Tuning Spectators

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A question I addressed in yesterday’s mailbag asked…

I’d like to hear your thoughts on ditching objects after a vanish. A lot of times I see the advice to just hold it in classic palm or whatever until after the effect is complete or there is an off moment. But I feel like if you don’t clearly show that hand to be empty then that leaves an “easy answer” as to what happened. 

I think this may be another instance of spectators being too polite to actually say “uh, it’s in your other hand”. Kind of similar to the card to pocket problem. —JC

I want to look at another subject this question raises.

I think JC’s instincts are probably right (in fact, I know they’re right) about people often just being too polite to point out the coin is in the other hand. It might not even be politeness. Yes, some people feel like it’s their job to bust the magician. But more often it seems like people think their role is to be kind to the magician and not point out the obvious because this is all meant to be a bit of fun and of course the coin didn’t really vanish, etc. etc.

I feel like I sometimes have to train my audiences into an unnatural combination of feelings. I want them to know that the trick is all in fun, and that it’s not meant as a challenge. But at the same time, I want them to watch with a critical eye. I want them to “play along” with the premise. But I don’t want them to play along with being fooled. For some people, that’s a difficult mindset to get into.

To generalize, let’s say the two ends of the spectrum are “teenage boys” vs. “doting moms.”

“Moms” and “teenage boys”…. what is this… my Pornhub search history?

No, these are just examples of mindsets with which people might approach watching magic.

Often younger male spectators see magic as a challenge. And the goal is not to get fooled. “Let me see that. Wait… count those again. Can I hold the card? Can I shuffle the deck? That’s two cards, not one.”

On the other hand, a mom watching her kid perform magic is all-forgiving. She may see the cards separate or the unnatural way you’re holding your hand to hide the ball or that the coin is still in your left hand, but she’ll still say, ‘Wow, honey! You’re so magical!”

The 15 year old trying to bust you is not getting lost in the Magic (capital M). And the mom just cheering her son along is often not being attuned enough to take note of the impossibility of what is about to happen.

To be clear, the Mom and the Teenage Boy are just spectator archetypes. Your spectator may lean towards either end of the spectrum regardless of their age/gender/parental status.

Ideally, I want a spectator to be in-between these two modalities.

  • I want them watching with a critical eye so that they’re genuinely fooled. I don’t want the spectator to ever feel like they’ve helped to fool themselves. That weakens the effect immensely.

    AND

  • I want them to feel free to get lost in the presentation.

I think I’ve become pretty good at naturally guiding people to this mentality. If you find you have someone being too much of a “mom” or a “teenage boy,” then you’re going to want to tune your spectator. Nudge them a little bit one way or the other, like a radio dial or a shower valve.

If they’re too much of a “mom”—if they’re too supportive—then hit them with straightforward tricks that are challenging. Strip away any presentation. If you have a strong trick that is “just a puzzle,” that will work in this situation because you’re not trying to charm them, you’re trying to get them to be more critical. You want no real presentation and little to no handling for them to be able to “forgive” in their mind. A “test conditions” sort of effect is what’s called for. Richard Osterlind’s Challenge Mind Reading effect would be a good option here.

If they’re too much of a “teenage boy,” then you want to nudge them the other way. Show them something that is very hands-off (ideally self-working) with a presentation that is clearly not about you and the more fantastical the better. You want the premise to be so ridiculous that they’d feel stupid if they were to challenge it. If you say, “I’m going to read your mind,” or, “I’m going to show you how I cheat at cards,” that’s going to put the “teenage boy” personality into challenge mode. What you want is a premise that says, “this is fiction, just chill the fuck out and enjoy it.”

I find that it doesn’t take much to “tune” a spectator towards the middle of the dial. Usually after seeing a trick or two that was designed to push them one way or the other, they will pick up on the idea that they can approach magic in a different manner. If not magic as a whole, then at least the magic they see from me.