The Magician’s Skill
In the world of theatrical magic, misdirection is a method of deceit in which the performer is able to draw attention of the audience to one item to distract them from another. Controlling attention of the audience is the aim of all theater, and the foremost need of any magic act. It doesn’t matter if the magic is an “pocket trick” variety or a large stage production, misdirection is the central secret. The term refers to either the result (the eye’s attention being drawn to the unimportant object) or the sleight-of-hands or patter (the magician’s speech) which creates it.
It is difficult to say who coined the term, but an early reference to misdirection appears in the writings of an influential performer and author, Nevil Maskelyne. it consists of misleading the spectator’s senses, to hide from detection certain details for which secrecy is required. The same time, magician, writer, artist and performer Tarbell noted, Nearly all the art of illusions is based on the art of misdirection.
Many magicians who have studied and developed techniques of misdirection are Jon Finch, Max Malini, Derren Brown, Tommy Wonder, Tamariz, Tony Slydini as well as Dai Vernon.
Henry Hay describes the chief act of conjuring as manipulation of interest.
Magicians misdirect audience attention in two primary ways. One causes the audience to look away for a fleeting moment, so that they do not notice a sleight or move. The other approach re-frames the audience’s perception, distracting them into thinking that something else is a significant factor in the performance but it actually does not have any bearing on the outcome in any way. Fitzkee says that the real talent of the magician is in the talent that he displays in manipulating the minds of the viewers. Additionally, sometimes a prop such as a magic wand aids in the misdirection.
Absent misdirection, even most skilled sleight-of-hand or mechanical gimmick is unlikely to produce an illusion of genuine magic. In reality, misdirection is the basis of successful illusions.
Misdirection uses the limits of human brains to give the wrong picture and memory. The mind of a typical audience member can only concentrate on only one thing at a given time. The magician uses this technique to alter the perceptions or ideas of the audience of sensory input, leading them to false conclusions.
Some magicians have debated over the usage of the term, misdirection, creating a great deal of discussion about what it is and how it works. Proficient magician Jon Finch drew a distinction between direction and misdirection. One being a negative termas opposed to the other, positive. Ultimately, he equates the two as the same thing. If a performer, by some means, has directed the thoughts of his viewers to believe that he did something which he has not done, he has wrongly led them to believe this; hence, misdirection.
Tommy Wonder has pointed out that it’s more effective, from a magician’s perspective, to concentrate on the positive aim of directing the attention of the audience. He states that misdirection is an untrue direction. It implies that attention is directed away towards something. By constantly using this term, it eventually becomes so ingrained in our minds that we may begin to see misdirection as taking the attention away from instead of towards something.
Tony Slydini explained that if the magician believe that, the public will believe it, and magic is something they don’t observe. It is true that people believe in what the magician is doing and then follow the magician. site
