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THE MAGICIAN
BY ANTHONY OWEN
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Entire contents copyright © 2001/2012/2013 Anthony Owen. First published by the author 2001. Digital
ebook created and published by Hey Presto Limited Copyright © 2013.
ISBN: 978-0-9572128-9-3
About the Author
Anthony Owen has received awards from the British Academy of Film
and Television Arts, the Royal Television Society and the Rose D'or for
his work as a television producer. He has collaborated on television
productions with performers such as Paul Daniels, Penn and Teller, Pete
Firman, Barry and Stuart, Marc Paul, John Lenahan, Juan Tamariz,
Alistair Cook, Dominic Wood and Stephen Mulhern.
Anthony was the Executive Producer for all eleven series of the BBC's
The Real Hustle, has worked as a consultant, producer and Executive
Producer on all of Derren Brown's television projects for Channel 4 since
2000 and was the creator and Executive Producer of the BBC's Help! My
Supply Teacher is Magic. He is currently the Head of Magic at Objective
Productions in London, a position he has held since 2003.
His original magical effects, routines and ideas have been featured by
performers around the world including David Blaine, David
Copperfield, Dynamo and Uri Geller. He has acted as a consultant for
numerous performers and theatre, film and television productions
including The Royal Variety Performance, Sherlock series 2 and 3 and the
Universal Pictures movie The Magicians for which he co-wrote the story.
Anthony lives in London with his wife and three children and has less
packs of cards than he used to have.
OKAY, LET’S SHOOT
THE MAGICIAN
BY ANTHONY OWEN
Introduction
[2013 Edition]
This book contains a series of three essays which I wrote for paid
subscribers to the Stevens Magic Emporium Gemini Network between
November 1996 and February 1997.
Remember when you're reading that it was all written long before
anyone had heard of David Blaine. In some ways my concluding
comments on close-up magic and reactions predicted his genre-changing
1997 television special, Street Magic. If Robert-Houdin was the father of
modern stage magic then David Blaine was the father of modern television
magic.
In the sixteen years since I first wrote these words I have been fortunate
to have consulted on, created, produced and Executive Produced over
one hundred hours of television magic. In that time I have changed my
view on some of the comments in these essays. And some I believe even
more strongly than I did when I wrote them.
Also included is a new bonus chapter exclusive to this edition that gives
advice and tips for any magician about to make an appearance on TV.
If you find the contents of this book interesting you may wish to check
out my Magic Interview Series audio interview with Jay Fortune. This is
currently available from TVMagic.co.uk and all the best magic dealers
around the world.
Enjoy!
Television is a truly magic word for many magicians. It would seem that
magic is very in favour with the powers that be in the American
networks, but with more shows and specials being announced every
month I start to wonder how many magic specials there have to be before
they stop being, well, special.
British magic had a similar ‘burst’ of enthusiasm for magic in the early
1990’s with series’ featuring Paul Daniels, Jerry Sadowitz, Jeremy Beadle
(a British television personality with a love of magic), Simon Drake (and
others in two series of The Secret Cabaret), Geoff Durham (and many
others in two series of The Best of Magic), Wayne Dobson (three series),
Williamson, Pasquale, Coby, Hobson and The Pendragons (in Comedy
Magic Hour special and series) and more. There are many who use this
explosion to explain away the current scarcity of magic on television in
Britain.
As you may know, I have more than just a passing acquaintance with
magic on television. I have just completed a run of appearances as
resident magician on the BBC1’s live Saturday morning show (22 week
series), I was the magic consultant and researcher on Granada
Television’s Stuff the White Rabbit (a new magic comedy series hosted
by John Lenahan and featuring Jerry Sadowitz, David Williamson, The
Amazing Jonathan, Tom Mullica, Rene Levand, Chris Power, Noel
Britten, Otiz Canneloni, Fay Presto and Richard McDougall) and am
involved with the writing, development and production of several
different television magic projects. As a result of these experiences I have
some thoughts and theories about television - and magic on television, in
particular - that may be of interest.
Television Is A Venue
Firstly, television is a venue. (Mike Close wrote a great piece on venues
which first appeared on the Gemini and is reprinted in Workers Five.)
Just like a restaurant which books table-hoppers or a magic venue which
books stand-up performers, television is a venue for magic and like every
venue you work the more you understand about the working, thinking
and philosophy behind it the better your results.
A restaurant magician won’t get far if he or she doesn’t recognise that the
audience are there to eat a meal, sure they might have chosen that
restaurant over another because they have heard about the great
magician, but in my dictionary a restaurant is a public place where meals
or refreshments are served. Get in the way of that happening and you
won’t last long. And it’s no good going out on stage at a magic venue
fifteen minutes before you go on to screw together your props if there are
no curtains and the audience are already sat in their seats waiting.
The more you know about the way that television is made - in the same
way that the more you know about how the waiters will serve the meals
or the theatre staff with admit the audience - the better job you can do.
In the last couple of years I’ve heard a lot of magicians express the
opinion that they don’t need books like Strong Magic or the new Tommy
Wonder books, because ‘theory’ is only necessary if your personality or
technique is weak. They argue “Would David Williamson read such a
book? No, his personality and technique are strong enough that he
doesn’t need these theories.” Sadly the people arguing these points aren’t
David Williamson.
And I view my venues - and the people behind them - the same way. The
more I know about them, and how and why they do what they do, can
only help me to understand what they want from me and ensure that I
strive to deliver it.
TV People Are People Too
And yes, just like the waiters and stage managers you work with at your
venues are people, so are the folk who make television! I know that you
knew that! But the perceptions of what television is (and perhaps more
importantly, what it can do for them) does seem to affect the way that
some folk (magicians particularly) treat people who work in television.
Well they’re not. They are human beings who can and do make mistakes,
change their mind and be as irrational as any human being. Sure there
are people I know in the television industry who do behave as though
they are gods, but I think most of the misconceptions magicians have
about television comes back to what they think television is and what it
can do for them.
Television will not make you a star and it will not make you rich.
Remember, television is a venue. Albeit a venue with a big potential
audience. With sufficient repeat television performances, marketing and
a product that they want the audience could make you a star and they
could make you rich. But it is audiences that make rich stars, not venues.
And how do you get repeat television performances? Well you can
increase your chances. As with all venues there are certain styles of
presentation, performer and effect which suit it better.
And this is what I’ll talk about next month. Have a good one.
Okay, Let’s Shoot The Magician
Again!
“Close-up magic rules because of the intimacy, interaction and variety
of personalities.”
Jon Racherbaumer
(The Linking Ring magazine, October, 1996.)
The Dealer’s Catalogue
Last month I talked about television as a venue for magic based on my
recent experiences with it as a performer, consultant and producer. I
concluded that, as with all venues, there are certain styles of
presentation, performer and effect which suit it better.
If all the time, effort and ink that magicians have wasted in the last fifty
years arguing over what is or isn’t close-up magic had been put into
improving the level of communication with our audiences I suspect
magic would be in a better state.
What Is TV Good For?
However, having said that, there are certain venues which are more
appropriate for certain styles of presentation, performer and effect,
because they will enable you to raise that level of communication.
So what are the right things for television? Well, now we start getting
into my personal opinions, for if television executives knew what the
perfect recipe was they’d be showing it all the time! Maybe they are...
What are the shows that people watch on television in their millions? Sit-
coms, game shows, soap operas, chat shows, panel games and award
ceremonies! All of these shows have one thing in common, something
that I believe television communicates really well - people.
Media studies experts could probably tell you why this is far better than
I, but it seems to me that a television set is like a guest in the viewers’
homes introducing new people into their lives all the time. How many
sit-coms, soap operas and chat shows base most of their action around a
set modelled on a living room? Viewers sit at home watching people
come and go into another living room! Instead of playing ‘parlour games’
they sit in their own parlour and watch other people play them.
When you appear on television you are a guest into a home. You are
visiting a living room with two or three people in it. I know there maybe
a studio audience full of hundreds of screaming folk - and I’ll explain
why I think they are needed next month - but I feel if you are going to
make an impact you need to talk to the viewers. Don’t shout at them,
don’t ‘project’ to them; talk to them, just like you do when you’ve got
two or three people in your living room. Television is an intimate,
personal medium, use it to be intimate and personal.
I’m not saying that stage and stand-up magic doesn’t work on television.
I’m just saying that I think it is more effective if it is done in a way that
the viewer plays a role, something more than just zooming over the
heads of the studio audience. I can understand trying to capture the feel
of a ‘live event’, but all it usually makes me feel is ‘I wish I was there’.
Perhaps that is the goal? Perhaps these specials are just supposed to be
advertisements for a live show? (Often they are). But I passionately
believe that television as a medium has the potential to do so much more
with magic. If I feel that the studio audience is getting a better show than
the viewer then something is wrong.
The studio audience will whoop and scream whatever you do, it’s their
job. Your job is to understand and utilise your venue and, I think,
performing on television, that means communicating to the two or three
people sat at home who have given their time to meet you. If you get the
chance to perform on television, make sure they do.
Next month I’ll talk about why I think we need those screaming
audiences. Have a good one.
Okay, Let’s Shoot The Reaction
Shots
“Doing a magic trick on TV that you expect to fool the people at home
with is a fruitless venture, by and large, because no matter how good
your trick is, people’s guts tell them that it doesn’t matter... So if
people see something on television that is impossible, they simply say
‘it’s impossible’, shrug their shoulders, and they don’t care.”
Teller
(Genii magazine, May 1995)
But magic on television can create something real, which can have an
impact and make viewers care. And that comes back to what I said last
month, that I think television is great at communicating people. The
other thing I think it is good at, is relationships between people. And as
performers that is what we do - we create relationships.
And, I feel, the more personal and individual you can make that reaction
the better. Television viewers have become almost numbed to the
applause and cheers of studio audiences. Sure, when you are at a live
event the combined audience reaction is a wonderful, powerful thing.
However, in the world of television, applause has been devalued, it has
become little more than punctuation in the programme and laughter is
something that comes in ‘cans’.
However getting audience members on-stage to assist (or even sat on the
edge of the stage!) is even better. It enables you to build up a relationship
(that word again) with individual audience members and the way that
you introduce and handle those people and that relationship
communicates to the viewer a great deal about you.
Not that this is anything new. By all accounts, performers like Billy
O’Connor, Max Malini and Dick Jarrow relied on the reactions of on-
stage audience members to communicate many of their effects. (Most
mentalists still do.) But television now gives us the opportunity to
strengthen and enhance that reaction by bringing us closer. Anybody
who has ever seen the video of Robert Harbin performing the (then new)
Zig Zag Lady on Sunday Night at the London Palladium will know
exactly what I mean.
However, I’ve never used false reactions myself, not for any ethical
reason, but just because I think genuine reactions are better every time (I
think Penn and Teller’s television appearances are the best examples of
this). It might mean shooting the same effect in studio every night until
you get a good reaction, but I believe it really is worth it.
If you get the chance to appear on television there are things you can do
to make a strong genuine reaction more likely. Firstly, make sure the
spectators are comfortable, happy, relaxed, unembarrassed etc. or make
them completely on-edge! But in the latter case, the reaction you get
might be not what you want!
And if you do know, well, then I believe television could be the most
ideal and powerful venue you could wish for.
Top Tips For A Magician
Appearing On TV
[Bonus Chapter for 2013 Edition]
Know Your Venue: What is the television show that you're appearing
on? Why have they booked a magician? Why have they booked you? Is it
a local news magazine programme reporting your recent magic club
competition win? Is it a networked talent programme whose judges will
rip you apart after your performance? Is it a documentary that is using a
magician to illustrate some specific point? Is it a kids’ programme that
wants you to teach their viewers a simple magic trick? Is it a magic
show? Is the producer a magician? Have they hired a magic consultant?
Know Your Trick: This is not the time to try out that great new trick that
you've just bought or read. This is the time to do a trick that you know
inside-out and that you've done hundreds or thousands of times before.
Do something from your regular performing repertoire that’s strong,
direct, baffles lay people and which can be filmed under any conditions
and from any angle. Don’t do anything with threads, black art or sleights
which are not 100% angle-proof. The British magician Geoffrey Durham
also has some terrific advice on what makes a good trick to perform on
television in his excellent book Professional Secrets. I highly recommend
it to you.
Take a Magician Friend With You: Even if the producers claim to have a
magic consultant take a magician friend along to the taping (ideally the
one with whom you’ve rehearsed). If you get rehearsal time on camera
make sure that your friend watches your rehearsal on a monitor showing
the TX or transmission feed and lets you know if there’s anything you
can do differently in light of the rehearsal. If they have major issues with
the way the director is shooting it you should be clear what those issues
are and discuss them with the producer or director.
It’s also possible that you may get other feedback directly or indirectly
from the director or producer. If they ask you to do something which
you’re unwilling to do (as it may, for example, expose the method)
explain as politely as possible why you’re unwilling to do it.
Even if you know you’re not going to get rehearsal time on camera it’s
still worth taking a magician friend with you to be an extra pair of ears
and eyes and to stop you getting bored while you’re waiting around
(which you will be). Also make it clear to your friend that they are there
for you in a professional capacity, not to try and score their own
television gig! I’d pay them for their time to make it clear.
If It’s Live and Unrehearsed, Direct the Director and Crew: If you are
performing without a rehearsal it is possible to actually direct the
director and the camera operator during your performance using pre-
emptive patter. For example, you can say things such as “In a moment
I’m going to reach into my pocket and remove…” or “I’m going to
spread through the cards in this box and show that one card is
reversed…”. This will tell them what you’re going to do and they’ll
prepare themselves accordingly. Say what you’re going to do, do it and
then say what you just did. Also, in this situation I recommend that you
work slower than you normally would to give everyone a chance to keep
up with you.
Hold Your Props Still: It’s amazing how much we magicians move our
props around. If you are displaying a prop, hold it still. Waving it around
to show it to all the cameras will only make it harder for the camera
operators to get a usable, in focus shot.
Watch, Watch, Watch, Read, Read, Read: You can learn a lot by
watching how experienced magicians handle similar television
programs. Check out YouTube for any footage of magicians performing
on the same or similar shows. This is not so that you can steal their
material but to see how they behave. There’s very little advice about
performing magic on television in print, but you should definitely check
out TV Magic and You by Jay Marshall, The Success Books volumes 1
and 2 by Frances Ireland Marshall and the previously mentioned
Professional Secrets by Geoffrey Durham.
And Finally: Much of this advice also applies if you’re posting footage of
your own performances on Youtube or similar sites. There’s much more
to say on this exciting new medium and I hope to get the opportunity to
share it with you on another occasion...
Praise For Anthony Owen
“Anthony Owen is an unsung genius.”
Derren Brown, British television star.
On this CD, Anthony discusses his magical career, offering his expertise
for the serious magician who aspires to raise their profile through the
medium of TV. It’s also a must listen for any magicians who are thinking
of filming themselves for promotional purposes, for a magic instructional
video or to share their performances on Youtube, Facebook or any other
similar sites.
Anthony also reveals a new trick which has never been published. He
explains the effect and gives ideas for a method, but urges YOU to create
a routine and let him know your results! An exercise in creativity.
MAGIC TRICKS WITH WIZARD CARDS BY JUSTIN M. MONEHEN - Become a master card
sharp with this superb, easy-to-follow book about the unique Wizard Tapered Magic Cards.
Include 125 Tricks and Tips plus ebook exclusive video demonstrations.
MIRCLE MONTE 2.0 BY NTHONY OWEN - A reworking of Andy Nyman and Anthony
Owen's Miracle Monte Effect. Note that to understand this publication you must be familiar with
the working of the original routine.
MYSTERIOUS STEEL BALL AND TUBE BY JUSTIN M. MONEHEN - A complete routine with
the classic Ball and Tube props. Includes never before published finale. A Hey Presto original
work first published in 2012.
OKAY, LET’S SHOOT THE MAGICIAN BY ANTHONY OWEN - Leading television producer,
Anthony Owen reveals a wealth of information for any magician wishing to create a successful
career on television.
PAPER MAGIC BY WILL BLYTH - Tricks and amusements with a sheet of paper. A Hey Presto
remastered edition of the work first published in 1920.
For a complete collection of the latest magic publications by Hey Presto Publishing visit our
website: www.heypresto.com.