Mailbag #113
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If you and your other readers are planning to try out some haunted themed effects, I would recommend to do it on April 4th, which is the Chinese Memorial Day, but can be translated as tomb-sweeping day. There are a lot of rituals related to this Memorial Day. For example, in my province, we would put food in front of our deceased grandparents. We would then burn joss paper. After that, we were supposed to eat some of the food that we served to our ancestors because they are now blessed by our ancestors. This year is particularly special since it is on Thursday, April 4, 2024 (4th month, 4th day of the week). The pronunciation of 4 in Chinese sounds similar to death. So we can make up the story that it has strong connections with the died ones.—SY
This is a good suggestion. One of the projects that is on the furthest of back burners for me is to put together a little almanac of events, annual holidays and celestial events that can be used as the backdrop for different types of effects. Having a reason why what you’re showing them has to be done on this day, or at this time, is a nice subtle way to make your performance feel more significant.
Magic is particularly meaningless when it feels like it’s something that could be done by anyone, for anyone, at any moment in time. Tying a trick into the schedule of some outside event is an easy way to broaden the resonance of the trick beyond just what’s happening in your hands or on the table in front of you.
I have nothing to add to this email from Marc Kerstein, but thought it was worth sharing…
I was reading your post on “Sponts”, and it reminded me of when I first met Blaine. It was back in 2013, and I’d been working on my WebFX trick: a playing card reveal in a photo on your website, which you go to on the spectator’s phone.
At some point, some guy comes around to his hotel room and was keen for Blaine to show him a trick. For some reason, Blaine wanted *me* to show him a trick instead. Blaine said to him something like “no wait, you should really ask this guy,” pointing at me, and then shouts over at me something like: “Marc, can you show John the way you can make someone think of a playing card?”
I had no idea what he was talking about. He then said “Do you have cards on you? Here, you can use mine…” before failing to find a deck of cards anywhere nearby. Then he said “Wait, what about that photo you showed me earlier, do you think you could use that? Maybe try to get that card across to him?”
It took me a bit to really understand what he was doing, but this is very much a thing he does all the time - he often tries to recontextualise a trick to make it feel much more happenstance. It’s of course better if the spectator took the initiative in the first place, but the little charade upfront definitely makes a difference.
It’s something I’ve become aware of with tech magic - I often think the best magic that overtly uses tech should feel happenstance, otherwise the spectator begins to question the tech, which is the only commonality between effects. WikiTest is much better when it’s “we need to use a bunch of text somewhere and there’re no books nearby” rather than some strange insistence on using Wikipedia.—MK
I was reading Monday’s post, and revisiting Fuzzy PATEO. An idea came to mind, but I’m unsure if it strengthens anything, or not. I also don’t know if it has been thought of before.
With Wes Iseli’s FLIP technique you can have one object focused on at a time.
Wes offered a roulette style routine with coins/objects, but the performer is the only one flipping the coin. Alternating the flip of the coin adds nice shade, and suits casual interactions. Stasia’s coin also makes the technique easier, as mentioned in a previous post.
You still go back and forth per original PATEO, but there are no restrictions on who goes first, phrasing, or which object is chosen. You avoid the target on your turn, and control the outcome of the selection (based on their question) for theirs.
You have to present with Yes/No in lieu of Yes/Instinct so you are covered in case they select the target, and also ask to eliminate.
Some objects might stay in play multiple times, which adds to the feeling of fate taking its course. —LT
So, to be clear, he’s suggesting instead of a Pick Any Two Eliminate One force, you just go back and forth with the person picking one object and the other person flipping a coin to see if that object stays in play or is eliminated.
I think this would likely work, but I would be concerned that:
A) it goes on too long if you keep flipping and things aren’t getting eliminated
B) it might be more transparent when focusing on one item at a time that a particular item keeps getting saved when in front of you and you never pick it to be eliminated.
Plus, I like the “yes/instinct” option that’s inherent in the Fuzzy PATEO version and wouldn’t want to give it up.
That being said, I think a controlled coin flip does make a nice ending for the PATEO force (as opposed to the usual way of just having the magician decide which item stays or go). Using this technique to start the PATEO selection, and then—when it comes down to two items and your choice—using a coin flip at the end would feel very fair, I believe.