The 10 Commandments of Magic

I have such good feedback about Daniel’s Ten Commandments of Magic that I thought I’ll reproduce it here for those who haven’t read it yet. Daniel has captured the ten fundamental rules which we, the cast and crew in Magic of Lawrence and Priscilla, all adhere to. Of course, these commandments are not sacred and you won’t be condemned if you violate them! But trust me when I say that they are worth following.

Commandment No. 1: Never tell how the trick is done

Why is this a crucial factor in magic? You see, the reason magic entertains is because of its ability to intrigue and to mystify its audience. Once the audience has knowledge of how a certain magic trick is done, their perception towards the trick is forever altered.

I speak the truth when I say that after all these years of being exposed to many aspects of magic, I seem to become numb to magic acts. When I view a magic show, I find myself looking out for secret moves, trapdoors and hidden items, rather than just sitting back and enjoying the show. It becomes more of an analysis of the techniques rather than an enjoyable entertaining hour.

So, to keep your audience intrigued and mystified by magic, don’t tell them how an illusion is done! Keep them in suspense and this in turn will fan the passion they have towards magic. You never know, one of these people may some day be the next Copperfield.

Moreover, letting people into our trade secrets would ruin the market for magic and cost us our jobs. So, please do us a favour and keep mum!

Commandment No. 2: Practise, practise practise!

Since your first magic lesson, your trainers would’ve persistently reiterated the importance of practice. Practice is essential to improvement; as the saying goes, “practice makes perfect’.

Ever been caught in a fix when you’re performing a trick and you forget what to do next? Or how about struggling to recall what you’re supposed to say halfway through your magic routine? Perhaps you pulled off an illusion brilliantly in one performance and flopped the very next time you did it. Just because we know a trick well doesn’t mean that we will remember it for the rest of our lives.

These are all the result of lack of practice.

Magic should be practised to a level of proficiency where one does not need to look at one’s hands to perform a trick. The magician should be able to perform a trick without looking at it or even thinking about it. Every single detail has already been thought through and performed exactly how it should be done.

So how then do we practise? Use a mirror. Constantly practise and polish your moves in front of a mirror so that you are able to spot any mistakes that you make. Of course, we may very possibly miss our own mistakes, so another alternative is to find a buddy who would be comfortable to help you spot and give you constructive feedback on how to improve on your magic.

Once you’ve got all the moves down and you’re comfortable with the routine, you’ll need to move on to practising in front of a live audience. Nothing beats performing to a live audience as that is when you have a chance to test people’s reactions to the way you have interpreted and performed the trick.

So please remember, Commandment No. 2 also includes practising before a live audience.

Commandment No. 3: Never Repeat A Trick During A Show

Some magicians describe a repeat trick as a suicide move.

What makes a trick so special the first time a spectator watches it? The element of surprise.

That’s why we tell our students never to reveal the effect before performing it, for example “My next trick involves this red silk which I’ll place in my left hand and then vanish.” Do that and the surprise is gone.

Similarly, performing the same trick again alerts the audience. Your misdirections and big covering actions won’t be as convincing the second time around and people might spot how the trick is done or notice things they didn’t see the first time. With their guard up, they’d be searching for suspicious moves. They may not catch your “secret” move, but why take the chance?

Take my advice -- quit while you’re ahead. Mystify them and stop there. Sure, they’d plead with you “Do it again, pleez!”, but think: if they expose your secret, we’d not be helping ourselves as magicians.

Commandment No 4: Act Normal

In all our classes, the trainers say, “Think natural” and “Act normal”.

We know there’s always a secret move in every trick. The definition of ‘secret’ means that others shouldn’t know it is being done at all. How is that possible, you ask.

The answer is simple -- we must look natural while carrying it out.

One good example is palming. We’ve learned how to do a basic finger palm. If your hand is clenched tight into a fist or open with your fingers extended, doesn’t it look abnormal, and therefore suspicious? Our hand’s natural position is a semi-closed fist and people know that. Do anything else and it’d look ‘fake’. People will find it fishy.

Another problem many budding magicians face is the ‘blink’. It’s a natural physiological reaction to blink our eyes when we tense up to make a move. We can’t see ourselves blinking, so we think others won’t as well. Even if the audience doesn’t spot anything, we need to control this habit. Why? It doesn’t look natural.

Magicians aim to convince people that the impossible can happen. To be truly convincing, we need to perform the trick naturally to give the right impression.