Fresh Start

Got my new website up and running, and thought it would be a good time to begin blogging in earnest.

I spent the previous evening with Mr. Sacamento, talking about scripting for a couple pieces of magic (and discussing the films he has been watching as he tries to find inspiration for the play he’s trying to write).

Writing for magic is difficult because in order for magic to be magical, there must be a tremendous amount of exposition. At the risk of boring the audience, each step must be clearly explained.

“Please examine this box. Is it solid? Are there any secret openings? Is it completely fair and normal? Is it empty of all smoke and mirrors? Good. Then please examine this deck of cards…”

And thus the show grinds to a halt while the magician demonstrates that everything is fair. The examination of props holds little dramatic interest. And there is a real danger that the audience will fall asleep before the grand conclusion can be achieved.

On the other hand, if you skip too lightly over the “proving phase” (or in the nomenclature of Christopher Priest, the “pledge”) then the magic is ultimately compromised. Because if the box was not empty, if it contained smoke and mirrors, if there was a trap door, then the outcome is severely undermined, and not very miraculous.

Finding ways to engage the audience, so they are intrigued by the “pledge,” so that each successive test tantalizes the mind (“If everything is fair, then how will the magician succeed?”), will test the skill of the best writer.