In theatrical illusion, misdirection is an art of deceit where the performer draws audience attention to one thing to distract it from the other. The ability to control attention from the audience is the goal of every theatre, and is the primary requirement of all magic acts. It doesn’t matter if the magic is the “pocket trick” variety or a large stage production, misdirection is the central element. The term describes either the result (the observer’s focus on the unimportant object) or the sleight of hands or patter (the magician’s voice) that causes the illusion.
It’s difficult to determine who was the first person to coin the phrase, however an early reference to misdirection can be found in the writing of a renowned magician and author, Nevil Maskelyne: Admittedly, it is a method of distracting the spectator’s senses, to hide from noticing certain aspects for which secrecy is required. Around the same time, the magician, artist and author Harlan Tarbell noted, Nearly all the art of sleight of hand depends on this art of misdirection.
A few magicians who have researched and refined techniques for misdirection include Malini, Derren Brown, Tommy Wonder, Tamariz, Tony Slydini and Dynamo.
Henry Hay describes the central act of conjuring as a manipulating interest.
A few magicians can divert attention from the audience by using two fundamental ways. One causes the audience to glance away for a brief moment, so that they don’t detect some trick or movement. The other method alters the audience’s perception, distracting them to believe that something else is a significant factor in the success of the trick but it actually has no bearing on the effect at all. Dariel Fitzkee notes that The real talent of the magician is in the talent of his performance in changing the spectators mind. Sometimes, a prop like the magic wand can aid in the misdirection.
Lacking it, even the most adept sleight-ofhand or mechanical device will fail to make an impression of strong magic. In truth, misdirection is the basis of great magic.
Misdirection makes use of the limitations of human brains to give the wrong picture and memory. The brain of an average audience member can only concentrate on one thing at the time. The magician uses this technique to alter the audience’s ideas or perceptions of sensory input, leading them to false conclusions.
Some magicians have debated over the usage of the term, “misdirection,” causing plenty of debate regarding what it is and how it functions. The exceptional illusionist Jon Finch made a distinction in misdirection from direction. One being a negative term, and the other positive. In the end, he considers the two as one thing. If a performer some method, has influenced the mind of the audience to the conclusion that he did something he hasn’t done, he has wrongly directed them into this beliefwhich is why he has misdirected them.
Tommy Wonder has pointed that it’s more effective, from the magician’s point of view, to concentrate on the positive aim of directing attention to the audience. He states that misdirection is wrong direction. It suggests that attention is diverted away towards something. By constantly using this termthe idea eventually becomes embedded in our minds that we begin to see misdirection as taking our attention away from rather than towards something.
Slydini said that if the magician believes it, the audience will believe in it, and the magic they can’t see. It is true that people believe what the magician does and then follow the magician. source
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