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I watched a video on youtube with a guy performing the highly acclaimed Kollossal Killer by Kenton Knepper.

To me it seems very obvious, and I can honestly say that I had the method down in seconds. But then again I have a fairly large knowledge of magic compared to other people. Surely, an effect doesn't have to be a "magician fooler" to be good, but it seem to me that if you have a minimal amount of analytical thinking, you would be able to figure it out very fast...

Kenton may have some finer points on presentation in the actual book, I don't know, the particular performance just made it seem very obvious to me.

In your experience, how smart are people? How often do they just smile and play along because they don't want to hurt the magician's feelings?

Not as smart as you think, but smarter than you imagine. Does that make sense? No, thought not!

Bit of a broad question really.

How smart are people? As smart as they're feeling that day i suppose.

I find the more intelligent people tend to overthink and can be really perplexed by the simplest tricks, but that's just my minimal experience.

Lay people are just as smart as magicians - in many cases far smarter. What they lack is knowledge of techniques and the will to uncover them.

Just to pass a bit of time, I performed Do As I Do to some friends at work recently. It absolutely floored the lot of them. Never underestimate your audience, or get lax with any of your angles or moves or anything, but just remember why we don't reveal our secrets - a lot of magic is very straightforward if you are in the know. Things might seem obvious because we have a different perspect, but you'll probably find that the audience don't know the secret.

You might want to think about whether or there are any convincers you could work into the routine you're working on?

Sometimes people are more willing to see the magic, sometimes people are entertained even though they could think of a possible explanation.

But more so it is -I think but that is more from my own perspective as a layman (or willing layman)- that it comes down to how a magician is able to immerse me in his/her magic.

By comparison just like any art, the ability to make it "believable"; not how much knowledge one has or how intelligent one is.

Some people I've performed for smile in a "i think i know"-way and start explaining my tricks in a way that would be almost impossible to perform. When this occurs, I smile and say something like "you're very, very close" - they didn't see it but if they think I did all of that, they're willing to believe I can do stuff that is very close to real magic

As has been stated, most laypeople haven't the working knowledge we of the craft tend to possess. However, many are of the type that have a critical mind and who love the challenge of a good puzzle which, by its very nature, magic can be. Though this sort rarely comes up with a correct answer or "solution" some will and for some logical reasons;

The Prop Used is not built properly and lacks deceptive qualities that can include the general finish.

The routine was not properly blocked/staged which can result in problems tied to the above due to lighting and distance issues as well as angles.

The performer (and/or the assistant, when applicable) are sloppy and accepting half-measures in what they do rather than pushing themselves towards perfection.

Lack of showmanship, which can make up for some of the technical short-comings and serve as a blind when effective. But, when dealing with a weak personality routines can suffer because the public will place more heat on them rather than the greater idea of "a show"

The routine presented has been over-done and exist as part of the current top ten trend effects. Not only has this telegraphed what the effect is going to be, it lends incentive for the curious mind to study all aspects to your handling with the intent of figuring things out.

Finally, we come to the issue of social perspective and mind-set...

When I worked carnivals and side show gigs we could bring in the Headless Lady with all the available pomp it offers. If we were in a college town filled with intellectual and techno-junkies you would hear them gloat as to how amazing modern science is as well as how inhumane we were to torture that poor girl's body and not letting her just die.

Take that same exhibit to a county fair in the middle of nowhere, where few have much more than a High School education and you will hear the old farmer's telling folks not just how it works but what to look for and where. Not because of "intellect" or being "smart" just knowing how to look at things in a practical and logical way. Which is one reason it can prove difficult, working of this kind of rural audience and/or children; their processing of things is not the same as you find in alternate venues and demographic environs.

Most all of us are "Ignorant" when it comes to any number of topics though we may have a cursory understanding around them. Stupidity on the other hand, comes as the result of needing to know more about something your are ignorant of but refusing to look at the available data and learn about that issue from all sides. The latter is voluntary and becomes a "sin" as they say, because of free will. It has NOTHING to do with a person's aptitude, IQ standing or schooling... hell, I know 6th grade drop-outs that knew Electrical Engineering better than college grads with PhDs... the pedigreed jerk is technically "smarter" but the supposed idiot in this case, had life experience, cunning and tenacity going for him.

cactus mx wrote:Some people I've performed for smile in a "i think i know"-way and start explaining my tricks in a way that would be almost impossible to perform. When this occurs, I smile and say something like "you're very, very close" - they didn't see it but if they think I did all of that, they're willing to believe I can do stuff that is very close to real magic

This means you're not designing your routine correctly. If the person can come up with an explanation that seems reasonable to them- even if it's far from the actual truth- they won't experience "magic". A good trick has to either appear to be impossible- no explanations- or supernatural- an explanation that still registers as magical.

sleightlycrazy wrote:This means you're not designing your routine correctly. If the person can come up with an explanation that seems reasonable to them- even if it's far from the actual truth- they won't experience "magic". A good trick has to either appear to be impossible- no explanations- or supernatural- an explanation that still registers as magical.

This hasn't occured to me that much - these people were kind of hard to convince. They don't have any clue as how I did it, so they start figuring out a way to do it. Isn't this something most people do after seeing magic performed to them?

Some are too smart.

cactus mx wrote:

sleightlycrazy wrote:This means you're not designing your routine correctly. If the person can come up with an explanation that seems reasonable to them- even if it's far from the actual truth- they won't experience "magic". A good trick has to either appear to be impossible- no explanations- or supernatural- an explanation that still registers as magical.

This hasn't occured to me that much - these people were kind of hard to convince. They don't have any clue as how I did it, so they start figuring out a way to do it. Isn't this something most people do after seeing magic performed to them?

I'm sorry, I guess I misunderstood. If they themselves believe their method can work, then the routine needs work. Basically, even if you know their method can't work, what really matters is their point of view.

Ideally, they would be forced to accept, for the time being, that what they just experienced is impossible/highly improbable. If successful at this, they would have no "method" to verbalize.

Again, if they're just thinking out loud as they try to think of a possible explanation, that's a bit different.

sleightlycrazy wrote:I'm sorry, I guess I misunderstood. If they themselves believe their method can work, then the routine needs work. Basically, even if you know their method can't work, what really matters is their point of view.

Ideally, they would be forced to accept, for the time being, that what they just experienced is impossible/highly improbable. If successful at this, they would have no "method" to verbalize.

Again, if they're just thinking out loud as they try to think of a possible explanation, that's a bit different.

You're right; I think that some people just have a hard time to accept the fact that what a magician did really happened, so that they can't do anything but come up with a way as how it was done - just to set their mind at ease?

People don't need to be puzzled, they need to be enchanted.
When they're enchanted, they don't ask "how it's done ?".

People don't need to be puzzled, they need to be enchanted.
When they're enchanted, they don't ask "how it's done ?".

I think that The Curator has hit the nail on the head.

If one simply performs a 'trick' then at best it becomes a puzzle to be figured out.

As magicians we should be creating an affinity with our spectator(s) by setting the scene and leading them into a world of magic where they are only too happy to suspend their disbelief and instead of just doing tricks we create miracles.

When we acheive that, the question of how smart our spectator(s) are becomes irrelevant because how the 'trick' is done becomes an insignificant factor of the experience that we are giving to them.