I'm trying to write scripts for all the tricks in my working repertoire. As I do this, I'm writing some blog posts about my thoughts on this topic. My first article was on the concepts of premise and plot:

The Power of Premise & Plot

I posted another article today on the topic of theme using Dai Vernon's classic packet trick "Twisting the Aces" as an example:

Thematic Thinking

I'm keen to find out how many people write scripts for their magic, so I've also created a simple poll (it is only one question):

Answer Scriptwriting Poll

I'd love to hear other people's opinions on these topics (whether you agree with me or not).

Marty

P.S. All of the articles on scriptwriting can be found on the scriptwriting category page of my blog.

I've finally managed to write a third article on this topic, which combines ideas from the previous two:

Read Twisting the Aces Three Ways

I've included three different presentations for the trick. One is pretty traditional and based on the write-up in More Inner Secrets of Card Magic. Another is a fuller explanation of the "Pasteboard Puppies" presentation that I already discussed in Thematic Thinking. And the third is based on the popular card game called Crazy Eights.

Happy scriptwriting!

Marty

Thank you kindly.

My amateur understanding of how it all works is this:

The magician first asserts some utter nonsense, which can be created by exaggerating the effect of some real or plausible phenomena. The audience who knows nonsense when they see or hear it, can suspend their rational faculties and go along with it for their amusement and enter into the spirit of the thing. When the nonsense put is proved with a rational experiment, the magic created is an absurd simultaneity of opposites, where nonsense appears to make sense. Such magic is not only wonderful but it's also funny. It satisfies both hearts and minds and gives the audience what they demand, which is an equal measure of entertainment and magic. Composing good nonsense to fit the bill, mind you, is easier said than done. Erdnase is one who had a gift for it, in my humble opinion.


i.e.,

"Ladies and Gentlemen. It is a fact well known to archaeologists that many very wonderful arts which were possessed by the ancients have, through the course of ages, been completely lost to modern civilization. Prominent among these superior accomplishments was the mysterious power of divining the presence of water or metals that lay hidden far under the ground. Now it may be that the assertion I am about to make will be received by you with polite but nonetheless absolute incredulity; but it has been my very great good fortune to discover, by the merest accident, the underlying principle of this lost art, and I have mapped out a plan of experiment and study that will in time, I trust, enable me to give once more to the world complete and scientific data for positively ascertaining the immediate whereabouts of such metals as gold, silver or copper by a process as simple as the waving of a willow wand over the prospected area. I do not myself as yet fully understand the exact nature of the power I have stumbled upon, but I know it to be a sort of magnetic or sympathetic attraction, and I shall illustrate to you the principle involved by experimenting with a deck of cards." -Erdnase

Thanks Marty for pointing us to your blog. I found it very clearly written and thought provoking. It is interesting how we benefit from ideas brought in from other Arts - novels, theatre, films. I was already familiar with the importance of a premise (an important way of "hooking" interest and making the spectator care), also for the "effect" to be clear (ACAAN as a notorious example where it often isn't) but I found the distinction between plot and theme new. I suspect all of these can blur at the edges but they are great labels for organising our thoughts - thanks again and keep it up

Thanks, Tommy. There is some wonderful patter in The Expert at the Card Table. "The Divining Rod" is a good example of how a strong hook can enhance a standard effect (the Card Stab).



Thanks for reading the articles! This is why I decided to run the blog; to give me a way to clarify some of these things in my own head. Having a blog motivates me to research a broad range of topics. For a long time, I didn't understand how premise, plot and theme related to magical presentations. The David Regal book Approaching Magic was very helpful (it is full of practical examples). We can learn a lot from studying other art forms, especially those that concentrate on storytelling.

Marty

With all due respect to Erdnase, after that buildup, I would have expected something besides a deck of cards.

Hi Marty

Thanks for sharing these interesting articles on scripting, which I really enjoyed. I agree with all your reasons why scripting is so important for interactive performers.

At the risk of being categorical (always/ nearly always dangerous:-) ), I believe that every performer who regularly delivers the same routines has a "script". This is just human nature when you are doing the same activity over and over again.

The problem is that the word "script" has several different possible meanings. Scripts can be:
- pre-planned from the start OR evolved over repeated deliveries;
- written down OR exist purely inside your head;
- rigid OR interactive.
But, to me, these are all still scripts.

In terms of interactive scripts, I find it useful to borrow a model from interactive storytelling in computer games - the rivers and lakes model.

Think of your routines as made up of tightly scripted paths ("rivers") and looser, interactive segments where the audience have (or appear to have) more control ("lakes"). This approach allows you to juggle the biggest problem in interactive storytelling - finding the balance between their need for responsive experiences and their need for satisfying journeys to a rewarding destination.

If anyone is interested in this strategy, you can find a summary of the chapter from my book which discusses spontaneity and scripting here:
https://hooktraining.com/hook-your-audie......58502446

All the best

Paul

Hi Paul,

The Rivers and Lakes model sounds intriguing. I've studied Interactive Fiction (IF) and a little bit of video game theory but never come across this model. Thanks!

I also like your flexible definition of what constitutes a "script". You've given me lots to think about.

Marty

The "rivers and lakes" model is also known as the "string of pearls" model. Jesse Schell writes about it in his brilliant "The Art of Game Design" book.

I prefer the R&L name because it better represents the proportion of tightly scripted parts to the looser, interactive sections. When I talk about a "string of pearls", people tend to think of a pearl necklace and they suppose I'm suggesting many more looser segments than is wise.

"Virtually all successful performers, actors, magicians and comedians say the same words, in more or less the same way, night after night."
Ken Weber

I always find it reassuring when I read about a model that describes an approach I've stumbled into doing in practice for years before I knew it had a name and a theoretical framework. The rivers and lakes model was one of those things that immediately clicked with me when I saw it.

All the best

Paul

Thank you both for sharing great information!

The wonderful thing about magic is the entirely irrational is proved by entirely rational means.

The moment that the magician switches from his entirely irrational entertainment to his entirely rational experiment, a hemispheric shift occurs, from irrational right to rational left-brain thinking.

After that build-up what you get besides a deck of cards and that hemispheric shift, is what an actor might call a beat, a shift in tone, from informal to formal and so after all that build-up or hook, mark the script there thus // or any other symbol.

Not sure if this is the right place for my question. Ad libbing is a gift (linked to Jazz mentalism a Cassidy called it). It may be spontanous, but a lot is already scripted, planned for or learned through experience based on typical audience reactions etc. I would like to become better. Can you please advise on good reads on the topic? Thx, Endre

Hi Endre,

I'm not an expert on ad-libbing, but, as predominantly a card magician, I found the slim booklets by Justin Higham on improvisational magic helpful. He's published three booklets that, while stand-alone, do complement each other and cover topics related to improvisation and jazz magic:

• Secrets of Improvisational Magic
  
• The KOSBE System
  
• The 75% Production and The Trick With No Method
  

These books are available directly from Justin's website, but you might also find some stocked by your preferred magic dealer. I'd start with Secrets of Improvisational Magic and see how you get on. Here's a fair review of the booklet by Jamy Ian Swiss.

Marty

First off you need to understand what exactly an “ad lib” is. In reality it is a magic trick pulled on an audience often by non magicians.

VERY few as libs are done for the first time on the spot. If you want to be perceived as a great “ad lib” artist it requires a great memory, an innate sense of timing and a whole lot of experience.

What does all of this mean? First of all if you are in front of different audiences long enough you will get to the conclusion that there is just very little anyone ever says or does that it remotely new. Now you know it will happen so you have a response ready. All that there is to do is remember that response and work on the timing. Once that is done you remember it. Sometimes you have to remember it for years before you get to use it again. Timing still has to be perfect.

Also it helps if you learn to think “in funny”. Not magicians funny but actual funny.

The responses must be yours and not David Williamson’s as well. Nothing looks sillier than passing off others ad libs as your own.

What I just write out is years to learn IF you are in front of an audience regular. It is why comedians and improv artists are trying to constantly be in front of an audience regularly, regardless of the past. It is all about reps.

Endre, if it helps, I think of my "script" as being made up of lines or actions of 4 different levels of spontaneity:

1) fixed content - delivered in more-or-less the same way each time;

2) engineered content - prepared elements which you backlead the audience into prompting from you, but which look to the audience as if they are leading or that have happened for the first time (the "illusion of the first time");

3) recalled content - remembered or crafted responses to specific situations which crop up when you're performing;

4) improvised content - truly spontaneous reactions, made in-the-moment. Rare for most pros.

For an established show with an experience performer, fixed and engineered content dominate, enriched by occasional flashes of recalled lines (the type of situational ad lib Danny describes so well above) and genuinely improvised lines.

But if you're blending these levels together well, the audience shouldn't be able to spot the joints and your delivery will appear much more improvised to them than it really is. Until they witness a second performance of the show

If you're interested, I can send you the chapter from my book for interactive performers where I discuss improvising - just let me know.

All the best

Paul

Scripting is very important and I think we should all at least have a basic amount of scripting prepared for each routine so we can fall back on it but also riff on and be spontaneous in the moment. If you don't have any preparation then it's much more difficult to put together solid storytelling, audience engagement, and personal style off the top of your head. Incorporating elements from other arts is a good idea. You can draw inspiration from novels, theatre, films, anything that enrichs your toolbox for a theme or routine. A compelling premise helps to hook the audience's interest and make them care about the performance. Distinctions between plot and theme are useful tools for organizing thoughts and structuring a routine.

A script can be pre-planned or evolve over time, written down or memorized, rigid or interactive. Interactive scripting modelling is good to consider too, combininh tightly scripted segments with looser, interactive parts where the audience seems to have more control. It helps balance the need for a structured journey with audience responsiveness. And yes an effective script feels spontaneous in a way that the audience sees an illusion of improvisation, making the performance feel fresh and dynamic. Flexibility in the script to adapt to different audiences or performance contexts makes sure the routine remains relevant and engaging across various settings.

Also, it's vital that the script reflects the magician's personality and style and feels authentic to the performer letting their unique character to shine through. Regularly revisiting and refining the script based on audience reactions and growth as a performer also leads to a more polished routine. And obviously familiarity with the script through practice helps in delivering it naturally, making even the most planned parts appear spontaneous.

I will say however I'm not fond of using random nonsensical magician patter then performing a card trick that doesn't fit or enhance the theme. When you see Derren bring up a theme or idea for example, he's using the tricks as a vehicle to demonstrate the idea and explore it.. not just to make it look like he's doing something deep by cheaply using the script as an intro to get into a trick. You go away from Derren's show thinking about the themes he explored through the effects whether it was family or fate or subliminal messaging.. not going away thinking "he had a rant about archaeology then showed me some card trick"

“The trick is based on the very strong probability that he will think of seven.

Now babble some nonsense about the power of concentrated thought upon even inanimate objects, requesting the parties to whisper the name and number, and mentally urge the required action.”

S. W. Erdnase 1902


psychobabble (n.)

"jargon based on the concepts and terminology of psychology," 1976, from psycho- (representing psychology) + babble (n.). Earlier was psychologese (1961). also from 1976

https://www.etymonline.com/word/psychobabble#:~:text=psychobabble%20(n.),%2B%20babble%20(n.).

babbling (n.)

"muttering, foolish talk," c. 1400, verbal noun from babble (v.). The adjective babblative "given to idle talk" is attested from 1580s. Related: Babblingly.

https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=babble