There are several different types of tricks that magicians perform, and some trick types require more skill than others. Obviously knowing how to do a basic illusion is important, but beyond that there are three other trick categories you need to be familiar with. These are known as performance, motivational, and conceptual tricks.
Performance tricks use physical skills to distract or deceive the audience. For example, performing a trick like escaping from prison requires learning how to manipulate plastic materials and conceal your hands well.
Motivational tricks use psychology to get the audience to contribute or spend money. Doing a trick for financial gain uses psychological principles such as appeal, promise, reinforcement, and elimination.
Conceptual tricks make the audience think about something else while keeping their attention. This article will talk more in depth about each of these trick types.
I’d recommend doing one at a time until you are very comfortable doing all four! Thankfully, most people have already done most if not all of these things, so it can feel a little bit second-nature.
The second most important thing to know about performing magic tricks is how to purchase or make the needed props. This can be done via online shopping sites, selling your own belongings, or by hiring professional sellers and buying their leftover material.
Magic does not come cheap! And even though some tricks are seen as “simple”, there are always new things one needs to learn and acquire.
There are many ways to achieve this including through YouTube videos, asking people who have already mastered the trick, and reading different tutorials and tips. Many professionals also offer free lessons and tools to help you get started.
One of the most important things about performing any magic trick is practicing your trick out-loud!
Practicing in silence or alone is fine, but talking through the trick will help you hone your performance skills.
Performing for others can be scary at first, so practicing with friends or family can help ease some pressure and boost your confidence.
There are three main tricks in how professional magicians perform their feats. What they do with them depends on what trick they’re performing, but all three things have one thing in common: They dress up to impress!
The first is called “Dressing Up As Someone Else.” This is typically done during close-up magic, where the magician uses special effects or psychology to make the audience believe that something is happening directly between the two of you.
For example, say there’s someone in your audience who has been asking about this new health product for some time. The next time she asks about it, the magician can ask if you’d like to try some for yourself. She then dresses up as her favorite brand so that when she takes off her shirt, it matches the pack she gives you.
This seems innocent enough, but now the rest of the world will too! Because now everyone thinks that person owns that exact same health product – and even though they never met before, they’ll feel connected because of it.
The second way a pro does a dressing up trick is by doing an impromptu conversation with someone else. For instance, maybe you watch TV and become very interested in a show. A few days later, you find out that the same channel broadcast a movie you wanted to see.
Most people know this, but some may not be clear on what actually makes up a trick. A trick is an illusion or manipulation of perception that happens before, during, or after the presentation.
A basic magician’s trick is to pull off a glass box made out of cardboard or plastic with his hands. This is called a vanishing act because you never see the top of the box go all the way down. The audience sees it disappear, but you don’t!
That’s the part of the trick that requires special attention and preparation. You have to make sure your hands are clean and dry so nothing gets smeared onto the box or the table.
And even though they seem complicated, tricks take very little time to prepare and execute. It can only be done by someone who has practiced for a long time under the guidance of a master.
The second part of this trick is recording your routine. This can be done many ways, but the most popular way to do it is via YouTube. Create a video using you smartphone or computer camera with the performance of the trick already completed. Then upload that video onto your YouTube account!
After uploading, you will want to give your video a good descriptive title and put in some descriptions and keywords so people can find it easily. You also want to make sure it is marked private so only you view it, not anyone else.
Once it is all said and done, you will want to promote your magic tricks online. There are different ways to do this, but the easiest way is through Instagram. Pick a niche or area for your profile and start sharing your secrets there!
You can use your own accounts to share your secrets, or create an extra-long bot user name and then claim it as yours. Either way, don’t use real names unless you have permission from them first.
A lot of famous magic tricks depend on editing the movie or trick you film yourself doing. This is important to recognize since most people are not self-confident when it comes to showing off their talents, so they never really put in the effort to master this art form.
If you’re ever asked to do a trick for television, chat show, or YouTube, try your best to get some stills and then edit the rest out before filming!
This way you will have more time to focus on getting the trick perfect and you can avoid looking funny or awkward while trying to achieve that.
Editing a filmed trick takes longer than just taking a few shots and then rushing to cut down the length of the video, so be aware of this and plan accordingly.
After you are done creating your magic trick, it is time to actually publish the trick!
It is very important to make sure that you have written an appropriate description for your trick. Make sure to include enough details so that people can understand what the trick is and how to do it.
When publishing your trick, there are two main ways to go about it. You can either opt for free publication sites or paid magic website platforms.
Free Publication Sites
These are not professional level websites, but they are easy to use and will let anyone create a account and be able to publish their tricks. Some examples of these are YouTube, Udemy, and Google Drive.
By using these sites, you will need to upload your trick via their site which has its benefits and drawbacks.
The major benefit is that it does not cost anything to get started, however, this may cause issues due to limitations in software or software used to access the platform.
Also, since it is not professional level equipment, users may try to replicate the trick instead of buying the authentic product.
Licensing your magic trick is more than just buying a cheap little box and putting some stickers on it, it’s about making sure you are not infringing on any copyrights or trademarks.
Proper licensing for stage illusions and stunts can cost over $10,000! That is why most professional magicians don’t do many tricks that require special licenses.
However, there are ways to create pretty interesting tricks that aren’t too complicated. For example, doing an illusion with a tablecloth is probably not very difficult or expensive to do unless you have no idea what you're doing.
