A pure magic TV show?

[fridoliina]

Hello everyone.

I work as a bartender so i get to meet alot of people when im working and i also performe alot of magic there. Its great to meet alot of people becaus you can ask lay people what they think and like about magic and thats whats most important.

So one thing that iv been asking people about is what they think about magic on tv. And the most common answer i get is that they think its to over the top and so impossible that it just screams fake and computer effects and that they would like to see some more "real" magic.

So do you think it would be possible to make a magic tv show without any "camera" tricks and stunts where your trying to kill yourself?

There are so many great magicians out there but people never get to see it.

 

[Anthony Bass]

If I were to ever have a TV show, it would definately be simple. Cards and coins, even sponge balls. Nothing too over the top. Maybe a few escapes, but mostly really simple stuff. David Blaine has the best shows. They're simple, and not too over-dramatic. Criss Angel has a good show, he just over-does it sometimes. But yeah, I think magic shows should be a little less over-the-top. The day you see a magician performing sponge balls on TV is the day I die my hair purple.

Anthony Bass

 

[Rmana]

I think Blaine's street magic, most of it anyways goes against this because a lot of it isn't cut, it looks kind of gritty, and you get a lot of honest reactions from people.

I think part of the problem with Mindfreak is that it simply looks so sleek and has a lot of production to it that even when Angel does something really well people assume it's a special effect or something. A good example is his levitation on the escalator... that was awesome and people on youtube write it off as a camera trick.

I don't know... I guess I'm saying that once you strip away all the production and not have a lot of edits it comes off more real and genuine. I kind of view stage magic the same way... because you're on the stage it makes it a bit harder to make a connection to your audience and it's more of a performance than an interaction. Remember those David Copperfield tricks back in the day where you had to touch the TV? People loved that because they got involved.

Wow... that's a long reply... basically, I think through TV the audience gets a bit detached.

 

[Deryn]

There was a short lived show called "Mondo Magic" on Discovery or TLC or something. I really liked that show because everything was so simple yet powerful. Nothing over the top at all.

 

[fridoliina]

Yeah David blaines first two specialls were great.

But today, do you think someone like Wayne houchin for an exampel could get a tv show without him trying to kill himself?

I think there is so much magic out there that is far more entertaining that what most people get to see.

 

[PjPinsonnault]

There was a short lived show called "Mondo Magic" on Discovery or TLC or something. I really liked that show because everything was so simple yet powerful. Nothing over the top at all.

That was the correct name. This show was fun for me, as well, but unfortunately never found its stride.

Magic on TV can be tough on workers because people who don't think it's over the top sometimes request, before you even begin, to see you do something they saw on TV.

I actually corresponded with Blaine once on this and he said that he gets the same requests at live gigs, such as pulling someone's teeth out. He went on to say that even he keeps a working repertoire that would probably line up with most working magicians' for when he's hired at an event. Food for thought.

Pj

 

[samuelmshin]

I'm real big on Derren Brown; I think the man's absolutely a genius. What bothers me is that I overheard some guys talking about his special over the summer, when he did a quick miniseries for the Scifi channel. They were talking about that British guy who was on tv last night, how it was so fake, how the actors weren't even that good. It hurts me to hear that because it seems to me to be a clear indication of the cynical, anti-magic nature of the general television audience.

People now are getting clued into the fact that sometimes magicians use camera tricks and stooges to pull off effects. The masked magician is definitely no help to this; he revealed how to make a bulldozer or something vanish, and the method was stooges. Now, I'm not opposing the use of stooges or camera tricks; they're just as much methods of achieving an effect as gaffs are. The purist might oppose these "dirty" methods, but the spectator is the one that matters.

But now, people who are aware of the presense of stooges or camera tricks are quick to assign that as the solution to every televised effect. It's the idea that when a person sees something they don't understand, they immediately attempt to rationalize it by any means necessary. That's why hecklers will often times linger on one or two minor details, ignoring the fact that the effect overall nullifies their argument. They're so thrilled that they might understand one part of an effect that they block all other reason.

A story: I used to use the old patter about the "one-handed pass." The story essentially requires revealing the concept of the pass, a secret move that allows a magician to shift cards without the notice of the spectators. While they won't understand the mechanics of the move, now they're aware that there is a move. So when I did an Erdnase, one of the girls said, "Oh, well he's just doing that move." And I was unable to impress her with my limited repertoire at the time, because none of my comfortable effects could get around that. Fortunately, now I can completely fry her as I learn more and more things, but at the time that small amount of basic and general knowledge killed the effect for her.

I think that a "pure" magic show had better be immaculate. It has to be so absolutely and undeniably clean that literally nobody can chalk it up to camera tricks. But more importantly, is it worth it to spend that effort? Will making that show be more practical than simply going out and proving to people that magic can be done without the aid of stooges and cameras? When somebody signs and card, sees it go into the center of a pack, and then jumps back when it's seen to be clearly on top, they can't run to that idea of camera tricks or stooges. They're certainly not a stooge, and the deck is right in their face. I think the ultimate solution is to go out and perform to a point where people realize that mind-blowing magic can be done "cleanly"

My .02

 

[Sleight_of_Hand]

I think that new show that is coming out in Asia on AXN called Magic Asia -India is pretty good.
Lots of normal tricks and its more different than normal shows because a white guy goes to India to perform to the locals.

 

[greg]

I remenber a show called THEM

T otally
H ideen
E xtreme
M magic

 

[42613]

Most of the pure magic shows are short lived.... except for Criss Angel, but then again he doesn't do "pure magic"

 

[SHANE BLACK]

If I had a TV special I would be the Conan type show host that pulls regular gags with magic on my spectator's so the whole world could laugh with me,..(pause) or at me? Anyhow I think that would be fun to watch.

Shane