chat issue 2
Ollie Mealing
Hallelujah, you’re back! Maybe now that I have an audience I should start selling you overpriced playing cards. (tip 13 – don’t exploit your audience)
attributes of ’normal’. In the comfort of my seat and with two stops to go, I drifted into thought, what is normal…
In all seriousness though, thank you for coming back, it allows me to fulfil my promise.
*my eyes glaze over*
So let’s pick it back up, I last mentioned ‘breaking-norms’, I said it was a technique that influences my approach to card tricks – so what’s it about then? Well ironically, it’s a train of thought I first entertained on the London Underground. Picture the scene, I’d just began a tube journey, the carriage was quite-full and I was privately gleaming to have scored a seat (jackpot), everything so far was typically normal. However, a few stops down the line and a five-piece brass-band shuffle into the mix, making full use of the announcement ‘please move down inside the carriage’ – the leg of the sax player, pressed against my own. Now immediately, their presence ensued significant changes upon the otherwise ’normal’ tube dynamics – for a start, passengers were mutually aware that imminently, we’d all be subjected to an awkwardly overbearing, inescapable, brass cacophony. And of course, as the train departed, the band IMMEDIATELY STARTED PLAYING, IT WAS LOUD, REALLY LOUD, TOO LOUD, NOT FUNNY LOUD, PLEASE MAKE IT STOP LOUD, BUT IT DIDN’T.. FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE FOREVER.. UNTIL FINALLY, JUST BEFORE WE REACHED THE NEXT STATION, it stopped, followed by a quick whip-round. When the doors finally opened, the band skedaddled out and everything returned back to being typically normal – as if someone had hit a reset button. It highlighted for me how quick we are to conform to social norms, unspoken behavioural rules that govern societal order. The presence of norms remain hidden in plain sight, but in contrast to being surrounded by a screeching band, they now appeared clearly as distinct
…what was that quote again, oh yeah, ‘Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.’ – Charles Addams *my face glazes over* …so could ‘normal’ just be like a big cocktail of illusions, which by sipping, sustains an unsuspecting intoxication. Conformity then, being the compliance to drink what everyone else is. (tip 14 – drink responsibly) *my body glazes over* It was beginning to dawn on me, If we’re prey to conformity outside of magic, why would it be any different within? Could we in magic, be compliant towards it’s own list of ‘hidden in plain sight’? If we could break free from those attributes/norms, what might we discover? I started to consider what norms exist within card tricks – trying to envisage what’s obvious, what’s synonymous, what’s typical throughout what we do? (tip 15 – questions lead to discovery) I kept in mind the following quote, ‘If you want to hide it, paint it red’ – Bradley Henderson My thinking was, if I could notice what goes unnoticed, I could question what goes unquestioned – and by doing so, hopefully discover some original answers.
issue 2
Chat
HELLO
◊ the
effect is observable
◊ the
effect is sequential (Structure)
◊ the
effect is short-term
◊ the
performance occurs in light
◊ the
performance requires a participant (Warmth)
◊ the
performance inhabits a conventional space
◊ the
performer is present/visible during the performance
◊ the
performer is present/visible for the revelation of an effect (Serendipity)
◊ the
performer is responsible for the revelation of an effect (Assumptions)
◊ the
presentation occurs in real time (Pheromone)
◊ the
presentation is delivered by the performer
Words in brackets, denote tricks on the channel that have since stemmed from questioning how to challenge or ‘break’ these particular norms. With these and many others norms, it is possible to find examples that successfully oppose their rule, but generally the bulk of our material does not. Now of course this evokes no worrying problem, our material still has a vast amount of flexibility, but I believe the more we can ‘break norms’ the further we can build new edges to our understanding. Who wouldn’t want to know what that looks/feels like? Since very early on, looking for what magic ‘can be’ rather than what ‘it is’, became the pursuit that’s kept me here. It’s a pursuit that warrants innovation – if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got, which is precisely not what I’m looking for. (tip 16 – change permits continued growth) The pursuit of something can’t be left to chance, it requires a lot of critical thinking, our approach has to be evaluated, reasoned and modified if we’re to guide ourselves strategically. In my pursuit then, the technique of ‘breaking-norms’ has become a highly useful tool – without it, would remain a huge amount of ideas I’d have yet to explore.
◊ the
Anyway, I’ll wrap this bit up here, but long story short, I missed my tube stop by an extra three – and I couldn’t have cared less.
◊ the
(tip 17 – take the seat)
audience know when the performance has begun (Choices) audience believe the performer knows the effect (Inspiration)
◊ the
audience don’t expect it to go wrong (One-Handed)
◊ the
presentation coincides with the trick
issue 2
Chat
I took out my ‘WOSI’ notebook (Working On Some Ideas), my pen (that rarely stays where it’s put) and with the performance of card tricks in mind, began trying to list some norms. As it turned out, trying to recognise what’s obvious isn’t quite as obvious as you’d think, but once the ball got rolling, it became clear that there’s loads. And if everything isn’t making much sense, apologies, but I promise when you read the list below it will. So here they are, just a handful of our very own ‘card trick norms’ – unspoken rules that govern our material:
TRICK: SUBCONSCIOUS
Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcxWGNCNA40 Hopefully you’ve just watched the performance, if not, go back and click the link! (I wouldn’t say so unnecessarily) Assuming you’ve now seen the performance, this effect is all about remaining cool under pressure and learning to bullshit – which fortunately for us, comes naturally. Peek a selected card, allow spec to shuffle it back in and have the deck positioned, squared, face-up on a table. You’ll now be asking your spec to split the deck in up-to five packets. With each cut, you’ll be announcing how each newly exposed card offers a clue to the selection’s identity. The idea is that somehow, the spec reveals to you their chosen card. Now unless they cut directly to their card (miracle hit), here’s an example of a perfect outcome, we’ll imagine they chose the QH. First cut, reveals a red card. Second cut, reveals a heart. Third cut, reveals a queen. All of this information (in whatever order it appears) can be justified to form a logical deduction of the chosen card.
The method to making this trick succeed every time, relies on skewing whatever the outcome/order, into a supposedly logical deduction. A sort’ve improvised dot to dot. Think about how a medium operates, they peddle a load of lines/nonsense to seemingly create incredible hits – you’ll be adopting the same approach. I can only recommend you grab some cards now, think of one and begin running through the process – you’ll soon encounter the range of outcomes & begin devising your own armoury of nonsense. (tip 19 – enjoy nonsense)
issue 2
Chat
Before reading the explanation, I recommend watching the performance so you can experience how fooling it is. It is however from four years ago, so I apologise in advance for my younger-self, he’s such a dick, but perhaps in another four years I’ll be cringing at the current me (tip 18 – it’s about where you’re going not where you’re from). Anyway, here’s the link:
OTHER norms being broken in this trick are ‘the performer is responsible for the revelation of an effect’ & ‘the performer knows how the trick will play out’. I also feel that ‘the audience doesn’t believe it’s a trick’ is mentionable, as in concert, it really can feel like a pseudo explanation/demonstration of a ‘real thing’.
Chat
◊ You
might be wondering why just five packets. Well I think if you were to exceed five, it would begin to dilute the impossibility of the effect, diminishing the impact and perhaps even transpiring the method – as with most things, less is more. Five is simply my preferred & suggested maximum.
◊ If
when they cut, the displayed card offers no conceivable assistance, then it’s ok not to deduce it. In these instances, I’ll act pensively and say “OK, let’s have a look at the next card”. This tactic as well as many others, serve to strengthen your delivery by keeping it credible & flowing – an excess of incredulous deductions or hesitation will fail to preserve maximum impact.
◊ What
if they’ve cut five times and there’s just zilch to work with? In desperate measures, I’ll say something like “I think this shows me all I need to know” – collect up the cards, spread through/remove selection and feigning some uncertainty, reveal. Although this slightly changes the plot, it redeems a logic for the cut-packets & still leaves onlookers mystified – better to deliver something than nothing. at any point they cut to their card, there’s a lot of fun to be had with that. But for reasons I mentioned in the previous issue, I’ll leave you to envisage those implications for yourself.
deliberate, because besides presentation, the effect says something about you – which ties in directly with the delicacy of pitching status. As I mentioned in the previous issue, we’ll be returning to status as well as the many merits of modesty/minimalism in a future issue. ◊ Another
reason why I love this effect, is because of the variety that comes with it – no two performances are the same, it genuinely gives me a thrill to perform. (tip 20 – enjoy what you perform)
◊ The
success of this effect lies not only in what you say but of course the management of miracle hits. So continuing our meander, miracle hits will be our theme for next week’s issue. We’ll be exploring how to weave them into our routines, encourage their hit rate & solidify the idea that it wasn’t ‘just luck’.
◊ Breaking-norms
is a creative device for innovating ideas. If we don’t find ways of innovating, our actions will only produce similar results. It’s results, that build the edges of our understanding.
◊ If
◊ This
effect has always had an allure for me, I love how it’s procedures are so minimal, nonchalant & unostentatious, it’s an effect that has it’s feet firmly on the ground. Striving to instil modesty in effects is
GOODBYE Thanks again for returning. If you enjoyed what you read, please tell your friends. Good to chat, see you soon.
issue 2
◊ The
