Digital Magician: When Magic Keeps Up With the Times
The art of magic has been a source of wonder and entertainment for folks of all ages, and from all walks of life. From a performer’s point of view, magic is built upon the work of others, and the use of current Technology. For a while, television has been used in creating magic. As a counterpoint, intimate up close street magic emerged. Now digital magicians have come up with newer tricks using gadgets and devices.
Digital magicians, specially those who engage in iPod magic use the art of switching between sleight of hand, and the inherent capabilities of the iPod. Some performers use quick edits and cuts to create a short video performance. Most of these digital magicians have videos which have gone viral.
Other magicians incorporate iPods and optical illusions, as well as traditional sleight of hand, and street magic. There is no limit to what can be done, as well as to where this new magic style will get us. What is interesting to note is that the magic will continue to evolve in unexpected ways.
The New Breed of Illusionists
There is a host of popular magicians online, and most of them can be found on YouTube, Vine, or Facebook. Like the magicians of old, they also use optical illusions and tricks to come up with their acts. It is not easy to make everything look real and seamless. But truth be told, technology has actually helped these magicians gain a larger following online. Why is that, you may ask?
The power of social media is so great that one person who has watched an awesome iPad magician trick can spread and share this to his or her circle within a matter of minutes. The viral nature of social media sites can turn one act or trick into the hottest video online. One of these online celebrities is Zach King who is known for his six-second vines.
He started his digital magic career in 2008 and became a Youtube star in 2013. His tricks are painstakingly edited frame by frame and made to look like it is real. Of course, people know that this is not real. The “digital sleight of hand” is appealing though because of its amazing effects and short time span. He does not bore the audience with lengthy spiels and what not. Everyone knows how crazy live magicians can be in front of an audience, by simply watching online people are spared from the interaction and sometimes humiliation.
Bag of Tricks
iPad Magicians like Keelan Leyser or technological magicians do not surface overnights. Apart from having a firm or solid background on doing different kinds of magic tricks, they also need to study the technology needed to pull it off. For example, if one does the trick on iPads or iPhones, the magician needs to know these devices inside out in order to make the trick more believable. It would be humiliating if the trick does not work for the simple reason that the magician pushed the wrong button and the screen is no longer displaying.
Secondly, the magician must also be well-versed in filming and editing. In the case of Zach King, the tricks are edited and spliced to make it look seamless. Where Keelan Leyser uses sleight of hand . This entails skills in editing, which the former has. His magic was just a hobby but his main occupation was said to be film editing. Clearly, him being able to marry these two skills together has made him very successful in his field.
Do You Want to See a Digital Magic Trick?
The good thing about iPad magicians like Keelan Leyser is that you can still invite them to come to your events and parties. They will tell you to want kind of set up they would be needing and what lights or music would go well with the acts that they have prepared. It is very engaging to watch digital magicians perform on stage because the tricks are done very fast. Take for example the fast clothes change personalities who are even joining talent competitions.
Indeed, Digital has evened the playing field for people who have an eye and a heart full of magic. They not only use it to make their magic become even more alive, but they are making use of Digital to bring it to a very wide audience.