This month’s post is more question than answer.
What does visual magic mean?
Now more than ever, I hear the phrase used by magicians. However most seem to apply it to an immense and often conflicting range of effects. It seems to be a goal for many magicians but they can not explain to me precisely what it is.
If I place a coin into my hand, close it, and then open it to reveal the coin is gone – is THAT visual magic? Or must the spectator see the moment the coin is vanishes?
When is that moment?
There is a rage in modern close up to create material that is “hyper-visual”. Coins travel across a table without being touched, face up cards transform without cover, a playing card is placed on a black abyss of a table only to vanish a moment later.
Is that your goal?
Is it strong magic?
I’m honestly trying to wrap my head around it.
Case in point, I’ve always had a certain fascination with color changes. I’ve spent countless hours over my life working on these changes. But, generally speaking, none of them ever gets the reaction of displaying a card to a spectator, placing that card face down into a spectator’s hand, and having them turn it back up to realize that the card has changed.
No other change even comes close to that moment of impact.
My gut reaction is that what many magicians envision as visual magic lacks a clear establishing of facts just prior to the magic moment. When all of the known factors are unquestionably established and agreed upon (the card is the Two of Spades) and then those facts are shown to be untrue (the card is the Queen of Hearts). To me, the current brand of hyper-visual magic robs the audience of the solid mental footing just before the magic moment. Without it, the moment is weakened or - worse - lost.
Of course, it could just be me. That’s why I’m posing the question.
So I ask you…
What is visual magic?
Is it strong magic?
What does visual magic mean?
Now more than ever, I hear the phrase used by magicians. However most seem to apply it to an immense and often conflicting range of effects. It seems to be a goal for many magicians but they can not explain to me precisely what it is.
If I place a coin into my hand, close it, and then open it to reveal the coin is gone – is THAT visual magic? Or must the spectator see the moment the coin is vanishes?
When is that moment?
There is a rage in modern close up to create material that is “hyper-visual”. Coins travel across a table without being touched, face up cards transform without cover, a playing card is placed on a black abyss of a table only to vanish a moment later.
Is that your goal?
Is it strong magic?
I’m honestly trying to wrap my head around it.
Case in point, I’ve always had a certain fascination with color changes. I’ve spent countless hours over my life working on these changes. But, generally speaking, none of them ever gets the reaction of displaying a card to a spectator, placing that card face down into a spectator’s hand, and having them turn it back up to realize that the card has changed.
No other change even comes close to that moment of impact.
My gut reaction is that what many magicians envision as visual magic lacks a clear establishing of facts just prior to the magic moment. When all of the known factors are unquestionably established and agreed upon (the card is the Two of Spades) and then those facts are shown to be untrue (the card is the Queen of Hearts). To me, the current brand of hyper-visual magic robs the audience of the solid mental footing just before the magic moment. Without it, the moment is weakened or - worse - lost.
Of course, it could just be me. That’s why I’m posing the question.
So I ask you…
What is visual magic?
Is it strong magic?
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