Traditional Misdirection & Magic

In theatrical illusion, misdirection is an art of deceit in which the performer draws audience attention to one item to distract them from something else. Managing audience attention is the goal of every performances, and the most important requirement of all magic acts. Whether the magic is of an “pocket trick” variety or a large stage production that relies on misdirection, it is the primary secret. The term refers to either the effect (the the focus of the observer on an unimportant object) or the sleight-of-hand and patter (the magician’s speech) that creates it.

It is difficult to say who coined the term, but an early mention of misdirection is found in the writing of an influential writer and magician named Nevil Maskelyne: Admittedly, it consists of misleading the senses of the audience to block out from being aware of certain information that require secrecy. At the same time, the magician, writer, artist and performer Harlan Tarbell noted, Nearly everything about illusion relies on this art of misdirection.

Magicians who have studied and refined techniques for misdirection include Malini, Tommy Wonder, Derren Brown, Juan Tamariz, Tony Slydini, and Dynamo.

Henry Hay describes the central act of conjuring as manipulation of interest.

Magicians can divert attention from the audience in two basic ways. One leads the audience to turn their attention away for a short moment, so that they aren’t aware of a trick or movement. The other method alters the perception of the audience, lulling them to believe that something else is a significant factor in the accomplishment of the feat even though it isn’t a factor in the result in any way. Dariel Fitzkee notes that The most effective magic is in the talent that he displays in manipulating the mind of the audience. In addition, sometimes, props like a magic wand aids in misdirection.

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In the absence of misdirection, even the most adept sleight-ofhand or mechanical prop is not likely to make an impression of strong magic. There’s no doubt about it, misdirection is the core of most successful magic.

Misdirection makes use of the limitations of the human mind to give the wrong picture and memory. The mind of a typical spectator can only focus on only one thing at a given time. The magician utilizes this to manipulate the perceptions or ideas of the audience of sensory input, leading them to false conclusions.

A few magicians have debated the meaning of the term, misdirection, causing a great deal of discussion about what it is and how it operates.

The world-class illusionist Jon Finch

identified a difference between misdirection and direction. One is a negative word as opposed to the other, positive. Ultimately, he equates the two as the same thing. If a performer, by some method, has influenced the thoughts of his audience to conclude that he’s done something that he’s not accomplished, he has incorrectly directed them into this belief; hence, misdirection.

Tommy Wonder has pointed that it’s more effective, from a magician’s viewpoint to focus on the positive aim of directing the attention of the audience. He states that misdirection is an untrue direction. It suggests that attention is diverted away from something. When we keep using this term it becomes embedded in our minds that we might start to think that misdirection is directing attention away from rather than toward something.

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Slydini said that if a magician believes that, the audience will believe it, and magicians are something that they cannot perceive. Misdirection is true when they believe what the magician does and follow the magician. reference