Magic on the Tube

[Chris Randal2]

I have noticed that the magic on YouTube and on tv aren’t feeling like magic anymore. I grew up in the era of Copperfield specials and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. I saw wonderful magic during this time that I was lucky enough to then see live in person. As I watch the new model of prank magic shows on tv and YouTube “magicians” I am seeing two things that highly upset me as a magician and I see it happening more and more without anyone saying a word and letting the true art of magic slip away. First I see a lot of camera tricks and actors to accomplish “impossible” effects to click bait you into watching a video only to sadly disappoint you at the end and feeling used and even dirty for even watching it. Second and the big one is exposing magic techniques for YouTube hits. WTF !! Why did we condemn Valentino years ago for masked magicians but we applaud Shin Lim. I watched a dozen Shin Lim videos where he talks openly about magic methods like nail writers, ruff and smooth decks, threads, and much more as if he was doing a magic lecture for magicians but it was just for his laymen fans on YouTube. When did magic exposure videos become ok and when did all the older generation become overnight ok with this. I’m just over all the preshow work BS and off camera work, editing, actors, and now fake back drops and camera angles to achieve impossible effects that you can never achieve live. The joy in my childhood was watching the Copperfield special and then David coming to town to do that hour plus the hits. Tru Tv, Netflix, and YouTube magicians have really dropped the ball on magic in the last 10 years and I miss the days of actual magic. I’m not saying it’s not entertaining like the Marvel movies but it’s not magic. The great director Martin Scorsese said that he felt that comic book movies aren’t film they are just an attraction at a theme park and that is the current situation of Magic through a screen. I’m sick of camera cuts every two seconds and magic that can never be performed live. Sorry if my rant came of as that but I’m just feeling Nostalgic of the old days of when magic was magic and people could actually perform for people. Remember when magicians used to have an act and perform that was fun wasn’t it. And this also goes for magic products if these “new” effects were so good why can’t they actual show a performance on these trailers ? I know why it’s because they haven’t tested the material so edits and flash and trash takes over. The reason so much of this magic looks effortless is because it’s exactly that EFFORTLESS! Rant over