When i'm doing magic to people in my school there's a few people who sometimes catch me out and they say this..."I saw what you did there...I won't tell anyone though..." However they go right on to describe how it's done. That's one of the most irritating things in the world. Also they never actually work out a trick, they only work out one DL or summit. They won't listen to anything I say to them either. They don't like being entertained but they insist on watching my magic...I don't get it.

A few things to say here.
1. Practice more
2. If they don't like entertainment, they won't like magic
3. Work on misdirection

Craig

1.) Some people are just jerks, but if that was the case then it would be a VERY rare thing


2.) Practice, practice until you can do this stuff with your eyes closed, be so good that even if they know what to look for, where to look for it, and when to look, they still wont catch any moves.


3.) I think you're doing the tricks wrong. If you put the focus on the effect, you're going to get reactions like that. Basically what you're doing is putting a gap between you and your audience, when some magicians perform theres a "battle" going on, basically you know the secret and they dont. It needs to be about more than that. Magic doesnt happen in your hands, it doesnt happen with a deck of cards, it happens in the mind of the spectator.

If you're a truly serious magician I do suggest investing in the workers series by Michael Close, Workers 1 - 5 , Closely Guarded Secrets (Aka workers 6), and the ultimate workers video's. Yes that is going to cost some money, but I believe what you get out of those is far greater than the cost. Chris Carey has an exellent book called "Find the stuff that's you", and if you're into videos Doc Eason's Bar magic does talk about this.


I think when you perform for someone they should be fooled, but they shouldnt walk away asking themselves, "how did he do that?". When I think it's better if they're thinking, "that was great, I dont have a clue how he did that" or "theres no way that stuff's possible"


I would also suggest that you learn from your trouble makers, I always say that hecklers help your act because you'll learn how not to be heckled, if people are catching your DL's then work on them. It takes time and patients and if you work at it, it'll be worth it in the end

Thanks for your comments. I know that there's endless space for improvment in my magic and I intend on filling some of that space. However I do not do my tricks wrong and I know this. I don't get caught doing my double lifts the hecklers just work them out. They're the type of people who go home and bang their head off a wall until they figure out a trick or an illusion, basically they cannot stand to be fooled. I just don't like being told that i'm doing my tricks wrong when you have no real evidence of that.

The thing I hate most is when someone clearly has no idea how you do something but says "that's such a dumb trick it's obvious how you do it" just to look big.

First of all, kids at school are always some of the worst hecklers, so be patient.

Second, when we describe people who only want to know how we do the trick, and do not seem to want to be entertained, you are describing an awful lot of magicians. They are not jerks unless they are obnoxious. You do not have to perform for them, but seeng magic like a puzzle is a common perception.

Your job is not to make them stop thinking about the effect. Magic is mainly an intellectual activity and the spectators will think. Imagine it this way. When you are watching a stage levitation, the magician does all sorts of things that have nothing to do with entertainment at least from one point of view. He might run a hoop around the object levitating, not because it helps in the drama, but because it deals with the common spectator thought that you are using wires. When you are doing a coin routine, you frequently will show both hands empty, not because it helps the story, but because it deals with the natural thoughts that spectators are having, i.e. "He is hiding a coin in the other hand." In other words, much of what we do is to deal with the thoughts that the spectator has about how we are accomplishing the magic. A well done magical effect will eliminate all of the possible explantions that the average spectator will have and leave him with the idea that, "This can't be real magic, but there is no other explanation."

Don't worry about thinking spectators. You just need to develop the skills so that even if they think about your effects, they have no clue about what you did, or even that you did something at all. You can still do an amazing show for someone who is trying to burn your hands the whole time (although time and experience will teach you misdirection skills that will help.)

work on lines to get eye contact.

If they can catch you doing a certain move, either try to hide the move wih misdirection* or perform tricks using different moves. If people don't want to be entertained, don't entertain them. Only perform tricks if the auience wants you to - not just because you want to. If the kids want to see your magic just so they can catch you out, don't perform to them, or make sure that you can do your tricks almost without thinking.

*Misdirection tips:
Ask questions like whether the spectator is right handed or left handed, or something like "Is there any way I could have seen your card?" Questions mean the spectator has to concentrate on the answer instead of what you're doing. If the spectator is quick to answer, ask another. I heard one magician ask: "What colour is the roof of your house". Obscure questions create more misdirection because not only is the spectator thinking about the answer, but also why you asked the question in the first place. Don't overdo the weird questions though.

Don't look at the deck when you do moves. If you look at the deck, so will the spectator; if you look at them, they will tend to look at you instead. This is why it is important to practise sleights, so that you don't have to look at the deck while you're doing it.