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HI all,

I was just seeing if anyone knows of any good papers,lecture notes or good books on Misdirection, as i just wanted to studied this in a bit more depth

or if any has any tips and tricks on how you can just do day to day to improved and get a better unstinting. and maybe with out doing any magic tricks

thanks

For me there was two things that really helped.

Learning and using a retension vanish. How moving the empty hand draws the spectators eye... That was the key for me!

And getting out there and doing magic! Then analyising it after.... Not in a really harsh and self critical way, but looking at what worked and what didn't, and in each case, why... I have a little note book full of analysis from new routines and tricks...

As far as reading material for you goes, Strong Magic, by Darwin Ortiz is superb, as is The Five Points of Magic, by Juan Tamariz!

In my opinion misdirection is not something you can really study. it is something that improves with experience and you find your own ways to do what you want.

I read a good essay talking about how what we do is directing attention rather than misdirecting.
Can't remember who it was by, I'll look it up.

soveda wrote:I read a good essay talking about how what we do is directing attention rather than misdirecting.
Can't remember who it was by, I'll look it up.

Found it, it is a Tommy Wonder essay that I read in this book:
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/magic ... c-in-mind/
The download is free!

Magic and Showmanship by Henning Nelms is very useful.

Barry

magicofthemind wrote:Magic and Showmanship by Henning Nelms is very useful.

Barry

I'd second this.

There's also a fair bit on misdirection in Carneycopia. The tricks and routines explain both the moves/mechanics and the misdirection.

Ian

artychris wrote:For me there was two things that really helped.

Learning and using a retension vanish. How moving the empty hand draws the spectators eye... That was the key for me!

And getting out there and doing magic! Then analyising it after.... Not in a really harsh and self critical way, but looking at what worked and what didn't, and in each case, why... I have a little note book full of analysis from new routines and tricks...

As far as reading material for you goes, Strong Magic, by Darwin Ortiz is superb, as is The Five Points of Magic, by Juan Tamariz!

I agree, just go out and perform. Everything else will follow. You can read about it, watch it, practice it infront of a mirror. But it is all for nothing if you don't go out and perform. And when you do perform, you will see that most of it is just a natural part of being in front of people. Waiting to learn it all before you get yourself out there is just another excuse as to why you are not performing yet. (please note I don't mean You specifically. but to the world)

Just do it.

Some great advice here guys thanks you I will have a read of that tommy wonder book. But I think you right this is some thing that you get better at as you get out there and do magic live, because you will get a feel for how it works, what works well, and what work well for you!

Thanks again

There's a really good book by a Scandinavian (i think Swedish, but bit sure) available on lybrary.com which deals with misdirection. Can't check the name just now, but I'll try and remember to check and let you know. Goes in to a lot of detail about it.

Are you referring to Tom Stone?

This is the book I was referring to..

http://www.lybrary.com/pocket-power-p-147.html

There is actually a small chapter on the subject at the back of Expert Card Technique, but I agree that you have to get out there and do it. It isn't rocket science anyway. Just common sense and timing.

Tommy Wonder and Derren Brown have excellent treatise on the subject. I guess part of it is about your performance character. I can imagine a comical or brash approach a la Piff the magic dragon and Jerry Sadowitz compared to the sheer artfulness of Tommy Wonder and Eugene Burger. Its like one of these zen stories about seeking enlightenment. This monk goes to a guru who gives him a mantra to say, after 20 years he goes back and says to the guru that he is no closer to being enlightened. The guru asks him to repeat the mantra to which the guru says "Damn, I gave you the wrong one". The despondent monk goes away and not knowing anything else just goes back to saying the mantra. The next day he is enlightened.

I kept reading and looking for ways to make my misdirection look unrehearsed and natural, the moment I stopped trying and just did it was the moment it all fell into place. (No it did not take 20 years).