Adding "Visual Texture" to your magic!
Visual Texture
‘Texture’ in the context of a magic act or performance, is a bit of a buzz word, and it can relate to many different aspects of magic. Here though, I’m talking about how the magic actually looks.
There are several types, and while a lot of people have a very clear preference (a lot of people I speak to say they only like ‘visual’ magic), presenting a trick from each category typically provides a much more satisfying demonstration of magic.
Type 1 - Implicit Magic
This covers a wide range of magic, and refers to any trick where the actual magical process is not seen - simply the results of it. Typically, people think of this as being less effective, but in reality, almost all magic falls into this category, and is highly effective.
Take for example, a coin vanish. They see you put a coin in your hand, you close your hand into a fist, then you open your hand, and the coin is gone. This is implicit, as your spectators see the ‘before’ (a coin goes in your hand) and the after (the coin is vanished) but they don’t see the middle part, where the magic happens.
Type 2 - Visual Magic
Visual magic covers 2 sub-categories to me, so I will explain both and give you some examples of what I refer to as ‘Analogue’ and ‘Digital’ magic.
Digital Magic is when something appears suddenly, vanishes immediately or changes into something else in an instant, without cover. In the same way that a light switch is off, and then the room is filled with light in a split second, there is one situation, and then suddenly, there is another. There is an immediate result, but the actual ‘process’ is still not visible to the spectators.
Here is a close up example - http://www.dudethatscoolmagic.co.uk/acatalog/CM_Strip_by_Jose_LaC_Quest.html Here, the card or banknote suddenly and immediately appears in the container. It’s a great trick.
Strip by Jose LaC'Quest
Another one would be the Kartis Bill Change. The original was an implicit piece of magic, where a banknote changes once it is folded up and unfolded. Here, the magic happens immediately. http://www.dudethatscoolmagic.co.uk/acatalog/Kartis-Bill-Change-2.0-by-Kartis-and-Tango-Magic-E706.html
Stage examples would include the fantasio style appearing canes and candles, that kind of thing.
Analogue Magic is when the actual process or moment of magic is drawn out and visible, and this can be the most interesting type of visual magic (to me at least).
Consider this Dan Hauss trick http://www.dudethatscoolmagic.co.uk/acatalog/Growing-Ring-by-Dan-Hauss-E741.html to compare the differences. If you were to place the ring in your hand, and when you opened it, it had grown, that would be implicit. To suddenly wave your hand over it and it grows in an instant would be ‘digital’ style magic. But here, the way Dan presents it, the actual process is visible.
To keep the light switch analogy, this would be like using a dimmer switch, where you can see the room slowly fill with light.
Perhaps the best example of this is the aptly named WOW! http://www.dudethatscoolmagic.co.uk/acatalog/CT_Wow_2.0_by_Masuda_Face_Down.html There is no precise the second that the card seems to change, the metamorphosis is such a gradual one.
Wow 2.0 by Masuda
Conclusion
So, with those categories in mind, take a look over your material. Try putting a little set of three tricks together, each one of which from a different aspect - one implicit, one analogue, and one digital, and try it out.
The benefit of including a bit of each type of magic is a fuller experience of what magic has to offer, and makes it more difficult for your spectators to simply attribute all of your work to ‘fast hands’ or ‘gaff decks’ or whatever. The more variety you include, the more professional your performance looks.
Let us know how you get on, and if you agree or disagree.
Comments
Post a Comment