his
alway
-

suspect it's
magic more entert am, I
ning.
I

because the author h s no idea how.)

figure that any magician who isn't entertaining either is totally
oblivi to the impact he has on audiences, in which case
he
is
yond h €, or want to improve but doesn know how. In this book
u won't find any serm or diatribes, j st a nuts—and-bolts
approach that
will tell you
[
expect that most magicians will label this book a work on magic
theory. don't
I
it that way. Our Magic is
an example of a book on
a
,

know
agic theory and brilliant one. This is a book on technique.
I

that when
magicians speak of technique they mean sleight-of-hand
moves. But there another body of technique at st as imporians 3
1

Your success as an entertainer: the theatrical and psy -hological

technique you employ to elicit the kind of reaction you want from an

15
 Darwin Ortiz

audience.
audience. In this sense, this book is analogous to a
book a
technique, film tec ue, acting technique, or writing
had better
technique
IfEy you want to paint, you understand the
ry),
2:

perspective and composition. In film, lap dissolve wi) of 38

f
>
hive
ave on.
effect on an audience, a match dissolve will have another, 5
}

fade ol
¢

have still a different effect. If you're to direct a film and

going

make
ge sure the audience feels what you want them
oi to fee] when
wang ant
want them to feel it, you'd 31) better know
the difference.
SEF yoy y
a 1 1 A
n
Gy :
They 1t's 0

you to decide whic] one to use when. It's the same with
up tg y

magic
Tech: ique
q com in part, from an understanding of underlyin,

Prologue
derlying
on, we will start our study
1

principl f Presentatigy
«

with a b cussion of “theory

; Just keep in mind that th
1S i
esblish a foundation for unders anding what this
A Little Theory
18

simply to
book
really about: providing you with a set of concrete, practical tools
You
can use in dif ent sit tions to affect the audience the
way yoy
want to affect them. Once you understand what these tools
are. what ‘Our task is amazeme not amusement. Always ama ement first."
they do, how they work, and how to apply them, it'll be
,

your job as an
ar cide which ones to use
for which jobs. René Lavand
As we proceed, you'll find there will be
situations where you'll need
considerable ingenuity and creativity to find ways to incorporate
to achieve the effect you want
1. Magic As Mystery
ce. Good presentation, in fact,
requires a great
"A conjure s nothing8 if
Uf
he onlyamuses and fails to inspire wonder."
1

creativity in fashioning presentations hs s never been

Agic, Thomas Frost, The Lives of the Conjurors
as
zed and valued creativity in devisin: g effects and methods. I

is because t magicians are hobbyists who perform

other magic: ‘Entertainment is broader than amusement. Shakespeare's Comedy of
audienc are, of cou is amusing; h Hamlet is not. Nevertheless, the fact that
ponding m
to
s

rongly effect and method than to mlet is far more popular than the Comedy of Errors proves that it
resentation. However, if y u perform for
laypeople, you'll find that is also far more entertainin
ile and challenging
an outlet for creativity
e that is
at least as rew: Henning Nelms, Magic and Showmanship

Memorable Magic
2
Witnessing a close-up magic performance can be an experience so
memorable that the spectator will literally reme
vamember the rest Lo
mber it for
for
. it th of

his | If you think that's a ridiculous cl consider this. H nu :

ever been at a social gathering where people learn

le learn thathat ire
you're } 8

magician, and immediately someone comes up to you and ar

v says, “You
sou

:
Ton
saw a magician one time who did [then follows
know I a vivi

although perhaps inaccurate description of some magic trick]. TI &

never forget that!”

 I
Darwin Ortiz

performance that person describes

ipe
think most of us have had this experience many times Often,
something he witnesgeq the
EET
&
Strong
make magic more entertaining: by making the magic itself
Magic

iI
fifteen years ago or even further ba
Yet it
made such a Stroy ten
believe that magic itself can be entertaining, if
impression that the moment
he
experience popped into his head and
he was impelled
d magician” the
to Fount
that experiencing apparent impossibilities can be
you don't

|
believe
tel] YOu
ah, out hel and memorable entertainment for an audience,
strong,
it.
MoE won't argue
e,

with you. I'll only suggest that you give up magic,

Whenever I pick up a deck of cards to perform, my goal ig 0 make If
ain
ice you
think that magic is of no value except as a peg on which to
¢,

such a strong impression on each spectator that whenever the Subject

of card tricks or card cheating comes up in the future
—ingeeq,
virtually any time he sees a deck of cards—he'll think of me. Ang
know that if I do my job right, that is exactly what will happen,
I
music, dance, comedy, and sex appeal, you should become a
dancer, comedian, or stripper and forget about magic,
believe that not only can magic, in itself, be highly entertaining, but

believe every close—up magician should set similar goals for himself that magic offers an entertainment experience that is qualitatively
different from what an audience can get from music, dance, comedy,
I

To do that, you have to focus on making your magic as

strong ge any other form of entertainment—not nece arily better, but
possible. Of the several fundamental
premises that underlie this rent. That unique entertainment experience comes from mystery,
book, the most basic one is this: The magician’s primary job
js to the experience of the impossible. Frankly, if you don't strongly want
entertain his audience with magic. Not merely to entertain his
to give your audiences that particular entertainment experience you
audience while doing magic, but to entertain them with magic. The
don’t belong in magic.
most important source of entertainment should be the magic itself.
Once you accept the premise that entertaining with magic is your
Unfortunately, many magicians don’t seem to believe that magic in
itself can be entertaining to laypeople. They feel that, in order main priority, youll find it has some important im phicatdnss It
their audience's attention, they have to lard their performances with
to hold doesn’t mean that you turn your back on the possibilities of using
comedy, storytelling, music, or other elements to enhance your magic.

Bs
bad jokes that would shame any Borscht-Belt
comic. They think the It dot s mean that your first priority is making your magic as
term “commercial magic’ has to mean a
string of lightweight ten-
second gag/tricks relying on cuteness rather than
justifying their existence because they elicit a
mystery, but
and memorable as possible. It means that you use
comedy primarily to make your magic stronger. If a gag strengthens dete
i
E

groan) from the

momentary chuckle (or
ctator. The result is a performance that
the magic, it goes in; if a gag weakens the magic, it
goes out.

watching old TV reruns of The Dukes of Hazzard—mindless

entertainment that momentarily diverts but is
is like

forgotten almost the

You must never lose sight of your prime goal:
audience experience mystery. If magic has any claim to eng
male
ile ie
instant it's over. lies in itsunique ability to make spectator
a confront
the
He &
fa

ie
along with the exhilarating feeling this entails as a
under everything he thinks he knows about reality and his mind goes
00
Sen
The Magical
°
Experience ° into freefall.
This sort of
magic results from wk hat
0 viewed
Even Saat purely
ely as enterts
feeling—the
entertainm nent, thiss feeling
magical gl

call “Fitzkee’s fallacy,” the al

experience—is not only the most unique, but
I

belief that magic has no inherent audience

entertainment value. In
as a magician can give our
:
entertainment experience you
Showmansh ip for Magicians
i
your

Dariel Fitzkee's 8 ate of

magic entertaining is to prescription for making But before you can start working on affecting the audience's 8

introduce music, dance, comedy, and sex mind, you may have to change your own attitudes.
appeal into the magic
bitter pill that you haveperformance, his
‘

to
In
view, magic is some sort
sugar- coat in order to get the audience to
of
swallow. I don't
want y ou to think I'm
suggesting there is anything The Challenge Attitude
pt = aie
Wrong with employing
1

such elements to add to the

a magic b: ad magic. (I'm one
:

performance. But thin appeal of

oO!

are many people in this world who ate

pe
king that this is all there There n 5

entertaining oy erlooks the most is to making magic Magic, to

them.) But there are also some people who oe :
obvious, and the most important, way them, means that if you fool them, they lose and you in.
w If they

19
 Darwin Ortiz

catch you, they win and you lose. Fortunately, such People Strong Magic
gn
are

fi
and far between fo,
Translation: “You know why you didn't catch
me? Because you're
Of more concern the fact that virtually is audience stupid!” After fooling another spectator with several re petitions of
ie
a
any

Coins Through the

the mindset of viewing a mag ic performance as a win-|c nty Table, he would reassure him
with the atatarme ob
you er age them to. It's your job to make them see it | do
it again and this time you catch!” When Slydini did
it
it
: :

situation. If the magician wins ryone wins—yoy the tator still didn't catch, was reasonable him to wonder if for

satisfaction of entertaining them and they the pleasure of

ba; get there was something wrong with him. Presumably, other people
entertained. If you lose, everyone loses—what could have Bean ng usually caught on this point
at

Even worse, the spectator would have to feel that he had failed in his
a=
enjoyable experience becomes a waste asl of TStime. A poog
performance is a cooperative venture, not a competitive one The
Magi
sion. Slydini's comments made it
clear that the spectator's job
was
audience should actually be your allies in fooling them
3

© catch the magician. So far

he had lost and the magician had
won
only hope that next time he would win and the magician
A key to this partnership with the audience
achieving
avoiding any
He could
f

sentation. The late Fred Robinson we

challenge in
would lose
the most harmful aspects of the challenge
it
y

the approach that

1
of
quoting Kaps to effect that, “There
Fred is no place for One of is

undermines the illusion magic. Every time Slydini chided a

hallenge in professional magic.” would go further and say
Si
of
I

spectator for not catching him, he reminded the audience that there
no place for challenge in good magic. The performer who
allenges his audience to figure out how the to catch—that it wasn't really magic. Every time John
are done ig
reinforcing the win-lose model
’ n, then showed his hand empty, he reminded the
viewe watching t “tricks” that depended on thing
A proble arises m when
to get magicians to see the self-
trying
like palming. Such an approach is not likely to g ve an audience a

feating nature of challenge magic, and

le
one that
it's

think h I I
of wond
»
at having seen an impossibility. It's more likely to
hes h head-on. The problem the fact that some ofthe mo is
}

at having been outwitted

m with a sense of frustration
ve used the
lege figures in m challenge approach
to the puzzle mentality we'll be
v I

-
erview in Englis agic ne Opus, Scottish
ie
m
moment. Pu »s have solutions. We may not know
irdman ordon Bruce advises novice but we know there is one Magic, on the other
agicians to ,

void challeng
challenge there is no
Slyd
an eternal mystery for wt
the he

peti ul
goes on to say, “Slydini
¢

does it nN
n,

it
a
the time only gets away with because he
is Therefore, it doesn’t make any sense to challe
but
master.”
The
nie
that Slydini
th
fact

perform
Slvdin only
is

r 1
with because he spent his it 1

the audience to find asoluti

be something about performing for other
magicians. don't believe Slydini
Pp

for
X
I

“areer performing for laypeople witho promote a challenge style. Is it just a

ee iy
style of presentation. The fact that nsay, anot of the legendary close-up
er may indicate as much.
o
built his style around the challenge
Son wits for and lecturing to other tant us of feints and sucker moves to
>

them? Ramsay
giving lessons to other magicians. As bl in the fact that he was ooling
style should not provide a model woul coin vanish with the
lowing a

anyone for

taining the public ; .

oin is, do you, laddie?

ing grocery store. If you
revolutionized
2

er one of this century's

t

outed numerous seminal approact Kaps

hat a bette nodel is Fred

However, his challenge

tne public.
You'll rec
forming
»

ich a perfect r

ional
,

magic.
alyze this is no place for challenge in profi

clear that what an jvising ag I

it
There is, for
times with the same Slydini nging attitude on the part of the
effect under challenge
ot,

why with an
presenting
Ww

tch example, nothing wrong

21
 Darwin Ortiz
aditions.
conditions. You
re challenging
ns.
however, make clear
must,

self to succeed under

| :
your
Attitudy
it Y
Strang Magic
Mpossible congyy: problem” and every
2

ve not challenging the audience catch you. tion, to ‘onstructing a

problem. Constructing
solution
magical
volves solvin
involves
f

solvir
: th
| lly
La may require many
any apparent impossibility poses
,,

implicit challg, an
phlei ust writing
writing a novel
st
as as
require solving
solving many
r may

mane
problems
udience to find a natural explanation. In magic, eff, of p plot, characterization,
of no writer would *L,
ever refer tg
involve repetition, such th mbitious Card,” a ope. his plot problem and the finished novel as
¢
s
a

lution. Th
blem/solution terminology sug a desire to reduce the
embly, or a repeat “Oil and Water” routine, parti ul
§
PIs
intellectual
or
to an The
challenge to the audience to figure them out, With Pose = exercise. artistic process whet
is
4 I

each Ney ting effects or presentations much more complex than

repetition they consider new theories and are forced to creating that
2

reject them
¢ ]

The failure to clearly distinguish

b ween magic and puzzles is ong
of implicitly making the audience consider i
tion until they finally have to accept that
every
thers sie posi the e most
most

ie.
pernicious, as well as
My own fie
p of the mos
of card magic is particularly
pervasive, tren
plagued by this
one

explanation can be an extremely effe of leading them ng

a] , yroblem. In Ibidem No. 21, Norm Houghton spe of
y

race the impossible—just what magic should be I

“amateur
Tamariz explores this concept in The Ma, Way.) Just mal
about, (| mathematicians wh how acquired quaint delusion that the
e comes from the impossibility you present sure the K€
their hobby magic is tunately, the accusation only too true is
not rom your e problem stems in part from the fact that many magicians ar
Your attitude should be that
f

there 1S No explanation
¢

¢, In fact, during the short history of cloge-u p magic, a

it's just magic.
;

numumber of
well-known practitioners have also been prominent puzzl
Many magic magazines also publish puzzles from time to
With this dual love in the bosoms of so many
The Puzzle . magicians, its
Mentality
..
:

ymetimes get the two confused.

ve never dealt with whodunits. They're simply clever lifficult for them to recognize that most people don't
Ve intellectual rather than
puzzles, aren't It als ake:
)
tional, and emotion is the em
like puzzles. In many people hate them. I'm not very fond of
t,

ly thing that keeps my audiences intere: sted.” back to getting gypped on that
puzzles myself. (It probably g magic
Alfred Hite set.) think that
I

magician I'm fortunate in this regard. This

1

attitude brings to the viewpoint of most laypeople,

me
c

When was about I something that ian should strive for

nine 1, I
got a children’s
with paddle ans who likes
3

puzzles, you're going to

other slum magic form the the danger of allowing
it
that
rt to your magic to
included about If-dozen wire also
Strive your audience
i

zzles.
wondering what these we doing in the set
knew that puz puzzles. Let them experience wonder
!

since |
8 and
ain
magic wer n't the same thing, This
ny nine ye old instinctively knows *

1cians fail is one that

to realize,
fect may
t
very puzzling, but it's not a The Illusion Of Impossibility
roti
’¢

admits of a posi le solution, puzzle. A puzzle

at st in theory. True
magic admits of of difference between a spectator'sbe not knowing hon

ty
no pos sible solution; it's
is
%

“There a world
an eternal mystery. Even more
it
-

puzzle is
ghiel Bp important, a something's done versus his knowing that can't done.
element-
you count the frustrat on.
+CS8
:
as
ctual challenge with no emotional Simon Aronson, The Aronson Approach
Precisely what we Emotionless intellect
Want to avoid in
challenge magic, (As we've just seen,
Bod thing
;

satisfe avoid in magic.) The only 0 An interesting difference ming for magician
1

comes from =
solving it; the satisfaction of magic performing for laypeople is t succeeds
in figuring out
ninety percent of trick but can't figure out the other3 ten pe
sercent, he
k E

in part from not

a
€

solving it
of this
puzzle me tality will feel that the trick fooled him; if a layperson succeeds
succe figuring E in

in magic is the habit

ferring
every plot for a trick
¢

as a 23
Darwin Ortiz

ther nine Strong Magic

The
2. Reaching The Emotions

up magic
er Pan. He knc hat
ter Pan
is

illusion uld willin

an ill
flo rou;
ill of i
£ I
nd that lar bills can float.

also true that in 5

for:
or must becom x

:
am. H t
that
tanding the power of magic
believin
o

nal
emotional
E

he hes the human spirit that

25
 a
Darwin Ortiz
is the wonder and
he Ti

magic 1:
aye th124
e

Strong Magic
ways generates. about creating
Il 3. Narrative Art
t
¢
goog
=
nce to actually believe in me ing H5Pensi n

Intellectual Vs. Unlike static art forms like painting, sculpture, and ph
Belief urely expressive art forms like music and dance MAIC 18 a narrati
like an impossible goal, doesn’t How can
ou ;m
it?

y form. Ths St
mply means that magic ory. I'm not here tell
modern audience believe the
>

al
ted, magic? You can’t, if in
? y

ations use a story to

y pany the eff: me
intellectual belief. I'm
%

about 18 itself
4

t :
accor story
a

emotion
nineteenth century perfectly
al bel
regardless of the entation accompanying it Like any story, it has
pr

and an end. As with any nar

beginning, a middle,
5

veen intellectual belief and er ve art, the

it
y

was asked whether believed she lience watches because wants to find out what ill happen next.
= hen spectator watches a magic trick, he S witnessing, and
a

sometimes participating story: the story of what happens in the

c

in, a
onal the
to depye
r The reac This means that part of magic presentation hnique is narrative
ays emotional
iy [how
t
:

echnique. It is concerned with considerations of theme, character-

e much money
tion, conflict, plotting, story line, clarity, atmosphere, and dramatic
0
convey wha.
are the same considerations that are central to all
film, theater, fiction, and storytelling.
ly trying to communicate what obvious as the point is, it has received very
is because, as
>

emotion they felt when they

ttention in magic literature. Therefore, this way of thinking is
likely to str readers strange. In developing the concepts
wv

tions follows that your explored in this book I'll often employ analogies to other narrative
cite principles
1

7
that cepted as axiomatic in all other
rdly recognized in magic. think that as we go I

tionally
W
someor
excited, his
rll come
les of narrative
appreciate
ffective te
at the better you understand the
you'll be as a
figure this out entertaine
anation.” It's only wt
While nag story, it's important to realize that the
lls
a

not to tell story but to create sensation. I

prime goal of magic

a
a

addition to
of 5
mention this because, in 5
F

refore, the
if
you want to reach the common error is what call “the theatrical
I Some
literally baffle gical writers most concer with presentation
of thinking that
>
t of a magic effect 1s to

much heatrical effects or film

premise,
(This, for examp. flaw in Henning Nelms ,

surprisingly,
erwise outstanding Magic
i

i
ction, you will achieve emoti Nelms’ background in the was
magic 1 If, however, our fundamental premise correct that the un
the eXDOLS
strength of m is that it gives the audience
confronting the impossible, it
presentation is enhance the
follows

magic.
that the point
The magic
of a
not there &
i3 used to
add
pi
validate a dramatic premise, the dramatic premise
27
Darwin Ortiz

impact to the magic, to make the experience of the

much more powerful. Mposgih)e
y

Hn
at

With these thoughts in the backs of our minds, | NK

sl
w

leave theory, roll up our and plunge into tect Teady

nique,

Part One
The Effect
“True
Tie success and satisfaction go only to those who really comprehend
;

underlying principles why trick succeeds or fails."

of

the
a

Greer Marechal
 Strong Magic
Much of the confusion
confusion between simplicity and cl,

BE a
<

;
of limited presentation al
arty stems from the
fact that a person skills may find that he
it's
that ©

resent an effect
ffi clearly if n
only Pres a simple one.
a

Consequently, he
5

stes clarity with simplicity. Howeve r, with proper attention

ga c0C1AleE
atation
pres ental
and
>

routining, more comple: x effects can also be clearlyto

audience.
E

conveye d to an
Choosing to
ee
perform simple or complex effects is a matter of
clarity of effect in either case is a
judgment; fo this: section
| :
artistic
matter of

i5a
i
welll idisenss techniques for
technique. achieving
can be applied to whatever kind of eff fect you choose
CHAPTER ONE to
CLARITY
fore

effect can be clear in your audience's mind

an

first has to be it
a
own. Many performers go wrong at this very first
dean La acid
r

= step

oa et
with the details of an effect—the moves,
the twisis the individual phases—they never step back and

ie
&

“To those who question whether clarity

a
is all that important, I see the big picture.
2

it
-v

ie
only say that cay
is the most important quality
in the making of a film,» of
our most legendary cardmen describe another of
2 i Ladin
one
cardmen by saying: “He is a great magician, He
Li be
Francois Truffayt

iE
Baha
‘what an effect is.” Judging from the

ge i literature of
many magicians don’t know what an effect is, This

ee
>,

The Goal Of Clarity

is

in some the effects that have resulted from

of the
Dai Vernon often said t} hat ot wo toward combining different plots in the same effect

aStentay—
confusion is not magic. One might go so
fa ar
as to say that confusion is the from one effect to incorporate in a completely
antithesis of magic. One of my
personal pet peeves
is I'm not criticizing this trend since it has resulted in

a
the habit many magicians have of stating in

eid
ng
magic. However,
aE
their patter that they with any concept, when applied
will do this or that “to further
ene bid
as

issue.” I
used to think that perhaps I was
confuse the = can be dismal. Some tricks of this kind one
after all, only a overreacting to what is,
minor verbal infelicity, However, sees a. e Fantensts SLE monster, a grotesque creature made up
a

when one day in

I
felt vindicated of parts from different bodies sewn together.

LN
a converg ation with
David Roth, he expressed the
same annoyance. As
afirst step toward achieving clarity in
pecTe
your magia
The
patter line
itself is not important, but the the following extremely effective exercise. Brie
bs
is. You'll never succeed menta lity it indicates trick in your repertoire. Don't just think
Shot
1

hed Sil i
IN presenting
come to appreciate this really strong magic until you
simple piece of paper and a pen. Have your repertoire list

sone inH
point: At the end of an effect, your

oie
2
audience must a summary of each effect in three less. Once you've
not he the least bit
confused as to what just happened.

wefo FaTe=
They must be absolutely finished, perform each effect, then look at the
clear on what just happened, Only then

pe
they eally
appreciate that what
Much has been just happened is totally impossible.
can You may want to revise it or alter
these summarie
in some it
dat
!

said about the until youre completely s

3

des irability of
effects. While performing simple captured the essence of each trick in a couple se

a ds
simple effects
of

substance can also be can be very powerful,

effects with more Once you've finalized you're ready sork on
to work ’

your summarie ries,

~
now
VETY power: ful.
will proba) Which type
you gravitate toward audiences. Don't
or

amt eae
be determined communicating your concept of each effect
mm ore
by your than any
y

temperament think this will happen automatically.

peo
Tor One or Etrong magic no simpli is i magician failing to
mie
ian

ef The most
fz

in achieving strong go of the most, extreme example [ ever encountered ofasmed

y

fundamental essentia
2 is
nem
B Magic
E

of what conye: Ying to the convey his concept of the effect to his
Upposed to haye
happened.
audience a clear picture
ago when I was first getting into serious card
aliens poe
magic.
4

30
31
Darwin OHiz
2gic Shop. bout the We started talking Strong Magic
rdman at blyg
T

e you apparently
lift off half the effect summaries you
the move deg er to write out your
n ord!
had
tg
That's
!
and selection. engage
er

in two
replaced on the lower half. Actually you only Jif ang activities, interpretation
These are the same ty
n things
the to in
ale
top of the order to an
0

deck
off
effect to an
-

second from do convey

the lection enc ou have aud ce
y

with clarity
r
so you he

mentioned that he was famili with

cardman
that this variation anothg,
Te
r

this move. (I later learned

ae Interpretation
deck while actual
1
1 1 2 Ves

tting off half the

.

KING carg s at
to
No

when the “half de: is replaced, the selecte,

;
kK"
Feweffects are so unequivocal as speak for themselves without
quently, carg d

by the performer Suppose

this at the time.) of patter interpretation
:

was not a re you place a red

E

er, |

,cked card on the table. Then you have a spectator select card
the move for me. He had mepick m deck. When the red-backed card 18
a
from a blue-backed turned over,
it
removed his right hand from the de and held it jp a be identical to the selected card
prov es to
,

amped, awkward | ition as he told me to replace my

Did you foresee the future or
did you control he epectator's
hand. (Apparently, was supp will tot

f the cards in his le

I

hand held half the deck.) wondered about he I suse him to choose the card you wished Perhaps you were
his right hand but was afraid to demonstrating an extraordinary coinci 2nce, or perhaps you and the
d
about jt I

spectator were joined in some

ic,

i
ask

sympathetic link that led you

tion to what might be a degeneratiy
no idea that supposed to think
joint to be attracted th to same ard. Which
is it? You have to decide
want the effect to be interpreted, you must
I
there
Once you decide how you
was

incorporate that interpretation in your patter

card heslapped his right hand on the deck and
1s lost in the middle deck.” thought of the I

Selection
ard
|

ooled since had no idea how

I
the card be in the could

reverse Ambitious Card: a card to avoid ambiguity of effect. Selection is

nece
Interpretation
a

1s
y

the dec avoid conf ion of effect, the more common problem
to
nece ary
among magicians. Wi you wrote your brief descriptions of the
various effects in your repertoire you had to be selective in what you
no. Your 1
isn't in the middle Ir tioned. If you had described every step and detail that cours in
ver the top card to pro his laim. ¢

performance yu could nev have limited yourself to thre sentences

» e

“Would you do that

aid, ir less. Cl rity of effect demands similar selectivity in your
presentation. By what you choose to emph size, you communicate
to
hing.” We went through the
he slapped the deck a
re the audience what is really important: worth noting, and worth
middle. “That's great,” said.
e I remembering about the effect
you get it to the middle. You can achieve emphasis by either positive tec hniqu s or negative
er
I

is the
rd is
really on
really top!”
n
More confused than techniques. Pos tive techniques are those that expand upon
the
ce

1t to say that we went matters to be emphasized. Whatever y u treat as important,

lo-type routine several times more audience will perceive as important. If ou tell them that something
lizing what was is important, they will believe it's impor nt. If you pay particular
g on in the othe: If you spend
A

attention to something, they will believe it's important

perly more time on something, they will believe t's important
convey th effect was a n sult of
ompetence on the Jeal of time in having
eriormer's part. However.
In a pick-a-card trick, you may spend a gr
execut you may
Perfectly m a method standpoint f the card lost in the deck and little time in locating it or
rable gulf} deck and great deal
een what the
performer feels he spend little time having the card lost in the
in
h ¢

i audience the specta tor what

perceives i
happening.
of time
in locating it. In either case, you're telling
be justified
18 the
important part of the trick ther approach might
a3
 Darwin Ortiz

in a

keeping
particular trick. In one effect,

track of his card; thus, you

rei
the
entirely on the spectator SEPIsCi LL t oi utter Impossibility,
might depeng alg,
shou 0 emphasize
the
In another effect, the “Carq Proceqy,
Ph
— With
ork
work on , new @
Strong Magic
kind of thinking will become automatic whenever you
tr me this effect. Initially, however, this exercise in conducting
o aning on your presentations will pay immediate dividends as
for losing the card in the deck.
au
acles
to
which you find the card jg Walla
J

for example, the manner in well

starting you thinking in the correct terms.
as ste 2

all gh,
matters. 4

You can also achieve emphasis Easing The Audience’s Burden

)

by
negative techniques. By thi

ee
PIS Ting,
that you can underscore one 1081 by deleting other Points, As p
Cowles Strickland writes in The Technique of Acting, “As One of the most important lessons to learn about presenting magic is
he

which remain will haye sop a es are easily confused, easily distracted, and easily
some details are removed, those
thas
groate, in your presentation that overburdens the
emphasis, merely because there are no other details competing fo the
fatigued. ; in hurt the clarity of the effect by overwhelming him with
attention of the audience.” enpuate! Lp comfortably handle. For this reason, the audience

espoof
mors fan can
This is why one of the most important aspects of effective matst be madeto work. And the toughest kind of work is mental
Presen-
tation is a ruthless removal of all non-essentials. Every word, Ye you can't afford to put the audience in a position
gesture, every action must be evaluated on the basis of whether it where
He Fre to concentrate unduly. Henning Nelms aid it

irr
the dramatist’s most important jobs is to relieve the
D

contributes to the overall effect you're attempting to achieve. If it fectly:

erfectly:
“One

ama;
“O

doesn’t contribute, you should eliminate it. of all

mental effort.
All of us who have a serious interest in magic have had the

sr aie
pic x fects like “Three Card Monte” and the “Shell Game” the

ad
experience many times of seeing excruciatingly bad performances, to try to keep track of the winning card or the pea. For
Some were due to technical inadequacies on the part of the performer successful, the shifting of the cards or shells must be

lig
and some were due to presentational inadequacies. If a minimum that the audience can keep track with
you think back
to those which were due to poor presentation, I think you'll recall no effort. If you were to shift the props around so xaptdly or
it required real concentration to keep track, the
many instances of the following flaws. The performer may have so extensively that

i
continually taken three sentences to say what could have been said in effect would certainly fail.
one, at the end of which you still didn’t know what he
He may have had some irritating
was trying to
gesture or other habit—
continually shifting his weight from foot to foot, riffling the cards for
A couple of years ago an effect was marketed that
con game premise. The performer and a spectator played a
which the performer always won. The game
ey
involved a group
aONDg a

of
srt
an

no reason, or constantly saying “okay’—which

from the magic he was
effect with the introduction of
acted as a distraction
presenting. He m ay have complicated each
cards laid out on the table. The performer and spectator took
pointing to cards and totaling their values. The first person who hl
conditions such as having cards signed, surpassed a certain total lost.
Wrapping rubber bands around the deck,
seemed to have no point 5 and other matters that As it happens, I bought the manuscript for this effect at the
cluttered effect, the most
except in his mind. The end result was a Gambler's Book Club while in Las Vegas After reading the
manuscript in my hotel room I went down to the casino to play e7e8
common presentational problem. In magic,

faIa
as in housekeeping,
k

SeKe the solution

blackjack. I was struck by how long it took many of the other
anly
to clutter is to throw out what you
>

don’t need
to add up their hands. A player might be holding a fourteen an «

ps aa
Your
effect summaries have provided a card. When he received a nine he would stare at his cards
for
essential features of epg h effect. you with a clear picture of the

A
tt
reconommend a that
Using these effect summaries, | interminable period before turning them face up. It took a
you review the long to realize he'd gone over twenty—one! This observation mad
presentation of each effect,
a
elimi; Ter patter line,
Sad it
would be for such person to
.

cond ition that does2

every action, every procedure, and appreciate how trying an experience
not
: .

demonstrably contribute to conveying watch the effect I had just bought.

J

the essential
:

effect
effect

voli
you wish to create.
+,

The result will be clear,

.
%

pre
pre: sentations
ed
I
am not speaking here only of uneducated people. Many
trick that w ill maximize the
impact of each
4

cated, intelligent people are inept at simple arithmetic. uca

v A
2 %

even have a namefor the problem; they call it innumeracy, the : ma

34
35
 Darwin Ortiz

ematical eq uivalent
illiteracy. The invention of pocket
of ill
¢
poe
ee Strong Magic

to do the
5
Caley
de the problem worse. ory quite rightly expect you work while they sit back
on They ¢ Y

has only m rom-

;

atisle
mal

Many other people who

nevertheless have such an
intellectually
aversion to
areof doing
ematics that they VieMey, ol and relax.
Taxing 8
person's concentration or memory not only interferes with
addition as an unpleasant
task. (There's a ment of the performance, it tends to confuse the effect for
their enjoy’
oy,
name for this
even simple A trick that requires the miss key points of the trick while they struggle with
too: it's
called math anxiety.) audi them as they task you have foisted on them. Eliminate all such
numbers simply requires too much conce ence whatever mental
continually add up Ntratig, from every effect and you'll have taken a step toward
to most people. features
to be entertaining
involved a presentation in which the Spectatop clarifying your magic.
This same effect
encouraged (1.€., challenged) to try
to figure out secret, Normally the
in a magic performance,
the spectator can devote just
as much he Clarifying Techniques
as he wishes trying to figure out the tricks and no more,
to Wher of the
major techniques you can use to clarify an
to come up with an explanation, x Let's examine some
is challenged by
may feel pressed to
the performer
do more mental work than he really cares to)
, he

effect. Each is
a tool to
mind,
help the spectator properly conceptualize the
however, that these techniques are not
effect. Keep 1n

Just as arithmetic carries unpleasant connotations of dreary go, necessarily called for in every effect and an effect that incorporates
days for many people, so does memorization. Any effect that taxes ih one or more
of them is not necessarily better than one that doesn't
audience's memory will be perceived by most people as work ie Whether a particular effect would benefit
from any of these tech-
antithesis of entertainment. You should never ask one person t niques is a question you
must answer based on your artistic judgment
which may or may not
remember two selected cards. Similarly, you should never agk the and the audience reaction you're getting
same person to remember one selected card after another. Spread the indicate the need for greater clarity. However, you sense that one of
if
muddled, the following should function
g

burden by having different people pick cards in different tricks. your effects is coming across
Of course, almost every effect requires that the audience remember asah andy checklist of possible
’

methods help to
correct the problem.
of clarifying techniques,
something, even if it's only under which cup you just placed the ball (1) Use fewer props. This is the most extreme
The point is that the effect should be structured in such a way that sometimes a very effective one. At one time, the “Linking Rings" was
such remembering occurs without conscious effort. We can put this in commonly performed with ten
or more rings. Cardini introduced, and
the form of a general rule, one of Darwin's Laws: Make
the audience to remember what you want them to remember than it
easier for
it Dai Vernon popularized, the use of six rings. Jack Miller used only
four rings. Today, many performers find they can attain the best
would be
to forget it. audience reaction with a three-ring routine. Certainly the use of only
three rings allows for the clearest possible picture for the audience of

i
While on the subject of avoiding schoolroom drudgery, let me add that
audience should never be made to take a test. In “McDonald
what
is
happening.

ey
embly employs sixteen cards: the four aces plus
Sine ps are
Fixed
face up and face down at the outset anda The classic ac
indifferent cards. However, one of the strongest of ace
i
whether the aces are face up or face down. twelve

de
nos e of assemblies is Peter Kane's “Jazz Aces” which employs only eight
meaningless clutter, in this case used asa

ks
sg
xamp
cards: four aces and four indifferent cards. Part of the reason for the
many other examples of
er a switch of the aces. There are
presentations where th, performer trick’s strength is certainly the exceptional clarity of effect achieved
cross-examines the spectator a
i
S the
>
3- 2

of
2

by reducing the number cards.

Most people didn't 1

In the Cups and Balls, many performers who have trouble selling a
They didn’t like the concentration; they

rr Si
school.
didn't like the memorization; but, most
they routine using three cups and three balls find they can get excellent
EAI thes the tests! Don't cast yourself in the role of 8 reaction from a routine using only one cup and one ball. To take an
schoolmaster with re extreme example, Slydini’s “One—Coin Routine” is certainly one of the

a
pen, audience as your students. This kind of
aggravation is what people have crystal clear of all coin effects primarily because it uses only one
to deal with at work every day. It®
precisely what they look n,
ey to entertainment
to allow them to escapt

36
37
 a
Darwin Ortiz

bebiter
ides several
vides several : examples
examy :
a
feed
A
of
potenti) 4.
of props—namely, the danger of draw, Ack
Strang Magic
)
oy
as in the standard “Copper-Silver” effect, his
nce, the impact of the effect. One of th
5

two coins Ol
or
scope and, will weaken
recent owever, by diminishing its scope. The Mendoza
years has been the proliferat; the effect,

ig on
fotay the coins into two categories,
Se
é
renal
J
me mory

Ss
%

hook of foreign and

classic plots as “All Bac
“ “Tes
Triumph, "ou of both worlds. The spectators domestic,
2

offers the sagibility can appreciate

nd the “Color-Changing Deck” are often perf of one coin changing places with
ing
the
he

ie
ig
oh a small
small packet cards rather than a full deck. added the effect.
two, while still
ays
of
with a pa

easily
imes the result is a stronger effect due clarify the props. What makes the “Copper,
Hehe is ny
ily
Ligh
S,
to. greater
din @

Gch
Brass, anq
the result is a weaker effect due to and also potentially confusing
diminigheq Ba Silver Ch One coin changes places with iy
is that
an

i
backs of four cards = not as great an
is
1
SCope

Gr
+

JEYATLSPE
achievemey, ag two
one or two with two. This same 188ue arises rather

anfe
i
changing the backs of fifty—two cards. than 0 ne in “Slick
of props is from Darwin Ortiz at the Card Table in which the
pla
Reducing the number a case of achieving clarity Aces
ace
throug}, , anges places with the other three aces, If
Sa bon of effect.
X The other clarifying techniques we Will
5

look
of padee
¢ four selected cards, it would be the
the effect were
without altering the effect itself, same
op
work performec ffect in
theory but iit would be at least slightly harder for an audience
i
Ei
(2) Use a memory hook. Sometimes all to
you need is to provide the The use of the aces provides an e: asier picture to
audience with some simple visual or verbal
mnemonic aid to help
smeopbieie. with small pips change places with the one ace that
grasp,
The
them conceptualize a particular effect clearly.
In John Mendozg'y The three small-pip aces form a convenient
book Close-Up Presentation he discusses Pre group to
ey Guitar's “Copper the one large—pip ace.
Brass, and Silver” effect. In this trick
a half-dollar in one of the
gaTIEs's “Twisting the Ac is an acknowledged classic. One at
a
7

performer's hands transposes with Chinese coin and a Mexican coin a

in the other. The lame sae 0 f the four aces turns over in the packet, However, in order
original version of this effect was “Two
Copper and ihe tator to appreciate that every ace turns over he must
Se
geneLe
One Silver” in which
the half-dollar changed places with
an English point which aces have already turned over and
penny and a Mexican centavo. io

oli oe ie
hh hae
Brother Hamman introduced the idea of doing the
Shh
t

Pe
Mendoza says he
prefers the original version be
confusing. This is because of the cause it's less
similarity between the English coin fe two, three, and four of one suit. The cards turn
making it almost automatic for the audience

ee
and the Mexican coin:
both are copper. This enables at each point which cards are yet to
the audience to
mentally group those two Co; ins
together and see the transposition as our goals: make it easier for them to remember what y
oO
occurring between two
Z

to remember than it would be

in the other. With
entities, the coppers in one hand and the silver to forget it.)

es eu
the use o f three
audience has too totally dissimilar coins, the I
once read a card effect in a
many diff ferent concepts to

bie
aEei
juggle. ransposed one at a time with four red-backe

- Le
However, Me ndoza >Ns.

achieving the same

then B0es on to
suggest an excellent way of
clarity in the “Copper, Br:
of using cards with two different back
poem a
Instead of alking and Silver” effect. seem more impossible but also more difficult
Mendoz refers to
about the English coin
t,

them merely as “the

and the Chinese coin, follow. They now had to remember which cards bo
backs
ha u

ot

aiafs
Spectator can d4gaim foreign coins.” Now the
view the transposition
entities, the foreign coins as occurring between two The problem could easily be solved by using four nd
cid -

i
backs and four black spot cards with blue backs. soot
vs. the Ameri z
rod
following two line: n coin. Just compare the red
3

s of patter and
“Remember, the
copper English penny
in this hand while the
consid er which easier grasp. (1)
and the brass Chinese coin £0
is to practically the same color on both sides and
which becomes
virtually automatic. The different 250
Remember, the foreign
silver
COINS
half. dollar
go in th s hand
goes in this hand.” @ makes it easier for the audience
to follow the effect oa pi oo
BO€s in this
hang» while the American coin ¢asily see which cards
are where whether they're face poly
Of course,

al
You up.
can
gf hieve the gap, Ne
Props as result by of The d-backed, red
suggested arlier performer can go even further by referring
Just perform the reducing the number
;

eo

38 transposition with only “Pot cards as simply the “red cards,” and referring blue-backed,

39
 Darwin Ortiz — Strong Magic

eT
and blue” cards. The
black spot ards
¢: as the plack commgy
hook of the king dise Phra, Rod Stewart's words, “Every picture tells a story.” [t's part
acts as a memory picture. ector's job to ensure that each picture is rately telling
]

“black and blue SCUsgeq

¢

od of the dir ns
he wants to convey.
f

moment

ae
ago.
different from an effect such ag Li 3 Sear|g, the story
This example 18 quite magic provides countless opportunities to utilize this
assembly in which the aces haye 5 of props on the table. One very common
“Ultimate Aces,” an ace ent in the positioning
have blue backs. Here the differen t acky
and the indifferent car
s

ERT ie Vernon's
T—formation often used in ace assemblies. With
backs are used to emph
have a bright—colored
ize the important cards (the impor, =
bac! k while the unimportant cards haye
in
:
:
cog,

.
ace
Mop,
Eni laid out in this

juoi® of the four packets is the

pattern, it's instantly clear to every viewer
focal point of the effect The spectator
two different backs help
A

the clarify effort to remember which is the important

.en't have to make an
back). Thus,
subdued—color
effect rather than potentially
muddle it
as in the previous cari
the
Lol he could hardly forget
if he wanted to.

A
hac
demonstrate bottom dealing technigg Fechter used to perform an effect
in ‘which 8iX quarters
In my gambling lecture
\

i
1

When demonstrating a face—down bottom

deal, the picture hand to the other one at a time. After each coin
can traveled from one
kept very clear. Four aces are
openly placed on the bottom. They traveled he would spread
out the coins from his left hand in a row on

poker hands are dealt face down and one hand is

turned face
ira
©

the left side of

the table, then spread the right-hand coins in a similar
the table. As the one continually
show that it contains the aces.
When demonstrating a stud
row on the
right side of row got
dealt face up which can make other continually got longer, even the most dense or
deal, however, all the cards are a shorter and the fail to follow the flow of the effect.
inebriated spectator could hardly
cluttered picture.
That's why, in the latter case, I first openly place a of Suppose you're going
to perform an effect with two groups of cards,
group black
er than the other. When first displaying the cards
cards on top the deck and a royal flush in hearts on the bottom, The
of
one more important
red picture cards make a strong visual contrast to the black spot vou could subtly
underscore this point by laying out the unimportant
cards in a tight sread while the important ones are laid out in a
wade
cards. The audience can now easily distinguish between those cards
that must have come from the bottom and those that must have come fan. If a prop plays a central
role in the effect, place it at the center of
role, place it somewhat
from the top—between the important cards and the unimportant the close—up mat; if it plays only a peripheral
cards. to the side (at the periphery
of your mat). Of course, none of this
should look contrived or calculated, any more than the placement of
This same idea can be applied to an ace assembly by using four kings ade-
instead of four aces and twelve black spot cards as the indifferent the actors in a well-directed play looks contrived. Remember,
cards. In a very simple, straightforward ace assembly, this might be quate rehearsal iswhat makes things look unrehearsed.
superfluous. In a more complex assembly plot, this step might be There are countless more examples I could cite, but the concept is
useful in clarifying matters. As with all the clarification techniques, simple once you start to think about it. That, of course, is the key. As
visual clarification of props only an option; it's your job to decide
is
obvious as the idea may seem, you won't find yourself applying it—at
when it's called for, least, at first—unless you think about it. Once you start thinking in
Visually clarify the layout. In visual terms, it'll soon become second nature.
(4) the theater, a standard technique

Le
employed by directors in staging play is what is sometimes called
a Naturally, there is another consideration in the arrangement of props
besides clarity, namely the demands of method. For example, if you
Carl Allensworth's The Complete Play Production
msia intend to lap something it may be necessary to place it near the table

Ha
defines
picturization as, “the visual representation, with-
edge. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as the arrangement
of the character relationships, the story
Sitio 3
he
emotional content of the scene. It is the visual
doesn't send a visual message that contradicts the effect you're trying
interpretatio =

i
ation of the meaning inherent
in
the lines of the play.”
:
to convey.
In other words, the
of the actors and the scenery
I
recently read an effect in which three cards selected by three
relation to each other positioning spectators are matched by three prediction cards from another deck.
and in relation to the boundaries of the stage 8
used as one of the t ools
switch of the spectators’ cards which was the key to the method

Eee
to communicate the play's content to the The
audience. Although
are constantly shifting, ab any required that the selections be dealt in a row in front of
the performer
given mome
Shh ng provides the viewer with a particular
t
While his predictions
were dealt in a row in
front of the spectators.
a0 41
10
Darwin Ortiz
——
of the Spectators; Strong Magic
The performer's cards
were Hany
of the performer.
the 0 icky effect quite startling.
In fact, it might be all the more
cards were in front or the au \botage your trick because of how effective it is. The bit's
outstanding one. Nevertheles 1t
The effect was an struck 5 likely to
of
s&

There is something subtly wrong tiveness m akes the interruption that much more a distraction
at this pont
the spectators side the
with off
Sat effect you're trying to present.
performer's cards on of tape from
as
y

described isn't likely

cards are placed on the performer's side of the
I've just to
)

nately, what ever happen to

He
:

ectator
Coarse, since there is no such thing as real magic, all
did, Pm you'd be furious with the
sure jerk who interrupted
ideal. Each performer
mq you.
azingly, many performers will interrupt themselves at a
involve compromising the But, am
3

reading tha t trick you.

decide whether this compromise worth making. is eff ent in an € ffect to tell a joke, do a flourish, or throw in
will have to SE
writicalmom!
+ quicky effect.
hidden visible. It's easier to remember ere Someth;, wh anoth
The Magic Way, he mentions a term coined by
plain sight. The “McDonald Aces” offers Juan Tamariz®
fosFis is
Teate [n
te Arturo de Ascanio in his writings on magic theory. The term “anti-
than most ace assemblies because each ace remains

ies
This strange phrase makes me think
table until it transposes. In general, a version of an effect the ontrasting parenthesis.”
must have been lost in translation. But like the fact that
th
I

props are visible throughout most effect will be clearer the of

the Es curious phrase because it makes it easier to remember. And the
in which props spend much of their time hidden (face dows
the
performer's closed hand, covered by props). or the
other i=+

concept it represents
is very much worth remembering. Tamariz
defines it as “an action or phrase that distracts from the trick, makes
This is one reason why the “Ambitious Card” is a clearer effect the situation that the magician wants them to
t the spectators forget
colour of a handkerchief that is about to
Nan
The ambitious card is constantly
remember ([for example, ] the
“Elevator Car
a »

being turned
i
V
Tie

up; it's only face down at intervals. By contrast, each of change), or keeps them from focusing on a
fact or action that the
: =

of the
to
: » ach

eleva r cards must remain face down on the table until after jt wants them see clearly.”
it ma 1eician
travels
I'm not for a moment arguing against using humor, flourishes, or
quick magical bits in your performanc es. But the positioning
Elimin e time lags. The longer the
(6) of
spectators have to wait for
such

ething to happen, eit

her because of the performer's use of time. digressions is
critical. Any suchbit at the wrong moment can distract
consuming procedures or because of excessive the more like patter, the audience precisely when you most want them to focus on some
they are
to become unc! ar about what
is supposed to be happening key element of the effect you're performing.
Later we'll be talking about the problem
i

Time lags can also

fading emotional memory of Throwing in a gag as you're having a card selected won't do any harm
cause intellectual memory
flag, attention to wander, and on.
fade, concentration fo to and may do some good, both for the laugh it gets and by filling in a
to weaken,
ability to grasp the overall picture moment of dead time. Throwing in a gag as youre revealing the
selected card may kill the whole impact of the trick if, for example, it
the
spectators are not as familiar with the trick youre distracts the audience from appreciating that the card was, not just in
of
es fain ok
doing as makeEel harder
are.
it to your wallet, but in the zippered compartment the wallet.
’

for
)
Ing as y you 3 g

=+=S
them put the individual
in their minds
together
SS, by havingg lolongg stre Recently, saw a magician perform a beautiful version of the Cards to
stretches s of dead
¢

I
dead tim
time of I

between those pieces.

hs
DY

Pocket. Just as the last card was about to travel to his pocket he
minate interruptions
erruptions. Imagine
:
threw in a very funny visual gag. Unfortunately, the gag v 80
h
the you're performing an effe ct and
most critic al funny that it completely distracted the audience from the vanish of
¥

moment of the trick, another entert:

oon
upts you to do a the last card and its production from the pocket—what should have
over and tells his act. Perhaps a comedian comes
one of
aside and does Tittle est jokes. Or perhaps a juggler elbows you
iv, been the high point of the effect. If the
gag had been used earlier, on
a ttle juggling bit, one of the previous cards, it would have been just as funny and it
in
2
It might even
;
another magician
who stands be

14s front of you and 1n

c

- wouldn't have killed the climax of the trick. (As John Carney has
does a quicky
in the middle effect
yoy
is 2

your trick, of

never be at the expense of

ay,
Obviously, t
written, “Humor should the effect and the
that
Interruption m ay make mystery")
6 the audience
¥

that the jo
to follow
it difficult or even impossible
the
thread of your effect. It doesn’t matter
This can be
a tough pitfall to resist because the audience is rewarding
might be qiuite your mistake.
They laugh at the joke or smile in admiration of the
>
ui funny,
the
1
re
Juggling bit quite impressive:
»

42
43
 anid
lost

one
mi
;

igs

face-up
Darwin Orfiz

Th
ara
your

hat

face-up

that point
This
€

goal

he
!
¢

Just
ia, as Jesse Jackson would
However,
on the prize.
ichment at the

fhe deck, and the deck

down ce rds being

not

is an example of
mixed
are spread on the table and ev
In

together.

card
climax
15

anti-contr BE
the
structure of the effect
following var ation of “Triumph.”
case,
of the

shuffled,
After a
the
effect

magical
card is now

in the middle. However, unlike the

performer then counts over

is
the selected
card

is card. Ins ead,

turned over and proves to be the selected

Y,
you've Bot tq
this
prize you're after is the
Anything thug thre, 2250
on isn't worth the momentary gratification.

Fave 1s credited With

in the original, a se lecteq
Up cards

it is
cards from the ten—spot;

the
kind of bad magic that often results
magicians embellish tricks to make them more appealing to audiences
of other magicians. In this case, the ten-spot creates
card
:

is

ang g,,
gp

gesture, the cays

down
2:
Eaten

rds
except fo
orginal, he
ten—spot, Tp,

when
ten ard af
pin
ge

y
As

Eo
5

f:
€

aduaty

card.
buily

the
©

;
0

a
Tight

3
2
Sd
meth in
just

Sat
the

th
thei
to
later

ni
rounda
and reshow
thods

the effect.
them
Solace
be
2 that
down again
cards that
were just shown mom

in order to pick them

apparent purpose. Many methods in a1]
a
close-up magic require that the pe former ent ago
pick

you go about doing something in jugg about

way
humanly possible. Because such
dscape that the spectators are viewing, they get

like to pretend that method, effect, and

\ently to presentation, than the way in which indirect

}
Strong

yp

in the wa o
the big picture. That big picture is othe rwise
4

the mos
procedures clutter

known 4
Up

ic

or

presentation are
unrelated subjects. Ther is no better ample of the relevance of the
method to the effect. that is perceived by the audience, and congo.

Z i overhandling can clutter an effect to the point where procedur

ae doesn’t know what is supposed
Remember the example
to
have happened,
the aud-

gave parlier of gathering the cards at the

I
Magic

Many
propg

ap anti- beginning of the McDonald Aces, mixing them face up and face
contrasting parenthesis. Normally, when you spread out
the climax of Triumph, the spectator
ards
“My God, they're all face thir
the down, then dealing them out again. This pointless procedure is used
,

to switch the regular aces for the double—fa aces. There are far
down except for my card!” In the Braue
sion, the spectator thinks ve more direct methods of doing the switch, but they demand more skill
‘My G they're all—wait a minute! What's the with ten of story that will be ignored by those
so they lazy magicians who tell themselves
spad
that the audience doesn’t care about the method. They may not care
Theface-up ten-spot, which doesn’t make
any sense to the spectator about the method, but they do care about whether or not they
can
when it appe distracts him from
ossibility of the other cards all
appreciating the utter follow what is supposed to
be happening, and that
isoften affected by
being face down. Just as the what method you use.
spe ator's mind is about to
having the phone
explode you all the air out. It’s like let To make clear what I mean by directness, I'll delineate the difference
200d news, it's
ring just a
just not good timing.
u're having an orgasm. Even it's
if between directness and simplicity. One so often hears an effect
described as “simple and direct” that there is a tendency to assume
This is a good
place to introduce another of Darwin's
are not easily fooled, but they
Laws: Audiences the two things the same. (To add
are

to
the confusion, there are those
are easly confused. If you add Vernon's magicians who say “simple” when they actually mean ‘ea This is
dictum
that
confusion is not magic
to avoid magicus you should see why
interruptus
important it's typical of the muddled thinking that predominates in magic.)
A trick may be simple without being direct or direct without
(8)
8) Procedural
Procedural
di being
directness, Nothing kills clarity in magic more surely
J

simple, “The Twenty—One Card Trick” is simple but not direct. The
than using indirect
the cards and
procedures and
have somebody ssive handling. If you spread
remove one,
I

e plot of having
someone think of a card and then divining it is
simple as one could hope for. However, the procedure of continually 3
that a card has
been hosen. f sone can understand ¢

between you ask a Sp ctator to name a number

¢f
dealing the cards in rows and cross—e xamining the spectator about
ten
and twenty,
the named count off that many cards, add the digits of
nu
count off that
the whereabouts of
is
his card the height of indirection.
at
°Iy
counted—off p;
should not b
et, and remember the
many cards from the previously
card at that number, you
By
contrast, David Roth's “Portable Hole” isvery. direct, tin
gi
i
of coins
Surprised '* some emerging from a bagless purse, disappearing into a oa
what hag “}
1appened”
:
is that a card
people have hy
realizing that trouble mensional hole, and materializing under the hole is hardly
the in
been chosen.
is glo whi f x
has Finally, the Ambitious Card
k

Many methods an example of an

in rd m BIC ¢
best versions,
cut, shuffle, deal
deal dg Wn
require that the performer continually
isboth simple and direct. Simplicity is an aspect plot. of

and under,
count cards, recount the same
a4
45
 Darwin Ortiz

method. (Whew!)
is an aspect of procedure which in turn

Simplicity in magic is strictly a matter of Person]

jg fu
Ney,
lon
g— strictly
Strong Magic
intellectual sense, the effect is identical in both cases.
Ina# fowmer proves that he predicted what card the spectator
The Ra
Directness, however, is an absolute essential, Earliey Pref, nk of. However, any good performer should be able to
don’t have to
try to incorporate all the various Said
gp,
30
would
presen
He first version clearly; only a very accomplished showman
Seeyou have to determine in clearly conveying the effect of the second version to
Arifying
into every effect. It's something
2 & Chg,
;
succeed
;
4 fog

could
Tene. Even then, the impact would not be the same. The trick
1

trick basis. However, directness in procedure and Rana trick p,-

you must strive for in every effect. It's not only essential
ing
8

gq) arity
18
a goal jg, not clear enough because the procedure is so absurdly
,

first version is nearly self-working; the second version is

necessary if
your magic is
to really look like magic, ty,
its indi ect, The
completely self-working.
So you see, the problem of indirect
In sleight-of-hand effects, indirect procedures are ofte not t limited to sleight of hand.
rh
overhandling. But it's important to realize that thig
nr
Shc procedures is

fi
to g¢ or
why magicians so often fall into the trap of
just arise in sleight-of-hand magic. Consider two v doggy, There are four reasons
with overhandling or other indirect procedures,
same general effect that I recently read. Both ap, littering their magic
working. One is “Britlandeck” by David Britland. First, they fall in
so love with the ingenuity of a particular method
method even when it doesn't fit and ‘may actually
that they use that

rel
In this version, the performer shows a Joker A small example of this can be found in the second
on tc harm the effect.
p

writes a prediction on the back of the joker and hisWh He

version of the prediction effect I described a moment ago, the one that

a==
view by turning the deck face up. He then as Ng fron In that trick, the performer beging by giving the
the spectato uses two decks.
any card
spectator a choice the two
he wishes. The spectator may, for example, nama name of decks. He really uses a magicians choice
i

Se
hearts. The performer then spreads through the prediction card is taken from the deck that is
to ensure that the
al
deck, find

ae
gaffed for that purpose and that the “thought—of" card comes from the
of hearts, and drops it on the table Sul
in front of the
he turns the deck face down to show
that what he previo sl 5
;
2h deck that is gaffed for that purpose
the back the jokerof
is
“the four of hearts.”
The performer could simply have handed the spectator the deck he
Compare that to the following
trick I ran across in a book wanted him to use. In so doing he would have removed one small
mentalism. The performer brin
gs out tw y 0 decks of cards,8, one redd-
on
distraction from the effect. can only assume that he likes doing the
T

it

a
2

backed, the other blue— backed.

magician's choice so much that it prevented him from realizing that

Ady
b The spectator
is
asked
:

The performer then to select one,

pic ks up the other deck and doesn’t add anything to this particular effect.
removes a card from

epi rs
Sree
25
shown but is slipped inside
€ remainder of
an envelope which is
this deck is handed to the spectator
Ta
By now you realize that I don’t subscribe to the method-doesn't—
matter school of thought. I do, however, believe that method matters
it
€ Instruction
that he place in his pocket only in regard to how it affects the effect. The fact that you do a
a he performe ors to it
fe
pt
spreads the other deck, faces toward the particular move very well is no reason do at every opportunity.
SKS lim £0
name any card he sees. (Let's again
The fact that a particular
strategem intrigues youis no reason to use
1s named.) The performer then
itin an effect where it contributes nothing.
eck .
and places it inside the envelope
The second reason for indirect procedures
is that many magicians are

xey
Is then asked to concerned only with performing for other magicians. This leads them
is pocket.
(Th remove the other

i
Previously remqy,
ed :
18 the
deck from which the performer to load
up their effects with complicated procedures in the hope that
3
other magicians will
thought of
5 card. With es ie
deck get lost in the maze and be unable to reconstruct

fs oe
from which the spectator
the face-up
deck ang
to ©
He
is
instructed to count through
sees the card that he thought of.
the effect.
A variation of this is the magician who has spent so much time
a around other magicians
ard is p, 55 Rio
Cl fifty-one cards in the deck and his that he has lost all touch with how laypeople
fi
r i

8 them.
is
then instructed to remove
think. Even when he
is routining his magic for laymen, he attributes
ed
He

both Prove Within ¢

them the thinking habits of magicians. He continually throws in
io he fours envelope and turn them over. They 4
proy, 2

of
Ploys designed to convince the
laymen that he isn’t doing things that
fever would have occurred to them in the first place. (In this con—

47
 Darwin Ortiz

or
tion, we will later be
nesaction,
ones matter
me

other
for ot
for laymen
to laypeople

magicians
181

to
ig
discussing subtleties
and which ones don and conditio,,
Always keep in mind that devious proce dures
to follow

just a layman with a bunny rabbit on hig business

magic to fool and entertain laypeople

The third reason for indirect procedures

effect much easier to perform
t.)

the method may lso make it

follow the effect. (Besides,
Ss
EonsideI']] |
Slthoteh you probably won't believe me. The et yoy in or Pog

anc you'll be
many magicians you'll also fool along the way.)

is
d
i

to
g
Make jt Mogg,

Average

that the
cary
;

hy

Magica
~y

“OUting
©

SUrprigeq ath
1

Seer

hoy
.
ii
A
i

min imu
It
Be
hink
ptroduce

1t woul

a book

per
hao “to ens
-missible
Paper 80 e na
quceess 0

Bh he gides
aut

»pposite
if ©
‘e
mn

t later

Jilure
spectetator
,
rT
C

convincingly
8

be permissible to have
a large enough
ON

Coie
e or two
tv

ar 1d if you
1
3

ee
can
detours. This is permissible if the y're

spectator choose

he spectator write the word down on a even he

late we'll have proof f for

to arrive
number
£
DET
If
ot

of the experiment. |
for
# rest
rest
o

has to roll three dice and add the numbers on

arrive at a page number; then he hag to addthe
convincingly j justify

selection” It mightthe word

piece of
ay ience of the

down to a ling; finally, he has

to count t do :
4

the
a
the

the the
)
kept
each one.

of of

the
the
Strong

di
Magic

tq a

a rnEe
Bi

Unfortunately, they may gits of the pag

page

pt
¢

ay to
Rae
,

effect no longer worth performing. This ay algg

pa wn and seal it inside three envelopes; you shouldn't Hh

mak,
is an the ony audience fails to realize
218

many magicians refuse to face.

pre entation In a magic magazine. Along with
uncomfortap), f: act
rec ently read
I

an artjgls
thy
i surprised
some one
thought
- word and you read his mind. ©
that the effect wag that

advice, the author makes this t atement:

methods, and seek the easiest
some Benerally
Forget complicateq oo 1

Since directness 1S a atter of degree, will always involve

test won't give you an automatic answer:
personal it
way to accomplish the map, t. The “real

a
judgment.
:

problem is that ve ry often the compli: trick” m,

hav to final decision. However, the “real
ated method is magic”
the
e
vou still Ee
to accomplish the trick, asiest ya,
test will at least your attention focused on the big picture,
keep
¥

Ane xample of this is the ace switch in known asas the effe
e known
fect.
the “Mec Donald Aces’ othherw1
erwise
described earlier. Another illustration that |
is Larry
Travelle: In his version, the Jennings
aces are palmed acro.
never touch. Magicians who 8, so the pag
are afraid of p alming devised
which the aces had to be versions ip
continually gathe red up only
a ain for no good
reason. The magician’s job be tobe dealt out
ame
Remem ber, your Job is to makeeasier,
effect bec ame less clear. but the
as possible for your audien
ce, not to make things
th ings easy as

for yourself. as eas;

The fou th and
fina] reg 4s0n
magicians use indirect procedures
sometimes hey are the
If the indirect only way
a
that
Particular effect can be achieved
is
different effect.
approach
is the only way an effect
can be achieved, do
Admittedly, the above
complete ve attained
discussion sumes an ideal that can't be
in the ye al world.
we'll alw.
ays have to Because we can't do real magic
approach. [t's 5 quuestionengage in a certain
amount of indirection in our
a particular of degree. Here
handling is to i ndirect. a test to help you decide if
effect look Jj / Ask y our: self, “What would this
te if I could do jt
far the meth,
od and hang) t
through req] magic’ Then consider how
Ing depart from
Real magic
would aly.
this ideal.
If you ays involve the
could really
read minds, most direct procedures possible.
think of a word, you woul d
t hen yoy simply ask someone t
woul d
Inmediate ly tell him what that w a
18. Since
You prob,
Y can't
really read min, ds, :

ave
you're going to have =
to

43
49
="
Strong Magic

multi phase effect is a ies of discrete

realizse that a of the trick has its
fects combined. Therefore, each phase
a
I

an YO
u

In “Oil and Water,” each

tory phase
and magical phase.
the pert mer alternating the “Ambitious
colors (exposition)
own €X| posi
!

beg ins with (ting (magic). In the Card,"

ith the colors sepe
yhase
the card in the middle of the ou're
deck
and ends

TW0
W y

you inst
ery {me
* the

phase; every time rises to the top you're

it
(gaging
’
in the expository
the magical phas
In any case,
_
there's no need to
debate
exceptions since almost all effects
engaging in divide very
w seeming
ul the ie these two phases.
1

naturally into
CHAPTER TWO and
these two phases of a trick the boring part
{
;

e
night almost term
might part. he This isnt really accurate since the
,
»

gE the interesting should be interesting to your audience too

CONVICTION
=

hase can and

and tf

pl interesting, your
cant make the expository phase
expository 0

Indeed if you audience won't be paying any

a

to fail since the

(Inde ' 2

iS bound arrives.) Nevertheless, it 18

the time the magical phase
magic ric A

1. The Dynamics Of Conviction attent jon by

that the magical phe se is inherently interesting
| while the
true
not inherently intere ting.
is
expository p hase
mag 1s to treat the expository phase as a
The Expository This leads many
Phase aspossible, They act as if

i
o
out of the way a soon
nuisance to be gotten A typical example is
the magician
eld >all close-up is
of no importance.
Vi rtug close. magic tricks can be divided into t
1

exposition card. The

tter how you control the selected
T

hs
as
Houdin : sai =
said
m the expository phase and the
that before
before you change
at yi
magical phas
an apple into an
ie “R
ange yo
at

pw
who
s s, “It doesn't

audience doesn't
how you control the card. They're
reveal it."
only

xnowsAn an apple. Changing

z
should make sure the audience interested in how you
mire becomes obvious when you realize that
the
k d

hen
it's

ee het
ois orange is the magical phase. Making sure first
an
The fallacy of this attitude
magical phase in magic are e
anal-
is the
u

Know 1t's an apple the

expository phase .xpository phase and y

that
and the punchline in a joke. It's the punchline
te expository phase always comes first, for gous to the setup that's funny; it's the entire

a
example: having card
:
f

wugh, but it's not the punchline

et
a

ected and returned to the decle:

een
placing four coins on the table

ie
th
under four playing cards; joke that's funny
four aces signed and buried in

ai
;

the how funny the punchline

To put it another way, the setup determines
]

different
ck;
or dealing the aces in a T—formation and audience and only
sipi Imagine a comic who stood before an of

actrosi=
ach one. Then comes will be.
of the magical phase
he'd lots laughs? Do you
recited punchlines. Do you really think
get

Ba
making from the deck; making the coins trav
think it doesn’t matter what he says during
the setup because the
the aces from four different pockets; or
rhe rs gether
in one packet. audience only interested in the punchline?
is
Not only is the setup
be done just a certain way for the joke
to
t glan some tricks ry, the setup must
Any professional comic will tell you
that if a gag isn't set up
,

For example,
at the fingertips have any
expository pk ? Isn't
it all magi on properly it will die.
the exposition
Production of a
iS brief. it
coin at your
0 in
Admittedly, this is a case
ha on
seems nonexistent.
W

Still, the
In t} me way, the expository phase
cessary evil, it's a pivotal element of the effect
of a magic trick
In
is
not merely
fact, it's only a
something has ertips won't have much impact unless what
i gone before ia: slight exaggeration to say that the expository phase is
have acon
in your hand
0 lead the audience
believe you don't to determines how strongly the effect as a whole will play Admittedly,
interesting as possible.
: fo he
Multi-phase fects like “0 il Its important to make the expository phase
as

also seer Wate Meaning,

in the sections on Substantive
may
m
like
3

exceptions
and
The “Ambitious Card” We'll talk about that later
act that the, re not becomes clear
50
51
 Darwin Ortiz

a
Situational Meaning, and Pacing. Right
perhaps the single most important consider; noy Strong Magic
nt tg ta]
les the audience initially believed you had 4 t lue
magic: making the expository phase a § convine,
100 jn
reat
<

A
iy xamples
exan deck
Ng gg . [n bot! both cases the conviction was so shallow that, when
h

Y
in
o

Possipy, However
Prove d different, the audience was able to revise its
PRErg tion Fs
without difficulty.
Degrees Of Conviction
3

One of the most important factors that

assump
Now let’ s comme e you hand
his
a deck to spectator and have him shuffle
hands, and assure himself that the
a

will determin, d it be deck is

is
spread
further that
your magic registers with an audience
pl you take the deck bh
it, SPIE
the degrep of cked. Let sume
k

: urn
ong)
achieve in their minds. The more blue instant, then immediately turn it face down and
iis
,

strongly the audience Wiction

-
for )

ittfface
up
the coin is in your hand, the lie table. It's now red-backed. Can you doubt that
Sin
1 vo,
by
more amazed they’]] be read it across
acr
it E

Siae
that it's gone. Stated baldly this way the
hes
gpred be speechl with astonishment?
pi
astonis| Unfortunately v, 3
vith

point You ator W oe this version, but know

think that many magicians don't really believe seems ghy, 5,
gh. the spect if did it would I
that I
u

Id on't have The re son is that such a high degree of conviction had
i

conviction. They think that either the there

and that, therefore, spending
audience beliey, €8
or th,
slay st
rongly.
joved that having that conviction overturned would be a very
1

time trying to stre heen achieved

that ha
U
ds

ngthen copy, ction experience for the spectator.

»cn

spect
.

to
>

just something do if you're working for

other magicians,
1¢
unsetthng

i:
siction is one reason why magical methods are not
i

convictl
a
fr
€

To test this position, lets take of E

Degrees
eable and why one version of trick may be far more
;

as an e xample the “Color-(h,

inert
ol
erchanges
=
Deck” effect. There
8

real rickvisual
is
are some ver: sions of this effect ang)
[t's also a major reason why
agi 0
F
an ar
it
th at are
o:

-fu
that a card - t
£
3

convincing (Larry Jennings’ “Transmutation” and z

be more convinced
SE
Very

Sr80T \ will never 3 a

:

is
Poker,” for example) because my own “Greek
: ois. ata
is taken
,

a great deal h, staring right at its face Let's take t

; ;

hen he
:
a

appens before the blu spades than whe

:

deck changes to red

han

Spectators are seeing what

and during all this
preliminary mag, ter fthe factors 2
factors that affect conviction.
’

to
the

appear be a great m any different blye

en
backed car
There are other
ve ns where proving that the deck
Emotional Memory
is
blue consists

ee
of little more th
an performing a couple of face-up Hindu shuffles -onviction in a spectator’s mind ih tporieni

apefa
flashing the bottom
EE
en Se or Cae
kip or therational and irrational elements can bog

ht e i
occasionally. Some

iea
card h

this 18 magicians would argu call emotional memory. Be

enough, because once the
audience believes the deck is blue factor 1

a
el se 1s Just
gilding the lily, But let's coin vanish for some
take this further.
oa

ss ne
<; hand but don't. Patter

imp
Suppose you your
were to take a red deck Gs :
and place a single blue card on

eawi3
top it, then
ur hand to show the coin forgone. u
oRthi
i «

BO the case and the

of
Place deck in a blue
case. If you removed Hig
i
only this time patter
it (remonco ALE

ps
5 held ithe

Say ad to the
face. down in show coin gone. If you
your hand, everyone would
oe FEE ne
k

= before opening your 5

deck is blue. Do you really think, however, that win

A
mediately ‘ap the one blue card and
when you wait only fo seconds
before revealing the v

je
spread the deck tt
Habits red, there woylq be gasps of amazement? reaction

prem
:
move

ed
Let's go you performed the
further stip), You
don't even need the blue cover card
What's
; going on here? atter longer almost seem "

it
Tog
Laypeople believe eptively in each case. Yet when you
that blye ardcases
er
case.
the coin in
ine

sain
ch

saw you put

Eh a ge
Ye
contain blue decks. Just put a 65your Andeniebagnel
E
i

ie strictly sniellsc

ihe
c ase. ©,
During your performance, :

au
face up. Ey,
i

remove the sense, they have

avi co Se, in a han

ai
hz a
e :

from eryone will believe that the deck is ue theyTh saw the coin
rex they saw you
iL
ill

spread it op, the tabi; certainly

aL, his o met with a round of applause io questioned on the point, they
questior
place it there
will verify
3

5
i ih
rand
emotional
Ew
:

that the deck simply reconsider its pre = hasn't faded, the
Yet, while the intellectual in the
arec deck jp 5
+
and conclude, quite rightly, thhat Hedin, seeing the col n placed closing
app
y
8

blue cage conviction that came from between

hand has partially faded. The more ti
52 53
 Darwin Ortiz

the hand around the coin and opening the hang to

gone, the less strongly the audience feels in theijy gut
sh
hi the
Be
ll emotions
al memory of seeing face-up cards and § ace-down
Strang Magic

cardg

eo
there. That's one reason why Slydini’s “One-Coip Mig! hed into ac h other to dissipate.
strong. Bach vanish of the coin follows right on the
audience seeing the coin in the hand Sa
is
eels op 4
BY
There iS Nes .+'s job. However,
denying that pitc product is a vital part
instead
hing

hung
if
holding the climax
the
the
trade
product
of
a
vital pay
of

I recall two different

the
show his audience stay for the commercial he had
of
the
performances I've seen that vividly trick hostage
In one case the magician was performing 5 Under tric ffect and then done his pitch, I'm certain everyone

a
this point.
y

Coir hs
S00,
finished 5
syed and listened if only so they could see another
Oleg

the Table” routine in which four half-dollars Penetrateq Thr Ugh

would He ‘one they'd just witnessed

a
time. He placed the four coins in his hand then, while One
ta
hand in a closed fist, he asked
in the table. When she
a
spectator to
point out the
keep;
the
5 jracle
Ye another
good example of what mean was passed on to me by my
Coo k. He once told me that he had just witnesse
I

did so, he rapped the spot a couple oe friend pat

with his fist and questioned its
softness. He asked the of time, Sek
that he previously thought impossible. expe
Ee
I

something 11

eeSL
spect, to describe some card or coin miracle. Instead he
wanted to change her mind. When she declined, he insistedator if she that he was 2
mind. After that g}
a magician fail to get any audience reaction
change a new soft spot was chosen,
other if they would prefer that he use a
he askeq told me
whatever Whe
produced a giant load at the end
’ chop cup of a
different
spe

re
the table. When a soft spot had been selected by ait
plebiscite, he finally poutine
I asked. He informed me that it was
brought his fist down on the table and opened it to reveal “Was he ‘king for magicians?”
coins while his other hand emerged from under the table
only three of Jaypeople. I said, “Well, he must have flashed”
fourth coin. This ordeal was repeated with each of the
with the a

But Pat to!

ds
ie was quite sure the audience had been fooled by
remaj
half-dollars, the load:
This performer received no audience He wenv 00
explain that after the magician executed the load
:=
reaction to any of the loaded cup on the table and launched into a long

Jah aSeBrea
5 oeed
Penetratio I think
the reason was clear. After each interminable perfectly
so much,” said Pat, “that by the time he

sige2
period of meaningless prattle about soft “He
spots, people could hardly the load, the audience didn't care.” I would say
remember how many coins he had placed in his fist lifted the didn't
at the outset time he revealed the load, the audience
am, in a strictly intellectual sense they could
but the visceral experience of
recall the number,
ne seen the cup empty—at least, they didn't remember
the coins go into the hand remember havi
eing
faded
to the point where
it emotionally.

=Fisrein
carried no conviction.

fi he
emotional memory 1s into the
3

(This is also a good ex:

ample of why a performer should not play up
2

the problem of fading bpd

7
is found in
re of an effect. ok good example
Sh
A

je
meaningles: structure

.i
conditions. Did this very ¢

for example,
magician r ally think people were Cards.” The performer deals,
deals, ¢

Cards
or ,

going to walk out of the performance “Elevator

e-by-one eac i
ee
of
«
the

saying, ot only did he make & of hearts in a face—down row.

F

the coin go through HEand four

the table, the most amazing thing is that he let 0, t
in one position in the eR
0

deck and ade to

to a
fag
: :

me pick what ard is placed

card

pelo 2
spot on the tab] e it would gets fo he
placec
penetrate!” If he had asked former
is

different position. By the time the

Fiat oars
5

me to point tc e soft spot, I

ae
would've pointed between his ears
I

hearts, a good deal of time time he has elapsed since

of 8

The second
is
: al

xample involved a far weaker than the So

last shown. Consequently, each phase 1s a

>

allowed the SAME more talented magician, but he commie demands.

error to ruin
a classic effect. The performer was that preceded it—just the opposite of what goo

.
10g a trade show.
The effect in ‘hange an apple into an
Th
>

question was “Triumph.” He had fore2 you change

an

Remember Houdin's advice that befor

’

ard selected and ’

returned to alize it's an apple? He

mught ap %

the deck. He then turned half the

BRERe on rould Sire peuple pes
up and shuffled the two time to elapse
bee
Ce
halves together. =a too nuch

ls shouldn't
that shouldn't allow
ai muc! Le
came the f; ave
oy aed atlastyouglimpse of the apple glimpsese of the
a 3 =

error. He placed the deck aside and launched

;
and their oir first first
&

i
into n extend he audience's
1

=
extended Pitch about
ak,
Pl
finally SPread out the cardsthe product he was representing. When
pitch
he The
orange,
emory to con=
besides emotional memory
were all face down
to show that they
other factors-« besides
:

okxcept for
are
o>

it
-
the selec ted they were Admittedly, there the

SE
between showing
at

card
¢

had allowed
virtually no impact. He had sider in gauging the optimal Slage me a

possibility
One is the
original state and revealing the changed é

54 55
 Darwin Ortiz Strong Magic
of building suspense before the revelation. Wey) di of the same
88th is assigned a leader card
later. (But note that the “soft spot” gambit id a USS
pile. Tach pile the face-down cards
age
3

ite lead er cards are transposed,

r

ng ng 5

suspense. The time to build suspense in “Coing T} dealt had been the black
Mf
fo
dealt from what
Bi} by

Tollow; red card Js are

ut
after the hand has been slammed down on the ‘rough with cards of
osing of the leader cards
color
before lifting the hand to show the remainin € table,
A This transpos!
4

coing can
A appear’
and V1€ce versa. being dealt from t he face—down piles repeated is
anticipation.)

a
pg, pile
exhausted.
matching ave been
is
ba
Another factor to consider that of deceptivenegg until the transposed, the sffect is very strong
ho
1

it the leaders are

easy for the audience to
a
shopy
where the red cards were
fr ti
lapse might make
what must have happened. If you show that a
ack ang The first be octator was certain he knew the trick is halfway
because oe cards were. By the time
e

i6
instant you drop in your hand, it won't be difficultoor Vanighe, ue: the spectator to conclude
228
it
oropress of the effect has forced

aSa
to figure out that you must have retained the coir
hey Cetaty,, all reds and all blacks as
2 thao er hay, { didn't really consist of
If you do a double turnover to show card, turn
the deck, then immediately show that the top c: Shen
face dowy a that the
a ot
ro packets
The performer thinks
that the message of each
oe ue or The face—down cards follow the leaders
on no matter how
8 now Gifforgy
most people will realize that the card you
repetif’ - around.” Unfortunately, the real

pe a
switched
“eal
en they are
g

a still “You were wrong when you thought that

top of the deck even if they don't grasp the
double I, Be spectator is,
It's far more deceptive to take the face—down of only one color at the beginning.”
packet of cards consisted
of the deck ang
pa

io
rub
it
on the table for a few moments before Se how he was fooled at the
Just don't keep rubbing for five minutes—and do € aling the ch ange AE the spectator may not understandto the trick was this initial
3

to pick what spot on the table you should rub the au diene outset, having recognized
that all there is
wanes; the illusion of magic
has been
deception, his interest the difference between the per—
destroyed. (This again illustrates
For the magician, puzzling
° ective of magicians and that of laymen.
Deteriorating
N

Conviction initial laying out of the

agehe igserhi
could have been fooled during the
5

over how he

hei
Rf
difficult
enough to fascinate him. For the layman,
A problem that arises i

ses i in manyi effects

pre
i

5 red cards and black cards

ve
8
:
hn
performer nothing more to the “magic” than that

gs
may succeed
succee
in creating a high degree
i

conv the realization that there is

nena
each sili
conviction at
of
trick into a mere puzzle and he loses
3

ee
the

initial deception transforms the

1

2 serves to undermine ;
)
.
8 2:

subsequ
Y,
as
quent phase of the effect becomes interest.)
another illustration of the problem occurs
in “The Ambitious

—
:

Consider th
e typical ace ass;
i Still
Card” The first couple of times you make the
card jump from the
To aan
asse
S
7

apparently: deals:
3 r
ithe four
aces in a Actually,ly, the three aces middle to the top, there is no doubt in the spectator's
mind that the
i
| >

positions have been

y

the
:

switched for indifferent cards; however, due to fourth time you do it, the spectator
the deceptivene
ss of the swi t ch, the
:
fou card really is
in the middle. By
before you insert it in
is
"all

spectator certain that four all may be asking to see the face of the card just
0

ards on the table

are aces the center
When
the
h first ace tra v S
SN ; leader the spectator is amazed. The “Elevator Cards” effect we talked about earlier also suffers from
joir the ti to
V
Whe
en the ond ace Joins
second
deteriorating conviction as well as straining emotional memory.

a aoy
| ead I

a
er, t he; spectator begins to wonder
the
5

cards laid out at the

other examples of this same dynamic at work in

a
beginning really were aces. By
>
last ace travels
across the spectator is certain that all ge owever, you can probably think of further examples
Se

a
n the table to
with. Although he doesn’t know yourself. act, most tricks that involve repetition are potentially
ceurred, his

i
conviction as to the positions of vulnerable to this problem.
ded to the 1al

the last phase the trick i

eh -
the leq point Where
Patt
ful
rather t} 1an the
of
there is no solution or that repetitive effects
most powerful as dramatic theory ok
really effective versions of these tricks,
7

Ra Bei
e
2© = Lk somehow

5
red
ample js
ten red car ds
are
ided by “F ollow
og
alt in one face.
ace-down
.

the Leader.” In this effect

pile and ten black cards I¢
:
pS
Mabon Aces” all ack
fhe
ae
four are
aces
reinforce conviction as the effect
to our example of the ace assembly. In the
laid out on the table face up. No

57
Darwin Ortix
Ww
Strong Magic

I
)

he a |

5 vi mean that 1a
1

f
cond

pecifi
)

«
i

ah 9
cS
R
nif \

M jans' rea
1

I
ion Fol low 1g
231 how
8

such 1
the
al
f

ick the performer shows thes

1
= W
'

=
nat
1

two
two follower
follower pa are all red
apg
t
migh lon
Fad \

immediat continues with t}

es Card pe/Wallet
1

vet
“1

yerform
I
he ¥ 1€
gl

“Ambitious Card” handlings Suj

=

laymen.
} 3

umerous
n
Af
and
he

both m
1s s1 )

y Eo
mer show the face
to the
:

v3 of
lien
1
in
the de ry fair
; !
wr
hand
5
wise performer saves these
:
n
I
1 W
! t d :
1
, ‘ : ’

oun You not ti

onl

counteract deteriorating
3 he flap of
.

cor
t
to an
er

f
that will work best depend on the specif lope glued shut but it is
also h a blob of

these examples audience will impressed

the
fact that
of shows, though, is the value
L_ieians
by
t ry
in the
of
th
conviction throughout a repetitive +h removing allet h
sir
fore
|
v
f

indard method
5
:

ble the performing th

n (such as laying out the ac {

to
much le
fected by
th
lition #1
f

ncer (such as flashing the face of Lavpeopl 11 be

wont ti that
g

n the t ur
deck). Let's take a closer look at how
|
v incir
woul wil
hidden
I ore, they

neers w 1d
be

sled
intr ed 1

if
t y palme C

it
hand mpty
even

Fherefor not
V B
11
bel th: 1

3 .
he
fact that
peop nake
it
more
deter
even

Tr

ni
letermining the impact ¢ : y
pear
than
ng the 1a}

how much convi

)
the

the
¢
x
an effe et
i

tion si

t
tk

conditions und
by

|
th
e
n
{

hrough
dist
th
the
i

ib
r

s whether dec
t |

whether a
n

tv
"
the leader packet t}
\
impr
yn }

performed
Wa 18

the magician tinder: Card

orf
{
t
ditions
t

think ¢
t

of

roup mpressed t

f
yrough
rol
f

ry
I
1 I r oe

;
I
ert
ns AL wy
ards
hid

EXP
:

eliminates a
possible
*

t
e for them; it

pe Of a
cour

: tk
g

g
1
Beth x

3
hh
:
Darwin Ortiz

that
condition doesn’t impr!
the notion of magician

fixation with
magicians

Incidentally, you shouldn't

Sig n
other magicians at all
havin
1aving

of their
rd up their
cards
having cards f

condescendingly assume th,

stupidity.
Vit Ala

ance sees me perform Darwin's Wilg

eight black deuces
since the
sleeye

8 look

ange into req pi,

ing)
Myth

at ip
Koy

c!
I

oy
4
all ig
This
malegic

Ww
gt
when
8%

10 guish
h
important point We magicians
ra!
well as performers
©
between
raises

and those conditions

a
we P<
ick
&

that
2
are often spectators
of magic. »That's why
an

those conditions that imp Tess us

a

would
'm
Dackat

a trick
when we
mpress laype ple
of
it can be ifs 1eult for

that contained a Named Triumph effRE

magic book
o

:
Strong Magic

®
A

sit
h

prehensibl manner. have It's only logical for them

thad 0 oe Recen
jy I

version
read a
of GbTriumph”
in which the spectator does | not pick k

came {rom and where the deuces went tq

Won3

ers ee
not
pick a
Wong,
card The cards are then
.
arhis |
any he wishes. v

where the merely names

&

nines
mixed
Since my hands were
undeniably empt at th
outset, are yng, ard, he
and face
down. At the end, the named
1
rd the only face
to c 18

=
and have not approached any possible face up effect received particularly high praise from the
he deck. This
,
i
d,

rational to suspect the one

Plag card IN t copy of the book.
jsher n the flap
i

near my hands. From the tandpojp,

plagy 1

version of “Triumph” would e much stronger for

}

ure this
yerson has to wo kcw
Ont
with suspecting is I'm also sure that it would be
than the standard version.
of N

an un voidable—conclusion
the ans than the standard version. I've had
an intelligent—indeed, eaker for laypeople
|
:

for lay audier

roll up your sl you remove the ce performing ces to pre dict with some
vou ast ough experien
what a layman's reaction to this effectcard; would
poggil
llect can no longer protect
be. When
you
A
A

con fidence the of

layed the climactic layout at the end
/
:

your
4

vhat he sees.
of

beliey
5
yroudly d
I

emoti force he'd look at you co mpletely unimpressed vd

who per agic can increase the impact hnical tou r de
told what my card was!"
by rolling up his sleeves, sure, you
1

1t simply «well,
on laypeople by fifty

Se watchthey're
say
laypeople closely when you have them pick card you'll

is
Indeed, I erience taught me that there three
paranoid about hiding its face from you. If
a almost
e

ns that ar lways on the tip of la person's tongue w hen that

in a very
s card magic: cards in the
form one card into anothe
marked ecards, ang
they will susp
e
5 ask them to show the
rded way to make sure there
card to others they will do so

is
no chance of your catching a peek.

If anything occurs as
the carc is returned to the deck that makes
in
If you identify
one your sleeve. 5

might have seen it they will immediz ly yell,

“You
hem think you
’

selected c will susp

y
that the deck is marked. If you ma :
saw it! Let me pick
another one.”
ne place to another, they will suspect that the card
d at point B is only a duplicate of the one that started at saw a prominent
bar magician ask a spectator to name her
of the trick just before
|
once
card for the benefit of the audience at the
end

you can greatly s ngt such effects by impo ealed it. She refused to
do
it
This resulted in a battle of wills
led to the performer having her ejected
cen them which almost
n
r

ditions that eliminate those theori I've already nmended r

too have sometimes

encountered resistance when
from his bar.
1

yrming with es rolled up. If you'r e going to identify a card the end of the trick. If
sl

asking a spectator to name her card at

it'll be more effective if you have the card at the end of a trick,
laypeople are reluctant to name their selection
that never get to see its back would be with a trick in
which they
imagine how unimp essed they
you

spectator select the card while your b had to name their c rd at the very beginning!
k at the card r. ther than
remove from
it the
whole point of a pick card
trick
om

is that you
a
layperson's perspective, the
don’t know what card they picked.
This makes perfect
find
po
a
going to make a card a
layman could

haa
travel to some impossible location, only way
ever
nse from their viewpoint. The find
>

eliminate th Pos sibility of a duplicate. Gene! for. Its

steps to Jooking
5

if he knew what card

he was
card in the deck
1ave the card signed. (Ironically,
8
magict to you
i
spect sleeved cards, mar d decks, or duplicates which natural that he would assume the same applies on
tricks depend
pick a—card
possible to fool the n badly with precisely those By
contrast, magicians know that most
3

1t8
eck, no )t on knowing
would have little ch.
t
ance of getting past laypeople.)
controlling the location of the card in the of “Triumph
; in which
tity. They would be impress ed by a version
61
 Darwin Ortiz

they could name any card in a shuffled deck since ¢

all the standard controls. Laypeople don’t know
controls. For them a version of “Triumph” in
buried in the deck, its identity unknown to you ad S
Ww
i

$
gmi Ly wa,
isting
5
ee
the C
ge.” In order to
Tiar with
the origin
1

t
keep the description
he original effect.
al Vernon handling up
over and the last ace
Strong Magic

brief, I'll assume

to the point where the

(the ace of spades) 18

i
+1

my]
than one where they have to tell you the name ¢| he card h str of
4 have turned
Pont ddle of the packet unknown to the audience.
«
As in
show all four
This effect provides a good example of how you jo be
3

can fool
you =rm an Elmsley count to apparently bottom,
believing that laypeople can’t appreciate fine rg] in points original, Per (The should go to the
last card of the count
method is as good as another as
far as lay audiences. ang thay 0 the
cards face of ;spades face up
third from the top.)
You perform your super-technical Named Trivmph Once the case

it
t he ace
bi leaving ardcase and close the case. Place
to the cardcase
it
el
dismay, it's greeted with yawns. Your reaction mj ht clockwise 180 degrees
jnsert the packets
You <

be, nile rests on the t able, turn

Nn
“Lay,
it

don’t know what good magic is. You may as This echoes the twisting flourish you used to
shuffle for them.”
Just do the slay =

ih
wi
on the

aces turn face up-

If instead you realize that laypeople’s appreciation f :
mae fos
and tip the packet onto
the table face down. (With a
ma et
condition
their naive notions of how they think
Erre
molded by
(Open the
the cards
EeNamal oe you'll find you can easily do this without
Is

you might take the following approach that I've dong be

little prac there ig nothing left inside the case.
the audience see
cig
) Let
the deck shuffled by a spectator, the tabled packet very slowly and

-i
Triumph.” Have

aly
es

at a card. Secretly glimpse the bare the one fingertip, spread

spectator peek
There, face up in the middle, hase
is the ace oF

oieog
Sotion. gag
immediately hand the deck out for another shuffle, Ag won't
make the effect any more difficult. It
:

audience is concerned, you can't know either the vier handling does not
done before
they'll realize that all the work was
This

location the card in the deck. (They are, of course oF the

magicians;
Yall igh)
of

in the cardcase. However, laypeople will

impress

HER the packet was placed

Now perform the “Named Triumph”
handling
knowledge of the card's identity. ve that you turned
the ace over while the packet was enclosed in
condition. Try this and you'll find that you
Sd the spectator shuffle immediately after your glimpse case, a Very impressive

aei =
reaction as with the original simply
the

can even will get twice as much audience

tags Hiei of your presentation. When the spectator because you've taken into account
the audience's point of view.

fig le
Thank goodness you shuffled like a norma both magicians and

ed
Mind you, there are some conditions that impress
5 did this trick, the
28 ue guy shuffled like this." Now
yong nto your face-up/face-down shuffl es. This is a powerful laymen, although many magicians won't it.
admit Here, as in so many

aSle aFhPra
refuse to give laypeople credit
version of “Triumph” that should
laymen or magicians, Sa
flabber ast any audience, whether areas of presentation, some magicians
for much intelligence. Magicians love Paul Gertner’s
“Cups and Balls” in which he uses steel ball bearings. They appreciate
version of the

i
Si
fully, you star
Hopefully, i

to realize that conditions

y i

are a matter of that sneaking these balls in and out of the cup noiselessly is a
ercephion; in turn, is shaped by your point of tremendous technical challenge. Yet I've often heard magicians praise

a i
Sapabasis gene of view is
very different from that of this effect, only to follow up by observing condescendingly, “Of course,

sons re
2 point is important enough to raise to the
its only good for magicians.” Presumably they feel that only someone
level. of a :

Ta
your audiences perception with years of experience and study in magic would realize that a steel
So LOns, not on the reality 0, of
situation.
the SLLTU
the si 1

ball hitting a metal

cup will make noise.
of

'y
2

This is e

it i
A
=

[teihe a
et. It me; ans that
stronger witha
=

t making
: you can
often make an effect an experienced and accomplished professional magician,
mak
any harder. You do this by incorporatinga
it

a or
condition tthat uses the routine in his laymen performances. Of
=
working
ofthe trick
Seems impor:Hantseven
though it doesn't affect the
£

bis Ly t take any chances; he starts the effect by pointing

tn
7 ve already seen ato der it is to do with steel balls. (He also points this
Wk ee
We Hy
example of this in the idea of workin
7

orming for magicians, probably realizing that they'd be

Ary
with sleeves yg) led
climax of Vern
on’s “Twistin
iergood illustration is a handling for the ely to miss the point than laypeople. They'd be too busy
the Aces” | worked tying to catch the next
out years ago. I callit
g
move.)
62

63
 Darwin
the
The
mas

~ublished by
Sent
inabilit)
att to
hat is
what
to laypeople
laypec
or r

published 1sin
Ortix

inability of most mé

magic
iclans to understanq

18
.

and whic h don't is a prime

i irrelevant to
Si

versions of “The Spectator Cuts to the Aces”

lementar} version
ary
rdmen. Michael Skinner once
¢

which he said was the strongest

:
AS0n
whi]
hich

performing§
hy

nee showeq
hays

he
S

WV See

one fop | Nh
ape
res

gl
w cong lig
Soy Nigh
S

0 the

>
ee
\

ba,

=
on

parti

offect
lar
ople
lapeoPl®
audienc
anici1 any audien\nces are those done.
i
©

TD remember
arly
particularly us
:
that relate

back when
ultr
The

to
practice
©

wre

he
to
ffect
ance.

those that
done
you were a layman
in gaining ins; thts
is

I've
y
As

foung
| stressed earlier, the conditions

usually
lly

relate
relate to
to
that

the tk
to the way they matyey ¢
conditions
way Ay
ditions that
¢

they guess g
they
kn

particular sec
Strong Magic

matter
AE
>

h
he'd ever found.
eve 4
nd What this version
had almostB20a] otherg laypao,
or? that £

this &
|

After all, i P! all

we
into how
laymen, When
sople think.
5

in
the method allowed for having the spectator himge
|e
you
S

that
1ogpeof interested in magic, “eS are
you saw many effects
-

the top card

© each oo
of
packet to reveal the aces. Most me first bec
-

formed 10
bE

your fifirst {few v its to the mage shop or we

magic club
at this point and therefore require that the
inyoly
per for
2

fry to remember the ones that made the Breatest

}

switch at
switch performey tury
4

tury t meetings:
1T
cards over you and, most importantly, why they affected you so
gh,

that impressed you then are the ones that

The key to
making “The Spectator Cuts to the Aces” 4 impre
he cc

I
>

strong strongly
convincing the spectator that
really the one who Cates is kis
your audiences now.
¢

he
cing
;
o
the mpre:
will im¥
There 1s no be ter way of achieving that conviction than all gee
| most important, listen to your audiences. There are many
most
UN

Third anc
r nd

OWing
to do the turning over
hip
wh a h they'll tell you what they consider important, The first
well as the cutting. My own firs
i

as The

exper lence yigy

¢

1
T the y react. If you've tried doing different versions of
ways If
»

this effect has convinced me that Michael was ab

solutely corre how strong!
:
)

Bec: almost all the many sions of ve

trick that have floog this the sa ame trick
and one gets a stronger reaction than others, check to
anc
ck

the magical literature ck this vital cor dition they if the ager one contains a condition particularly impressive to
stronge:
the st
f

repre ent see E

pointless exercises. Tremendous ingenuity has been

rought to beg, bh
laymen
in some of e versions, thes but that ingenuity has focused also tell you what they think is important through
elements that matter least to an audience
on those Audiences will
vionces

2
you or to other laypeople that you may overhear
Quine
ts to

direct
If you still doubt that conditions rmance. | can't tell you how many times I've
audience impact, tr
are a vital fa ctor in determining
0 see Daryl perform his
routine for laypeople This is the version which ends
“Ambitious C Ha 0
heard a layman
5
>
sa) oa
2 disbelief after one of my effects, “And he did it
with the de with his sleeves rolled up!
being tied with a p of rope. Despite condition, the signec this
mE er instructive time to listen to laypeople when they're

bn
is cl eanly inserted
in the middle and immediately s
arrived on top. This ending
difference betwe
destroys ay audiences. Yet, the
the first phas of Daryl's routine and the
own to have
1

only
pe i
ihe
pe
oimeons else an effect you performed (or describing to
5 So another
magician perform.) Inevitably they'll
1ils.Se The points they choose to include in the
is me
2p
t a

phase the condition under wk hich it's

&

performed. tion are the ones

yiption ones theythey consider important. If they mention
he
: a

condition, it's because it's important to them

oeel
na
;

oH
i
w laypeople An
Identifying Important Conditions surprise at how perceptiveye laypeop. can i
may be surprised be.
{
ol
You
2
jf

told me of a wonderful magici

é

layman,

hh
The an, a complete
man, nplete layman, once
tion then isn't whether he couldn'tfa remember nh
¢ or

ih do
que
the conditions of an effect are had seen his youth. Although
in
oe
mand

€
imp ortant to lay audie but rather which conditions matter to
Z

them and which don't

ces, name, ious he was
from the description it was obvious was tatalking he
g
@

Here are some that impressed him most and which he men!mentioned ch

techniques to help Cardini

he

you answer
most »

he
>

question for any

point

given rep: atedly was how the magician w s able to perform those
t
intricate
a

effect :
v

Fir
try as an exe 15¢ to This is a condition many magi=
pretend you don't know anything about nipulations while we: ring glov
magic. Take the effect
in question and 1ans would think would surely be lost on laypeople
be done. Use
technical knowled al figure out how it might
your native intelligence but don't
use any of you
try to
Once you've
ge of magiciang'
developed some theorie
methods. The Must-Believe Test
useful in
ve
sid very
You can be reasonably sure that
sure tha Finally,
any conditions whic} here a simple technique I've
fi
:
»
,

to
i
Seem disprove those theories will have impact Sim—
eve t est.
1 g

call it the mu
i
ntifying important conditions. I
>
must-be

64 65
 Darwin Ortiz

Ses sly ask yourself this question:

if
what is the one
audience must bel ve they are to view the effect ag
false
5
ey
mips i In any case, the basic principles of
ately ; S€E sea led.
Strong Magic
applying the
For example, in the “Torn and Restored Card,” : comp:
le

test rema
b

in the same }
the one
fect

aust-belie ve
¢
?

they must believe is that the card you show restored false plieve test 18 more us ful in
the must-believe
mus
at th e
+
ry

analyzing some
0
.

same one you tore up at the beginning. In you'll fi But in many 28 it ¢ an

“Triump} » others help you distinguigh ci <

effects har rtant conditions and

1

believe that face-up and face—down cards

are really unimportant
stween impoy _o different versions of the
ones. It cay
50 help
the end of the shuffle. In the “Ambitious Card,”

aa
same effect to determine

ei
©

comparing y more strongly. Once youidentify

that the card that appears on top of the deck
buried in the middle. In a typical
ace assembly, they
is
the ‘And ie wh ich one gall
the oi
the
must believe, you'll know that whichever
one false

hal 0
‘i

that the four aces begin in four different packets, Ag pr =emise convincing on that point will the
more :
;

get Stronger
these ver on
18

i
ve

show, once you ask the must-believe question, the ple

cases is obvious. The trick is to ask the question in the firs
answer
§
t Plager
re:

What
assion
ercises I've just given
ol ties exercises >
given!
will help
i
you achieveisto
gee the
: he qudience’s point of view. This
Bt

identified what the audience must believe, is something you myst

that any conditions that strengthen that belief wil) you'll kngy
m ake the
effec
always
fror
ye
irive
yet which most magicians fail to do.
for, for,
: s

stronger. Conditions that relate to other issues wil] has often been quoted assaying
saying that manyyggood tricks have
ften as
Tick
ed

matt er little, Al Baker

1 cer
:
by improvements, yet Baker's own books are filled with
For example, wanted to create an ace location in the been killed
End
;
I

mi, acle of standard effects. Clearly, he didn't believe

realized that to achieve it I had to clagg
bE
ee
convince the audience that his improved
|

improving tricks were bad. What's the key

TE
location of the aces in the deck at the hag y,
[
idea of that all = those efforts at improvement that succeed and
the

trick. That was the false premise they must believe. beginning the of
difference
I
that's where should concentrate my efforts. Therefore, kney, I

those that in killing a good trick? I believe that failing to

Ses
ER ot conditions in a trick matter to an audience is the

oh
To achieve the

Hd
necessary conviction I
introduced three conditiong lethal “improvements.”
will only perform the trick with |

a borrowed deck; I have the

it
t that strengthens an important condition will always
shuffled by
a spectator before start: and have a spectator
deg

pela
I I An
eyes with her hands s locate the aces. The cover my effect. Unfortunately, many “improved” versions
borrowed deck convinces
I

important conditions in order to make the tri

them that the aces can’t be
shaved, marked, or prepared in actually
Sia
order to make a trick more convenient to do, the
that might allow me to feel their any way
ca 5s
BeGor Inthe one feature that made
led
location. The spectator shuffle the effect worth doing.
ensures that can’t know the locations of
The fact that
I

any of the cards in the deck Tagle & Sac

of your magic that an audience may care
of an ace as shuffle
Aces,”
my eyes are covered means that
I

appears in my
and cut the deck. (The
I
can't catch
a glimpse
resulting effect, “Blind
wo
about, re
Sou personal convenience is not one of them, Keep that in
3

mind as you read the following discussion.

upcoming hook Cardshark.)

st
Occasionally, the one thing
the audience must believe to view the

a
trick as a miracle ig
Gard to Wallet,” what
actually a true premise. For instance, in the The No-Contact Condition
they must believe is that the card that
in the wallet is the
same one that was lost in the deck. Of course, is found There is one condition that relates to so many different effects, is so so many

it

i pes
really is the
same d. Yet you still have impor ant in the minds of lay audiences, and is so freq )

such
the
as having the card signed, to achieve the to introduce a condition
conviction
ae
by magicians that feel serve ee
on it de eserves sep -ate discussion. That is what
I

necessary or term the no—contact condition. Simply if

s

trick will fail, The fact that

I

something is true doesn’t mean the stated: ppiio will be sub-

audience wil] object traveling from point A to point B, Ihe
assume it's true,
0,
occasionally, there stantially stronger if point A and point B never ¢ ome contadb wih
ia
mises the audience
in
may be tw 0 Or, in rare cases, three each other.
must believe, In the fis to the left
st believe
that to Envelope” they ts of a coin traveling from the right fist
“Card If the effect
the ¢ rd in the 5 con
is the same one that wa fon oriA
lost in
the deck, but they must envelope also believe that the envelope i
fist, the fists touch,
impact will lessen if the two fists
h, even
on

the
o Ic

moment. If the effect consists of a selected card tr raveling from

rom
.

66
67
 Darwin Ortiz

deck to your wallet,

the deck when you
Mind you,
if
the impact will legs
first
remove
it
from you
you asked the spectator how
hand to hand even if they did touch 88
closed, he wouldn't be able to tell you
nif the Wallgle
I pocket,

io long
gg the
+
tig3
the €0In coy), Tbe :

Te
an oy;

selec
C

sted card
i8 5
In some
& mv oh

Cards Ac yas
:

ed wy
ich the ha
le
et. In
ader : packet
ki

from the! ca rdcase

a

effects
c

the
some tr ricks in which
some
the

two packets must

3
the
case must first touch
first be
Ss
Strong Magic
ch

a2i
Neither
sk.

the card could get inside the wallet just bee; con Id he tel) gether ac condit; ion to
3

ta of the no—contact
a

prove pout the importanc experience and

ause
Sede
extensive performing experie
b

momentarily on the deck. Neverthele th,

nc
,
Di
r

LU very
Ss
:
Wallg
that the task becomes a little easie rif658, instinctiye), My with differen
the two anyone who experiments
a
ee
X

Points go "¢ will come to the same conclusion. Nev :

course, they're right! eng

same effect
ng, from
Ww

resistance
Because this condition registers on an Instinctive argument will I eet strong
himself may not consciously realize that the leve] th ert heless,
reagon i pel
e agicians.
2] think that lack of contac
;

that, when audienct ee} trick

oe .
cold is that it violates the no—contact

a
many :

LE
akes the rick har rder to do, the
condition, This 4 is
moment mean it isn't important. (As a The problem and Foi?

hlei
i

matter of fact. int A versions of these effect

3

cen POI ¢hy so many Vers

important factors that determine an effect’s
,
i

ot
i
ly right.
eve

heet
other. While the inventors of these
op &
2

impact t on
function partly on an unconscious
level.) De Spite the an ringing the no—contact feature doesn’t Go
invol fg Wet would argue that
aspect of the no-contact condition, spect yp e

ators wil] often tricks PY esumably will usually try to structure the
,

De
:

ee
importance they attach to that factor In their veg] y,
aud
Loo
for the least amount of time poses
yp,
matter to
perceptive magician, spectato comment
comments often reye, al 8; to points A
aoa 52
the

en
Across effect, the two packets
they themselves realize.
he ah
So
more they mple, 5 for an instant. Implicitly this
The no-contact condition the
can also be violated b Y Joints are in contact, the stronger :
10!

oi
openly tats fhe 8bwaonic Gs ee
ha

le
some object from point A to if they

ee
na that
2

don
fi
point B before the invisible conveyip, make it clear if ay
2
Cl

C8should
>
«

another object. In Alex Elmsley’s transfe, of

4 seat
y

at same
the effect will be stronger still. 2
performer begins by placing aside
“Between Your Palms”
xe
Lie mse)
a card sight unseen,
gp,
| ater thig arg# in magic books and
Reins f what is published
Kk
proves to be the same card the
signed after the unknown
spectator selected from the deck
card we set aside. It would be
f
and :
form The bulk of what most
al
‘hat is easiest to invent, not what is mos
s perform will always reflec
i

=
imagine a more ams t name
P
difficult
zing plot. Yet this trick which
i cael
to do, not what has as the str
1

magicians leay s laypeople cold, isis easiest

v §

mtrigues wh 3

the
are scared to
eo
:

audience. For example, since most magicians ricks ot

Lid nn
ewe
The problem is

A
not with the plot but non-palming card—to—wallet tricks will contir nue
will

to ¢

violates the no—cont wit} the procedure, which

h 'd,
wallet bf
contact

ie
act condition. Before the mean bringing the in
identity of the unknown popular and that will usually bring san

card is revealed 1t

a
18 brought In contact with deck: or openly inserting extraneous cards
inserting

Ea
;
two other selected
r

cards—cards w hich
>

were removed from the deck after the signed your pocket prior to removing the signed
selection. These. version §
selection
w
as buried in the deck. may lack the conviction, and sometimes
vic the clarity and directness,
a s

There are other chieved by the palming approaches, but they're a

versiong of this effe ct
ety
a
Instead sandwiched in which the set-aside card is wo
Shilhave your pr priorities :lie.
betwee 1 two to do. You'll have to decide for yourself where ‘here your
a
fi

cards
ide
r

these address the or four of kind but none of

central problem Only E d Brown's version achieves

a
a degree of
isolation by placing the se:

EL oe
ment of
Dramatizing Conditions
wallet *t—aside card in one compart
a w
while the other
selections go into a different com-
Card Tabiy€ and “The gee “The Dream Card” in Darwin Ortiz at the trust that by now you appreciate the vital role conditions play in
I

of this
ype ofof effen
type

Any survey of
ie
Psychotronic
effect that dq
Pgye g

(the
observe
dard”
ard” in Cardshark for examples
no—contact condition.)
les

audience
audience impact. However, conditions will only affect an
maximizing

if
you make sure the audience notices them and appreciates
m agical literature their implications. They
or any extended exposure must appreciate them not only intellectually
Up magic wil
yield to
close
but also on
an emotional level. The key to
1

condition ig viol many more effects in which

the no-contact giving conditions emotional
ated. In cept aIn lmpact is dramatizing.
68
ace assemblies
one of the
follower

69
 Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
The best | mples of such

a
als Advertising of dramatizing the fre
television commer companieg f og
»

one more
,r
they want the the deck 1s set up in
feature of a prod audience tg the 14/15 ay , «
“I'm

figure out a way to communicate that featyp APPrecia, mehe joiningg Cf

card1s will add up either fourteen fifte The to or an
to apn s to tell a spectator to
>

They don't just this for cut the

handle
d
natic fashion. ople about
the a] waY to the point he cut to
ow them in some memorable way car rds at
face down on the table and hand
tWe
the
two
Le
de
lly every commercial you ee illustrate 81
his pad you spread
want you to
appreciate the car provides Proa ap n to insert the ji Ker face up at any

mooth ride spread you tell him that you n

a

w two d

diamond cutter expen mond in the backseq

1 >

You may use ards directly at ve the

while driv over bumpy
)

they wa nt you to Appr directly below joker. Alternatively, you may

« th
ure y a plastic food storage bag they fill the s
tly hove the joker plu 1e one directly it.
hag
below

th,
ls,

yi to
3

bees. If
they want you see how powerful a vacuum “leary
}

show itsucking
Xk

steel nuts and bolts er1

ig hy
q

¢ be
up
this is exactly the same as
if you had just told
1t
sult of

You have to learn to sell the conditions

your effects the the de ind take the two cards at the point he
wut
Madison Avenue ells the features of product handlin the natize
: ree d

its g
‘his way
of

IN Ways
y

that
the viewer's gut, not just his intelle y,
2

to the ctator. It unde

e
totally random ai
choices open two Both handlings are
Don't try dramatize every condition the
{f ¢

to

effect rolled
ntrolled nature
op
you unde their ps : ot is quite different.
but
€

sipate the impact of this technique. Th 1st-believe me,

test will hel,
vou The
|
conditions that to what the of using dramatiz
wdience
{
r

beli in order for the trick be mpossibility

nes drama,
to

to
a

ball bearing, h se
bThrough Action. giant ste yr
thud Similarly,
it

with
i

Consider the ntal Deck” effect where

“Ultra
rop a
loud
atl table
¢

that he
¢

performer the
predicted
a

shows
freely thought—of Chop C up” routine he will place
reviously reversing
in
¢

card that
deck.
impact of this The
pound them back
to to drive
depends entirely on audierthe same time. At the
f
,

couldn't possibly have foreseen he will hand the

h Mentalis
Miller would dramatize
¢

this point spectator randomly 1

to a spectator and ask
selected from the audience,
/

then sending
person to pay ph place in the box; there is no
tongue in cheek
a

with instructions to telephone bilit y of st happened

any juaintance within the impossi what has
hundred mile radius way to dramatize
a

fail to
tc
k him
name card. to
H w could rudien a
better
touch at the conclusion of “Ri: the effect
preciate the impossibility of yrmer’s hand
foreseeing thi ing vanishes
}
1s
strange s choice? (The one~hundre
example of illogical convincer
tation At the conclu
remove her
spectator and tells her to before she
2

oncept we'll
t

In prese;
ting this same ¢ fect Al Koran + vould have long period . of fumbling
a spectator think takes
it take her
oA the audience, of
t
TY rd. He would
then
1

ring. In
c

tel] him to forget ard and think of m embers

another one. He would succeeds. Then, for the benefit of the slower
then tell If you think it's hard
him et to Alan drives home the with patter lin
ich int
fc

hisnk of yet another one. It was this thir the

a

damned thing on the

show he had of card that ran
rd
k

to get off of there, you should »ul try to get the

predicted As he would point out in his patter, 1atizing a condition
: 10% could e most beautifully creaty ideas for dr :
he possibly have On in
arrive at after changing
foreseen what h a spectator would
‘Coin In Bottle” published
his mind tw ce? This

ed o
ind sentation for
aan
I've run across
nothing to the of thinking means
Franklir Taylor would take out a
magician 3 credited
r.

the Phoenix. to fit ;

be easier
Ta
to

only with methods, but it can which would

p

make
1

all the difference pectator

dime and
sal
act
in the world quarter a

would say the

Taylor
the e rmer whe10
performer
t he

maximum aug fience

\

Jectator
¥
to the

Naturally,
)

impact o bottle.
the the
and tel 11 him to try
The bi
would then hand him the dime and th bottle
5
oll

ral
70
 Darwin Ortiz strong Magic
discover that the dime w.
would trick. Logics ly, both
spectator as tog la of he
at the end
t
with the
the neck of the
bottle. You can
imagine, they, howTge til you as
k her to
you jon't tamper
at p roving that having the spectator place
fi ¢

pressed the spectator now was when Taylor oo

instal {un ust as good ally,
Proceedoy 8T€ J Yet, emotions
quarter inside the bottle. If even a dime w ouldn’t
¥

met! hods the trick. more convincing.

fit wl be much
,..

during

iE For example, some

cards
11
inside was a true miracle. ack ot
sand on the ept can be applied. condition —the
In some card effects, it's important that the audi, her
are many
Ways this
cor
se II the
no—contact fact
ed me
a PResig Pree man
effectively “Copper—Silver
fact that the cards were shuffled by each other during a
!
<
There
spectator
a
very
the Outset, Pi rmers ~ come ne ar hold the
but effective way to
dramatize this is to ask th
ree differen Spec y han
never
ands

“Coins Acro
_py having one spectator
holds his right wrist
5

to shuffle consecutively. another spect: ator

airfry.
sition” OF
wrist while
5

ty
T
8 le ft touch a certain prop
L

Harry Houdini was a master of dramatizing cond ormer sell the fact that you
never
of the audience
=ks
itiong, n perf
Can Escape,” the most important condition wag th Y »u can single out one member
to

hig “N
: hat ho. hi before the climax you
under water; he couldn't breathe until he escaped hout the effect. Just off the item 1n
he would begin by asking how many people the Amati
audience in t
10
watch that prop
affirm that she never took her eyes This 1s an idea
f
han
they could hold their breaths for one minute. Af 5 0 an have her posi tively never
went near it.
Se
a show of car
he would ask everyone to hold their Ereathonl
- tion and that you results.
hy

q
for years with great have the
Spectator after spectator would eventually always perfor m when
hi I've used
1

ve up, 5:

item 1

gasping for breath. ctremely offective

is the “Blind Aces” effect
I

deck
a borrowed
ss
An at
ity

dl
to work with shuffled by a
Houdini was struggling to opportu’ ity After the borrowed
deck has
hen
a
Laer, escape, a lar, I do this while
Sock mentioned earlier.
So off the seconds. With the memory of
in their minds, the audience’s alarm would
grow
owntheir
5 t} ; time
oly
spectator
[ take it and

blindfolded. Only I |
proceed to cut to the four aces.
don’t use a blindfold.

Ls
:
as
poi.
pas the e point here e went far
where they had been able to hold t} ; eir breaths, Ng female spectator stand
at the table, I have a
,

ond
beat
approach could ever have gotten them feel Instead, as I'm sitting with her hands. This offers an
to feel behind me and cover my eyes
what Houdini must be oi
going through the I
wa y this one did. it takes far less time than most blindfolds
Ee 2
y

advantage in pacing since

en Houdini did the eg cape from
have an asg
2,
seventy—five et ofrope he would
assistant time how long it took the audience volunteers . fe

to
require to put on
orocess of having a
and off. It also eliminates the time-consuming
take
blindfold tested by audience members
before the
that it's not gimmicked; the spectator's
him up Then he would tis
announce that he would escape from the
howe of the trick to prove
in less start
time than it had taken the: m Topes

announced that he would

to restrain him. If he had imply hands are above suspicion.
escape
H in, say, four minutes, it would have this approach, however, is that having an

ri
My main reason for taking

is
meant little to the audi
terms they could
ence. His ploy reduced that abstract
fact t audience member “enforce” my blindness
the strongest way I can

i
understand effect is performed.
dramatize the sightless condition under which the
Through Audience Participation: 0:
it makes no difference if the trick is done
with a cloth
satis generally most versatile If you think
and effective methods of
audience enforce that condition is to have the blindfold or a “human” blindfold you still haven't grasped the central
ar E a
that strong magic is about emotion, not logic. If you do appreciate
Hia -
cond tion. TI ow

ai a
fact
layperson finish a glow: many times have you heard a
the difference, start looking for ways to dramatize key conditions of

aee
ne 1on of an effect he's witnessed with
a
comment such ag, *
And I gh uffled the conditions themselves.
Joe's deck cards? cards myself,” or, “And was it an effect by having the audience “police” those

en .
You'll start hearing laypeople glowingly recount your effects to others,
of

One of
the
thin £8 that off that box,”
Corihents like, “And
makes
never took my eyes
I
ofall ace agge McDonald Aces” the most powerful
mblies
leader acket until the : that the performer never touches the let go of his wrists,” or, “And she covered his eyes
verty end. You could dramatize this condition the
by placiy

at of
Soi
ader packet the start the trick. Never underestimate the power of mere words to

ise Ag
until the end. Alternatively: For best effect these words should
joins a point.
ld
dramatize 1 he
having a place her in a spectator's mind. The abstract speaks to
warning hey not to lift her spectator
y
the
hand for even 8° 3
concrete image speaks to the emotions and instincts.

73
 Darwin Ortiz

That's why a charity will select annual peggy, Strong Magic

they can cite statistics about thousands of childpe chilg +
won't move most people to action becauge Statistics ap! preciate
the key conditions of an effect in hig But a
ator
5

intellect. Yet a photograph of a i

; ectate
brain:

re
single chilq
nosis gin his
1
his of, presentational=
ig
Bes
for, and
) i

donate because it's a concrete image that angles of this kind

use

cuts Shp precision that most distinguishes professional performers

tions. That's what you have to achieve with
your Sora Hi is the =
satures
oe ea fi
th

= one When two professional close-up workers have a

Peter Duffie published an effect in which amateurs
tw from
they r¢ more
likely to tr de the kind of presentational bits
spectator are torn in half. One half of each cat teq session ribing than new moves
effects or

a
an envelope that had been handed to the a bupy, ed,
©,

ve been
;
&
Spectator found it a quick and reliable way
of sizing
i:

be; fore Ty up other

his cards is opened; e are the two halve he I've
sribe to a magician a dramatizing ploy that
in 3

which a Sela, 5 fact, know I

were unmistakably destroyed.

Oleg
Momeny
. arliey agich ans. It know I'm talking
eyes light up, to a performer I
his 1

or this effect to register strongly, the be strong ane res at me blankly, or gives a puzzled look as if
co at
me

spectators mugs pa ad, he

these are the same two halves that they
saw burned, The oan e they what my point is, know I'm dealing wit} I

gure one)
their torn edges perfectly match those of the two Proof ; thy
ho does mos
of i
performing for other magicians, his
That is the vital condition, the one they hav €
und ©8troyaq
a thinking in terms of dramatizing conditions many

ol il
to appreciat, ;
¢

gut, n the, Sia secur to you. Opportunitie dramatizing the conditions

When
I
would perform this
the following patter: “Did
as tore the two cards, I I
Les
vare
fect are limited
a tes why presentation
only by your imagination. This area as much
offers much room
v by your

i :
% for =
fo
de} as ¢

5 Vere
you ever see one of those oli any indicates
Wh

the secret agent is given

8

mo moves or effects.
half of a torn dollar bill? new
here :

w
?
-enting
inventing
as
he meets his contact, the contact
produces the other Whey
J lf
7
+

of the bil) gy
4

they compare them to be sure they match. That

the
that hus contact isn’t an impostor. This
any
we hero
because any time you leqr
i
; hugs 3Y

3. Convincers
Of paper you
e
create a jagge d edge that is as
L

Sy
int You could
nil, sitart
i unique
fii 7c

fingerprint. or)

a room tearing playing cards eight other extreme from the dramatization of
:

at the

OEHAL
a day for ten hour \ technique
years and never succeed in getting two with aids in the same ultimate goal is the use of
.
ft
edges.” identi 3
| ‘hich
: across the term “convincers” in the writings of
‘an
During this brief
patter, which hardly runs longer use the word “subtleties” to refer to He

i
tear the
two ca
it takes fo than Harry Lorayne.
convincer because it underscores
drive the key condition
same thing, but prefer the term
I

home by means of th
|

separate concrete images. First, mCis to strengthenRHEEconviction.

which
of the technique,
al
!

invoke an old movie cliché

[
he purpc
wpose :

everyone has witnessed—a

nad
ae]
small touch.
ndition you w,
scene whose whole point is the validity Whereere dramatizing is a big production, convincers are a
o
of a
ZINE
té

ant to stress. Second, Where dramatizing is clearly conscious and deliberate,

88 a means
something that is virtually
make an analoj
synonymous with unmgque
I

off-handed, seemingly uncalculated. That is, in fact, their greates

biti
of identify
cation. Finally, |
of a person conjure the ridiculous image strength.
up
he
f

SILUNg in a room
tes
ring playing cards day day inan after cide. -onvincers and
Convincers may be divided into two types: accidental cont Ale

Fhevalle=e
effort to co me
visualizes thig
up w ith two identical
tears. Even as the spectator incidental conuvincers The distinction is a subtle one worth making
:

NE
ene, he realizes the futility
UP the two torn
futility of such
such
an
ar ende
endeavor
of

rst and he dynamics of

for analytical purposes and for helping to underst:
{ ping
t
tl 3

halves of each. card, ihe

0

SDectator
spectator will vividly this technique.
halves he gaw «
appreciate that t Se g real Sal 1

destro ved by
3 2.

The tech
fire,
£5 in
nique
Accidental Convincers
t
o
ama
amatizing through words is very similar to those
o

Yoets.
poet employs met rs
if
The

i 0 go beyond Communic aphors, simils ,v're not stressed is that

:
and evocat ason why convincers are stronger they're
she Vie
not

each his emotions

The creative
aung with the reader's intellect an

many convincers are convincing only because the audience

showman will do the same to make they're accidental.
74
75
 Darwin Ortiz

very subtle use of the accidental

A Strong Magic
Tamariz in a book test taught
in h So meer
is106.Five
;

5
three with the two end pips
wishes to
force the seventh word ey R Erovide actually \

= er
on ings ently an ace, by a comment
This is usually accompanied

es
he tells the spectator add dig to the We he pag
H, in appar’
his finger the ace of hearts.” This kind of
*

the this packet contains

SR
one word on page. Since one
{

wonder whether the

her, she should look at the eighth SIX adq “Ri
likely to make the spectators
They quite pas

than to convince them

up 5 much
more sh
it is.
Naturally, someone in the audie nee 1s really there:themselves, ‘If he wants to show me the ace, why

ee
boung to ack
zero, and six add up to seven, not
it
,

with his fingers?”

Sie

eight mThe Point

Ut thy ring mos t
of
saying, course, you are right Perfopy, I described before. I'm not turning
the handling
“Of
A

eXcuse mel
the seventh word.” Through
It them that the is the ace. I'm doing it to
-

a cleverl y
card
dogg
staged fo
¥

has convinced the audience that he accident, the

not
hands half-way down in the deck.
1s I eally going
the eighth word or, by implic
could just as
eagil,
Perfor that the card with exhibiting the face of the ace, it's not y

he
»

ation, any ot} vn SLY have ed

5 Word in th pars U not concern
g:.

covering part of it, Yet

add
to be
i) that my fingers mightto happen
I'm

Anotheror good example of the accide ntal

1

nan
oo
,

athe
T

200k:
where I'm inserting

en
convince.

t oi
:

-awing attention
:

mentalist Punx. In one effect

in hi d
Slea most subliminally, that the ‘ard really

aai
while I'm

pada
a
1

Osteries
he opens a billet and
reads bound to notice, incidental convincer.
what me an by an
f hearts. That's
I
spectator has written
sy should make
has writte. on it. When he unfolds
it. W

xs t} ig the ace the two situations de scribed above

©

degree turn before resading : ast be tween

rst
fir
a

1
The cont technique.
180

x writing,
the
chologically potent
sas impli,
E the wr; 1

ring was upside down when he :

:

why such a psy’

E reality hs wer clear
Ye I
:

eality there

IEn Reg
there
is no writing on the
at
is

Why Convincers Work

Paper
p

Cen
all. The
itched the -spectators billet for
L

Performe, has
pretends to read from Sori a blank
tu
;

dummy Whey and incidental

) vib
1e

blank
What both accidental convincers
the 1

{0
memory the spec

at
!
reciting fro, challenge: both seemingly
subtle Ake of
spectator’s writing which he previous in common 18 that they're
No
|
tator
revolving the paper unconsc
Li mh Y glimpsed The
\ >

convincers have “unintentional” approach is always best using

unintentional. The
provide indirect proof that something
belief that it strengthens gp,
does have w riking
s

convincers
g. because
g

convincers
with the intention of convincing the
If th is overtly presented

alin es
to convince
to wonder why, if you really want
so.

audience, they're likely

s

Incidental Convi
onv; of clair m, you don’t provide direct proof. However, if they
;
bo: them your
unintentional, this question doesn’t arise.
incidental convincer | mean ean adding conviction to interpret your action: s as
Le
¢ 1

of ac ertain unintentional
an effect “unco nsciously” in the
the
act of drawing attention No skepticism Another important strength of the
5
1

feature. As with the unintentional

ac

is
that, if the audience interprets an action as
1

accidental convincer, this

to it a sincerity and honesty that
allows approach
were Suspicion in ways th might actually
ere performed arouse suspicion if the a
at

or accidental, they will attribute

of a
One effe ct
overtly :
people underst: rdably reluctant to grant to the actions
are
do involve
wolve, S inserting
I

the deck rting2 of hearts

ace of magi an in most cases.
the ace into the middle
the
2
deck
the
i; by discussing in detail a ploy often used in
A
I
push
e
of

spect
ctators, “Notice
tice that jt
ace 0, turn my hands
hands over and say
I

ov Let me
illustrate this off the

fe
and Restored Card.” The performer tears a corner
it
th; y

deck.” As | do going in at “Torn

this, the audience half-way down in the
|]

selected card, secretly switches it for a duplicate corner, and gives

CHB

it

i
Complete Y :
se face of ace before its
Inserted Actually, can the
Ve previoy
y
Switched the
t} he
Eo
the ace of hearts at all to a spectator. Later when corner fitted to the restored card
that
“receipt” is
is
proves” that it must be the same card. The torn—corner
i
the ace beg ace for th =

js
ecause the bottom ree of hearts It resembles
trick, but not a very effective one because
¥
the
top pi p of the one of the conditions of the
in in.
the
dden behing m is hidden the deck and
er
pip
Passing off a th ny fingers
sas push the card underestimates the audience’s intelligence. The concept of
to
&

times haye
pot he pick
U
ree ag an ace is, of
seen a magician
-
a standard ploy. How many
o

40 an ace assembly where at one Rin

corners
is not a difficult one for a perceptive layman hit

a story told
Up one of
the foll
76
°Hower packets and shows the bottom Thisis fact
fact
was
was brought home to me by by my friend Bob

77
 Darwin Ortiz
strong Magic
Kohler. He often does the “Bill to Ie
Hi the audience
: 5
of
signed with a Sharpie pen. (This is a decrease the chances
=X and
apg

i
os With unique
! nono?nehag
.

so the signature won't run when it avincer tO mal king the prop appear
do this by
ge P
gedit he
You
Sy sol:
effect involves no duplicate; the si With | switch.
some imperfection
hy
signed bil] jg
a
_ ©

cting on
8

yorating duplicated
act;
ually which you've carefully something on

at esi
Mk
Jiggy
lemon.
a)

h incorP
Oa ed SIT a scratc! h
¢

throu be
in later. If you write
One evening when Bob was performi fo, odallion may switched
# to be small error that must be
5

pocket and found that his

trick he A medal
2° dallion sgccidentally” make a
1%

reg, h the other you ma er. Or perhaps your pen

tore a corner off
the bill and gave it to Missing. writing over a
C essitate
and continued with the effect. Spectator f, Remon
2°"
or ark after the writing.
=
Naturally, youve previously
in the duplicate.
In a trick with a
e “mistake”
ng

either the corner or the

bill. The in the ar bill
Was §

i in one side of the

wallet

i: i
0
CII0N Telly place a photograph
¢

one he initially borrowed. After the show, incorpo) Fume it. On the other side
of the wallet you

or ee
wag

sever :
Himber wallet
Y

laypegp], 6 sap
wag ¢

ral ase in
per J

and accused Bob of switching the torn has a cred

.

[hak pholoE oR hotograph cre ased

in exactly the same way
v:

a
careful to always have a Sharpie then hi is extremely easy to recreate

oo
up
pen in et. 8
have ;
2 of these imperfections
5
ey be,

- all this
have to do with convincers? In their presence doesn't really prove
:

Torr Since ever © f duplicates, subliminally, the

ky
15
Look at Some
ew Classic Close-Up, Bill Okkal excellent number the convincer works

ia
hag on any
y,

But because

an
himself, “Could he have obtained
2

the “Torn and Restored Card”

that ask
Tue
uses t hly won't think to
the problem I've discussed
>

ectator gimy way?

he hang : identical photograph and creased it the same
5

ifferently. He tears the card and

=
oe
is what Tony Raven
,

ets one Corner dy, example of an illogical convincer

Sh oe
] vv
to the table. He failss to notice this
When using a common item

olae

a
i
1
until
the virgin state principle.
: 9

ctator calls
js
a

attention after the other

g
;

pieces have be en vanished. W ay, you can discourage

suspicion
er
© 40

been prepared in some

hig

Initially ups; like it just

=
dressing p the item so it looks

eT iee
~

Bill eventually brushes the gaffe d nature by

Ww

telling
restored card is prod oe
uced
the piece as a souvenir,
minus one corner, the
when
t),
ff

Tata came from the

store.
you're going to use a gaffed
envelope. After
spectat Here For example, suppose
with a dozen other envelopes and wrap
OF
and, without any prompti
§

fits it in to discover it together

ie pave
hat it matches,
Ng, invariably
gaffing it, put found in
strip, the way they're usually
I don't
doubt that, as them together with a paper All these
ctationery stores. Finally,
place a price sticker on the strip.
;
3

convincing bit |
as the
aki audience, “These are ordinary envelopes, just
as

things subtly say to the

s through his
it

ar
Sh
audience believe acting in really
that fails miserably = dropped piece was an accident Thus, in : as you might buy
in any store.” Most importantly, because
they say
if you were to
condition succeeds brilliantly subliminally, they say it far more convincingly than
accidental
accident a
5
y because the audience will u atid include the above sentence in your patter.
action.
Ley won't
attribute to an obviously deletes
¥
An illogical convincer that mentalists use all the time
is to
No log,
gical scrutiny: Another incorporate a small error in
the course of their accurate predictions or
be
advant divinations. People seem to feel this proves the psychic must
vi

2 that very often its effect on age of the unintentional approach

cer iors barely notice t}
1t
subconsciously, This
conviction on the
de epest level.
an audience is almost subliminal. The genuine. If he were using trickery, he would have gotten everything
1€ convincer on a conscious
level but register right. It doesn’t make sense, but it
does convince people.
example of the illogical convincer in a non-magical context
1s particularly
desirable 2since it achieves A classic
An
interesting g benefit of this provided by an episode from the early career of the legendary con
j

- An 18

minal convince Vpasses the criticalTa intellect.

2

sublimj the time, the Kid was working a horse race

SEL

i
Consequently,
Ea Yellow Kid Weill. Atmark's
5 &

ii
an
need

F
any of the hest
; ense
psyc
Psychologically,
:
So even make sense to serve its purpose.
ers don’ t make
sense
Setss
logically, but do meke :
=

=
After gaining the

Fidel about
confidence, he would explain that he
a fixed horse race. He wanted to let
example,
Or
in
almost
eins
any cas
is he'd Hie 0 en benefit from this information. Unfortunately,

An
switched in for
one of
Where a duplicate later going to be at wouldn't reveal the name of the winning horse
wid only ie
used in an effect, you can employ? yone, way around this prohibition would be for the
The

78

79
 Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
ma
and later give him his winnings. Needle he wants. If he wants to argue that
with the money he never returned ny generalization tells you about the time he
sort
nobservant he cidentally
f ac

occasion, the mark got cold feet at the ast

are and no one noticed. If he wants
red one
theta:
| jaymen , deck for a t

he froze T} he K La
X

witch hed
od £
8

laymen arere lsdrvant,

(he tellE yousebott times
hat ointed out very small discrepancies, the kind that
Kj

a
was fast approaching; if he didn't g
5 ,

post time Argue

have P with the comment, “Don’t worry, no
too late. Still the mark hesitated doy, vs dismiss one
would be g alwa

moment of decis on he started wondering if Heiever

Oubtegq),
oat
mag’ £8

rin after forked over the money.

he
See os will note
a work
continually impressed by how difficult
I'm 1
fool everyone. I've often been
is
to
st if you want to
v

g he was on
the verge losing his sucker, the of the smallest discrepancies or
fe Kid tors who have spotted
1c

hed his mind for me ploy to gain

psychologj Ileley, “Spe Such experiences always ins
thematic inconsistencies.
)
11

rappens, he was wear ve. attractiv Verag,

sl ig o\ Th
Kid py subtle. Th same spectators are
1

The 5s at thy the harder and be more

>

en
Ee
g

complimented him on earlier.

I
ad
tore to Wor be convinced by—convincer
©

1d notice—and
off his mary
mi
it
me
handed to the mark saying, "It’s so late I'm wou
ticket window in time. Hold my cont till
going es who
giciar say to me,
“Audiences don't notice those fine
reach
a to
hn

he
Te lucky if can get them their card." If a
the

EH
I
r member I

him the coat than the

ha
sooner did he give mark h; int trouble getting people to pay close attention
a tells me he has
money. On some subconscious level, the sucker him at his word. But wonder if such
I'm willing to take
g1c18 I
cor
onclude
1

wouldn't leave his coat behind if weren't planning to return" he to his magic consider that their rilure to make their magic deeply
«

mig ht be one of
Suppose the Yellow Kid had actually said magicians € the reasons their audiences can hardly be
a sign
of good th, [1
;
g

co nvincing
re member the selected
f;

leave you my coat.” You the mark would have

¢
pec.

card
bothered 0 even
$

That's ridiculous! Who would ac ept a one thousand bonded

one of Darwin's Rules, extensive
based on
leads me 0 another
do]; coat AY
collateral for thousand dol a
and observation: The better you are,fi the closer
|
loan?” Howe
cu
his

as long a the
/as unsta it remained unexamined persona experience with effects, youll
lly baffle people couple
:

Consequently, w| hat gs a
:
of

watch. If you ree

.

they
attention indeed. The opposite is also true
d proved psychologi
x

lly convincing.
find they
.

Most
the Tilt move in which a card is apparently
of the deck from the Instead it's actually
Does Anyone Notice?
r.
«ced in the middle
because there is gap at the back
nserted second from the top
a

from bein dumb the rest of the deck. use Howard

en the top card and
~ I

performers
’

ome
s
v
1
seen
man’s well-known subtlety in connection
with this move.
middle, the card
Annem first attempt to insert the card in the
a couple of cards out
Ted

accidentally” butts against the deck, pushing

i
agicians will tell you successfully inserted into the is

ie
that the sorts of things wey htly. On the second try, the card

|
discussing in this
;
y

section are a waste of time when workir

;

Peopl 18L do! nt and before

rela
all those fine points. Magicians often
was scheduled to do a magic lecture
n.
fl
notice

: laypeople On one occasion

make the claim
e
I

the club
y

are
Ar y to fool—that they aren't very
noted that the only woman in the audience was
0 y
at

P started

Sa
I

tive, ete. Frankly, believe it's simply I

president's wife. asked him he thought she’d mind asked her to
I
if ifI
ypeople aren't very smart, then have
help. His answer was, “Go ahead you want. But have to warn you if
don't I
we
|
hard to fool them.
t :

‘ountless magical duf have(

hates card tricks.”
laim, “Laymen never notice.” warmly and enthusiastically to my

a
did use her and she reacted
oe
1

1agicians fail to itself. How

in
y

grasp is that laymen are not tricks could possibly have hoped. (This was a lesson
&

homogenc
in
I

_Broup, Some are when fact

some are stupid Some are many magicians are convinced their wives hate magic,
ess
moderat
observant extremely observant. That's why any seen?)
expe tenced performe
e

“an cite examples from his experiences ¥

they only
hate bad magic, the only kind they've ever
80
 Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
During the lecture performed a trick
I
ee you
when I taught the trick I explained the usin § the my t ,very move Yo
using every
It doesnt mean
't

most convincingSea
mentioning the subtlety of first butting
Tj It
moye but Moy,
a i quanti®ty of proof.1t M€ d0ee Che 5

if out a couple some thing;

>

middle failing on the insertion Not g reate® such a thing as act achieving or ne2

rerove hat there is suc

as
Of |
onive
carg
ree articulsJar point Once
D0th,
“rds now nie the
Jlso true
YC

As
soon as explained the me Tilt move, from
Se on a part
ther
ne
I
VATS
conv jection ted effort. If the
my assistay, pina! d percent
5

ident’s wife, said, almost indignantly, provings 1s ¥ vast

You really put it in the middle.
“That's not
»
the
What you
»

ip
hund?€
hat, any
ced that the fou cards on the able
table are
he
the

schieved
at convin in belaboring the he matter. The question
Prey. 3

Bo *
beg i

=
d B10

Taken aback, I asked, “Why do

you say that?”
pundred here's Ro
hundred perce! mats: 0. © 17" Only
en
ther
“Are they .y reall) one nswer that for you
is, an
ces,
She answered, “Because when
you did it,
e

= effect in =
question ¢ ans :

Re
sonviction h can still
ing
Saw some perforrming st be achieved,
the
1
o
cour
front.”
8

at the ¢
ardg syience-e ater convi
ver you feel greate
can
[

ques to achieveait
fee
Stick
Here was a layperson with no special oa
experIe™
enever |

arsenal of £ techniques
1
ai

Interest However
an antipathy toward them, according to her in cqpq tricks have an
ou NOW

a
yo

had she noticed a tiny subtlety, hushang). Yor fat

she'd been so
even when
I
explained the true method she
it. It would be difficult to imagine
onvinceq py, it
Initially refused g
a deeper level of
Only

be that ninety—five Conviction Hor

percent of all laypeople
noticed the subtlety, But given the would not may

fact that 1t take hays even

effort to do it, I'll continue to almogt
include it for people like time 10
gy

her, V

Weighing Pros And Cons

Let me repeat: the
above convincer takes almost
Therefore, there's no no time
reason not to include it Some or effort
however, do extract a
price, They may slow down the trick, convincerg
require more work on your they may
into one that or they may part,an Impromptu trick turn
Téquires preparation. In
to decide whether such Wl
the
price is worth paying. It's
simply hay
to make those
inds of decisions, your Job an
as ar
Furthermore, jt can
hard to convince certainly be a w aste of
time and energy to
people of
w

question in the first place, something it would never oceur to them to

8s “overproving.” Jyst
This sort of thing
watch the contortions is
often justly condemned
through
when all
inorder. to
correct the “wrong” packet in
most magicians
“Out of this World
gr

you really have to do

Spread it on the ig
table, Everyone will
turn the wrong packet face up and
are separated
and no one
marvel at the fact that the 5

will notice that

ne ng 4 Pres
Spending
great deal of time and
a
e FE
the packet “wrong. is
effort to prove something that ik
i
Even in isn
i

contention in the aud

everything yoy 1cés mind is one thingo oe ng
at the very heaytcan
to conving, e
the audience of 4

some element that

hs
.
1s
of what
a ant

latter is always makes the trick another. The

worth the effort. impossible
oo
meang
>

Providing the Keep in mind, however, rot thaat this

most
convincing proof, not necessarily the
82

83
 » stion is realizing
{erstanding sugges 1s much as with our eyes.
that, as
0
ia
Strong Magic
S.H
cis

a
with our minds

oe
une
it depends in P ry
¢
to
stion since
. b

1.0 key
The
wwe see rolves SUBEe (fe
of reference 18
3 hagic
WY
ference. That frame
@

should
of re
every false frame tell the spectator how he
uw

a ATA you te
, suggestion:
renting I

created HERE
sees.
Le Right now, I'm going to E =
s pass

oy
: to

oi
Serpe wh -tion is expectation
2
¢

inte The longer you're

gence of agges secrets in magic.
ou One
of
how true and how important Sg

oi they experience what

they
E
noe see expect to see;
CHAPTER THREE mal.
soa
3

ot 18. poople
=
a comedy and a
oh double feature at the movies but the audience
der
fie
)
expe

SUGGESTION on ce
went lm started it was the drama,
&
.=
comedy would be screened first People
ive ee
I
Whe!
drama. believe until they
s of the film
§

lod GER
had been A the first couple of minute!
a

€€

“Beliefs not only affect judgments and behavior but ¢ Jaughed durin
3
what see.
we

2
e500
David Lewis, The Secret
an even L

distdie.
3

realize d the
Unfortunate ¥s
exxor-
Iv,
can sometimes work ag ainst
this sort of expectation from magicians, they wi
expect trickery
e 5

ree Ja
Language y eople
Slag of § i
ieces, you: Bocauis?
W hen it's not
there. Remember that the next
SES Co imes see it even
accuses you of having just
done a move ewwhen you
y :
yi

“We
see with our mind as much as with our eyes.”

i
i :

time a SPEC
haven't done anything.
know you in
SH. Shar
woe know how, you can
make expectation work ya
However, if you
hd leeds:Ba
8!

your magic
Presently there is a Sunday-morning
What Is Suggestion? where the preacher 18
continually advising his viewers, s
be every magicians motto. To creto-thipt
¢

Dr. miracle.” This ought to

John Booth once defined showmanship di as “convincing ex understand the five key factors in suggestion:
geration.” While I think this is too restrictive a definition for expectation you have to
the yay
:

prestige, atmosphere,
reinforcement, desire, and planted suggestions.
subject of showmanship, think it's a perfect description of intertwine; they're almost impossible to
I

In practice, these elements

best it's
ig
gestion. Suggestion is simply however,
psychological manipulation designed to from each other. For analytical purposes,
make the audience
see more than really happens : separate
g
Suggestion can greatly enhance
to look
at each one individually.
David
an effect. For example, I've often seen
Roth perform a self-lev; itation effect for laymen in which he
T
from the ground two
those same lay
to three inches. Yet, due to suggestion, Prestige
people usu ally swear he
inches off the ground, rose anywhere from six to ten As a child I loved Aesop’s Fables. As an adult I find they still have a

a
Suggestio
lot of wisdom
to
offer. Take, for example, the tale of “The Buffoon and
stion AL can
consti
constitute
even
the sole method for a magic effect the Countryman.” It's short enough to quote in full (from The Fables
Table Hlkis,
of Aesop, edited by
Byprotistiment, Ns the pendulum effect are two examp Joseph Jacobs):
*ntalist friend of
ultimate kind of mine once told me, “Hypnotism At
fair there was a Buffoon who made all the people
a country
ad
of

magic, You ores

create magical effects in people's minds
Y,

imitating the cries of various animals. He finished

gic. oo 5
5

using nothin g but laugh by

working knowledge
suggest tion.” In fact,
a good way of getting
&

off by squeaking
so like a pig that the spectators thought that
McGill's
great book
Ray E
fw Hs suggestion
is all about is to read Ormond
Encyclopedia of Genuine Stage Hypnotisi:
alte
he had
a porker concealed about him. But a Countryman who
stood by
said: ‘Call that a pig's squeak! Nothing like it. You
give me till
to-morrow and I will show you what it’s like.” The
84
bar
Darwin Ortiz

audience laughed, but next

So
eid
4,

8&
re en Strong Magic
appeared on the stage, and Ough
hideously that the sang As hic heq, le
don’t hang out at Denny's at 2 AM. (If

d and thr, doy, magicians

make him stop. You fools!"
in great
By

a
y

fie Cried, 'S sto,

i
CW ,
pred:
hissi and held See connce
)
eatize Bott
both before and during your
1

a little pig wh,

*

eld up kne™ prestige

about buildingdon't
ur only
or
pinching to make him utter ¢} Le & Whose 4 You
ine doy C u go
go *

audiences
1
think you're just some clown at
squeals, how your
this
10
the moral of
,,

Aesop gives TBE mance

as: “M of professionals, proces the
imitation, and hiss the real thir In the case
rorld or show business knowsIE Anyone f,
e nny §
often
»

| Secr
start even be fore the perform
; nN
De \

ar world
art he truth of
gional can ar 1d should literature
Ss
«building to
th to send strong promotion
Ss ¢
Prof?
Wl

oo
aes
a

magician, however, the story has an even prestt It's customary you. often send such I

is largely determined b mop who's co sidering hiring committed

re
audience's reactionreac to hiring me, If
begin®
clientclient even after hi already
ae
3

-
Ee
buffoon was a professional ani
re
onal anim al Sounds
Fe
to a fired up about your upcoming performance, he
agent, talking you up to others whe
ected him is to be good. When he She mater client
p rforme you ¢&% Become your best press
ey didn't
& hev didn’t
ec the country man
expect to: be expert at
e

of nding the function

oR lispet
will
so they were unimpressed even wh, e printed up and
metimes have table tents

a .i
n he produce,

het a real hi
My Elliott once had an nagicians
the rd has couple of glowing
San If
d = : a

exper i! table.
his fable.
&
was
was
sitting in a crowded 5
He

hte 2 the performer

from prestigious sou e s (newspapers

fo. ec fale
ay!

sents of in his working more tables, it

a=
ught Show on TV with the other : atrons. even; gw and ements
it will not only result he'll be
He proceeded to bend
Upj (;
eller
Y

wvVEnons chows, etc): more effective because 4

yy his performance
3
Ss Pi

Sten ac couple ke: by meang c =

of
also make

Te
his ama zed . everyone the bay, at with g! reater prestige.
shows I do I receive an introduction

Lo that in many the This 18 uncommon

startin o of

as fe
rio
can do that.” hen challenged, he
in
;
I Whe
the realm of
An
gyro
proved ['m fortunate
bendin hj
of each erformance. such
at the start
exactly the same m using of shows for laypeople;

en
p!
¥s

i
here
weren't looking 5
unimpressed. “You just be
ber “: of i
|
close-up shows.
(I'm speaking
andard at magic conventions
and magicians’

a
”
King, they said. It wouldn't have are S
I've had clients insist on stopping
<

intr oductions
I
iC Ee SE W

8;
m atte: red 2
at private parties,
if

actua
Rat

x Bob
8 &

psychic powers instead of the ha

sures.) Even was before
the crowd and let them
know who
1
I

Geller did. The

\

p: same g] dh wrty to addr ess

t to boast about having
hired
patrons were just notERE
about to
i
3

had bar 0 be 1eve that som expect they wan

bor
could do what t re J ’
started working.
I

ie, g his world-renowned, scientist-t x

fo 6 “mportant.”

oopr
chic on national tele
duce me with a typed

a
n could. All the prestige someone 80
side, none of it stige was
was on (Ge
who 18 going to intro
on Bob's provide the p erson tremendously
The se introductions are

re
I
once wiWitnessed this i

credits he can use.

start performing, the
poe same : phenome during a magic convention.
set Ev n before
1

ew of us went building prestige

* 4

gyer to a helpful in
highly of me I can't
lose.

[on 81an,about
of the 2 o'clock in the morning,
wudience thinks
One

group, a t But, if you're

gi insisted on doing a trick for balthe don't have these advantages.
ESE THe
hil
=
‘re an amateur you
1s become enthusiastic
8

pr!
tr ed the bottom of
a
true miracle in which aharubber SF
really good, you may find that your
frienc
how
She looked
a drinking gl borrowed fr %

g gl he’d
,

borrowed from hi
others who haven't see n you work just
4 agents for y wu. telling whe n you perform

§
sken
skeptically and said.
at
him

SU “Do0 that again. m uch easier

1

This will make your job

olimeny It's Just the spectato! you are.
jeThe only not a comn but know your reputation.
t

who haven't seen you before

8

should work
5 £

reas nN
those

t SE ani
Suaon) He did agagain. you fooled me is bh
S

that
;

wasn't paying
performances, you
y
I
asp paving
10 do this
{

Give Yourself a Plug: During your

S|

She scow
cowled and said, “You're throwing
it

The
=

way
omehow.” Eng diligently, but subtly, to build your own prestige.
&

be
best
ofd 1scussion us d by all the
technique
that if he d self-promotional patter This is a

hn
done the same trick in a prof ional extent.
nee where professionals to a greater or lesser that
Money t oe ew he was being paid a great deal
peopl knew he
of

If you think about it, you may find you have

some credentials

no
the reactiqg
the
have been tremendous. But: ¥ a close up
contest at a
~5
Ne was just Airy ould will build
your image. Have you ever won
conventions
far as laymen how small the
some clown
4
at Denny's,
own at
&%
St
x

mag-ic convention? (It doesn't matter

As

86 87
 Darwin Ortiz

laymen don't know the difference.) Did you eve r do Strong Magic
TV showor news broadcast? o Have you taken lesson mg asic ong), «will try to tell you that this attitude is terribly immodest
magician? (It doesn’t matter if your friends have
magician; if you tell them he's
oe
ow heyard offay,"10g
mous, they'|] believe
a
bhyis
Hobb)
That's
thesort
of thinking you can expect from hobbyists. If you went
i boost your ego that would be immodes What
these things will seem terribly romantic and Prestig 10uUs iy qround raging about here is the conscious use a theatrical
are s«chnique
of

er talking

a
But they won't know about them unless you tel] the: yur own ego, but in order to strengthen your
K

in arder to
-oke
stroke
3 to
Ww

m )

fact you're doing this

;

the audience's
\

The trick is to tell them without seeming to he The is for benefit

a,
srforme ance.
blowinNE youy perio love your magic; you just he to give them permission
horn. You have to work these revelations into your
ve

wa nt to
pattey They
and unobtrusive way. For example, you might Introduce = Saturg) to do so should realize that the strong
From Your Magic: Finally, you
4

“This next trick is one that I'm

saying, particularly fond otbos fect by Prestiége
the trick that won me first place in close-up magic at fia alge tige-builder is your own magic The stronger each effect is

a
ji.

est pres
prestige builds as the performance progresses. Each

i
Warlords of Magic Convention a couple of years ago.” ore your
X pore you
offect you
yerform acts as an advertisement for the one you're going
moment think this won't affect the way the
I
Don’t for Consequently your prestigeee should climb steadily from the
a

guas next
Tes ponds to the effect. There's a false cut I often demonstrate aiden
it's
do
to the end. This is why
$a:5 ) nex

unwise to do
art Oof the performance
it tart
a

ssions. Sometimes I
introduce by saying, “Here's
a move miraculous effect too arly in the show; it just won't get the
early i >

lly
taught to me years ago by a card cheat from Boston” Other
introduce it by saying “Here's a move I found in
an old agio
as
fs
|
=
$s
really
tion it deserves.
rove thi to yourself with an experiment. Select one of the
magazine.” Actually, both statements are true. The move
w taught en
can prove
1

st amazing
effects in your repertoire. Then use i
as the opening it
to me by a card cheat and, a couple of years later, I
same move in an old magic magazine.
ran acrog th =
eltec! t in a fifteen
or twenty—minute set. On another occasion, use it to
¢ of

close that same set. guarantee it will get a much stronger reaction
I

Clearly, the inherent merits of the move have nothing

to do with as a oser. When you
C
do
it
as an opener, people just aren't ready to
miracle man yet. They will convince
where | rned it. But magicians are always far more eager vou credit for being a
the move when tell them it was taught to me by a car d cheat;
I
to leary themselves that they just blinked at the wrong time or that they
that's
a far more pr stigious source. Although this story missed something obvious. It's not that you're great; it's just that you
magicians, the same holds true for lay people. You'll receive a far
concerns other
caught them napping. But when you use
will have gradually built your prestige to the point where
it
as a closer, the previous
stronger ponse to a trick if you start by saying, “Here's a trick |
s

once performed on the Tonight Show,” (as long as they believe ev're finally ready to give you credit for being a miracle worker.
you)
than if you start by saying, “Here's a trick I bought for twelve bucks This is also why the time to do a gaffed card trick is after you've
in a magic shop” —even if it's the same
trick. staggered the audience with several impromptu effects. Your prestige
Remember my friend at Denny ’s? Instead of doing his trick “cold,” he 1
high and the; convinced you don't need trick cards to
might have started by perform miracles. If you do the gaffed card trick before laying the
plaining to the waitress that he was in town
attending a national convention of professional magicians. (I know groundwork in terms of prestige-building, trick cards are the first
that ninety-mine percent of
magic-convention attendees are thing they'll suspect. How else could some clown Denny's do a card at
amateurs. So tell a white lie. Who's it going to hurt?) He could then miracle?
explain that the next day he was going to debut an original magic
lusion Because she was such a great waitress he wanted to do it for Atmosphere
her even before the other magicians got a chance
to see it. I guarantee “The generation of atmosphere, the aura of the uncanny, is one of the
her response would have been
infinitely more enthu astic. m important secrets of magic. It contributes to the willing
of suspen ion of disbelief, the feeling that, within the magic circle, or in
I don’t
want to pr a bunch blowhards with this advice, but I'd
the pre sence ofthe magical shrine, anything may happen.”
g

ee doing you a disservice if I didn't share this powerful technique

with you. The best w ay
1s to watch the
to how this sort of thing ought to be done
see
Doreen Valiente, An ABC of Witchcraft
most successful pros perform. Once you're attuned to
it, you'll see
many examples of this technique
at work.

89
 ba

Co
Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
“Atmosphere is the all-important thing, Torksh
authenticity is not the dovetailing of a plot by; hee Bai Titer, might benefit more from an atmosphere of
ively. your magic affect human affairs. What
where unseen forces really can
El Qlion n
of A Jternat
sensation.
H.P. Lovecraft, Supernaturqy
ofa
0 the occW
Twilight Zone
atmosphere where the laws of reality might
Hoy
at Fictio,
ahout &

skewed at any moment

and the most familiar matters take on
pecome dimension? Perhaps you want to create a Sting-like
an alien sharks with superhuman skill gather to bend
One of the most important elements in makin, 1:4
where to their will and fleece the unwary in the process.
card
Suggestiq, NW
atmosphere. In a certain atmosphere things m ay av see; ork atmosPReT?
© ce
Possible hx
a decide what atmosphere your magic will best thrive in.
Seem
the 1aW
je
©

would strike us as absurd in a different atmogp

ee
Y

ere, The clag;at osl only decide after studying your

carefully

4
the oN own magic
stories. at
5g
example is ghost Told beach on
about someone seeing a ghostly apparition might
by a fireside in a chilly, dimly lit room al
alr
day,
hy One most effective is
a
= u've determined your goal, you have variety of tools to help
the props you use. Every
h it. One of the

ti na 5 -omical, whimsical, glamorous, exotic,

thunderstorm, the same tale might seem disturbingly pls g 3
you Te
bi eit ain connotation
The simplest way to determine those

iy
prop
In Carlos Clarens’ An lllustrated History of the rsterious, threatening,
€
im there jg yourself the question: what kind of person
tions 18 to ask

a
great story about Carl Dryer who directed Vampyr , is
time classic horror films:
77h one of the gn_
anes: Jikely to employ this prop? (If the answer no sane person
would ever use it, it's probably best to eliminate it.)

aalod
described the a magician
To
his crew, Dreyer film-to-be. ‘Imag;,
important tool is your words. They can generate
(or
are sitting in an ordinary room. Suddenly we oe =. Ap even more the language itself may carry
destroy) atmosphere in two ways. First,
there
a
is corpse behind the door. In an instant the associated with certain

i,
is technical terms a
are sitting in is completely altered; everything in it connotations. Are you using of words 1s
field of study? The other important aspect

enSh
on another look; the light, the atmosphere have profession or metaphors, descriptions, or
create imagery through
though they are physically the same. This is becau that they can audience's mind.
Ho create pictures in your
changed and the objects are as we conceive he allusions. Your words can
the atmosphere you want.

cia
ver's example Make them pictures thatproduce
ey
Wha Dreyer's ex: makes clear is
that atmosphere tan for your effects can also contribute strongly to
i

is, in the fi

= ra ae Hid,
The themes you choose
y

analysis, In trying to create a certain of different

i

be cloaked in a variety
a
si

he the atmosphere. Many effects can

| I

eg
externals to produce a meental state state tl that will lead we Themes dealing with ESP,
ue
S]

themes according to your preference.

v

=e lence to perceive your magic the and can set a

!

way you want them to. etc. are very evocative

the man who prepares for a seduction by poltergeist, dreams, gambling,
Le
;
: certain tone for the entire performance.

=
dimming the lights,
putting on romantic music, preparing a c: andlelit dinner, and chilling
t

elements in creating
some champagne. He know s Finally, setting is one of the most important
seldom
this atmosphere might produce a frame atmosphere. Unfortunately, as a close-up magician, you'll

oea
of mind that could :
ead to activities more unlikely in a different
atmosphere. have much control over the setting in which you're performing.
However, through the use of story patter you can evoke
whatever

re
As a magician, firs to create. I
setting is most favorable to the atmosphere you want
y,
i

determine what kind of atmosphere will

i
ee kind of atmosphere will make your won't go into detail on this topic since we'll be exploring it later in the
ie

SmoSuey ty
a fairy-tale atmosphere like the one discussion on story presentations. For the present, just keep in the

i Li
David Roth ®
the use of whimsical props like plastic back of your mind the realization that you can transport your

By fadadel
agless purses, and fantasy themes like audience to any setting you wish on the face of this earth (or
Bole ond nts = pulling reflections off a mirror, he elsewhere) by means of a good story effect.
creates a fairy-tale
almost like that of the castle in Cocteau’
rid

ast. In this enchanted world it’s

one could dro easy to believe that
ATOp coins into
Reinforcement
ns i

a two- i

gold at the end of

a rainbow

= fairy tale of “The Emperor's New Clothes” is a classic

suggestion through reinforcement. Although the emperor
example of
was naked,

9
Darwin Ortiz

Strong Magic

z
k

lesir :

10 are
hear a

1
orb ax

ter into the illusion. This

|
uss
substantive mean

lh
|

known as
the :

ne
tator fails to follow

this phenomenon very

nent he’s mentally
»
de

want to
be oa

a
in only stupid pe could the emperor's n
He would only
|
ned earlier.
perform hance would the scam have had of v

arty, he would take

oit the desire iEthatw
- y

v
me out old cliché if they
n glowing terms. Natu others ittle simple-minded
also. Eventually, he uld reluctant]
they
may t
much more embarrassed
other room to
J
wu.
see him however, that if they
terrible magic. It is true, like you
1e might levitate for five or it to like your mag They vill
unconsci
As the number of witne s grew, their harder to come nder the spell t
the illusion of

rce each other, becor ng more and mor

For example, I
find
ore wonderful. By the time the last coup!
imply
other room to see the phenomenon their If something does go wrong, as long
guaranteed a succe
invariably they
80
=
performance
lI
dible “out,” they will cheerfully conclude t nat it was

Desire Planting Suggestions

belie
bove elements re that your suggestions wi

soil. But tc benefit of all the “groundw rk

Demosthenes ertile
1

ave
to plant your tions artfully. Ina g anted suggestion
indir tlv, what to expect. If
Il the audience, ei r
on
: orcement, and their innate n
In
the
what you tel
properly softened them up they will expect Let's
gent, ever, one will see and experience what they expe
to.
t

gent they
And they
Just how inte

93
 Darwin Ortiz

In performing Larry Jennings’ “The Open

occasionally people would claim that they haq
Traveller bu Strong Magic
ac ual] however, that planted suggestions depend for
fall from my empty palm to
the table. Since
thig is p= ACtly Seg,
Y
r
«wot,
for8
roperly developing the other elements of suggestion.
t

i
I'm trying to create, decided to strengthen this
I
the
\tmosphere puts the audience in the proper state of mind to
Fox
I

Notion
suggestion. At one point, turn my palm up and exam ple, a
1
yw

at your planted suggestions might be true

|
gay To
I
a ply
Prestige is
the card while it's
palmed.” Then “place” the ox tho Can)
I accept
ular ;mportant. Since you're the one telling them what to
%

say, “But you can see it

as it drops out of my hand" The Sab} at that stage determines how much weight
5

credibility
8 expect: your
Tn
neat
people who report doing so is now much higher will carry.

BBO el
PeCause Jy, Mimbe, 1

you: suggest
2

it
Boa
Se
the expectation that they will see Create; deeper understanding of the use of suggestion in
In the floating effect, David Roth would start by
If you
voy real oh
history of
to watch his
feet closely so that later he could tell D.
off the ground he had floated. As he said
asking the
SPectagy.
avid just hou o
3
=
geating
apiritulisn used
to Es
greater
Sevan oa
effect in deception
wy
Day 1d way Wf
ld Best, this, probably ne
with his hands held six or seven inches
apart, In fact, he wo f

off the ground. But his

4
no
uld
rise a couple of inches
Negative Suggestions
?

ol
Toe

casual Only
gests

=
an expectation on the spectators part that he would float
inches. Therefore, after the effect he would
usually report to Day
siy

Unde anding how suggestion works is important, not only so that

that he had, inrisen some half-dozen inches off ee you can Se
it to strengthen your magic, but also ensure
you don't to
the
fact,
ground. se to undermine your magic. Magicians often make
Uri Geller would place a secretly-bent key unwittingly ea it
in someone's h ments that carry suggestions that hurt their magic
warn him that he might feel the key move i and ang off-handed
HER is the performer who have here an
hand gg he
=
“I
5,

The classic
his

concentrated. Later, the person would often

sw ear that he'd sared drinking glass.” Until he made that comment it
felt the key bending inside fist his acta] ordinaxy,
oe id
to anyone in the audience that the glass might be
In many cases, it
pays to describe the ef fect in advance to the
had never occ
thatrms or
that it might even be possible to prepare

Boe
anything attics iz some special way. But the magician's statement

a
audience to help ensure that
iy
they see what you intend for them : 8
see. My effect “Jumping Gemini” from Darwin
Ortiz at the Card Table
to he the suggestion in their minds.

a oa
a trick done with four cards. At of amazing coin tricks for a young
they end, t} 1ese cards apparently magician do a
s

Lone a
ange to four kings Actually, there with admiration, she said, “That must take a
I
show them as four kings by
are only kings
means of Brother Hamman's Gem
the packet: two in ney
treme. A of practice.” He responded by saying, “Actually, I

Count. The Gemini Count

Lolr
in theory contains an element of hardly ever practice any more
because the same ri

two kings are each shown sias

all the enthusiasm drain out of her face. He

oe
At that moment
rain

however, experience has twice. In my tri | saw e saw

a In't zsem to notice and went on to do several more tricks. nC

&

i
shown me that there
because the illusion is created
not the slightest
as much by suggestion as by Ham-
is r
: :

appear to notice that these tricks produced

1

rad
almost no reacti o Pp 8'

ht melo
t
mans move, casual ill-conceived comment had carried the 5
.
spectator. His
from the spectator.
His

Bm
¢

Just before performing the Ge

LT
13 really bapa that's just
:

suggestion: What I'm doing for ou

2

cards ar now mini Count announce that the four I

the four kings Throughout the effect the audience has how she perceived everything he did from then on.

Ne
ese four cards

ee
ee

herefore, m )
epeatedly change in inexplicable ways.
restige on this effect is at a high
Almost everything you y and do before
beyond the surface text. Make sure thoes ai ones 5
that announcement, The audience is point when make I
messag
that will create the expectations in their mind you want

2
ready to believe they're kings
She king is revealed. Cor
sequently, during the

|
they see exactly what they
nt

Kings, not
two kings shown expect to see, four different
Count withe twice, simply performed the Gemini
If

telliy
TE
Wt first
8!
e BI ople what t
3
pe 1

much rigkje :
WouL
3 8
F ve
 ap poth
source 68 0
f
the
he
term and the concept. Let's look at some of the most
meaning you can invoke
£ in your m gical presentatic

Gambling
Strong Magic

effective
ns

. 2
source of meaning that
exploit in gr I
eal of my wark a

This
192
Indeed a
*
of card magic will
one who does a lot
difficult 1 find

it
Ge
this issue. When laymen
ing to grips with
deck of see a

av
the thing that pops into their minds is not ace assemblies
cards,
and oil- andy i
= ater routines. What they naturally think
of

a
first is ard
that's what cards were invented for- a fac
CHAPTER FOUR ames Since,
of cour
;
the 2 we magicians
need to be minded re
of from time time,
(i.e., meaningful) kinds of card games are the ones on
And the to
most imposortant
SUBSTANTIVE MEANING
I'm sure had the experience countless time of
you've
which

them
Hn
sy is wagered. If you want to show an audience something
a deck
possible
he win money
5
of
cards you can do no better than to show
to
card games. in
having SOmeone opportunities can arise to exploit gambling meaning in
5

litionally,
ionally,
Tom
OPP
who has just learned that you do m agic say to you, “Sp, you're 20 » other than cards. “The Three-Shell Game, the
v y
n

effects using props

e
us
5
magician! C you make my wife disappear?” And if Chain and coin guessing games are a few mples, Some
you're
n

“Endless
Endless Chain,
restaurant magician, you've undoubtedly had the experience
eyen creative thinking might produce other examples. I
think this is a very
more times of having a patron say to
you, you're a magician! Can
“So, ander-exploted area in magic
you make the check disappear?”
ny
modav. virtually everyone in our culture gambles in some way For
'

he
These gags get tiresome so quickly that it's all-ex senses—paid high roller junkets to Las Vegas; for
easy to ignore them
fos 1

Se - . is
2 oh
without realizing that, beneath the
corny hum nor, the layperson js Fi of bucks on a lottery ticket. It may be penny-a-
telling you something v
ry important. He
is
saying, “If you're really a at the country club, Friday-night poker with the

rt
magician, why don't y ou do something useful?” Why with the ladies, but very few people SunleRl

|
so many men
seem to feel that making their wives d the lure of gambling. What's more, even those few souls w/
appear would be a useful
Be he

ali
thing is a question we'll have to leave ambled are
intrigued by the subject because and
sang
es
to the daytime talk shows 2
(Men who want to make their
or lost
at it, is so often played up in the
p

wives disappear on large that can be won

Donahue!”
media.
vl

La
What matters is that people tend to fascination with gambling can
immediately ct to the The public's =
Gu
BR
knowledge that youre a and through
A

magician by suggesting, in however magic, through gambling routines

lilog
hackneyed a manner that
WIth your
you shoul d do something
of
practical value gambling theme. This distinction is one tied any

et
powers. That's certainly what
they would do if they had grasp but audiences understand instinctively ine gam
magical powers. This tells you rious demonstration of how it

ers
something very you're offe
mportant about how
y

to
make your magic strong and memorable, gambling; the keynote here is a sense of suasong
Do things that seem
gnificant and meaningful
in terms of your audience's real-world to achieve
it
is to actually do “the real wor
LHe
deri : Si enil
gi
Sane nces. After all, when was the last time a layperson said to you,
is nothing wrong with doing a peeudo
youre a magician! Can
put a possesses a feeling of authenticity. In other wor
»

You
cigarette through a quart
authentic, but it does have to seem authentic or LE
the

i
Magic that hag

_—
real-world significance be

meaning.” [n thig
egard I'm fq lowing
I
will term “magic with sense they are being conned and react adversely.

ie
d

who in his the lead of Henning Nelms

wonde;
onde rful book
Magic and Showmanship, first coined
.
3 od What this
feel
means is that a gambling routine
rather than a magic feel. You don’t want to
Be puii
Ss
Out &
S28

96 97
mh
Darwin Ortiz

in

way
order to change your four aces into a roya]
cians do things almost that
to
avoid this problem
ridiculous in
gambling
(yy 5

is
to acquire some back: rOUtinggS.) The Bi.
1a
flr -

key o ¥
kind of work is to structure your routines so
success in this knowledgeable gamble ¥
21 captivate
Strong Magic

yet still be easy to

on gambling so your routines will €roung
incorporate Propey Kngy that the for complete non-gamblers. They should not require
anderstand
knowledge on the audien s part.
1

procedure and gambling terminology. technica

1

ho've never played cards in their lives know that four

,

A magic effect with a gambling theme is anothep pe ople

Ww

Dingle’s “Roll-Over Aces” is

a good example. No Jay Se Maker ingere
n

g OF a
royal flush are good poker
hands. Stick to those kinds of
you're going to demonstrate cheating at bridge,
: "SON
don’t deal
think that this is a demonstration of exactly how Rs ats
ig go;
Operate hands. If perfect no-trump hand. Only a bridge player
.
will know
game. Yet, the that the trick has a gambling Gob
fact
; 1

yourself a P
necti on hand. Deal yourself all thirteen spades in numerical
the production of, then four royal thrg
3

t, the four ac val flusheg that's a good will instinctively appreciate that this
vin”

S1e8, will ai a non card player

the effect more impact. order Even achievement, while the bridge players will still be
Suppose that at the end of the effect, an awesome
packets and, at, ad
ir
four royal flushes,
you w were to spre;
ect, you
of
you were to g} 20%
f

fou Radi ae
Eg over
does require some background knowledge on
the
card packets running from nine to ace in suit
Toe
tour gjy_
Sauer g If a routine
audience's part,
be sure you provide that information in your patter
actually be harder than producing the royal flushes You ould with a routine that is equally riveting to a group
produced twenty-four card sequence rather than
ould hay, he When you come p of Lai g Vegas pitbos: 28 you know you've got a
U
U

Cnty cards of nuns or a group

Mea
sequence. Yet the trick would have less impact because jy
the Card Table Artifice section of Darwin Ortiz at the
would have meaning. It's the fact that royal winner. (See amples.)
good
a= Shes Card Tabl for some
ant in poker that gives the trick’s climax power. remember that the great strength of a gambling
Se ond, always

Te
Don't do
When using a gambling theme a magic effect, the presentatj for routine s that
it's relevant to the audience's sxperience. The
stances the presentation from their experience.
1

even be completely tongue-in-cheek and still be effective

nes audiencece realizes
the realize that
you don’t expect them to take
3 = x
anything that
of this
d

mistake is the magician who decides to present

= classic example
ee take you to
e Mississippi
5

act and immediately runs out

to buy a
>

Iry
fa “Soft Dice” is a good TYE
s ample. ta about a gambling
playing ¢ his apartment and having the dow All that a period costume will accomplish is
PE nstairs neighbors riverboat gambler outfit.
V

or what you're
audience that they shouldn't take you
;

complain of the noise of the e dice rolling

Ee
; di

the floor.I H = Hee oy

1

to tell your
1s ¢ s

show. the
the audience the solution all just make-belie
h

doing seriously It's

¢

he came up with: dic e made

of
8

they sponge ¥
with anyone
rubber. He now launches into a cards
spon geball routine with these “dice” know that they've never played

Ee
The spectators
in wk and garters on his sleeves;
effect somehow relatesrelates to his misadventures in a bowler hat, string te,
magical Al

a cr d
has nothing to do with
therefo what you're going to show them
No
one the audience seriously that people don’t dress that way in the real
1

Irv or anyone else has ever thin their lives. They know
going to ghow them must
not
world today. Therefore, what you're
wagere

3
ums of mone on
theless, the pre spotted cubes of sponge. Ni real world today If you're thinking
of
ation gives the effect a meaning
br have anything to do wit h the
ey

just
mi

ing from act, save your money and

ra
most spongeball routines
g

gambling
Prorais
ere 1s now a point to everything that wearing period costume fc 1

“Don’t take me seriously.

I
happens; the aud ce hang a sign around your neck saying,
4

relate what's
an relate what’
happening to their own
can

experiencese8. chology of gambling routines,

Third, the better you understand the ps
Let's return the matter of the better you'll be able to sell them
Gambling routines are unique in
actual
¢

book just on How gamt ling routines. could write a and their wishful fantasies at
to
I

that they exploit the audience's fears

:

don't intend properly prese nt this kind of material. (I won't; if I ever

think, “My God, imagine
[

0 create professional the same time. The spectator will

Ei
competition for myself.) However, someone like him a
I've seer 80
many mag Ficians
1

found myself sitting ac 088 the table

from in
he'll be
Ae that I thin) really
roa fundamental errors in this
€
make A

At the same time,

=

area
I'd never know what hit
basic obser vations are in order. Ete
mo

game. the next plane

plane
things he can. I'd he on
5
ext
although I've
1 the
5

could do
-

Ss thinking, “If only it be

a
poken of the ne, ed
J
»

baal
dackground for the performer to have would be over And wouldn't
10wledge,
it’ to Las Vegas. My mone .v worries
=

im
8
who
ence member; to remember that not all audi-
Sans loudmouthed buddy of o nine
p 5ess a
deal of knowledge about gambling. One
at great to teach a lesson to tha t
98 99
 Darwin Ortiz
he beats me at
always gloats whenever Pokey!”
The Strong Magic
this
le
understand dual ps ychology, the bette: I you
cz = explyoit Hreunity to learn
arn about
abou se ects in
j
non-threatening
\

presentations. jy 4
oppor
;ironment
Finally, for the same reason, you should understa nd waiting for some imagin,
that
tL

p-seated mystical, as well as financial, appeal Some routir

re

n print that
ve

¢,
routi In Darwin Ortiz at the Card Table Ie
Xpress Bert Allerton, and Ray point the
|

“Ever since they were fir:

Grismer
in these terms: invented, Cards
t
ortchanging routines in print. In volume ong
have been used for divination since it was felt th at only
the supernatural could influence turn of a ¢ ard or the
the the
5
of

card
Collected
>

ie 0k built
Works of Alex Elmsley
around prese
a
has a signature
transfer
about the techniques of I
To control a game of chance is akin to control]
isfortune.’ To ing fate,
implications the term ‘wheel
of
of
the public,
5

feHast board Presentations, y Lal

dg

vanishes from a packet che

a
In
who can do these things must be quite special.”
,

tollent o £
I know that some magicians object to displays of skill nyth ing Spe ci about that until you learn that the packet
of¢ Aa is
of the To s wallet inside his
the time the vanish pocket at
in gambling routines because they feel they
d
e of magic. This is, of course, an issue ever
detract no
in
oC
the spect:
2
course, allows
presentation on a picl kpocketing
for
a

a lot of potential.

-
performey ke a In fact, already
Rie

i
decide for himself. However, if you really un derstand

ad
the poing a very strong effect of my own inspired by Le( 8 which al
made
in the previous paragraph, you can appreciate that in the

ues or
ar in Ct hark under the title “Pickup on South Street
s mind, the “ca is the closest thing
"

today to the tr : re is another application. What about doing a

Se
1
of olden times: a man with the power
to contro] the force Neos ’ effect but instead of placing the two pack

ee5 i
1s Acr
ate, chance, and nature for his own practical
gain.
0 is
1envelopes held by spectators, you insert them into
wallets which they then pocket? Needless tc i
ego could be identical; yet the effect could be made far
Grifting
.<
fe ‘incorporating a pickpocket theme in the
meaningt
1

Since this area

is
ely related to
Pi

is
the one we've just cover

fecoiasCe valid
I'll o on.
discuss it briefly. It is, however,
worth realizing that some of the importance of background knowledge made
1

appeals we've just discussed

art
can be ploited in non-gambling ;in gambling routines.
here Indeed,
as you'll find
exts. Grifting is the und world term for crimes that 1
y on skill your kno of t SET
ubject in question will fascinate people
and cleverness rather than force. Th include con games, he
effect itself. Any effect along these lines is
shortchanging Pickpocketing, shoplifting,
»

gery and check kiting ly to spur and comments from the spectators that will
pool hustling, and
running crooked carnival game as well as crooked quickly rev al any ignorance ~ance on your part
on your p
gambling,

hice
ally tell a OLR
hne interest ing thing is that people can usually
whee
:

IE
While no - =
x

don't kno
ak)
one
approves of crime, most what vou're talking about even if
they

people save their real

disapproval for

a
violent crimes. They Ho and Showmanship,
tend bject themselves. In Magic

Te
He:

to have a grudging admir about the subjec mse

ation for criminals who
ris
8

alw
explains the popular;
beat t} 1e
system through their wits. TI
Nel
: isely observes that, “Esoteric knowledge
, Ho
:

the even imp

os
ve
ity over the years of
Arsene Lupin, A J. Raffles, tional characters like ona \tion
con!
: ver, he goes on to make
“annot be fak:
“ThisSE sort of knowledge cannot fake
Boston Blackie, The
L rvation that,
be

Cat” Robie (play: Wolf, John “The t

and THE, Cat

ed by Grant in Hitchcock's one
Cary
To Catch a Thief), The atmosphere \uthenticity also applies as nes
and the appeal of point about an
ence 18 engy per” movies in which the aud- as to gambling routines. Remember,
; it doesn’t necessarily oh
raged to
identify with the
criminals. 1 but it must seem real unle theto presentation
is clearly s

Furthermoy
everyone has ¢a fase
intended as tongue in cheek. The idea is capture the audience's
the
to CZ

And
tel Hoon. lascination with any
anything that is secret.
ret.
45

imagination, not insult fhe intelligence.

a

h r

gr
:

secret to membeps arious forms of fting a completeare

Square”
society. That's w hy they'll jump the at
100
 Darwin Ortiz

ESP Strong Magic

Mentalism is the most successful branch of points. Number one, aim to inspire belief, You
Professi, oF d two paramount

i
effect with sincerity rather than a let's-pretend
the most maligned branch of magic among ust perform each

oe ie
amate agio us!
psychic attitude
something about the nature of magic and even "Yt Thi,

8 gap,
bo
you must iremember that every mental effect you do
1
Mentalism ;
becgause out the riage
.

of amateurs. is so powerful two,

Jumber
meaningful form of magic for laypeople. This
jpg the Ure Num
11s text, exis sts
first and foremost
.

to
sell the subtext that

en
js 80 fop what ever you
two os at
mg
thoughts. Mentalism is not—or
¢ 4

because it deals with such a potent subject, our least, should not
eo omanipulate paper, slates, colored
po thoy, poker
pn

and because it's the one form of magic that may »ut slips
of chips or playing cards
a layman's perspective). Any kind of magic that
definition be more meaningful than any kind of ma
actually € reg]
real
0
= (i

mug
BoB ntalism is about thoughts your audience's thoughts Keep
he there and just use the props a means
to
that end,
that

i i
BiC
make-believe. only

This latter point helps explain why so

many The Occult
mentalism boring. Mentalism
authentic phenomena.
boring as trickery,
A
is
good example is Uri Geller's
butfos
magi

simran ag
finy

People are fascinated

by the occult. It keeps cropping up in new
the latest is the “New Age”—but its appeal is timeless and
of bending a key. As a magic trick, it's silly, pointless a bo effaor BLE to technological advances.
amazing than many other effects one yjmmune
might do instead, Ho and occult magic shows exactly why
evidence of some hitherto unsuspected Tren
faculty of the Kinman mind,
jpg
comparison of theatrical magic
A

0 much theatrical magic fails to move audiences and also how occult
endlessly fascinating.
themes can strengthen theatrical magic. Occult magic doesn't concern
This means that a mentalist's
itself with changing red handkerchiefs into green
success with his audience is handkerchiefs or
determined by how good
ar, at the very
verv least,
leas mak ng them entertain the
is
at convincing them he
he

reallyoy Psychic ig Bo making one steel ring penetrate

another. It deals with healing and
wealth, and exerting power over other
hur ting, winning love, gaining
a :

possibility (Fatant
about disclaimers. Every mentalist who uses that people really care about—the kinds of
:

one hopes the audience people, the kinds of things

won't understand it or will be dealing with if we could really do
Just ignore it.) This means that his things we m agicians would
}

with an audience of success

magicians will always be zero since, no magic.
how amazing his effects, matter
that they're witn SSing
he has no chance of
ever convincing them Well. we can't really do magic. But we can cloak our magic with
real of occult magic.
psychic phenomena. themes that invoke the emotion—drenched concerns

onig
This is the become very moving if it
the few mentalists who Even linking two steel rings together can

fe i
why

go over well at magic conventions

few

the performer is dealing with occult

Hay
ia
seems somehow to imply that
are
who would enjoy the least
success with the general
convince ee
those mentalists who cut the B.S. (i.e., trying to OWE: rs that he
could, if
he chose, turn to more sinister purposes.
occult magic and
lay audience
ih = psychic) and get on with the effect. Fora Considering the obvious connection between how
y © would
this
translate
translate
as failing to develop the meaning
f:
theatrical magic—one evolved from the other—it's surprisingIn the
Atrating instead on the until recently.
puzzle. little occult themes have been exploited in magic
:
Lo Prue
the
last few years this has changed some, primarily through
the meaning of influence
mentalism § 80 strong when
at
true belief, it over shadows
§

the performer is of The New Invocation, a magazine devoted to occult-theme magic,

ex showmang
p up. Magicians love all
other considerations and its chie f contributors. However, as others have observed, “bizarre
of magic that is written about
oven Geller ang
they don't indulge
Kreskin are. What
to complain about what lousy
they mean by this is that
magic,” as its advocates call it, is a field
in far more than it's performed.
See ony
A
PUns or insult humor and lack the
sot
in
urbanity anq
EN
y

Performer, Betully tors they Imagine is necessary for a polished One reason for this is that most published bizarre magic
few
showmanghjy, most
Fras
he
Men are masters o fa deeper kind of
presentations that require a type of persona that not a
magicians can sustain. Your friends know that you're

Cv
I
str ss all this S don't even
suspect exists who has sold his soul to Satan or studied occult doctrine
for
3
ale dec:

18 Important for
You plan
to Just one or you to understand even if in some remote monastery in
the Carpathians.
tyq mental effects. You must keep in
102
103
 Darwin Ortiz

Yet, with some thought it

credible for the average performer. The occult can
is
possible to find occult Strong Magic

How might it have touched yours? Did you happen

toyep Senta gifficult 3 figure out. They're specially designed hy magicians to
= Yone'y fellow magicians. Michael then offers to perform one ofhis

a
amulet in an antique shop or inherit a strange paffle the air tricks. You can be sure his audience's curiosity and
Unyg, session”
occult
to
£

dead uncle? Did you decide on a whim a orite ‘sess

:

enteran oceylg Ton,

00)
favori
t high pitch by the time he starts the trick. If you're
a

res arch some esoteric subject and end up learning interest 15 what trick Michael performs, you're
8
more gh Ore g, missing the point. You
bargained for? Give it
some thought and you m ay fing an wondering
po ressive
form an any effect you want after that introduction
2 long as it's s

ou can exploit this rich presentational field 4 Dump,

in on €
can
one th at's
impress enough to live up the buildup 2
to
effects. of tells people about the time,
Moy, .anio many years ago, when
Arturo de Asca red for membership in the Madrid Magic Circle, He
sure I don’t have
I'm to
point out that the same cq CSEEuR
of APparg, he first audition a trick for performance before the
authenticity, background knowledge, and sincerity membership
ip
that I've stressed before are just as important in oceult Prese
Sentatjg, qa had to PX
committee.
ig
h % much riding on one trick, he worked
i very hard to
wont. effect 8.
80]
penect a oi
till one of his favorites, and he would like
You can be sure that when he goes on to perform one of
perform to it
for ther

te
tiful
is beautiful ace assemblies, the audience
ass is particularly appreciative
Sinden:
Magic Each of hese presentations
€
makes the audience feel privileged be to
Believe it or not, most people have a certain allowed the effect being presented. As long as they don't
is into
curiosity about Mage,
| 4 w easy
ale it
really to get accepted most magic clubs or
don't mean that they want to become find
S easy it

oe
ow

3 these
ae of the magic performed at Bu
3

magicians, but ather

;

sessions is,
on
p,
s50
given the opportunity, they'd like to learn a little that, how ac
bp
Prosunieupes | will
continue to work. Yes, they do present a
oR
an—
more about the
Sey agent. ¢

subject. This is because magic has one thing

the other sub; jects we've discussed
in common w; ith some
of
ivized
ticized viewview of the magic wor
of
world but, hotafter all, our job is to provide
»
i the
so far. Like crooke d
3
illusions.
th

blic wi
is gambling public with
gnifting, and the occult, a secret art. And anyt hing that
presentations also exploit the audienc is curiosity
it
about the

SH oe
is secret
or
holds a certain fascination for The
people.

ed
On one of his videotapes, Eugene
Most people have hacer world of the magician.

sp rg
never been clo e enough to a magician to cploits this curiosity by presenting an effect that he calls his
ask hig 5
questions that may be on thei minds. You itual " This, he explains, is the exercise he I ;

know the ones, the yar :

“warm-up r

2
ic =e)

questions you get all the time from Oncea AEE

laypeople: How did you first get rivate to prepare AEs for each performance. s ntro—
= wpa

esadisi iiE
interested in magic? How did 2 of magic to make ake t the effect se
you learn to be a magician? How much duction exploits the mystique e
do you have
to practice? Furthermore, even spectators

iskin Elk
than
e>

who" ve never something special, signifi ant, more just a card trick.
had any
curiosity about magic or magicians before will find
themselves Intrigued wit h people
|
are always interested
a

13
Jo TERCERA
ag, a
the subject after you've astonished them
with a couple
real ly strong tricks. Cigarette
¢

trick Bape
of

t
€

alway
t by describing it as the first magic
8
ev
surprised me that more magicians don't
he
-
take advantage nto a speci

Ee
1

of this
natural audie ice
to
]

curiosity about what they do for a living or as the one that led his areer choice
habby to builq
A
p ntations around, Generally, people : fagicians often use presentations in which they
to teaches fa
are inter-
ba
Fb
vis Hie
tricks are done, how a trick is done. In theory,
such presen

i itrE GET
you learn to do them, and how audience

meaning
= penilly,Here are some examples from
magicians that exploit this
P

strong source 0 a
Kind of
meaning we're talking about
usually realizes from the outset that ;
here.
psychological secret : a
Micha] Skinner ¢ approach would be to offer to dernonitidis For
example, after briefly
xplains to hig audience
together at conventiong that magic ians often get
of magic such as suggestion or
nisRecile might place a card aside
At these
sessions they
are a little diffe
and also in private
perform groups called “session:
tric s for each other. But these tricks
explaining the principle of nisdizections
and explain that sometime in the course g
trick you will switch it
racy no one will see it
oe
tend to be
rent from the
po, re challeng
ones they do for the general public. They
18, more difficult to perform, and more
for a different card. But if you do it
happen because you will cover
S ‘ion. This presentation
with misdirec
it 1
104 105
 Darwin Ortiz

would work well for Brother Hamman’s “The Si Strong Magic

Signed g, arg »
example real meaning for an effect from me
to achieve Yl money, it must
Hoowever of the effect, not just as a
E :

It is true that magicians sometimes tricks the do used as the

theme prop The tririck must I}

ha
ey
are om we Us
it must be about money.
g

based on the themes I've suggested. But they are

pe
onl) y use money, People have only two
> }

phony they carry no conviction and therefore

wll 0 n ot
whenit omes to money, getting
comes to ge
money,
more money and holdin, :

interest. There is all the difference in the worlq no

iL onCerns
to the
money they already have. These are the only themes th
x
APIAE wll 3
“audition trick,” Mike ee; * Sie meaning for themin a money trick
sincere presentation of his Si Aseay, Ing have
have Me?
SXinnep “Hundred Dollar Bill Switch” by borrowing
his favorite “session trick”, or Eugene Burger performm the a one ’ 2

If you
changing it into hundred, the effect wi \l have strrong
“warm-up ritual” on the one hand and some magic 9 dollar bill ant
a
{

e you will have achieved every spe ator's

bh

about the “rules of the magicians’ union” on other the mear ning
beca dream

oo
5

money grow. If you perform the same trick by borrowing

° ¥

there is no comparison between presenting an effect as making his

dollar bill, changing it to a single, and then re
Ei
a
serious demonstration of the role of misdirection j
seen _hundred
magician telling the audience that the secret to hig
"Magid and
that 5
18!
trices
or
= the spectato 3 will have strong meaning because of the
having failed in the of holding on to his
goal
money
has a trapdoor his handin the spectator Bill tricks also have strong meaning for the {ator
estored
and
dn
RB
Torn
The difference in each case is, to borrow a phrase
from Eugene on. Indeed, this The provides
effect a dramatic example the of
Burger, sincerity of purpose. That's not to say that the larger the denomination of the bill you
thingg You of meaning in magic.
the audience must be true, only that they should see te] impact the effect will have, even though the
borrow, the more magic
pha =
ea
least within the dramatic reality you create, As frue, a
remains the same
pa = seriously the old gag that the secret
sincerity; once you learn to
fake that, you've got made
you
Success jg
it
pseudo—demons
om both ends:
rtions of shortchanging exploit monetary meaning
the hustler's ability to gain money and the victim's
inabi. lity to hold on to it. Depending on your performing persona, you
may choose to pres
ent such an effect by identifying yourse with
f

the
Money shortchange artist or with the v tim. (Either approach can
be highly )

pe .
nt messages about the performe:
on o
Beda
In diffe
Bob Nelson's books on psychic
Nelson’
cctive, but they carry two
3

one
readings he st. e!

Einge
three main concerns in
life are money, and h sex,

= In John Carney’s
book Carney Knowledge he has a wonderful effect
The performer takes a dollar bill, folds
desi:
an Velson'ss claim in
upport for Nelson
suppor called “The Logical Bill
Trick.”
any copy of Reader’s Diges,
1
find

half dollar from the folds. He repeats this to

st popular magazine in the world. Every i
contained dat at least
leas one article
1e I've ever
on each of those three subjects
5

ts.
see
he it over, and produces a

produce a second coin. Finally,

he folds the bill into a small packet
the
a third half dollar slides out of packet. What makes the effect
2

esc of those subjects also has se ral

it
Fn fick:

each and
horas
itirely to it. One of those
magazines devoted
great is the kicker
When the dollar bill is unfolded is seen to have
magazines iseh alled Money. It should also what gives it strong meaning
to a twenty—dollar bill. This is
ci

come as no surprise that : x

anged
money appears in Barbara Leeds’ book effective worked in

dy
It seems to me this could also be extremely
er
I
PowerSpeak in her list

Tee
LIE
“ of

English language” 4 most persuasive words in the bill from a spectator. Proceed to
our culture few subjects have a
more firBots" d reverse. Borrow a twenty—dollar
t
1

each in his hand. Comment

on the public consciousness
old
produce the hree half dollars, dropping
Money has suc belong to him. He may
e
that performing “Card Warp” with that since th coins cams from his bill they ,

a hundred object to keeping them, but ou that they are now his. Return
insist
wl
=
y
a dollar bill,
or using crumpled bills for «eed to your next effect.
an impromptu
Go alls the folded bill along with the halves and proc
to select a

he
audience attention Le routine will attract greater initial This may, for example, involve asking another § pectator the
effects actually have other props for the same effect. These attent ion away from
ca In any case you completely turn your

- sk
;

Rony; but the use moneya

will tend to draw of
the spectator who lent you the bill.
bikini—c] eyes s in the same way that it to his wallet
he
u—clad gir]
will draw the When the spectator unfolds the bill to retturn this
advertisement, es of most men to a billboard will attempt to bring
that it one—dollar bill. fe I
discovers is now a
and continue with your
to your attention, but you try to ignore him

107
 Darwin Ortiz
he won't be easily
next trick. Undoubtedly, dissuaq
make for a very humorous situation for the rest of th ed. -

Thi
Strong Magic

it's worth, Finally, take the dolla, he ah,

oul
&

normally used in card manipulation to apparently pluck

all bill Audien,, Ml
2

for
it pre aphthts 1oney out air
spectator and change it
to a twenty by means of pag ck of the

Ta
the « nok
gy,

paper’
IY

to suggest that coin magic

Bill Switch.” (You already had undp,
aa mear SE
the meant
your thumbtip loa ded this
:

a
¥
4 is

of is
;

apable of
is

Dy) ©

yy; None only want to stress that if a coin trick

twenty.) Offere to trade the twenty for the strong.
1

Ve is to have
SPectatoy'y thy,
d

peing it's going to have to come from something

aturally, he will accept the offer and there by strong Me
Jing oth
er thar
V

dolls ey

bring th, hal used

fact that coing are
\

full circle. the mere

The trick will be even stronger if you can borrow
dollar bill from a spectator, but you won't alw, Sex
you want to for
try the hundred, have two thumbtips |
the other 70 len
on Bob Nelson's list of universal
a hundred and one with a twenty. If you can't get som
Remember
Health and sex. don't think that health has much
oe
I
€one tg =
a hundred dollar bill, settle for a twenty. Just

oe
don’t theme for magical presentations (although some
al as a
thumbtips confused.
performer may prove me wrong). However, sex does have
=v
Youy

Keep in mind that most magic with substantive meaning ek potential if carefully approached
is
a
iai
h-fulfillment magic. People wish to make money a essentiq)), in magical presentations
(and in most other
contexts) is like
ppear. This is why Himber's “Polaroid Money” trick
in which the performer appears to be able to
print money is
ou
fee
yi
atomic energy. It has great potential for good, but if you're not careful
itll blow up in your face. Utilizing the tremendous appeal and
One of the most effective of all close-up tricks meaning of sex in a presentation without offending or alienating
with
takes a great deal of judgment and cleverness, but it can be
Page's effect in which blank pieces of paper change
into dollar Pat i people
once saw a magician perform this effect in reverse, He
dollar bills and changed them to blank
stortid ¥
done.
The dangers to avoid
in using sex In a presentation are any hint of
paper. Although his
miliarity with the audience, sexism, and placing
a—
made this approach
logical it could never be as emotionally . erful vulgarity, over
as the original approach. The ability to change
money is a very desirable talent;
ordinary Paper inty
the ability to ch ange
5 ; people in embarrassing situations.
Such presentations also virtually
demand the use of humor to defuse the explosive potential
of the
worthless money inty It's algo a good rule generally to use even the most innocuous
paper isn't a highly marketable skill. subject.

I sexual presentations only with audiences in your

own general age
When talk about money magic
having strong me aning I'm speaking much younger, they're more likely to be
strictly of tricks with :
group. If the audience is
7
1S
paper currency, not coin effects. The appeal of
en cited as one of the advantages of
embarrassed; they'reifmuch older, you may appear disrespectful

Jeg
of
in
coin magic, but [ Knowing your audience is also critical. Bob Sheets has

ee
on is En
s

Lo 15 misguided. The problem inflation. Coins today countless performances that the much
reviled “Bra Trick
can 2 8
enough buying power for coin tricks to have the kind of Bob's presentation, he drops any
caning we're discussing here. Even killer for a singles bar crowd. In
street beggars will look at you from place to place. Instead, he
contemptuously if offer them a
you only offer pretense about silks traveling
“hot” the female subject
r
couple of quarters or a half- presents the effect as a test of how
.

a
¥ g

dollar
you

For a group of:

other words, he makes the trick explicitly about sex

Jelier
Undoubtedly, minds anyway, it's very
in Nelson Downs’ day dy have sex on their
T.
it was different. When he ple who a
plucked coins out of the air, he
Dream” but the dre, wag realizing not only “The Miser's
) : effective.
of
every per son in his audience. Today, pulling
oe
Bob's success with this
am
Part of the key to
°Ins out of
the
ether
is
cost—efficient way of spending your forgive me for saying this
wo
2
0
time. Any skilleq sure he'll
os nal rots hands of someone else, it
:

ant threatening persona as a performer. In

th
plying his trade can earn more on an hourly bas
combing the ge. rial YW
glking around with a pail in one hand while could be every bit as offensive as the “Bra Tric
usually is.
ming is not for
dle
the other. However, there are a couple definitely
:

of stage
manipulators Who have Exploiting sex in magical prese ntations most situation. If you have
kept up with the times by employing
it
most definitely is not for ev oy the matter up and
§

everyone. And
any doubts in your mind, forget ever brough t I

109
 Darwin Ortiz

concentrate on the many other strong source, S of subgtgpy:

Stentive
Strang Magic

in this section. Me,

an;Ning presentation
en this’+
I've used with success
PXe
cess for
forth
an “Ultrs ,
gder
,

prediction. You hand a deck of car

(ic to a young lady
2
Lo

ConsiciE),
it, her to name any card that comes into
Me ahe is
holdin you a <

Ne hearts of
She names, for ex: mple, the two
=
UE

1.

her mine

edI
Do you know what all people cor ider to be the single that in fortune telling each playing card has a special
and interesting subject in the world? Themselves, It's
no one ever tires
of. Why not make your magic
impor,
ae One Subj
ie fxplaining
xp
meaning 2 you dis
Based on
he kind of person who would be drawn to the
symbolism the ofthat
card, you provide the |

the spectator’s own fascination with Cinating hi two

lady with a brief
character reading, and conclude with a
tying it in with
me
0%

event she can expect in the near future

y

are a great many ways to do this. Here are some of the most Ther, an
of
explain that when you arose this morning you had a
LE
and adaptable. effect,
Finally: you

a
npression that you would meet just such a person today. To

radi
Readings: The power “psychic” or psychological readings strong
have 4, claim, you retrieve the deck of cards she's been holding
imaginations was forcefully brought home to rove yo Wr
var
the cards between your hands
from the box, and spread
itis
people’s
the first
time by an experience I had in college. At the time | remove the deck. It proves to be the two of
New York Public Library. Working one card reversed in

hh
the was There

re
part-time in I

know better a certain attractive co-worker. One day Betting hearts.

presentation expands the meaning of the effect. The
to
talking, spotted on her desk a note she'd written, To im ere
Notice how this
about cards; it's about the spectator. The only
I

it to her, |
Tan trick is no longer
3

and proceeded analyze her handwriting,

picked up
the whole thing up as went along. Fortunately,
I
Find
I
Ply made
= importa nce
of the cards is that they serve to
reveal insights about the
nd also to confirm your visionary powers in foreseeing
I

book on graphology; this gave me enough background

Ce
read
Le q
spectato a phenomena strengthen

a
Tmation to such a person. The two
that you would
z

meet
make everything sound plausible.
each other. The accuracy of
the reading seems to prove that thi card »

I never did get a date with the girl. She was so impress than just a trick; the success of the card
y the prediction was more
character reading, however, that she mentioned it to all the other to prove that the reading was more than just
prediction seems (I wish I'd worked this presentation out
employees. During the next week, ever: ingle person who worked in smooth-sounding halon
might not have struck out
was still working at the library;
that library came up to me and asked me to analyze thei
handwriting. Each of them left deeply impressed by the result
;
= while I

with that girl.)

Here's the amazing thing. These were people with whom I'd of character reading is numerology. Certainly
Another popular form
working for months. Under the guise of interpreting their he there are many close-up
effects that involve numbers. To provide just

Si
“Stabbed
x described their characters as had come to I
ny one example, let's take
another card effect, Larry Jennings’

a
“Quick Coincidence.” With my
}
rough our association. Yet, if I had simply said, “After obsery- Coincidence” or Allan Ackerman's
ing you months,s,
it would appear this way.

Le. Soe
for would
ould say
mo
f
I
)
say y yo you're
the he kkind of f
person
perso;
3
h
who,
?

presentation, feel would

deck looking for a card you
s

cared about my opinion. But, because my obser-

have

ml
You spread through the
i
¢
cared 3 y

based on abstruse deductions from their properly symbolize the spectator based on
the vibrations you're
Lace without showing it. The

on olan Re
on every word. Each observation took on a receiving from her. You place this
card aside
in
el
the middle of
a card and inserts it face
down
cial significance. So captivated were they by the then
i

5
they
spectator this
>

card face up
>

handw You turn

riting was providing a k ey to their souls that they completely the deck so protruding about half-way.
it's
Syeocked the obvious fact tha t I was just describing people whom
knew as I knew them
to be.
I so all can see that it is, for example, a six.
was attracted to a
You suggest that it's important that the spectator based on
Because t} here are a brief reading
six. You then proceed to give the spectator
:

students six. Next, you turn over

o
future, the
opportunities for
are extensive. Playing
since cards are associa
the numerological significance of the number
it
foretell the
SD people s “vibrations” or the spectator, and
rr i=
the card you had set aside earlier to symbolize
Rdlating readings anicimee chica think that her choice
of
5 are
a natural for any such presentations
;

proves to another be
six. Lest the spectator
atedd with fortune
telling in most people's minds.
110 m
 Darwin Ortiz

the number six was a mere coincidence, you conclugde by Strong Magic

the g the
J

the spectator inserted

her six
in the deck betwe en sho, in Y

your ability
to match spectator and the object only
serves to
th
Oi
1g
Other tw acter of picking up vibrations from the
As in the previous exam ple, you've shifted the fois your claim object and
ii vahdat te
pi
a ey
»

the cards to the person for whom card effect the the effegy p
(hereby prove that i there really is something to thie Ms
psychometry
Yet the effect is not diminished but enhanced, Insteaq
€in
for
Ing

puginess
but meaningless coincidence, we now a coingcid
of a
have iat Mention
of psychometry brings
may be used asathe
to mind the fact that literal}
tami for a reading
ally any
ence wip the focus
if
dt

significance—one that s ggests that there is Pre it belongs t a

€

all object
~

some hidd en h smé has published a card effect that hhe

3s
to

Horwitz
work beneath the surface of things that guides cy Basil
A

utes in
o

destin, ony ay
at

After the spectator has selected a card and

trick with implications like that is one people will remembg, iH
pec
th .evchometry.
I
deck, the performer spreads the deck on the table. He
:
i
its
th
peen lost
10
particularly creative application of cold
. :

A ding to some personal possession ofthe spaciathr HORTLE

r

found in Lee Earle’s published effect “Aura Cards”

detail Earle’s effect but rather focus on the principlait
gic cap b
t bothe,
t
I
ae then borrows
on his fist, he runs
his hand back and forth along the spread
Eventually stops 8% S70 card. This proves to be the selected card
he
which is the more important point. There are many effects Sibog; sonal vibrations radiating from his

i
mn close_y, rently, the spectator's I

magic where the performer either divines or predicts sion have led
the performer to the one card that has similar
chip, colored card, or other trinket chosen be a color a
1€

ations still clinging

to it

ho
a—
poker

Typically, such effects are the epitome of meaning]

Spectatoy
a presentation could be further
,
enhanced ifthe performer gave the
don't know how the performer knew which one (1
cold reading from the psychometrized object before
ctator a brief
T

should I really care?”) Earle's idea is to present such card. Once again, the divination of the card would seem
Why
an effect in the loca ting the
there was more to the reading than just hokum
B

context of an aura reading.

to indicate that
Most people today are generally familiar with the occult in Mind: A little imagination and a bit of occult

otpelPhie
h Points to Keep
all living things are surrounded by a multi-colored research should sut many other ideas for incorporating readings

:
all but the Notice, however, that ach example | gave
invisible to psychically gifted. Kirlian into your close-up.
revived this old doctrine. Mystics believe that the colors is involved a prediction,
div ation, or coincidence effect. The presen

Le Ss
fit the ef t. A presentation with occult over-
aura Doris insights into his character and mental! wort tation should always
Shate 1
as you can give the a—
asad on his affinity for the particular color
y
Sokol tones should only
be used for an effect with occult overtones
Generally, predictions divinations,
and coincidence effects
To do a reading based on a spectator's
are the

Fr oid seems to really matter which poker chip the ones that fit this description
the card out of your shoe
select: od card, then conclude by pulling
Not only cards, numbers,
and colors but also symbols, birth dates would be a
little jarring
here with the use of cold reading to
help
ote that I'm concerned
,

tarot cards, handwriting,

names (thr ough numerology), ink blots, and of magic to help cold readers.
That's why

Sittibe magicians, not with the use

even doodles 2
used for such effects.
may
fi

Many years ago, Howard For instance,

used

Albright 'h example I've kept the focus on

the magic. in
in

ole

RR
great presentation for Annemann’s “Pseudo before you reach the
i)
AC

suggested giving the reading

¢

Psychometry” 5 ach case I've

iia This was later used by Al Koran, a man would
the reading after the ma agic happens
who really
nstitutes strong
cons eit a idea the climax of the
e ect. To do
of using the
)

magic, so you know anti-climactic and would waste ne opportunity

y at
] th
is good. be
of, the magic. Basic
§
!

Bil Loco et
Indeed, “Pseudo Pg reading to build anticipation for, and appreciation thing should always
variations
is such a great effect in all its
dramatic theory dictates that the most important last Also, Lee
¢ happens
magic—precisely wheadoy happen last; for us, this means the ma the
the subject of the point is the magic, You
itself. You coulq
Hae effect is the audience
: Sod a subject more certain to hold their
recommended readings because, Since
brief
want the tail wagging the dog.
aa
undivided attention, don’t
T A. Waters has
fascinating to the
Bichon Oe
made the very important point,
however, that
Pseudo
some
seem to think that the effect of
Keep in mind that a reading will be most 1s gartis REY
Therefore, if performing for a group,
= ly receiving it. 10% J
to match objects and spectators short. If performing
course, the important
effect is the important to keep an individual reading
analysis of the spectator’ char-
m2
13
 Darwin Ortiz
you can allow
,rson, reading to runthe |
“Oger
ng
feyoy Strong Magic
isin
5

see that the person arson 1

\s vou can interesteq in hey
i
$ is

gas)
f cold
cols readi ng has grown tremenggqy, arin. Ng
mop,
sh 2

shhow
meone that you can conjure
8OT

little unsettling.
It }

brings
with
his signature
to mind the
ig {

erature of
To
it's
It
in primi
&
sly ive,
should have no trouble soul stolen in
of years, so
you
finding stron § 2
impre
of having his
, Bb
a r or photograph
brief readings. Two mat, +

which to compo articular]y te the wer conjuring with per

of

are short but powerful are The Dream Card

Annemann’s Pseudo Psychometry sign Tab

es- er
the Card begin by mentioning
a
I

both §
Wr mtiz at
tes and Other
Wi
gs of William are dung in mn Dar! night in which the spectator (whom, I've nev
ehe previous
Ww

Sr. had a playing car

red. | mention that played an in
he

There is nothing so sweet &

{

res:
with person's name always add... 48 remove that particular
t
a
¢

tricks where the ard to

many The
ae >
2

m card is re laced in
ling to it. Some shrewd performers Cate backed
¥

ae jpg; oT the wallet x

ling the name of the person whe ch : llet

k
and

ing a person's nam to add meaning tq

:

Spe ctator
N then card from
a blue deck
thi
and signs it on the
The
it's the four of hearts. After ard returned
f sume 18 te

ck of cards is
ain remove the red-ba
ne

A face
L4
ire
d

spread m card from my wallet

deck, I

of
¢

the
to
J

be the four hearts, it bears the spectator

it prove

ent first name written on the back: signature on its

ck: Joe effect on an audience, one unlike
:

, Bill
Bill,
§ an uncanny any other
for our purposes is
[ve ever perf
0's name, spectator becomes not only an assistant the effect, but the
in
designated by the spectator, a “Sine hove
3 he

5 effect. This fact underscored at the very outset

er
was
B
2
oct of the 1s

that one card bore a woman's

cS
Woman
name op jt? wher
eplain
Exp that the reason 1
chose her to
help me is that |
er When the card is turned face
down, not only dg recognized dream.
her from my

sople are more inter sted in people than in

a woman's name written on it, it has the anything
spectator’
tenon it they will pay close attention to this effect
Nn

arantees that
t, even more potent pectator more intere is herself than in anything else this
2d
in
to this effect People place
most sonal embodiment of that name, tees that she will pay rapt attention
y

per
this guarantees they won't soon
r significance of one’s signature in our cy
the gnificance in signatures;
the way business people this effect
approve decisions. It's the 1s still
serful magic in the realm of signatures
we grant of this kind will appear in my
act in our behalf, the way we attest explored. Another strong effect
Ca

i
in which a
the
Effect’
atements, the way we pledge
our commitment! under the title “Signature
card to another. As a
the way we authentic is transferred from one
Soe
ure
C

I'll briefly des ribe

ondence, and one of the ways in illustration of the possibilities,
sed, an unpublished silk whic! ia
gnature has almost sacred hature transfer effect I've devi book, Williamson's
idea from the David Williamson
to the devil, what do yo on
1
a great

a
ce you've signed there is deck and lac it in my
p Sipe
ps
I
removing the joke from the
begin by t
a card and signs
15t8 will also
tell
you that our signatures
represent
pock spectator then selects
off the card,
fy
the it
i
now visibly peel the spectator’s signature
ops
:

othing could
more symbolic of individual our ball and
nothin, could be knead this ribbon into a small Ag
be

bi os
es;
in a ribbon.
ff

more unique to ourselves. I

my poc
the me 3

t. the one that contains

the joker After patting
Signature but they won't have

114 115
yg
Otis

|nlp
Darwin
Matton out the Strang Magle
of times to signature,
pouple COV hy
an the bak of the joker the §
spectators signa, Im hing
affuct andl twisted them around Wo
eonvindgs a friend that

Me ah
|
hig,
ly could teanafer pra mind
you le
BIL
WE
Tagine iF re p Wialdu'

pla io another, The power this would give vel billet ronding wid anawering uation in whic)

gp Og
yu

¢o
Wi UI Yop an
yy
of intimate details of
for creating misehiol truly nwa;
0 Mental denoan i knowledge poron
0

potential

erTa
tho BHO NO 3
yy
frightening Gg. LL heir moaning almost much from thin “me” angle
Wil
as
alle The impliontions are y
(he ww
mentalist do Dilla owt in which
privat os once
y

other excellent angle,

i
number
1 anw a

have boon of

imal ol paper. When the

Phere a

In Cardi "OF hairltet the ume Herman on the slip of

OY ayy,
with slgnatures fn print. on the
oe No started shiking
Herman?’ she sh
Hogi "Who
ms

effect enllod her, a

publiahed an outstanding “Phanks o

\

(i, Tor Late husband's

ir
nome
naotator aeloots card and alma it on the bagk, Hie Nar gy mont
add that Herm
va

hat
(og
a

did ho know was written on

tite to multiply, fumping from card oad yng the to
hh myself the question how

astonished
from the nudiopee's
|
obviou
disjes meet wan
1

Eventually, signatures
pe However, 1b
sll the

he
deck.
in the br the how could he
themaelvas question:
thoy wore asking
the

in
Jow the only card that beara the spectator RIA pe ha didn't
anid pone EA ata husband wan named Hopman? Of courue,

ay
wan placed o the effect hogan unt! told him. But to the
who Horman wn
she

been number no iden

hore also have effects of published not phout knowing what was written on
a a

illanoe the effect wna

)
I"
Whisk
on the backs of two playing cards tran p- the
knowing emotion-chnrged secret
$F of pHper 1 wan shout
fgnatures an
I
homo
ay
good examples of card effects that become fay more tl
All
I
(out thin womans
p Tle
pasts)vhonp Junto
AN
effets boonuse they deal with people as well ni of thing Involves only one spectator
that bocaus {hin sort
|

Don't think
Finally, it

Hed in with the

should he noted that
conjuring with signa
concept of charactor roading digo ol3 bofopg,
| eH

| alg | (hat the re

tht apeotator ie
of the audi t he
thelr representative
vill foe) deft out, They will identify with
Iurthormore, thay will nlao be
care (han
ready commented 0 that spectators reactions Hemembor, people
|

famcination handwrit yg nnalysiy

\ on the 10 |

fnacinatod

he
| hb
Ody y
|
An effect that requires
people.
phan nny thing else
it
spectator 10 sign ened
ani
a

\ ith the performer giving the spectator 1 brief dy oil hig puople more
eauding basa gy
hin
analysin of that signature. don't
Universal Experience
1

using this ides

indinoriminately. It would be litle ace in atandard a

genic (

sours of meaning for magi Unlile

Wallat effuct, for exam
pl However, if such interlude ta fn keopig Univeral experience unique sn
oo
wn

vith the mood and theme of the

off itn power not fram the faet that
it
tout could conatdorally online ab it derive
previous ox nmplon,
from the fact that ib denls with
the

donln with something important but

trivial but with which everyone can identify
Fn|)
Other Idea "oye
many other effects amething which may
ho
and prosentations
re are G

concept as, "Little universal

th
Comedian George Carlin hn defined
wore strongly
angly |
thoy the
malto the because
I Pat Ik wpectator the focus

RT.
vena 1) trick the
\

separately the things that make us

of
of : the

Detective” ldo moments thant we share

you locate selected
nowselected card o n

HRT
by

erringly detecting VRpectator in lying by hin tone

vidom
y

volo In of

comedy, Consider the

of voles,
Dake
AL
Viiist Player” you looate a welectod card whil very fraquently used In
a

Mh concent ono
Ii
1

touting the humor

apsctator's ability and More Snlggletn, two very populny
8 to maintain n poker face, Tn PRU Snigglets
ul

as example
enoh ous of
Wie not the Ler
ada hut (he person; the cards merely
fn
’ SERN

hooks comedian Rich Hall, The promise for these

books is to

i
;
by
t)
nlrendy exist but
sot
medium for the
the Knglish language with words that don't
aw

tes
18

provide
Out of Cinemuck: the sticky
World crying need, For example,
This
lin for which theye
trong menning beepuse it deals, not
tn a

morely with [5p hut With the ubstanee that invariably conts the floors of movie thenters,” Or
Ine pectators up

KSI, There are many other

’
badly out
monta) 11
ti that Inotom lntion: bending the spout on milk cor yniner no
ng
¢

alu
PUTO to teat the spoctutor's payohle
a

Make
POWERS,
Ut hormone mn
Any paychic effects warkod
of shape that it no longer uanble
is

vantly rewarked to
t

the oan enatly |

definitions funny, but | do nnd wo

L

spontaLy
be

OW
100La

Ldon't know whether you find the

fii (ror
PC Central
DOFaEmOrn,
,

Th fmsue rather than the o

ins an
olds
biography A
Life i Among Secrets
ong Secrets of con
Lo

muny other pe ple judging from {he figures for these hooks len
amusing of these defin
nocdote out elds question arises, why are they funny? Each
|
But, the
g

aeyeral standard
sl Kow
10w It
took
ne 117
 Darwin Ortiz

itions focuses attention on some widespread foib]ble =

Strong Mage
€ or
tion of everyday life. Their humor stems
Ti Ho

from the gq

ofi
a experience missing after doing laundry
nition, the amusement, and sometimes relief he that shook Ur,
different
univer:
clinging other
dry d

i
s to
ling in the clothing, dirty sock
iry
that everybody else has the same experiences
eqn, NegS
»
:

cks hid
Cop.
of %.
He then offers one explanation for all fouy
i

rea woke sidewalk.

For example, read the definition of lugging (
when I ny on The humor of the routine deri from the factac that such do
8 The a cperiences lv explain so many
at

di
pu _

practice of using your fingers to guide an electr; expe

theory can so neatly
’

SCLC plug common,

the Sem Judicrous
when plugging in something in the dark”), | was jing,
~vday ha ypenings
fe
2

8 Sool,
re] 1eved
that I wasn't the only one with this dump to : Se aver
mple of what might
be
termed the Bizarre Explanat ion
universal experience also explains the popularity of
Iie
app,beg] This is ane cploiting unive human experien 1]
It consists
arity the Formula for ex
of
segments on the mr TV show Sixty Minutes
and the w rit Andy Rog,4
J

lings of Col,
A A

10 Joking
8 trivial but
un
ve
rsal human 5

theory about
e
kperience, then following up
skewed
;

Erma Bombeck insight or it. This

ipproach
repel
by POF viding some i

e
his
It may constitute an
Many comedians get a good laugh by doing of tandup comedy. borate routine
a staple the
entire formula may be condensed into one
3

Nothing More above exé ample or

pointing to a puzzling universal experience. For in the
, &
who )
seal talking about when he once
they
recall one comedian was
eld gag
example,
Larry Miller says: “How does the phone cord always
n
I T 0

brief
e

an appliance firm. He explained, was the guy who used

tig
is
2

et for
“I

How? All I ever do pick up the receiver, audheENE so tanglego talk wor ked
the 1t device inside hairdryer t makes you think you he
pick it up, do a cartwheel followed by a somersault and
Up. doy I
to put
the phone ringing
as soon as you turn it on.”
y

then hang :

up. it
Formula can be applied intact to certain
Other standup comics use universal The Bizarre Explanation

rr
experiences a onl Perfect examples are provided by two prominent
point of a routine. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld agks je! ring magic effects.
ASKS hisS aude: 2 nee, “Bye 4 comedy magicians,
Tom Ogden and Mike Caveney. When Tom Ogden
=
J
how you will
go to the laundromat with ev enly ‘Cannibal Cards” effect wherein playing cards placed
3 ;

matched Pairs performs the he doesn’t indulge in some corny

when you come back you'll disapy r,
have one unmatched sock Jaf between two kings
vou’ll
} &

cor

i
yet ack
3

over? Where do tho se odd socks go?” =His

: about cannibals
and missionaries (How many people could relate
sa
audience laughs beeayss
every one of them car relate to the experience he has aughs

=i
Instead, he asks his audience, “Ever
that to their own experiences:)
9)

just describ
e the further,
Fue
3 :

take out an old deck lay cards only

to to
find that there are one or

oa
a
rO6!
goes
Sr however, by providing an answer to
nturous of
}

thin missing from the pack? You can be sure that almost
question. Soc

fe
he explains, are the most two card
adventurous of all clothi
s, 5s

of being cooped
up in your drawer. They
(

everyone inhis audience answer 23 to that question.

can
see a tri ;
ba
oi Tom then goes on to xplain the reason. Certain cards in each deck
fi

as their one chance to

escape. Ever take your
0 e dryer and notice a sock tucked
away in a corner after all te are cannibals. They
actually devour other cards. That's why the

ee Te
other clothes were re
removed?red? It wasrao hiding, hoping
: :
1
=

longer vou own a deck the more

cards will disappear from it. Tom
you wouldnt kings as being the cannibals in the particular

iiy
¢

notice, so it could then identifies the

I

getaway later. Ever take something out of

mak 5 ack

the dryer and deck he has and | yroceeds to demonstrate

their anthropophagous
geing along go it 5 ou “iF ro conspicuously. fo onelsidg Big
Top offf a tendenc
3
>

and make a break for it as soon as

© §

you neared the door Coat Hanger he poses this

*

When Mike Caveney does the “Linking

on its own, Ever alk
own the
1t's tough world out there for sock
street and see a dirty, rumpled sock
a

a question to his audience: “Ever to the closet to hang up a coat

go
and
on the sidewalk? Ths together? No matter

it TE
find that all the wire coat hangers are tangled
a
fugitive that didn’t make
=it
that was
+

the
While €
this
this
brief summg; what y¢ do, it's impossible to
them apart.” Again, everyone in

nar
doesn't do justice to Seinfeld’s clever
5

has an explanation.
1

Yoriting! ite dience can wer one affirmatively Mike

that
An tical purposes, First, Seinfeld invokes a

ey
Jle. Leave them together in a
da
universal human it hangers are sexually insat
Xperience: to copulate. Mike
cre, ates missing socks. This shared experience set for a few minutes and the immediately
;
start
demonstrate their
Ween
interes
the audience
terest in what he nae
18 goin,
and the¢ performer
€ to say next.
perfor CE
the audience members and
and creates audience tance
then takes out a few coat hanger s and proceed to
mating habits.
eds

doing exactly
E

Then he ¢
hitsits the humorous In these routines, TomOgden and Mike Javeney are they
edy routine. First,
x

absurd explanatio, pote: ntial in the topic by offering an

nation for the€ the same thing Jerry Seinfeld did in his com
EXperie nce. In fact, he identifies four
&

118 19
 Darwin Ortiz

a
Strong
invoke a universal human experience: finding that dod
Magic

after doing the laundry: being unable to

play cards be a 8 are
Cause op Nei
on

cation the strength of invoking universal experiences in a

©of
deck: being unable to untangle coat hangers in
and inherently
ta
cloget. m # 8h,
fact that, often, when a standup comic describes a
ation i8 the on atiAnion in setting up a gag, the audience will
}

offer an absurd amusing explan

cape; the playing cards get eaten by other pla
ation; the
YING capgg, Sock,tg
p.i8

t
1

human 5 Nb
he gets to the punchline. Erma Bombeck
to laugh eve from readers just by asking, “Why does the bread
hangers copulate. smile
floor jelly side down?’ Calling to mind the
he
However, as magicians, they can then £0 on to do Som land on If you can add comedy or magic, or
"ething
comedian can’t. They can actually “prove” their biz arte experie Le 4 To ing point you'll have unbeatable combination. an
the, that starting
demonstrating how cards vanish as soon as they 'e placeq Orig },
IE

poth, © should not lead you to assume that

a about comedians
the kings or how coat hangers link up as soon as
a
th ey're 5
k
Weg
this
kK

the comedy magician, While

Howe All
erience is only of value to
univers: al experen®
;
each other.
this
0

of approach shouldn't be overlooked, our

In addition to the Bizarre Explanation Formula,
orous potential universal
18 the fact that
the h hum
5p perience an lend meaning
»
¢

Comedigng concern
exploit universal human experiences with anothep
Approach | :
ls
algg prime se
Universal experience
Cr
by definition, s ared experience,
is,
the Bizarre Solution Formula. The comic identifies a erm to an oiegry
experiences bring people together. is type of
probe; m that and shi sharec
virtually everyone in his audience has experienced at the audience together and deeper.
ul te
X

ation helps draw

pero
Some time
Then he offers an amusing solution to the problem. presentation By providing the audience with a means of relating
them care about
to their own lives, you can make
The solution is amusing although absurd,
because,
it
makes a
: wn
what you
Z

once heard a standup comic str,

kind of sense. example,
For
fhe habye
I

of universal

i
an example of a non-comedy use
about the deplorable state of emergency medical services,
served that the average response time for ambulances
He a LetmeyEveat tation. It's a presentation devised by Jay Sankey
in megiey) experience L That Cuts Itself,” better known as “The Haunted
emergencies is
forty minutes. His solution: Put ambulance
in pizza delivery trucks. They get there in thirty
attendants for Al Baker
ky

ha cone has ever tried building a card castle. This

2: = S,

minutes and, if they Pack, day okey

that
)
everyone has done at one time or
don't, it's free. 8

in, foch, BOISE - onalmost

to warn of unforeseen dangers in this
to o oh Re heard of haunted castles. Well, even card
y

This formula is easily adaptable magic. Instead of offering a bizare another.

a
solution to a universal problem, the
BEEyeryone
yh
©
has

magician can offe T a magical become haunted.

solution. A perfect illustration is the
Thread” devised by Lonnie Chevrie and
presentation for “The Gypsy i
Jay once built 2
castle that became haunted and, even though 0
eo
a
card
popularized by Charles
ages che the deck remains haunted to this day.
To
Be

CEEe
Green. The performer talks about dental floss

a
and how, whenever the the Al Baker effect. This is not Tek 7 a
roll runs out, one
is
invariably left with a piece that is too small to his claim, ul would be a more apt description—
use it to
effect more of a point by relating
t

a
Rather than let this go to w aste, his solution certainly gives
is
to save all these little axperienc

Shan ite
rp’)
pieces and magically weld them audience's OWD v
CXpex
together into one piece that is long F
;
rersal ex »rience can be used in
enough to use. The performer
illustrates this explanation, taking a heres snicrannls gk
i;
1
Finally, of to
ampli

er
long
piece of dental floss, bre: aking it into little my
fusing them back int 0
5

one long piece

pieces, then magically meaning, Tn gambling lecture | demonstrate the secon) SEE
Many other magic tricks the demonstration by saying, card the player

tethe
solutions to common
are adaptable to presentations as magical played blackjack and realized that
if you'd go
the
sou had received
¢
problems. Consider the plot used by many con busted, or
after you got you wouldn't have

ei Sn
blackiack?
thas
corns
sil would have

Sc
ArEe-denomination coin is transformed into card the player before you got you
country Even
p
the

vr
transformed Sava
WO
same amount, for example, a
quarters. This could be presented as a half i" Blackjack is one of the most popular
card
it's certain that
co predicament of driving into the exact-changmig high school and college students play
Li
be abl to recall instances
of
virtually everyone in the audience will I've des
,

2
change you thought
only to discover that
you don’t have the exact the common but frustrating blackjack playing erience
expe ®

yoy had.
j

121
4p
Darwin Ortiz
In fact, whenever
cribed. ask the questio
I

nT alg, s Strong
heads in the audience nodding. Magic
i

3
See
and asks the audience what you get if you turn a

a
Sever
then go on to explain how a cheat could yg spades N
I
a
{
\turally, the answer is a nine, He now turng the six

Semel
himself the card the player after him shoulq have secon deg ty
the player before him should have gotten.
gotte
k
as he does go, :
it
visibly change, $ to the nine
six of
of

solution or a magical solution, we have here »

(Insteaq
oe
nop Ble

Goi i
ay gpades:
The
six is, after all, only a
5 es specifically, a particular
symbol for a

ai i
bizar reality quantity. But in the world
the second
A

common problem.) Now deal becomes i Mportey, Hon to, particuJar you change the symbol by inverting it, the
actual
because it is a means of cheating at cards, but bee. Portang of magi SES, the quantity
of pips on a card—algo
ause jt jg o NER ntity— ~1n changes
PD

cheating that would have come in handy in

Only
; qua s a card effect in which a spectator selects the three
spectator can readily think from of
his own e many
Xperience,
Situatigy S
the
paul Ge
of hearts. " To
performer attempts to locate the card, he
the two of hearts. On being informed of his error, he
Invoking universal human experiences, like th €
meaning we've discussed, provides the thinking
othey
S0Urgag
Magician win of
produces ins
introduces
ay
red self-adhesive sticker in the shape of a heart,
to the center of the deuce, making it look like a three
more tool he can use to answer the question
th
at is implicit]y h One
He attaches
Sh
when the card is handed to the spectator, he finds
every audience 0 you're going to do a
trick; Why should : Posed
E of hear He
is the three of hearts.
Pee that it
=i H
e Gertner trick
could be brought full circle like the Roth

ia
the
If de sired,
5

Surrealism trick. The former could take the three of hearts back from the

|
off the center heart, being left once more with the

a
Surrealism as category of magical meaning is difficult spectator a Jive
r

ST
sticker and the two of heartss. Symbol becomes reality,
a of
i >
two

0 define,
heart adpsivp ent 5
¢

fact, I'm not sure that urealism” is the most aceur; Yet another example of eco

a
this concept is
what have in mind here. But since can’t
I
ate name for
think of a better
I
io
ie wnilight o on
trick in which a coin’s reflection (symbol) becomes
have to do. Rather than
to
,

one, it]
worry about terminology, I'll reflection.
re
s

reverts back a

oe
concentrate on then
clarifying the concept through examples and
analysis, approach is taken in Roth's Portable Hol od
ne=
n
is *lifferent
0 oe
What I have in mind

es
a popular
concept in modern close-up, The round piece of black felt is introduced and a
common thread that ties all such effects a Clearly, this is not really a hole
together is the tend ency but only a To: :

to portable
= arr Sei

ee he
play with the very nature of reality, ariencs a
a
of hole, not unlike 2
t} hink
the best w using os
I
to explain
what I mean
is
through examples. There are two themes th things are dropped into the felt hole’

ae

a
hole.
surrealistic effects. The first is the hat recur in
Leon would if they had been dropped into areal ho isepp ot
a an
a:
suggestion that symbols are oe
interchangeable with reality. The f the object does not turn into the real object

RoSr 5
itself is malleable
second is the notion that reality
oe ba
the symbol functions just as if it were the

de
ymbol vs, Reality: In
David Rot h's ick Koornwinder’s “Crazy “Crazy Cannon.” hav ’s
as After is
“Stamp Trick” he takes out a
3 tr

rubber deck, the performer draws jie a small

;

stamp, an ink pad, and a piece of had a card selected and lost in the
in

paper. The rubber stamp

on har
reproduces life-size
on a pad of paper. Aiming the
w=
of
half-dollar mages images a half-dollar, After stamping three
on the pie ce of
paper, the performer folds the
Bros” the cannon. A loud
exposed
18
Ee reidecsilc ine
ee
iafe
d
Paper in half and
:

ee
tips it over. Out roll three real half-dollars. When k, the selected card ard is now found to ; have a

the paper
is unfolded it is now blank, Se
the functions exactly
fo Bove

again, the symbol of object

Replacing the
again, tl

half-dollars within the real object would hav

folds of the paper, the paper is

ea
of the

er
unfolded 0 reveal that “Pa
Pop Art,” Wi the pap paper with the drawing
the half-dollars

nd
In David Hark:
are gone but the three
>

:
amoke
images are The images become reality, then reality is rolled into a tube. The cannon 18

el ie
cannon

ids
i
-

pour out of the tube. When the paper

to
he (nage. Jerry Andrus uses a similar idea
in we seen to have changed; the mouth of the
em
:areal
oe z Loxe a picture
ball when the of
a yellow ball on
an acetate shee!
|

blown off
b

by the explosion. Thus.

?

Thus, oe 5interch
e i
J

Anothe slant sheet rolled into a cone

quick card
;
on
the symbo] and reality interchange provided reality has been taken one step further.
trick performe d
by Rafae] Benatar
is
of Spain. He shows
be
122 123
 Darwin Ortiz

Those familiar with Dr. Sawa's “Piano Trick” will

concept at work there; a set of fake piano keys Broduy
if it were a real piano. In his “Slot Machine” ty; CK, the
is used to symbolize a slot machine and ev. entually
coins
of a real slot machine.
like
Manipulating Reality: In Dr. Boris Zola's “Extr,

fist, the performer extracts the silver from it in the

nugget. Left in the spectator’s hand is a clear plastic
dollar, suggesting that, through magic, form can he P
substance. It's almost as
if the coin’s body has b
1028

action of
spectator is handed a half-dollar. While the coj 1s helq Si,
f
in

ic;

enilh Separateq
say,

Sag

nN

o a
of 5
Sep Arateq
“1
©

ny IC bag

Produce. ™
!

5
bay

%
1 Clogeg
ma
Sef
gj,
a
Ry
jan
jg
©

a i
ny
JOE 90180
holes:
carries i
and uses
the wall

Roge’
W2

for stort
Vie

ring
g
or fish who produces a revolutionary invention, “portable
hats really what they're called in the cartoon.) He
pm
ato
d further proof,
it.)
check out the cartoon movie Who Framed
If you Rabbit? One live-action scene takes place in a warehouse used
ERB cartoon n props. One
Pp:
y
of the storage
store boxes is labeled
5 la is
Strong Magic

“portable Hole" is another idea straight out of cartoons,

avid othe there is the 1955 Warner Bros. cartoon “The Hole 1dea”
,

black discs in a briefcase until a thief steals them

break into Fort Knox. (He just places a hole against
and walks through
958

“portable
T

i
soul. frog

oe
holes.”
items share the same name as the prop in David
A

aiebh
nly do these
i.
David Roth does an effect with a small, orange rubber b
dollar. He makes the two transpose several times. Fj
all ang
hal Ros
RokHs e
ffect, they
res
function
ableency ln — re
hole from the box proves
ot e
flat, a

Oi
it
nally, he
the coin and the ball together; when he opens
his
hand 8, he is hy),
g),

ig
characters similar to the Roth prop. Yet when he
a half-dollar made of orange rubber. The form of op, €
of the Objet,
blacks
hole against a wall, it sticks there and he is able

LL
fon
has merged with the substance of the other.
m through it.
A possible twist on this idea would be to perform
several cent of a moveable
hole that can be dragged
‘
agged rom plalace to
sitions of the coin and ball as Roth does. On
the last at Depo. Le Elmsley's “Puncture,” has also been used in countless
ty.
v

pe a
aE
transposition something seems to go wrong. The performer tempteg eee for E¢ample; The Magical Mystery Tour.) Or, consider
hands and is seen to have a silver ball in one hand Opens hig

0
Coot 2
ok the legendary Tex Avery. In “Deputy Droopy,” one

ih
and 5 1

oi
he
rubber half-dollar in the other. The forms have
: trransposed while
Orange
into a milk bottle. No sound is heard until
substances have not. bottle outside and pours out the sound. This is exactly like
the

i
Just as the above effects separate form from “Tuning Fork” in which sound is trapped in a glass and
substance certain trj
of
their properties, In David Roth's g
: nA aa.i
separate objects from one ater poured out.
produced by an object are separated from th He
:

“Drag-A-Long Droopy,” cowboy Droopy shoots a

Fork,” the sounds
and stored independently. By of the air. Down come five pennies,
each with a bullet hole Hones
Surreal effects represent a same thing without
You'll recall that Dr. Sawa does essentially the

ly

ed
different way of looking at the world. By
playing off such a skewe d view of I once saw a cartoon In which a man was
reality, they represent what may the use of a firearm.
and slapped him

.
well be
conceptually the most sophisticated kind of ing a polkadot tie.
Another man came along xee 2
magic. Yet, a
we'll see in a
back, causing all the polkadots to sink
to the bottom of
ih
moment, it’s also the most innocent.
effect with the falling playing car

ha
(Remember Tommy Wonder's

kd
Anyone who wants inspiration for creating

4 ae pips?)

he
effects should study the silent films of French
relation between cartoons and certain magic plots on

or
George Méliés. Another great source of The pis

pi
escaped the notice of some magicians. Jay Sankey once publis e :
the cartoons of Max Fleischer such as those
©
& Betty Boop or Koko the Clown. magic problem titled “Bugs Bunny
Baseball” because it was
Harkey describes one of t e
For exa by
a gag in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. David
pois
.
of
s

Jan. these cartoons will recognize that effects in his book Simply Harkey as a “three—dimensional
the

where the
3
Fleischeresque quality to
it as do all effects Similarly, French cardman Bernard Bilis once told me
that Swedis
performer Ie
life. Consider
a card, the
David nL
something and the drawing then comes to
tamson’s effect where, after a spectator Signs
performe pulls
cardman Lennart Greene's magic reminded him of the cartoons
Avery. In fact, Sylvester the Jester has built a highly novel
ac 2 ae
like a black the signature off, the
thread = writing coming away entirely around cartoon humor.
out of Fleischey'g ing
pulled free of the card. This
concept right
is
"Out of the
¢

ut
well” cartoon series.
Inkwel]
os 125
 Darwin Ortiz

This cartoon connection provides a key to the a

surrealistic magic. Cartoons have always

realistic effects do this by seemingly validat; BE

world.
a
children. Their logic seems to make particuls T SPecig)
Magic, at its best, awakens childlike wonder sengy io Poe
.
Audigy,
ficeg
ae
a 8
chilgyg
ang
Coa y
point
orwent, he
matter 55 ta lent, rathe: r

er,1,408
someone
subtext
w.
pe former
like being able to wiggle one's ears
Strong Magic

would be demonstrating a strange but

the effect says much more. In the spectator's

es of
knows that he has a dollar thirty-seven
knows that he has a comb with three
in his

ket pro bably

£

g list from his wife in his

ey
:

Does the surrealism angle in magic really his jacket pocket, shoppin
eerie
hip a
cong partment in left hip
meaning? The concept behind substantive Subg proken tee! and a key to his mistr ting. The subtext histhis effect
of
will be more powerful if it deals with a sub, ject gis thyy
Aty, poCiet: to get intere
5 start
he great Karnak sees all, knows all
gp

Surrealistic effects deal with the very nature of re, shay is jp eff
Aba
-
;
3
ket say:
eality. P ; Carson
of anything more important? Cap
Sit
ng
is, 8 gobniy Loon any secrets this guy
from
nj just car distance from conceding that a man
:

e is not much
You
ther know what's
gmotionally
W h at's in my
pockets to conceding that he can
Subtext can know
ary, on
from there to conceding that
line
he can know what's in
use in my
e—in-cheek patter | sometimes
Subtext is a concept that arises often in film criticis
iSm. [t rg, fers soul. A tong are frightening.” This line actually
8
« is, “The implications

aihtSp
my
hidden message that a film conveys to an t,
portant element of my approach to presentation and
:
audience be the
perfopiat
rface of the story it
is telling (the “text”) : The subtext Neath
ig 2 isall about: implications.
a
the

erally
-
Li guns bE of what subtext
“underlying message.” h,
of several seemingly similar
effects provides a good
For example, most of the
current crop of slasher hoyr, A compar
the importance of subtext. Card predictions may be
Puritan subtext: teenagers shouldn't have sex. (Th: PL movies carry, illustration ©
a card that
at's usually yp,
divided into t hree
categories: (1) the performer predicts“Ultra-Mental
to ot ay
the madman sneaks up and hacks them
pieces.) In th hinks of (for example, by means of an

a
5
the spectator t

at]- Fi:4
science fiction horror films dealt with outer Chic 5 card that the spectator physically
invz
Deck”); (2) the per
former predicts a
the aliens took over the bodies of normal people the performer
infiltrate the Earth. This carried a selec ts (for example,
by me ans of a forcing deck); (3)
a number
arrived at “randomly.” (For example: Name

Tee
strong xenophobic
Tn
;

message was: “Don't trust foreigners. They predicts & card Fourteen? Okay, count off fourteen cards.
&

may look jus and twenty.

me, but inside they're different—and dangerous!” between ten
one and a four. One and four add up
to five,
In terms of the presentation of magic,
Fourteen is composed of a
to the fifth card.”)
dimension of the subject of
subtext forms an, other fo so count down
these effects as very similar. (You know the
Shumae
me. aning. It differss frfrom
the overt mean; ie
go text the trick only :

that in is
Many performers will see
type. The guy who says, “The methods are
different but the effect is
:

a subliming
¢

subtext
of

often
at wo; without the awareness of the audience—and
without the warenessS the same, and laymen don’t care about method.”)
But the factis that
than the third and the first
fi

:
a ?
ici
the magician!
:
Yet ¢ of
can e a po tent
:
it k
the second version will play stronger
version will play stronger than the second.
so form of magic relies that the more
Consider Al Baker's
more heay ily on subtext than mentalism. This is partially because laymen intuitively sense

ai
“Chickenfeed,” a standard physical procedure involved in arriving at
the card, the more
many mentalists. The opening effect used by But
performer s a member the audience stand. of created for the performer to influence the process.
is
He then w
rites a prediction on
the loose ch change
&
je
notepad. The spectator now counts
opportunity
it's also because each version carries a slightly different
subtext. The

a
Sl Se
i
third version says that the performer can control random processes—
;

It comes to, let us say, a dollar and

se

thirty—seven gting
Shas control
perriormer has impressive! The second version says that the performer can
g

someone read his prediction. It

8

say
aa
p

1.37" The
uch change 5
of effect is “The the
The performer knows how ror : 3
my actions—disturbing! The first version says that the performer can
Person has in hig control my thoughts—frightening!
If this
overt text were the
by
a trivia)
Exercise After T
only m essage the
trick carried, it would be An excellent
insight into the subtext of escape effects was provided has one
in
a recent magic magazine article: “Escapology
X
.
f : what a al]
change strangers good is it to know how much James Randi
D!
)

ns
are carrying around?
If that far as the were as thing going for
it
that probably made Harry Houdini such a superstar
127
 Darwin Ortiz

in

ai
the present. Everyone Strong Magic
in his day and a legend
Yohnk
something. Taxes, contracts, illne: s, work, the St Martin Nash's performance of “Colors on the March"
mult; tude sca, fry Na
that we all chafe under are shadows from which
i een 10 Now.
©

op v
t,
ond

w, € Want can Pte book Any

Tey,
In other words, in terms of subtext, Houdini e Sey from the performer demonstrates his ability to
v as my, br
an effect
10 1
who was good with locks; he was a m an who bo ards in any pattern: alternating, two of one
therefore someone to
be admired and envied. wae this
Little Wondep
This
dea zt
=
cards and act the other color, or in groups of
three, The
lowed By awe the aptly named “Scarne Puzzle." Bill Simon

i
the most famous magician of modern history. 10

of this effect
;

color
to create his “Call to the Colors.” Although
origin rated
+t
The most common example of subtext at w ork did nothing to lift it out of the puzzle
in Magic later © "the trick longer, Simon
every close-up magician has experienced
*

jg

ele
The perfop made
card
+

he
spectator pick a ¢ rd, loses the in the deck, Mey
then find S it, a to the Simon

FoiSo
class: identicalversion, but his
the plot nor the presentation of the
5
ui
effect Aas any
RB a8
Nei,the, routing by stating that he will show
gambling, card games, or card cheating, Yet, heanything ¢, do wit
sh's
is very dif

Be
spe Ctator ent ation hima If any hand he wants in a game
by saying, “I'd sure hate to
play cards with you! espn, PANES© pr {heal Ge
how @
ol
audience will be familiar with any one
Ba Wh
Magicians are usually amused and somewhat gince not what constitutes a good
ment. They know that most close-up magicians,
puzzle d by
even those wh
thi op particular
oe
can
will use gometh
hing that everyone can understand, ue, the

he
specialize in card magic, would pose no threat launches into the Simon routine. About lg eid
standable that a gambling routine might elicit game,
In a
J’ awe
Rin rd
and Bias, He
undep.
ie again reminds the
response, but why a pick-a—card trick? To
such an audiony,
most magicians, this
through the €
4 blacks he could just as easily deal houses, full
royz

reaction
isjust not logical. This is further proof that
dealing ret
se
glam bridge hands.
of strong magic is emotional
subtext of many card tricks
the prime impagy
rather than logical. For laypeople
the
flushes, OF [8
The spectator
cee red cards and black
pany of unbeatable gambling
cards, but his min
: ie
jee a Sled
.

gs
aey
is: this Buy would be
opponent in a card
a dangerous an endless
game. Without this subtext, most pick-a—cang sees transformed a puzzle

anili
&
have
tricks would be meaningless deftly placed He ext.
ie
As the above example indicates
puzzles.
duoyoRely esr -ful effect by creating a strong gambling
i ‘ms the same effect using a very al
magicians often benefit from tricks
René Lavand
Rios
»

subtext without even being

Ee eploining that his
a

aware of it. Nevertheless, it’ very useful he

pre
te appre iate subtext pre sentation He Logins
SE an effect he sometimes performs for
s

on a conscious lev and recognize it in action

iti
himself doesn’t

a - 2 es
for two reasons,
First, it will enable you to avoid his own sense. of wordsriAseiiin effect
Later, when we discuss negative subtexts himself to help pre
absslutals otenp tiene card

i
characteris ation and constructing
will see that a
trick, while ef ective
an act, we progresses, he
that undermines in itself, may convey a message they just rearrange themse
selves into different color patterns.
ve

what you're trying to achieve he can find is that

performance. in your overall wonders aloud how this can b> he only answer
and mysterious.”
playing cards are “ritualistic, ancient,
t,

To take another
Thus i the cards are only

les Li
example, in most stage his presentation, the red/black patterns ot the
of

; Sie Cit
magic acts, the only role
:

Thus,
toot
played by wome that the
nis to ac s servants for the antinner soul, an inner
life.

-cards.
meekly submit male performer and to
to being sawed,
At the core of the effect is the imp
1

him for the stabbed, or otherwise mutilated by cards thems 8 ses

amusement, of the audience, This
PoE

see
may well offend anti—feminist subtext mystery of a deck of
many modern women, René Lavand
level, and even if only on a subconscious one sense, the Martin Nash
e
‘may partially account for
In
present
ao
the relative lack of popularity of his total
stage magic
among women presentation are at opposite extremes. Whi
control; the cards
control of the deck, Lavand stresses his total
a
ps ae
Creating a Subtext:
works will often
An
Secondly,
y
allow Ou to a
conscious awareness of how subtext
create a positive subtext or strengthen
just do it themselves. However, the two tions both draw their
strength from the implication that the effect wie fine
sees just is
existing positive subte
xt through much more than
perfect ex ample
giving Meaning to patter or routining changes
A the
tip of the iceberg. In each case, the effect imp
into mean—
a p puzzle int
of
a
an effect by creating a subtext it shows and thus uses subtext form
transform to
727

128
129
 a
Strong Magic
Darwin Ortiz
The
ingful effect, in one case an impressivi demonstrat, ted one after the other.
fiom mystical mystery. of skily
ang,
the n
all nine
cards areloca
process are separated by a time
and the location going, wh at the audience sees
18

Strengthening a Subtext: Let's look at a couple mets

at,

effect really gets

dsl
to it; a secon 8
g

ection instantly cut

:

strengthening a subtext that is already inhe

ps
& Once and you
in an ofp Bley interval names a card instantly cut to it, too] yet Psycho—
guother
seen that mental effects generally carry
i eoneé
= n card and you
imple Wey, at S00 instantly cut to that one. card and
whatever psychic power is being
oaos
eh
r pane
a card
and you could name any
actually thy gpectat anyone
beyond the boundaries of the demonstrat; ‘on if
to appear as
|
being gpectat
Consider an elementary example of und,
through patter.
€rscoring Jogicall¥: 1
Pg cut to it.

btext conveys
far more than the
actual text of the trick.
card, then

.
person name any would be
sit 2 ah
“Out of this World” is one of the strongest eff
=

the actually have any

Eu bed to the named card, it through
tL
Thus,
:

one of my favorite tricks. At the conclusion on tock and instantly cut

TY

Mag;
After of how,
always ang
take 8 *
pre ct. Here is an excellent example
person who has just successfully sorted the
=
to
would be quite impossible

eh
comment that, if she has any tips on the stock Sgand bj, the
Ts imply an effect that of the subliminal mes-
the reg
aly, Having once become aware

ictiie
would be very interested to hear them. This through
to underscore that message
:
a chuckle J,
more importantly, it communicates the notion
achieve I was then able
a ofl of t his effect

Se oral
has uncovered a power within the cage
patter changes.
spectat
may he
of magical
with every other aspect
11
ceveral sma
ramifications far beyond the sorting out of Subtexts: As
Discovering subtext it is vital that you listen to
hen analyzing find

EL
Finally,y, I'll give you an exxample where consid
Unfortunately, many magicians
I
Ww
ye
finally identified pep thought ang presentation,
S3Y to you. and dismiss them
required before
n an effect I was performing. This then allowe sulci Work
hat laymen
Mivdar puzzled by many laymen comments
these comments to ther

hi ee
owed me to further themse ves
They will jokingly repeat

-
strengthen that subtext. without thought. of a parent quoting his child's
the condescending air

aela
a Nanpssvs
The multiple card location effect of the magicians with is one of, “Those goofy laymen;
i
t
type populari
latest cute
statement. Their attitude
‘appealed to come up with next?”
which the spectator what will they than the spectator
mare Ait
location in
:
Remember, lay men
comments often convey more the audi—
inds it by means of some snappy of a trick is what happens in
2
Se
that repeating the effect eight times Es himself realizes. The effect
comments tell you what is going
on in the
ence’s mind and those show
as boring.
audience's mind. I've often
had people come up to me after aall the
But after seeing Michael Skinner
rec e1ve a very strong reaction with actually keeping track of all fifty-two cards
and say, “You're

fs
an effect of this kind deedsd to experiment with t aren't you?’ (Naturally, always answer,of
1

Romig
T

together the “Nine_Can Location” which time during the whole show well as
iy Le
a
the “Nine—Card Location” as
0 Oo
lien
appears in
hs eect Bel enorme “Yes") That is the subtext of
many the other effects
1
feature in my performances. Little
wonder
The implications are quite
of
impact on an Les
finally had to recognize that having hadnine the trick has such a powerful impact.
cards selected, th then
finding them in rapid-fire succession,

a
ea
a
+

psychological eff; ect on frightening.

So an audi
audie FE
different
z
g

from performing nine

:

separate
a pick-a—card tricks in

Ha Inherent Meaningfulness Of Magic

In part, I think
The
thi

=
:
from the fact that the audience correctly
senses that the em of controlling the cards becomes far more of substantive meaning, it
difficult in a mult;
Ein dy talk toabout thethatimportance it's essential for an
ne
With the deck being shuffled and cut
1

in the course of learn don't believe

rin
you I
each card, there would eon to bo a great Hen which
danger of losing meaning (or situational meaning,
we'll soon He

ered
of the later
the earlier selection, selections in the process of finding to be powerful. The fact is that magic is
is
ee Ea
is truly impossible,
ilisrently aningful. If you do something that
Se ns
Howe Ver,
another impo
ing as trivial as levitating a toothpick, it has tremendous
;

in the success of the trick is

§ ubtext,
the
The
effect is that all nine cards are select?
130
131
 Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
meaning. That's because, while the ach 1éVemeng
the implications are not. If it’s truly im itso] theme to be
everything we think we know about
Possible,
j¢ esTingg Nay
In order for a presentational
i ke in developing that theme
must not
be
yy,
}
how the ©
:

il
Credibility:
you ma
Vergy wo, claims real world
:

That's why baffling magic always evok €S the knows about the
SE

an Emo; 0 audience

EE
;
what he revolved
that all
t

see something your instincts tell yoy ad1 ot card effect whose presentation
you
fe
1

to be meaningful to you. The is Tegan, reading one The patter included the
N18 that Fron ibleo of the Marx Brothers.

h
|
artists, not
you can never certain of anything, be da performance Brothers were actually
quick—change

i
of course, that the effect
Hu
“The Marx ation was predicated on this

i
w Indeed, the
entire pr
Th: assumes, appears on earth knows that the
Marx Brothers
merely puzzling. We saw how achj
ussed clarity, conviction, and suggestioy
truly jp,
hat im proge ible to ni Since everyone
_

artists, but comedians, the presentation lost

quick- change
\

a =lon
Whe 8

that point on.

dinthe rndhii
NO
cere
bility from
a
However, as a practical matter, you can alw
reading dealt with the subject
of how one
it Svays ma

mc
can get when comes to grabbing an effect I recall world of Las
Anothe x
C
blackjac dealer. Since the
a Las Vegas 1s bound
a
;
emotionally. Whenever you can add Sanne st be people, this theme
RAYE o
that fascinates most

2 Unfortunately, the premise of the

we'v sCus aning op th casinos 18 one
rie du s of getting the audience °°Pay magi,
ss an audience's attention.
for a casino job, a blac jack
dealer
ae
of
that, in order to qualify
the first place
place and
and gi
giving hor
them an experience
if

atten
never forge, Yl

ls demonstrate his ability tocutto four of a kind

of sense will realize that Las
w ith an ounce
wdience member
Credibility
A Any
Vegas asinos
are not i
going to require card cheating
=
&

Furthermore, if they know how

ability as a
to play
for a dealing job.
Lh rerequisite kind is a good hand at poker, not

Sly hel
0 know that four of a
want to str

2
.

md
inally, stress an import:
i

5 €
= o
I
ant point In conpe cti the effect
1

p @

they'll detract from

3

cards, will
that many magicians ail to tion wig
gee VE tly, this presentation
=
r,

blackjack. Consequen

ne a
5
f

eT
gr: [Ve not
matters; it's hat the audience
whe
itt yy
18: Titer rather than add
say to it.
belicvat
that

or x
you

insults the audience's

cat y, substantively if
rn ae
Arey the presentation

dy
meaningful prese can’t achieve credibility
fi

pg
a g

make claims about

i

work ifThy tric

oT
presentations, don't blithely
it’s credible within
with the ill You

il ey a
context
¢

= intelligence. In your
to

a
lig
be false.

fe
S f the preseentations audience knows

avo
Lome we've discussed are inte the real world that your
%
of 5
1

vs
in
P
only be
an audience. For example, this presentational theme must not
ae ws Internal Credibility:
A

cu
i

of the real world, it must

2
y

knows
2

posé and mentalism presentations

ambling exposé the audie; nce
consistent with what
& e

ations. Others, such as th words, the

what happe ns in the effect. In other
$

also be consistent with

:ult ; ; men shad 1be
= Ee hos
icertain as to whether what the from the premise.
effect must flow logically
:

taken literally effect

's they can't literally
be
As soon as you use the
word logic in connection with a magic
Clence
that magic, by its very nature,
18
their eyes tell th example of this ot some magicians will respond

ooLo -
true,
hs
yet
Yet

Te
effect descr Tot what the word logic means.

Lo
He i and
I

exa mple of Such people don’t understand concerned

Te
illogical.
not logic. Logic is
5

: cheek, for example, the sex patt aon n Actually, magic is a violation of physics,
The premises may Or
will only have one thine ino only with drawing conclusions from premises.
succeed the audience feels that, at least oh acu ll} Either way, once the premises
they are credible, may not conform to physical reality.
flow unavoidably from them.
This wil] are established, certain conclusions
partially deper id on whether it takes
story,
can see this at work in any good fantasy
;

Pointed out earljep your own

your wn attitude. In some cases, as! You
Tolkein's The Lord
Sn
:

Lit will a Iso world filled with magic like

the
|

that you really know nd on whether audience feels place in an imaginary

with just one limited intrusion
3

will depend, what

more thean any
you're talking about. However, credibility of the Rings or set is
in the real world
of magic as was typical of most Twilight Zone episodes.
The writer
Present. a Hon 1s an ything else, on how appropriate the that
knows that, having established his magical premise, everything
5

tg the effect ;

with it or the story will lack

happens must be logically consistent body is
credibility. It's all right to tell readers that Superman's
133
 Darwin Ortiz

imper-vious to any kind

lava and knives just
bounce off
of injury, that he
his
body. Byt
cuts his hair and fingernails. Wouldn't
rs
he
ie YOu
throyg,
hay,
Bhp,
he
oe
how
ey

da
SCisggpg
You made the rules; you've got to live by
©

Jugpy3
fan knows, Superman's hair and nails any po
T
ow
atmosphere.) in

Similarly, you tell an audience that the

can

ra
«

disappearing because theyre being swallowed elected carg

balistic kings. But you can't conclude the trick
the four
then Pullin, n 5 ©

selected cards out of your pocket. To

making the kings regurgitate them would be pal
the seloctiy. s
axis bl
i
reproduce them from a sealed envelope your allet woylq in CHAPTER FIVE
f this kind, which we might term thematic dis

ii
;

bad because they remind the audience that Heo 1SCrepancig,

SITUATIONAL MEANING
magic—it's only a trick—in the same way that an
Seeing re,
4
film reminds the audience that “it's only a movie.” Both romiem
interforg ith called “The Man From the
a riveting short story
4

emotional belief ;
Roald Dahl wrote for television several times. It con—
h has been adapted
Matching Presentation and Effect: It really isn't al] th South” whic
a cigarette lighter will ignite
oS difficul estion of whether or not

Sa

inlo
come up with a strong presentational theme. Howey cerns the qu

Bo
mi ssing. How could such a trivial matter
hold a
repeatedly without
Coming y,
with a strong presentational theme that fits the

se pe
lies in the context in which the

ed attentio n? The answer

matter. Credibility problems generally arise 5 mv audience's

es
5 5 ak is
raised.
to
ei
question
ehct If you really want quest
trying to impress a woman in a
re staurant. He lights
a ast envelope in your wallet, then the A young m an is
and comments in passing that his lighter never misses

Ch rd tdi Ee pe
—
Pat2BpIobiate presentation. There & her cigarette
An older man over
hears the boast and proposes a wager. If the young

pve
four gia kind, Just don’t talk about Las te n times in a row, he will win the older man's
Vere man’ lighter can light
is 4
If the Marx Brothers theme
:

doesn't th
fit Juxury automobile.

Ee
;

don't
absurd claims about the
make
Unfortunately, the young man has
nothing of comparable value to
has a solution. He will accept the young man's
Sa En
In one
wager. The older man
of Don Albrechi's or
great cartoons poking fun at magicians, h
little finger as his part of the wager.
If the lighter works, the young

SEah
red SERIE presenting the Sponge Bun the car. If the lighter fails, the old man gets to cut
off the

pr :
trick using occult patt ve already seen that occult presentations man gets

er
le
little finger.
oe4 ca doesn’t
nobody s going to buy it. Remember, like a blowhard
Sr
wt
The young man craves the car and fears appearing
to be true, but
have

dort of like the policy followed by the Nixon it

does have
coward in front of the woman he’s been trying to impress.
He agrees

to the wager. His hand is tied to a table. The old man pulls out a
sharp pocket knife and holds it above the young man’s
finger.
ek to fagh
gful,but Huma
- that is not only substantively
Henan With his free
hand the young man the lighter. It lights. A second
tries
ike a glove. Then develop

i
“tation logically theo 23 time it lights. A third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth
time it
“aroughout the effect, don’t abandon the look on
Presentation halfway thro rough the trick, What the audience and lights. It lights again on the ninth try. With an almost lustful
what it hears sees

man's finger,
achieve. It requires b; SE completely compatible. This
isn't easy t his face, the old man grips the knife above the young
fighting to restrain himself.
the
Presentation hking
and creativity. But it's essential if
do, it's

beens you really care what happens on the tenth try? If you
effect rather than just seem Do
irrelevant or
silly ang because an essentially meaningless event has been couched within
a

134
135
 Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
compelling situation. It's the human
a g amg Game” are
meaningful.
0,
You can make
4

a¥Ayour magic mop,re1a that nik keg

Oo

is’ “Reflex” and Max Malini's “Coin

same. Meanings ul 1,
th
eg Ey
to antagonize
such an appro ach is likely The fact that
is
Y dog,

This0%
Eh the concept I've label g ,
ig, Tt
labeled situs
1tuational me, at
developed when I considered the fact that therening, It's= the spectator involved. Eddie Tullock,
are gg, LS “Ong such as Del Ray,
are totally devoid of meaning in the He {onal magicians used this approach
oe ENN Effeq te
tg many others have
very compelling to audiences because
performer places them
elms gone
in. RSE humay,
an ve . Rogers:
with
myself, and
great 3
succ
ess
ad
proves otherwise. Nevertheless, it's
embarrass a spectator if you misuse

i
Co;
Ne stently

el
ME
tg, antagonize or
Xi

The understanding situational mean;

to that you can

esne
4
is Dari]
observation that, “People are more intere < In matter. This
avoid ma king this a personal
»chnique-
other single thing.” As you study the os people th of
Fitg,
et s
important to
denigrate or ridicule
the spectator when he
formg of ong
meaning, youll note the common
0)

hat youdon’tdon't
;

people (the performer, spectators, or the .

that th ey
and d all
Situag
a) ny, Oly = 3

And you
gloat when you win
surprise at your own succe
situations that make the audience care how for example, express
2
«
g,
los
SPectaty
Ose
Mo Rou iy nested
[nstead,
yoyou may
1,

a
confess to having an
unfair advantage due to your years
.

the

ie
més1
§

I couldn't possibly do justice to the great cli 1t thing 1s that you don't encourage
)

di
SS1D1}
max of Roald Or you
18

aih
The important
€ Te

mah
in a brief synopsis, so I §suggest Dake stop,
in
the contest. If the average
ald

s you track down t} involved

8
1S
of practice. to get
allow his ego
doesn’t expect to win and
5

anwhile, let's look at techniques for creating sity = Original, the5 -pectator 0 with Anatoly Karpov he
Situationg] p, €anin, Serson pl ays hess
cl
also doesn’t want Karpov to
g.
= if he loses But he
upset
a
little victory dance at the end
be of
Conflict Against Spectator
he won
ridicule
't
him for his poor
I
play do
or

a
theodds
is the game-
it
to look like you're stacking
I

i .

the Roald Dahl story

3

a sharply deS fined don’t want make

Furthermore, you the game or contest, you must
sd poe
confliy
ramatically riveting than Whatever
E ol ssence of dall drama. This fli against the spec
tator.
advantages. Otherwise,you'll
Ci

0ha
the
oppon ent has all
it
!
is why so a it appear that your look like
stop to watch street figh even
ok
a
ough they
fight
any people yj]
bully picking on a
defenseless spectator. Make
hi
ma : not know look like chance to
th

iY
backward to give the spectator every
@

participant and therefore have no reason to care who

x
»

Lt
;

you're be nding over

ST
wins
the simplest way
to yourself the underdog.
When the
spectator does lose, be a
Sd inject conflict into
on make
win;
5s
mune or ) winner.
Cal

sentz arrange a game r contest of some gracious

rules you won't run any risk of alienating

ro
g
2 k

n the

=n ee a
Le mer and a spectator. There are many gambling routines If you follow these simple
ow this format, This you'll have them riveted to their seats
{

iss natur
natural since interpersonal the audience. On the contrary
:

of the conflict. You'll also have them

3

:
Effects like the “Ten—Card as they await the outcome
the “Endless Chain,” some “Three- Card v
pa
overwhelming odds to win.
4

pplauding when you conquer

he Ee
SE
premise, Del
poker and blackjack routines work if te
a poker deal and blac oh deal
pelo Conflict Against Machine
1
’
routine | along the
same lines
spectators,
S
also docs =x, ERY
he do

alsa Ever since John Henry won a wager by pounding railroad spikes
into
be premise, however, is ni limited to gambling routines. Many the ground faster than a steam drill, mankind has been fascinated by
x
i

ellects are built around with the Industrial

; ontest or invented game between the the
battle between man and machine. Beginning
Etta s
Tnegree
and a spectator.
Revolution, machines have been proving that they can
perform
Some of these effects can be very powerfil
thers : be really effective. Nevertheless, the ical tasks faster and better than humans. With the advent of the

oe hr
J
Principle is sound, Th phy
theyre also destined to perform
the magic
is fred
of this kind that fail do so because
feudon it appears
re
find this notion a
the presentation is unsound Such than us Deep down most of us
on may pit the Fa neues
e of luck one or more spectators in
Spates
&

=
£ ing. That's why in a contest between man and machine,

N56
or skill “Seve
SE
Keys to Baldpate” 3 is an example of the
!
5

ys root for the man. It

brings out the Luddite in all of us.
137
 Darwin Ortiz strong Magic
Traditionally, lightning calculators hav, demon,
performing complicated
audience member could perform th same
aleulatj
atio n; Seton 3

itle characte
and «ihe Hotel
k of cards repr
Mystery" in which the ladies
egent traveling m en and
has always struck me
kings

Re
= a pac
Caley]
ens from strange kind of presentation

oa
adding machine. I don't know wheth
;

of demonstration to show his ability

5 Feone has g

ht
This of gospel MAgIC
Et I'm

al
a pc eke, nigh* ular version patter.
speak of
story

anyone does it should make geculs mean when story 1n which

1
for a o a)

ee
able what I
relates
a Russian mer *Perforng bof the
11
performer the magic
A
Fou) 5 of years ago offects W here so, recreates
and, < he does involves acting out the
is
T

entalist Perfo, Jbout

cal occurred
‘

impressive demonstration of muscle reading ede

As

typically
®

talkin®
is
I

that story. This extent A classic example

CHE the
SR
succeeded in locating an object hidde
he studio, teleyie Visi %
omething
lesser or
particularly impressive was that
ectronic homiy,
yy
hich 12058 aes eater ¢

card
7

agic
magic
Gambler” plot in
tO

;
self
the story itgelt brought home to me
ie
been attached to object. At the s:
began searching for the object Heol
time hat the
u
e
fogict? - *

Pre sentation
W as first
The Sting. In one
key
ndreadimgs 5
ts h of story

i
I saw the movie
technicians began searching for it
1SIng the ]a¢aq teay The strengt ently twenties,
by Paul Newman,
engages in a card
ect
played Shaw tries to cheat
equipment. The mentalist succeeded the heroes,
$

ed in finding
the obje 5 by Robert Shaw.
sillain played
Gi
outemarts
ith hing
technicians did. However, Newman
X G

fore y,the
bef,

in a cold deck.
ct

g
At this point can't can't even remember what the hidde
ng hand and winning the pot.
I ev

Newmar : poker
w
r

his own
fi

object v, broke
the audience actually
a
1

. that the mentalist beat the

do reme
eo strates
fie
Eph;
my point. I don’t remember the
my
ine. Thig
of the
; Smale
Ph im by SW
When I sa¥
the film a movie theater, in
Newman revealed his
winning hand This I
ails ask, hg when from
oe loud cheer be glad to receive
a
¢

as essentially meaningless, but I do remen ber tk performer would

os a tion that anyNewman
4

.
out
done any moves!

Si =
ng over te
he Situation
man triumphing technology. Tt hat was8 very me of hadn't even
rie
over

aningfy] Y
uline ~and sleight of hand

Si
The concept of man vs.s. machine
x

has zgone virtual] impressed by Paul Newman's

machi
ally
agic h above two examples
g
The audience wasn't occurred. They were, however
:

¥ Undeveled
Re)
in

never actually
the scene. 1t struck me that
de som ne idea of ty
abilitiess. you oshit on thedhright application of this
poss
concept, it coyly
which, of course,
dramatic elements of
a captivated by the
18
film version of
make you )
lege
legend. It worked for John Henry witnessed was really nothing but a
the scene had just 1
If could present a gambling
Vs. Gambler”
effect. I

the “Magician with my skill and, at the same

i
Co nflict i dazzled the audience that movie
Against Imaginary Charact e 1 that
dramatic elements similar to
those in

I
routine
time, incorporated be very potent.

Led
he ar of the
fF
storyteller
ra and the art of the magician would have to
the result
rt Pp Si

h
have much This is
y

bad reputation in some circles.

v

2 in
common. With
ith both the appeal is to the ge

Lon, presentations have a with

in most magicians’ minds
’

St y

they're associated

a
Jean partly because It's also
the concept is done to death.
Hu
children’s magic, a field where don’t understand the
often used by people who

a
An intriguing illustr partly because they're

ey Le
ation of the power
the fact that it is po; ssibl
presentation provided
om
¢ y

of is this technique and therefore

of fall into traps that produce
those
We're going to be talking about
dynamics
ce with a complete
fabricate d conflict deadly boring presentations. let's consider the
between the performer
Lerornicr and an imaginary char:
Wh how to avoid them. First, however,

re fs LL
whose= presence is conj ured and

Adie Sali Tamt iE it offers.

:
traps
of the story patter approach and the advantages
rely through showmanship. When
speak of a
= othont dynamics

Bee
aginary character
is ian
2

of what usually termed

=
’

efore proce eding

Essential Elements
o
I
thi

commonly used two very different kinds of presentations

0 that
The
first kind is what I sential elements in a story presentation are the same ones
yl,
br a
allegorical magic. This is where magi (villain),
Yn characters a protagonist (hero), an antagonist
EE are used to ymbolize to any :

nown e xamples are and events in a story. Wel ict, and a resolution. The single most important requirement
are the “Thieves
hieves and Sheep” in which coins repre”
s

138 139
 Darwin Ortiz

for fashioning a fictional conflict that wi) grab Strong Magic

ap aude.
sympathetic protagonist. ding, they'll identify him With the
if anything,
The Protagonist. Although in the tit this section |
of
ia Bh gambling
defeated in the end by the Gypsy's gr
che
at

Sa ter powers
¢

performer vs. fictional character, it's not strictly

a

i ott
-oll’s version of anton)
ne
performer to be the hero of the story. The ne “The Gypsy Curse
r :
he tells
Protagonjgg or for the he OE twitted a street gambler who tried to che the story
imaginary as the antagonist. a practical

at
Mmattey,
oe

4 0 fie
at him, Thy
audience will tend to identify you with the prot immediately makes the tale work better for the
»
g
:

|
:

exe
Agonist of
i
he
in your interest to try to strengthen this identifie, the ta), ty the

Le
Carroll and have done these two I

should be raised to the level of a principle when ys ing

in
protagonist fictional, his role will nonetheless be ation If the mag
Therefore a fictional protagonist should always b, ©
pl ayed
|
Someone OU You,
something
tory patter: when you tell a story, if possible, personalize
is
make
2
UW;

A story told in the first person will Anaya

to be identified with and someone the audience yf the hero. i b more
y,
wy.
will have
, 5

nt
immediate for an audience than one told in the third
:

identifying you with 10 troup,

fee
:

| ar
and

erful
pow
When 1
st magicians perform the “Magician
vs.
Gamble they person

Dias
.rsonalizing won't be practical for reasons of credit nlity
the magician as the hero. This is logical;
since the performe, cqia 8t Some aes For example, using José Carroll's presen.
magician, the ficti magician is the character the audie or other
Sn
1
a
you from employing the

me
nee wij) antique-style playing cards
Ph asf
tend to identify him with. When Martin Nash, tation Pre¥Ee ~
‘The Charming Cheat,” do s the effect, he follows
w ho bills himself
the standarq 5 and period
the original Peter Kane version. If this element
you can retain it by using the alternative
the

i
but casts the gambler in role of plot
protagonist earlier; create protagonist who can serve
a
18

When do the effect, approac

1

I
want to accent the gambling
I
for you.
remove any hint of a magical flavor so I tell the context and SIE ogate
tale of a congeg could te the audience that magical
skill runs in your family. For
iE
11
between two card shar You

=
one an arrogant youngster, the
great, great grandfather was also a magician,

iae a
other » example, you!
}

legendary old card she The audience enjo seeing the old
put the obnoxious y ung upstart in his place. I don't mage, One family stor
of time foiled a street gambler who tried the he
You can now proceed to perform the effect

aanSS
yet qualify to cheat him
=
c

old man. Neverthele s, if 2

were twenty years younger I might
I
Kane original. As you tell the story, the
t
young card shark in the role of the hero. O with your magician ancestor.
course, would first
audienceew mn identify you
I

rework the characters to make the 2 >

young card shark sympathetic and this concept. He tells the audience
the old one obnoxious. Harry Levine ha a clever twist on
t le about the time he went to a hypnotist and
A story a tongue-in-cheek
presentation can always be made more effective by enced a past-life regression. Now he can go on to perform a
casting
performer
in
the role of protagonist or, failing in cast himself as the hero. still
that, fashioning th
yl setting and a

ae
Onist to serve

Se il
a surrogate for the hero is an
performer. I've read many a a sympathetic
ic

important
as important as S
as

Antagonist:ShsAlmo st
as
i hero
Th is

Tre
ost

here the performer tell s a The y

story about a one-armed gambler; Bese

4 )

is ympathetic villain, someone the audience oe

BE
the gambler the protagonist of the story. I do s

a similar effect (“The antagonist ne need not be a person. t may

ction, the antagonist
S18
be 2

One-Handed Poker Deal” from

€ ¢

Cardshar
talking about the time I met a gambler who, However, introduce
I
it nature, 2 society in general, or even an aspect
of the orben
i
py
by

after witne: ng my Te
3

character that he must overcome. However, in ary % e!

skill, said the only way he'd play 2 we s1llal

cards

ial
with
¥

me if had one hand kind of storytelling that magic demands, a personal ors vi usually

I
at i behind is I 8 z

my back, That would

or handle the cards mean could only shuffle, cut, deal, best.
with one hand. In ef fect, I've
cast myself in the should be a three-di—

earl
role of the one— armed pe -son, it
it
y

only should the gntaguipt

1

Not
me.
g mbler, keeping
the focus where belongs: on sion
mensional person, a villain
vill vith a face. ene Lave
wit
0 ie : on, Ba
rson,

His book
a

In Peter Kane fleshing out the antagonists in his

eas
The Gypsy
Curse,” he tells the story of how an old
Gyp Magic from the Soul contains many story ocentations about various
outwitted a street gambler who
2YPSY Woman

=
with. In them,
three—card monte t
ype game. Is the audience
tried to
cheat her at a gamblers and card cheats he has crossec
nickname, his
performer with the Gy; Fat
going to identify the Lavand often tells us his antagonist's name or
3

PSy woman, the

protagonist of the Not tale?

140 141
 Darwin Ortiz

nationality, his physical appearance, his favorite methoq Strong Magic

i
and other personal traits. of
heat, often when the magician had been his student, This time
He doesn’t provide every one of these details in done
is
able, by magic, to confound the te acher's
§

performer
;

the

i
does include even,y owever tical
stories; however, he enough telling details Lous of 4,: bo theories, exorcising the spirit and sending it hack to
s
i, J Cage oma
:
:

Ewe
rive us a picture of a real person. Compare thig to
hell
magicians presentation of the “Magician vs, Gamble the Very,
tg
“
¢,
:

that most of us have, buried in our subconscious, memories

.

su aepr es
+t

characters remain faceless cardboard cutouts. ere both I

math teacher, science teacher, or gym teacher who
of
The ideal antagonist is both three—dimensional and us as children, taking joy in rubbing our face in our
been said that the key to a good story is
fo
good villain Afldable, It,
x hum!
coming s.
Iwouldn't be at all surprised if some adults still have
shortcom®+

chit about t his character.

's
-

hero's stature is measured by the stature of the

Aft

the Ti ghtmares

if re
overcomes. Would Sherlock Holmes have looked ag good he
| Punx's dream rikes me as psychoanalytically very sound. A
nets [ae
¢

Moriarty had been a moron instead of a genius? Woulq Ofessoy from one's youth, long buried in the subconscious.
pain by .
have seemed as impressive if the Sheriff of Nottingham
Robi
had ris =
— in a dream to arouse old feelings of inadequacy. He is then
of the ego-building accomplishments of
banished by an affirmation
1,

wimp? Senig
adulthood—in this case, the magical skills the performer has
oe

i
's

at
One effective approach to producing a formidable
opponent
is i d. Even if you don't care to dig that deeply into the matter,
hor ll
I
yw,
call the Walter Mitty's Revenge Formula. The idea is to masters agree there is little doubt who the audience will be
unpopular authority figure as antagonist. Then build tells this tale,
around an experience shared by most of your audience you rooting for when anx
Pi

have felt helpless in dealing with this type of

where
: ih A little thought
will provide you with many more ideas for utilizing
;

Walter Mitty's Revenge Formula. How about a confrontation with

authority figyy,.
<
the

Finally, turn the tables in the situation through m

agic. A
echanic or TV repairman who kept your car/television set in
thrfound in the outstanding = ie oc
excellent examples of this str couple of
gy can be Tee then presented you with an obviously inflated bill?
book Magical Adventures and F
airy Tales by Punx.
One of these is a presentation for the
“Monkey Bar,” the trick in
thi :
Wh
ot a battle with an obnoxious sales clerk? Perhaps you used
magic to survive an IRS
audit. (It would be difficult to come up with a
See
which different—colored ribbons than the Internal
hanging from a bar magically change more unpopular authority figure

iaBs
places. Punx tells of the time he Renae
to arouse feelings of help]
was stopped by a traffic cop for or a common experience more likely eae 8
driving through a red light. Punx accused the You might recount a childhood a
policemen of being color than a tax audit.) ul
besting. a
schoolyard bully where your magic saved you. Stories about
blind and apparently
proved his claim by means of the “Monkey Bar,’
thereby escaping a traffic ticket, :
dishonest used car salesman also have potential. :

Certainly, traffic cops would be

high on most people's lists of unpop- All you need is some imagination combined with an odes ‘2
ular authority figures. Furthermore, almost psychology and contemporary social consciousness. For
every person in the exp)
audience has had
the experience of receiving a ticket from such a cop one time a tale about outwitting a cop who was giving you a £0
2 2d
=
7ied
woe infraction. They may have tried
to talk him out of issuing test might have been amusing. In today's
social
Sine
Ce wo7 be

ue
us as unlikely they suicidal. Anything that reinforces sexual stereotypes

=
succeeded. This is exactly the kind of
seid
? t
even with my mother—in—law”) should also
oe that makes most people feel be
magician helpless. When the the subtex
audience
he triumphed
over the cop through magic, the patter as with any presentation it's important to study
tale, (Admitrerr, £000
deal
of make sure you're not sending out any unwelcome TCHR

is” pliesani
psychological satisfaction from the

go
\Admittedly, the “Monkey Bay” The Conflict: The greatest advantage of story
isn't a close—up trick, But this
gr
ye
Same presentation
close-up item.)
would ork Es
den for 4 “Hot Rod,” a standaard
perfectly
0 :
achieve strong audience interest in the outcome ©

ks
in the imaginary conflict you creats be

a
they're swept up
Another effect iy
the P unx book What gets the audience interested is the conflict at
In this is
a version of the “Six—Card Repeat.” best :
Presentation,
hated, sadistic
to taunt him
t}
'e performer relates a dream he had in which a
math eacher from his
¢

apoyt his mathematica] youth came back from

the dead
story, For maximum audience involvement, 1t8
sharply drawn conflict, such as a direct. challenge or a
which the villain presents to the hero.
co
oa
inadequacies, just as he had
142 143
 Darwin Ortiz

aLasala
sor example, a gambling game, or any kind of Strong
1
Wager Magic
defined, ritualized conflict situation, Pe format, the
This tenn is match back and forthstruggle between the
"

the pe former ang

monte routines, ace—cutting effocts. Wh several times before the
,

In
goe: s
the antagonist

iaa
have so often performer
gambling routines been the subject of merges victorious. My presentation for Larry Jennings
tabions. Punx often uses the word chr) other finally
uel
€

w the titles of his Card” (given later) is an example of this approach, The
“Homing
fects. This is an apt description. The best story » hse format is the one to use for a on e-phase effact
between the protagonist and the Presentatios ay = challeng®-reE0 format is for multi—phz
a duel of some sort thre outines,
The ten? "

af |
antagonjgy.
of ion: As to the matter of resolving the conflict, have only

a
Perhaps you feel I'm making too much this matter of The
I

all, the audience knows

it's only story.
a It's not “real ” 50 how 2 Si important piece of advice: Let the hero
one simple = comedy
win The one
presentations where it's often effective for the
up can they get in the
conflict? hy exception 28
to suffer a comical or ironic defeat at the end of
Consider this. Every ventriloquist's act I've ever seen hag bea perfo pmebry d example is the late Fred Kaps' hilarious
on a conflict between the vent and his figure. It's this conf]
bags the tale. A presentation
TN

Homing Card” where the performer is defeated by a

isi
provides most of the humor and drives the entire act fory,
Ct thay
ard. Sop,
for Fred
car Brees a will of its own. However, other than in comedy
vents even physically struggle with their figures; for playing
rotagonist should emerge victorious. He is the one the
ventriloquist may have to wrestle with the dummy to Example, the
get it back
iy,
routines, for. The audience wants to see the hero win, and
its box. audisos
yOUIE
job of making the audience happy.

rt
Every person in the audience knows that the conflict isn't obvious that it might seem superfluous were it not
“real” They This advice s so
that
there is really only one person on that stage;

aie an
know it is sometimes violated even by performers who
that he = for the faci
doing both voices, that he is really only wrestling with himself, One of the classic effects in card magic is Dai
Yet, if should

i
the vent is good, that intellectual knowledge won't Aces” from the Stars of Magic. Vernon provides
interfe re for 5 Vernon's ‘LW tting the
moment with the audience losing itself in the dramatic reali atter story for this effect. It involves the time he met a
conflict.
ty of the snug
ope-srined
Se The gambler offered to demonstrate his ability to
On his last try, the performer offered to bet a
the
Rl
This is just a specific application of one of
underlying premises of

aer
nd ollare
this book. What the audience knows
intellectually need not interfere thousa that the gambler would not succeed.
with what they feel emotionally. In fact, the
ensure winning the bet, the performer attempted to
cheat
close. The vent must be sufficiently
analogy to
magic is quite
- es
To

by palming the ace. But, the gambler outsmarted him by

the

je
technically skilled to baffle the
audience's intellect; the illusion of
see
a conflict will never work if they out a knife and pinning the ace to the
he ripe,
a
his lips moving. (The

si
can
spectator’s brain may know better, but between the performer's fingers. The one-armed gam

ih
y

his gut tells him that, if the his

dummy’s lips are moving and the saying that's the way he himself lost

se gr
pra
ventriloquist's lips aren't, it must be the dummy who's
o
talking.) He The performer tale
must also be a good enough showman
to capture the audience's view him as
the audience
the

s will
onist.
in
Yet,

emotions his presentation (the

imaginary conflict). You must do the outperformed and outwitted by his
thing
is ag
same if your story

dare
presentation to work. armed gambler. He portrays himself as a
ney
psy
iifr
There are two conflict swindle a cripple out of a fairly won wager an
formats commonly found in story effects. I term on

a
ma peg
these the cheat who gets nailed (almost literally) the
challenge—response and the
tennis match. The challenge
response is the more
elementary approach. The antagonist challenges The antagonist, the one—armed gambler, the onlyis

peu-pra
pers A
the performer
in
challenge through
some way and the performer
succeeds in meeting the any skill or class in this tale. Why any
present himself in such an unflattering light is bes on
magic, A good example
is Vernon's original presen-
tation
for “Triumph” A difficult
spectator challenges the performers The story of the one-armed gambler is an
abilities by <
bo
shuffling the cards face the original version, it subverts what the per!
up and face down after his in

eee
has been returned
by magically
n except for the
to the deck. The performer responds ©
causing all the cards in the deck to turh
striving to accomplish, namely, to gain audience orga
for himself. Yet a simple shift in point of view ¢ or pe
selected card.
144 145
 Darwin Ortix Strong Magic
of both worl the same
performer the best Stee B sty card was required in the trick, the
aside. Because the
&

sympathy in hiss favor

once SYmpé rather the
favor rather than against Hig Ory byt
lly appear among the performer's cards
7

audience ping it
,
wig Kept PIC
as maki ng it magica
3

Suppose the performer

tells the story an episode
father ke
,t
did not feel comfortable

ru
story appealing
}.

which he participated, Now Once With

1

found his patter role of

than
Si
rather one
a student and particularly did not
mn t

he
in the Tr
[
we hile
/

the
a

gambler may be presented as sympathetic someone else, even his

1

~asting m duel
performer losing to
RE
a
other gambler who challenges
him and then tries
to SEonist ang
eq

the jea of the the point of view was Gis

ol.
1d€?
g

Once again, changing

i
neat hip,
Ci
ke

blacker villain. Most importantly 0 hike

painted an even ow n fathe
r.
able to preserve cesentially the
psychol ogically identify the victorious one-armed gam).
once the point of view was
I

By changing the conflict in favor of the

narrating the tale and also performin g the y ith tp,
ambley situation while resolving
|

performer who is
the one-armed gambler. sleigh same
co snflict
£

Tll give my patter

exactly deliver it in this trick. |
I

hand he attributes to .
effect should be clear from the patter. Just
performes action ofthe
i
should note that in hig b the aside. Yet every time the
Before leaving this example think that placed
the ace 18 continually
I

pee
k Magi
Adventures and Fairy Tales, Punx argues that the gr at strenggy Mogiey “The Ace of Spades Trick,” the is shown
the Vernon patter in “Cutting the Aces” is the fact that th €
o remember
«ays the phrase
to the packet.
(You'll note this is an example of the
doesn't know who they should root for, the performer Wi udieny, tg have story format
I
mentioned earlier.)
the one-armed 10m they, tennis match
or
)

grown to like during the performance Bambley a performance someone

will come up to me
yy Som climes after
shows himself to be the better man in this conflict.
Tothis will only respond that in magical story patter yoy an d ask me to teac h them a
card trick. I always
tricks I do take years of practice You can't
try
to pesiis
that the kinds of
I it

2 ambi
g
But then
striving for entertainment not great literature. Moral just teach someone
how to
do them in a few minutes.
5
Gl So “You must know one easy trick I could do
ani So
fine if you are Ingmar Bergman. However, the ey sometimes Say,
I never teach them. Not after what happened
2=
Spielberg gross a great deal more at the box office 5
for my friend
had an trouble figuring out who was the good guy and
bad guy in one of his movies. As a magical entertain er this
:
or
he
the last time I
tried to teach someone a card trick.
“111 teach you The Ace of Spades Trick.
of simple, gut-level entertainment you should be cteigice

your protagonist a white hat; give your villain a black Ta

=
<d 5:
o 1 had said to the guy,

It uses one red card,

two red cards, three red cards, four
ace of spades.” But I noticed that, as soon
red
as I
the
yourself with the good guy in the story and make sure
that he pis cards, and
handed him the
cards, he a little nervous. He
got said,
“I don't

I've heard that the ace of

mind using the four red cards. But
=a conclude this point by providing another example of how
switching the perspective in a patter story can strengthen spade s is a bad-luck card. If you
don’t mind, I'm going to just
with just the four
ac e of spades aside and do the trick
Mogica ( ">

the
y

presentation
Tres by making the
y
mak:
protagonist the victor. The Classic Mag
i

place

er
Magic
of Lar Je imings red cards. I'm s wre no one will even notice
that I'm using four
18s outstanding
i

te contains an effect called

Ci

8
Larry
TTL cards instead five.
2

oming Card.” The performer holds four red cards and the
i Yond o
of
g S
AY

for this trick you need the ace of spades.”

ace of spades. He places I palmed
os the ace aside oe
and shows the remaining four I said,

eehrfoc
Shen =
=
,
to
the ace of spades—inuvisibly. I tossed the ace of spades over
red
later, the ace has returned to the packet The Ace
his cards and I said to him, “Will you let me teach you
5
The Dexfurmer
only four cards, but one of them is now the
Soe his ro: ids
placed hoa o> 2 over and over. Each time the ace 1 of Spades Trick?”
“I'm part
eturns to the packet. The packet getsgissmaller and At this point the guy started to perspire. He said,
smaller.T, b but the ace
is still there. Gypsy. We Gypsies believe the ace spades of is
the death card.

fade ud
. ventually, the perfor: is down to only two cards, the ace of spades If you don't mind I'd rather just place the ace of spades aside
ie aces the ace aside and holds and do the trick with just three red cards. I'm sure it'll
still be
tai
A moment

The book
latey
d Sea
card has changed to the ace of spades.
onto the red card
a good trick even with only three cards.”
4
proy ides Michael Skinner's
story for this
I
said, we trick won't work that way.” I palmed the ace of
the Lo in the performer's patter
excellent %
Sk

trick. It involves
childhood when hi spades—invisibly. I tossed the ace over to his cards and I said
father offered to teach
spades but, because
3
ma fo
AL The trick involved the ace of
arc trick.
card 1 & TY] s
S
to him, “Now
can I teach you The Ace of Spades Trick?”
of 4
superstitious fear of the card, the performer
a

146
147
 Darwin Ortiz

He said, “I don't know how you're doing that. Strong Magic

But
you any good. I'm afraid of the ace of spades, I'm
Eo ony
gy

| most effectively create

the mood he wishes to
place theace ofspades aside and do the tric),
dy
feels hs achieve
with 0 pe
the limitations of budget and the demands of
the plot)
cards. I'm willing to use this card and this card jug, jug)
within
lose—up magician must perform his m AgIC in whatever
card. £
by, Ei req
thay
However:
a close—ur
he happens
to find his audience,

I
hay he

setting
«

What could do? I had to palm the ace of routines would be more effective if performed at the
gambia
+

tossed the ace over to his cards SPades—inyiginy Most

the salon privee of the SBM Casino in Monte Carlo
and said

atLl88 a
1
to him, Yd

a
paccarat pan
teach you The Ace of Spades Trick.” Plog e tuxedoed croupiers, Arab playboys, and glamorous
pupae
,
me lof

At this point his hands started to shake. He

=
BY
pnalhall bn Ales oa under mors
said, Tdony wome Ch

i
in a haze of cigar smok
P,

Most occult or
using the nine of diamonds, but not the ace of Ming
a nake
Lg d

effective if
super
the death card.”
Spades. Thay,
natural € ffects ects would
be more p ormed by moonlight on
ne in an ancient cemetery, or by candlelight on the bare
a
I said, “They don't call this trick the Nine of Diamonds fallen tombston
a doned house reputed to have been the sight of a
floor of an
They call it The Ace of Spades Trick. I palmeq Trick
gd: by torchlight on the blood-stained altar of an

int
the gee of ghastly
I tossed the ace over to le in a remote South American jungle never

el rE
spades—invisibly. him. Ang that’s a
when the guy had a fatal heart attack. ancient pagar :
man. But, if you've been hired to perform in
Point of view
is always a very important consideration in bg
glaring
hy c1viiz

SEKon cheap lawn furniture beside the pool at a house

ht

any fory that's where you're going to have to do the trick

party in the
fiction. In fashioning story presentations, su
you should always
yourself if you've chosen the right point
of view. gq
However, in a tory
presentation, through power of your words the
eta 8 *

a
audisnce. to, Any (onk: of Mika
alee erat
Be ¥
Katies at may be particularly conducive to your type of

Optional Elements
Complications: There are a couple of other
elements you may choose to
traditional storytelling
mise
ETE(i
books are
a casino in
Mar be
e
Tresentations of René Lavand

a riverboat on the
set out in his

Each tale unfolds in a well-defined setting

Mississippi; Tijuana,
:
as

igNbayi
incorporate into your story age
these is complications, patter. One
George M. Cohan once described his formula of Mexico; even Elizabeth, 2

Si Su
ak no tool more capable generating SHER, sphere in
3

for a successful play of Fé 5 Str £

follows. Act one:

y
:

get the hero up a tree, Act with a strong sense plac

two: throw rocks at him. Act story presentation
than a story
of

three: get him down. In more technical agic s

language, this might be the a thus created strengthen that partic lace, i
paraphrased as: introduce the protagonist will §

effects in that
and lock the conflict.
Introduce complications. Resolve the conflict. but it ill linger to color all the subsequent
Ww:
sequent
C

The rocks that

are thrown at the hero are the complications. performance
Complications are unfores; een barriers that arise

ll
in the hero's path as
le attempts to achieve his goal. Whether
Avoiding Pitfalls
o

a
or not your story

cin
mncorporates complic: ations
will be determined

0a
by the nature of the reciate not
effect. However, patter, it's important that use story
at yi

the complications effectively

effectively

stent
To
story
o use

are usually what make a story aly the strengths, but also the

il
Interesting. Therefore,
Artiers to achieving
effects that involve seemingly unexpected RoW
approach. We've seen that story p: patter offers
advantages first, ‘

Presentations,
your goal are usually well-suited for story
the ato generate 8strong emotional spali
on the part o i
the conflict
Se cE 5
the audience because of their interest in 0
9
3

Setting:
y

Although ey, ery :

:
to generate
conflict mug t take ar off the
that lies at the heart the story; second,
UP 10 you to decide place in some setting, ILS story
a

hether you w ant to

vw

pre
telling your
story. Keep in specify a particular setting 1n strong atmosphere.
story Presentations mind, however, that a major advantage of It also contains two disadvantages. Fix st, by story effects e,

jg that th
spectators
nil
through the use of €Y can generate powerful atmosphere seldom provide any audience
evocative settings pazticipations occurred, 80 how
Choice of gett; weren't there when the events of the story
to the
1g is one
technique of the scenarist usually unavailable can they play a part in the recreation of those
A ovaRRE? Consequently,
mag; tan. A
filmmakey
148 may place a scene in whatever setting
149
 Darwin Ortiz
in the ole
i
story tricks typically
cast the audience of wi Strong Magic
than participants.
up-and-watch tricks.
Most story effects are wh, at Daviq
s tess
Roth2 I L
"athe,
is challenge. pr
Find my card now!" {
Vernon triumphed
complication by causing all the cards to magic
oy
A
shy
en€X°® pt
©

that an effect the che for the selection

agically turn
I'm not for a moment suggesting must jie down

a
participation to be strong.
Some of
the most powerful orLlin aug; face
Vernon speaks
of the spectator in the story
having sel
of the shut-up-and-watch effect in ones
up magic are type,
OWev,
Vever, Oa.
0
{When
«ard, he has
a spectator in his audience select a card, When 18 8878
to
a

in
%

effects places the audience

fe
Jiance on such tog returned the card the deck, he

level dig
re 5 as card,
17 pectator the spectator
to
5

the card the deck. Thus, for the fitet bast

thus makes it harder to maintain a high
involvement.
The second problem with story tricks is that they lack
©

te
5 the audience return
: he effect,
Vernon has, in effect, cast an audience member to play Se
of the spe ctator in the story i the

immediacy. In reality, of course, the audience is wat atc

a sep, Se
thing evepngy
of
part
Casting a spectator to play the part a
of spectator
It's the most obvious and most hs
must qualify
are happening now. Nevertheles: since the theme of {hobs ultimate in typecasting.of
Sri
the S that

hese
»

the retelling of events that occurred some time in th

fects is of the idea having a spectator play an active in
application
past, these However, it's not the only way you can use this idea
©

tricks contain a particularly predetermined quality 5 Compareq story trick.

most other close-up magic ¢,
In my version of the “Magician vs. Gambler” I tell the story of a
old card shark and a young card shark. The old mn Vek
waghe
It's the difference in feel between watching a taped petween an
program and watching a live news telecast of some
televisigy
— his entire
bankroll and the young one bet the keys to his brand-new
it is unfolding. The former can certainly be entertainin
Event gg
Se car. When
I get to the point in the story where
I
mention the wagers |
ie
me ask two of the spectators
to act as stakeholders. hand one of them
I

latter can be riveting. The sense of immediacy is one of I hand the other my keycase. Although they don't
Excily ®

my wallet
and
strengths of live entertainment in gener: and close—
5 Seed it will become very important later since a
:

particular, but it is this very sense of immedis know yet, these two props
that suffers in story will be found in each of them.
previously signed card
at

effects
Once again this “canned” quality of story tricks What I've done is to cast two spectators to play the parts of two of the

doe
the story I'm telling, thereby giving them an

iEs
only
origin al participants in
perTitmics o-
by

problem if you use too many such tricks

in one
active role in the proceedings.
This not only draws these two people
one or two story effects in the course of a full effect, it draws in the rest of the audience since
ks more deeply into the
adits

eo
isadvantages are far outweighed by the Tor,

conte
advantages they will identify with their two representatives
d

El
to
the variety that a good story trick can is for the performer to play all
bE The standard approach story effects
elas took
: in
erfor
tne
Nevert
essential for him to play the role
e.

the roles. However, it's actually only

I
examining
it's worth

ents digEe
successfully
incorporated into story of the protagonist. When routining any story
trick, consider whether
the problems of audience passivity and be cast in supporting roles. This is particularly
any spectators can
E

mediacy, thus achieving the best of both worlds make a choice or decision

Di
effective if the role calls for the spectator to

Sa
Audience Participation: However, even if the
can't play a role in a
the story originally occurr
ek cause thioy werential
Seo. sugested
presale
of some ki nd at some point in the effect.
ectator’ functions will be perfunctory, it may be worth doing
to
achieve a sense of audience participation—as long as fits
the story
Fnspectators
Actually, that doesn't necessarily follow.
d it

You
can actively ¥
inv.
mvolve in the story through the simple and doesn’t slow things down too much.
expedient of cas
original episode,
asting them in theSaroles ofi various participants in the 5 A point worth remembering is that, unlik e in casting a movie, 1
a
a certain role
Dai Vernon's story effect a spectator may be effectively cast to play

Lrred
“Triumph”
ton for only part of the story. For example, in Vernon's
present:
Magic is a for “Triumph” as published in the Stars of
in the role of the
which he was Vernon tells of one particular occasion on presentation, the audience member is only cast card and
a pick-a—card trick, After the
spectator had difficult spectator for the first part of the story. He selects a
¢

selected a card and eos However,

returns it to the deck as the earlier spectator had done. the story
pack to shuffle,
7, HEE
it to the deck, Vernon handed him the
cards and face—down £5 amazement, the spectator shuffled face-up when the performer speaks of the difficult spectator
in
cards together, then
handed back the deck with
150 151
 Darwin Ortiz Strong Magic
deck face up and face down, he nt to bed, then produces that
key
having shuffled the g,
door when he we
igh)
Oes the
He tells of se ing the
lances it on his finger. hand. As he describes
shugy
himself.
hich he

i
oo

Immediacy and Failure:

If you want to battle the 5 3¢ held by an invisible
py,
om his POCKE PL to turn He tells of how the key fell
tricks lacking immediacy,
there are two techniques Problen, tur? fingertip starts

a
motif. It's often been said the iE that
Key & "his
candle suddenly extinguished. On cue, the
is the failure
Ww
the
Be he blows out the candle. (If you're
his:
floor and
first

television had an excitement

lacking today. This
ig his finger and

ie
to
Cle from it's the ghost; the key's
and everyone watching knew that it wag antagonist in th is stor; is,
the e it not for the implication
participating key
¥
,
who

sini
ay.
if it did, it would stj]]
would poss ess
little menace
for something to go wrong; even nee
it)
g,

he
This is also true when you perform a story trick
at

esence behind
not on tape
e you
ar, ©
Tivgs
movemer ©

eautiful presentation
hich cannot be faulted
W in any way.
want to
make the artistic judgment that you
However, if you're really a smooth professional, the aude
3

i
you of this effect. You

oa
0, however
HL Bl immediacy in your presentation attending a dinner
_
3

of something going
to forget there is a possibility
3

ye E
achieve as
ater
We'll assume you're
something does go wrong. The moment they see i as follows.
—Uunle

they think, “Oh-oh, that wasn't in the script. What's he

riveted by what is happening, totally
are
i
ahaa
troupj,
do
5

Ha
:
turns to the subject
the
sitting around talking. The
dinner the guests ofare supernatural (because you've
always happens in such
now?” They
aware that what they
ed
in the
n
that direction).
moment, They are suddenly very

they've had
Watching le recount uncanny experiences
is happening now; it's not merely a replay of somett various peop to England and
=

Ng tha You tell of your recent vacation

happened the past. in sour turn. in a room rumored to be
Gambler,” you explain that the magician spent In a Scottish Inn
In the “Magicis night you
grisly murder was committed in that
1

hag the
ory goes that a
had to

is
cut to four of a kind in order to win. You then proceed with the haunted Th that
the You didn’t obtain any other details except
e

in such a way to as
lead the audience to think that the Se
effortlessly succeeded in doing just that. When, instead, yo
voam centur
8y ago.
occurred on the stroke of midnight
the last card, the audience is shocked and so, ¢
%
J ou. apparel
=
the crime
When you fir! st
checked in, the thought of sleeping in a
haunted room
midnight approached you had second thoughts.
When you succeed in bringing the effect to a successful
ion son amused yOu. But as
bed, you heard a distant
clock strike twelve. A moment

a rr
and it becomes apparent that the “m was itself part of the
C

As you lay 1n
story
at the door. Looking in that
s”

you were telling, ou have succeeded in achieving the best of both

:
later you thought you heard a noise
which you'd left in the keyhole turn slowly
a direction |you saw the key
h

worlds, story tr k with a feeling of immediacy.

A moment later it
fell to the floor.

in oie
This

2 wy Er
3
for r
is not applicable to all story tricks, but please keep
se where
those whe

ae
give it separate
it may be. iq
;
:

attention later in this discussion of situ-

:

The failure motif is so powerful

o it of its own accord

What may have occurred in

because you were out of there
the room after that youll never know
in a flash and spent the rest of the
piri For now
it
is enough to note that it can be a pow=- night in your car. When you
returned the next morning to collect your
the room key. (At this point you
————
r :

belongings, on an impulse you took

¥

:
a
for counteracting thatthat rehear:
rehearsed feel
fi
ol
mpe;

remove the key from your pocket.)

g

story presentations.

Le
Background Stories: At first you tried to convince yourself that what you
thought you'd
fon
story ricks
as the plot of
t to use is
the
atdine immediacy fo
ground to the effect rather than
effect. I can : best explain this with an example. In
cn
"
seen was a case of your playing tricks on you
eyes

However, since that trip you have on several occasions seen

in
the moonlight.

i something unexplainable happen to that key, always exactly at

Ad
Punx's book Magical
Adventures and Fairy Tales he has a great
presentation or i! the rotating key trick. This is the effect where a midnight. Someone points out that it
is almost midnight now. (You
Pr

large, old:old—fashioned key

,
<ey turns mysteriously while balanced on your
tur
have, of course, carefully timed the start of your story. If the group is
a little slow on the uptake, you yourself can “notice” that it's almost

a
fingertip
tells
Sh lib
Punx midnight.)
Is the story night he spent in a reputedly haunted room
:
1)

in an old nable
to
sleep, he stayed up by candlelight
Yo cat
at your watch as the second hand approaches midnight. Just
v

The story itself

is “ng told by candlelight. He mentions the room key reaches twelve, you shift your attention to the key which is now
152
153
 Darwin Ortiz
balanced on your fingertip. Slowly,
aghostly hand, then fall
to the floor.
it
jg seen
tg
rotate ag ©
Strang Magic
lifornia. Forgetting that he had st AMPs
Thuy in
a
Calif his pokey
Feel free to employ this if
presentation yoy, Wish, pal of
i
dends out a card and
scam
leCalifor
Admittedly, the Witching Yo, Ldop! he putt
a
Later he switched that card for one of the into
slipping
=

to wait until midnight. he

atmospheric touch. However, as long ag you
ho QM! adds
vVen h,
"ay, te poc 1. It wasn't until he spread hand on the table
ones he
his
was dealt. the switched—in card had a the,

le
night, you can always claim that the murder perfory,
,

sat
i gla
Str, hg postage stamp
after whatever time you start
telling the story. OCcurreq five NE e ¢
he old lady in the game looked o.
Tiny
a the Jace. 106 <

mailed you an ace of diamonds?” Pat him anq yu

This presentation employs the same effect said, ‘So, someone

SOME 1.

and whether a card cheat

patter story that Punx did. However, where Puny’g *htiallyly the (ders have questio
¢

reader:,

eouiq
his hand for one in hig pocket
Se
the = ne
card
story, my presentation ugg the form gp, oe reallywitch a getting
;
in

a reenactment of in
as Let's
qo
caught. put
Story gr wi thout question to the test
the

prologue to the exhibition of a phenomenon which

.
game
>

only
and which, therefore, no one can be certain ig hapy,
will actually oo
a, 8
nis point,
this
th
perform the two-card transposition
I Inostt -
effect, nr
The
.

effet
oF

tage stamps
PC

At and 8 in no
the moment it does. (Study Henry Christ's stamps
F

involve postage 69 & 18

presented
another good example of
using story patter
“Dead Man's
fo doe
-eation of the the story I've told. Rather, an amug 4 as

backgrounq) ang
as
recreatic
the effect, both for its inherent
The previous presentation utilized what I ¢ 1 pre lude to
ude entertainment alue
¥

meaning to what would otherwise be an amazing hut

a vy:

the Oceult p

ly
one that is very common in
the field of bizarre
mer introduces an exotic prop. (2) He then
magic: (1) The ua meaningles
effect (The anecdote
is
told as a spectator
i
tale concerning that prop. (3) He
uses the Prop
tells some
to
produce 5
Sporn
atu) fill tn
rds to be used in the effect, so the story
otherwise be dead time.)
enon that appears to validate the tale. Phenop,_
i

the Magic: A final danger to avoid in story

In the above case, felt it would be Quershadowing
dramaticall more a situation where the tail (tale?) Ho
i2creating
I

peseRia aon

et
wags
the tale first, then introduce the
prop. Howeve r, that's
effective ¢, tell
It's impor ot to
lose sight of the fact that the story should
nt

variation on the formula. It's a formul only a Ming: dog. 4

a particularly wel] not the other way around Unfortunately, the
effects with an occult or support thes
supernatural theme and one you'll Suited tends to attract magicians who are more
in line
often if you read publications story patter
specializing in bizarre magic. It€ncountey than doing This is one of the biggest
.
in magic.

a
interested

iSLBa
ue has fallen into disrepute with some magicians
n't be surprising that a branch of shoylq- ot
close-up magic that relies so heavily reasons the es
on the creation of atmosphere
patter,
ould make frequent
uge of story ii have the storytelling skills to hold an audience's

geire
3 a long story, yet too many are willing to try.
>

This background story { you do po such skill, it’s still better for the sake of your
technique is not only applicable to :
natural effects like
kg
super. René Lavand, perhaps the most effective

op
“T} 1e Haunted
Key,” “The Dead Man's Hand,” traint. Ww

bizarre magic effects. and

Here is an e
ample from my own repertoire presentations in close-up magic, is acutely aware of
where use the
I
idea to present a straight card of allowing the story to overshadow the magic. He has
Presentation for a two—card tr, magic effect,
pocket changes places withnsposition effect where a card placed
| use this
sted of the need to achieve ‘equilibrium
oe pele oe
effect rather than “allowing the story to kill the magic or
11 my

in
magic
another card held
the

bo
eff
alled “Nulda’s my hand. The kill the story.”
Revenge,” will
there are several appear in Cardshark. However,
published “pocket transpositions”
Tops

da
I've
already praised Punx’s book Magical Adu eniures Gnd
to which

a
patter could be th
applied equally well. Here However one effect in that book provides a good eXolpLs
is my exact patter:
be0
0!

In my book
Jambling Scams 7 tell
a story about a card cheat I
advise
against. Punx gives his presentation for the Pengig
Frame." He observes that the effect itself takes only about a
aia]
ial :
holding out, This means
that in
hey
;

early Yet, he tells us that his

story presentation for the effect
i Sey high card out of the deck and hides

5
fers!

On one
€
when
i will do the most good, he switches
of the cards he’s
occasion he went
pee, dealt.
Ha minutes. He goes on to say that often at the conclusion of
some audience members are tears. don't doubt that
since the patter is quite touching. I'm sure, however, its t
in I om
a mi
1 the post office and bought some
3

stamps. Later j, that is evoking this reaction, not the magic.

e was playing
poker in a cardroom in Gar
155
 Darwin Ortiz

Punx boasts that no audience member has e ver a, i Strong Magic

w how he the “Penetration Frame effect
did
td ;uld not exist as
an excuse to tell the story. Your goa) should
element has been eclipsed by the 5
ca 0" he story
develop at the same that rate
the action develop
how you did it, they hay, payor no six-minute patter for a one-minute effect
If they don’t care
rwched by the impossibility of what you dig
ans 7
stent in advising you to consider including de tails
story and the ck Acteristics of your
to
rn
keep it short No, but
a form of entertainment in itself, one the then telling you
5 2

Storytelling like a T

sing
enjoying revival. skilled storyteller can bring
an atidA
5 Preseny, antagonist: realize 1t takes hard work to find just the
1

gic. So can a talented Playwright <8 :

demanding. to include that will flesh out a story without dragging it
telling
de
with enough thought you can do it. it's it
&

And vital to do
actor, or one thing that magic can dq film
Alp, if
>
r.

Hou
The

that thogy
21%

to achieve the right balance between narrative and

rtainment cannot 18 to evoke awe
audience with the inexplicable. If you
} out.
youre $
ke
Reader's Digest, you've got to cut all the fat and make
magic.
with magic, evoking that reaction must be rd count.
every wor
©: 5 particularly important to remember when using background
fg

thing else must be

En
3

This key presentation since, in such case,

compelling that it over: 5
in my rotating you
a
orytelling 1s so
before the magic even begins
ir but failing as a mag; to relate the entire story
othing wrong i your goal, but don’t call oi Ie ee the tale moving and get to the magical climax quickly.

ln odie
\

Reality: After all this tall about the potential problems of

$s

introduction to his book be Selly

:
magician, Interestingly, Punx’s
the words: call me just a magician or a it might be well to finish this discussion by
story presentations,
“Don't

conjure this technique,

focusing again on the great strength of
j storyte ability to
d be
just right
;
its

to our magic by giving it implications beyond the mere

No
many will argue tha: t as long as the audience
doubt, give meaning

chi the trick itself.

of
3

ed, that's all that mat

t facts
(This argument is
most
rd by
a people who couldn't ent tain an audience perfectly illustrated by the following example from my own
if thejy lies
This is

of the Torn and Restored Card which I call “The

pended it.) However repertoire, a version
AInment can vary nature as we in
on

it will also be appearing in Cardshark.)

les.

caliber; you have de the nature of the

enter select a card and sign it on the back. I
1
begin by having a spectator
I once had in a poker game. A
then tell the audience of an experience
player who to me didn’t have enough cash to cover
lost losses, so | his
without bothering to do any magic, as
ri agre d to accept a “marker”
marker
(I1.0.U.).
the back
The player didn't have any
of of the playing cards.

»
ndup comics paper, so he wrote the on one
omics h,
proven. Sometime
2

a certain type off gag or

As say this, I'm writing something around the spectator’s signature.
,

€ wrong moment [
may wor recut the impact of the
A

then have the spectator read aloud what is now written on the card:
u

acting as a raction. This is all ri ght for a comic

by I
d

!
using magic merely as a gimmicl
0 18
“.0.U. $5,000. Signed, [spectator's signature].” (This causes
But it's not
acce ptable for a true amusement and is a good example of incorporating
k.

comedy magician. If he co considerable

le himself a magician he will do
to hurt his magic,
g

even if it means eliminating a cheris

audienceparticipation in
a story presentation.)
I
explain that the player tried to welch on his debt by palming the
card out of the deck, leaving the table, and tearing up the marker. (As

Sr
rankly, the above discu:
on is irrelevant to most
they don't magicians since Is tear up the spectator’s signed, selected card.) When
} 1

the storytelling skills

a
his, T

to hold an audience with

g
six- ed this, gathered the pieces and restored the card to its
1

enough to
note that you risk boring your
8 original whole condition. (I illustrate this statement by restoring the
long and elaborate. I discuss th
or length in Tr€ 15100 spectator's card.) Thus, I was able to collect on the marker with a
1

Overkill” Therefore section on Pacing under

for now, thetitle *

little help from magic and a lot of help from my friend “Tony the
Zeal
.
I'll only urge you to remember that
. .

37 Enforcer!”
tation the story should
exist to enhance the magic. The
 Strong Magic
Darwin Ortiz
that 1t
Consider what this presentation accomplis} works and claims
how the game the con
card destroys the deck. Restoring the po SH demonst rates He explains that
must
spend two dollars and fifty cents to buy
anoth Er pack ance oH

er forme” swindle is
sed by grifte
his ability ©
judge character.
;
He
irresolute, easy to
ee4 old-time winning
is
‘e

matter of earthshaking imp t. However, nt someone

who 1

Es (ing a8 his oppone of his conv ictions.

instrument worth five thousand dollars ig
“ll
!
a
anothep Matter 4 in PI i lacking 10 the cour age he would
18

restore that, it really means something he comments that 18

No doubt, some will respond that the audienc,
Fang che 2
anc
womé
¢,

ms an in the audience
because he can tell that
she just the
He
isn't true and that the card being torn
know th, a t the pes as an OPPY’
nent
who would be
impossible to beat.
if he

ie2 pi
ha individual that
.

stored boyfriend and states

3
¢
tory
iq
thousands of dollars. It's also true that willed
d

\sband or
©

= = rong- ht
of

am weak willed opponent of

:

t
indi
h
actor act out a death scene on stage they
Audiengq the W oman’s kind
that 8 rns to his 18 Jus the tongue-in-cheek so as not to ¢
< «

the play
true and the actor isn’t really dying. Noveotie ls for money
g 1
1

d
such a goo, ° 20 lay /ing line is delivere!
i

want This
P
bring the audience to tears. This is were {

Boodiston, oo
Xi 1d
WOW
another
and he loses. Forming
he
creates a dramatic reality that has its e ffect on an ell Be I

audience offend.)
the man to play loop.
the fact that they know not true. it's despiy, erformer the woman
8and allows her to choose aof the
Jows
fcti EL eight, he turns to Most
Thee realization
realizati that thee story is fiction routine follows this pattern.
s
is an ine}, the NE)
impact of the dramatic reality is an emotional on, e. 100d ong; the
figure
he st
rest ©
and he loses every time.
of

stor
=

She-tfin Le is played with the man and asks

story
turns to the woman
captures an audience's ces imaginat. which
nl ge the
J

imagmation, which
is what a] Pattep Bf
performer
&
"the
is

should do, however time she plays she wins.

Magis yecasionallys
husband ho w its done. Every
SHOW her able
can generate consider

.
with any dramatic technique, proper use
of her to
the routine the performer vacillation or his tendency to
2

o0= Presentation,
on

Throughott t
j

care and a lot of thinking. You

a bout the man’s
ures mustn't
: :

eithep
i
0 1t, commenting
the reason for his losing.
He tells the
Je ii
he sense of using the techni by
chnique too freque loentiong
i for guidance as
hun

an
s

= k to others
his
ie Sag: for himself and have faith in
over—elaborating thethe story to the Semis of
think
story point where it
or
:

learn to

a
dw must
ator that he learned.
This is the secret his wife has
:

skillfully.
ever, w. en used skillfully, be
story presentation
rdgment or he'll never win.
Si
sp!
can a very
poy.
be

effectively use a clever bit from Jules

erful tool in pursuing
can

pursuing ou £0: al
in
f makin e ingg thi audi ence care abgyt
t he performer can
x
€

At one point, his finger in

Ch ain” routine. The spectator places
Lenier's “Endless and gives the
one loop. The performer
points to the other loop the
Conflict Between Spectators wink. I f the spectator moves his finger to
spectator a knowing the chain free and the spec—

atid
ndicated by the performer, he pulls

a plat”
Thee idea

Ls
creating a conflict beetween two different s ectators comments, “You think I'm going to help
01 of

oe
dae
a

Cho tator loses. The performer

i

ree not be2 able to use often. Although for that.” If the spectator keeps his

ai res oeae pet in

never would have fallen
:

than the others we've discussed 7

She

pulls the chain free and the

nger in the original loop, the performer
foctivels nevertheless, in certain
tricks it can be exploi
trick:

i
exp oited
loses. The performer comments, “You can't say I didn’t try
it

very effectively. Consider the “Endless

S

hain” effect. The performe ator

ee
Cc

ee
hex orms a chain into a figure eight and
is placed one loop the chain cathe forms the figure and has the man place one
Finally, the performer

Nala
loop the chain comes free his

i!
usually presented = pulls the chain taut, Now comes the moment of

ee
spectatar finger in each loop. He
ambling game in whi

bE fae
2

he choose the
spectator must remove one finger. Will
.

ive
by picking the loop The
that will uth
correct one? The performer turns to the wife and asks her to advige:

rte
This her husband on which finger to remove.
the
standard pres
Fie conflict between the

aCh
and a performer
this
Sear
may choose to heed her advice or to ignore
point

te - psi
Ae be asl effective
quite
At

here is an
original that
reason. However, for
Presentatior that places the has arranged things so that either way
between two emphasis on a conflict ee
1 pla

spect; Ata her advice, he loses and the

Sie
iE ignored
he
3
y ying, “Someday maybe you'll learn to listen to
s ol
followed her advice, he loses and the performer fini—
158

159
hh
Sas
Darwin Ortiz

own
saying, “Someday maybe
ches by
judgment.”
own

judgment
Anyone familiar with the throws
easily follow the method

presentation from a
one
advisor.
in
conflict
for the

point is that the performer has

he
he

has
r
OO
you'll learn to ha

used in the
preceding
Endl 288
routing The=
fashioned a
stron
generated between
which he seems to only play the part of a

In fact, the concept could be taken still further by

gambling con premise entirely and presenting the
new device now being used in marriage counseling,
aba
referee
;
ave

Mp
Mean;
nt Wo Spec,
g

chai
©
fu

ang
ith h
(0
al
u

on
ng
6
Ww

any

end],
Ul

4,
.

when
have Gn
1

three
yarnps
Apa ing

s him
outin tine
he
WIE

Now
ar
1
reults
opment then produ

also succeeds in spelling

the performer
sell “four.”
con tir ‘ues
in

parentC8
hands
v
elling
that SPAT
out
us

the
+

the packet of card 8

forme + turn over the top card,
.

is,

packet
is
agic
important

of course,
and locating the

Instead of the four, the joker turns

SF
fashion.
unsuccessful
The

ways
2

this
formula
Mistake

and ha the
s

the ace
coy)

WO and t)
child's father

child is a Iways suco asful

1
chilg
The

wp The
:

ang
:
in
or
magic;
inc

Te It

to
If you
intation the

the
mi,
*
Strong Magic

pell \
Word

creaty hought this

could make for
an extremely
With ©83
€noygy
the PA

he child has been cast in the role which + } r

performer play the 3

funny, In effect
the part of the \dard presentation w hile
standard
the parent is cast
the role of the
is
TOuting Wi in
the performer pla aying counselor a
in the
»

The performer once again only a refere

stator.
that the patter has been fashioneq
1

Note, incidentally, hap sional pointed comments. (“And scientists m that 1Q cla

foreshadow the climax regardless of whether or on ag

“Obviously, young man, you take after your moth
not the 5 to
‘er
follows his wife's advice. If he disregards her advice r help you with your home:
AF You're
?

he lose because it has been established that she is the

it
only ong
can beat the game. If he follows her advice
because the performer has stressed that the
his willingness to be swayed by others. (For the
is logical
that ol
spectators fata) Hin i This

both
should produce considerable glee from the child
ntation
yresentatio I

and at his parent's failure. esThie, in turn, will

|

a
:
his suco
;

record, I'l] cq)) the

generate €
ntertainment for the re st of the audience. Because the child

a
above presentation “The Lady or the Tiger?”)
consider the whole enterprise important, it will become important
€

11

I'll provide you one more example of an effective audience.

Spectatoy
spectator presentation for a standard trick. “T} he Spelling 2
that in order for a spectator vs. spectator conflict to be
Sa >mind
te
!

an old effect in which the performer removes all thirteen

suit from the dec He shuffles the packet then
Lesson" js
cards of one et audience must be given cause to root for one over the
this is true of any conflict presentation. Many movies
spells “a
transferring one card from the top of the packet to the bottom iled with audiences becz they were unable to generate an
for each
letter. He then turns over the new
hy for the protagonist. Consequently, people simply didn't care
:

top card of the packet and it is the 8

ace. He repeats the process to produce
the two and the three, whether the hero or villain triumphed
He then hands the
packet to a spectator who is instructed to spell out In a presentation where the performer is cast as the protagonist in
“four.” However, when the thie conflict, the audience will presumably root for him because he
spectator finishes spelling and turns over ade
the top card, it is the
wrong card, perhaps a joker. The performer sreviously established his character as appealing and mpattiHE
spells “four” and succeeds in
arriving at the four. This patter and has established a rapport with them. In the case of a Epeotalorhe
contin the performer alway conflict, if iyou were simply to choose two spectators at
arriving at the spelled card and the
v

Spectator always producing the om the audi nce ith whom to do the spelling trick, the
joker when tries, until all thirteer
he
v

cards have been spelled out. presentation would have little impact
This effect also
Sp
plays off a conflict between
ator, but not a
the performer and ¢
The two examples I've just given work because they exploit
conflicts of family life: the inevitable conflicts between spouses oo ae
ra
very strong conflict because the effect doesn't
ally have much
the inherent conflicts betwee
:

point. Who cares whether the cards

come out in the parent and child. They
Sat
right order or not?
emotional satisfaction for the audience by, in each ca
iy

Tewh
Consider th
alternative Presentation de: underdog in the conflict as the victor. (Our society is still
The performer signed for family audienc male-dominated that the wife or girlfriend will be
approache § a youngster in the audience who Vit
in vn
haps ten or eleven you
the “Endless Chain
if
ye ars old. He asks the sympathetic underdog figure )
school. He then asks child he is smart id were to perform the “Endless Chain” with the wife as the lose .
18
160
how good he
is
at spelling. The performer
161
 Darwin Ortiz

the husband as
the winner it
would be far less off,
Clive,
Strong Magic
reverse the roles of parent and child in the 11:
pelling
You gamblers have long known that any event becom
results be
disastrous.
would Less you've got a bet down on it. That's why Wheney,
ing f ov
more }

find something to wager on, W hether oe Whichthin

L

vnings
These two examples also draw strength from e Ploiting ivy
j reach the bottom of a window pane first drop
clichés of television sitcoms and indeed of our society
any
or whch
will decide to land on, such Wagers .
ich =2hel

domineering wife or girlfriend paired with a wes turn boring

iods into interesting experiences.
the crafty child who always outwits his parents, |
i
the point I stressed in the discussion on story patter: Tp,
presentation the audience must have reason to root fop Ta
principals and they must be given the emotional satisfs of
action Of pia
as
Remen?
was 80
the stake
Sk
CC

ile
DF

were
not only
0 high. The
because of
risked losing
young man
;

his little finger

ation
the conflict, but
in the at
story
also because

Ee
.

that principal win Seeing ‘cian, you can sometimes make an effect far
more compelling
As a stakes. In other words, offer
to risk something of

a-er's
ising valye
by
utcom of the trick.
!
&
Presentations this kind usually of
fall into
Other Conflicts on
he
categories, financial
risk and physical risk

a
Before leaving the subject of conflict situations |
tw
Eee
Financial Risk: Examples of financial risk Presentations
k

want to Per forme

= Jude gambling routines in which the performer Paves tare
that performers conflicts need not involve other po; t
ou
machines. A clever performer can create audience
people
ven
would
of cards
nS oeh or more spectators and offers to forfeit some sizable
interest o ven by
ST
if he loses.
in
combat with an inanimate object. If specific example of this approach is
A

becoming locked
Yous ver say, Deals? from Cardshark. Other illustrations of this
fr fei
Fred Kaps perform Braue’s “The Homing Card” presen
yoy know what Del act.
mean. Again and again Ka w foiled by a black | be found in Hays
carq that this
7
_sambling examples of
ubbornly insisted on returning to the packet of req
cards
in Hor approach include prediction effects
hand. When performed by a master actor like Fred Kaps thig became
ne he former backs up his prediction with a hundred-dollar
a real and very funny conflict
oe : is
Thompson's version of Koran's “Five-Star Prediction.”

re
&

See
The performer may even find himself in a conflict classic “Bank Night” effect where several spectators
This approach works best as a comedic theme for
w ith fate jtself.
=
chance to win some of the performer's money only they if
En
an entire act. Some performers use the same approach for
Despite his best efforts, everything seems to Sk
“Seven Keys to Baldpate” trick. The lock guards a
otal
80 wrong for the
performer. He just can’t seem to get a break. The
forward to each new effect to see what obstacles
audience logks amoust of cash which will go to whoever picks the right
will arise in the
hapless performer's path and how he will cope with them. key.

Giser
other
effects to which this type of
i ;

If you use some There are a great many

imagination, you'll find there are many opportunities

ae
work for
to inj onflict into your effects. In so tation could be adapted. Of course, it won't effect.
doing you'll make those Offering to risk a hundred-dollar bill on the outcome
effects more gripping and

ne
more meaningful to the audience. much What need
assembly doesn’t make sense. you is a

.
tric]
you can state in advance what the desired effect will
be and w

the
chances of failure seem great. Indeed, for best results, t
2
Risk
o
os
When was a youngster, my
I

every Friday night.

father
would watch boxing on television
aly ays found these matches excruciatingly
against success should seem overwhelming. Even
can be enhanced by offering to wager money on your
a pic

if it's a pick—a—card trick that's performed under seemingly imp

ee
hss
uf ise
me

ne
1

ao
boring, couldn't wait for them to be
I
sible conditions.
on TV
that I liked,
over so
could watch something
I

One Friday night

I
need hardly add it should also be a trick where there
that
my fath proposed that we wager a quarter on the no possibility of your failing. The audience would be embarrassed,
fight. chose a boxer
see you fall flat on your face.
to
I

at r. andom to bet on. That night I found the entertained,

ie
boxing match
riveting, mistakenly feel that
Some magicians fail
to grasp this last point.
is
chance
the appeal of such presentations that the specta to rs have a
162 163
 Darwin Ortiz

something. If this were true, only th le

to win Strong Magic
»

Spec
portunity to win the money would be inte reste tor
g;

a
5?

dramatic
t.

ted In the yy, EB a comedic as well as

have
g

of the audience would be bored eff

Clfeg,
a
hy, =
~ Diens usually usually
reluctant participant a
such PX
the spectator is a
a
t.

The real appeal of these presentations js a larg

The P
suc .nds
is the performer
ya
:

not t} at that a spectator is

1a le
ment 8
€ i

the
R
cleme?
eo

jewelry, only to discover

12

win something value but that the perfor

of | sce nario
ats
3

a piece of expensive
gpg,

he Might To tator Tig)

the
PEE
kind
n bill or
at
of value. This doesn't mean that WF
be put some
Ba
|
The in
2

gong to
ir ©

loaned item
b!

1ence yonSe Some

audiene, 1s
t 1at the in which
performer lose. They no more weant to see yoy the “Bank Night"
r
too late
nts
ooh
de
0 effect
eth)
eady discussed
=a
3

it
they would want to see a tightrope walker Ose y : after ov at risk.
Vi

mek Te! Te
of his own money
*
§

i
E
ny
as he puts some
a
1

cross Niagara Falls. But it's the Ey demonstrates that the same
Vi

.
vr
Note in Wallet”
eC
PORStOlicy that j
uri ling, and certainly more funny, when
>
P
combined with his| willingness bo: doe. “SIBLE
R
5
that
interesting. Similarly, when you risk mon od on risk, tha hoes s
f
famous
fan bec ome
even more compelling, at risk
monneyy is put
risk. a
whose
;

the
1s

can
2
=

a
4

Outeon.. of es {ator

i
5

that we
2

it's the risk you're taking, the prospect that to remind ourselv:
:
! g ths

as aps
question of how you'll react if you do, that giveyou LUght
s a good point

ina
! &

pisk Only: This is

-
ot tick
: ,

I've been discu sing in

creating3 illusions What
:
ick ,

parent
ge
Joga

the and you

ness
incorporating
of
the 8
effectss ¢ an be made meaningful by
¢ 5
bY
Performer’s Phys be Ter that
3
0
For
>

Risk: oN in
oer
X

reason, even pre drag,

Bann
ction is yonsible in the extreme to
are

a risk. It would be irre

:

oof
pi ee Silas
dience s Eand) to
gain anything f, “Ntationg
u

does t
would
not

0
Sok

pn
ormer is taking can be riveting. That's why om the rig the illusion
hy the
~ctually ever put just for AE Sate a
ee the
fe
effectg with your safety
©
of

performer s his by ar physical

hy dics well-beip Where
op
actue™d
dv to take chances
to be effective, the audience must
or
y

aloes
almost h hold over an audience. The sndin for the presentation
}

4 bes n ore! r Tle

tually have
have
ac
2d e doesn’t stay vou're at risk; that doesn't mean you
pn
gain anything from the outcon ne, but t he arf
T
believe wa you'r
Stl
\:

nd
performe: r standg be made ©
great deal. to risk.

pasElaeSri
2 be at
082
money on an effect, it one
3 o
fiect, it should be be one

field
should

has used this form of if you're going to wager

The of escapology
sit
Situational megp; =
F lly,
failure seem great but are actually nil. It must
i chances
'\

the days o of
)

ce
Eos from a straight
: .

where the
cha do
in control at all times and no spectator can
ied Jackel ever

yeh are

i
h you
thes
aye
be one 10 wittingly. (Money

aae
had no experience with oe most of you up, either unwittingly or
it

Ls
be financially

ic HiDog
would

dn“aegE
in some people.) Not only
Ya

strained in one. However, SiEnend oy doet foresee ever bein= worst

for
down by a rope over a field ‘jacketed Perfor for you to fail, it would be a very uncomfortable experience
of a trick that is
<

btae rope on fire and the and they sence to witness it. So make sure you pick
situation will on ES
San should

eas
failsafe. If nothing else, the money you put up
lac
us Countless other e Lo CHIE that

Mentalists have. alo coi

There is the 2k
packing. cuas
lllding set to be demolished in momer :
in their presentatis
iter eotart 1H
and versatile, ways of creating a
i
Failure
:

the most effective,

3

of
getting his brains fect where the performer = ne
trick 1s to appear to get into trouble
ningful situation during a

St
t” where he
ting his neck stretched 23 the Acid Test”Galloy me
this to a greater or
S

during i= performance. Most ‘magicians realize

Le where he must drink
4

from the glagges = water lesser extent, but many don't really understand why. I've heard

0
ing and avoid the one contai
deadly acid. pk
magicians say, “Audiences love to see a magician screw up.” If this
The co
neept of phys were true, most magicians would be very popular indeed with their
€
iysical risk
= hass bebeen almost t completely
S

the field of staly igno

sono
c

audiences. Unless you've managed to alienate your audience, they

x

close-up
cl
T

However, with imagination it should be

mage

possible to fing
Blinks into oot. unities to incorporate the drama of physical
certain close-up effects
Spectator’s
sR
2
ect Risk

Ta
Not only Fie Nc
the
ah an effect become meaniningful
1

Performer FIaces gful becau

becaus
ay

places
meaning something of valye3 at
because a5 g cta
spectator place. S somethi wecan hynss
something of value
5

S
, 1
at k
:
ey to
are
this paradox lies in Dariel Fitzkee’s brilliant insight that
more interested in people than in anything else. Character
164

165
 Darwin Ortiz

fascinates people, and character is revealed

the time you can maintain a facade in bday 5 Strong Magic
when things go wrong, that's when the
dealing With
real yoy es, ©
basis Of
¢

their emotional beliefs. To put it differently,

jramatic reality rather than what they kno,
(hay «

People know this instinctively and are thereforeemerges, {te tne Git 10 be the
E
y
W

how another will respond to pressure, alway,

Ee
Audiences aren that you understand the effect
dass
Cage, critical
the fact of your screwing up. It's the re try
.

ng
t&

question of how fect to

8ttragt is not that you fooled the audienc
the screw-up that holds them captive. Indeed, yq, U yi mo thinking
the
,..°

The effect should be that you i

likes you—the more they want to see

5

rere » in really we
t

rere able to extricate you

WE
You Succeq rou If
through your
captivated they will be by the situation if
aug
trouble but wer
you appar ently d—i} mo, trod you act your par in the
¢ part f
ama with a clear view » ¢

the
©

fai;
of

If what interests people in a

trick
going wrong is how powers:
YO trying to create, you won't alienate your Toure
how do they want to see you react?
/ suming they ike
y,
act
Jramatic
audience.
will, inst ga
create tremendous situational meanin
2
,

clear they would like to see you triumph

way, the magician-in—trouble
: over the prok, t
premise offers the
The ©
Pl
become important to the audience because the
deal with the situation that has unexpectedly
11

Beyer
how Jou
des
Y©
SL see
1

formula. The hero sets out to achieve class; a to understand the

a goal, Unforegegn re f many an) magicians
on
i
The failure
fi
¢ 0

threaten his success. In the end, he overcomes Far trouble ploy is indicated by the very term
:

goal
them anq
chip
>
Veg
of
or For an "

you
an
audience to see you in trouble doesn't provide
“suckee
enter 2

There are many effects that are or Les the conditions for entertainment. It generates
Wly creates t
tai ment,
t
structured to allow y.crecThe ne»i¢
question is how you get yourself out of
that. There are, in fact, too many to yo
mention; I'm syre you audience interest.
do it by applying your magical skills—by doing
could trouble. If

Fe
oe
ou

many examples yourself. If you've never

ffe
effects I strongly recommend eXperimenteq with
you do so. You'll find thay su
such effoqy ts
= something
ous or impossible—the audience will be pleased. And
your situation seems, the more emotions ly
can be among the most powerful
The failure technique is often
you c; an perform.
He
ne
gratifying it
for the audience when you triumph. 15

used by magicians, bug your attitude that you were playing the audience rev
effectively. Too often when a hones he may
er,

i
magician tries this ploy, the seldom be pleased, The failure technique should not not
simply thinks, “Oh,
I t for sucker
y

get it. Now he magician

is audiengi
Oppoortunity for you to gloat or
make people feel like suckers
ba 0 a
in trouble.” In order for this BOINg to pretend he's a an
2 p

technique to give Meaning to substantive meaning topics weik disc= sed, this
3

and generate emotion Like the various

an effe
va §

in the audience, they situational meaning technique offe you an opportunity to show that
are in trouble. This requires must believe you really
some convincing acting on your magical powers
hav practical applications—that they're useful.
recommend you read Henning Ne your
Ims' discussio n of the “silent part,
| useful
In this case they prove
1
in getting you out of an embarrassing
concept in Magic and Showmanship script’
3

Because credibility is in
for help this department, situation.
central to the success of this
particularly effective in tricks that
that are performed under
technique, it's
seem to require great skill or those Magic Happening To The Spectator
impossible conditions, In such cases, it's One uatio
gituation at
final great meanin
great me g to otherwise
kx
an an
difficult for the
>
give can n
‘

n
audience to see how the effect
:

aEe
Therefore, they'll find could possibly work 2a) occurs when the
iingless effect h magic actua ly h happens to one
288
o f

it easy to believe that it of ience

audience participation
particip
I
didn’t work. not speaking here merely
’
ectators. I'm
y

Some magicians
:

avoid “sucker
effects’ believing that audiences wil Audience participation can offer many many advantages,
adv i for
r
*

as g
resent being made sucker:
example, in strengthening the conditions. If you shuffle Li deck, you
decd
file
s of when they discover that
i
7 the

was never really in the performer

eed
he was, This
i trouble but Was only
conning them into believing oe
a spectator
: shuffles, everyone knows the cards are
“als disadvantages, rd
:

thinking fails to mixed. Audience participation can also have ave

grasp the proper psychology of this type

a : pr Si
of
effect,
slowing down the pacing of an effect.
is pi
i phi
example,
It is true, of
course, th, at you're take the spectator longer shuffle than it wou id e to
Sh ot
also true that, only pretending to be in trouble. It's
in r However, there is a big difference between
that this w. as the etrospect, the audience will realize intellectually
cage, However, if participating in an effect and being the subject
re of the

will react,
not on the basis of you sell the trick properly, people latter case I want to consider now.
thei intellectual belie
s, but rather on
166
 Darwin Ortiz

In the Hand: The most common—and one of th

methods of having the magic happen to a eneckats ‘Most eff,
oceur in the spectator's hand. The best-known
Balls.” Other effects include “Copper-Silver” in
Fa
mls
18
cq
i8 the us ity,

and Michael Skinner's brilliant ending for the “Cone Petatory

the last coin vanishes from the performer's hand
Acrogg” ;
2
ge
a
Hong,
ny
y ber
Bee
ding Keys: peol
hand

pen 16
B: at

%
’
it was his ability to
but e talked about most.

-pectator.
i
also other highly
fret 28
effe active ways of making
One is what
>

happens on the gpectator’sCards

South Street” from
strong Magic
bend keys held in

term “invasive
1

person For
ark, a
wallet while

iCe
three coins in the spectator’s closed fist. from within a spectators
wallet while my
Similarly, there are many card effects where one OF And it appears inside my
his pocket.
change while held by a spectator or while under ag more
carg :
sother spectator's pocket.
(for example, Annemann’s “Card In Hand” and Fecht, Pectatoyy Bang ppnpide 8 Across.” In this version
Larry Grey's “Cards
What is it?"). In Cardshark, I have an effect that
Be
the one
ocd ‘that travel across are not found in
the

ay
a
further. Four kings under a spectator’s hand change = Oncap, Jassic tric is holding. After suitable milking
of the
ace of spades; not only does the identity of the cards H With tp, specta cards are found to have landed in
-ouble premise, the
:

e 2

change, the quantity changes also. There are still othe or the hang
card effects
p

mag!
an—in—trow
i
;

SL
Yet anothe her good example of invasive magic
18

which a card either materializes in, or disappears fro

cards under the spectators hand.
™, a
in
pac ket. of
actator's pocket.
= watch steal performed in the he
cou rse of another effect. This
Carlyle, among others.
i

the Wri®
:ard
item for Francis
In such effects, the magic does not just happen in the g as subtext, are memorable
all slightly threatening in
was

hand; in a sense, it happens to the spectator's hand Whe : IPectatory aie

nese effects,
to the spectator in the sense of occurring within
y happe 1
“McDonald Aces” I use the standard approach of Kav ot Perfory reason they create a very
memorable
aril zone. For that

Ea
a
oung lady Sais
1
the effect reacts
"

place her hand on the leader packet. Then as I

:

PERRET Araby the spectator who experiences

-
explain that the aces are actually changing places ith the ae |
each
ih

Since the rest of the audience identifies with him, they

cards
under the spectator’s hand. At the end, she lifts her
®

mia
very 8 Y=

Bl
hb

discovers the four aces. Often at the end of the effect

a
do too.
th
Admittedly, creating
such an effect poses a major technical challenge.
is +
Sa
will stare at the palm of her hand in wonderment. This
strength of “McDonald Aces.” In most ace assemblies Die iy For that reason there are very few examples in magical literature.
challenge and devise such a routine you'll
to if
you rise to the

ae
pens the aces. In “McDonald Aces,” the magic happens to However,
be amply rewarded in
audience reaction.
aces are merely the agency through which that
The Spectator as Magician:
Yet another way to have the magic
With happen to the spectator is to
have the spectator actually perform the
creativity it's possible to apply the in-the-hands formul: Paul Curry’s “Out of this World.” It's

go
effects that might not at first glance appear suitable Wher magic. The classic example is
pany the fact that the spectator himself separates the
cards into reds and
ei
rt
“Twisting the Aces,” the last ace turns face w
blacks that makes this trick a miracle. If you were to sort the cards by

ai os
held by a spectator. Ed Marlo has published a
or *w=areLadies’ color, even under impossible conditions, the effect would be nowhere

an Lo
Looking Glass” in which the last phase

a er a
Io ew near as strong.
holds the dec milarly, in one phase of
routine the card rises to the top while the Mindreading: Notice 1 didn’t say mentalism; I said mindreading. As

a
eck. Johnny Benzais created a brilliant “Card we've already discussed, mentalism in all its forms has very strong

et,
Theat the = be
Ca since adapted to coins, where the card substantive meaning. But reading someone's thoughts (as opposed to
all the other
types of psi phenomena) also has strong situational

ira
hand. Jeff McBride and Juan
Tani Roy 20 a spectator’s

i hn
It's actually the ultimate form of invasive magic. Having
Fav itd Card” effects that happen while the meaning,
stolen is nothing compared to having your thoughts
It will reward you riomed.
great] y to give thought to what effects in your
repertoire can he adapted to this Keep
i

od, speaking here of effects that really create an

§

approach. Invariably, the trick will I'm ;

become
stronger. B emember, Uri Geller created mindreading, not the “let's pretend I'm reading your mind”
a sensation by

168
10ns one so often sees in magic. To take some examples from

169
 Darwin Ortiz

my own specialty, card magic, Annemanp'g

Card Location,” David Ho; “Tossed-Ouyt, Deck»hous2
Miracle Gimmick” effect are good ,
examples of tricks
the spectator, and the rest of the
audience, foal;
penetrated his mind and read
his thought. ng
TA. Waters has argued that prediction
effects can
mentalist to sell because they're so amazing
they
points out that, in some cases, the Problem
presenting the effect, not as a prediction, but
psychic control. In the “Newspaper Test,” for ag 4 da
e
can claim he will try to exert his will
over the
him to arrive at a certain word.
I
bring this up because the “psychic control” CHAPTER SIX
dvantage. It makes the spectator approach Lp
the subject
oe
1

effect becomes a great

example of invasive 5 DRAMATIC STRUCTURE
rformer proves he can penetrate the
Spectato,
influence his will.

Interest Catchers

a
The Spectator’s Possession: When
you perform magic
with an
1.
nl
with which a spectator strongly identifie oh;

the feeling of the You can achigys

magic happening to him I don’t, ©
of
talked about how magic tricks could be divided into the
however.
that all bor: Earlier
05
- we

tricks achieve this

:

ved—object
feeling. You have nd the interesting part. An important
hamper aspect of

ds
trick with somethi tod
spectator identifies with
pian ie the audience to
a
attention during the
Ge can enjoy the interestingpaypart.
example, a piece of jewelry,
temporarily or permanently.
and transform that intimately.
object cither
hon - This may involve
ring part as short as possible or having something
=
is
gt during the boring part. We'll explore both these
A good example of what I have
mind in
the “Linking Finger Rings
later in the chapter on Pacing.

Le
Similarly, in my tricks “Signature
Effect” and the “Dream Card"

ld
conjure with a spectators signature. |
her effective technique is to do something at the very start the
The complete ego identification
each of us
has with his
signature makes these effects
oa: on will intrigue the audience so much they'll want to
of

doing magic to the very much sit

person himself, boring part to see the interesting part. That's what we're
Regardless of which
the magic happen
of
the above approaches you
use, when you make
going to talk about now.
to a spectator, you
the trick. It's the inject the human element ints
human element that creates
Situation that will a situation—the
capture an audience's attention and make
kind of The Intriguing Statement
ob
magic important, which your
is
what meaning in magic is all about. I
open one of my effects by telling the audience
teach them how to win at blackjack. You hesky hp
can be sure this gt y
x
2

pls
their undivided attention. Of course, all I'm doing
here 18 ma
nde
ubstantive meaning as we discussed earlier.
oe
en jo
subject as early as possible. Whenever you havi 2
strong get that meaning out on the
hes iH
5

first
- aac
can—if possible, in the sentence. And make t Ly
striking and provocative as you can, If the effect

Apo
gains
S

from uncertainty,
start by saying, “I'm not sure if this
work." If the
effect appears to involve physical danger, introd we

171
 Darwin Ortiz Strong Magic

saying,
“1
hope no one here is upset by t}, ol
sigh ht the intriguing qu
stion technique
attention
tio!
¢

"blogg ower of possible

most POL nt Openings
an :

ne of the eer this

™

heyy built career on

ty
pa]
i

Mint He's a

Rooney?)
Bh
it watch Andy Rooney Andy

Infrigui -
‘h

The iguing or wonder

why pe
Questo atch
Dest

This is the except that, in this

me idea
pectator Question
°€,
intriguing firs t sentence not as a statement but as we fi mg S|
advantage of ques ions is that they demand inVolveme aq egg,
x
yg
The questions. he
sking me
T

ii
ar e continually
1 thay

arative sentence is a passivee process. T

5 n,
,udiences
the same questions. mong A
y

they're always
£
proces:
But if | List,
and

aRahet
F

eat
g

ask yy,
Beary
you have to come up with a response, don'tt you?
that
know whether the
casino 1 :
5

. g 8

ER
il
ou? Even Eve,
Jobs!
uestion
question leads the listener
leads
frame an
the

lis erin
3
to hig play in Las
Vegas. | think of
thes
ask the
ell. thei custom

ona
doesn’t articulate it. That's ex actly why Ming aJlowea | to

lla
.
that
U

quest ell you into thi

53,
eedavon ons is! How did you
get
Y

Erg
rhetori
a tions. TThe most ficomuon
COB
another one get all the time.)
it
I

Questions relate the subject

also
als sub, underer discussion qUESLO®
think of that's
Lugene BiBurger opens one
at
ame
¢ dis

age? (Come to often asked by

;

direct]
B2- fi
10

personal Eugene questions I'm most

’

Ctly
list of the twelve
way.ay.
busin®
Menta] op
hs

list immensely helpful in

4,

believe in ESP?” Isn't compile a Rave found this

a
asking, “Do you
«

at
led a his

a log bette
won't bother to include
A
at by
vp t

I'm going to show you test of ESP? Your I members I

presentations
thy

aud jience
a

statement might be, “So what?" But Burgeyg :

sileny In constructing
get are probably not
the same
yArious ways
§

questions
;

the

rhe
1

of magic you do, your

things depend on the type
emands that you think about your own fee lings my list
here because
ample, if you're a
}

These
k

ones you Bet

= immediately involved in the topic You
;

For
you of all, your persona
cap make and, moet asked when you first
tion even more personal
ga x being
if

want. For style used to

a
"a
y

probably
spectator, “Have you
x
er 185 example, mentalist youre Boos th this g ift
psychic experience?” is q gy, ac a

ered you possessed

i

vela mental
eat wa list of the questions
lead into ale fect jiscovered
;
2

that you st art compiling a

Sag
A
.

recommend
m y be about

fai
strongly
from audience members They
prac
lemember, the
you want
ant
question to be intrig
| stra
get
Aad
and provog equently
the

fr
or about your
3

Would you like

to pick card?” esi is a question, but it's not exac provog, you most
about your magic in particular,
Re;

aE
: !
; :

general for laypeople for

ea
actly wlbi magic in
we have in mind her: After you've been doing magic
C

uppose you're going to do an effect

fue
" in.

involve ment 10 magic.

iigind)predict what card a spectator how the exact same questions pop up over
hick
3
pparently ects sel le ahi
cts. You might up voll be struck by
to the young lady
voune lady
assisting you and say g As soon as you identify
these recurring questions you'll r

for making your magic

er.

possible for me to control dispc

your actions, ma ke you do whhat very powerful tool at your

i
1

1
have
without your
a

your even being aware of it?” That'll get their :

AD att
attention. memorable

ad en
e
that many of these questions are perfect springboards
If you do open by asking a
you acknowledge her
spec
Sh
question, please make sure that
.
The reason is
other words, in many instances you can answer the
effects. In
mean that you engage in
ane nded dialogue and forcet all
the effect you were goingt :
question by performing an effect Suppose someone asks you what
trick you do, or
:

do. It does mean that

vour favorite trick is, or what is the most difficult
ac
you actually listen to what she says. Ona
what was the first trick you ever learned? Isn't it natural to respond
number of oc
J

ons I've seen ; erformers ask a

their attention away question and tu

m th
performing the trick in question? (I hope don't have to point out
pectator before she even has a chan
I
by

cases ts painfully obvious to everyone that favorite trick” is whatever trick you happen to want to
to answer. In such
hat

aR
the

question was as just a ploy

j

the moment, and that the “most difficult trick” you do

rather than a genuine genui attempt
oy re
r : a e perfo ri
at

iis
; {

ws
Z

communication. In most cases, cases, th eSe

questions, so Its
does
loesn't have
to be difficult
at all long as it looks difficult. Similarl
y

5 areyour yes-or-no
easy Ves-or.
St
€
s 8
: ; as ¥
7

easy for vou

you to ton elon any trick ink can
you think
for

Ti
you ever learned can be any that
trick”
advance what will be in st trick”
first
trick the

aces
ponse
response
©

e. Just make be £

5 t
make be as is
J

ou actually
re
respond to£2: what the spectator plausibly presented such. Remember, this show busine
SL

& y
y

answer yo you were

€

expec
re expe er
1 n
grand
jury aring.)
ard

173
 Darwin Ortiz
strong Magic
If you the questions yoy Most
think about
think vou'll find that most of them can behe oft, get mind before raised it, their

i
1
1

1 fi,
on everyones
HELI thing ready jy
¢

Fok
1
T! about doing so
,

The great wit i

8
lat u
fect is guarantec AE
ential for this te chnigque
to
\bsolutely
gm
che
mi nds
¢

spectator's mind. And since 18late S direey), that is on peopl plI

that

te othe
a question
4
Be:

a often
d

yourself
is In fact,
a que Stion WINE that.”
all the time, its answer bound to oh in
was won jering
4. Kk

you
y

100
ves Yeah, technidue Ill sce h ds nodding in
©
Keck
1

thay “When
p
;

also, not just the person who h appened to ask €T

I've
v YOU
Peop), (0 HEME
ed question
ed

of that hit
©
That's pre
using thes Jon as
Wap
ay

t suggesting that you do tricks question.

i
the to
at ina pose trick However, if were
1 1
:

PProprigg, as Ztion to the

g
hen
someone happened to ask you atter Darwin
Ww
5%
»

ne of theg Nome, audience 1 pay to me,

the
and they
saying People often say
would
by
i

ponse to a questi, n Moy ne pve

a TOP
trick
knot the audience reaction shank
p

ce tie
3

va Simple
S$
)

= {vs
a
ol
os
you're already pep
°

duce to
3
ec
intr Wy

that doing trick is appropriate,

>
:
ther forming
ere iS NO nope which inverted
PI
to figuring out
a
&

thethan
toudgeopen
to
leti the audience provide the Ore
effect;
there's
creat mystery NO
won't. Just listen to your
interes
t
E

form ofof a question

fi
oves tthey and which ones
pose to you will work and over are the ones
The questio ns
they ask you over
.

intere
ir
when you pose them
yourself
¢ to
The Inverted Question +h the:

t
tive
spectator question as
a
—
interest—catcher
interes:
springboard
- fi
that it's a pity to oe
tn
trick is or a

The Intriguing Prop

involve patter. But
tchers we've looke at
d
hav to wait ay at
to

all the interest audience's imagination before you

Y

to question
Crp
before
5

tor ask
you can do he
to

tor
the ques

5
g,

the
t

tuo:
+ fap

trick
you can capture
2
fascinates the
x @

hose there's a question that laypeopl

g

e's dog
we sword Tou dotitie by pulling out a prop that

rank
0

e often agk

t
S

dpoyou've fashi yo, aboy “What on

ned an effect to answer the Stion, Si, utter that makes them ie
hink, “What is that?" or,
up frequently you know it's PToP
» that?
8

On people
sudience,
audie to do with
up and ask Whe

a
earth is he planning of
-omes
if they don’t come
: not introduce makes co ant uge this ploy Almost
the question, then is a field that introducing an amulet
answering it with Bizarre magic
f

effect seems sta rt with the performer

to ritual
other occult tool. Stephen
implement, or
Perhaps talisman, statuette, with the
rhaps you hhave a great trick you do wh enever
oo some bizarre magic effect that begins
you d

trick
vou

great omeone ask;

Minch once published
hat a
human eye floating in
2

i
what the most difficult trick you do. If
feel
diffi

is most
a
the

containing
is fi

you like doing the vou

jar
former taking out
=
: a
guaranteed to wake the audience.
and has a |
magic question, just introduce the effe
lo:

Seager formaldehyde There's an opening this

ask meme what isis the most difficult trick
en
X
what the

|
with body parts, you can still use
if you don't conjure Deck”
“Card Warp” use my “Card Warp

i
I

Mentalist Lee Earle op When perform I

Card Table. This means that start by

ique. I

IF you'r saying, “People often from Darwin Ortiz at the

card has a different
a

This is a beautiful inte and displaying a deck in which every

hidden moving mixed

7“

everyone who sees a mentalist rds, souvenir cards, all

mentalis
advertising cards, casino
fino:
ucally
iF,
p ack:
the same book, I start by
Ss a

chic, he doesn’t use that powert gether. In “The Lucky Deck,” also from
at
’

pick winners t he racetrac or stocks on Wall Street. Earle doe blank-faced deck. This may be a common
ec)for someone to bring ing out and fanning a
wait
doing, ensures that 3s beats them to the punch effecit
Sleiug
and, .
u
1

to magicians, but not to laypeople. In

each case, the strangeness
do
performs t 0 answer everyone
will pay close attention to the Afford
pay close a:
makes the audience curious to see what I'm going to
that question
k
=

If you do Brother Hamman's “Micro Macro,” you'll

t.
find the
deck of

in
: start one effect by ying, “People often ask me wh thing happens soon as you take out the miniature

i
3
L

wed to play card

ay cards Hon
egas.” I then perform an
effec
in L:
V

trates een barred from the blackjack tabl Since

Max Maven marketed an effect that used a pair of
dice wiith pnno spots
ago,
on : them. If: you do that effect, suggest opening by
I

175
 Darwin Ortiz

rolling those dice out on

obviously useless
with it.
table before
most common “intriguing props” in magic
blank playing cards and unspotted dice
concept that people will
the
ay

a bagleg

wondep h
1
a 8:

g
the e
io

Ay nach
it
pe
3

helps to give you

> 1f
SUBry adv
Strong Magic

of your performance, before you've really established

advantage in grabbing the
iif ne Interest catching openings are one more too) for
that
jience.
Dr. Stanley Jaks made constant use of aud
this purpose
audience interest. In fact, his entire cloge_yy, Methgg
attractive and unusual props, a new one be ing Up act wa.
of each effect. Today, David Roth is a
master
addition to using a purs ame, he starts effe
holes, tuning forks, plastic rainbows, or dise:
Even his coin box functions as an intri iet
What Is Progression?
SUINg propBRET
fo, Cowles Strickland writes, “That which
it
g

ique of Acting,
F.
ve never seen anything like before laypeq, Tech
[n The made to seem more important and
must always be more
don’t recommend that you incorporate
Exo
follows
w hich has
I
that preceded Even an attempt to
San
fe

where they serve no useful purpose. -ting than

Sure, the interests 55 same level of interest
hat
Into will not

aanii iSa
satisfy an audien
Ae Audience
SE W wong,
5

What's he going to do with

oo Cleo,
But they'll be maintain Magic and Showmanship, Henning Nelms talks about
y,
that?”

they find out that the answer is, “Nothing sappy Olnteq
)
di his of how the interest
much issue in terms curve must
» continually

i
4

is
do suggest that you look at your Non
tt
serformance. He writes,
“The interest that an aud e takes
repertoire to
I

see if th gig
fects where you can effectively
substitute something never remains constant. If we do not increase it, it will
2g

mn
is entertained only while interest

st fn
re mundane
"

is rising
3 e

prop. (Keep in mind that the Helin forg

item
persona. If your character is
that of a card shark,
heong ng fit
statements are worth your closest study. The insight they
np,

ot]
3
an o phos of the most fundamental yet profound
jar probably won't fit in. But a twenty—dollar gold pioos one secrets of

Se
.

that when using intriguing p rops that

to get the Prop in view
you route L2
performing The audience must feel a sense of progression
your entire performance and also within each effect We'll
a way as early as Tel)
as

sooner it's
out there working to grab the BALE
be talking about progression
in the overall performance in the s

the audience, bet

c

on The Act. Right

now I want to talk about structuring an individual
effect to achieve progression.
The Lead-In Effect ot with a single climax, progression is
usually not difficult to
One lasttechnique for achieve. Things naturally
tend to move toward the climax and the
technique
last for grabbing an an audience's interest effects that a lack of
| ct audience can sense that. It's in multi-ph
1

res at the
gr:

“
that works well with some tricks start of
is
an
to do a quickie ef ct that
progression is most likely to destroy a good trick.
By multi phase
into the more elaborate effect.
The most common exam 1 oy tricks
a effects mean like the “Ambitious Card,” “Oil and Water,” or a
oduction of the four
I

aces as a lead-in to an one-at-a—time “Coins Through the Table."

In such tricks, you do the

ine Maren Nash does a long sandwich routine using the two
Jacks as the sandwich cards
through the de.
ck to
Instead of starting by spreading
the red jacks, he produces
same sort of thing several times in a row.
Many tricks require a multi-phase approach. Some effects are over
flashy manner. This remove them in a too fast for the audience to fully absorb. They feel that they were
mmpressive, but very short, stunt is enough
make the audie
nce realize that whatever he caught unprepared and want another chance to see the phenomenon,
those
jac S18 probably going to be w orth watching.planning
is to do with
For example, I've never seen a performance of the “Ring on Wand
only applicable to
certain effec
E ts, but in
This technique
the right spot it can be
is

where the
spectators didn’t respond by saying, “Do again. it
effective, Other effects are statistical. A single performance means nothing;
they gain power only from repetition. If you and cut for high card 1

start every effe, s that you shouldn't feel you have to and win, it doesn’t prove much. The odds were only fifty-fifty;
I

it
3
with An interest—catcher. Sometimes, the best pos in a row and win
sible opening six times
I
be I just got lucky. But if we do
r
an effect is to say, “Pick a card.” But, particularly in each time, that's quite uncanny.
176
177
Darwin Ortiz
strong Magic

intrin sic Progressionsym I'he n

1 !
ul

phe
B
to
§
1d 1

h
nd \

the ingl \f
same pl
‘ '
A ata

Xceptions ort with 8P¢

B.S A §

dugtiti
hands
@

ar in 1

ded. Therefor pla ' |

hands,
ssion
the a

: 11 five

ea.
PRES
1 audience's © aston
:

the
{
folio orest despite
It
of
a

neces:
3
t
sense ondit
y

rogressic ble

a
I F

ts, three titions seems to } tr

ideal, nore ar r

|
thinks, “Did
at
nel
I
w
think
see I
«
t
1
still win

In the second d repetition, the re Saw

think N
m
ugh escalatir
progre
oN
ditior
saw I

ue On the rat couple i

Its hopeless. No matter the top. Ther

it Nowiany
wor

|
never understand how can be how it
cz
time
is. The audience
mall packet of
in
car

ple of this occurs I Eh BIR 8

there ems less opportunity lor ncealin

h
vou do lition since
RDL ectator
tator to hold the deck as

BAF

nd. Next he
allow
the ibilitie
Obviously, this restric
y
f

the center
than three oh
the card 4
1 in
the top es
ght h ind ever
of

ties the deck wit

spectator 18 h ibilit
!

the
+
put any |
to introdu Clearly
more strip
Se example occursringent
€

cong
a ¢
rope.
the cards. Yet inserts
when he the card

in EB
(tion of
perfect xs)
x

As with the previous ex mpl

top.
The first three
» t

phas are identica] it goes along

ible
€

has one less than

he

nore and more impo

“Ambitious Classic” 1s such a
why Larry Jennings’
wrth time,
audience sons very premise of
the
new condition gression is built into the
that pr
and perform an Ambitious
S a on
th
gr
is
rheator count the cards, vet t} You start wit! a fiv
After ach I

This new wrinkle boosts you dis card and it again. do

sequence Then
\

:the he audier ce feels that with

e. i
fewer
routine you discard another Yet
cz

TC hances of catching
you should incre se.
make each repetition mc
have one card leit The
ctively repeat ma
impo.
time—even when you only of “The
more times. Jus and Jennings sions
nbitious Card” some He brin
happens in the Braue
mes, yet the Interest curve n
erform the exact same ions 1s such a natu
ns in exactly th
don't | ovide it. You
es instar you
lose the audience by the fourth repetiti
s to yourself experiment. Perform a five »

each
Ambitious Card” routine ior group of laypeople Make
strong In eac
exactlyly like all the others, perhaps
Kk
by using pass each
the third phase you'll find that some
By yne will ask if he can see
If you accede
face the card just before you insert it in the deck.
of

he can insert the card

his request, next time someone wi
1
t
t

179
By
Darwin Ortiz
strong Magic

ha
i
in the deck himself. Things will cong
but underiv incre
increas
thig way
routine. With each phase, people weight each time,
at
8S
4

for of
an t to
Y
3

8
mour
t
thy
stringent conditions on you. impog, same
p 8 A

the ©
hundred pound 8 - hen 3

jerk of three
Aing
<

© ondition 30ES handhundred

bi

course, other than

g

Of an experiment, ao
y

fm Hough ally,
¢
¢

lly fifty pounds.

:

rem [ do &

ee
Finally,
Ss.

of situation develop. You can't let youy You myg¢ ne

pce

tO toad
:
ng? 140
Eh rae
E

8 The conditions
performance. But if you don’t provide audience faker 5p? an
each
;

and JOE Py indred pounds.

the audience will demand it, very pc boBression, 5 try time

.
do 8 7g
of 19%

audience's
apo of the‘hes
jerk
aun 218 ling the
you can’t meet. The smart thing to do ol
sking Ho
SH
the will suce ed in
holding
to first ne
approac

a
but
¢

the
th

beat adaptable
Structure your multi-phase effect in < to
me,
bob apPYC
are more second approach
Soa pic,

Rs me effe ts

way
east the
mage
increasingly stringent conditions on 5 7
But suited to

a
as
to
A
8

anyone else can think rscare

E

inter
y T

request them Jo othe

¢

Artif ial Progressions

Through Expanding
a
the Sco,
pe: I once saw

a
he at
th

ing
version of Slydini’s “Paper Balls Over Hazel interes
to raise the
or five times and held the audience riveteq
Hod
PEcause h e ug
he xpanding Scope
methodconditions
condfrom phasease to phe ase. Sometimes
on OF © i

I: phase he Was using 00g

i] a
each the last your have one OC good :
coin time. By ighteniné arving
Yee do that; you only
have 2

eac
,

coin 2. the :
.

utine you cant

oh
’

poth de audience
o.

diameter. If he'd used the same coin each a

the phase time. Yet giving your o

Ps
seeing the spectator fooled repeatedly by Ti
mult it every
to
:
n

of Ses permit
o
use your method doesn’t
you have
methoc
in a
essential that,
if your
if

Sa
hd
e Same p]
method, 80
+0

5056p
Y0%

one.
J

porated. The increasingly large

quic artificially manufacture

el
a, you have to
of POETS
continually expanding the scope the e cense the second
i

progre ssion, «oil and Water" routine,

35100,
=
by of

1
&

Yet, this hugely entertaining routine can b Conservation [n my second

Shi Ea
time,
first because, the
es re than the
D
1

ade mg, Numg,

combined red—and-
et ae
Throug!
boring by making just one small change: R,
ne
I deal it into the

ie phase 18
everse the ordey al

ar i
If Hazel had started with the f each card as method and handling in both
tw. chow the acoRosI'm using the same
os
th

ime, he would have :ost Re-ngh €oin and then i

:

a smaller one each tim. the first phase too, but

1
Sin during
the audience plack pile:
could show the
audi faces
g

long pop,
as of the method the first time,
celong
the trick w. s over, As ssoon as they realized haf,
reali
that the tra IN Was my;
i = t revealing the full strength
thev
er.
As 1

beyond the first one.

:
I
backwards would have gotten off at the
JR
ik
next dani Se feeling that the second phase goes
, they

stanton, CONServing your full

ey 5
Ab

In Darwin Ortiz the Card 7Table I have

at ave
C

conservation because youre

pL Opuz a very strong

ks
menelt -f
th
routine The Ultimate Card Shark.” All told, t
gamplip, term
end.
fae conta; gth until the effect
ofthe] in a three- phase location
4 it

ae fpariet
,
‘
stren)
expanding the scope oh does the same thing
Uh

= Juan Tamariz grip as he has a

that hook, the routine has “a ver effective The first time, he holds
th e deck in normal dealing to do it
progresses logically inrom the control of a single a card. After
locating the card, he offers
¢

ectator peek at
at

oo ing card to the control of four

play !
ds, the control of single
will only hold the deck at
the lower
twenty ca
cs 0 :
out, he
and finally the control of all fifty —two aeain. But, he points at the
car 8. and thumb as the spectator peeks
corner between one finger last time. This
;

Another good e card also, he offers to do it one

pi ged to

lei =
xample of expanding the scope card. After finding this
crez ate progression hands as
in
Pe
ner’s “That's Ridiculous.” =
is
to hold the deck his own
n it, he produces a series of coins last time, he allows the spectator
“ach coin he produce
The difference be
SE
larger than the one before
s

] he peek at a card.
each time, he
method
tween stre ning the conditions and expanding Once again, since Tamariz is using the same
in his own hand each of the
A

the scope s best

have the spectator hold the deck
ii an analogy. Suppose I'm golig io could
would still be
h

Eve an exhibition of three locations

eight lifting, I want to do three lifts, each more three times he peeks at a card. All
impressive than the
before. baffling, but they would be equally baffling.
The audience would
Nols might first clean and jerk three I
hundred pounds
This is much harder Lid
a standing
press of three hundred pounds. sense that the train was standing still.
the weight has to be muscled up with m0 make each subsequent phase stronger, you may
have to
momentum. Finally IT < If
vou can't
Ys a one-armed
press of three hundred pounds
0

backwards and make each previous phase weaker. Look at the

work
last phase and consider how you can lessen each previous phase
180
181
 Darwin Ortiz

ly
a
slightly by holding back convincing feature,
convincing features step by step until, so of
these
Strong Magic

the method Be in
of Meth
them with the
full power
like g
3

“Stphy
Loot Rey,
The revelatory is one that
The Color-Changing Deck
t
in an
ends

reveal his full troop strength in the fir, THEN ions

ho
bio

EE
ge
in s snhr
IS

why ¥
Fimationa) eMart in
in reserve and adds them
= as =

holy spected; “Wild Card,” Homing Card.” and

overwhelms his opponent.
Through Increasing Stake Stake:
ars ago Petey
ok Wj
A ce
5 cnown examples of this
flect th
Th
two most powerful dramatic tools
Nee
5
trick called “Kane's Variant.”
4
This is a fine Kane
1c
Jazz 0°s
5
of effect
xe coflect
rprise and
the

suspense
¥
\

effoct may he performer:

re
ay surprise ar |

gambling game with thespectator and win, Sine 1 which eS

Et

recommends wagering a sum of money on t he

He also recommends playing the game three
g me gy
timeg w add
Lote
12 £ Surprise
that there will be no dramatic surpris
jy,

is necessary to prove it wasn't just luck.

5

tl means
not mean
le
U 3

is just like the other two phases.

he Ce «does
1

be no su rprises which do not, as they unfold

there must
In this case, you can artificially gen Ryerss audienc
te a sense of suin sense to the
sens
tot
e
1

ie
total

simple expedient of wagering more money ach Progregg 10n make sh Oakey, The Screenwrit
,
:
& s Handbook
put up a twenty dollar bill on the first F
eo,

game, Then risk or eXan,

by time,
bill on the sec game. Finally, wager a hu ndred 5 fifty
magic as strong surprising climax

fost
as
thing
hings
truly
me
dolla, bil] gp few
in r

hs a
last game. This gives tl he
routine a sense of build. The
the same each time, but the situation es
ates; therefope. i] eo i Bes
does magic quickly
uently, the tendency 18
pase Hels
interest s. You can apply this
idea to any multi—phy, Audigy,
3

Consé
ollowing pages we'll consider seand abuse of 2 s
surprise as
volving risk. In the
amatic too: 1

7]ough Speed: Finally, a means of artificially

creatin B a gen, ws in which surprise may
wo ways
incorporated into the be
are 5
ws climax instead of
progression that works effectively in some first is to provide a surprise

ee Then pal
ye

Saunesil an elles The

of

ha hoon odto
is
I

change in tempo. If vou perform each phas imax expect. The second to provide
oh athe audience
s be »d

slightly faster than

one before the audience will get a feeling of the
after th
maki Ng progress
1

surprise climax
as
«
though each pk ase is actually the same :

all the others, This \

t in
multi-phase effects in which each phase wor
is
Sy

Interestingly, it is also sometimes

1
quite short, Twist Endings
poss ible to create that neces
mean one that
mete One-Eighty: By a twist ending effect

sls
i I
sense of progres: n by performing eac
h phase slightly slower
gn
h
so
more deliberately than the one before. In d
lifferently -
from the way the audience expected
René Lavand’s brilliant siy-
oh
Ase
e

phase Oil and Water r utine he achieves ploys for achieving this result. The first term
I

ar
progre ssion primarily from — at the last moment, the action of the effec
performing ea phase more owly than the one before, a fact tha
provides the e ect with its
patter theme. a
turn—around. A perfect e
Jot. The effect begins as a clas
azpl ale=few
ae
yle slow
i leader Then the sec
3. Surprise And Suspense : ite first »
travels to
on
Thejoin the ace. ace

the leader ace. Naturally, the audience expects tho

;

“In other
the third ace will do the same. Instead,
suddenly reverses. The third ace remains statio
the difechion;
an Arne

aae
words, we're back
to aces travel from the leader packet to join ab

2 (LE
our usual alternative :
Do we want
St. ense or surprise?” hale
rly, in David Roth's Coin Box Routine, four
:

Sim
to
To use terminology
sometimes mploy in connection with
Alfred Hitcheott traveling on at a time from the performer's
the eolienca
hand
is ready for the fourth coin to travel to the
the
box, t es
stories, magic effects
8

in the box travel to join the one in the performer's

hand.
may cla be ified into two categories, revelatory

182
 .
Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
Another example of this strat

re =retain sh
+ miligy
:

sembly something
Gertner's “Reverse then giving them
ane e one thing, than
2
is SEC
be more satisfying
an imaginary
seit the audier else se ha 0 tter sis
Ez re.

hale
bef
your
the oir my disappointed audience on se
had

coin joins

Se
<omething
the audience is
Sen]
= £055 pec will have 2 it promises

ae
2rd, Ju criterion be ge
the fourth co; Joing the d: ly for oFFYE
this
1

oy
g,
Aces’ fulfills further by making
but goes nuch
2

ces
:

m under them. The

the Table,” making
I

fr ila
Lr at the enc
1

return to their original positions 50 that that h 1? “Through

4, Similarly, impre sive than
x

ey, table more

8S

start. is
through the the audience expe
scted.

ts
The Inversion: T) common approge
netrate
ard penetra
HE hich is what
magic to the
Feit by gearing their
are so bored by will
term the Used to

cians err the

reversal bi pion o example, at the Magician at idiences
; 1

0 achigy,
ve! many

mL
that they

ie
FRA ET magicians times
e se eng he Or pvolveg "ag, her coun tless
esi
routine, at the seen
the audience ending, even one that
T)

ie plots they haveunexpected is

*

dat the Coing

,

hand Fortunately, laymen

he empty box
sitting on oehe back of Sto to any
0

traditional ending.
¢,

=
7

penetrates, leaving the four coins the than the

co
attitude.
x

stack,
acked nd,
Jp
A
re

ee
aac
th his jaundiced
W e8
op the all you
an audienc e if that's
actual) y
prey from
x

back acti all to surpri

ee ee aHeo makes no

ae
same lines, dif ficult at d o something that
5
fig
I
oncee #1 not h ave to do 18
saw
it's anticipated
vhich the non's “py "ava]),
former y,
All you hossibly have
no one could
mserted the four ,.

i
at the

ans
deck. He removed the first ace ber akes no sense, fi Ims that achieve
shocks
on

i
in bad horror the
tery stories where
m

Ee
from another Sol:

a aren
t
removing bad mys
ny pocket. Howev ever, when
ent

iy
al oe of logic. It also occu
ys in
will guess who the
murderer is by

a
}

real
3

or
pocket, th at no one who has no
totally illogical
instead
of

of emerging with ensures

culr srit someone
in
Fin

bad
eo

2 cd ace as
the
«

e: brought ag 4s his culr fre quently

Sa t he crime. [t also occurs quite
v out the entire; 4
eo
his

AUdiep “hoosing g as
at :
cho
a
moment ago held the g

he deck
a
d
0
2]
for committing
now cop rained at th reaso g
the Throughout the effect the only for effective twist endings:
the
in roles pron.
of the Props
1k C.

second Cr iterion
>.

mal
the deck ays, the had deed almost
leads to our

a
aces travel.
avel. But in the end he = But

must seem logical, in

although unexpected,
This
de traveled ace stayed ang it. Refer ng to
whe .n they reflect back on
3

ved ang

ie i
ending,
audience
i

“the inevitability of retrospect.”

a pou alTv i
inevitable, to the

io
Similarly, James Louis’ aptly named:
i

reee .
in
ira “Inversion.” Rust Hi 1s calls this to
the perfor, the short sto ry, the audience they must respond
sion,”
fac

HE = pre
the
spectator's card turn face- to be satisfying to
+
the

“es card
Jock Wie
§

entire deck For the surprise

it coming but, of course,
it makes perfect
gain, turns
=
deck
fac up exce
>
lsh “I didn’t ce
surprise ending, the
sf
feeling: that
Shes
same lines is ected can
avorite ex: f

sense when you

thin k about it.” This means logically to

Sala boi i
what was promised, must relate
ploy,
:
an or I call
Yi SRE :
es although different from

al
pest
spectator selectct a card which is the wh 1. It also means that
the performer must carefully
en lost in the When
a

tator p
deck.

what was promis

Yes, foreshadowing 18 yet
another
on the tabled deck, the
foreshadow the surprise ending.
through the tab], ie selected card penetra
: gi fiction that is important in close-up
magic. Rust

i
though technique film and

ed
2r
these terms: “What foreshadowing
I

pectedSE;result, the
)

py
C
I of
Xpe:
cept fi
AE entiree deck penetrates through the table Hills describ os foreshadowing in the
q

for events th at will follow later in

id
¢ the

does is prepare in advance

gh

-
ies
the reader

esl x that will not be fully understood by

iteria for
ff
:succes becausewisttheEnd;
Ty
often in w

aa
of this kind are hard to She ive tricks
of
story,

iae
thi

come € by
is
by

completed.”
;
bees

until the story

o Before such
ss.

an eff
fe

alone not enough to ensure surpri

is Ortiz at the Card Table
have a version the “0. Henry of
Bathe I Darwin
1
effect y work there are two criteria

ed
than the hin the = outset of the effect I turn to the
‘Hitchcock Aces.” At the
ke
First,

g the audie
surprise ending must be stronger 3

make these
ue an obvious me and say, “I am going to attempt to
&
hie you think about 1t, ut Ebeta ie
This really point
ne
Ww,

obvious point
w

at a time invisibly until we have all four aces in one

% s

3
is

I've
3

seen enougtugh magicians violate the ie

b

rule to realize that y many don't

tra

re;
s
to
and
my words, Mary, that's four aces in one packet
Ie
think about
al
it.
pack Mark

th This last statement is made very portentously

*

promise
184
185
We
i
Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
Thember
Seithe so chuckle but 4)
SUS
a
= 2
W.

Later when I 50 eng weg g, line. the trick

eliec and kicker element t of
5

re Veal
Li

a
o

you]See that the

;

you'll lift your hand, Mary, Ne 5 onnection between n essential

jg Pigg o);
Cli,dj ved that unity If magic 18
5

J
themati¢
©

one packet.”
now © whether
“he,
F p
t my * 8 vies
jon
Worg 2X
with ho
ut BEE thorny quest people
junit: the unity is something
0

nto
fo, will lac
!
that When it's missing,
\

note
ge

n't
to
of entertainment.
t x

all art
Kick er Endj,
§

all forms

po do
ri
Words Work, the problem

ili
he other of addi
adding Make Your
els
a
me

Surprise
th 2 eemingly no rhyme
2

Eehie i i
ele, : t in

oh Ban iar 7 There But the:

ater
s Jisorganized mess.
5.
1
ingly
e
I

referred yoce of experiences.

5

©
as
on rent po clang 24 2 Ie-
arbitrary collection
¢
inifig)
agic kicker A b book,
we read a
a

5 largely lay an
1]

when
ome tay .
endings in magic today why
5 j
¢

for That's precisely

rg ¥ reason
©
it; ite magic
:
ay
ke, or watch
i
is
4
fo
girs a
oral Dingle has had on the dire,
Derek or red craves or a jo
;
Di

in listen to a song that's missing from real life.

1
=
oFclose an mi
twenty years. While Derek
SEATS
eK did
not iny ub mg otthey i
}; nea a play
or movie,
it to haave
the one t hing
everything in it to
relate to
5
ant

Set
i

se. We want

er
so frequently and with Kicker,
we want it to
other words, we want
gn
:

that close-up magic has never han ating effoot z it in a

logical way. In and the Mind,
Music
-
else 10
writes in

.a.
Boe
with so many trends in magic, Storr surrounded by chaos
As Anthony
it as ultimg
wR our distress at
being
}

are only capable of unthin kin Whmate]y but the

like ivory tower theory,
Ale
who lessens

iye
Ng imitation, yy,
This may sound and artists throughout history
in those magicians who
ie
»
seem j necapable of
g
g
.

us pleasure erformers
;

my

resre ey
without producing some large endip, of p
inc al experience
gp Se ng go
:oe
TUOUS item,
without producing a three

ee aa
of unity. They

ein
2 ok
the deck change color ate this necessary sense
viol
sv tricks
4
a an
kicker effects from a couple of different
ki
whl os
ker

n ny

es
pieces
took exactly
(In fact, often that's
e deck plays no

oe
par at all some
part pads Ticks performer
ype

opi
)

orn With
:
in

it
S
the haphazardly.
them together rel ates thematically to

enSa
eck

en
dec

chy
Dang or threw will only work when
Criteria for Kiicker Endings: Lik did.) A kicker kicker and
gs: Like anything
else wh he
that has come before—when the whole trick,

ae
ective when used intelligently. T} Kickers thing
g,

i nin,
In evaluating the rules to keep i. still has unity.

ee
also.

pi
k

be useful in this situation

|

merit of
of foreshadowing can
:

el
those pertaining to twig - So ending are essentially
i

the Card Table is “Deja Vu

fa
8&

|
&

The technique
from Da rwin Ortiz at
ings. First, the kicke
=

gi
be stronger than the basic effect
kicker. In this case, after
2
max of the effect, This is Another
assembly—type effe ct with a

apd
& i

of the most fund amental Jokers,” an immediately

= eli ve
rule of dramatic assemble in the leader packet they 1 are
at

progression, which
of
wh

aker than the climax

we've already discuss »
str
i
the four joker
have returned to their original packets. As begin this
effect
card tricks is that they are just
to
that prece shown

a -wa.
etract from the effect only y di disappoint: lain that the real secret to my
1 I

words they never really happen at

i

hological illusions, “In other

1. :

erm in drama for

such a q development is anti—clim statement neatly foreshadows
all, e xcept in your mind.” This cryptic
a

you must avoid

an

r
od at all
costs in magic
Bits
cs
the climax.

rn
that
e sec ond
rule is that the kicker
4s it
i
y

assembly progresses I remind the audience occasionally

Spang should be thematically
i iter
ated to the basic effect, As the

:au foreshadowing. Just before

Th
It further
i

ral principle that the audiens

always be able fois is only an illusion; this provides
is that all
peti sie
with wh
E

ore.
thread connecting what
Without this you won't amaz
is revealing the kicker, my patter is, “So you see the illusion
four jokers have gathered into one packet just as
1 promised. Of
them, only disorien
Cerna og
fhe,
ie iy NAL, course the reality is that none of this ever happened at all
o
except

a
. . .

the linking mind." As the last line is delivered, the four packets are
audience. But eye
that might otherwis:
srwise have eluded
ad
de

2urned
conceptual connection Sher mere connection must be based om g nl

sy
up to show that each contains one ne joker exactly as at the
joki

connect tan
A
mere
irrelevang kicker to
an silly
jpy,

efiect,
6x weak gas onbEL ED
an
Wr
186
187
 Darwin Ortiz

Certainly, despite the foresh

owing the
moment anticipate the surprise
Imax th,
c¢)

pa
arrives Strong Magic
It apparent that, given the
1s
2
outset, there could have been no
1€
ruined by the production of the
prem; lation was
evelatic royal flushe
other logic) o the ped? ce
thhing to do
T

with the main effect

inevitability of retrospect Bical q
which
criticism that the kicker in
oer
Y
|
Some m To further clarify
s: fi

complet
the The main effect complet the point. The set

let's loo at an example of two key

°

: .
to I *f
plot of
gp
)

“Roll-Over Aces” is
c
performer
principles and then one effect
¢

Vio] la es these

conforms to them. A couple of that

first PAT
es to locate
loc
four a
wk
the
huff 1g the cards
has meaning only
e

the context ;

Travellers” in which the author ent that ticularly the game of Bok lity to locat
kicker: When the ma
Es
fl
fling woul uld be a useful skill at then the al ¥

a
yal flushes while shuffling is a similar but ever Tory
:

changed to the
four kings. Wk le course, the performer should in voke the poker
changing four acaq s patter as fore hadow
pectable magic effect, it
so to
the kicker
pales in comp; “Roll-Over Aces” is the bringine of
palming cards in such a
way that they become
"ison the theme of

thrown into a chaotic state by he

The deck

ia
kicker offers only an anti -climax, nvisihla, Thy ing
Furthermore, “The Open Travellers” Ls and
wn. Yet
f:
out of this chaos the performer
SE amazing degree of order. The production of
|

1s about the
about cara Is traveling from palm; DE cardg
of order rev d. The fact that all the oth
place tO place, , sis
EIS first level
,

to
he

four aces
HIE Y

changing the aces the kings conceivably h,

1

face down reveals an even greater greater level

level of order,
yy ren
order
of

ave are
Br ave
v
these themes It doesn’t take
? to dg With cards

yiery
xtensive audience been organized into royal flushes (suits segre—
fact that car
this mindless kick will only weaken testing ¢, a numerical order) demonstrates a still deeper—and
gated 0c a cards
=

a classic
effect.
d 1 X

nds that this kic ker level

ho
strengthens the trick for him ot of order. Ce

somethin g wrong in the perfc quit

ance of the asic
mygt LE oe o thus r
climax in “Roll-Over is stronger

iLaoeEya
Blea /

Noes
b,
effect. Ho Must
;

ng “The Open T satisfying our second criterion on kicker

so badly th at the than the frst the production of four royal flushes as ev
ssary to save the whole thing from transformaig, i

ne
complete gh} the production of four aces certainly does have
By
contrast, “Roll-Over Ace one of the tricks that st. amazing

i
C

also one of the arted the

more i
most effective. The effect
is E
kigk,

ed in the that the four the presentation requires careful handling

and the car
ds shuffled face up and
ag,
Four packets are
then “rolled off” the deck and an ace is face dogg the aces and before the revelation of the royal f
2
ero
are shown to have turned face down
face
of ach packet. seen th

Er
The rest of the cards on

Ne

py a
are then shown 1 is desirable from an esthetic standpoint.
* = h” revelation not as strong as the dramatic
straightened out, a] face
!

Hach
b

down each of the packets having

its face is shown to consistFinally,
Ace on
of a royal flush.
ag

oe
wl
it i Ant
If resented major effect, the “Triumph

t
ne
Derek Dingle taught me

ae climax. Instead, reveal the straight

this effect some I
venty years ago, not

i
er he devised it. long
have been using it
:

wd
and casually without strong emp!

ir
ever nce, so can testify
:
I
I

SIV experience that few card effects will =

the climax away. Thus, the spreading out 2
1

ey dow
EN
when skillfully impress an
performed. s as a touch rather than an

a ae
2

1a = royal flushes register as the only

conversation between a young cardman and one
&
£

the first in orthodox theatrical

of

is
ends of mag;
ic. The young cardman, climaxes, the second stronger
a friend of mine
tha

skillful with
rds. When asked to ELL

A
to do “Roll-0 perform something he ¢
magic, 1an proc
Aces.”

So a
sooner had he finished than the legends
No

hn analyze in terms of the kicker

he ona
being

do wos
‘ter ble trick te the young man for per: lated what is probably haiti
5.
sisi
f

hay thrust of the

The

most popular kicker ending in all of pron

nded with the criticism was that the effect cent 8

aR
Production of the aces that the production in the Cups and Balls. That this
“pure effec
load end

188
189
 Darwin Ortiz

Sate
popular with audience Strong Magic
absolutely everyone ho by the
Cups
fact .
kicker su h as
| ing the cards
ists who never tire of unexpe oted
traditio
effects bs
with kicker ndings
1ticizing to throw
in an
grow
thre inches diameter
to e in of
th by the reaction
c
ruin cla:
5

classic effect with a load produ ction the Msp ences ror If to be guided
kickey hans allow you
may be misled in
either of two
f you rd you
he in this ress effective the kicker must
¢
:
be
et, on the face of it, the final load
.
Ye! ver
pro Howe audient «es that to be
whatever to do with the plot of the Cy Sduction Se Sing st cl an with a magic jan audience a
1

AE
we've
upsand Ba)S. The have | First ¢ effect
However,
basic ef ot because
= tronger than the
b
producing props which have played thar the
th
DEOBS

ible to appre ate

2
0p. art in
hoy
DIA
os

register
The

to the point is the fact that the

pr

mo stro?
icker may ve become unat

gia
for a lay

on
magic
p

Cups 4 ye
Kk

overex Hosure, ig, If performed

effect. It is a translocation eff. effect
through strong the
basic effect hasn't been blunted
place to place (from hand to cup or from of t he classic

Bi Waal
eciation strongly that, by
.

how

main body of the effect, no balls are produce

One SUP to just
whose appr effect may register
so
:

ee
«4
a

pst the basic

ov multip]y, vo1
o Lee
one location repett tion, 1s a nti-climactic
gs
pe .
to another but theyEROIOE ballg
the kicker kicker ending should not
Licker end
icker ending the translocation premise compari min i is that a For example, in order TE to
mn

Se 18 to keep in

2 basic effect.
+
let, 2
compleete]
the
P
k
1p int { to

favor of a production and one in second

I hich : laArge by) o of the
plot
¢ The HC expense dec at the end of
“All Backs,”

ange of the
ae

achieved

a:HibeSy
have httle resemmblance to the small bal
8%
iSThis
be made less co vincing.
il
allss that have
Plea effec
thee effect; indeed, in many may have to
1

roug.
aren't p
1

routine = the because they

at all but lemons or other inneongruoug fing] log, magician audiences
§"

Backs’ phase anyway, having

balls
8

strongest possible ending to the e: ct is the prod items, (I net

£

To
the “All
the color-change kicker
¢ °M
may to
a Uction of live os th: pUnsBee come alive when fect in order
I think that
the success of the final Ic ad kicker audi
Sly
a
of the
3 oD: basic effe
a we akening
Jay

perceive the Cu PS and B gSometh with a lay audi ence, achieve the
about the way audiences actually may ay
tr adeoff: often you'll
kicker may be a poor
Y

;
aabout
perception that may surpris most alls
Is
eff the most convincing and
:

most magicians. achieve a erforming

by P
if
magic:
:

Although, the ible impact use of some

Pr ranslocation and is nominal] trig ast DO!
this precludes

es ae
the audience nally ace
e

version 0 f the
basic plot, even
widian
S

se ter:
on i; nose terms spect that, on an emotional bs

ending
audience simply experience a trick in wh ich balls
Jeyg] 4.
favorite kicker generally are le !

is that magicians
, the

appear under cups. alls unexpegt, here as elsewhere

1 moral and an unreliable guide as to
udiences than laypeople
The @

If the tr 1s seen as basically pe

just a matte r of finding things ypge g magic.
the cups what cor
are not supposed to be : 0 point concermng

pat
t
Climax: A final important
ors) thensupposed finding some Second
arger things under the
larger
he cupst} th are really : EO
Handling the
Mike Rogers in his lecture notes Opinions
He
th
cups then be

a
pil appear in the audience's eye to be a sncpsisice but e raised by
at to

1
not

what we like to call

+

k
surprising Effe cts having a
second climax, or
to the
logical
conclusion and
;

tri The viewer watches, follows along,

kickers, offend the viewer.

oe
of the
what he thinks has been the end
.

Kickers and Magician Au re chows his appreciation at

ed
TH

him and he is made to

the
a
1s muddled by
other magicians, Indeed the‘
;

popularity of kicker endings is°

!
are so e ective when performingrming for a
effect. Then
feel
second climax is sprung upon
foolish for thinking it was all over thefirst
time."
,

entirely due to the fact that they w k

I

his comment
completely disagree with Rogers’ conclusion,

ao
so well for audiences While I
magicians. The amateur a kicker
o

fe does point out a potential problem that anyone performing

is the dominant fore
most of the trend
Ta
movement (i.e., magic for magicia
nagic today and is therefore the cau effect should take into account. The same notion was touched on by
€ see in
magic, Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller a patter line I once heard him use.
in
Magician audiences ha
ve been
een so extensively
extens He was juggling several items, preparing for a very difficult juggling
effects that ey
:
exposed to the so ¢

and the
en a very finee performance
perf
performs ce of PE“Twisting the Aces
I stunt. The preliminary juggling was itself impressive
Back:
the “Sym pathetic Coins” started to applaud. Penn responded by saying, “Don’t
3

or
i
Coins” audie
common approach to may leave them unmoved
c A

revitaliz
italizing these classics for magician 8 applaud yet; you'll just feel stupid when the real trick happens!”

190
191
 Darwin Ortiz

The problem in this case is

not with
presentation that leads people to conelug Say Strong Magic

i
end;
springs the kicker on them. The correct 3 that the io
ig Suspense
¢
by, B.
allow the basic climax to
} i

register with the of thig

1S
Ove most powerful means
which is the
Th
of holding ontq
have a chance to applaud, hit them with th dience; th

aal
2156

:
situations where people don't usually kickey In © “GusPe sention.”
holds true. The kicker
should be revesln os Aud)
gp 5 al
Alfred
£7the
vietwe Hit cheock
absorb the first climax but before hay,
they
think, “That was a great trick!” This or £ creating Suspense
is also the art of involving the audience,”
performer's part that requires sensitivity whe art
¢
oF

Francois Truffaut
can only be developed with

reJot
experience. Howev,
to see what the entire effect is before HEC
they

aE
trick is over, you'll find no offensive element in cong), What Is Suspense?
1
Kicke r endings describes a book as “impossible to put down” or
whenever the reader from the first page to the last’ he is
2 £0
How Much Surprise? one that Coking about a suspense novel. A good suspense novel oe
"Surprise after surprise ably t 5 ’

soon becomes
invarl and drags you along through the story without letting
. |
uneurprary
sing, a nd. Clearly, this is an achievement that any
until the very
f :

SH.s ae
£2
en
would want to emulate.
the
Having discussed the appropriateness 2
- that is
af :

two primary goals of

= 2

one presentation
£

of to
1
of

situations, I'll conclude by addressing orsurpris endings stated

2 = rs
=

Ear
audience's until the climax of the
interest effect; there
is

LR
no

ne
how often
you should use surprise ondings, 4e'Y hold
atc technique that can do this more effectively than the creation

i Afeybial
As b
Suspense is simply the most important
Ronis s.

dramatic element
Heed can have g Gemonion gn
Sus] .

Sra
of
Impact
peat

a
tendency to feel that,
if something js
RA
an
in magic.

fornia the essence of successful suspense in magic in

use It at every possible
opportunity, I've summarized

fn a5Goa
devices are effective Darwin's Suspen! se
Formula: make them care, then make them wait,
proportion to in inverse et, to fully appreciate the concept and how to apply
ee It's that simple;
re used. Some magicians ¥
hey
i
a

they Rave to o En seem considerable analysis.

:

effect with an it will take

unexpected ending. I've
such performers work for I've never found a
definition of suspense that serves well for
After a oonsle ce of see laypeople
© audience
catches on to the pattern. They theatrical purposes so
I have fashioned my own: Suspense is the

dir nar ee
realize that every
tension built up over time by curiosity, uncertainty,
or anticipation
18
going to have some twist or kicker
at the of a desired result. We can draw several
on their sole concern becomes trying tg concerning the attainment

rR
anticipate each gun th: at it indicates there
lessons from this definition. First, you'll note
Eins
whispering in the
ending. You can actually hear them
it's really going to end. Th . unre each trick, speculating about how are three types of suspense: curiosity, uncertainty, and
anticipation.
:

deseen In this regard I have followed the lead of Rust Hills who analyzes
as the whole Doiformangs
trying to second-guess the
: oothat they miss most of the
AER
suspense as follows: “First, there is mystery, which evokes curiosity as
cond, there is conflict, which evokes un

fe TR
So its effect on the reader.
is tension, which
ae
A
certainty as to outcome. Third, and most effective,
)

surprise endi be &

there is a surprise as soon as people realize
whi

evokes anticipation. The first is resolved by some sort of explanation;

surprise will be, Like » oe even if they don't know exactly what the sort of decision; the third is resolved by

os
the second is resolved by some
should be useq 1 Cong Seasoning, surprise endings in magic some sort of fulfillment.” Let's take a look at each of these
forms of
for best results.
Pick your spots carefully; a
ly
couple of well—thou id they may be applied to magic.
Ee
suspense as
twenty-minute Out twist or kicker endings in the course of a
mance can evoke tremendous emotional res-
ponse. More than ths:
at can easily become
self-defeating.
192
 Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
Mystery-Cur osit
the y ctive way to create mystery-curiosity

i tye
Mystery novels of 1930s
typically creas ated prop:
Pro) One eff
st it with mystery by
prop and then inve
.
E rious
the reader with set of acts that
a SUSPenga \troduce \
hidden. If properly handled, that feature
10
example, detective stoAppeareq
18
5
3CED

atures
> bik At ib

impossibility. For nse

o of its
fe: E

5
one
in audience's curiosity
susk.

magician Clayton Writey

:

Rawson specialized keepinE

he
performer takes out a card which
OU
nove
murdered in a room that was locked from w. here piaue the

Mapa i
will Card.”
Universal lected card
2 ,

the Jpiversal
He brings thie card in son uk
&

there was no way the culprit could have Ingjde the

in joker.
esc 4ped, Th
SJE
miveraal card has now changed
"5

10
curiosit, hooks him into reading further shows a duplicate
bility could have occurred.
to le arn hoy,
thi
e
and show 5 He repeats this with second and to third of
fort
a

nt
impo: S of the universal card is nev
ap,
the selection.H% srocedure the face
Instead of providing answers, the novel
heaps Throughout with other cards. At all other times it's kept
puzzles, new mysteries on top of the aps new
2 ionce
is bound to begin wondering
whe
pn
new ghow? oxeenh
ori Sina
reader's curiosity incre: ses. His desire for face
dow ®
-d looks like when
it's not in contac t with anothe 4 are
answerg g
of
3 2

another way saying that the suspe: use grows. back to being joker
PVC ok like? Will it revert
universal CATC a

Thapy Which
a¢
reall)
him turning the pages. Finally, in the What do es end without giving people a
it

last few card in your p ocket at the

s
EL
keep,
gathers all the suspects in one room and explaing pe the deters, To pla
the
wou 1d be to cheat them
and fru te the
it, but also how he did it, neatly t
only wp 0 final look
at its Ace :
the card over and
tying up all the loose If nstead you turn show
00%

created.
£ y

ense ouve
¢ i

successful novel of this kind the solution

4

should prove ge nd
provide a ving and mystifying payoff to
NOW b lank you

radamg
15]
S.1ng
f

the mystery itself. If it's clever, it will it 18

leave the Bening tha! t
buildup
contrived and preposterous, it will leave him Boal the suspens e
“The Dream Card” from Darwin Ortiz at
feeling ated apg8
i
feel cours in
situs ation occurs

Lt
manipulated. A simil ar
+d 3 Table. The performer begins by removing a adhere c

i
ofthe the be ck. He ex:
llet which bears his signature across
This summary tery—curiosity approach to
goth talizingly vague but suggestive manner that this card
Be esae
make it clear why suspense gps
is the trickiest m of
ld

ee
E

magician to use. In thi type of Ee suspense {or th ¢

5 he had the previous night. He does not, however,
suspense you begin with a my
card. Instead, he replaces the card in
his wallet
and climax with an explanation.
mystery and offer no explanations,
In m 4gIc,
you climax wit} idshie
then has a spectator
select a card from a blue deck. The spectator
all this the audience
Yet there are on the face Throughout
effective use
many situations in which the magician
ofthe
mys tery—curiosity formula, that is
in
can
es whers
nm
signs the se .ction
bound to be wondering about
the face of the mysterious dream
the card from his wallet, holding
>
rd.
c
When the performer ag ain removes
the performer can arouse the
! i

audience’ curiosity by
with a mystery, then presenting it outward as he patters about it, the curiosity—su pens AR
€s

provide an ex lanation to that mystery whic

r
it b
strong
itself an even greater
m ster Let's take an example. In both the build to a high pitch. This helps guarantee seaeten thes B; uw
lid Ghost” and “Glorp :
effects the performer shows an empty red-bs cked dream card turned around and shown to is even bearing her
sar be

eae a
:

handkerchief, folds it the blue—backed deck,

the spe tator chose from
:

over, and causes a solid, animated form to

materialize within signature on
its face!

could possibly be
8
handle chief. Properly handled, this can
curiosity on the part of the audience as to what
e

inside the handkerchief,

vorite effect of mine
many spectators, then rapid-fire fashion. aloe
is one in which nine
located by me in
cards are ssleiel
0 28

to place a small box in front of one

If you were e
finish the effect by beginning the effect I
of

and sticking it in simply balling up the handkerchief

t the audience
spectators and instruct her not to take her eyes off it throughout the
they'd read a my Ey Hoc
vy

would be as irate as effect. As the trick unfolds, whenever that spectator starts watching
if

Instead, you do Ee
novel only
the
¥

to
find the last few pages missing the proceedings admonish her with mock seriousness to 1gnore the
I

nothing at all Yo Reosolved handkerchief to al what's inside trick and concentrate on watching the box. By the time the effect
magic for oe
the mystery by offering an even greater
mystery,+» magic
2

f
which there
is
no possible solution.
nears its end, you can be sure that the entire audience is very curious
about what's inside that box.

194
195
the
Darwin Ortiz

The climax comes when, after locatir

open the small box and, folded Up "St
sigh
Strong Magic
ing
signed selected card. The audience 18
tha Ring Ja y's view is that
he
simply doe
jblem with
2 \ppreciate
receive, Certainly, one appreciate the tf

ated question: What's in ide the long_

a in magic ad magic offects
<

the b mystery
ony

with a xan cover but one could ate

f

m much greater myste

a
ur
unde y

oi
bad visual
magic
»
v

inside the box despite the spec not hing. What good undercover effect such
a

This proves hove rccomplishes ag

described accomplishes engave
I
MEARE
18
to
viewer
In each of these examples,
A

of oy
and h is imaginaty

Ea
spectators ou tho!
hiding one of the features of a key Uriosity
prop: th i apo ric aitycendy pursued efits of exploiting curiosity hold

LN
contents of the
J 18
\

In each case, that R

alres
the ,,
= audience impact when that
Of
t and to increase
box.

I've
euric
ate a far greater mystery
Tne
ap
18 ey
7

to EVentyayy, qudier Beyond that, when you perform

: :
a pn

¢
3

ally.
Y
? re

Undercover Magic: As the Solid Ghost/Gloy- that truly impossible—but you without
almost any effect where XY 0Ce the audience _
forced to fill in the b
is

tential. In fact, the performe pagination. The advantage of engaging an audien

they imagine
temporarily under cov is that whatever bound to be more is

order to build such suspense i

1ible than anything you could ever actually do ¢

incre dible
thal
would sometimes do
$

card trick for my little

[
3

Eddie Fechter made good

use ofthis idea
1 a

ould double lift to

oe in

a
The standard approach ea iin “Th, e
Open which w the top card, then turn the

ha kl us
is for the performer on the table.
deal
he lift would then rub
1
I

a uble face down and

ble

every time he carries wp c

ace across. F forth the table and, finally, turn it

J on over to show
an

and
;

ard back
©

motions of palming the first

he woul
Still keonin
lain that the palming method E =
ace.

nit fe it

E
Pe changed to another card.
sister told me that she would st
onli up nights trying to 1y
use of the hand. To = my
prove his claim he ter,
s happening to the face of that card as it rubbed
close it into
a fist. Yet when he placed
uncreased ace would seemingly f;
his hea
a dc
ta forth against the tablecloth. A color change would have been
elicited that particular reaction. Of
out. He would repeat the ial, but it wouldn't have
1 g

dure a second time

i

Te
py
I'm speaking here of
chi viewpoint, but don't under

=o
OC2.

the lee
By
anow A

on
LO
5

for a peek at his palm while jt estimate the power of strong magic to elicit a childlike response from

EE

a
finger flexing. “damaged through al that
sauned often been made regard to horror films. Today, in
hand over = their curiosity by turning hi
Ley coy
to show
=

ots and makeup techniques make it possible to

Se
b
last ace would palm; yet a moment later th and the most revolting
graphic
pot Once again, the answer veen the most gore

Sete Gobo Hie to a tive horror films of all time are

All this talk technical limitations to rely
:

h were forced by

Eee
of
doj

the
apreyIE
5

light of tho magic under cover may seem anachronistic in instead on implication and suggestion.
The most advanced film tech-
ke
z Gk
Visual magic. While visual magic can
iL
n't fall into the trap of thinking t nology cannot create the
\OrYOT We can conjure up t our own minds
As producer Val Lewton,
in
the only path
to Bana under the proper psychologic al stimulus.
ile
This latter view, in my once said,
€

ir
;
film
€IToneous, wag argued opinion famous for his susp ful and atmospheric horror
mind's eye will read
)

4 magazine article
Position ean To we by Jay Sankey. His If you make the screen dark enough, the

is
that article: “Wh. by the 1s the one in
= 5 pimarized when following quotation from anything into it you want!" The most te rrifying
monster
horrifying face 18
unfolding itself jn oll vom you should be showing it shadows that we can’t quite make out The most

a Hig
»

covers we employ v to all to marvel at? the fewer that waits concealed behind a mask. Some times the most
one

oesi:
Powerful, organic, and artistic ow
the

Performances will be miracle is the one we almost see

4
js. as
amazing
I've That day mien by org LEE old spirit mediums knew that no phantom
and left, the thorny they
herefore, I'll limit my obseront magic as for the end of the book
atons to the prime concern of this book
art oduce in full light could match the impact of a piece
of
dp
making magic powerful, darkened room In fact, a spi
ze waved back and forth in a

196 197
 Darwin Ortiz

walistic magic effect can serve to make

yh, Strong Magic
ginated the idea of using “Glorpy” for Poing,
deceived by such a simple
little foolish at being
N
2 Spirjt
blank business card and a pencil ar means
placed © 1
Writing nd
tive ending
a
: would be to whip the curtain away
tg
gt
op a
and
:
the corners are folded over to cover eff

of
an animal or other large object theset
8

them, more eflee vation

he

The -

that he will attempt to call upon visitor froy a rializs

ar

Performan the mate

a

the tery with a greater mystery

oo

these tools to provide a message RE Expl.

xy
mM

Spirjg
Worl Vly ring 8
The final way to create mystery-curiosity Suspense
Slowly the form of pen the
seen to
Within the is rise 0 Behavior ‘by
»
--

doing something cryptic which you don't explain

bobs up and down several times in a hang; et a trick s the audience wonder what you're up to. This
scribbling mot on,
ie
kena):
drops down
again. When the handkerchief is unfolded § in films. Instead of opening with the
“the other sid found scrawled on the a Te vith a pre—credit scene technically called a “teaser
. 3

rd,
Wo
¢

open IL

Someday someone may succeed in dev: ME a how someone performing some intriguing
light, the pen will actually be seen 5¢ on
method yjvhe;
Teby to ri end
This first
unexplaine
i Fe
Curious to know what is going on, the viewer
“vatching what comes next. For example, the comedy
is
ang
the need for
the covering handkerchief. But |
:

doubt that the €

2
yy,

hooked into
opens with George
Segal methodically donning
the
ut
ng the pen write will ever match
>

Where's Poppe: This is not an everyday sight, so the audience's

picture the spect €ality
i
ry

minds up for them under Mays costume

oa
conjure
adroit gorille sed as to why he's doing it; consequently their
a
Oy
manipulation 2
010g) curiosity = (The viewer must wait until after the credits to
real
jas Sh to
15
The is no conflict between explicit eff attention
2 it to try to scare his senile old mother death.)
As with all the techniques discussed in this book,andeach
suggeqy;, learn
th

5 a=
PMV
many opportunities to apply this technique
oneg 3 to
magic
to achieve certain effect on the audience, [ty canYour These are #0
yg.

effectively useful. In “The Man's Card

be

Used be very Lazy

picualy bs .an
a

ats it
ide ie
to learn how to employ 1s the spectator pick a card and bury in the
i :

and your job

joh
do
j
af

he
h
:
ag an
decide when artist
a te Trick, spectator cut the deck repeatedly. After three
= toturn
to employ
“il

each
the
ans start
deck. He
I'm
not for
moment criticizing visual magic, I'm only
a him the deck face up and cutting again

Hei Ch ine
bo hs
we not lose sight of, our real goal. The effect
or eo
as suggesting cut the deck eight or ten times or even more,
in
my t m
happens

ii
the spect ator's
is wondering where all this is leading;
is
oe
mind. Our ultimate goal

pa
not their eyes. The best way
to stimulate the audienc
imaginations
to achieve that is through performs
All the : and consequentlyneg continued attention their
a their curiosity Aone

og
that combines vig tally explicit effects with -anteed the climax.
until
;

other effects that rely

I
more on implication and suggestion. In that way each the performer announced at the
that
uit es
i rs1
Bl i ha
ee
approach rein- card in the
forces the other po spectator cut several times to lose his
,

EAE 5; 1 find the

ey es
the of cuts,
In discussing
mystery novels m ntioned that the solution must live [
card. After a couple
catisfied that the card was adequately lost and all
mens tl

to the buildup.
ip

as important when m
Otherwise ler will feel cheated. This the 1d be boring to them. Since
the method Yequises
would almost certainly lose the

oo
ery—curiosity is used to create suspense in
Sry
: os.
you
Every example I've
given so far has fulfilled this dite By keeping them in the dark

wel
criterion
msider an example audience before you reache
g

undercover magic that fails to do so.

of
until the end ; on
%
0)
‘The Daylight Seance” to your motives
is the effect in which the performer holds a 1. Furthermore, at the end
J of th

ri ain in front of him with both

large number of cuts given
the
hands. Behind the curtain objects
that the

aLa
levita 8, bells appreciate
ring, etc As with other undercover effects,
this one can outcome that much
more impossible.
Create great audience
¢
ty as to what's happening behind the
that uses strange behavior “
nse 18 .

5 arn
curtain. They want t} jpular effect
rmer to finish by tossing the curt: il
The performer spends consi
aside and le:
ps
Flapjacks.”
are out oo f a deck =
strange little architectural marvel
E P

Some performers do jus t that to show

a
thout
the audience that one of the packets of cards and coins as counterweig

ps
hands on the +
Gegil donning the
curtain is ually a rubber fake; the manifestations explaining his purpose. with the case of
to find out where
As
were produced by
+1€
th Serf;
magician a cheap laugh but using
Yer rmer his free hand. ending get This
gorilla costume, the audience wants to sticl Eas wsalla
ig bound to leave the audience feeling this is all leading. When the payoff comes,
Ls
y

198
 Darwin Ortiz
Rube G strong Magic
reveal
*
to

four
1

humor
1

by the mystery Citrg g,

changed
Another good 1s technique
of the “Card to Mouth
oughout the tricl
trick, he
title ards
1

using give t

lly, the audier Instruetiq ns

is | ound to wong
or's strar er
silence is. That
>

curiosit
attention right through to the
end of th,
the
performer
ard in his

was in his
n't tg
mouth. (1,nt,
< Suingly
i

mouth
ki you toss it

other hr
106
;
the
it but not

ood
g Examples: all the As and nami
illustr, e

if the table

rope
curiosity suspense is to create €:
Aly turn over
yp signed ace
;
5

questions atic the four

what ¥0 laimed,
The opportunities for
for doing this a jy \
¢
the
limite, 2

vind. Th
¢

only
1

time that
¥¢

off be think
hnique can
2 tk

-agicthis
ne
and how inter
what cards are thos
Way. It employ 1d guarantee
this case the wudience curiosity wou
this bluff?” This
In
prop is a
u

fin ly
over the
tains, is
auv's turn
a

you
atte ntion when waning
Yet in that ol the audience's interest
tirI tremendous g, would be no danger trick did come.
Spense max trick And when the climax of
end of the face—down cards really wa
the

fore

a
,

fect in which ace

stery of how those signed
wh

dr; AWINg
randomly
s
duplicated
2d =
on a :
slate
late which ha uld he replaces
Wo spectators. Most led to your
¢

poc
The performer
ach would be the following
the slate toward the ther effective appro them face up the \ter of the
in
only the four aces signed

naa
at two
sp, a card and the four
drawing. Naturally
,

are turned face

they
with ha The tabled down
earth they could
re
amazement, au aces

ction
n
(myst
}

looking at that wld of the table. Imme

iately the performer starts
y—curiosity original
-

suspense). Cor in the

riz finally turns different pockets
ar oward the four tabled cards to
tk
audience th
>

the climax he turns over

is the
strong (This For
chnique has film a selected cards
now the four previously
its

the end
ATE
ponding with hooks the audience until
audience an unanswered question of
is shown face down in the center
es are supposed to
be
The 1

those same
lize what w Therefore wen the performer starts pulling
discussing here not som has to wonder: what are
with little different pockets, the audience
is

connection to r
They have to wait until
the nd the effe of
to
It is series of concret
ality
¢

chniqu You cards on the

can use
ngthen your magic and solv each time an ace 18
blems you m their il growing throt hout:
to see the
y
enc unter in some effects. To mak 5 ole
the audience will be more eager
you a produced from the the
tt
finally are, the answer 10
f I
ample of such problem-solving
vellers” is an ific urned face up. When
effect in which the
performer buries fou how did the four
he deck Instantly an even greater mystery
the center of the table
aces from four from the deck to
 Strong Magic
Darwin Ortiz
As always, the effect is what happens in the
I'll closethis discussion of mystery—curiosity with
on
creative example of its use, in this case employing the e last ve nee § Pt mi ind.
.o perce Sa i

effect that relies on the difficulty angle to

ent:
:
see's g

prop” angle. In his book Bizarre Tony Shiels has a be, autifu] TYSterigy.
strong suspense
frightening effect called “Jack—In-The-Box.” T he performep ang din
Sa
<r

ie
Michael Ammar's presentation of “Roll-Over

oe
other
certa himself against a stopwatch. The race-against—
in
small antique toy box on the table. The audi ence can't hel, Placeg a
that the box is held shut by a tiny padlock. This in itself jg = notin
to 5
whic!

a techtidls
1

Michael employs in this effect has long been a staple

3

can be traced from the old silent melodramas

5
5

© It to
ound
arouse mystery—curiosity suspense about its contents,
The performer begins to explain the unusual Way in
which
of suspen®
the
had ad
untie the heroine from the railroad tracks
ached them to the scene in Gold-finger where
Victorian era jack-in-the-box came into his Possession is where
the al
hs
¢p:

eC!

defuse the bomb he is handcuffed to before it

I:

explanation provides time for the suspense to build. As the his

pay

while watching the timer as it relentlessly

ond
ha

performe,

on
continues talking, the spectators see the box tremble slight ly, but aall the
Undoubtedly, the concept has many more po—
performer does not notice. This unsettling phenomenon oce: Urs the
once gp jcati -amatizing close-up effects.
11 drama
i

twice more. Finally, the performer produces a small key Jications

and unlock tent1aa app.
i
1

the box. Can you doubt that by the time he opens the box the where conflict-uncertainty suspense can
example of an effect
re pb
4 eX?
audience's suspense will have reached a very high pitch? If A good
due to the great
mathematical odds against success is
you
card prediction in which the method allows the
5

to find out what finally emerges from the box, you will have ,

ied te he
Le
to read
Shiels’ great book. For now, I'll leave you in
suspense.
provided WD
the spectator's total freedom of choice. Still
is the “Bank Night” effect.
ve
re cd he ating
the audience must know in advance what the

We've
Conflict-Uncertainty
already discussed the concept of conflict extensively under
Situational Meaning. All the types of conflicts described before
can be
pa Bi fom and
ps
you simply have someone pick a card, then
your pocket
1f
have
it
read, this may come
but it won't be a source of suspense. Quite simply,
the
exploited to create suspense as the audience waits to see who
or what Rice won't realize until the end that a conflict was underway.
emerges victorious. However, in the context of suspense, the term
conflict can be interpreted more broadly to include
conflict themes in literature: man against
one of the classic
Suppose instead that you remove
outset and hand it to a spectator as you
a prediction from your
explain what you're pais:
TE
|
effect where the performer undertakes
nature. In less pretentious
terms, this simply means bucking the odds. In terms of
magic, any
attempt. You then permit another spectator
select any card she wishes, allowing her to
to shuffle the
change her mind as ofte
e = it
a task that seems to carry herself choice. Finally,

-
as she wants until she finally commits to a
great risk of failure either because of the first spectator
great skill required or review the odds against success before having the
because of the mathematical odds against the performer would made aware from
constitute such a conflict. the prediction. In this case, the audience has been
in
the outset of the seemingly insurmountable odds you are facing
An example of
the first category is “The Twofer Shuffle” from Darwin your effort to predict the card. In this way
considerable conflict-un—
Ortiz at the Card Table,
an effect in which the performer attempts to
or a poker hand four
aces in only one riffle shuffle. I always
certainty suspense can be developed.
.
he
of

“Out of this World “and any version of “Seven Keys to Baldpate

this
it is bt
ey=oo
with the statement that
Het so difficult that I only
ele rs
the other good examples of where the apparent odds against
average about four out of five times. This statement

at a
the potential for building suspense. Indeed all the effects discusse
illustrates uncertainty of success in each performance. This
Risk in Situational Meaning can be considered conflict-unce: od
drtant point about such effects. In order to build
i
Suspense ite Sc
ee pelos
aii
the
suspense. In each of those cases
effects as regards
enough that the effect actually be difficult; the
audience
the fact that it's very difficult. This is the attempting to overcome natural obstacles to his success af
reasoning
miss-ing on id old circus acrobats’ practice of deliberately
€ offering to risk something on
the
outcome of the conflict.
me obstacles
1st of tries, In fact, the actual degree of
oe
Indeed in
difficulty couple every effect one performs he must overcome 80)

202
¥ volved is quite
irrelevant. All that matters is the audi- to
success—must run some risk of failure—but audiences
really likely to
fully appreciate that in a smooth-running
we
Pp

203
 Darwin Ortiz

mance where each effect seems to be executed effortlogg]

when something goes wrong that they're reminded
performer is continually taking. That is why the Faily bs
discussed under Situational Meaning may also be

possess potential for developing conflict-uncertainty

3 : :
8
of he
Ee
exploited e
pense. In fact, all effects possessing strong situa tional
meq,
Suspense
It:

or Sug
ani; 2
don't
oe
ft
vou
fin
s0
led to expect:
start
T ension-Anticipation

i
Strong Magic

thing, an audience expects you to finish it. If you

sen
at a certain amount of tension will be created
audience anticipates the conclusion they've
like the proverbial case of waiting for the other
what the third form of suspense
+

is all about, In
In Failure effects, the uncertainty arises from the
alse
lle, “The most obvious way to create it, is y
i

ee
. w
question of y, tO k
by

the performer will be able to overcome his problem,

x
x
hoe
1a

of
J

to happen, then creait off”

putting
:

It is is going
moments before that question is answered that can be gs 0!
is
1

ew s.5%
lication of this idea in magic the old gag where
=

exploiteq for

EE
suspense. something magical will happen on the
unces that
Consider Dai Vernon's “Cutting the Aces.” The effect icas to count slowly. Then, just before the count
ends
with :
performer attempting to cut to the final ace and arriving
spot card. The performer uses the number of Spots on
insteaq at
the capq = of three
be = deliver some gag or on some other pretext, after
his the count all over again.
indicate how many cards he should count down. If the
counts down to the sixth card from the top of the deck
card is 5 six, he
ang arrives at The Second—
4 Sn
oe Technique:
There are, however, far more sophis—
examples of tension-anticipation suspense in
the final ace. This is a classic Failure situation. When
sees the six they think the performer has failed. However, he
the audience
soon
ticated ath
magic. Consicer 5
“McDonald's Aces.” The performer deals four packets,
one ace and three other
cards. One of the packets is
turns that apparent failure into an impressive success, each
conea ectator's hand. The performer then announces that

a
To milk this situation, when
you cut the last time, turn the card placed under Line three aces change places with the indifferent
toward the audience and proclaim it to be the ace without he will make the
looking at
: packet.
tor's One-by—one, each ace is seen to
it. All this time that the audience is aware of cards in the
your failure and you're
shanginto an indifferent t card.
card
not, the suspense is building. They're thinking, “How will he
take it is keeping his promise. However, only one
3

when he finds out he messed up?’ When

you finally look at the card, Apparently the bes former
cle is shown each time. They see
that the ace has

pale
pause for a few moments as if stunned and unsure how to proceed. half of the
This provides more time for the uncertainty mincle) fferent card but they do not get to see whether an
suspense to build. sume Ling
Finally, the suspense is resolved when you count down to the indifferent card under the spectator’s
der hand has changed to an ace.
ace,
The technique of making the audience aware of the (And, after all, that is the most
= zing
amazing aspect of the transposition.)
menace before the
protagonist becomes aware has been employed in some of the Leaving each transposition unfinished creates
tl
xi
most
and consequently more and more anticipation
for
suspenseful scenes in film history. In The Cat and the Canary, the
audience sees the claw-like hand reaching in which the cards under the spectator's hand
out from behind the ant mendous
sliding panel in the wall and groping toward the heroine aces. This is why “McDonald’s Aces” offers potential co a
Wi
br
long before
she does. In the shower scene from
Psycho, the audience sees the suspense buildup that cannot be attained naa oa
p acket is
menacing silhouette behind the shower curtain while the heroine is assembly” in which the arrival of each ace in the leader

pli
still blithely unaware of her danger. shown each time before proceeding to the next ace.
In The Phantom of the Opera, when Josie
the heroine unmasks the phan— The suspense of “McDonald's Aces” is not of the
tom, his face is turned
away from her but toward the camera. Even as variety; the audience knows from the outset how 2
igs =
:
&

ee
they are horrified by his disfigured supposed to end. It’s not of the conflict-uncertainty
.
there is
face, the audience has time to
wonder how the heroine will react when
if
bu
he turns around to face her. conflict and, you've preceded the effect with 2
ofc
ha
no

Once again we see that the dramatic

the same that work in
elements that work in magic are there should be
no uncertainty in the audience's mind hes
my presentation, after the pac
ata
any narrative art. youll succeed. In fact, in
=
placed under the
€0ing to
1 explain to the
spectator's hand
happen and ask her, “Do you think I Rig
can do it? Almost

204 205
 TE

2°"
strong Magic
Darwin Ortiz 111 deal only
original in geveral ways
invariably she laughs and says, “Yes.” But t hat from the
doesn me, an differ’ s
here. time
tim
at
i
doesn't want to see it happen. ifrophattt vant change places one
at
aa

A aspect ralevas
y

bs a
:n one packet transposition occurs
ou Kings
| er packe Fo chwith the idea of shaving y
10
“McDonald's Aces” is strong partly because each ;
with four time a
u Anish jg origin? =
;
1

powerful, visual magic. But it's also strong i chat aces 1

;

Soe came up
an
!
i

each ace vars would

acts as a tease to increase anticipation for BE are shown: other words, he
the climax. In

a2ur
0 Which the
g

Inissing aces are revealed under the spectators es king packet gar
acket
until jus and show that the spread the
tease has a sexual connotation and in this case its term magical gesture ce. He would
not, however,
You've started something and the audience =
allusion form 2
ee kings an d an aanother magical gesture and show ha
a
°

expectsono fo finigh it, od three

form
and only two kings. Anot er

Eat
But the longer you can hold it off—the more would perio!
up—the better it will feel when it finally| happens. |
sion yo
Se
builg acket. He 2 d two aces consist of

aeaa a
od packet NOW contain as now shown to
Lal
they call it a climax. Why
o es
magic
ing

gesture and the king

king.
pac
nee aces and only one

i Ly
The formula used in “McDonald's Aces” time an
uched on the table. Each
I"

iebekd the
ch

second-shoe technique, can be applied to packet lay unto the ace

es
All this to
me the ace audience WOwondered about
packet the udience
of transition
ortransposition. What sets effects of Sheets ace
really
i <

king

ba oan Lo the kings

out

less ace? Were

i
the

pared

atiti
travels from one place to another) and Camsha objec ace appearee © one packet,
They wanted to see that ace
cet. Did it
rea
i=

ei GiSa 4
places) revealed modo objects eo.

the packet?
change apart is the effect may be rin within
ace
they wanted to see it more.
in
red ith
3

transition, you can first show that the object has

-.
each tr ansposition
3

original location, then that it's arrived at a new loc: =

= that Jon picked
last transposition
ae up
ih
the
:

until just before and

transposition, you can first show that object A has chan; 4s : t was not
that it did indeed contain three kings
oe it
‘od

should. The effect on the audience

7

B, then that object B has changed to object A.

FennSH|
Siw a ph
Therefore as

Finally, the effect climaxed with the last transposition,

>
phase transition or transposition effect, you can often (dor
the method) execute step A of every phase before
An example should make this clearer. In John
Ramsay's
=
ee akob now shown to contain all aces and the other
Jon could have just as
all kings.
easily shown both
and Coins,” most performers make no reference to From
atechnical standpoint,
in fact, that's the standard handling

fli
wh packets after each transposition;
Toh Si are going. When they lift the cylinder at
four coins it packs a surprise punch. Instead, the oe
of this effect. Instead, he made them wait
for the other shoe to drop.
holding back, putting off showing half
the effect, he

ay Zsa
veal the

Ee
By deliberately

Cl cylinder empty, place it aside and then kept the audience in an unfulfilled state and thereby
guaranteed
:

ee each coin travel invisibly to within the cylinder. Then satisfied their curiosity, he
their continued interest. When he finally
ime a coin vanishes it creates audience normally missing
anticipation for the provided the effect with an emotional high point

uh
performer to lift up the cylinder,
from repetitive effects of this kind. Overall, he achieved more impact
ething he doesn’t
somet sn’ do until all
i
i

or,

i
}
y

tona
with less work.
may be made effective. However, this indicates how Unavoidable Delay Technique: Here is an alternative to the

iT ee:
The

aAa-
are often at odds. Frequently, in routining a technique for generating anticipation suspense. You
CS ecide which of these two dramatic effects you
second shoe
2 announce that you've achieved a certain effect but then you make the
audience—testing an effect, you find that you
J

e if
rel your claim is true. However,
wait before they can find out
s

ability to hold the audiences interest

Ca
En fie
untilithe eid el Suspense be an unavoidable one created by the nature

Fe did
is the technique to use.

Le
Ee
+

os
erwise the audience will realize they're being man—
tension-anticipation can be built into an Solitad sent it.
hil
En
gi! possess it is provided by Jon Racher-
batiaers handli of the right approach is the “Nest of Boxes.” The
position.” Like ™cDonald
De Fad “Underground Trans-
a coin and has it marked by spectator. He places a
en =
ars
§ Aces”, this trick involves a series of
onions Although Jon's version of this trick, published in The
positions.
the coin in Eis ba With his other hand he reaches into his pocket
Hai
plastic box and hands it to the spectator from
he Se
1

whom
orrowed the coin. He then makes a mystic
pass over his
206
207
he
Darwin Ortiz
closed hand and causes the coin to vanish. Typ,
holding the box he announces that the coin
spectator opens the box he finds, not the coin
Within that box he finds a still smaller box He
progressively smaller boxes until

one strengthens

claim that the coin

effect due
finally finds the
The fact that the coin is found inside several boy,
the
the more strin,
also strengthens it by creating tension
is
to
inside the plastic box. The Sad
he
to the

ard
rather han

bina ng
Whe
hs
SPect,

es
OPening
Coin,

ch
1tiong, but
oe
Ve made
Jug
Se
¢
al es «Cutting
per’

and

Sup
forme
the ct
{

spot ca
vd

coun tang
anderstar

that the
Aces’ As alre
the
,r cutting
to
co unt down
to
ad what 18 -oing

+d because
ard you
€
a
scribed, this consists of

to the final ace. If you simply

as soon as you see
the spot
c

on until you arrive at the ace.

instead, you explain that you've deliberately cut to a certain

Strang

spot card, then using the number of spots on

start
rd the audience

that card indicates the position of the ace. Point out

cut
the

dealing
RHE
won't

to 1s a 8iX, then slowly start to deal and count

Magic

ha
©
gp,
audience will immediately realize that the ace is
supposed
the proof of this amazing claim However, fey aloud. The
© n the count
of six Even in the few moments it takes to

miu
to wait,
because you're 8 mean guy who forces them
to wait, | not to turn up Ct an build considerable audience anticipation
takes time to open all those boxes. All that
Mee
because 1t cour 1t
SIX cards you

Pause: Of the three different forms of suspense,

rie
= *

the
building within the audience, guara 2ing as
tengipy
sion jg
:

The Dramatic
the fulfillment finally TeActon, whey
tension _anticipation In
18
easily the one you'll be able to exploit most
magic. fact, almost any trick that has a strong climax
Telegraphing the Climax: the audience has to know often in your
impact simply by incorporating a dramatic

igii
a little more
the coin is supposed to ultimately be advance that
* can be given

fed DikHL
found inside justbefore revealing the climax.
Sy i

build suspense
opening of all those boxes merely becomes the pause to
simple as a pick-a—card location can, and should,
to
I
necessary actually announce what the climax will i Even something as
Instead of immediately turning the card over,
are intelligent and realize that, the coin having van 2%,
Atdlenteg he built up this way.
back toward the audience. Ask the spectator who selected it to
logical step
is
to find it. When you direct the spectator o theitag hold it then slowly turn it face toward the audience, If you're

ET
they will probabl pect the coin to be inside But
2 the box name his card,
this approach, try it and see how much this small
other, it’s imperative that they do foresee the diva: ty not already using
1d to any pick-a—card trick.
they Te
not catching on on their own, byi all means
fxd tint
Ja
emits
dramatic buildup can ¢

SRR tell “Ultra—Mental” deck is dramatically superior to the

coin is inside the box. This is why the

gas
deck, the prediction card
“Brainwave” deck In the “Brainwave”

a
oe
more of a foretaste of the climax
anticipation you can build. A beautiful
you give them adya in ee appears face up in the
face—down deck. One moment it's not visible;
example of this the next moment it is. There is no opportunity for anticipation to
v
a

on glen a
iE velope
> idea I mentioned earlier that of
for the Card You Seri
“rl build up. In the “Ultra-Mental” de the prediction card appears face

CsEan,
in Envel chance
es in to build suspense
/
a
“nvelope Wallet. You remove
remov: the the face—up deck. This gives you a

oa et
2 4
down
your wallet and announce that the card is inside. Thi
pe-1¢
mn for a few moments before turning the card face outward to
show that
k

turn
4 >. This

You the envelope over and point out the back

et
the prediction 1s correct.
So card visible through the glassine window This, you
to
ren Eo cand
What T've just described is analogous the practice of some poker
card. This peek-a-boo tease builds it
Cpa er. players who “slow roll” their hand at the showdown, spreading
want you to rip the envelope open and
They yc ’
card rather than all at once. In fact,
ywly or turning it over card by
w:
Y

if you do any poker deals you hould definitely use this approach
Instead
ste:
h Cee aadoe
you
So over and point out how thoroughly
1 tur

sealed yourself to milk the hand for maximum suspense.

stress that the flap is glued down. You point to the this
wax seal and Of course, the more amazing the trick itself, the more effective

alofe
out
technique will be. A favorite card trick
your stamped initial. All this time the of mine is
audience nhl Seat
hs jo
dramatic pause
wanting more and more to see the card aside
inside that Larry Jennings’ “Homing Card”; an ace of spades placed
nally, you tear the envelope open and reveal hand. Although
the selected
Ae continually returns to
a red packet in the performer's
is

a
providi
yithin, providing aside,
a release for the tension you've the packet keeps diminishing in size as card after card placed
3 5
£

built up. only

the ace is always found in the packet. When I'm finally down to
Another card, then
wi
example of the need to telegraph the ending in order to one card in my hand, this card is cleanly shown to be a red
exs
good

pation suspense occurs in the final phase of Vernon's turned back toward the audience.
208 209
 Darwin Ortiz Strong Magic

With only one card in my hand there simply necessaryto build suspense can be created by a means
possibility for manipulation, yet the audience Sh APpears to the time be an unavoidable part of the routine. For example,
=
ae the Pat, gp2 often
be
from to
already established that this card is going to To performed the “Card to Wallet," the wallet he
spades. The expected climax is so amazing that
this case is very potent. Some spectators will
foe to the

dk tana:
ace 5 when
hn Scarne
from his
pocket had rubber bands wrapped around it
This feature added a new condition to the
others will actually yell out, ishery headsPause
Whily an d widthwise
complished something more important. The
way!” or, “If th sthwise
ga
Jength
ti
t also ac
“No

spades, I'll [fill in the blank]!" When the chang >

1S the
to take the time to remove
ace of each of the rubber
effects bul
sow had
a
hits with the impact of sledge hammer. But the * anally Tevealeq jy
soe pe porte = the audience
could find out if the selected card was

I EL
to achieve that impact. Why let them off theShook iMperatyy unavoidable delay the suspense built to a
sieht away?
} ands During this
them sweat a little Card to Wallet effects which get
to the
sesld ne ievable in standard
oyel uné
He faster.
of deliberately creating a time delay in
:

extreme example
po

or
Milking Suspense Thends build suspense is that of Houdini's stage escapes. Most of
order 0 behind a screen. Often Houdini would
Of course, the first step toward creating suspense 1S recognizing wore performed
effects that have strong potential for suspense. This h 28 hon fhe
those these ©
oe within moments. He would then patiently wait
succeed i
focus
of our discussion so far. However, no matter h while the audience sweated. From time to time he
ail pehind th e screen

eta
beSR to check on the audience. When he
;
ea
effect's suspense potential, you must know ho
day would peek
from behind the screen
reached the proper fever
potential. There are several key elements you have to ned that the suspense had
fror

finally determi emerge from behind the screen

pr

and
3

his hair
5

to successfully generate suspense. would muss up

pitch, he mind that he would often keep
First, looking draw n. Keep in
the definition I gave at the outset indicated, panting and
requires time. Remember Darwin's Suspense Forma 5
then make them wait. It's impossible to create c By . = a PBLen his audience
waiting twenty or thirty minutes
triumphant. The usual 1
or even more before
audience response after this
hg = oe=
care, emerging
of standing ovation.
2

suspense in a quickie effect. Since suspense takes interminable wait was a for
s TEL
led experts (the kind who perform only
:

to deliberately routine an effect so as to create time de

to generate suspense. This is technically known as ilking
; G
fe
Ste
There are many self-sty
the bedroom mirror or
their long-suffering wives) who'll
work today: audiences today
tell you that
are
far more
suspense. such a strategy would never tell you
A beginner performing the “Endless sophisticated than in
Houdini’s more innocent times. They'll
Chain” will simply have the far shorter attention spans. No
ai that television has given
audiences

pe
spectator place his finger in one of the loops then rapidly the
Vice and MTV would sit still
watching
chain away to show that it has not caught. A more ex — 5 brought up on Miami

La Lone
one
might proceed follows. He instructs the nothing and doing nothing for a half hour.
following instructive contem—

eri
1 offer the
one into each of the two loops. He then pulls the In response to these sages
ple
chain until it’s taut against both fingers. Now he tells the spectator to Kreskin, the most successful mentalist

oy the chain and decide which finger he thinks will

his
on of fingers until
in
He then
Finally, the performer pulls the
porary example. The Amazing
of this generation and one of he
t!

today, always closes his act the same

most highly paid magical performers
way. Before the
show a

dy i Pe
somewhere in
Kres! kin's paycheck
Sh) it
finally becomes apparent of the client hides

ei
slowness representative e Kreskin takes
the
ior =

J
This latter presentation will take twice as the theater. At the conclusion of the performanci
2h Rie e than twice the check is hidden

ae
ie fi) nee wy but
as effective because of the suspense

application of the milking concept. I've

hand of an audience member who knows where
and attempts to locate the paycheck by means he fails to
mindreading. This is done with the understanding
locate the check he will forfeit his fee for the engagement.
that if
of contact

Zn ik una
the countdown ending to “Cutting the Aces”

I it took Kreskin over

EB
Pp! uch countdown simply doesn't last long enough By actual clocking in two different performances the
over a half hour
w for
suspense. If instead you make sure to use at least a five- thirty minutes each time to find his check. For
aisles aimlessly.
x-spot, a good deal of anticipation can be built up audience watched a man walk up and down the
Attention never flagged, no one spoke, and no one
left the theater. In
211
 strong Magic
Darwin Ortiz
instructions
n the original
Jarry suggested
> what 1

Be
Kreskin finally succ eded in f; you know

i
both cases, when

=or
od Since
.

error’ at one point

Ps
;
|

a
was greeted by ar rudience response
audience PSPONSs
that would he
Chel
ploy
point, at some point <

but would have com, su

} fective
Affe
oH
spec. dealing at any given
s

mistake
aforementioned “e prect out her
&

wastocard o spectate rd on th e wrong pile, poi pile.

is
.
cof
we
TPriseq gp"
v

COme as
¢

Houdini. Both aud nce gave Kre ng SUrprig

In a rousing st correct
anding ovatiy. se © and place it on the
r 8
places
©

Kreskin uses this ending not only when performing he 3 of my own

as We as another which the
when pe face Of the car
Tv ice this idea
11

th
es
g
t he effect
udie but also in his college shows. of the & ffect in

I
®

Col} ghow

a
3
version
nl perform impromptu during the first half,
<

presumably represer te example of

epre sent 1ate
ik
the fanned deck
;

woul perform
ly
;

10 ey also inva eward

ard Kresk
Kreskin ith stangi. "cote 2 ses ¢&cards from W hich pile
the card should be
standing o,, removes
with

In
x indicate
:

er face down on
5

dience ectator to rds and m 1ix them

was
as watct oF Dating “long
Lay
SN is
dier
}

ng ha}, the spec remove tWO black.

in = cards is re d and one
s

hour th

a
th
1

at th t one point, one of these

s

the y're black.) ask

tching
a man in the midst of what the cel:ved to be 3 explain that I

ene
a vita] 5 Was 1
color; let's assume
a Struggle e
are the same one she believes 18 red. I then drop
that
ba ot
with ,
deal ding on the outcome. In
.
the case of
:

aeT i
K:
eskin, his the
the
h

walkin, (actually: black pile

ward manifestatio, D of oy
to
was the outward the other card on

Sth
he spectate’ a vile. Finally, I drop
ow

oudini, the struggle took place only thet

Eg eS the reoe
cas ally turn
it ov er to show
face. The fact
its
East
1

I do 0, correctly.
on

audiency s mind as they im ed ing I

ht be goin, € the spectator guessed
w

on behing
ems to prove
that
x

i
.

In eac
een. In strong enough ente
gy,
seems
screen. More importantly,
each

entertainment to holgd the

tO

good audience reaction.

enough g

Both these
bits will get a attitude toward the dealing
Because suspense builds ow time, an effective will cb hange
the audience's entire climax through these two
suspens
a foretaste
of the
By giving them
y

I've already mag if perhaps the impossible

is what 1 erm tho pro—climactc stall.
nique “tart the audience wondering
to dete succeed in separating the
Ears
cally tarting to count
: ena
3EEL and the spectator will
0 8

before the count three, In Michael real Iv will happen the cards now becomes a period
of

deal out
Anas 2
The Bat required to
<=

tive Soll Over Aces” he has the s oethrt

er x tedium. of
g

Borond
than one
tanc! y rather
: before the imax AH ha §

LO totea
io re
ectator ann are left and he recaps
as
number of very strong card
effects that involve
ie iech is ted
ny re in fac t a
{ures before reaching the
climax. In Darwin Ortiz

Te ni
hit 1g procec Ultimate Card Shark.”
have an effect called “The
Jong des
technically unnece Tabl
amatically very powerful since at the Card
I

dealing out of four perfect

t

time for 22s that er nds with the

a gambling routine
provi t hit home with the audience to
climax However, the
es

of This is an extremely strong

“aihidin is
simply a more sophisticated version the one- takes time even
the entire deck into four hands
.

Iv
When a hen performed briskly.

oi mallpd Pe
pe mer who “The Seven K
doing
x
5

to Baldpate” stops
©
he doing

Efe
I use the dealing time to

I
&
just tries his key and offers to Tet his Rather than allow this to become dead time,
by

As I deal out the hands talk about what

the single remaining one he is dramatizing the build tension—anticipation.
what the astronomical odds
or

onditionss of th but he is a perfect hand at bridge and

F

the effect, also creating a pre—climactic stall to

also
he :

realizes that
t is
is =

heighten Bion: s

tre ceiving such hand are. The audience quickly the climax.
d to deal a perfect hand and begins to anticipate
a
ts Se
In addition to manufa
uri a in order to build suspense, is 11 =

it time required to complete the deal then becomes

a period of

fi
i ae
sometimes po blo a truly unavoidable time lag and turn it
effect. Furthermore, the the
0 e

suspense rather than a drag

from a liability into asset°t by Few on
using it to generate suspense.
since the audience has been
3 by
an
y

magicians would dispute that “Out of this World” is one of the

feniuian element surprise
1
of

one perfect bridge hand and is surprised

when all four
strongest effects in card magic, Boll
out it does take long time to reach
a xpect

a
ag he i

eenclimax. During the firs

the s turn out to be perfect.
t three—quarters
hree—quarters of the effect, the audience ee
of

watching someone slowly deal

into two face—down : piles Still another example of exploiting a long dealing procedure in a card
a

car
ces
.

ds ex
Gmc canbs used to En In
generate suspense for the climax is the Paul Curry plot “The Open Prediction.”
vind

RE 15 cABe
suspenseRe is of the conflict—uncertainty type as the per—
he SBE tha 48
of

212 213
my
Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
former bucks seemingly incredible odds.
The
Co m bining Suspense Elements
openly announcing that he believes the Performe
spades. He then hands the deck to the
Spectator wij)
Sibegin,

eli
b
Spectator ang ©
that a single effect may provide more than is
point to no
through it face up, looking for the ten of ten of
eo
te

final
spades However tu deg) more than one form of suspense. These dif
AEE
1
10 :

during the deal, the spectator must place

al
FOL
aside, sight
Sight anse eleelements
may work simultaneously sequentially or
5
card he wishes. Sting
epee
me
.e

Unseea,
RIRE; different suspense hooks sequentially is the
“Mh

As the deal
any
Or
proceeds further further down In
and

turning up the ten of spades it starts to dawn the dg, SUCCES

thet or viewer
ul suspense novel or action film, The
F
>

a:
held by one suspenseful
is
.

on the scene. He
the card placed aside must indeed be the reac
st of
a
the predicted w it will end. Yet, no sooner is that suspense
nears the end, the tension mounts as the to know
audience Waits one arises to capture interest. In this his

a
predicted card will turn up to goq resolv: ed than a new é

and the performer climaxes the

among the last few, Of
Course,
i elemen
18 rol
rope elle from scene to sci ne if grabbed by collar and
{
as the
rom one hand to another along a gauntlet, never
e
sct by
card to reveal the ten of turning oye :

spades. (The well-known climax, If you want to see what | mean,

poe
5

is
whi
effect another prediction trick that can be “p peing rel 7
built up this w
ay.)
’
f the Ark read James Bond novel Lost

or :

This example illustrates the need for

providing the audience magic : ffect can never hope to
match the complexity of a it

Af
the rse, a
{

foreknowledge of performer's goal if

is with
oes novel Nevertheles this strategy can work on a smaller scale

pais
(The one exception is in 1Spense
¢

to be createq
mystery—curiosity suspense of

igeil
behavior” type.) If the above
effect were done with
the trangs n ce
how the final phase of “Cutting the creates

eeSORE
Aces”
which was not revealed until a closed glreaty
after the dealing process Prediction Ta
the entire procedure would the performer apparently misses, cutting
uipenont
mot
be was finigheq .
monumentally boring, how that suspense immediately shifts to
oa the performer
d
nstead to
Let's take one last
@

example of using an unavoidab] ly \nticipation

begins count down to to
build suspense. Many long Procedure tg &

ip
= effect which is potentially one ok 5 ahi
versions of the veless Vision” stage effect
BE
card illustration is provided
involve an intricate and
time-consuming process of blindfolding the ot
sie
LL
eyes. Coins are taped
over the eyes. Dough is
kneaded and pressed
ful Re
up magic. While there
GEE ation of
in
nothing revo cl
is
over the coins. A blindfold
or hood isplaced over the head. If the about my own pres effect, I'll detail it for the sake this of

Sa
audi-ence doesn’t know what Hi
fe to
the performer Intends to do, this analyze.
)

ecific scenario

Sp
procedure may seem
tedious ou
ies the premise: will put my sleight ofhan
ry
hs
I
However, if the
g

performer has announced rontest against the spectator—a contest in

in
gm
Ww

advance that, as The spectator shuffles the deck on and :

he is blindfolded, he soon
intend: for example, to shoot
as

Spectator’s head, the an apple off a

rather than boring. The blindfolding procedure becomes suspenseful
more impossible conditions that The
&
a
She
shuffled
merely thinks of any one of
— : = ro
and dropped back on top of the
then ky

a
ne er 81
during the blindfolding are piled on
A

how the performer Procedure, the more the audience wonders

Lo 2
card
ead
could possibly hope show each
to succeed and what the result explain the ground rules for the contest
fi
vill

will be when the

I
now

i a iaie
|
fateful shot is fired to the spectator, ven drop face down on the tab
it it. me
Sa
Another point made In Se ! He
our definition
around a desired result, If is that suspense always revolves card th ble she is to slam her hand on
hits

8.
to
dha
the audience doesn’t hand beg move, that will my signal
sig try to snatch
i
the c

the card is care whether or not

»

in the wallet, all the away before oe slight

create suspense; they will rubber bands in the world won't she can
ge it. As say in my
patter,
don't. have
;

she's thinking of and

1
I
card
I
only increase the boredom,
substitute for sub Suspense is no
already possesses
ntve or situational
meaning. Rather, if an effect advantage; practice an awful lot
ht I

meaning,
effect more powerful and suspense can make an already powerful contest then begins. Each time drop a card og
ator
ie [

Formula: Make riveting.

them care, then make Remember Darwin's Suspense
if ready
to spring. The spectator invariably very
oe
them wait. Her tenseness communicates itself to
ators will throw
udience. Some
34 Sakads ib
in an occasional feint which serves
a
214
215
 Darwin Ortix Strong Magic
audience even more on the edge of contest
of who will
ie o nd
a

isier
;

their seats. Its question the the

situation. The uncertainty of th conflict’s;¥ seats
gt
=
First, th ere
the

sre
(conflict uncertainty) Next,
2 Tana
5

5 Clasgje the
:
y). there 18

riveted as mug! h as any performer could outcome holds and spec “not
the cong, former card really unde
ot
is
the
dig,
is
wish =

i
-

where the missing

P NC

A
wher
Or
whether
Then ATs is the mystery
ouween
sy
88:
Eventually the spe ator slams her hand
¢ he

down on a
nally th ere 18 the desire to SIO
>

1ably triggers laughter from curiosity). Finally,

3
.

the
=
card, Thi ¥).
8

the pressure that has built up. In audience—an emotiong) rele var. (ySter pe found out of the wallet
has been resolved; the their eyes, the Suspense, ase f ard
BI cle—to
s

actually see the card

to

them by the collar

outaat and
=

oe ihe
2
~to

spectator
z

has
» ¢
c

won Sttuat, oo the

~
I &
your heart out
5 ab

n).

For a moment I act

=
8

on-antic cipatior hn Le Carre’ eat

surprised and cr estfallen as if climax
clin JO \

(ens go until the o X.

announce confidently that the spe ctator beaten Then nevecor

=
¢
l&

her
or
wasn't fast e nough, 1

to look under
under her handhand | Nstyy
fr kt

see that
to see
her

have gotten
to

I Fo

Immediately the audience is pulled the

Climax
t

up short by my
4 The
can
hey c ght their bre athRuefrom the claim,
first suspense issue Wheny arn1]3 - 2

.ie:
3

are faced with a new one ky—in

tricky magic
things 18: important—and of each —in
ey
a

uty
ogic
Now they're few

a
8

is
{
8
curious to find out if my claim handling the climax
are po g

There Sages a ts
true. Every Prop arly as
ly

on the € 18 glugq
ha

ator’s hand as
everything perfectly in = ic
nce a
=
’
lifts it and turns performa

it penises
5

<

underneath. So absorbed are they by this ove: r the

amazing how you
%

cag by bobbling the climax

In

J are
notice me removing my wall et from
ue that most don't
nd matter
of you
secon
meagic 244
performances. Jub oat
most typical close-up Bon
evey
my pocket and droppin,
bop
2 8

ET
By

table. They're too busy r

acting to the fact that t} he thought
E it on
the dab = climax properly can
1
ances, By
the
not under the spectatt hand. The second ofcard
i contrast,
ring
Here some f principles to guide
are some Jail Be
impact of an effect.
susy Dense issue has bee ore fi re
3

resolved. My claim was

true: her card is gone
direction
However, as soon as
this fact sinks in, chang e the focus.
spectator turn over the other car ds under her hand have th
the
I
I
e

card. I deal off the

top sever al cards of the deck face
in search of hey
End On The Climax
deck up. spread the I

ce up on the table. The thought-of card

nowhere to be seen is Elements of Scree enwriting, Irwin
:
Blacker writes: “After the
in cheek, pull at the spectator's sleeve and
See
Tongue In The
I

even lift up the

:
should end as quick] ho
climax, the film shou
conflict is resolved in the
%

of
a
e
corner the close-up mat in search of the All Seasoris Whers for
:
A Man
:

missing card. All these le" He cites

cites as
as an Bee pal

ad
to
a exe ‘
ctions serve possible.”
He

heighten the question the audience's mind, “If the in ax falls on Thomas More the screen
kis
;

the second the executioner’s ax

I ans
ring en Fubar
ard wasn't under
fa on

her hand, where on earth Ls

is Touch, oy
In his book on comedy The Light
ed
1

it? Need
ts
that this question provides the point out

ne
third suspense phase?
rl
:
5stresses rule: “Put the punchline at the end.”
basic
se
He

bas
Finally, annour
this

“The hard part wasn’t criticize the

phrasing of one joke because there are
I
words
to are
% two

getting the card out from

,

under Jennifer's hand. The hard

as

part was placing Jennifer's card in a e punchline.

S
deliver the last line | pick
fields, movies and jokes; yet the same
As
I

up my wallet. Immediately Here are two widely separated i fields,

they understand what
but it must be. That's the
mean. The card I
in the wallet! It can't be,
answer to the third suspense phase
is 0fundamentaltalis principle
principle his.
being stressed in both. This is bocAuEG
is becaus AEs
chit
ipl of dramatic structure that it's equally valid in
i

ei
ame
d;
Ry

I
They already believe but they want
turn the wallet over and over in
it.see it. As continue to patter to I any dramatic medium—including magic trick
che
tyaole 2a
Thee
priinciple
is that,
ciple 1s
ie tend
that 3: :
»

dias isin reached,

re a
my hand. open it. point to the
I I once the climax anvibingg hab allows uD only
reached. any
zippered compartment. Slow ly
spectator to name her card. All this time
pull the zipper down. ask the
I
I weaken what you've already accomplished. In other words, Nor

ols \

building. Finally
I the audience's anticipation 18
remove the card from the wallet and toss it to the
hit the climax, shut
up and fade black. to
table with a spin. The last and
most powerful suspense phase has
In order to do
this, you must tie up all loosese ends ends and :
esolve a ¢

Ta i
been resolved
doubts before the climax. You
must also resist the temptatio pe:
In one effect the audience is dr; awn
throw
in an anti-climax.
through four suspense exper-
lences, each subsequent on e starting almost
the moment the previous
216
 Darwin Ortiz

Unresolved Suspicions
wr Strong Magic

an effect that suggest they have some

of

a
the climax amples are: “Can look in your
ore after suspicion s. Typical e “Can I

i
[

A common example of the problem of lingering doubts tato’

see those cards over there?"
some effects where a card travels from the Ln to your
co; ved inside the box?”

i
C

ee
ace. If the ca
of doubt again and again,
1D

a
elicits the same type
)

Pock

A
wallet, or some other impossible place
a di
Chet,
k

pocket”
tain effect
SS
If you can't let them look in your

a
;

then the production of the card from the When 2 os Ho something about it.
:
§j
cation the deck, you've simply got a bad
climaxes the trick. Unfortunately, sometimes you = ° have perf; the box, Or check r, if you can resolve their
signed, either because you're using a duplicate
the cq, pocket: consider dropping. Howev
has merely been thought of rather than selected the Card
The trick you
:

Little creative reroutining so that their question is

sy 00 to think of it and, most

card hagyy
they have a chance
°L

been signed, the audience will immediately suspect Ae doubt: 40,

at the card the climax of the effect.
the vallet 1s not the same one that a moment 220 7s jy pefore you reach

Sls
for you to follow it, the
I=
the deg important
3

sometimes require ingenuity

.
This suspicion will usually be voiced by saying, “Can Es
see
deck pough it can

eyee
all doubts before the climax.
the

Naturally, you've anticipated that response and hay. “5 sured Had is simple enough: Resolve
=
that rule
even if you did use a duplicate, the spectator : he card hoy
looking for in the deck. He'll spread through the c wi not
fing th, Extended Climaxes
one he's searching for, and finally accept th; at the card you hag
kg

re iri
because the climax does not
from your wallet really is the same one tha t had been in the present a special problem
will then be duly impressed by trick. the
deck He (Certain tricks
occur in one
dramatic instant but drags a
on over period of time. One
to show that the

oi =
ih ihain Wns.
problem is that the effect climaxed a minute—and—a—half two—card transposition. It's not enough
example 18 8 show that the ace is now a king.
ace; you must also
«

accept that an impossibility has king is now an

in really ended when he looked through the eck Both parts constitute
the climax.

esa
Gin er
uplicate, not when you pulled the card out of your this World” is another
of
example. The spectator has to deal all
gee that the reds are all together

ip
“Out
:
to should have occurred at the face up so everyone can
the cards
C= e car i your
HEE i
and the blacks are all together.
The climax really extends from the
of the last black

be
first red card to the turning up
3

emotional impact would turning up of the

EL
BE
Here's : 3

handle the same situation. You hand the

to card.
Hetell him Yet another example is Vernon's
“Travellers” where you remove the

re
to count the cards out loud, dealing
=
on = gn
of the trick is not the
the he does so. Also, tell him that the four from four different pockets. The climax of all four aces.
aces

removal of the last ace; the climax is the

removal

Sa in
he is to place it aside and continue counting
When he's hited such effects as long as
eo nay cards, remind him that
he is to place his There is really nothing difficult about handling
start the climax don’t stop and
Seay After another ten cards, remind hin vou follow one simple policy: Once you
again. At this don’t allow anything to interrupt the flow ofthe climax. Don’t remove
2
has vanished, Tt This makes
-
She audience will start to suspect that the
the counting of the remaining cards very
card
two of the aces from your pockets, pause to
tell a joke, and then
suspenseful
= as th the audience waits
as
:
waits to see whether or not the card will
see W
:

remove the other two aces.

turn up. all the cards

TiFnonenai
Just watch Martin Nash when he does his trick in which
When the sg

ator finishes going through the deck, hell have in the deck end up paired with their mates. Once
he starts turning up

re
counted he’s turned over the
EY as cards and his card will not have shown. pairs, nothing is going to stop him until
the and he handles the climax
out your wallet EY
where card is. Now the time to pul
card for a strong climax unmarred by
is last one, Juan Tamariz does a similar trick
in the same full-steam-ahead, non-stop manner. Both
men realize

2
lingering doubts No
one will be thinking, “That's not the same card that any interruption will kill the climax.
he chose. It's of all
just a duplicate. I bet his card is still in the dec!
ask me why this is so; that's just the nature of climaxes
Card—to— Jat realize that
impossible—
this issue oo = iy Ls eeSiects are not the only kind trick where nds. If you think about other aspects of your life, you
11
of

S€. sensitive to comments or questions from Spec-

be

218 219
od
Darwin Ortiz Strong Magic

that car! and show that

sh h
you can't just take a break in the middle
€
of

of sresence
the present
side to
a 8
5 climaaX, ]
and pick up where you left off, then co
al Te
card.
will dee elected not
one
beginner s horror of 18
©

“ie HtOINE from the

bag,
some vious
jrisdl pisguided cre-eativity stemsfears that instant the trick
Sas
. 8

= \ds and discover that

eo

Slave
7

Seo en
Anti~-Climaxes All
th

ending an. The will rif the cards out of his hands
A

The term ‘“anti-clim comes up from time

endi nce
d to be.
the audi convincing
writings and the it's used makes it clear
to time over
= it's suppose -calize that, if the
effect is
is conv
5 Magi
+t
5

ea
way

thay = not a8
is to reallz ything
you start
writers don’t understand what the word too stunned to
uci) is 3 ply
JJ] 3

.
1

audience
with

of the, experience
means, Sg the to
definition: An anti-climax is some thing 5
E

following the of
S Start
Tt
witwo 5

the Jimax 18 strong,YO

chim? nYe the opportunity in the i8 still
be trick. the audience
wo

ok is over while
disappointing due to its triviality 1. &
end of the
©
; 8

comparison with th he A

after the tr
Thus, the term anti-climax does not mez clin
cl; casuall y
mean a second Jean UP
the end of Paul
clear {

although as we saw in the discussion on g climay

aeicians gO through aat
Pa
covering:
may indeed be anti-climactic if it's not
Irprise, a second per %, recover

eh yt oe
show that the packet on the table
:
:

; at the
contor :

Ls
CC
Clmay gins
the
,

to ;
gs
strong as b
“Reset” in order lings really does consist of four
:
follows. ax jt
clingy
as
the

rr
:

sed
; jon
of
:
Harrie to consist
Badin
f
Ned up ‘at the end
of
“Reset” 18
We've already seen how
this can be a problem with kickers, Noy that's SUPPO:
the middle of the deck. If
BEER
different, t} he tendency 1of
vn he cals Bl
want to talk about something somewhat
!

reason to
magicians to throw in an additional m ols no one ;ill have any
convincingly,
= re
aatit ”
nt
A

agical tidbit for the wr trick

ah HE
reasons: because it helps clean up the tr; ick, because vou've done Soot is what it's upp
: ;
Tong SUppOs 2. 5

they fee Lit would

€

be wasteful not to do it, is “clean—up fever,

addition to this
:

or Just because of poor x: In

i

iin
routining,
¢

Anti-Climax:
Anti-C pid Bh

EEhp
»

of anti—climaxes comeson
WN Waste”
The “Clean-Up” Anti-Climax: Thi s situation is The No-Wa 2
wo
;

particularly common .ause

in card magic. For example, tk
ie magician learns an “All Backs
another
ROL ne opportunity ina peeheThis LLBe
routine,” the kind of trick where the faces
: ek . raste so scrapes
ar as:
fi 3

each card now having a back on both disappear from the deck, rs 4 ft over from preparing the main dish and tries to figure out
fie = +
sides. At the end, he makes the
dis

faces reappear. The

= from

nme
ef

magician notes that at the end of the trick he is

left with a card 5 in which the aces
secretly reversed in the deck. Eventually, he has a pr the end ofthe trick

nel
hi et Le
at

bright idea. He will start by secretly on top of the deck, so he

the deck. At the end of the having
Ria
a card selected and returned to

a Bc?
eed to kings, the aces are sec are

tory
ue UR
ly
“All Backs” trick, he will reveal the them in some fancy
en

reversed card and disclose that it is

the previously selected card. the end of the trick in which
selected card vanishes, y.

te
1US
f < 4

On the surface, this

seems like very clever thinking; take a liability the bottom of the deck, so he can't res

era
and turn it into
an et. Not only does he
openly clean up his
reversed card, but he also
gets a magical bonus in the form of locating d climax stronger than the one that
a climax rch
weer
selected card. The problem If doing so really provides
is
s
f thin
Hare ot may be worth doing. Too often,
a £

that it isn't a magical bonus, it's 8

ia

pie
= 8

blunder because it constitutes

= on the deck is a an anti—climax. The printing of
selected card ig g weak very strong climax. The revelation of
the
only provides a disappointing anti-climax. T! e
to be in a position where you can throw in an addi
a 2 ey
climax and that
item by comparison. That
means it's an anti- magic doesn't mean you ought to.
mear 1s it will only Seical
serve to undermine the overall strongest impact doesn’t come from producing the ost SSE
c

impact of the trick,

r
The
3

events any more than the best meal comes from providing
This is not
an isolated example. Practically
along that leaves every time
a trick comes food. Tt comes from
producing a magical event, or events, in ; ©
Sock 5
with a sec etly reversed card, someone comes dramatically effective form. Better to throw those leftover scraps =
you

up with the “brilliant” idea

!

trick leaves you with of

making that card a selected card. the If the garbage than to
serve them after a magnificent meal and ris!
sk

|
;

two
way of having a selected reversed cay someone will figure
B

packet trick
c ard :
;

appear face down between them.

.

a or Elving everyone heartburn.

The “Poor
eave S You with an extra Sequencing” Anti-Climax: By “sequencing,” mean
J:
a

card secretly in the packeh order in which the

magical events in an effect are revealed to the
220
221
 strong Magic
Darwin Ortiz same
itse If into the ==
audience. Sometimes these events are Las oarranged
FoetE
hes the face-down card
club packet

i
not fact, whe the
b

seen at{fled spade P? ket.face—down

P

tically strongest order simply because the Presenteq in

In
turns up at
the

cid
6 epade
lao

performey
hag;
3
9180
OVC .r these
two
oy orformerolecte
EE
matter any thought or because he has a a
tune
Ch four
By

.
e PRCKCl
poor ooo ECR 8p*¥
structure. A few examples should make Bragp 4" ihe ard

=
clear
18

Bun
2 L
i

the kinds point in the

op

example,
in which these problems
arise
and how so] ve them, to of ip. Mati,
Sltugy
t 1

also; for 2
rev aed at the sé
that the remaining
%
'

they 02 is found
h A

is obo ntinues dealing

!
Larry Jennings’ “Transmutation” one of the
best of a1) colg e four
to SHO w
ing deck effects because it's one of the mog t Or pte}
ades then an CO!
po
original form it's poorly sequenced. Three convincing Bang, of He
packs
xtended climax.
The
e of an e
+

spectators PE
cub h. example
a

AT match of the extended

|
7
cards are returned ‘ators

ie
a blue-backed deck and the g
2 trick is an the m iddle
aslly
i
to the this .omes in
come spade
backed deck is then changed to red and
is the high point the revers d sp
;,

peident®
t occu rs when of theveread SRE
op
h
spread on
are three blue cards in sae card see 2
8

the spread. They

upreel
2
Th club

i
PAE
The most
and makes pee
the three selected cards. shoy,
5
and
=

ie matched
the dealing process
yy

we
Mito, to be

ali
The transformation of the deck from blue through h half-way
to red ve LY is Append
ches antic
limactic.

gh ol,en
then comes the rather the problem
time-consuming task of remov; Powerfy], By solves

dale bE
P
bf fie GEES
or
5 @
3

three blue cards, having the spectator remain" od a version the two
name hign select
es
ne sequencing. When he
el

showing that the blue card

selections didn’t change colors
is
indeed his card. The fact select; gh
that
Zollweig
pL changin to the two .face—down cards, to deal
+
yn
¢2
=

through the
eleir
a

is impre ssive and

certainly Jackets
packets an
without pause
Ah proces
a.
since the trick is, after all, a pick and continues
~a—card trick. But document; . jthout comment finishing the docs
cards. Oly of ter
eel
La
this after the deck has chang ed color
is turning them ov er
dramatically

i
anti—climactic,
ue
pi
ace-up
rema face—down card: s,
John Mendoza sequences the trick

Solas
in different way that retu b n to
ered Saal
2
a

highest
re
3

problem. After the three selections he p

the trick on 1ts

& c

have been

eser
to finish S a

the performer explains that the deck is marked trick in Which

whi ¢
En perior: cards an d
in

tron oe aon
ick >

Recently bs .e bl blank

en
and that this wil] help
2
a

He then introduces
sad

him find the three cards. He

spreads through the deck faces toward =
the audience, as he
a card as he
carefully studies the backs, Eventua ally,
that he can tell from ent
he upjogs
placed Eide
magically BOR
on them.
nine of clubs, the
All
es
three cards
Cr
nine of hearts, and the 1 mm wo
the
marks on the back that this
2 rd
- oi ie
the

1s one of the gnnle

cam;
587 then turns over her selected card i:

ea
,

selections, The spectator

face down on the table. ve; rifies that it is and it’s placed
This is re peated with value—in our example, the nine of ve
diamonds.

sels a
the second and third

si
newly—printed cards match the
selections
The fact that the three were
impressive thing is that you
ay
Finally, the performer able
comme nts
that perhaps the audience can he most
The fact that those faces
faces at Seon three blank
Sa
detect the marks
:

themse Ives. He blani cards.

spreads the deck face down and cards.
k

is
p
all

everyone sees that the anti-climactic.

£
any

cards are now red-backed. The three happen to match the sele
ol,
selected card he

selections are already

they are the only blue.
face down on the table, so ev one A more effective sequencing would be to
introduce the three
:
bia

can see that

creative thinking, the
backed cards in the deck.
By means of a little cards, then have the spectator select a
card from the deck and reveal
climax of the dec k
effect has been
sequ enced so that the grand it to everyone. Now you print faces on the
blanks to match the
last as 1t
turning red is reveale d at the
it selection. The strongest part, the magical printing, comes

Rehiak ll
!

belongs. very end where

should.

IS
Another tric
=
anticlimax problem is Herbert Milton's sequencing problems, like the
:

As these illustrations show, some

performer puts the thirteen club cards in a good deal of thinking to solve.

ths1,
©

numerical order and changing deck example, require

aside. He then takes the thirteen
aces them
12

spades
and eb Others, like the printing trick, are easy to solve once you recognize
spade card and
The spade packet
jt ang i Finally, a spectator
14dle of the spade packet.
is
allowed to select any the problem. But
the critical first step must always be to detect when
you have an anti-climax due to
club packet poor sequencing.
up. Using both are now placed side by side face Whenever you have an effect with more than one magical event, rank
nds, the performer
deals through the two packets
your mind in order of magical impact. Most of the
those events in
222
223
 Darwin Ortiz Strong Magic

a
time, common sense will tell you the proper order But, two different tricks being performed at the
audience—test the effect until you're clear on what play
-
jf in 4 o watching
©

what plays weakest. Then, check to see if thoge me trop,

ie es
form them as different tricks—do a
be
e.
al
revealed to the audience in sequence from we eye, n h By the “Card in
Orange or vice
2

i
be muc
o
t to3S
woul
4
Car
not, find a way to rearrange them. In magic,
Epa.
Strong, x:
8

Restored both as one effect is that both

i" n
It
any 1
Leicians do
form, it's not just what you do that matters It's also wh Darragiy,Ei Tr
Ts they figure they may as well get
ordey torn corner,:
it
1at
do in. t yoy a a switch. This is the attitude I've
one corne:
for the performer rather than
g

service
ser
making things e asy
Simultaneous Climaxes e
d befol re:

-on
In discussing surprise we dealt with effects that h
ave sequen sider another example
lets
2
of an effect that
canes
climaxes. A different situation is posed by effects in one climax. The magician performs

| we Sa re oy
containin
ial
By conti ast,
call (with apologies to the writers of sex What
of a cigarette. As de
EB

manuals) simultane, translocation picces

These are tricks where two separate effects until, at hos

a
2s.
occur at Bie “Matis table they also restore "
is in oe whole cigarette. trick
Fuse
,

the “Torn Card one corner © This is oe

sic example Orange.” After a selected on i —
iCo fi
performer Le 29 four quarters of a torn playing card.
torn up and the pieces vanished, the restored card is found
Ree

nes
tae
orange. The appearance of the in
card the orange and the that performed wit
this effect can be presented without the translo—
confus gz

a
fact
has been restored are both revealed at the same time. ih prev
DUSIERRITD.
: s part ly because breaking !

makes the information

G

i
S

aaudience. t hree phases

Another example is Vernon's “Triumph.” After a sel,
ected card is Jog; cation/r¢ storation
process into
:

in the deck,
the cards are shuffled face up and f face down.
t to absorb.
ids
audience
caster for pe

breel
When the
deck is
f
spread, all the cards are now face down
except for the selected step-by-step approach allows the Suen »
me
3

card he righting of the deck and the location of bia of each piece from its corner aswhole simply the
the selection are
ee
revealed to the audience simultaneously. An
found in Color Changing Deck effects where
changes except for one card which
analogous tuation js
the back of every carg ide
nexus the two
in making the cigarette
“magical effects can even be underscore
could put this cigarette back ifI
ag
Fi

i
proves to be the selection You 1d you be amazed
in your patter:
found the selection and
you changedthe colorof the deck: both effects We
it the hard way—long distance. Watch!” (This is
r
.
gether?
(8 GEE
occur at once Hs 3 .ct for your audience
example of sopceptiuslizing

ith
good this into two
Such effects may prove confusing to an audience; then again they
may not. This is something that must be
Judged on an individual
gh your patter.) of
diferent tricks, fice
eo oe
L -ette. But in this case I don't feel it's
then coil
basis, evaluating the audience's hole cigarette.
reaction in each case. However, as a restoring them into a w
guideline | suggest that two factors
dete: rmine whether simultaneous Ts phar
HES
climaxes will work in a trick:
or
3
5
(1) Whett ier not the two climaxes are factor that must be considered in sumliaris
ptually related; tricks where two ess ntially unrelated climaxes
iirc a
cor
to grasp the
is how difficult it is for the audience
effects

tet = and
occur at once seldom work. (2) How i

demand ing it is for the audience climax. Let's again contrast two examples
the
h
i
to absorb information in each climax. If a trick with simultaneous different: “Triumph” vs. the “Color-Changing Deck.
L of ie
-ma the
climaxes has a problem
to either make the climaxes
ineither of the two areas it's usually wiser you have two climaxes that any audience can easily a Her

i
sequential rather than simultaneous or to same time. Noting that the cards are now all face dong

Fi
simply do the
effect as two separate tricks on
The problem of
only exception is the selected card is hardly likely to
2 th:
dps 2
related simultaneous clim mental powers of anyone of average intelligence. Furt
Card in Orange. The occurs in the “Torn 5
restoration of the card and its appearance two climaxes are conceptually intertwined. Your goal in
“Tr

inside the
orange have nothing to do with each other. Therefore,
disorienting for an audience
Sitting in front of two TV
224
mix face-up cards with
face.
its to find the selected card. You
oe
hesHe
to be hit with both at once, Like a person in order to make it
more difficult to do so. The way you then
selected card is by making all the other cards turn
, each tuned to a different program, the
Straightening the deck is the means you employ to loc he
225
38
Hh
strong Magic

de ae1
Darwin Ortiz locs ation of

pa ot mice
Nevertheless,ss, some A { 8
and reves 1s the
g so magicians do sepa
tW0 not

Hi Co ei
seloctioy is
straightens out; all the cards climg

iTS
k rformer of the cups i¢

er
Y ;

are face
inn
Xes,
P
5
ds
cards are spread out again and the
j 168ps hardly
py
The
the selection

llinna
momgp, Lat ty E ection
- ?

since

fn -
A h
and

however
ain
a

in tes er),
lace Up
pe puzsing:
rs
Ss

1s approaci
Pr s misguided
under the pervelat
4 C

hee
18 X

use
J
;
Simpl" Loatiee appear irrelevant to the py, ain jy mad) fect 15
he fect PU occurs BL would turn:

ales lis
eo
Instead, Koran
3

under

ee big: puildup pele oe

é
akeg Ee
which is s findfinding the selected It appears Sonhay,% the, fey the trick.
ofif
oe

car: ns

that You
W

an unrelated
conf’
10 location of t

irae the 8 -hortcomings that he did not:

A

they, he knev
not.
ary effect
oR sl esror 4of the effect.
8
for no reaso,
ason 8
did

& the spectator

Wn
® or
’
hligh Tht

ey he
This approach also creates
is approach
in the

ates a more re serious pighli€

d and 2 the he spectator
& seri

us probe.em. coonditions
88%
a pr

surpris that in a multi-c We€ saw Often the

hatize { the billDOif the spectator himse
4

discussion of of surprise
5
.
grown ;

ulti—climax trick ick each mixi?

autifully dram? the spect:
do,” as ie
5

clip, xX gp
ell
€
In
the

He
«

a beautiful
©

be stronger than the one that precedes j)

track
gh:
ach
le of
pre
©
I
it. Making
Mz
11d
be
ald
oul
at
esep
keep no
it.

g the
former Koran would sm
72

If a
HN

turn face up can hardly

be

Selectaq oul

ra dat ould the In ;

ardly be consider:red go
(Thig :

consid stronger © WOT

answere
hbo ger than tp,
>

g g oF the entire deck which preceded it.

of

it
“nd
Mag, a ov ot?) this
ering the
bull. the spectator
and ay) So do
as
)

could
DLs
ed 1”

2
would
cup COVErne
ee
8

gra oe pill was, Koran

Once again I must
stress that only audience testi
»

sm
a
aga
S 5

elie
4

Combine vib: ind

ve pli are ES
ly

hl
considers of the two factors mentioned
g

aj

=Thathelped Beet Se
h
seem
make a minor puzzle
correct CUP: li
z
Whether
a e
* :

climaxes aree concej conceptually related and wi} hether they fh, :
, Jifted he
the ©

oortant
5
absorbed, will tell you whether or not
simultaneous Sina
e
Th
ran
approac
indi ated in his
book y-awaLe :
3

y
wi

he
work in a particular trick LS
gos; of this3 effect is
!

description of the
S

3
axes v

eet
:

myster
ysters : ess
success
he concludes his
‘ :

autifully, the dramatic

ye An
If it doesn't analyze the effect to it,
sn't, determine which of L
ect

ssional Pr entations.
In
“Ne: ver put this across
as a giga ntic

Se A
J

a the

i
a
problems we analyzed is the cause
the problem js Cup by saying, 2
ty,

inder and let it

t

connection between the Fa oli naxes, do the , a couple of times

go.
Ba Nol

etary Just doitidental Effects: One area where undersellingeffects.

ack of

is a
different tricks.ae If ti ne pro! blem is information
ic
effoct >
iy

fe
9

P overload Underselling Inc incidental magic

double-barreled climax see if you can termed
Gein
f;
be
make the climaxes sequetential,
structure the effect of what might
offhandedly in the course
always remembering that the mus effect that one does
climax must s
Stronger the kind of small to set fire to a borrowed
bill
Fi forming another
trick. You're going
You're going
make a lighted match appear at your fingertips. from :
so you
03 with a cigarette so you make
the cigarette rise
to perform a trick
;

Underselli ing The Climax

:
pulling it out. You're going to
perform a

eer in
the pack rather than just
aces so, instead of looking
through the deck for the

mechs
Ironically, sometimes the most effe
ctive way
bi
f

rapid-fire succession. Any such effect

\

should
4d
251
offer is not to sell it for
ani effect

i
all it's worth
:

you cut to them

©

to treat it as a matter of
| : e of
but
|
no importance.
» ,

Contrast
Lontrast isis a strong
8
str theatricsca . echmg bi
- alr
i
-

dra
Si

er
s a

attentio
€

osparticular!
ns
something. That's why unders their own.
3

the impossibility on
useful he case of effects elling can 2 be

approach is a clever idea used by Paul

2

8
effects where the climax
C: of

is not all that ood illustration of this

w

Suppose you have a

Seo trick wt hi ch is good but not climax
great; the climax is great; tner. At the start of four—ace trick, Paul will spread through the a

.
y
1

surprising but ot earthsh, eck removing the aces. After finding three of the aces he observes

et
ear ak ing. If you give the trick a tremendous
| re
not

buildy p, the contras

7

iad : ie
ast betwee ace sTing mn
the deck is not complete; the fourth
usge
re oh
een the climax
it
that apparently the
and the super buildup

Eh
: S

climax parently deck

or lass
i

makes i
seem Ii}Tike
soem
od reads th he
g
missing. He turns to a spectator
If instead, you undersell the
: a

select any card to represent the fou ih ace in

the contrast trick. When she

et
attitude toward it makes surprising climax and your blasé sent the the

5
fou
)

more than it really seem like turns over her selection

selec it proves to be the missing ace. In true

EaET
a r her

ker Effects: A perfect exampl

3

Ets
nderselling fash >aul's only comment is, “That's
shion, Paul's is, “That's a good choice.
ice.”

ots
undersellin example f effective
eff
nt

Be, Ee =
j
of

ndrsliy their very nature, incidental

ate competed
By

Be A Koran's presentation of the ars minor

Unde Cup

TE
fullfledged effects they're

Shen eudo l,
Note own effect where Koran audio tape. This is the of. To play them up too much would
a spectato 4 pas)
of three ¢I
ups while thee performer's
back is turned and mixes the cups
p

xes the
©
more effective,
cive. H However
¢
al; treating them trivial makes them all the
ever, in this kind of situation there is another
2

is ki
as <

226

227
 Darwin Ortiz

important reason for underp laying. The

to convey with incid ntal effects sub “eXtual
me
second nature to you; they happen that such
jg
so
notice.
In my “Nine-Card Location” from
Darwiy Ortiz
use an idea of Eddie qq 4, €
the
hter's. Before
spectator name his c rd. At one point re
vealing *h : Cap,
c
I
spectator and say, “Your
; d was the wij) t
seven
spect tor tells me that it v
the
“That's one always
I ft

knew the names

about revealing my
all nine
of

s
tions all
knowledge of the
yin
ication jg thay
If 1m;
de
i
implication would lost be
SDectator's ary
Sucker
Part Two
L

ation where unde

:

particularly valuable in effe cts the contain

is At
‘sucker’ elemreling
¢

can remov any po ntial sting from

the
t The Character
underplaying. is allows the audience
without feeling that they're
having their noses rubbed gical
they were suckered in in the

One e should make the at no

transcended
hingg tran
point. In “Darwin’s Three knet
h
J

vies, I
ne

Monte
'
Darwin Ortiz at the Card Table, bnew
knelt about
ut Ti MOULES,5,
asis
7!
1

conclude
1

ner ploy. Apparently unbeknown

a
He
nt corner When the to
me, the winning carq}
spectator points to this card, | a
wis

persona lity. Charlie Chaplin

notice
he bend. My only comment is, “Thiscard appear
is
bent!” In the act
1

moving the
bend from the
incine n corner of the rd 1,
expose the face of the card to the quite
audience, When
that it's now one of the
losing cards the reaction ¢
tremendous. A aly
re emphatic handling of this
convey revelation might
ating; this would detract from the audience
lv enjoying the
amazing thing that has just he appened
selling is definitely not the
of your approach to use in all, or even most
But in the right
Experiment with the place it can be very effective
idea of underplaying
you'll find a number the climax and I'm sure
good advantage
of SPOLS In your
magic where you can use it to

228
229
 Strong Magic

next time
see movie
I want to be sure
a see it
I
to
he By contrast,
' do want my clients think
I
to
be sure it's Darwin
r n

want to
e atertainer
re
1

Suntared many memorable movie If

pi

screens.
o

neo’ ¥

self-effacement not the

.
memorable performer

that the magician's job

is to sell

oe aagic to say
ome cliché I wholeheartedly.
agree
As a per
with
omThis 18 one ChCht
the
5

t
ig
©

If a medium
J
for conveying magic
Leojon't see a medium
m3
The magic ality.
mi
sesellingg my
CHAPTER
for
pe

BIE
for ¥

a
SEVEN for
2qther: the
Rath
m8

t rans
is
~end the peric
former; the
erformer; the perperformer should transcenc
“Our magic should be strong
THE FUNCTIONS OF CHARACTEY
~pould NOt
gic.
magic:
A : ry Kurtz
77
AUR has written,
1t we, as performers,
Eis

need to be even stronger and

the
memorable A book Magic by Gosh, Al Goshman put it
ble.” In his
and

re Me mo fm
t
selling ME.”
“The basic

reason that people

;
%eople.”
go 0 the movies, ,
watch tel
ore
bluntly
suggest that a more profitable
I
i model a is
Look at the most
:

better, standup comedy

%
,
ang

he
+h

Tan
Gary Provost, Make -ou think Jay Leno sees himself as me
Your Words
s
15, Work
the jokes from the mind of the comedy
Character vs. Magic
medium for
mind Jf the audience? Jay
Leno there to sell Jay Leno is
ide
the
When
writer tO
and th
the way
the o
was
he loes does
it.
The jokes exist to serve him; he ]

dest=
it comes to
characte:
and personality in the jokes.
magie, there are
of thought. The first Jay Leno, Steven Wright, George Carlin,
the all
(
schools

as been labeled by Michael] two and

Te
look
effacement
at

me” school. The cond would descr I

lose ag th
the eas
¢
=
mona oo Jed
andes today have reached the top because they've
schoo. lin this
school, Clos makes
se

thefor tt 1e self—effacemen
sal

ae HE i creating a style, attitude, and persona so

passage from his
book Wor, Number :

I:
:

ue, and appealing that it is indelibly

stamped on the
To do that, they carefully set out to fashion a

Le
own prefere nee is to con °r the magician
in the Same
you would consider a motion
picture screen the screen personality, then chose material that conveys that
is snality to the audience. They do everything possible to
So
the medium by which w
are able to view the
e
movie, If yoy
have eve been to a movie
the attention to themselves, that is, to spotlight their unique view the
is
of

iter when the screen stained

or dirty you know h w
the
distracting it is You become aware of
wor
screen and foey
the
s on the movi Likewise mag the The result is that audiences seek out those comedians rather than
15
medium by which the
.

spectators are able to see other comedians who might well be telling ver; imilar jokes. When
IMposs] happenings. This their
concerts, they may well remember
>

also the function of

is
people walk out of one of
classical musician; his
the mind of the
func tion is to tra smit the
music some of the jokes they just heard, but most of they remember all the
Compose to the mind of the
listener. If
*

performer.
perfec mance draws
undue attention to the
impact of the my Sic (or performer, When you're performing, the spotlight should be on you every minute
the magic) is
d

I
want to ma ke
2ssened. Je
when the focus is on an assisting spectator, the audience's
that | strong] that
i
c
However, Mich 16] gly disagree with this view. concern should be with how spectator reacts to you Ultimately,

|
Clos; so lucidly states
makes it easier for the opposition case that it you are the subject of the performance, The entire performance
me to explain
disagree. I've be an unfolding of your personality to the audience's view—
n

from a movie t} why

emerged
by fe
t I've ne Ver come
eater high nt husiastic
about the film I've just seen,
1

hopefully, to their continually increasing intrigue and enjoyment

out singing the
prajs s of the screen. don't reca I

230
 strong Magi
with using
Darwin Ortiz awa y

ai
esi
neve r ge
{

ve 1d
Fh
oa
W ill thin

setaPo
Pll
this ann
approach, as Michael Clo: he
onEges had no idea
the
¢
the mag On the contrary, it will in
jp, card
student re never didminds,
they

as
he magic? <
Crease the
the the
carafal ab in meno
o

Bug that yo canaally Ct

vou

of4, Pact
"op
and py, or hia Card magicians their
2 al prowess: card, this was a
In
3 his

Stevenen Wright's€Sent Hong

Ea
ona you've creat
:

leading
:
qQ W;

hordes.
P
a os

ght's
ver enriches his gags,
gags, making js magica Yoh C2
5c
persona of
take
st

them "ch to 8%€

8

he
his
capable
a

ed them
In, pn
funy;Han
5

rds were coming out anothe Set rc though fluenced

©

atue
of
c's

iea
OMic's 1
no more
ould have 11 reached
2

erso
selves cowlé
way, should enrich y moygp
persona
1

your magic, mak; In

1,

phe
tei
1
de ;

memorable them guilelessly

our

ee
,
ng
C, e SF

pand han they

© “4. They i rd
c& ;

.
_o their d, the force

aa
: n's ch ediately

eo comes mm
D

Charactor BieREE
he card memort
tion, r
1b

LL Aa
mn,

LL sobe

iihe ae ters
do the

ss 5
would
¢2

e
|
eeron Suggestion
oe Si camstances
we saw
saw howter when
ust
ectat on Y
iatiaors,
perception of an e fect. One of the
elements creating expectation m 10st
moldy
an uncery class rds.
hE

and then performed

the - >

0
a:

Cele
what cee u of
ERE
pect 1s kind of |
a card senile

a
believes the perform

a
s
e
i
eir his 2e choice vould
a
€

of
oga fee. rol of the people in
3 5

cf
starts the an Be e
L

he ct n ctator’s s choice
Eo
J

bx Suggestion
S

real WEEE, controlled the specta Bl tt

legexactly
strictly if
Nw
from
na besides had con words, oz
gine
non
pn did
sa
= 1 1

In other
: I

besides pres,tige Medea:

2
L

your persona ides assume

affect audic 5 theirPrestige th, Lean woul €

e an ectations and ther erefore entatl a g, t dies

trick.
:
ery : Lorayne “It's just a card

Pe
or

etipan
pepe
your
:

B
ga thing
m 1d think,

Ll
y

They wou to use a

impact, I have
ae
8

diff cent.
I'll ggive aphic ofof this its per beginning to

Se
hic example
example Ally
pro
at wo rk. hen effect to have
handle t he deck from
factor W]
os ly
ed as an instructor in the Ha order for the
In the pectators The only
it as real memory.
S
w hereby
2
rayne Meng,

mL
Lo;

ye
the 1 ns in each course were taug} oh make them accept
ke

alf ac;
is to actually do
5

5 Only then can “hands off’ approach

[

t me. Conse nsequently had many opport ‘

the ssary
by I

orm memory demonstrationss for Cofor tlthe

uden
s
achieve
a] memory
nec

One stur through

quite correctly, as a
7

stunt he sometimes
students perceive him,
fi Cl
some S did was to
it

ra
aldoclat
t he
memor
e

Oca

a
he didn’ emorize it. He would classic fore.
memorize that Harry's card memory stunt, they
that, when he does a
1e didn't v t
force a stude! expert mea ns therefore he can get away
sic

tell him t
c

uden an
his
a

ace it in ket
ket without
witho looking
at it through real memor
i

it. He would then him to do

rapidly spread through.gh the deck, pretend
- He
ti

finally nding
5
to memorize it an I
sleight of hand
ally name the forced card n:
sing
correctly, as a sleight—
I'm not telling tales that my audiences perceive me, quite

"i
memory stunt, they
¢ fact
elling out of (memory) scho ol. In | I do a card
3
not S

cpert means that, when

1

2
card books, Harry
out of J

has admi si-hand

5 2

elee
imitted that he sometimes pe ses off
;

have to use real memory

a use sleight of hand; therefore
5

mes 2 1
tr me mates
to
card

demonstrations as
as memmory y

and he
he has hlic the demon-—
published a couple the p of the stringent conditions under which
has ev
memory stunts. In any case. cat bir
no doubt that Harry could h is caus of the audience's perceptions of our
t} i 3
3

performed.
performed Because
if ion

aSioe
performed the
2 tion is is

the memory expert can use sleight of hand, but the

:

Sn
stra gitimately if he'd had to, but he d
egitimatelv
aeso
he’

have to he didn't. ct

Ee weHdate
eight-of-hand expert has to use memory.

I
In my gambling exposé

Le
put the memory skills learned from
I
show where he was attempting to
TV show
1

James Randi on w

The effect perform one in

which last I

is eos on the show, UriSeGeller.

guest MBE
ious
: of
5

ckery :
relating
ating the demonstration to the card duplicating Geller's phenomena, the
the

memory required in good job

like bridge and
and gin rummy and also ides
5

rd sed. He kept pointing out that Randi's;

¢

dass
ras counting at blackie U nhke ke Ha ro the stunt
rform c

‘egiimately,¥, just tricks. Yet he hshad not made simile

1

using
etnias
s were e
g Te

Geller on the previous show.

ls
232
233
 Darwin Ortiz
Why the h
did
respond so diffe
W
different ently to the
occasions? Because they san
Carrere Borformaq ac
people. The TV host knew
th
¢

had been tested by

t
Geller wag «od by
it

he
g : J tw

entists. Therefor Benujn,

0
SC

as genui psychic phenomena He oo

p

also knew
magician. Therefore, he saw his
Because your p rsona will
affe
demonstrat, 5
your audience
affect what they see when
you per 1 a trick

Character And Audience

cH APTER EIGHT no Oe
teresy In
Finally the single most Important
we come to
a
performing character will be wo Eh on Why yp,

CHARACTER
every mj= ute you de,
When you per rm als
for an audience, Tan — CREAT] NG THE
1

ng

want ther 0 to
yo
Y
You want them to be
interested Remember pay atten;
2 Pie are more interested in people than in what Pig,
any other gjy, gle sa.
serformarnce
you elf in perform u ork in
?

: playing
€€
to ‘be
ou the person
are

the center of at
every pe rforn thing €
¢

not ough for

former
part appropria
te to the
to care about your performance
t

ot
:

vant them
want ther ne
You give, e f
@
1g, qt is i

be you f

care about you YOU'Ve

got to get tp, have to
Anthony Rooley, Performance
You
hen 4 /

said in magic that if they

n
like you,
DE
hink this
think this notion far too simple-minded. (Afte
; they Jik
hon that way.
is

other facet of life How m ly natural; he just seems

x

ny times have you ever complete h s assets. He

1be another by rds perform or
rlts
thehe most st of
’

faults anc make

|
saying
J
J

Leds He's a nice guy

« good pet] and
but Ta
:

gore
0]

his
Hic vivid
‘No
i

? It he doesn't EE onceal more

;

make his presentation

d
doing” is true however,
?)

that if they are interested what

-haracterist ics which Hidesit
k I
»

will be inter
7

ested In your performance. If they find v, Bie :

5 08.e which against tell ship

oe Magic and Showmans
y

you'll find it
t
yo
i g

son,
d

very difficult 1ms, Mag

Henning NeNelms,
3

them to work
i
,

tin what you'r doing.

Why You Need A Character

persona con—
Joks developing
leve ra K
on P
advice
ac
found in magic u
extremely
Frankly, this advice
| v
t 1e usual
18
ists of the platitude, “Be yourself.”
simple-minded

.
selves.” We
really many differe
different sel
thefact that each of us is
Si
any

a
It ea
different
The way
Sai
at
ign
ignores 2

many lives.
to different people in our ol
It y

.nt faces
friends see us, and neither
8
L Ie
:

not the same way our

K :

us is
of ourselves
cent diff rent aspects
situations nt

challenge: the performer fac ts of himsese 1f to accent

18 what aspec ‘ts
acce
hma or once:
yoshman e.
©

Al (Gos
n his performances for best audience response
5

middle—
ribed his own performing character as “an overweight,
ch” Was Goshman
he w
letch off-stage? Frankly,
I'm sure he didn’t display as openly. He
don’t know,
found that, a
it
I
when he performed, letchery played well for him. By contrast, a good

235
 Darwin Ortiz
friend
mine nal magician and
of Strong Magic

fo
a gr
one ofthe
bigg “hers in the
world, ot he Man Yi
dogo are gifted with psychic powers and are demon
when he performs. Pres
quality
contri-butes nothing to the success
he has displ
nd tha, fo thi,
for your ente nment; the role is the same
.

seen them perform, you know that the two

the ve over
of
Performan
hb

suppresses this cl could not be further apart.

One is a boy-next-dooy
type
+
able
to read minds and dosn't
Despite the impression you may get from
some ms Bic al pens to be
other is
comp
search for persona is not some sort of myst
ragmatic matter. What aspects of yourself will
wi
ae how himself.
ud led him to
The

plore e
a
exotic character whose
and dwell in a world ve
ry different
es ave and do. They play identical roles but very different
yon
eo

context of the kind of magic you wan pov

oe
I
10?
What ok ASpec|
will most appeal to an audien from

il
of
s
yourself ad | the characters
most conviction to =
What heartily recommend is to watch various films and TV
§ Ww]

aspects of Yourse
oo
I

produce the reactions you want elicit from an

kind
of Ul
beg to Ww

consider how different actors interpret similar roles

an
audienpy ows
Telly Savalas as
Kojak and Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry
Compare» detective but the two are different
homicide very

°
Finding Your Character Both
iis
ge

with very different traits. Or consider how two different

s been written in magic about eveloping a perform,

cha

on
eeprivate detec
and James Garner
Humphrey
in
Bogart
The Rockford Files,
in The Maltese

the issue has

persona.
s ih
little there
istends to make jt
sound ike
E ame part can paint very different pictur
lay people
to be
form your fir,
;
ven \ctors playing
Christopher Lee, and Frank Langella were
cter, then you start
3

‘aculas. The role the same, the characters quite

¥

convenient way to discuss the e makes certain demands and impos:

analytica The point 18 that
la
a
j: 3

my role can be filled by numerous

subject will take the
s¢ y
appr But this ; in restrictions, yet any given
;

fiction. You don’t cre nality types

€
a persona, you evolve a p Sona over time kinds of effects
your role is defined by
like painting the you perform.
vith broad strokes and
gambling routines, comedic magic, occult effects, and
ou go along. Mental effect:
So
other types of n agic each define a
role. a good place for you to
h developing persona takes time. that doesn't mean
Bo
a
you just wait long enough. Just 0 it will
start in your qu st for a persona is
to think about the kinds of tricks
suggest about the kind
most like to p rform and what
those tricks
Y 11

g to any
and look at all the cou

magicians who've them

person who would perform
in been
magic of

SEE
Conk
twenty-fi we and still have no
5%
years,
or more
the othe end of
our equation we have the
raw materia

= identity when they perform than they did when

Hive At

4 an tk : (shor!
their
erformed role. These include your gender, body type

Shea
[
fi to the
sona will if
1

olve
evolve with time e only (handsome or
skinny, fat, or muscular), your facial appearance,
¢

Aldous Huxley once homely, refined or coarse, WASP or ethnic) speech pattern (formal or
what you do with
18n't
5 what
i da al,
2
|
informal, academic or devmoto cathe
any regional accent or
speech

os
}

wha
yc

ete), your
1
t
to you.” If you do nc
)

iment), personality traits (mercurial, phlegmatic,

A 8
\ :
periorming ex periences,
f

ences. that's what you'll end

:

who are
3

up with. Wi that ou you

ime 1s to analyze, que 0

seriment and, most of all, think,

rests, and most everything makes
else 3

about

yourseelf
some the most useful
the
of
hings think about when asking
“Justt who am when I'm performing magic?
t to
Pay particular attention to your
vbe youre very articulate
ts: what people like most
or have an appealingly
offbeat
to
warms
of humor, or a sunny disposition that everyone
:
I

ole vs. Raw Maters,laterial: More than should

capitalize on these things as you
to
th

Se anything your persona should to

}

else,
e

It only makes sense try

g ay
ut of the interaction
betw,
a person bring to
ur role and the raw materials ashion your persona
You
that

ne
role mentioned above
as

First.
£ it"
It's important 0
No matter what
anyone tells you, none of the traits bo
magician
understand the difference between the role need bar you from playing a particular role. Virtually any
+ :

and the charact

1cter \mazing Kreskin and Max Maven both per-
:

236 237
 Magic
strong
Darwin Ortix ances
Do auc lie
pest for you
f

r plays humor. sar

ad of humo doing physic
1

Are
u Arre
yr? Here ag
and re spond
Ww
to in
hey 5€€ tend vo
qualities © nd questic ns you you a
ot comme ants comment
what ¢
f
may B1Ve
kinds hance Jed
a P erfort
mance they
play after

i
to
ceive you
If, estions
Tnsteag, th slant their ids
n
the way you to
: they imagine
4 of backgroun arly tongue—
(in fact, partic
_in—ch eek
comme nts

ol
ling
tongue ptions
ven
nts) © the audience s perc
»

It's to use yo can MOE

characte
to such
of
‘mine what
If youre sensitive Eiaracte
al irtually
€

wher you per 7 write your €ie

portr? ay auc ce
| find the
1
ang lo fine.

point at which
k

tW0 lineg
Z
> AS

profile
The Char acter }

togethe or a character proj”

start inf out LO
consider re
Haveli oa
objectivity hd that you

should incluce all

ping.
yrmation tk hat you
This include adjectives desc
and personal
anecdot
traits, rele vant history mé ay
tter that the 1 ems of personal be listed to
but own past They should still
play, it's only th odesfro m your not
les of your past that are
mirror that is mumuchCL from tho
m
wat L

Ore 18 NC

mirror idience
t a one—tin re thing.
SE
of ri

audience perceive together, be cause this is not

put to again and again
file is something vou will return
to add items, and to it,
vs in which audie nee reaction will guiide
jut your p rforming care
items. 0 time, what me
to study
1s a or even clichéd,
pl
he
:
6
.
= onsider the
perform them.
effects
You'l
you to thit
that bl
e

sharper
a of what works best for you,
you develop an
how audiences pe ive f i

u arer
in
10
probably
front
us who you wi \t to be when you get up
to perform

might bo story
bizarr utines, mental

ng Character And Daily Life

.
s probably beca

id
Gl
that resonates to the: do mag there is one more factor you
=oping
ty you don't for a
a
liv
living,
cts play better for you characterization: the relationship
€
a
You some insig into what kind of perso ona and your off-stage personality.<3 When
4
tneis
In m
you would be wise mpson is on stage he the
the great Tomsoni, a bumbling g

ho
is thoroughly ess. But in his private life he doesn’t
¢

239
 Darwin Ortiz

to maintain th acterization | *ecauge

interacting with ¢

members
But, if you're a non—p
your magic audience.
sistent with the
way
much credibility for
persona should grow out of your true
pergg
elements. 0
ason
you'll emphasize some In gq

it
downplay others. But
i
of youp
long as
all baseq
teristics it will ring tr e even to those who on
know You bg,
x

YOU
begt,

~ cONVEYING THE CHARACTER

CHAPTERNINE
Me. I'm lling an image. An image of an overweight,
ling
se

letch. Thats the image I'm trying to sell and I never get
mid Jio-aged
.
theme.
ther
offthe
1 basic

Albert Goshman

pully explain your characters through dialog, behavior, and

appearance.
Nash & Oakey, The Screenwriters Handbook

So you're at the point where you have your persona clearly defined in
your mind With experience that character has become both concrete
and detailed, and the portrait has been committed to paper in your
haracter profile. The only problem
know that
is
that your audience doesn't
you've decided you're magic's answer to
Agent 007, James
Bond. Now you have to transmit that image from your mind to the
audience's mind
Simply telling them won't do the job. You have to
follow the writers
time-honored dictum, “Don't tell; show.” You have to let the audience
figure out for themselves what your character is. At least, you've got
fo make them think
they're figuring it out for themselves. Naturally,
you helpfully lay out a series of clues to guide them
The key
to
conveying a unique, clearly-defined character is consts-
tency. The hallmark of hack fiction is
the character who suddenly acts
completely out-of—character in order to solve some plot problem
for

the author. Magicians often make the same mistake, breaking char—
cter to gain an easy laugh, to simplify some handling or presenta-—

241
10
that
Darwin Ortiz
strong Magic
clusions
nelusic fir
us draw firm
that
«

all

(oP
¢

thought of
men knew we
_¢

con
Me

following what
Ji
»
vhe
:
:
¥
pages we'll
€

sider on conclusic

j
he'll often draw
i
ly :

how
everything you say, do, wear and touch on youul
shy or slsoutgoing,
ative or extravagant, social clas
or

every of Your S in ch, idio

an
8

performance le
de

audience. If
to ackeround,
.thnic backgrou
split
you thi
ler th ancial fore you'v
€
uttered a word. Conse
"
cl
qualities tunity to to convey
DE

nd otheray
rt

movie stars will

(another w
appearance47° =o
pur first opportunity
audic ce. That
means your 8-CoS !
hire ad
your
-

no70S)
to
they've built up. (Y
persona agicians think
Most close-up magicians
hin
hoolteacher.) The: surprise
2

produ
»"
to Hory,
costume ge magicians have
y

oduci
agents to plant stories in the it thes, hing that only
never
ably think that you nude—
*SS
Depp omething
meg, m
and even insist on veto of them,
in
ur csCaeees
E

Power eo one YOU perform you the

articles about then lest a
to their image
picture ap, in costume: perform in costume. you dc ou
of it, even
5
>
if
Ur 0Wn smg|
a
think make a
x
ne thins a performer to s lected by
to to

ay attire
ice
it selling your
audience. However whatever your
oo You ;
rg
every action and word—even
your appearance throug on on his audience
will make an impres on an
= yu perform
with that thoughttiin min it
d 1

chose
‘hose
whether.r or not you fa
1

your
or

What You Wear when you perform

f
5
f 18

ver
whatever
© wearing
wearing Y¢ youre
= 3

clips or cuff li are not to be undermine the

rly eschewed. I cannot bring myself ir n The
9g
portant th
attire
your attire not send messages that
=
\t
rmine the
This means you've got to ask yourse be
If
not s

tterns po 1g playing card Sor .bunnies com Mens

>
to
trying to pro)
AE you're would my character
5

ssary Cert ain} oe sories

cngwear? and
ton ac
characte
to the true cardman jewelry,
d of clothes, jewelrs
clothes, f
those
1oustaches against to put together a wardrobe along
ould
capes.”
iy

or f, r? Then 8
to
$

David Beng, think word of warning is in order. Your

I
a

with everything we
2.

WE
fany
bo
onD8 magical show manship
k
nvey your character. But as
are loaded with fashion a key consideration is credibility. There is a
ing, and pe sonal hygiene this chapter, iid
in this
:

tips. There's no denying thog and

theatrical in your attire. Wearing a turban
n
char ! : :
ss
3
but
&
you can go into any hog things ver in being too
ot an occult
and find plenty of good not the best way to convey the character
ri
books on the
!

I
.

jects written by e rts, so why should a nineteenth—century riverboat dandy

be
pretend
t
a fashion consultant?
Instead magician Jus
your appe nt to concern myself with how is not the best way
to convey character of a gambler. Such tactics
how they
S how people
see
your character and, thi arefore vill only convince your audience that you're a clichéd
imitation rather

heyday of the big con in

he
genuine article
this country pro fessional fully wardrobe that reflects your persona,
often meet som e con m
put tog
wealthy businessman and, within a couple how our reactions to others is molded
succeed
In convincing him, without a ny collateral, to turn o
ve
to
develop a sense for
A good exercise to watch other performers and ask is

ee
of money sarance.
to them. These well educated and highly
what m their appearance sending to the audience.
is
f

usinessmen were willing to | put their

commute to work on the train, observe other passengers and

a
trust in cor ;
arge part | con men were able to convince
their
that
victims pu
dress, grooming, and demeanor
>
Sherlock Holmes, Try
their attire and
deduce everything you can about them to
they were the grooming
1

same pe of men as themselves and therefore

t¢

sn't matter whether your conclusions are right or wrong. The

242 1s you draw consciously in these exercises are the same

243
 Darwin Ortiz

a
kinds of conclusions your audiences will Strang Magic
dray
they look at you. Indeed, they're the kind other If that's
6

any
way. the
of ro n you should
already drawing unconsciously every day as One] yg way and always say
that is, it that

way. Phat
T}
meang
What these exercises will do help you with should be written out
oo raj

conscious level so you can start us these people in strongly

insighyg +np Mer
ho
audiences. oe . are some oppose
scripted
us ual argu
5
that si
ted patter sounds
ommend you pick up a copy of the best memorize 1

Si vould point
t

professional
0
1ll

John Molloy: Not all work

and study it carefully
I'm not work from s seripts written
automaticall adopt every to see any really perform the same effect on
good

ion he makes,
pro
¥
,

study his thinking. Molloy lifferent audiences you woul,

mmeng lation; 3 find
half-dozen words difference in
the
2

executive
2

persona you want to conv and may be, if y,

there's
it -ase when
: amateur magicians are often shocked
they have the chance to sec a
tc
how work),
number of
no
re tedly, for example, in a trade show or if they
magician

be sed
orate VP material. The y
understands the way attire Eo
and py,
rformer

\dlibs aren't
from
show. It's a revelation
adlibed
station to station
y
them discover that to to

te
‘ate people, much Jj, “Ming
con men did. That's the lesson you want to te the g]q._, evolve their patter through repeated performances
learn and apply
t
time pres Ls
magic. Bite tg
time ttles into set patter which, through constant
a

if
Your
in performance, committed to There
Of course,
for memory
1

you don’t do magic liviing, your

costume but there a memorized Many othe
J whatever you happen to be
wearing Whenever you hay
jg
yg script.
script their patter on paper. Either way, if the
portunity to do a couple of tric; That doesn't change the
s
still a costume. It simply
means that you should go
f; performer 18
the presentation won't sound memorized when
,
is it
erformed.
whole wardrobe to
make sure consistent with your persona phi
it’
over vo 5

That Tt tior that scripted patter must sound memorized is disproved

Sr
Tl
ldn't mean that you'll have
1 at s

to burn ev, erything on Broad

Broadw those actors on stage are working from
11 >

in Your night
/

and put together such rv

a radically new wari robe committed to night they make the
0

Yet,
your friends will that none se memory. every

recognize you. If it does, you've their lines as

of

character too radically removed from ge ttled on me alive and deliver if they" re saying them for
should mean instead that your true self to
re ally work t time
you start making
Jy

decisions to reflect fully those your clothes buying the biggest reason why a magician's memorized patter may
y

cts of your personality that . memorized is that the performer hasn't memorized it well
want to emphas; memoriz
y
y nd 1

continually struggling to remember what comes next

continually
3

ough. He's He'sh. s

that ar realizes that he isn't speaking

:

lience sens ¢ h
nd

he's reciting memorized lines. That problem is

What You Say ps taneously;
|
avoided. Really memorize your patter. Memorize Memoriz it to the point
oo
poin where - patter. »
the

ection we're going to it in your sleep, to the point where you could
talk to
xe
ut how
s te

fash
during an effect in such as to convey your thinking of something completely unrelated.
You can't that do
if ally, you'll have to do just that. Something will go wrong

sons we'll be discussing) that

ery time you
for conveying your character
m the same effect

e
ly (and for other
with an effect and you'll have to deliver your patter “on
pilot” while you concentrate on figuring out a way of solving SpA tk

i2
you have set” patter for each effect technical problem.)
The underlyi remise Im from the belief is
that, whatever Once you can deliver
your patter without thinking about ont.
at any point Porkicg
ot
t,
you have to
K L

g
ect, there is always one way uf that when you perform you are thug about
Y

Satie C 8
:

cl 3

effective, and more in what you're

saying. Concentrate on communicating UC what
vhat you
yc have 1
to

244
245
 Darwin Ortiz

Sayto your audience. In Strong

othe r Words, Magic

en
whenever you t alk to you g,
people. The only
have to decide how you're
Gall reveal ourselves to the world is by
the ;ays
Ways we
differen, Same One of
the in
ig Ding Yo
4

word
going t o Phrase By Almost every fingheli
®

come automatically because

you've
<
ji The at Yoy Vig These words all convey essentially
os: same

a iea a
go,

already, Pecifi, |
memory. > Wop "0 convey different messages
about the person using
or So
2
OMmitteq
the ij

i
to be used by a well-educated person,
hey
And you won't
run the risk that after
ok 3 are more
di
aus
ly
bu

you could have the Performg, Th Some are more likely to be used hy
more dramatic
expressed your thought
or more entertaining, jn , way th. = You
Hie word: an uneducated
others by a BX
thinking beforehand. You'll You) ha hee Clogy,, 0 others

nto
SE frend y used by someone
2 a ou Tine > 5
written that way down, and
already have found ne th an more lika Joa
of interest or a particula
St way gy the
tg
ly

memorized it, be, Gome

: 25
particular
nl additior
addition to the he “sounds
In WIbR

“sounds memorize or
rized” Ih of gambling routines, one of my
objection raised against argument, gh, ngcomeone makes a specialty
ap.
;

scripted patter 18 that othep who 5

memorized you won't be able sicians who p ose as gambling experts yet use all the
to jf So ot Stn,
Ta
i abe
Ase
adapt to eves 18
in their gamb patter. Gamblers have a Ee
1s a silly
argument used by people who Unexpected ocoun, Mer er Ing Ls of

et=a
terms best
an 0
jy

are t00 lazy ¢ own;

one of the projecting the persona
patter and ving to justify that lazinesg to Thi

a agembler of

gc oa peit
ne
thet
his patter (and really Anyone who hei Bb
someone who has of his life around
memorizes it) knows that Is

ler
makes it easier to respond that language and use
to EMorige,

ee
it.

unforeseen events, memoypj,

ad Jus:i0 25

Of course, you have Patte, atter of technical terms, Bal) a = i

or
a ineiese
to deviate from the non—gambler wouldn't.
dealt with the Script but, ag S00n
thread of
unexpected development, You
the Prepared patter at the can smooth]y ag You yoo ain
of a
phrase
g&
it should affect even your pal
appropriate point. Cong

SE
you're in a much he tter Consider t!
position to deal with the os s.
that card a different for
Ta
=
magician who is aly Vays want ©

os
making it up ag 1e goes Unexpected gh, an Do you
choice?” A gambles
mind is free to im with your
}

Provise when nece along because Your 2

stick
card for different one or yo »
that ca a
Yad.t
do
Chet Miller once said, “When ry. s the A
great ment), to exchange
things to think about than
I'm performing,
I've got ician might say,
“I cid
what I'm going to more imports pat?
L .
mieht say, “T'll lay you odds it's t
5
ro
say next.”
;

Although | strongly believe gable]

that written a mental effect. But

an he
approach to patter for both scripts are the most effective chic and an occultist might dioald use different
prof onal and Bol : per different PeISCRag
think it's particularly

aa
amateyy magicians, | fpoy 2
trick, but the psychic
approach if he's to reach his
mportant that the amateur magician logy. They might both
ful] potential use this
BE allit
a demonstration an ote viewing” while the occultist
professional has the luxury as a performer. The
Be ht both do a prediction trick,
ails
or
trick, during which he of countless performances test of “second sight.

po oie
of the same
can refine his patter and psychic might refer as “precognition
virtually without commit it to memory
The best ying. The amateur doesn’t have that while the occultist calls it “the gi i
way to compensate 3 sou should go through
possible into the for that to invest as much advantage
is thought as
=H you have all your patter
Dow
dat RleCaishe
iti
patter before the pe rformance. 3

opportunity ity to sell your character

those scripts searching for every
11
every
i

script is an absolute For that, a opp +

For t}
y

necessity,

bi
and phrases. Just al important,
ti check to
Before you let h oug h yor ur choicee of words
through words your ases. as

one of
sure that you're not using any words or ases that clash wiith
written scripts are a your
Fer
magic club friends convince you that
1

make sure
f)
1 ke that
y

hag idea, ask

ie = ec
character, things that character er jus wou
e

yourself just how good an

+
just
your .
.

entertainer the person 3

believe the offering the advice is can only I

tell you that Anecdotal Patter: Whenever a magazine a profile on a ce lebrity s
3
use Off prepared i
I 4

in be coming a scripts t is one o f th € most t important

the pros know strong performer. One of the greatest secrets that all
important steps
stej erotnntoresting person he ey always rely
6

arily on one tool for >

-
=

nDinde
ote.
oi whe at kind of person he is:
Se
4

a picture
but that is almost unknown among amateurs is this:
r

= loaded with them. Anecdotes re veal char

5
of

Alway;
same th ing
i
1y the
at the same pont in each ick
int i

trick you do. di by showing how

a person reacts
acts situation.
in a p articular situ
Thats
That's why i
ituation.

246
247
 but we
alveads
effect wi

tin
Ask yourself
screenwriter
2

in this situs
Darwin Ortiz

anec dotes can be a very effec

to

that's tie was

look like a
Erni
an audience
Weinmagicians often

S|

pan
i
ofte

oe
Sn
anecdotes
them anecdotes.
with meaning, g. | that in depth ag,
Yzed story patter
°t

possible, you fashionfas

protagonist of the tale. your
Wheneve
es

section I
story pag
to sell your character to the. do that

aiaie
the same questi
ston every
asks himself
1at question. Once
Vay you respond
¥

Ne

ow
ce

Patter
call th, Cmeg fo
S a

recommen :
30 as

audj

W
i
€nce

you really understa nd Would yy ob

yo’ got the
your Ve
coward or a buffoon i n PakCHs tory,
your
m
techp;

to
ey

novelist,
o

you Pers,
st

bgt
?
f
use

In

i in
d
=
;

Se
7

“r
for You
y,

w
to
¢
Teve,

4
Yeelly

4
y

Ww

Bi
qe
u must
8 ense
in igu

the “ udience:

They 87€
to

usually
ourse: it helps
¢
5

Lhey're

of ten
of WO nde r

if we ¢

orformances are
athlessly
» you're

worth
ave to
try ing to
the auc
u
Proje

ight in g0
be humorous;
avand introduces
ect.

1d.

for himself
.yforms alone revealing a great

an
n
is that heople
to
back up

a brilliant
he

our
is

Shen
PC

te nd to take

claims.
example of this.
of his work has
line that
Jiminate any At th e same time
proje ot your
that help s jience. Such lines ar! e
>¥°

it may b e
an
:
us 0 nour
that we are as we
PRE I
C laim

rtually
described
jmplies a

image and
©

not

serious or
effec t by saying
becauseD it helps
de al about

Ea
2
es

a4
eck
Strong
Magic

to
projeject theAE]character of a Coward
z

‘on I've
ever heard
or read
that Lav and an artist but is
FersJ
3 :

or buffoo n. I've heard question

rd

If your There's
of
nO
patter pick one example. wonderfully
you story doesn’t
ter story artist
:

portray vo thefws
y you Want to 8 £0 Del Ray, to
(218

=
nge the story, change the amazing,
my OPC Del brilliant,
artist. One of
a

story vaCleNTect: or C ome oy

Ray as
tation. Ifr nothing5 else wo TKS, dro,
presentatio
heard him de cribed as anDe Ray isn't is
Yop 0
¢

Slory yp with
To
ribe
repertoire. Nc one trick iss P tl‘he effec an Ee

I've never
an artist and Li
1

5 . Tom
4

important e enough to S ning, but and 1s described as

No
-

everything E you're ju stify ung while avand works

ant ji

you'r rying to accomplis René Lav

accomplish h in You der, t such an image
to

perfirciarioh
1g

our the reasons try to projec of an artist.

3 :

I
realiz
realize some readers will object Ray doesn't the image

Set
Del ject
stories, the oe
:

that at least
r.

to

a
tha consciously pro;
to convey that
all realizes the 4 and very designed
isn't cetrue. Nevertheless we
18 telli 8 a fancify) Patt -T y ha!
with “character
lines”
effect “Perhaps, Some
Ho ie loaded
Lo

theless, if you're the Lavand’s

;

your behavior in the

ly

tale: H is patter
one example,
in Bach.
st, will color the way peo ple look atof the to Johann Sebastian
:

TO take just
patter and backgrou ind Testories i oplicitly compares himself
:
* notion.

are among the

are You. Stop,
y

Day.” he first
expl
if Johann Sebastian
Bach was
have fior selling your
5

aydiorn or Potent too) you

S
¢

line is, “But

Your character
to character with just seven notes,
8

exact
therm talstis the audience*e—if the (The
his marvelous music
elligently you h AV € capable of composing four just
©
with
w ith a little illusion
Y-
v
to ug
Charac; can humbly present you
to himself as an artist.
varacter Lines: (He
Jace
>

Lines: B character lines, I don’t rhaps |

refers
1;
By

mean th € little wrinkles specifically

als
around the copmer s of your Ba He then
7 effect he's striving for as, little
utopian perhaps, just
Si :

your I'm referring to

) 7)
4
“A
i»
define your 1s ter Lines that hep the
.

bes
for the audience. These
ae lines that
ee an artist.”)
1

way you think, the

the reveal the dream

ia
{he of

unique slant you you have

%, A
criticism of Lavand’s

LC
migcons -ue these observations as
have on life, a
Here is a character Don't
truth. On the contrary, I
i

Fone
I use in
one of my gambling artistry. Nothing could be further
from the
going to teach
thaats oho 0Pok Ard lho the technique underlying
us yan
de
mean it as an admiring analysis of some

Si =
of
at Blackjack, is
all learn from. Once you're clear on
gros
eat.” This line always 30

gre can
En
ot

i
audience What's from
or y ts laugh

Fl i Thi Loomond
the
to us now is every opportunity to sell that persona through
punchline is funny
er a laugh. The
a subtle and clever as those
k for
1t's unexpected. It's I've just cited :
most people don’t thi Fors
(ea et
because patter
Cu
lines as
that line, reveals way. The fact thatT Datter and. I
Having read this far into the book
.

3 al
oe
about my character
to the in
oe
the value of precisely

lg el a
Character lines are believe strongly
I

way looking
do en humorous
=
rric i7dic
I've discussed patter this long without
iis
an offbeat
bh

- oe
of

oea world.
ah
line humorous the term patter. That probably hasn't
von
=e eat
particular world view Al]
should go Sorel know what patter don’t they? Patteris,
248
in
every laugh line your
€h ia what Jon
y
while
you perform a trick. Actually, I don't happen

249
r Darwin Ortiz

agree with that definition, but haven't off,

Strong Magic

i
er La
I

because it brings up an issue I wanted to Own you chooseto perform. The characteristics of the

a hat mold audience perceptions about

off -
affects
I believe that patter is everything yoy, diseygy Ming, will particularly
8 ung,
Et o the

er
Hy

audience's perception of your magic. In tale u

aboyg or Men
i

the connection between character and an sources of substantive meaning of the

tio Effects dealing with topics such as
audience’s expectations before you even be, ech We've ssed earlier.
influence the way they perceive an effect, Th Your pg or con games, for example, all have
Voodoo, & ambling,
~

SIG but they also all carry messages

pect or an audience,

oma
something you before starting the say i
tere
ine

0
geist ing
meaning them. 0
fc he
fact that you have a special
2

» doing
OW
their perception of the effect. In fact,
t me
cont I

fg
fh.
can how to perform Voodoo
th is performe
performance can lead them to re-evaluat
“Ing yoy
polterge ist
phenomena, know
particular effect or the entire they
hat's Why
say
alta th
aay i ow card cheats or
con men operate is very character
doesn’t.
1

that every single word you say to a spectator o of, the average per son
be thought of as the kind of person each of
ithin the hog Dia
pariore ally want to
3

a
spectator before, during, or after the
he
a
const;
tellus poy on what kind of persona you've
Most professionals realize this and for that
5 !

suggests? That depends

pe, 18 that you must choose effect themes,
character as long as they're in the presence of alwg
8 stay 1 ourself: The point
while actually doing tricks. They're used to
erforms
performance and
i
peppering them with
€
pe RIS
ands
audiency
5 comj é

up ale
Jug
due Je ing a hey mesh
0
the interest they
hold for
with your character. The ones
the audience but also for how
that fit your persona
The ones that don’t will not play so
articularly well for you.
Il

answering those questions is part of the performan oe

a
know
the oft-stated observation that a
ruth underlying won't
wie
I
Jl play
What
then is patter just as much as what they 88said d 8 the tricks
Chey

s.
Y
V ©
That's the
works for one performer
necessarily work for another.
Of course, this is much easier for professionals that

done oll
}

cmore—and this is
the vital point—an effect that fits your
dealing with the audience when they're workir theyre nl; the entire performance. By
will tend to strengthen
he:

IH Thome, well
doesn’t have to be “The Wizard of Wore
bi. rsona into sharper focus it gives you something
for
ar: +
his
1

neighbor. A professional mentalist DeXt~dy,

et nging Your Pe off. By contrast, an effect that clashes with

tie
ther effects to play
7

the

ea
ay
while hanging out with his best friend But on peye fe
will only tend to confuse your
audience and weaken the
amateur,
:
hig poy;
pe! rsona
door neighbor and his best friend
are his

aoohe
performance as, on
some subconscious level, people are left
vi

entire

Bena important for the amateur “Who this guy?” is

Sn
to devel wondering,
of his
true personality. That way, oe of an effect is largely a function of the presen—

favfoes etween his “on-stage” behavior and hr Of course, tk he theme

earlie r discussion of substantive meaning showed,
the

nid ee
Be tation. As our So when we
that, I feel it's still important to sires be pre sented in vastly different ways.
os his same effect can much
Ba fang t alking about effects so as
talk about themes were not
to friends when not performing or

gn the ply
ey £3
always have to be conscious
perceive your performances. It's som
of, ari effect/presentation combinations.
can be cloaked with different
that
any effect can be sold
However, to say that the same effect
.

presentation 8 is not the same as saying

under any theme. Remember the central
importance of credibility in your presentations.
What You Do Tone: Closely related to theme is
t he matter of tone. In Make
Your

andbetiadage defines tone as “a consistent attitude

Although we've g
Words Work, Gary Provost
important patter is in revealing character
we shouldn't An effect

x ip
about the material” That definition works well for magi c.
In The Element that actions speak louder than words

Sednaisain
tone,
Blacker writes, “A character ay have solemn tone, a lighthearted tone, a tongue-in-cheek
farcical tone, to name a few possibilities. Many of
revealed by René Lavand's
a

1s
This a simple but profound statement
a

Fite and ffonbssgo, effects have a romantic tone. I don’t mean romantic in the
Valentine's

i
audience
ce will decide
acide what kind
>

| of person you 01

in a i
w

arere by what they

see you of the world.
sense, but rather that they reflect a romantic view
by

ay

: :

As a magic
agicia ;

do is magic tricks. Therefore, the single most effect presented with different tones.
= with theme, the can be
:

oul same Through

have in conveying
you

your character to the audien® Compare Masklyn ye Mage's presentation of the “Needle
250 251
 Darwin Ortiz

with Harry Anderson's Strong Magic

Arm”
Same

Joe,a
Ea
off.
This means that once again we're. tric k with a pen. If you want to
presentation package
now far you can change the
with them
nature :5
el talki going to
rage
p€ rform
you might pull a plastic Bic pen out
ba perceived as affluent and upper class
You'll never be able to
“Hippity-Hop
Success
Rabbits.” = Choke out 8
+t Blanc pen. If you're persona
mold, you might take out a pen
is
that of a
the Jack Benny offices with the
sou oe security chain

ei ee
It's Eat and post
necessary for every effe t
not banks
tone. However, some 8 ar ctryou gg, 0
COR 2
1d four

personas. It fh only
out of character 'Rcompgy;
a
hy
tot:d
rform the Bruno Hennig/Fred Kaps
magicians pe Jlected
p oCLibly
L d

a farcica] for
an effect
etiect with
with
a farcical tone as for With severa |
aay card folded up inside a small
Su,
a
Lavang,.
Happy
Anders, Gi 2 Per, revealing a since before the trick began. I've
effect with a romantic tone, Anderson’ ot
1%

full view

rune od po hat been

ron in: side a ringbox, a candy tin, a
1

man. You can't be both a

4

tha shoe
cynic and a or
"3 sed from
"lg
185g
ard produgse chocolates box, and a tin container painted
oer c,
2

not limit you to one to ne,

€

hoon
ne
our persona should
|
> small
Get the effect was the same, but the
each case,

a
&
of tones you can effectively bug wij in,
\

on
adopt in
understand your persona you know your p re, Sentationg,
lim ¥ 1
like @

dow conveyed about the performer was different.

ies
ado Ve;

it er
Bp
3

0p
:

what tk orange £you go Iya, that t the

Pr s

audience about what kind of

11

props tell the

hat y <

a
8
at th

Selec ing Effects: All

thisnis leads
leads us to of
eac ho easily figure that out for yourself
o If what kindcanof person you assaciate with each of
did You
ap import t
Be 3 =e
ha effect is a great trick doesn’t
on mean th; truth, the the perfor’
You. The fact that
»
you like a trick is not
AY:
s a I'Se.
ing you
hid enoug h reason great
to pe Horn
X
:
This Faas f,,
hs
ck

i
a 1€Sson
5
and Balls with polished

Se
isse
very few amateur magicians
a

someone perform the Cups

oh
4
This else do a great trick oh : learn, eye
§8 Ww
or china teacups, or the plastic cups that
Tr
you

ora
>

so th = ce
2
Thy

themselves.
mselves. lave tg Start or pape r cups,
;

This exemplifies
This

ex s,
Meals” promoting Steven Spielberg's
1
the amateurs do %
fcDonald’s “Happy
selfing
Tt
0 magic The
RE ne pith hs
5 It

your perception of that person change?

prof
professional realizes there are
SoG de
> i
ng

SO
appro, would
U

5 admire movie? rick

How
have to admire from afar many
a
:

Sei
with a one~dollar bill? Or two-dollar bill?
>'l]

ick
without ever Performs
©

they're€ not right far him. :

richt
This approach takes dise; 18
lar bill? A French five-franc note? A Malaysian
1:

fornot

CEs
Suppose

only path
to junit
de an
strong magic. 2 bill? A Confederate bill? Monopoly money? Yes, the
on
4 ©

contra might have to be justified by the

a
By T twenty

a
time you'll find J
| gave examples
trick that works Or

fe
antLiy: aside from the presentation, the prop itself
more
often this will be because

Ni ss-
<

ause the theme ation. But, quite

you
i
effect actually low and
develop the character more
= g,
to
tone present
me age about
person. the
eld
you
ries a
o pec ehhast
tongue-in-cheek, “Card cases made of
c

of your persona that

developed
“Ped belore. Such a character—def; David Bendix once wrote,
that the cards contained
definingr tricks are worth their leather must not be used, as they suggest
tri
eight in gold.
ever owned, leading to

:
Your goal therein are the only ones the performer
do
is consis tent
should be
to make sure that at
minimum, every effect you natural suspicion. Once, incredibly, saw a card performer remove
rubber band! Use only the
1

& character.
your chars 2The from his pocket a pack encircled with a
with

develop the char very best ones actually help truth

so that, by the end of supplied by the manufacturer, as God intended. There's
has a better ae Da #
08
Who you
arethan
the trick, the audience
they did when you started. ind Bendix’s humor. deck in a leather card case, or encircled by
ber band, or in the original case all carry different messages to
udience, not only about the cards themselves, but also about the
What You Use person them.
who owns

a
In the Molloy
book
mentioned earlier, Dress for Success, he spends
Look
at every
prop you employ in your magic and ask yourself what
considerable time dj
scussing how accessori
pe 8, and handkerchiefs affect
:
accessor
é such as jewelry, wallets
other people's
s

of you nA
s
that
prop about you. You may know
rubber band effects, but does
says
couple of great linking
bringing those rubber bands out of your
a
are his acce ories, (Indeed, perceptions
magician’s prop 8 rocket label you as a white—collar office nerd in the eyes of the
and handkerchiefs jewelry, wallets, p
areoften
f used as magic props.)
audience?
In
the real world, those are the only people who normally
252
253
40
324
Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
carry rubber bands on them Similarly wh
CTA
ake that can be .asurable help
immeas
(

of
thimbles say about you? Is it what at dopg
tl 0g lista you
gho
audience, We'll call these
)

You want
your t wo
IE
to th
persona e
veying your
you?
;
trig
3 y
Magia
Ragje
0 mma
Wig rher®
A

con The first should art & with the character

you ask yourself,6 what does this
(5:
gg, 10° 1istS
pr terial flv
:

ous chapter. Under it

make
pracyou oo
If fiv
lines,DRE
3

PARAL
1
ou 4
aby,
ow 1
§ +
J
8.

Prop say about

made in
the
like the answer you come
up with, there a Ne, ¥ lress, terminology, character
sharacte effects,
2s,
@

are Bovis anq m¢

dress

i
|
headed:
do. One
1s Be
,
ilo
to see if you can substitute hes
a diffepe, sh ould
possible reason for using a particular
frequently wear when performing
y
at
is f,
23 i

that came with the trick when Prop

you bought
the
list 1te
“helpful in conveying your character
o& character. of
This
24d: :
’
5
jcularly
substitute something else, even it. You
if jt
: th

are P? art
tie, or jacket that's important
because
partict a. Ee
me ans having gn,
make
it
:

for you ry or other

2lies
i

It may also include jew

Si
W
Someone
3

udide
@

PoE
|,
“stg, nn.
design, OF q
f:
:

If all else you have one more option. Dyg list words and :
style
figme &
,

P the trig] k ories Under

2;

repertoire. It worth repeating: the fact sons we discussed earlier. Under

SudeaSpa
that an from
he
doesn’t mean that a great trick for you. If effect ig
it's for discussed in that -
ns
Yous
E

work
oe of the type we
a A

the Props
gre.
great
to undermine the image you're trig list patter whose t
Biot icks in your repertoire
»

trying 80 hard tg Nvolyag it

A
:

more harm than good, no matter how Create

lee your persona or which are specifically ss
once heard Eugene Burger mention that
reat a trick it ig, ¢ ticular fitting
Under 1;
fi

list any rOpS you use

props
5

se an effect Vi

in a

GES “props”
I

ter-defining
ar
he had
stopped Perfy character larly tie into your echavactercharacter
anata
the Sponge Balls because he didn’t

a
want to be perceived
ingi
2
ag thy pRLbCHany
person who carried clown noses in his ults. This list will help you spot w ao
the results.
pocket, He observe g. 3
5
x

‘Breaking the sponge—ball habit Now study cs fully to :

reas you should be exploiting more

qe
7 e
©
was harder tha 1 2

cak areas. y

But he knew
it quitting cigareys,. ay be
We
he k

was the right decision

I

for
+

him ang he made Aretteg

;:
it
"

aracter.
Avoiding those props that VEVer. in this
tructured exactly like the first. However,
Bra Lhis
convey an undesired me is struc
list t
the = second
3
)
only half
other isssage about yoy is
list unde r the five headings things you're presently
rhe
The
to use YOUr fe don’t
¢
1

selling your character. Strive to props as a positipe too]

Rather, you list any items you can
corporate into your Perforiate + saying, doing, or using.
props that wed say, do, or use to help communicate your
those
project the image you want to of that you
could we: ¢.

create. Make a 188 of

of

the items and th

accessories you associate with the

Jig

you're trying to type of ch aractey char Je

ffi
convey. What are the kinds of you may want to buy
res that you whenever you
things he'd be likely accessories
yi

in
buy
carry his pocket, have to sht list y

ay
You
in his home, come
3

into or
nm

collect as a hobby? Review fre, quent

contact with, the right one can afford the price,
down
=
on the lookout for
your list from time to time and always
be
fo =
if an effect comes along that would cal
,

0
en
opportunities to incorporate those
magic. items into your ou would like to work in if you can find the rig
situation 10 props you'd like to use if you can find an effect
that would justify Eythem.
Exercises don't list specific effects, but rather
athe. subject
;

ho
= yeap
fic effi
or :

Und r “effects”
5

.
:

“Generally matter that might some day form the basis for an e sffec
74

goaa
speaking, men Judge more by

mri
realities.” appearances than by mentalist, you might list “psychokinetic combustion. y

fist, you might list “Santeria.” If you're a

Machiavelli, The Prince ht list “cheating at baccarat.” If
your persona that of a con is IR :

you might list “shortchanging.”

Throughout this
chapter I'y,
make these
chniques work fo; T
¢,
1ggested concrete
steps you can to take iew this second set of lists regularly. It will help you stay on the
finish by offer you in selling your lookout for
new material that will work especially well for you.
Ng some final persona. I'd like to
a list, you can easily overlook effects that are tailor—
exercig for ensuring that Without such
most out of the ideas
thig ch, in you
apter,
the get made for
you or ways of tailoring effects to your character. Also,
update the lists
regularly as new ideas occur to you.
254

255
the
Darwin Ortiz

also suggest you study some good books on impr,

en
[
©

Impression management is the term that n4

describe techniques for controlling how others peychologig
Ve yg,
Success, other books in this
a Dai
to Dress for

gar
d
are The Secret Language of Succ
Powertalk! by Eisen and Farley. (This last
incr g your awareness of how
pc)
¥

phrasing ang lig

18
ex
subtly affect people's perception of your chearacter,
ee oh
om
dressing, body language, and other non-verbal ol
S op

help sensitize you to the way we draw conclusions about othe

atig

CHAPTER TEN

a
In this connection, an excellent exercise
whether they be magicians, comics, singers on
is
to watch othe:h op
Msiciany
afterwards think about what kind of people you feel
backtrack and try to figure out what factors led
the ¥ are.
Ty,
nd
STYLE
conclusions. After all, you don’t really know these
pe
out thos,
conclusions on the basis of watching
8)

drew th
Oo sistent concepts involved in the various definitions
y

minutes. You can do the same thing with people iy mast pe

Sids
the
that s tyle is closely linked to the personality of the
Jf
you
This exercise will help bring to
a
conscious level the k iis is theidea

ad
»

all have unconsciously to subtle ohareaction

we
signals sent
This in turn will help you use such signals to
by
People F. Cowles Strickland, The Technique of Acting
control other
view you pe 0ple
of course, is
ultimately tied to the psyche.”
William Zinss ser, On Writing Well

is character
Norman Mailer

The Elements Of Style

This is time to talk about performing style because style is a
ood
subtle but very important tool in conveying the performer's character
to audience. One of the few magical writers who has been brave
enough to tackle the subject of style in print is Eugene Burger. He
pends almost half his book, The Craft of Magic, on the topic; yet he
begins the discussion by
saying, “I'm not sure that I could tell you—in
words—exactly what style ‘is This difficulty in defining style is not
limited to the
field of magic. It arise in virtually everyart.
I
thin that what makes it so difficult to pinpoint what constitutes a
le is that
every element in a performance contributes to
ma|

s Gas
oe
ce of
i
vever, while major
material may be analyz
elements such as characterization
and
style also encompasses
separately,
; {

lem
ents which are individually o minute that they defy separate

257
Darwin Ortiz Strong Magic
ative effect of all thesse

ormer's style
0
mall ones, that we usually elemeng,
3

have
0 abov o
example gives
the average magician too much credit
stylistically consistent at least within each
the , he 18 continually exhorting the reader
al "

ming
ate write s arest cle. Since the average magician
a
umes es
vel
our discy MB
ik
n, the flee his own
to
Ww,

style of his own, how is he supposed

ebsteyy follow
in
,

ne: “The
:

way each
BEY
w
subst Some thing ant have:
i
s

oe
card s cted and okingly imitate Slydini or Harry
Tony
returned ¢, the magicians J do a decent
between vour hands and cor saw the
m perform you can probably
;

yourself, one that would

be instantly recognized
&
;

nay thumb the cards into a

:
2k that
netetrically friends
«

e removal of a of your magician

3

card. Yoy p pe
11y
But try imitating one
.
d and ask the wouldn't even know
ectator to pyj] ma nagic club. Chances are you
ad card >
:local
= would be like trying to paint a picture of the
If you do, you may g man
16, or in a Siof inv
sible
€asy to caricature because they're both
Lorayne are sO
the and the same in every
&

approaches.
Lorayne ,

on table and

ylists with unique

: It's

glydint
rd he w quperlative © to lampoon writing style but
Ernest Hemingway's
ts the average hack writer of potboiler
t he same to
2

and Temove d.

al to do
ihacks becav \se there is nothing to lampoon.
¢ ®

If dollars for an pape

gy
¢
bal
pur
Style
2
place them
Developing A
1 a

coin star between you 11 fingers ?

aced with an array of choj

do vou achieve
the consistency of approach in minute details
in magic (or any other art)? Magical style is
the unthinking w
the
to
the key style
»
per

fuct of a strong philosophy of magic,

a strong aesthetic theory, a
i should be. When
ee ridual vision of what good magic
nt mes: you
about
b the performer an ro
Age
fe

ong indi
peep
casual,
Bra
calculating or spontaneg,
2

such a vision, it provides the

touchstone for determining the
have
from among the many different approaches
derations or not, that he mus a
HE choice (for you)
t can be taken at
virtually every point in an effect.
Ive spoken before about the prevalence of prejudices among
magicians, the belief that their approach is
the only right one. In the
realm style we find the one legitimate place for such prejudices. By
of

performer's style, but 1

way of illustration I'll discuss some of my own prejudices, not to
f only

This leads to a fundaments advocate them, but only to

suggest how one’s own (well-thought out)
biases can provide a foundation for a personal style.
;
a function of consistency in the countless
ialize in card magic and there are a number of things I don't
ement 0 see in card magic. I dislike tricks in which playing cards are
>

most common pr used merely as counters, such as certain “Cards Across” routines or
a bad
:
style or good sty
a
t that the
riorm “Coins Through the Table” like Slydin
J
where the performer keeps counting a packet of cards, always
s

ng the wrong number.

r, “Spellbound” like the guy who taugh There are two things that make playing cards fascinating and unique
eting, and pper/Silver” exactly as it first is the many ways they can be categorized: into two
ann, The
sistent guiding intelligence
Ts suits, thirteen values, and fifty-two unique identities, as
1

cis s
ecisions comprising your performance distinguishing between faces and backs. The second is the

259
Bb
strong Mad”

1
to
Darwin Ortiz be likely
DIOP I'd
,

knife be iin x cutting and stab

ATs

onan that playing cards hay 2

card trick ought to make Heo ith lames an
ieve a card
believe: tri
H

CSB; olor,
WOU
:
pocket
,
are
obility? Knives to that rea C00 otherwise,
fr

mes anc
Cte
a =="

of thy
onde
that 850, to relate games
invented for playingawareness =
why bother using cards? Use penni e or se ele, Lt

ee
Meng Ot lin OE HE
jks
& ¢

m S,
knife
I 2
demonE
atchgtic), Co some
Fs
That's why think the Edward Victor de Were
-
¢
& ith

“fo to
)

iAi anau
ds ght
i
cards
trick when done with dollar
OV
€

i
as Gene card effect
1

erformer.
G

Fred Kaps popu ized, than when done props RE

incon
Wim
wit} ¢

oe sing extraneous or other

; HH
h

thei
:

of Tor otsionsol
rer The

Goh
ryer's handkerchiefs
3

=» i a care game.

ols lly
,,
{|
S

than would bein approp riately

contrast, with p—
2
ay
re

the magn haw

once, uy p
ard
a walle t
may
jon with ¢ ards ay
kind that uses c ards as
ckahotng Self-working ¢,: edn
d in conjunct of their
Mg car trick hig cards because
,

counters (“I have So many carq

ps

playing Or
i
ney
, £th ed to 18 nores
as

attract yerform any effect that

ies a
By cont
en, ply enough to make your card > s fifteen”
h

een’) and Loney

Urneq t Ply
oy, m
won't
strong effect, in part by ¥ instead
of
¥
1

cards

heel
equentlys
1

ing, 2 tt he trick

Sih
also dislike cor doing
to W hy youre
dislike ttricks in which whic
playing cardsBare
DE
I in
also
are

t =a
be some point
1t
to restore
ih
ne
e king the
SVL0E
rises to the top because he's Personifieq Do
g rises 5 the
ces
sard to pieces just
to
ambitigyg oo 0U&
it In
you wa nted did
there playing
=

card turned red because it got

%
& a th thins Tearing a to me. 1f
embarragg, sense
it
en so
't make

bodae
torn up, why
placce.
laying cards don" get married; on and I'll never b lieve thatang
0b
blug
Sheq
f

,? If you wanted
es
gh,€ Jack OMEen with a good
is
a Git
private who going g to 5ind th sar it tear W
eye to come up
x
jack
UE

gin
it
@
of
Fa
1 vou
S 8

i tiv
is years effect
:
id

six
4

JaAa until I did, the

amonds.s. me, ss patter childish me
E
To

piece:
me,
To
of)
but
&

little, flat people Playing arrassing, Pl ying restore iF that question,

25 that's 2 cards3 are just p) g
ational answer to
an at's all they should be called Playing
bono ssent
repertoire. a dd that
know
to
”

be in an effec 1

eel out of I ny
5

I hasten
1

re son, allegorical off m y chest,

4
For this same one really
legorical card tricks are my 5 t I've g0 tten that mad: e there is at least
King of diamonds will represent Jean Val Jeaniq
; sta!
card
tri

:
tory

lg
I've
“
For
{The

rir ia>
Of
1

statement
in
C

Now tha could slay

eeInspector Javer. the Jack of that for eve ry it. Eddie Fechter
.¢

Jean and
a’

spades pas will That’ ull well that contradicts

jae},

esent
!
That's righ
Javer.
ight, the |Jin the corny card effect s had the wrong
=
a
r

Javer them which trick in which he alwa

is a wonderful
the great
in deck
:
counting

ei
with his
or

Hamman's “The Twins

Demy
cawersiof Pages.”)™ also dislike tricks in which the udienc
ards are torn ang ber of cards. Brother romantically involved. “The

a
folded inin elaborate
elabors g,
become

a =ifijii
ways. Playing cards were : not kings and queens
e
Apintended for
in which the real world,
&

origan; tr ick even though, in

Anil
;

gan
Orange’ can be a great

Leao
Inderlying all I'veve just said 1s is
sentence.
j

the
»
:
the
convictia said
in the same
are seldom mentioned
Card in
) 5
J
being
yed should bear a logical correlation
cor effect
cards and fruit cards but it's a
Ma Loasune
i

bear gical to the

playing
involve folding and tearing
g

and sculpture, an artist Warp” may “Card Warp”

myself. (Note, however, that
Sy Working “Card

op rentam it
And

a
¢

ih8
medium, but he always
ik
do
classic and

Rr
tri

xploit the stre

characteristic of playing cards, their
faces
1 1

roe ora
s that modern

Wh
medium rather
g0 against them. In magic, it son does deal with an essential
of
:

card linking tricks.)

a
really dislike cards, so they Bent hn backs, which is more than can be said

Th
;
and
were somethin, ing else rather than use a different. However, the prejudices I've
described above are right for me.

ml goes
he
In 1fact, taking aap.
f;
rel devised for one prop -and arbitraril
pl

Following these biases has helped give my performances

a distinctive
it rnd
» x

Ribvavly
applying cards are used and handled

Ta ue
:

! origas become an easy route to t

and consistent look, one in which playing
in close Up magic E the card table)
bracelets, finger rings or in
a familiar context (all derived from
:

in familiar ways
makes sense to m
extremely unfamiliar results.
Ta shape immediately
their very
very
i
g
ely ssuggestss the idea of
se
to produc
f
to me;

Saen Sih seb

rds does not make sense to me; you cant Tditton over
preRmon.s about card magic to win you
\

even do it wit} hout firstst

fiddling with the cards for ten minutes
fi

tear to As That might result in your copying my style,

holes in them.
Re
2

or the
the same us any good.
I've offered these opinions
erst
For

reason, the “Color. Changing.

&-

has always struck

Knives”
bad of conclusions a performer will
K 5

meas a strange notion. If really

:

he
ittall doris = os e gives enough thought to what he is doing.
ges
the
1€

really had I
ability to magically make

260
261
 Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
The more you think about your magic, t}
develop a mental image of what you fee]
performance and what is not. The stron Magica]
i
fe Mor,
tal n a
possible methodological avenue with cards, If
deeper understanding
of the role of style in

philosophy you develop, the more distinch

= 11to study the differences between these two
Pert
g

even the smallest elements in your style A

era
i magic:
EVoly, *
#

care
reflect that philosophy. Style reflects you, Ces apy eof
therefore, you must think about magic in titude tome ioneg
g TY

working At Your Style

to reflect.
Because effective style always reflects thought sugges? an exercise
to start you on the road developing to
of paper. Select any effect from
pe n and piece a
, Wa.

imitating other performers never works, In al and Undeyg,

a

Get

op
gp gOINE
through noting every where you

Th
onal 8 it, point
ding magic, beginners often find themselves every ant ing and run
follow a different approach to the
particular practitioner and respond by finite
bo5
£0
the you ir
might
r 1

T€gonad y od
have chosen to
note that point on the
paper. Remember, we're
stage many performers go through and it can ole oh
Style,
ia you
do ¢

of questions of method such as whether do a to

md
in an artist's development. As the artist starts to fi Usefy] my
e
here r
Hos sp
king cond deal, but are considering every feature that
may end up incorporating some of his or a
ow double lift created by the effect. Should you keep the
the visué picture this phase of the effect or place it on the
1]
successful artist ar and performer has been influenced Values, p Very
si st
rfc s

hand during
3

by
the Worker affects
1
others. your
it
in the left hand or the right hand?
SE
=

deck
oh hold
y

22 ald you
hat.
However, the performer who becomes fixed at
the jms lef these the road stages of the effect. When you're
will cal
]
doomed to mediocrity. He may try to do exactly
don’t have a list of at least a dozen items you're just
©
stage
j we

but because he doesn’t understand why he does whi wh ode] eq finished, if you

ii
enough.
w

Some of the possibilities will probably not

hard
not thinking
does,
performance rings hollow. Since there is no under] the
with a dozen or more crossroad
ou, but if you end up
animating the imitator's performance
it = 2 totelligon, oven occur toy

aiRiel
will always good enough for now.
original from the copy.
TE
Ra tell the es that's

a is crossroad stages every and list single alternative

"ka each of these
Much has been said about the immorality of copy ach you could follow at that point, including the one you've
performer's work. Experience has shown that
much weight with most magicians. So just remember
ty ”
&
top
follow. If you're performing
of the deck, your list might
a false shuffle to keep four aces
include these choices: (1) false
questions aside, stealing and copying just don’t work overhand shuffle; (2) false riffle
t
shuffle; (3) false cut; (4) all of the

2er
When you develop a strong style, it will show
not only in the above; (5) none of the above skip the shuffling altogether).
(i.e.,
you perform but even in the magic you create. Dai Vernon Since you'll end up with numerous
choices for each of the dozen or
Marlo are undoubtedly the towering figures of twentieth century effect you've listed, you should have quite a long
l more stages of the
magic. The one great difference between them
sprang from a strong philosophical base; Marlo’s didn’t.
is
that Vernon's 5 list.

option
comes the hardest (and most important) part. Study each
Now
and determine in your mind what advantages and disad-
That's why people speak of “the Vernon touch” but
never make vantages each one offers. These may involve matters of deceptiveness,
similar comments about Marlo. That's why an effect by another psychology, aestheti naturalness, pacing or any other considera-
magician may strike you as being very “Vernonesque.” By contrast, if tions that seem relevant to you.

Finally, select the option for each crossroad stage that you
to read two effects published by Marlo in different feel is, on
die were without balance, the best. This will all take lot of time and thought. In some
he ications of twoseeing the byline you might well think they were
a

creations
similarities in writing style.
b
different men—unless you recognized the
¢
case: ou may conclude that it
doesn’t make any difference which of
you choose. That's fine. It may be that you've not yet
two possibilities
become sensitive enough to detect the subtle differences in the
Soe
of

y to
this > meant to diminish the contributions of either man, but message given off by two different approaches or it may be that it
indicate the differences in the nature of those contributions
co
= really doesn't matter. That does sometimes happen.
§
quest for “naturalness” in everything he did gave his work®
id
nity not found in the work of Marlo who was, by contrast, concerned
262 263
hat
strong EE

i
Darwin Ortiz magic
more Jikely
4 o of
ic
ar"
are

When you've finished, you may wel] od an

anal)
Jytical theories s% le, is
curalistic
erformer. Howe¥l
yeverl,
he hasstrong
oes »

ai9
1

a
o

ob decig, auch MOTE

want to change a single thing about
: nt
2

ws that © fa
¢

ob tinctive P
14
go
ay you g8

you'll still have learned something of bo ale

/
victions borDThese
Po

fron, the he con

a
have a better understanding of why oo
exe, £1 ©§
thought:
do What You desal

See
come closer to developing a strong Sey
1

Philog,
h d also
2
be better able to make stylistically style.
od in his
,
an

rire 00
effects you may add to decigiong
any subsequent «il
yi
a person?
doubtful that it
ts
ce evolve

a0
mel but it's
You may not wish to go through this
effort,
1tS

enhance your mag

You but

fs
way.
Se with
it, cond :
and
2

(although the more you do the va

ey, &
benefiy a fiences decisions
re youl
d fe

onsci0%®
You ou he countles s minute
you

to try it with at least one effect if

Feuttoradlly ee result
2
:
unde, i

ed be the
ro = oe e

.
style is all about.
pi
erg tan )

any more
©
£ artist
Neverthelesgg, in

ns
io ve
" suspect.
Style As A Conscious Act <t magicians
you'll develop
instincts that
¥

,
Some may feel that the kind of work sug
Suggested above is

i
points.

-
There isis a common belief that
d iscussed earlier,
another
&

unnecessary.y. There

sft
artist;
:
req),
artistic style
sty ig
S

to the topics
Cally

po
Just evolves automatically with time—that Borg
role in my own magic
;

that it just comes naturally. The

more :suce hap
t= an important The Elements of Style, Strun

SH
alv thatat his work will foster thisS notionon.
likely ATs thenMore5 ssic book is just

3
i

I feel this advice

2

cedless words.”
RN actions.” At this point
1
Ernes of the great stylists of moder.
sa

i
«Omit needless
His =
any writing style appears orn
lteratyy,

pol effect I instinctively

evolve
re
eral
readers are inclined a that in working on 2 newwasted
his natural means thay
no longer nee 8
vod
was
: Zi
perhaps even the aves motion. 1
involves the least this point. However, a
on
find
limited handling hat on
EE analysis
Actually,
ees He es it took a great deal lamin, deal of conscious
©

moves, and handlings

bait
12

neough a great
and deliberate to develop analysis of other effects,
of
conscious
simplicity and apparent artlessness that mark his unique style. me instinct.
y

great
developing that

cE :4 Giio ely
went Into
The French Gustav Flaubert is said to have tried .

si
.

oid
using the same word twice on any one
Considerations Affecting Style
2

be sure
deck
age.
)
>
this fe
stylistic ic feature required a 8great
;

Slauberts part
art
work on
thing—the most personal aspect
you will fifind that a tremendous Since style should be a very personal
bert's In every
part.
amount
dous amour

a
ill

of thought and plain in developing your

ha Es

hard work goes into achievi ng what the that guide you
=
plain
of your magic—the considerati ons
ght and

publi

es
:

ssumes just comes naturally. should simply be the on es that seem most important to you.
d. First, style should be
style

Consider a
com the field of magic. René Lavand However, here are some points to keep in min
S10
: fp {
5s
~

ares agenthe, not just to create a Touah ft extension of your performing character. Consequently, stylistic
h

written, “I
Sut
sa
an

just to find the climax, and another three with character. Would your
Sms!
ht words for
trying to find the correct tone of voice
1
Chl reie likely to overhand your
shuffle or riffle shuffle the

lea
ath voic for each of the words,
c

words.” Doss .

as
028

sn
that sound t 0 you like -someone whose
style has just evolved

J
i
X 4

i:
unconsciously?
aed bene The hardboiled writing style of
Style should s

foiSh
also ; y

I
consider
sider Tony Slydini and Harry Lorayne to be great magical as inappropriate in a fantasy set in an
e
stylists in
jane way that Hemingway was great

a
stylist of
mainstream
a

= = the extremely
oe ornate style of Clark Ashton
sterile cael
ons psShia
Lord Dunsany, Clark Ashton Smith, and
HOt
syemavel. Qudecd.

fi
a

ig
Raymond Chandler IRE of coiite Gaol
’

literary
author's style to content for
stylists
reat ECBiy
of : 1
of
Esis the result of
’
which
style
is invariably humorous.)
16%
totally inappre opriate. The result
264
265
 Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
Similarly, your style should suit the
e {fects
The effect and the manner
in
which y YOu
eho. is that most magicians
don't understand
2Perfor, 0
§
ig
each other, not undermine each
the

probler
other, : ria nt al style and a naturalistic style. Dai
should 4 IMPOTE
ween a NAatur: £

suit your performing character, you effect mor 0

ce
b
-alistic style in
naturals close-up magic. By
differe™ Jarized the
a)

ter
a
A

4 in th
»

suiting style to both the effects and the attempts to mimic nature,
atyle that au
this

charactay opt
¢
le

no
that

ily r
Finally, some of the examples we used
PC a

Cong,
p

mean Aiaypeople do things.

[
cts
:

earljeyp hay, pall: th

how style and method interact in mimi¢
offe ars certrtain benefits. However, there are other
whether to have a card chosen by an effect, We
o
to name two—who have
style tha seanio and Slydini,
t

hands, ribbon-spreading the deck spread

peeked at. The approach you choose
on
may well he def
you intend to control the card. Alternatively,
o
2g
:

ory
ie but
agic
different
rh
sproaches with equal success.
SAEED is,
That they make
orien
to andle their
would. Yet, nothing about their actions
no ig
effort £8
LE
fed
term;
it
5

ed py,9 oy Cr
Cap

the
0
bye
the Nave
wouldn't have
If the; y did, their magic
Wha
you use may depend on how
>

power
you pre fer, from a Stylistic Methog
5
Wa)

of Deo]
a

unnatt wal.
hey
did,

have the card chosen.

;
:

gia,
“Ndpojy,
dp

other test of naturalness then

The more your individual style
kal Se
Lg
develops, the here must be some
limitations it will place on the moves mope dem, suggests do it that way. And, indeed, there is.
and meth, ods nds layperson looks natural or unnatural
is the truth behind the quite valid cliché yoy can
R ,
her @
that something
that
Le
1t
yg, ne
judemes
whet!"
ake the they couldnt tell you why something
for one performer
is Methoq 3% 15 5
3

not necessarily right for

Jt
i
another. (Indeed, this is the source of all the
Rr
lie to the equally popular cliché righ
that one method is ag 4) Blves the ee that I've already pointed to.) But the fact
or that the easiest method is always the best. Zo.
as angthe,
con fusion
€

= Dimeelf couldn't tell you the reason he feels

that He
Be ature] doesn’t mean he doesn't have a reason.

ig
looks
Naturalness In Style
€

something
are two tests that are the true measure
o
of

>
suggest
can’t leave the subject of style in is motivation. Any time you perform any ackion)
]
I

that always comes up when magiciansmagic without addressing naturalness. shout having a good reason for doing it, a reason
a topi
y

discuss the topic. however small, Be

you can always count on someone to say In such ggg that is immediate
es
apparent to everyone watching, that action will

de Lee
solemnly, “The important is nothing more suspicious to an audience
thing is to be natural.” They always utter this
put an end to the discussion, comment as if it shoulg he

i
action.
Hy =a
he {eon
ae
time you do something in an effect you'll have a
To
say
that naturalness is an important aspect of

er ok en that reason is related to the method; you have

style profound is a
statement. But it shouldn't end the discussion; it should
one. That's because praising naturalness start another work. Since the audience isn't (or at least

it
only raises the knotty ab
of the method, that motivation isn't enough to
question of what is natural. How
can we determine if a move §ho! e a

or action make the action look natural.

natural?

i
is
Some magicians seem to think the
vote. At a session, one magician will
question should be settled by a to
your real reason for doing something, there Gi to
the audience to be a good reason for doing it within tl he aps
say, “I don't think that looks the effect (as opposed to the method). Otherwise, it wi
natural.” Another will say, “I think it does.”
opinion and the majority wins.
Everyone offers an unnatural. Like a good actor, you should always be asking yow
“What's my motivation here?"
bi A

Many other magicians think that being natural

means acting like a The second test of naturalness is economy of motion. People
layperson. They will say, “That's not natural. No
do that.” One problem is
layman would ever
that close-up magic generally, and card
magic particularly, requires you to perform
instinctively understand that the natural way
way that expends
do something is
the least energy. This is why you can perform an
to =
many tasks that laypeople éction that the audience has
never seen anyone do before and yet it
are never called on to do, Consequently, the question of how 2 may look perfectly
layperson would do
natural, it
is of only limited help in deciding what i A

good example
natural to them.
of this can be seen in any gambling casino at the
tables. People see the dealer shuffle, cut, and deal the
266
267
 Darwin Ortiz

cards, and handle the chips, in

Ways they've
and may never have seen anyone do. Yet Dever g
e.
are unnatural. It all looks perfectly
most efficient way to do those Natura] be 05
things, Petre
probably the way they would do
these actions thousands of times itthemselye.
i
ang thug they ha
Sense
nomical w rs of accomplishing them evolve
>i

This is also why some of the most unnatuyr.

SET
ahe
seen in magic hav occurred when
DTaE — Action
a
AY
handling cards is asked to shuffle, cut, deal Is y
action with cards. He n't done thege thinggop offer orm g,,
evolved a natural way of gq

ip
&

oing them, a way ough

motion. avoidg 4

part Three
Wasi;
There are two lessons to be learned from
all
naturalness doesn't come naturally. You'l] have thig, The Hrst jg
to devo § 4

The Act
of thought to figuring out how to
perform the neces iin Brea 4
your effects in a natural way, always applying
motivation and economy of motion.
the
es Sts
=

of

The second is that a naturalistic style is

just one Possible ay fit into
in the
it

osn’t really
if it doesn
og
if 1

As an artist, you'll have to decide whether an effecsot is

is

style you want to develop. However, naturalness in

or not this ig aya
style is notts i matter how & ood
T. A. Waters
an option. It is a must if you're to avoid ’

arousing suspicion jy &

performances. And avoiding arousing suspicion
quelling suspicion once you've aroused it.
is a lot
Si he io

268
269
 Strong Magic
they'll rememb best. For
sentence-e is the one emember
r
Your Jast
hk
18

peech magic performance, your most I imports

ons, in
a

and sour closer

your
your pener
¢

r 0]
Ok
re
»

secu a
achieve two veryvery important goals First, it vo Is.

a
at

[208
pe audience. Se cond, it should set the tone for the
i

your the au
eri es
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yin Over

che We the audience mean

alk about winning
i

over ve: [

th
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i
CHAPTER ELEVEN form you are on trial. The audie

es
FEBv you st art to
perform j
whe n
you're performing in If

tted to wate. hing your performance.

If
:

that you're ce. 1

vet commi ation where people are w walking by,

he
J

you may notice re

STRUCTURE atanding 5
professional eitue” some distance.
af are hanging satis

aets
Ee

many of
them ; ¢

bab close if the performa captivates, but just

4f

ready (00V %in

e
,
i ca

Proper construction of it doesn’t. Even in a non 5 rofessional setting :

ready to move fie

characterization in its your ty 2a
close -up act
where you have something
sie
is probably to a captive
such as a party
6

importance in determining second op), WI

en oh has
y

your m, how myc h n is psychologically the same. you

:

audience, the situatio

a
h 0 §

Some whether to
in making
Professional performe IMpact
forming, the audienc ence is waiting to make iE decis 18 wal

a good living like st of the performance or tune

ue
3
i
the
.
have severa] with only a
2

rest
4 @

ention or fi 10 o

A
acts. In my own single act
bout more interesting activities.

ei
d
magic acts n addition case, haye
I ac 2

act. How
of the
many act. 8 ou should
yi
tg my one-hour
en differen;
gambling €Xposé What you pus rene is
that, not only are y you on trial, but the .
e

eventually develop
circumstance,
is d
is going to be handed in very Zeiss soon. 2
The audienc e is not going

kk
partly 4 function
1

and frequency of 1 1

sou're worthh watetching

rerdict
matter your performing and much time to establish that
of
v
Personal preference, I f

give you muc!

h

much materia] could easily partly » to the case that

ti

make do with
S

FNeffect must nott only retty y fast

«r first
;
as | have, hut only half ntly, me 2

Consequently vou

variety and helps keep eight different acts satigfieg my

desire for be
make that case p
it'll
or

u're worth
oure atc hing,
worth wat must
ust it ma {

Te
own
I

interest in magic at a
1g,

aPo
>

ortunate] ¥, although | my
don’t really high pitch

pe apie areRa
E

frequently €nough to need eight be shorter than

aa
get fy] use out acts, do perform hat your first effect
ffect

if

ia
This will usually mean vel
T s

Even
you never perform
of that
many,
most of the other effects / rhaps the s. ep nthe BS

ee
prof
organize the material sionally you'll find
it short
to :
how the effet
very valuable However, the really cri

a
in your pe
your material in termng pertoire mto preset
3fur apna g
t.

hing magical
bonus Bl
2
rmances even though ac ts will give structure
acts, Thinking ime elapses
Se
of be!
8

Ce
VET
ax is reached in the
2

tg

Lh
first magical ¢
yi our informal four-minute trick in

ity
»

You three—
opener than £

Se
°ts on the

a od
spur of the mop, ent may aqq, subtract, or substitute
an a

forty—five seconds
Furt ‘more,
with a soung
during an
impromptu performance, which nothing magi 8 beter :
opener an end.

Sh a
constr: uction, understandip B of the of the former approac
a good example
you can formulate ( Jard”
is
(

principles of act “The selected and 1

In totally improvise, n effective the card &

Performan, act 48 you routine may ay be modere

go along even
>
I

Ve =a
hy

Where you're
couple of
if you're
doing only completely
three tricks off “playing Signed Sis —stop magic.
U8
none) want somethi ingof magica
cal to happ en
‘

SA mage9
f
ds, the
Performan, the cuff for a of thum b 1s that
rule
is
f I
ig
those three My own do. However,
tricks In accordance € will be fa ronger if close-up
of any close of
I

within two minutes of t the start ob

= 8
+

you choose
i

construction with the

=
»s
for c

Principles of proper act settin

nly a rule of thu mb. n some
- I
ractions and where
f

It
a
precept of public spe, NUMETOU: 8 distract
your first and aking t hat
your most
xample, where th there are re
the outset isis u usua
lly low, e ven two minutes
py

determines vhether your ast The st Sentence Important sentences performer's prestige at
the audie
nce will bothey 1s the
one that may be too
long.
270 listening ¢, the t of
271
be
Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
Alternatively,

eel
f
i
you can intrigue ths audience at them some idea of what I'm like,
e
© J

worth watching, give

¢

interest So With
CE
v
an cate] kind we diseu
scussed earlier ably be
just the things you
abl the to! for the re: st of the act. These are
1

little
a
1 to
more ti nt thing !
;

Tally
S

the start of any performance

+

nance fast—get them psychol

x

iooeically committeq nto gy,

to do at
wate
oo
of your act. Then h
Then you'll fo
t
fr
§

to
3 you ct.
ve the edom
get intg

dir;
ysteries. ’
S0me
i Build
3

i
your opener
opener sh
should do
is to th
itsjob, your opening effect should be strong
at proper ly
get

do
you do the outset, the to
[in order
:
udience fact you do. But it shouldn't be too strong. In
i
er

every eff
rmance will be hould
t act same vein, ne, as th e least strong effect in the act.
1¢ 8

that it be
of he confused. If JU
open with g
If

it ot, it’s vita

lly important
in individual effects quoted Cowle:
F.
mentalism
n I
n
to play major role in t}
1

SCussing progression
If you open with : road comedy hoyil fect that, “That which follow
Stric! and
+ they
Otiy
to the
to follow suit,
t, »
they] €Xpect em mor important and more int
made to level of
Your opening e:

uld preceded Even an attempt to maintain the same

See eof
your style epitomn e about the
tisfy an audience.” This is just as true
style
your yourslang
a
It and
magic. It should
should
k
your will not sa
ih ;
give

he
st
> .
magic.

develop your pe su ona tana nd start to

nteres
each individual trick in the act.
about
hs

atmosphere entire act as it 18

5

m vou want
you to generate e ws

Thout the act. “interest

realize
That's
ats why In Magic and Sh
nanship, Henning Nelms speaks of the
find
av find Biiie
wt

may you'll idience’s

for ideal SESE) curve.” The notion 18 that one
can, in effect, graph the
C

material. Pep ersonally, have This is a very

I
at each moment.
g
haya
to find good inter
2

good open than good lobe increasing or dec casing

Berber
openers
the concept Proper build means that
the
er

IEE
:

or good
useful way of thinking about

Ch
.

Koya to x
interest cur continually from start to finish
effect
and atmosph
alr wis)
tone, persona,
As Nelms points out, the
curve for
an individual is (or
If with the peak coming at the
1

dy discussed.
you should be) shaped like a wave

es
h

pener
nost magicians and you'll read
that will work for
you when you
\
Bo very end. Theref it isn’t really possible
for
a
aries of effects to
will be a series of waves. But—
achieve a smoothly rising curve. They

ae
ve must be
act, the crest of

AEE
e
and this is vital—in an effective
setting the
4
Pa or
g
I

should consider the

one befo If you were to draw a
line connecting all

ph“itr
an
».
the

smoothly rising curve.

start by saying “Hi, the cre ts, that line would form a
mv
clim x. As we've seen, before cases, in
0
my name Al and I'm going to such

pe }
11,

BE In one
sentence
ence he had d
alre:
already ome effects have more than one so the
approach h was informal nmunicated that stronger than the one
Ais
ould
Poni
cheek (“magish”™)
(“A]
Al), and lighthe rted nd
tongue-in—
ubsequent clim
throughout the ot and we avoid a
interest cur keeps ag within the
multi—climax trick is placed should be

atGpGrne,
deadly anti-climax. Wh en a
of the aultiple climaxes
“My name D.
is conte t of an even the first
+
m

But the last of the

last climax of the previous
show you why to tric
ext trick
SEE
stronger than climax of the ne
e
the

be less than
the
immedi 1his
multip e climaxes should still
| Hy 1ediately stringing
;
connect-the—dots line
and t
e subjects
ct

jects of g
that
of

Joati rome mhon the image

of that must
major It also remember that this line
ts (cards, suggests
egests tl at kknow more of the act and
all
also

gambling, ang iek asds

more
together the climaxes
ating) than the average always rise. Any downward di
p is fatal
must order the
together an act you
you pul Each imposs ble
Tite I
line “gp 1

absentminded]y”
dedly” give the deck an
:
This means that whe
tricks from weakest to sro gest. one should be more
logica ally something
18 either
’

ards—tha Immediately th
knowDies Iily
avi kill with than the one before.
know I that sibility being
Jeak of one impos
=
Y

fea Ing them to tf Ls

You emotionally
2

“Twenty-One Card ssible. logically true but

1
can

ei
Yourish disting1gU ep, possible, or imp!
ble than another. That’ impossible
pinta from their Uncle Joe
eae things are more
ne

I
more impo
prs audience,
that I'll all feel tha t some
suggest
gest false. Intuitively we 273
 Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
than others. In magic, the
degree of
determined by the degree of Impossibility, losive applause you want at the end of your
y v
a

conviction yoy, achieve Will gg,

he
»f explos!
the kind
:

the effect (Making a whole

¢

deck change and 1},nerally ju 1st

alia
color ig
Jt J

making one card in the deck e Scop ge"

more particularly well as
,
n

that works
3

change color.) effect

<s

imposes
si le
ag

otheror kind efiect he climax than any

¢

tric
of
Experience in performing

er
is stronger
:

the various effeef If the

ia
of
The trick.
g1ve you
a
good sense of their In uliple Jimax hes on top of that you ququickly pile one
relative strength your epery, an
an

m
trick in the act,
that it would be It would vious §stronger than the Centon
to select xes, each h Paid
Ww

ascending order of s rength. Inseveral o cts and perfor,

7 .

gg, wo mC MOTE c slimaxe

or two
interest curve right at ththe end of performance
at

srest cu
the

lating
p

Practice, yoy) rply ef

problems. One card trick to
<

encounte, = anyin audience a st

sets you up pat will
drive £ he
Unfortunately, the first one is beautifully fo
I've found use al is to announcee
just before the
jus closer
Wit

the stronger of
that

a
the
T
anothe,

eke~
trick is the
a aCe i . to isthe
strongest of all, but it something €

ee
two, a casual comment like,
hep,

it require a setup
Anothey.
the 1a tr it takes
kes 11 1
is cas
easier to use it will be
a
last
card
,

so jp

rea
an opener, “For
Linge
trick
would that
or, my last tricle going
1 st
S I'm

one,” st

Working things out me us ow fact

=yena pts
so that the various audience the ! ;
Lo
:

Impact will require effects are in your help. ¢ back, this next one 1s the
order of 4 cen,
8

re
tical problems, As ingenuity; it will mean lause thes ve
usual, you have to solving countless
They hould show appreciation, not only 8
f

prq,
follow the
easiest path the or
most e ective
decide whether
y Ou
want f,
yer <,
.

for the entire performance.

I've heard
some magicians
is with "gue that the begt
ks and valle "
Way to organize an
Ker tricks They advocate mixing
strongep tricks
c

nore or less
and-valley randomly. The problem ang

approach is that when with the peaks

oesn't know there ig you hit g valley, the
another peak around audience
assume that you've the corner, They're
that it's a]] downhill passed the high point of the likely
from here performance ang
Interest, if not
actually walk Consequently they'll start to lose
it can be away. Believe me,
very hayq 10 win them once you've lost them
b,
The
notion
came before
at wkth must always he °r

one of the most

jg
stronger than what
OWN find
it gtpes ed in fundamental of all dramatic
books on thea rules,
king dup comedy, public
magician YWrighting. Furthe
vered it from hard every professional
}

and-valley ey
he Leave the peaks-
act to have may NOn-performing advice .

mum impact, giver If you

BUILD, he
only appre ch is build,want your
BUILD,

The Closer
HOW
you reali
trick t} closing effect
"

shou
in
that be the strongest
cjg
SEr
trigge to 1rst of
s of effect
particularly
at
uspense buildup
When you push that
with a strong clims
274
275
—
Strong Magic

fail to achieve even this element of unity

zingly many magicians
Amazing 2
not be ch tric performed by a
their performances,
: :
i

{ferent person, but because ach trick 1s performed by a different

different
e

I
persona.
You can'tperform your first
effect as a serious mentalist, your next
corny practical joker, and your effect as last

waive
smooth-g
ark and expect the performance to register with your

CHapTER
as a unified whole. Yet, if you've perfected a detailed,
credible, and appealing performing persona
unrelated material
it
can tie together even a
performance of otherwise
g

The most striking example

of this I've ever seen is in the act of Irv
UNITY Weiner. In Irv's college concert show, he performs mime bits, gam-
material, Hindu fakir effects such as the “Needle
bling exposé
“The skillfu Through Arm” and stopping his pulse, straight magic such as
“Spongeballs” and “Cut-And-Restored Rope,” and mentalism such as
writer has
! has not
writer fashioned his thoughts to
s, but having de liberat 2 qe COMmmodny
ely conceived 5 a “Headline Prediction.
€ Wrought, he then inyent certain
er @ 1

single o
and discy sses them i, such inciden he then
Ss t A lesser performer could never make this melange of disparate
compiy,
fhe uch a tone ich material work. It would be like watching a pathological multiple
this preconceived A
one as may ay best
bestserye him
person ality perform. People would ask, “Who
effect,” in is this guy? Is he a card

cheat a magician, a Hindu fakir, or a mindreader?” The magic would

Edgar Allan Poe ut the credibility of the mentalism, the gambling material
“To my mind, WNity
unity is as is ; would undercut the credibility of the Hindu effects, and so on.
good
LY

a criterion, as any
»

&ood
is art and wh for determiwing what Furthermore, this grab bag of unrelated material would never
fe
as q

what is not.
and

pot»
er as a unified act. The whole would be much less than the sum
2 €

Gary ro;
sary Provost, of its parts.
Make Your Words
b ’

Work
difficult task of creating a character
the

hat
Of the However, Irv has achieved
many elements that makes all this material work together. That character might
be
Important are : go inty ¢ :

ating a strong ac follows: an older man with an exotic past who

has spent
variety atThe first
constant build and
a ba] ance
mos cribed as
well 1SCUss :
matter we a
in the next ssed
ty chapters,
0
in th ¢
between unity and
chapter, The second last
a large part of
!
s life traveling the world
delving into mysteries that the rest of us only read
experiencing
about.
things and

rt
Int of putting top ether tales of what
Lik Marco Polo regaling Europeans wit h spellbinding
ty
an aq t is that,
»

than one
€
here tonight to sh are with you
the cumulative whenever you perform he saw in his travels Irv has come
ie mpact of the effects should be
+

gathered from far—

can be gop
for some of the arcane ‘ts and knowledge he has
A

the whole ounted

ould he more than by tj, individual
ed in this light, it becomes apparent
¢

th impact of each tric flung corners of the world. View

formance mu st come of neces! ry to develop
>

Sum its parts. To achieve this, that the wide variety of material he pre gents earlier that
©

a0 as a unified whole learned choice of

an employ to tricks, | rather than just ctor. (Remember that we
d

logk at the four your character to

S.

jm,
*
Let's
conveying
ar Unity the for
i

most basic
» .

Art four major elements you

to yoy aot
YOK
the maj
tools
is one of r
of the performer's stage persona,
ence.) Paradoxi antial to imparting unity to
a wide variety of materia is
actually1

ibs bi
Cl
this particular act.
ental
haracterization The moral is that a strong
and con ent character is the only
eleme However,
erform :

is the that
at should
tje together all the effects
4) Performe,
effect: absolutely essential ingredient
in cr ating a unified act.
tricks you want Rather,
that
you can perforn any
at the

they're
med by the same person.
)

, 2't mean
277
Darwin Ortiz

Strong Magic
cts that
y, AL
Chay, ente rtain the audience my ostensible purpose
y that your is to
chap,
1

\udience more aware of

the many way in which they
That is the theme
of

heated when gambling. act

t e

¢. a mentalist pears before his audience to expand their

-nding of the hid en powers of e mind. This theme tie
thing he oes in his performance. We have alr ady
ping eld of bizarre magick in whick the
to be authentic occult rituals
the perf orm
enacts what app!
this field ha the theme of his act
nl

bly other perfy,

E
Anceg
of » who specializes in s

ns in
as
his forma al 5table ,ac
supernatural
e

ptable entirely around one kind of prop are often refery

to ¢ oach. Ope However, such sloppyserves only
h
1
Currency erent elements
contribute that
Restoreg To illumi tinction between
consisti
t
sting only how we might structure an all-dice
Spotted Sor Ce

C
nd ce Stacking).
that an act might be compr

|
This is js
Dr. Sak’s “Spotted Sorce
In stag magic where serforme all
Ma with di and Dice Stacking. These are
>

only cards, dove

magic effe whose only common bond is the use of
, or jewels
of prop
howev that be in my performance by explaining to the
I

r. Recently, swore off I

ow u: I

the game for good after

eries of mishaps.
had told that to be I been

should check to make sure they add

certain a pair of dice is
upto fourteen pposit
you
But, in the first crap game chi

| went to play
I
hanging. Spotted Sorcery”) When
one substantiy knew wi ouldn’t be cheated, h
d's house where I I

the noise of the

kept complaining about
rolling [Soft Dice] er gave up on cre I

re temptation wa
dropped into t
with four dice
8

e playing dice
my path. A coupl
couldn't e ven roll a pair; the
dice just
of magic i

When tried
my han
routine]
will identify it [Dice S acking
g up.
yuld be added the to
station because that With
a little thoug 2t, several other dic that occurred to a
of mi
all presented di exampleser. Wh ects would employ

ai
yuld-be why dho quit pl g 1

be dice,” b
me would not was an
ision to use on
J

le,
In our first exa
t

it is conceptual one a

ic one. In the second add

“why | quit gambling, we can
*

it shouldn't be seytlies
t heme
ge
ed routar that dof vt use dice
antiy and other gamk from the perspective fa
oO:

meaning we
9
i
1d be perfo and
may also all these
the series of mishaps
be employed
pty
ho was cure
€ d

ture bitual
my only real
r

279
ag
Darwin Ortiz

bizarre events he Strong Magie

erienced in his quest fop
fication of
the ther of fers
greater ver atility, but action, p 3 8 mog kind us ually
found in these sets and proceeds to perform a
since a variety of props are used slighty, les,
8 v jggling mirac le with it.
the

nity ALoBE
We
can have an all-dice act without the why-I-quit {CO ntinues in this vein
The performing
act props all consist of

Rl
‘

or we can have a why-I-quit

astic slum items ng
of the kind found in children’s
Tht e
ambling act without | mi bling g, eng
gam
8

magic sets

0
to dice, IMiting oy, powerful, entertaining magic. The premise
or we can have an act that is all consist of
7

unified bo th by The
;

gambling theme and

also by an all dice ye the consk sts
f the claim that these are really the tricks that¢
came in his
props ap
0

stency and unity are

acts—and ir all art—it should
essential qualities in
not be surprising that
a]
ch, Sing,
ffective
Magi,
A Official
Magician” set and are taught in the instructions; the
former learned them in a couple
¢

of day The power of the

one element, theme the contrast between the unassuming
formance would stem from
a change
props, or
others. However, that shouldn't aracter, may entail changes
¢
jj, any
blind us to the in the toy props and
the mi iculous magic the performer produces with
different elem with diff ent functions
t thay each c
fact them edless to this incongruity could also generate a great &

Every presentational deal of humor.

mique entails limitations
advantages. In the case of as well good many effects to choose from constructing such an in
t 3

employing a theme the Th :

ere wre are ¢
a
)

ai
the
ian
theme.
Si
ormer vsmust byp
dires
effect that
cannot
limit ation
he
r

made
th i jg
to
;

a,
A number of top close-up workers have at some time worked
novelty shops and
ne sell
E
developed sophisticated routines

ie
Any
SS
fi
BE

digression siumn magic in

g

from the main

A x

ng
}
gay

sis
“

impact of, only that effect,

ot point will weaken th these tricks in order to maintain their sanity. The best-known
but the entire
for

the
Ken

love “Coins T hrough

the Table,” but don’t performanc You may - is Michael Skinner's great Ct
routine for the Ball and Vase
|

gambling act do it in the

middle of a tric

pr
Keep in mind
that sffects have reproduced in cheap
.

the t} Also, me
Also,
many sophisticated
sties effects have be been
he
ematic relevance of Sof

Cee
Ee
i:

eff Jot knockoff ve sions. A few years ago there was

of :
credibility for the aug
each
children’s magic
¢

hav st a
Some performers
he
3
]
flimsy
patter lin k is enough em to feel that any tually contained to coin box made out of

rea
the market that actually an
allow t} 1em to to
contained
he
they want. Such drag
is
in whatever If you could track down one
a
these, you could the 1
;

an roach ubly harmful, The

effect :
plastic.
rts the act and th, irrelevant effect David Roth coin box routine with hy not perform
Why srfor: the Vernon }

it.
e

serv transparently contrive d :

to highlight how patter connection only Cups and Balls with one of tk e cheap, small plastic cups and balls
with characteris mappropriate the fect really
Aton, ;

consistency ig th
is. With theme eo
sets they in slum shops sell

5
effect should not, keynote. Ideally, every Tenyo effects which are
only eCcompatible also
use some of those ingenious Tenyo
effects
2
¥

ible with the the

© T
You could
to develop the & ; 5

me but should help

ir
h

theme Hably produced in stic In this case, the cheap appearance

some
way
1

i
So
f

have limited the props would be an asset rather than a whack

oy
+ We

However. tt 1€ mp] of theme

g recommend that he check
th
5

ne iis
ory. to well-explored If anyone does decide id
to Sp
I
develop
8

build possibili ties for e

(pe nee
to a strong ective themes around which sion thethie
out an effect of Jack Chanin's in Phoenix
No.
called
tl
ee
)Se~up act

cs
i

in idea for g hmited only by a we

clos up theme one Imagination Aron ligarette” effect using, £

¢ :

never used (Ive

been told the
:
act had several years ago but I

plastic drawer boxes sold in nove

that every child has owned
ide. a has bee
« is another effect that would work
by
others Anyone le

who independently thought of “Nn

)

sponge rabbit fie

¢

to use it hag at some time. The

the
rest yoy it ilies
ares don't actually have
theme m in “east serve to
my permission
further illustrate the
do
so. For to well in such an Remember, th Props ou use
act
they just have to look t s if they
>
3

concept of to come from a children’s magic

t:

The perfor,
n¥
na
ut holding child's character por
for the charac i

has implications
jt birthday magic
or the

He set under his arm. B ,

*

received As with most.

ih
themes,
,

4
t
5

not come across as a

magician
present last week, After
a

the side, e
trayed by the
must no

“For performer. giciagwou

1

tricks. Flourishes
;
bf

ages of
i
-ouple
and older.” He's older just lear ned a couf
al
Nn

gently for nan who has jus

1

signa of professiona
couple
as

the ps qualified. Having would any blata

eekdays, he
saree
gi po 6 dil
€ ed

He
opens the carg fecls raaqy Practiced
practice be ou f the question
question of
the
f ynal ability to perform
08rd box ang tay, considerable prof
hg
his first performance. (In reality, it would take required.)
t
:

ut some ss

mall pl: ic prop of such act withar pa

pparent ¢

280
 A
nice touch might be appes to Strong Magic
out the instruction booklet that
Jel Ray
doesn’t make the offer in every effect; he
iswise enough to
resume the effect succe
De that the impact could diminish from overuse. Similarly the
re
idience will recognize the
s his
y

realize not any rati ale for

s ce! tainly in 2nse presenting the act
mance and give him the appl. it is not a theme but rather a true motif, which together
Ther and appealing character
ith Del
R unique serves to make his act
and very memorable, experie
Ww!

a unifies
diffe rence between themes and motifs is that while
An important
A motif should not be confused with act can only
have one theme it may have several motifs
a Del Ray's act provides 1
example. In addition to the offe \

employed, it should run through e act contains a second major motif, that of toy animals that
t ties all the individual components with a rabbit that jumps to attention
act alive. The act opens
and

1s not
consistent with th with a mouse that locates a selected card. In between we meet
is not something th
if
¢ that does somersau
and a mechanical bird that predicts the
if
s

he
odically throughout the future. Throughout,
Del Rayrelates to these as
they were living
:
veral effects that
ne d 0 no ture and their behavior seems to justif attitude. Toy
willdo.one
in
C

strike the motif often enough 3

animals don’t turn up every effect in D > Ray's act. Rather they
1

.
recur from time to time, thus providing a unifying
e of continuity and a consis motif.
of the difference between
aglc 1s the production My own work provides a perfect illustration
Albert of As I explained, in my gambling exposé act
in Goshman’s act. a theme and a motif.
crooked gambling is the theme. However, in my close-up card acts
gambling is not a theme since straight card magic predominates
and

throughout the
again act,
the audience realizes that the only rationale for the performance is
to

n them, not to educate them as in the gambling exposé

However, in these close-up magic performance do exploit gambling
1s a motif. Gambling routines are inter:
sersed among the straight
magic eff Gambling terminology and gambling references
close abound.
“Up magic act that
re ies heavily on motifs is that iven several of the straight card magic eflects employ presentations
that touch on gambling-related topics. For instance, hereWild Card
are
two
C rd Table. “Darwin's
xamples from Darwin Ortiz at the
explanation of why
§

and 1a cont
confi.nuing me a contin
continuing source of humor with deuces and presented as an
a 5

ax
is performed
Deck” is an effect in
ame ofof poker w
poker with deuces a considered wild in poker. The Lucky
the blank-faced deck. The deck is intro
¢

spectators, offering a
which faces re printed onto a
blackjack with them grandfather, big-time gambler.
duced as having belo ged to my
a

luck he played cards w ith them

Feeling that these cards brought him
s0 much he eventually wore the ces off. Thus, inthes va
>

gambling tool is repeatedly

s
t
to gambling
1

situations, Del Ray function of playing

;

unifying element to the

ling a motif that mp2
1

(sure-thing) gamble by provi

ations, prediction effects, rformance
one point he varies t
 Strong Magic

OF
t

id
ll p
AIIse
r
games. You
can show people how
cqmmy
I cheat using als using crooked shuffl ind by
i
can
vs

switching andcard ou can do a three-card

ing mont
es \stration, lemon tration of cutting a
to
the aces, and a
routine
hich you actually play cards with one
or more spectators and
win under impossible
f atedly conditions

Ler way to achieve variety to eng in shifts in tone that ar

\
with your theme, In recent years mentalists have
t
showr
effects with humorous overtones. Similarly, in a

CHAPTER THIRTEEN 1dly ious demonstration of

Yet
som
your next effect may

VARIETY game rout 1e

with strong comedy elements

Props
t's import sth performs an act built entir round coins—indeed
mp. ict; s:
entirely around half-dollars and English pennies. Yet,
t

subsidiary props, he creates tremen

e
of

fact that the audiences is nc only watching magic wi

the

prop over and over again, but also watching the

ffects (vanishes, productions, and transpc
ain. The of purse frame, a cloth hole,
use
tuning fork
a a

rainb t
of gold give the a

entral of
coins gives
prop it great unity

ict vou may do one effect using the full

1
small packet, anot n which cards are laid out
ace assembly),
pattern table uch "Wild Card” or an a

in on the as

“Card Wa which uses only and one

two more
cards, or
trick like
which he If is transformed (such version as
of

cts
a

there in t

“All Backs Micro Macro,” or own

which
Tt ‘olor Changing Deck,”
you
printed on blank deck)
Lucky Deck” which aces
. a

“The
in
you
€ t

visual variety withou bandoning the

you have g
\t

variety
is very
tricks, and
fo.
Darwin Ortiz

bining some tricks that create strong surprise With

strong &
spense. Sin ilarly, ou can combine some
single climax with others that have multiple
some
e
Cts that that
ate
Imaxe hp. 0
a
various w YS you ce nject consideral
unified ac
y
act
I i t whe at methods
; D
atio 0 Inty t

yoy che Se 10 even

hoose to achieve
re
go,
ate
unity,

a
cisions only can make. Achieving the F
yi
ince between Artist;
=

lements i: amu Understanding the many ays v possible for g

gh.
50
1s matt
oy
technique. Deciding
: just how you's BOINg to >
ia
§0 r 1
:

matter of your artistic visic and will result In

,
dg

in
an act that jg
n

FOURTEEN
unig

CHAPTER
THEINFORMAL PERFORMANCE
when they perform close-up magic simply improvise
One trick follows another as they think of it
ong.
times the to
intimate show builds a climax. More usually the last
s the le
tin re
i
of all, and e
is
the last because it
happ: 18 to
the performer think
2

Milbourne Christopher

of what
If you don’t ma gic do a living, you might feel that most
you've res \r about constructing an act is oflittle use you. Youto
font perform rmal act; you do

If you want those informal performances

a
few tricks for your friends
to be as
now and then.
follow all the
hs re to make sure they
power ful as possible, you far. Even the most
principle of routining we've discussed so
to be really
.d must be structu red as an act
performance
forme Jl and informal performar
biggest difference between
don't know just how long it's
:

that, in the informal performance, you and

the reaction you're getting
going to 1 Usually, you decide from YS

how long you should keep going.

the interest people ar owing just
In such a case, the first thing to
do is settle in your mind what
to

er and what effect you're going

fect you're going to use as your
t
Of

you hrou h
your repertoire right
use as your closer | suggest
go
s closers.
ners and others
to

certain effe acts as ope

ind classify é
well the sffects meet
fi
now classif how
0 z

will be based on
Naturally, these selecti ons !
discussed. All the
and closers t hat we've
the criteri for opene become riddle tri Svs
maining effect of course, sg,

287
 Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
Nowwhen you're faced with the prospect of
doing
nce can immediately mentally run throughan off pr rong as the closer, that you'll use as an
perforn
it

a
i select one, then mentally through your closers Voutle Lory run s for
Gate you've
se tled on you can play it hy ear ang
= encor this rule: the way to follow an

fmol |
those, follow
in
CCL
sotutnns
3

woabl
ony
you go along you sh ald Ccting the
¢
another hether
was performed by you or by another
it
striv
tricks throughout the middle
to wrap things up, cut right to
re
on. Onee
your clogep
Pick
Ve go. ol t
is to per
es com: eh on.
trick so different
mn

Suppose, for example, that your closer was a

much more effective approach than the You fin

ing routine or
other display of skill. A good enco
strong &¢

derided by Milbourne complete, y

letely hands-off trick like “Out of this World.
:
ipproach Chi opher un. might be a com
strong trick, but it's so different that the
quotation above this
mn
thy only 18 a ve
mentioned las also think it's He 't com the two. They have to
take each on its own
good ide;a to
Be
I

a
rtoire into acts even
orgy, n aed s. Fc thi son, the opposite would work just as well; a real
you never perfor,
mblingroutine can follow “Out of this World.”
1

this way exercise that wil] help the

Ba
yoy better than one trick is an and has to be
proper act construction. It will also help
Shee
formance of more ¢

ts in your repertoire
betta, U

it's
if to play as strongly as possible. Even if you

SE
oro
+h

You'l find these insights very helpful when

~ ig
est
1
.
at The Magic Castle, you should study the
to do next during informal performance. an
deciding wie. od
principles of act construction. Understanding them will help
that most infor al performances
C

are not completa]; vou in

every performance
foreseen. You usually in advance when
somewhere that you may be asked tc
perform. In such ca
construct an in your mind of length you think t >

perform if you're
or
1,

Als entify one two of the

ts that you can
jetti
ould shorten things, Th
when time com the
ives you the combir
and structure you need
sue! in

Finally, you want

may put to t )

suggest three
tricks length—that you of an
anywhere. This
is
in

for
per
,

when you're une xpectedly

3
1¢
1ons
asked to perform and your
mind goes blank. Na ly,

you construct this

principle liscusse d.
first trick is
ort act along the
one that works well as an
opener. The
last trick is that works well
middle trick closer. And the as a

is one that ensures

closer. proper build from the opener the ; to
One thing that "8x more likely to happen in
performance
formal an inforohn
one is that after you've finished,
t a

you may
2
>
more 18 may, for example, be for the benefit of
he group. Or
you may ply decide

that

One
you
how do
specifi

you lo
solution is
>
ni
time that
an
to decide m
core Withior
Ut

advan,
it
coming
possible encore item.
5;
off ag
8
Just done an
impossible to
anti—climactic?
eff
follow,

At the
you get
98 your opener
and closer, decide on an*
 CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Part Four AUDIENCE-TESTING
The Audience fest
rinciple
person to
is

fool.”
that you must yourself—and you are the

Richard Feynman

Alfred Hitehe Magicians And Consensus Reality

2
of the first times |

that a spectator

selection
ked me to name a number from one six.
|

pointing to one card on each

me. “Amazing,” thought
I

he reason
I said six was

n in which
1se there is

gh
it may not re
test; rathe

291
do
Darwin Ortiz

tioningly that two cards held Strong Magle

together
mbling alignment will always
block of
e

cards is indistinguishable from

four be pte thing
27°
5 neritically. Test the concepts discussed in it before Jay
not
WH evaluate the results. In the language
that 7
of

all believe if you ngle pop psy

perform a Hindu shuffle c udienCes alled reality testing. If more magicians would reality
“stop” then show him the Rol
ries
4.

bottom card the

think they know about they showmanship, it could put an

he has had free choice
a
of

cost wha
¢ %

ality.
end to ms

The Blind Leading The Commercial Sense

a
Bling
The of this
consensus
>

problem 3 would seem follow that all you really have to to

to determine
primarily on other magicians wu be the
ar jt
magi hat effects will play strongly for to try everything out front y

in
constitutes strong magic. The fact is that when of renl audiences of laypeople and just forget about all this theory
gives you his opinion about w hether
a tric Evens: And, if you had unlimited amounts of time available for
would be strong for laypeople he TICK you've just
dopa fo
sd
;

readying new material for performance, and alsc

for

and
really just telling yoy ha yrming
f

personally liked the trick. You whethg,

ess to eager audiences, this w d be the answer.
y

n ed hardly I
he had unlimite:
than us “HUY point
pont out that thie
irs
in determining whether laypeople
<
his is Joes
none of us, not even profes ional performers, have the time
Mh
\

wil] Of cou
great deal of interesting | iterature
a
every trick that could conceivably prove to be an
%

about to udience—te P

mechanis ut the the y

A
$

le to rationalize thei chologica) for us. When you buy new magic hook you just can't
use

eir prejudices
|
fective item
judices when pC!
¥

with
t
ith
a
€ BD

contrary
cc
trick in the book on an audience to determine which
3

dence. The way

w : |
faced

SA
eived notions magicia
magicians = try out every
ay
cling tq their
= :

ceived
i x
.
of what
B
at constitutes
to
101
tutes effectiv Precon- ppg
nes they like
s lik
effective
5

provide an
interesting showmangh;
Ymanship coy important quality you must develop| as a
;

study
tudy in this field.
y
i
case in f;
‘hat's why
That's why single most
the single most impor the
1

a
A
striking exan le can be what call commercial ense, Gambling cheats and con
found on Le Al Koran the performer is I

ran “M a
s

“Magicasse
men use the term “grift sense” to mean the instinct that every good
$

every goo
2

Primarily of soundty. acks 1g1cassette.” rm a

.

The
= a of at
>

etlects on television. But of Ko an performing

it Iso contains various as for recognizing moneymaking opportunities, knowing
In it, Good] aIns an introduction
i
an
observes mor by Goodliffe
will be most and how best work a particular to
LE Rh
¢

once that Al Koran lacked

I 5

pen me way, every successful magical performer eventually

showmanship
con.
Koran wasn't
feeling is
as bom}
the performa
that
tic =<
st
ased on Goodliffe's Judgment
7
a mentalist should
be. My own
that develops an instinct for what effects, methods, and presentations will
work best for him
avidenc
evidecence outstanding ances that :
fo]] ffe's preamble ifr
:
i = 3

e 0 JHow Goodliffe's :

in that he
showman hip producer has a strong commercial
Ate
van IC
01 1 N

A good Broadway
3 sense

here
not to contr: ast is an watch a new play ne a theater and predict whether
the
will be
public
al in it
s that, my opinion with Goodliffe's cht into what
it. Ov .r time, he has developed
th at in;
on th

So
receiving tape, one can hear of commer cial sense and
1g audience
1.5 react:
early
arly hear KKoran =The an
differ nce between that kind
actions
only
fact only into
1

—gasps, apapplause, that you need an insight, not

is
5

to
a
the kind develop th
is

te you have

Sc
fact did not is
~8asps, laughter. kin
he t= develop

what kinds of things audiences like, but parti ilarly what

what lindsiof
not lead
hiss

Goodliffe to consider |
kin

stitutes eff; ctive t revising <

Thus, as a magician,
Te

showmanship. when you per sym them.

i

ASN't a strong In h things audienc

combination of insights into the

qo
ntalist

bi ek,
me
to b| €cause he didn’t
Goodliffe present men- your commercial sense must be a
own strengths and
hay
belioy e it hould
audiences and insights into your
s

2
Teas be presented ¢
of
Even magic
of

ite
developing
or mercial
unfounded pr is merely a matter
Judices aboyt men often have sense
ity.sei
problem your own reactions to an

ga
that they xKnow good showmanship. The 0 t
be
we able to
0 &
:

gicians
8 d

r
gnize that 5 ks for
rks for tion. This 18 something ost
Au

them, but often can't aud

;

fromthe
5 :

xamj ble). As soon as

q

3
e nt oe
approach ean]
t

of
TF he
moral is: when Aceh could
work for someone else. doing (Witn f
doesn't
magician; 3 to
apable
ro it an effect

to realize that
the fac
ten to ye our hi p,
au ces. Don't {on’t
don’t liste!
listen to add
292
en ven
listen to this book—at "ean you should
293
 Darwin Ortiz

I
Strong Magic
right direction

sy
>

Fant
that trick a
S00n
fooled you doesn't
)
ag vos vy

magicians seem to perform only for their own

the fact that ta lidn’ a

fool dnt yoy

In
many
yer
They probably wouldn't notice
”

if
their audience stood up
1

ick, youll have taken - muse’ half-way through the

trick. Many other magicians have to
big step 2

and
1
ggle 8 0
much with the mechanics of the effect that they can't
for the audience. In both cz es, the performer
any att ention is
3
absorbed with what
he
is
doing to notice audience reaction
Feedback T
0

herefore the
first step to
developing commercial sense
is
to rehearse
lor
oping a commercial sense ol master both
the mechanics and the presentation of
your effects so
tions. order to le
In ally can largely ignore them during performance and
8

rom audien tot:

that you
that reaction and, seconc =i ead on how your audience is reacting to what you're
concentrate inst
}

secondly Y. proper]; t
Properly interpret
jtg
T

si Enificy
notici gt t the audience
8

has re acted {ong

enough, but many magi in some
are a number of things you can do to help sensitize
1ans s em inca There
Reil yourself to audience
feedback. I strongly recommend that you study
Ei
0!ng in a bar
with
sit magicis
oh pic
£ a
t
rbal commonly known as body
1 y

he'd been havir ted books on non-ve communication,

ming Vernon's “Tricktellin,
n”
aaving
oe
his 1s the Ambitious eh
ard performed ish
tha ( nguage. This will help you pick up subtle, unconscious cues from
(Most magicians would be particularly well-ady
ble-backed card. Since this
1

a your audiences.
any advantg non-verbal signals for boredom.)
to memorize the
t

er
some surprig

a
into the habit of paying particular attention
get
strong A

trick wag
I also recomm ou
is no greater clue to what people are thinking
it

In stan gician fashio

fashion, ye
C
turned to the str he

oe
certain direction at a particular moment can reveal
1

angers ,

intruded on the, about what is going through a person's mind if you

ar

and started doing reveal a great deal to

the trick ive to it. (Of course, your own eyes can
a.
then placed
ble-backer), and did
under the
He and
bea it top
sthers about what you're thinking, which is why the performer’
to the aThedouble turnover to show play such an important role in misdirection.)
Watching people's ej
ul in helping you determine whether people
d

ated the pr
woman reacted well, be particularly u
1

she pointed to the double- what unvoiced suspicions they may be

are really fooled anc
h

€d to
see what it was
doubt, didn’t suspect
she
harboring
a
double-backer, |
ut did suspe: it it was a duplicate
of
request with some double talk and rT
Debriefing
5
‘I that moment on, t}
woman lost all >

recommend that every time you perform for

laypeople you follow up
face b
: I

this means reviewing te

Wh e linally
sera
gaa
any
mask and she barely
the card rise to the top
finished she turned away
©
with a debriefing“ session. Quite simply,
performance in your mind to see
first opportunity you
t you

ave to be alone after the

W
i an
can
1
from
learn from
learn

performance, mentally
it.
At the
He
mind's
it. At

10n with her yrmance. See the whole thing in your

companion eplay the entire pe
EiClan wo ald dback you received. Recall every
%
he trick hag fallen
no hit me with
ge of eye. Note every bit of audience trick
eve: ry point in every
flat In 1stead, he reaction you got or faile d to get at
:

es
turned to me that
nd
See (or lack of reactions)
:

SUls them
Pay particular attention to the reactions
ow he could
;
every time!”
}
y

You may even W ant to note them on

a piece
failed to see the boredom surprised or puzzled you
that
fer the best learning
the
Eb e the
ev nts
and *¢ faep sh of pap. It is these unexpected xactly the way you expected
at
rely tolerated
¢

the
fo an
audience reacts
sed
réques opportunitie When when they don't do the
ex

ME too top card assuring. But it's

was having
much
rforming the gratifying and learn Psycholo; ts call such
hay a chance to
2

any .d that you hav

15

295
 Darwin Ortiz

experiences “expectation failure.’ Strong

|
Magic
Ume yoy
’

tation lure
re duringo rerfor gy Periay,
performance
performing Experience
1

pe
opportunity
Pr ty
to increase
increase your
to
vour
you Shou
Insights into audien
gh,

nce
Seize ine
>
) S

an
"he
These QL "sin audi nce-testing wit hout an audience. This poses
3

Re
F

“surprising” audience reactio chology 4

age In
playin more strongly than expected, may consis: :
you cant engeé
amateur gicians e average non-professional
for
m
mos
ef ;

or less strong
:

eee
7

m
outlet fo his performing needs. Consequently
:

laugh coming an
:
r
coming at point have

zt8
gh where you didn't
a at

oesn't
wh
point

exp diffe his poor wife crazy making

her watch each new trick and

i
udience’s reaction of amazemer ment coming at g diffe: laugh
LE
f

of fellow amateurs at the magic club, neither of

=
than you
expected, or of Doin ing for his which
spectator
Ct

k erfor
or r a trick that wasn't at all
the kind Cony make him a better
entertainer. (Indeed, spending too much time
kinc wil
nb harmful.
the ~

for other magicians They'll

Gury
perhaps a comment that didn't even m ¢ ry give you
rior ning
Having noted Jback but it will be very diff ent from what you would
he audience reacted
unders you must now from laypeo s such it will only hamper your efforts to
acted that way. Under,
J
8

0
velop erstanding a strong
commercial sense.)
Just notin how
)

nse.

rcos people ragn me to the most important advice can give you in this
&
s you perform
ge
I
us
pect the next fire AEE It will he Ip oo
ge Inops

a reo,
rious about your magic, find a pls wher u can
:

should be much You

em
same But
those trick felt book. you're
If

gularly for laypeople. Do volunteer work, entertaining at

greater perform
ony Wonk know hay people. os
.
y,

to the
ks

you perform hospitals Or find local tavern, become a regular, and get known for
Le t0 Predict with pos
accuracy how they wong long, every time you enter the bar someone will
q

rs
yo
Sh
E

react to a given effect

formed you ere if 3 do it. It's that pr dictive ability
that you t to

ol
do trick.
a
nagicians have been successful in finding a
1

that
And
comes from
>.

that Many amat

modest fee to do table
understani; nt where the management will pay them a
t

to-table mag one or two nights a week. Offer to

do for free you it if
reactions, try to (Some yurant magicians will hate me for
put you, dl professional

pw
they thinkingg that have to.
t to any really capab profes
t}

might aying that, but you won't be a thre:

3
have
a good psychi
trist, you should a ials. Besides, how do you think they became pr rfessiona:
nm, what did he
re mean by that?” rant magician in the first place?)
Ing prem Se in
ychologi al de tective my friend Bob Elliott realized he
needed more
lience always ha work should be A number of y ,.

behind the
goo ople. He offered to work
1

ison for anythi ng they fence per yrming for lay

th rec say
f
t
free just for the
p

day week
or
not be immed lately ¢
Tannen's Shop a
-

clear to you, Magic one

ohthyour
counter at
Y

explanation one
If
Between pitches, he would do some
his own trick
of
tricks <s tk that
Go
of
3
obvious! srience.
to recognize Ve
iY
one tel you, most magic
alt eunk
g the
at it’
not obvious to him
pre ntation to underscore
;

about
! 8 (No matt
are laypeople.) Within
months, the improvement in
the fri
h

dn't be be easy but, if you're

dramatic. It may not
K cc

ing said all that, in the way suggested. g abilities w

«

myst
T

vou will succeed in finding a forum where

In a great while youll *
your magic,
comment from for laypeople
y perform
gheaded. You ¢ Spectator who is simply limited p erforming opportunities,
think I

rule of
a t
thumb ig th drive
yourself crazy over Because of the problem
the debriefin,
c
described earlier, with its
analysis of
get a truly unfath-
1

If
to
At
from
[
the amateur. profes—

2
Spectator | mentally particu lar value
£

file expectation failures

f

Howe evit.
it away without hound to get better
to perform that
es

I
I
at
time the future receive the
x a oman
:
any
sional gets so many ct hundred pe srformances, it has to
same trick the

Withashthe probley,
~

I
f,

re
h is
about your If x
else, know have tw,
I
erformer that one approa
BIC, You can a bec
me obviou and that one 1s

t
he
Eells his trick is strong
particular observation <€

ng although they,
ay not “Ome
udience are thinking sn the playing better
people react
well whene he do this or says that ;

up to you and say it dying, that

 Darwin Ortiz

aramateur magician th limited Perforp

a
If Youre
you're an
an

renea Mn
w

have to be a fast learner. You have

you
to extys Ningg
Y,

a
rer.
ifwih re
app,

part is sd
fewer performances More ines
going M8
your the advice I'm thai ogy
Lae ming opportunities more. 5, 2 ths byt!
As

Ra
a Eh bE
Aldous Huxley said
what you do vith
man
you a better
perience is not what education
you.” No
1
**k
t0 you.
V itself
rforming e Xperience comb, can po
oy

:
-
On
book can teach you
Vote hands;
in your Ee
5 t} - =
faster
erience alone
find yourself a performing forum
:

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE TIME ELEMENT
when first rehearsing a
factor that may not seem very important you start
ot but that hits home very as soon
or
fast

effect
new
audiences is the importance of time.
performing the material
for
how long it takes, and how
E ctly when something happens, will react to
emendous oct on how an audience
5
all have a t

«alled timing, pacing, and tempo.

In theater, these elements
it.
are

effective timing and

timing and incorrect timing, ich is performed with
and timing wh
fective timing, obvious timing trained ob; servers are aware of
such skill and ea se that only the most
ning."
The Technique of Acting
F. Cowles Strickland,

What Is Timing? from

ortant subje in magic. Judging
ming is one of the most imp also appear to be one of the
¢

most
it would certain move
the oie literature read that a
times have you immediately drope
mysterious. How many the writer
to find that
I
Most
depends on timing’ only were Jooking for more guidance
the subject just whes you elusive and ephemeral a
if it we! e too
ing

as diff It to
writers treat timing be very
2

While timing can

2

s of
to permit e planation. derstand. As with mo:
mat!
u'll learn it
arn, it's derstand it,
the fas
chnique, the
299
Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
Let's start with a
definition: Z¥mine
and to the other. That can be determined by
tion the
simple, doesn’t, 39
fromvel from one hand
OF

the other to
tanding the entire Yet gy, gi ”
es
k

ing coin
©

18 coin a

David Roth is another coin move

'€

ng always Subject Op
g, 1ly
is a mat Jopularized
b

red
matter the tj of
huttle pass the
F

transfer
this
right hand pretend.
5
;

problem in magic tionghy, wo 5 timing. In case, to

g
1

the
easily
elemeng
Wo
ily
ana|y
ly !
def
ndent nloft. Ac tually the coin is retained
oi

the
©
the right and while in
coin 10
view a different coin previo palmed
time relationg| hip hand brings into
a )

f the two hands must be coordinated so that the

Toft
B at the begy, left
same time The action C
into view neither too soon nor too late. If the
;
re A,
and varying the brought
1gth of tim is 1

of the two hands is just right

hip between the ac ions
s

wei re have gone out ight. to

5 \

in almc t sé ms never
3

touches al most origin

the
is
1
0!
every 4 yet another good example of the need
he

tion vanish
of a coin
5

ection, and patter. Let's take between right-hand action

see how our
d cond timing in the relationship
nition appli
nd action. In
this case, the right hand star ce cc
a
~retly withdraws the coin just a the left fingers
5

riming In Sleight Of Hand ship here 1s tween the osing of the

b
time
the If the the
al

| the retraction of coin by right fing

v

sleights whi
adequately
jon begins before the left fingers are
1

degree re 1

eight of hang Uming ithdrawal of the coin will be ble. If the right-hand
after the left fingers close, the visual reten-
:

between a
“van long
a
oo
action
another
uld clarify this
ion
T
performed by thaac tion illusion 1s lost.
second deal is
of Alr magician has heard that the strike
card
popularized by doubt if one in a
A]
v

the right illusion.

a I
Goshman,
jependent on timing to achieve
oy
Tj
man, The
Yet, the concept is really very
Al

its coin into the left

hundred understands what that means.
1's oo;

hand Actually the between

coordinate the time relationship
5

§
retained in right hand: simple. You
of card
v

ion tossin pushing over the top in

hnical actions the two thumbs,
of
left thumb
card
the
stan the second
Yet, the and the right thumb striking in
card over too long before
the
provided by The common is to push the top
error h over the top
left thumb should not pus!
striking action. Actually the thumb conta the
nt be: e the right
certainly sn't elaborate card until the meres to the viewer
action 18 invisible
otion of th lationship be deck. In this way, the push-over the top card is
and it appears that
catching motion of (hidden behind right thumb)
the
could have con tacted. Of cours if you
the only one the right thumb end up really dealing
tion the push-—off, you'll
wait too long be ore starting
of wh
which action should
f
2!

1 come

the move,
pe
being caught, of

rides an example
of where timing goal is very
if don the
actions simul- to achieve, However,
you
are willing
to alt
des
€
be lie OF never a hieve the
an

con can t involved you'll

"PProach wil |
con Conversely, if
tand the timing concept ou practice
how many yea
<

te
ror
audience theat
conviction.
ion and the catching yn no matter
al example of timing in
gleight
nothing traveled from a ve ry unus between
sic force provides
ot involve the time relationship rela-
of hand b e it does 1
but rather the time
tim, left hand action, of the
2

betw ht—hand action and ha nd and the e

2

the length n the throw and the of t he spectators

tionship between the action
of time It would really take a
’s hands
301
 a
Darwin Ortiz
You
begin to sp ead the deck and Strong Magic
the
Just as the specta
the dey
lingers are about, to
close Teachgy §

Action
timing between patter line and an action
Cor! a
Senta
oi 0 1 a
;
5
leaving the force card the action provides humorous

a
patter important either because because
i
capg
inv;
ig perfor haEh Just
¥o
a on
Ve
fingers, If Your spreading action
1
2

ofte it provides a comedic or

the patter line or
P

spectator’s hand too close the deck), it

deck),
ed too
wil] pe
is Jay, der
(whi to jt comm
tary
ation to the patter
line.

ah i
3

¥ card her ha d when Apparent onic punctis

!

ul: i =

le of the first situation. Suppose you say, “Gee, I've

aching for a different card. If she vag an examp before,” and at the same time you perform a fancy
! R
r

stead,
e

= is

position the force card you, Here

carar
n

Spreadj played
.

performed 00 Ie vill chuckle, or at least a smile, from

forfrom the deck), This get
Tu
s00n (whi
&
a
| shuffle.
¢

too far hile

1t will
provide her wig}
4 the

one-handec the fancy shuffle throws an ironic light on your

direction and reach a different fo
UUme card,
h
&

tq (he audience becau e

the shuffle a few moments after

Understar ding these things
chap, Yet, if you perform
.tatement
line, the effe won't be as strong. And if you perform
B:

doesn’t me.
ot

try. you'll get jt 1 Jivering the

ie
ime
before the delivering the line, the entire
you B
understan,

ot of
few momen
But

ng ow

to
how
n

Bad: Nir n sla;

, uffle a
make (Sin |
©

easier the shuille

Vill rg

xth
i
ming problen
it 5 for C
you
D>
v

. will
Y
.
fact
be
lost.

.
timing
iE
nd
ach the principle involved in this example. Incongruity is one
Nt
to e
hit XPerim,
th
;
on at
ha a matter that incongruity comes
©

to comedy. In magic, sometimes

S

a
Just
of that
one

practic }
;: 5

contrast between what you'r ying and what you're doing,

ol A ” )

5 the VI ;
from
with a display
t
combined of ,

dike a protestation of naiveté

Tim ing In isdi
Misdirection
:

eybe
1 cases
rdinated, They
of
be,

misdirection it's easy to

dent
identify the
he
two Clement
¢
throw the incongruity into sharp focus.
handling. But the two have to be coordinated so

th, ample from my own repertoire of an action

ele

are the m Saire are

»

give you an

Hrlene
draw I'll X:
:

the
audience’, action
action ( £8,
a patter line. In one effect to
®

cut to an
€
ttention
nh
sw
I
and the Signe d
unnoticed. This ing as comedic punctuation
LIS oiten
involves
volves the time relationship
oft
then give the deck a couple of
and then cut to a second ace.
-

=
t;
the I
hand action and dah
ope oe
1

and left-hand
Hon
action, as
|
Bal)ki
nd

say, “That should make

so
almost impossible for
it
card from thy
Sen
ag when o ne
hand openly fles. As do I I
1, 2]

third ace is. "1 then continue, “I'm not

eg
s the other hand removes
TE me to know where the
avid Sate 5
per: ms a one-hand word
Another ex. ple
is when one hang
palp, of
ing it's totally impossibl
but almos impossible.” On the
it's
and laps a
tion may ingte d
palmed coin
involve coordin
holds
= “totally”
deck. This
do slip cut and the third ace
always
I

a laugh from
a pears face up on top
the audience.
gets
of the ¢

second before a
cperience that if produce the ace be a
aUng an action of
an action of 1e perfo coords
er. When a t} know
a
as strong.
[

“totally” the effect wont

I
something, h spectator js second after the word
>

attenti. but algo that activity usuall the he

er
olds not only his key
It has to occur exactly on
2
of the
atten to use action other Pectato xTherefor own
action punctuates the statement.
achieve the desired result.
s of the
:

own
action Spectator ag mj direction to /ord in the statement to
count on the
cover your make clear is that you cant
sting ag ect of
motion which we Uming
ing in misdirection
wi
audien tically see a connection
between what yoou're
only the if
Ul
analyze fe Attention Contro
ig th at of staggered

chapter
ip oy ¢
1
joe saying and wh t you're
doing. Thes will
.d in such a way as
e the connection
to make the connection
are coordinate is to make these
a actions and patt er
Your goal in timin
Tim:
ing in ming In Patter connectio s for the audience.
ally lead you to correct
timing
Motional imy meg ns tion
timing Your
Wes ve patter for maximum
No number amples will autor of e to exper: ent to find the timing
work. You'l still have
act,
alreg, dy
the time learned th experimentation
1

in your se. But

best x \lts in any given
own
lonship
at Uming always involves
¢

the will give

ae
en es involved
either time two thir that
anding of the princip
gives you

patter delivery,
bi
ng action or therelationJ
timing 2 mbined with an und And appreciating
a pentation alone
ACCOMpany > d
blind € cperin
patter line and
be between )
faster than
me
P

you results fast er than

PEN

results
©

la ations
hip between two will ce rtainly produce
ry

patter the importance of timing

303
Of
Darwin Ortiz

Strong Magic

Learning Timing
to >

take
talk
true th you can only learn timing through actual
5 ainly
patter os 0k is because you need audience
]

§ cert This dback

xperience.
5 p;,

this issye
5

timing a patter line cformil forcement to perfect your timing. (That's also why
¢

is liver With PY constant

1

2The
second thing to get rusty when you take a
timing patter line of the
fur t
commrent a is the
spectator ye
When
itfirstcomes to

¢timi
erforming:)
find lar audiences are particularly good for perfecting
the audience reactions are
come will Beca of the large
,
size, all

making it ea: for y u to detect nuan action or nr

A.
mp
action which vou can use fine-tune to
your timi
¢

betwe,
etween th you won't automatically carn timing
1

gp, true from

performing experi ext per.

ance Jlone.
The stest and su fz
way learn by combining to is
n understanding of the underlying dynamics of
0 nce with an
OU
might exper?
But
will alle w you to experiment with different timing
to more quickly
0
have
Ee
r

a pause hen you've accident hit upon a ularly

n make
Iping you achieve that understanding it what
n all about

2. Pacing
can be
borir nnot afford to be boring even
that you're th; tH
Ken Some time to Stella Ad
strik
>
for the
impact ¢

sue of killing a uj
What Is Pacing?
laughs. In the 1spect of time in a performance
normal )st important :

time In
gotten it out of ther way the aud
laughing, theyll gain, all
ring the show, Ani
80t to say. Therefor in the audience's mind
really matte s what
ughs you've earned
Here definition of pa
tion of the s peed

in audience to laugh
is my 2

passag of time
yrmance—their which the time
how is one in
tougher *

get to performance ne in which the time

di a
i v

i 5 quickly; a s

lightly unfulfilled and to drag

important. We're
s

JE ;
18 Very
ter a my it
later, That's The word “seems” 1n
0
t the & \bove statement
audience how time 1s
{by Ut until the laughter has the

OMediang tof star Ty

8 talk
just before the laughter les Strickland ha pointed out in
i= own 0

13 of minute 1s to vary
roll one the
a

of

305
 Darwin Ortiz

minute of a
1g to w

close
t one
is Xperiencin,
¢

&
durin,
Strong Magic
matched
foot)
ly
Ie thay
long to the Bame rds before the ten seconds of magic
on side ing out the
nd p, ¢
§
one of the
2

tie rooters on fielq, but ye. rev led. This doesn't mean that ace
the other
Tas
side
”
bug
Unimg assembly 18
It does mean that an ace assembly
,

1 you doubt
mances,
whether pac E18
consider th
really ,
Impory
!
ies
C
't be strong magic
strong magic
if you can keep the expository phase from
JJy be
pacing
St

esstonal magicians is
shes professional
4

Sain
the concept of dead time.
/

ithout exception rom looking at pacing

I

Tom
way of
[i

spected am: Mater, Anothe happening holds no interest for the audience you
close—y what
Professio, to
cer
a
WheneV is about going over your performance locate
rmance. Almc ad time. Pacing
at I
Ans
EXCeption, Slo have d cond of dead time and ruthlessly eliminating it, like weeding
Sone of dead
thingthe
and what
kan’. aye.

enough hold enough SVEN

re the most common causes time
to
audi
¢

the to keep
=e €€P
ateurs can get away with slow attentioni
8 x
\mateur: do about them.
88
may,

ste
+
ing
w
v
)

olten performing
“Usb
p;
oep *Veral
ropg
Teasong5. Bi
- Pacing And Patter
wl
Who
r would are More indy),
E even wor
seem willing th
%
80 anything
to
sit Other
t} ey can Magicj, to 5 :

Second, see 0

if yi srformance be sparing w ith words

mateurs are also,
i your pe
m catch 18 3

J.N. Ponsin, Nouvelle Magie Blanche

L

ua 2nce. In often than Moy, Devoilee

most prof poy
perform, 8 for,
p

professiona
In

tonal close—yp
y

Magician is
%

competin ¢ Perfory RINE

only too quick other diyerg;, sity
ick to tus 1 to TSions ff needless ords.”
nbeing
u
“Omit
tur,

that (he
to

attention iq his
= NOt
Strunk & White, The Elements of Style
h

ces don't a
%
m Professiong]
amateurs, ch of advice on
pacing from them But,
they'll often
be more tolerant caliber Now we come to one of the most important pieces
make Given all the thing
you'll ake; whethey of slow
presentation can give you: Don't talk too much!
I

irner yo!
ure a pro gp with your patter—clarify the effect,
Stronger audience vou must strive to accomplish
sional
5

reactions if delineate character—you might

plant suggestions, create atmospher ¢, do a lot of
understandably conclude that you're going to have to
the truth, but it an easy trap
talking Nothing could be further from
Pacing In Magic to fall into. Just s many films
have been ruined by excessive rehance
ruined by
of action, many magic
effe
ts are
>

cone €rns the

a4 lience’s subjec 1Ve on dialogue at the ex pense
about tajk; ve reliance on |patter at the expense of the magic
tie
t
8

0g fast or experience of exce

Earlier e alk moving
of what might be termed new

pi
w
Pacing is about being This is a failing you'll often see in ca es
=
out nero RAE 2

he ic
}

©XPOsitory elect can be divided who had previously concen

verts to showmanship. A magician
phage
Se and
irely concep
Ined with kee magical phase, Pacing in
of magic
decides
¢

trated solely on the sleight of-hand aspects

hee
Interesting
Magicians
often
Ping the
Pository phase e going to try to develop his pre oitlbpe
Sa
8
trick, in ak of
2elng tpi skill. Before long, this formerly monosyllabic 2
che
to
itge]
a

to per 8
€,

Being too Jong, take him three minutes

* 1

elf,
In

the actya] othi 1

Yet the a storm. A trick that used to

fe
BEER
|
its
h of

with
e length of a consequence, be ovett
ably when0 mag; ntertainment value It's not takes six minutes and in
)

iny 1

may,
em, but sleight-of-hand
Si
I E

the €1ans
speak of
i

the pacing. Almost Some of the most prominent

a trick
oxy

to
Phage dry
Thus, an Ap Ing too longg th 'y mean fallen victim this pitfall to into magic

ot
bitious (0 ard ho seem to have gotten
the

those magicians to their

W

SRO
1

embly yet routine p, Thereos ea

a are

spectators nto listening ess

1

piss ever
f

as long as an ace justes a this kind of offender I

non-stop By
Paced.
goog Ambit A

endless rambling. The wors example worst

hSCREEREREY
5

contra Ambitious Card deceased,

Kino
,

ard effect is now this

3Y eff: W

306 ast, an
ABE
assembly may =

encount
sncountered was an older gentleman,
{ £

require a 307
 Darwin Ortiz

New York
the magic scene when Strong Magic
1

I
firg
age of
twenty
T8t
discove
You should follow the
advances the
plot. same policy in your
at
Ate
k he was most infamous for he
was
oily
th Houdip;
or z
was a two-card transposition nagic
outset
that magic a narrative art: every

-
ng plac ed the magic effect
queen outside the
at

as I th 7k ing;
1 d

t
least, information in storytelling
All into one of two
falls

ntatlon concer 2) the story

Bi itive and backg round. (Another word for background

\

Vo
Harry
Su stitution Trunk illusion Wi
d re goric
However, since I'm using the term
ther thig How i meth
“exposition.”
formation

Sethe
is

really adds anyth to in this book to mean I'll avoid it here

expository ph ase
ck is
he
else,
the case of this gent] open = ates
oN
¢

an, confusion.) Anything that carries the story forward is

1

1t made the whole issue acade mic

¢
Da
ona life
0
; to prevent
information that is necessary to properly understand
narrative; any
i
its
artby
removing the king of

esi
would story background
a nding
«

it out for examination. While the ded ang

iE

If the hero
kills an assai lant with his bare hands in one scene, that is
d he
would begin patter to at
in

;
a
¢
ng -rative. However, in or to prepare you for that scene the author
in hi!
:
grew S,t
town of
up p
£3 in
t 1
:

have had to mention beforehand that the hero ex—green

a normal childhood. His Appleton,
Nn

ou
:

able of killing a man with his bare

favorite
Tite Sports we
is background. ical descriptions,
the queen of nformat n about the setting of the
story, data on the 1

k,
hand it out for exam Spades and descriptions of events occurred before the story
ton, and
that

veting launch info

account of
of Bess Houdini ap constitu rounc
8
seneral, fast pacing means

to ground to a minimum
the trick t

no closer
Twelve S
on narrative
had not yet lapsed
into a :
eeing any Magic, to magic much as
to any other narrative form
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