Sta.sh
It's past 3am, and I can't sleep.
-------The Power of Magic-------
When I was a kid, one of the greatest things possible to witness was magic. To me, my dad was a magician, no doubt about it. He could make coins appear from pockets and behind ears. He could guess what card you or your friend chose. He could blow cigarette smoke from his ears.
Actually, that last one was due to having punctured ear drums, so wasn't really magic... but you get what I mean.
Of course, now that I'm older, I know all these tricks myself. They're the easiest ones in the book. I've learned them myself, and occasionally blow the minds of kids who are now at the age I once was when I was being amazed by this apparent 'magic'.
That experience, of seeing something you believe to be utterly impossible become possible, is amazing. It's the reason I love illusionists and magicians, and the reason I've spent most of this insomniatic evening watching videos of Dynamo the magician.
Eventually with shows of magic, the magic itself fades away, and you realise the trick disguised within it. You understand the sleights of hand, the set-ups, the stooges, and the smoke and mirrors. But, in a way, I find that time the worst part of the process. With magic tricks, I'd rather be in awe forever.
We live in a world where thanks to film and special effects, almost anything is possible. Things that physically are not possible become reality. Because of this, magic has adapted to try and keep up. Magicians worldwide are coming up with more impressive feats of showmanship than ever before, pushing the boundaries of what we believe to be possible. It's all a trick. A good magician will never claim to have real magical power. Indeed, my favourite illusionist, Derren Brown, often reminds his fans and viewers that what he performs is not magic, but an illusion.
What drew me to Dynamo was one particular trick that blew my mind: the ability to instantly put a phone or camera inside an empty glass bottle, in full view, without concealing the bottle behind or beneath anything. I know there is a trick involved, but where? I can't see it, and I don't want to see a slowed down video to try and see something that I couldn't otherwise figure out with my own two eyes. Even though it is not true magic, it's an incredible thing to see, that takes a huge amount of skill and ingenuity that I personally value far higher than any computerised special effect.
And yet, when I read comments on Dynamo's videos, and those of other magicians and illusionists, you see the same variety of comments every time:
- It's fake.
- What a set up.
- Oldest trick in the book.
- You can see where he does it.
The one that irritates me most is this one, single comment: It's fake.
How can a trick, an illusion, be branded as 'fake'? Of course it's fake! It's not claiming to be real, magical power! I could gamble money on the fact that a majority of these people who seem to take pleasure in tearing these magicians apart are not able to perform half the feats they see in the videos, and yet they seem to take joy in trying to ruin the experience for others. One of Dynamo's tricks has already been ruined for me by someone tearing it apart in the video comments.
Magic is not made to try and fool you into believing supernatural power exists. It's not designed to be torn apart, just to try and prove you're smarter than those it has entertained. Magicians and illusionists perform their pieces to amaze, to awe-strike, and to render us speechless. It's designed to leave us wanting more, to question how it was done, and to try to figure out where we missed that essential sleight of hand, or quick-change. It's meant to leave us feeling that we cannot physically think of any way what we just saw could be possible.
We live in a world where 'magic' can easily be created by just about anyone, with a little bit of SFX skill. With that in mind, let's show a bit more appreciation to those who can make magic happen with nothing more than their hands, and fifty-two pieces of card.
I hope that magicians will be blowing my mind for the rest of my life.
Dynamo
[link] < Playlist of his videos
[link] < Impossible leaning feat
[link] < Putting a phone into a glass bottle
I suggest avoiding the comments, due to the idiots who'd rather spoil the trick for everyone else.
I'd also suggest searching Derren Brown. I found a lot of his videos on Youtube, but I have a feeling some may be locked to UK viewers only, so it may be best if you go in search for those yourself.
Enjoy the magic ^_^
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"If you enter this world knowing you are loved
and you leave this world knowing the same,
then everything that happens in between can be dealt with."
- Michael Jackson -
He started in a purple suit, was locked in chains and then locked in a trunk. His assistant got on top of the trunk and threw a curtain up to conceal her, and it was only in the air for a second. When it fell, it revealed him on the trunk, now in a green suit, and when he opened the trunk she was inside, locked in the chains.
The whole thing lasted about two minutes, it was so fast. I have no idea how he did it, and I don't think I want to because it'll ruin how awesome that was for me.
You also ned to be skilled, nimble, and dexterous.
I can remember being young and sitting in the living room with my parents, watching magic shows on tv. And now I have to find magic tricks on youtube. Where people leave stupid comments that I try to avoid looking at if I can...
I read something on Tumblr where apparently a kid found some green fluff on their dog's bed an' asked their teacher what it was. She told them that it was from Flying Mint Bunny, a fairy from England. She showed them pictures of FMB an' all of the kids started lookin' for him. She told them that only those who believe in magic could see him, an' all the kids started shoutin' "I believe! I believe in magic!" (Here's a [link] to it.)
Anyway, whether magic, illusions, or tricks are simply sleights of the hand an' tricks o' the eyes, what matters is if someone believes in something that's supposedly impossible for even a second, I think it's magic.