ΔΔΔ: An Effective Effect
In two prior articles, I wrote about the details of our magic techniques and the thoughtfulness of our magic method. Of course these tools merely set the foundation for the top of the pyramid—the magical effect. It’s our job to help guide our audience into whatever magical effect we want them to feel.
We can create all kinds of effects for our audience. We can make them laugh or be entertained, we could make them feel impressed or confused. But, as magicians, our highest aspiration would be to make them feel magic. I don’t mean fooling them; this kind of magic is about more than not knowing how it’s done. I’m not even talking about making them feel wonder or awe. Our ultimate goal is to evoke that rare and mysterious feeling of magic that makes you honestly question everything—complete with goosebumps! Juan Tamariz calls it a secular miracle, since “when reached, it should be strong enough to have the same impact as a miracle for the believers of any religion.”
If you’re like me, you’ve only been lucky enough to personally feel this hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck feeling a handful of times—perhaps not always from magic (you may have noticed that the more we learn about magic, the harder it is for it to give us this feeling). And if you’ve been doing magic long enough, you’ve probably seen it in your audience.
I’ve seen it a few times, but not nearly as many times as I’d like. While I always hope to entertain, make people smile, and build meaningful connections, my highest aim—since well, I am a magician—is to help others experience that magical feeling.
Most of us who take this craft seriously have been lucky enough to witness some of these experiences, from one side or the other—otherwise, we probably wouldn’t have fallen so deeply in love with magic in the first place. Others aren’t so fortunate. In a 2016 MAGIC Magazine article, Joshua Jay wrote that most people haven’t seen a live magician in over a year, and more than a quarter of the people you meet have never seen live magic. So if we’re gonna be their one shot at witnessing a secular miracle this year, we have quite the responsibility. If we want to give them that gift, we probably can’t just show them tricks. It’s gonna take a little more work than that.
Most members of our audience will be resistant to this feeling. For some, they just simply don’t know what they’re supposed to do or think—remember, this doesn’t happen often for them (our closest friends and family don’t have that luxury!). For others, they’ve been turned off by poor performers—those with an arrogant attitude or whose technique fails to fool a single person in their audience (just themselves).
With these obstacles in our way, we can’t merely rely on tricks to give them the feeling of magic. We have to carefully guide them to this place. Our job isn’t just to show them our magic; we also have to show them how to experience it.
There are several tools for making magic more impactful and more likely to reach the status of a secular miracle.
First is the atmosphere we choose to create. The audience doesn’t think about magic as much as we do, so they lean on our attitude to understand how to interpret what they’re seeing. If we treat it like a mere trick or a laughable gag, so will they. But if they sense that we care about what we’re doing, they’ll follow that cue.
Taking our magic seriously in this way doesn’t mean we must have a serious or intense demeanor—for many performers, a lighthearted approach tends to be more effective for building connections, a second important tool for creating strong magic. Genuinely connecting with the audience, through your authentic personality and your compelling presentation, is crucial for achieving a deeper impact.
Naturally, a magical atmosphere and a personal connection to the audience unlock a third tool—emotion. When your audience feels emotion—joy, regret, surprise, uncertainty, love—their hearts become more open to the effect you’ve chosen to share. It’s our job to carefully guide them to that emotion and, crucially, allow space for those emotions, without rushing past them or deflating them with a tempting one-liner.
Once you’ve established an appropriate atmosphere and personal connection, and once they become emotionally invested in you and your magic, the stage has been set for your effect. With these mystical ingredients, combined with your more foundational preparation—proper technique, attention to detail, and a thoughtful and elegant method—you stand the best chance possible to give your audience a miraculous and magical feeling.
“Neither the apparatus nor the tricks matter, nor the brilliant ideas, nor the stage decorations, nor the lights and electronic devices, if we fail to transmit a magical atmosphere.”
¹ To learn more about the magical effect, and the craft of guiding our audience to it, I’d happily recommend what just may be my favorite magic book, The Magic Rainbow. This is the third book of Juan Tamariz’ trilogy of magic theory, a collection that encompasses his thoughts on technique, method, and effect.