Don’t you just love it when someone performs a magic trick,
you have no idea how they have done it, and you are absolutely amazed? That is
the feeling I want to instill in people with my magic tricks. I want to people
to wonder, “how did he do that?”
I’ve always loved magic. Always love watching magic tricks,
being amazed by their unending splendor. And I thought to myself, why couldn’t
I do this? Well, hopefully, after 7 weeks of hard work and determination, I
will be able to perform awe inspiring, and head scratching tricks. I’ve always
wanted to be able to pull a bunny out of a hat, but I doubt I will ever achieve
that. I’ve also always aspired to pull a coin out of someone’s ear, and I think
that is certainly plausible. Hopefully I don’t make a fool out of myself and
end up with no magic tricks in my repertoire.
The first step to becoming a master magician is to practice
the basics of magic. You must be able to trick your audience, and very
convincingly make sure that they believe the trick. There’s a reason why it’s called
a trick. You must trick your audience into thinking that you have made the
penny disappear, or that the illusion you have created is actually real. To do
this, you must execute everything perfectly.
My main resource for learning magic will probably end up
being youtube, though I do have a few books at my house outlining some basic
and simple tricks. I might even be able to find some props lying around. I have
a big finger that I can use to conceal other objects, like a coin and some
paper. I hope that I will be able to pull off something.
My main goal is to perform a medium level magic trick, but
hey, if after 7 weeks I have the skill to pull a rabbit out of a hat, great for
me! I think that the best way for me to immerse myself in all the facets of
magic would be to focus on a different type of magic every week, and then,
after 4 or 5 weeks, decide on which type of magic I enjoy the most, and
formulate an original magic trick around it. I think that this is a great idea
to learn all about magic, and make sure I don’t miss out on any potentially
interesting topics.
"How to Do Magic Tricks." WikiHow. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.
"Basic Magic Technique." About.com Magic & Illusion. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.
"Basic Magic Tricks : How to Make a Coin Disappear." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Sept. 2008. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.
I find your project interesting, though it does seem to be a bit open. This could be a good thing, because it allows freedom in your research, but it could also be bad. If you only intend to learn how to make a coin appear from someone's ear, you will probably have extra time afterward to look at other, more intensive tricks. However, if you just want to learn "magic", you may end up not mastering a trick, which would make your Ted Talk... embarrassing. Overall, however, I really like your project. It seems fun, and there seems to be many sources to learn from on youtube, so learning a specific trick wouldn't be hard to do.
ReplyDeleteYou picked an interesting topic, and I think that you can go in a lot of different directions with it. It is a little unclear to me how much you will be learning about “magic” and how much you will be learning about “tricks.” At the end of seven weeks, it seems a lot more likely that you will be able to master a trick than take your understanding of deception and magic and create your own trick. I definitely believe that using YouTube as a source will be helpful, because you will have the opportunity to watch demos and post comments with questions that may yield answers. I think that at the beginning, if you can choose an array of tricks to make up a show, then you will have a plan for the rest of the time spent on this project. Overall, this is an engaging and fun idea, and I believe that with careful planning, you will develop a very good understanding and set of skills about magic tricks.
ReplyDeleteYour topic is very interesting, but very general. I think you can be a little more specific than a "medium level magic trick." In addition to executing a magic trick, magicians also have to sell it. Being an actor is half the job. I'm obviously not an expert, but I think you should consider practicing you acting skills, in a SERIOUS fashion. You should have a lot of resources to pull from and I know that I will be amazed!!!! (by your magic)
ReplyDeleteHello, this is Noah G. (a.k.a. the superior Noah), I just wanted to say that I love your idea to learn how to perform magic tricks as it will serve the purpose of the TED talk well (which relies heavily on showmanship as well as abstract ideas). The main issue I have with the project is that it is quite vague in terms of what the end result will be and the steps you will take to get accomplish it. Also, you do not say the specific steps you will take in order to perfect such a complex and expansive craft as magic. A suggestion I have for you is (in addition to outlining a more specific plan) to work on the basic skills on which all magic tricks rely; this can include sleight of hand/dexterity practice, working on your ability to peoples attention to where you want it to be, and other skills you find to be necessary through your research. Overall, sounds like a fun and entertaining way to spend these next couple weeks, great choice Noah D.
ReplyDeleteNoah. Your project certainly seems entertaining, and it will be fascinating to see how you incorporate your magic tricks into your final TED talk, but I feel that your blog is far too vague for me to get a real grasp as to what your end result will be. I would suggest giving a more in-depth examination of the specific tricks you intend to learn, as well as why it is that you chose these tricks, specifically. I would also suggest attempting to find sources beyond Youtube, as your readings/source-gathering are intended to occupy about 25% of your time. I'm also curious about what you intend to discuss and do for your final TED talk beyond simply presenting your magic tricks. Despite my concerns,it seems like an enjoyable way to complete this assignment, Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteNoah, to be straight up honest this doesn't sound like yourself. What type of magic will you be choosing? My personal favorite from experinece is audience engaging magic where you have a participant come up and assist you. I have been to the world famous Hollywood Magic Castle where the future magicians preform. My favorite trick was when he asked me what my favorite sport was and without me even responding he pulled a baseball bat out of his arm that he was bending and using for the whole show! I don't know how he did it. There was no table or anything blocking his legs. Make sure you keep track of your progress. Every single time you attempt or practice a trick have it on video or keep a log book. This will help show how many tries it took you to finally succeed. Try to also preform tricks in front of people so for example start with your parents and then a couple friends. I know a couple of tricks involving a card deck and the time that I get the best response is the way I convey the trick. Everyone can complete a trick with a rigged deck but only great magicians can convey the trick properly. Focus on technique and the presentation of your tricks.
ReplyDeleteNoah I've never expected that you are this fond of magic. When I was younger I had my own little magic kit that I would enjoy using but that's story is for another time. I think that watching you perform a trick in front of everyone will be interesting because I have never seen any live magic, only a tv show that has crazy magic tricks, but I forget what it is called. This sounds like a fun and entertaining topic to spend your seven weeks doing, and I hope that you have fun doing it! Good luck with practicing and learning magic!
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