I've been working on a new series of illusions designed to fill a need that I've observed in magic. Like most magicians I've played around and performed a variety of magic. I've done close-up magic for corporate events. I've performed comedy magic on stage and I've traveled with a full illusion show around the world. The transition from close-up to comedy stage magic wasn't all that difficult. The transition to illusionist was very difficult. It's one thing to take a card trick and find out a way you can make it work on stage. It's another to come up with a totally new large-scale effect where the human body or some other large object is the focus. The problem isn't just a matter of thinking up something clever, it's also a matter of economics.
Ever since I was a kid I was fascinated by big magic. The idea of sawing someone in half without hurting them or making someone float made my imagination run wild. As I got older I began to create my own effects. I studied the principals of illusion and found new ways to use them. I'm very proud of my creations and I think it's cool to see them performed on television around the world.
I've published well over 150 illusion ideas. As happy as I am with those ideas, I realize that the vast majority of them will only be accessible to a small percentage of people with the time and money to create them. I've spent the last couple of years trying to change this. Instead of creating bigger more expensive trick boxes I've devoted my time and energy into thinking up clever concepts that can be put together by just about anyone. I've put out a couple of one-man illusions that can be built for under $20 in under a half hour. The reaction to those effects has been tremendous. I realized that a lot of you think like me. You know that your audience doesn't care how much your props cost. They just want to see something cool.
I've watched from backstage as Penn & Teller wowed their audience with a couple of small pieces of sleight of hand. We've all seen David Blaine entertain millions with a pack of cards. It's the effect that matters and not how much you spent on it.
Obviously a $6,000 prop built for $6 isn't going to entertain that well. There are only so many illusions of which you can make cheaper versions. That's why it's necessary to think differently about how to entertain an audience. Historically there have been a few illusions that were very entertaining and cost very little to build - but only a few.
It's my goal to change that. Two years ago I decided to stop creating "big" tricks and to focus on a different style of illusions. This new series had two criteria: (1) Each effect would require no more know-how to build than your average Home Depot shopper possessed, and (2) Each effect had to cost under $100 to build.
It was a huge challenge. The limitations I imposed on my ideas made a lot of them all but impossible. It was a fun challenge. I kept notebooks scattered around my home and spent most long car trips thinking up ideas.
I started re-thinking a number of concepts in magic and paying close-attention to the psychology of the spectator. What makes a sub trunk so amazing? How do people think the magician makes his assistant float? Does using something that looks like an expensive piece of equipment sometimes defeat the purpose of the effect?
Eventually a lot of ideas started to come to mind. My workshop became constantly cluttered with foam, plastic, cardboard and million other materials as I tried to figure out the most efficient way to create my concepts. I then had to reverse engineer them and decide the best way to tell someone else how to build them.
The end result is a new series of illusion plans that can be built for under $100. Don't dismiss these as "cheap" illusions. A lot of possibilities came to mind when I was working on this project. I just stayed with the ones that met the economic and technical requirements. There's an infinite number of ways to entertain an audience with illusions. There's also quite a few ways to do that with effects that don't cost $6,000. In the Andrew Mayne Illusion Series I'll show you some of them.
Each volume will feature detailed instructions, a complete parts list and photographs showing how to build the effect in concise steps. The goal is to provide you with everything you need to know to go out and build an illusion that you can put on stage and create magic for your audience. Along the way illusion theory will be covered and the psychology of each effect will be explained. The series will provide some insight into the "why" as well as the "how" of illusions. Even if you don't build and perform every effect in the series you'll get something out of each volume and find inspiration for your own creativity.
I'm excited about this series and look forward to revealing each new illusion to you. Stay tuned!
A n d r e w M a y n e
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