In the world of theatrical magic, misdirection can be described as an art of deceit in which the performer draws audience attention to one item to distract them from the other. The ability to control attention from the audience is the goal of every theatre, and is the primary requirement of all magic acts. It doesn’t matter if the magic is a “pocket trick” variety or a large stage productionthat relies on misdirection, it is the primary key to the success. The term describes either the effect (the the focus of the observer on an object that is not important) or the sleight-of-hand or patter (the magician’s voice) that creates it.
It is difficult to say who was the first person to coin the phrase, however an early reference to misdirection appears in the writing of an influential author and magician named Nevil Maskelyne. it is a method of distracting the senses of the audience to hide from detection certain details in which confidentiality is essential. At the same time, the magicianand artist Tarbell noted, Nearly the whole art of illusions is based on the art of misdirection.
Magicians who have studied and developed techniques of misdirection include Max Malini, Derren Brown, Tommy Wonder, Tamariz, Slydini and Dai Vernon.
Henry Hay describes the chief act of conjuring as manipulating interest.
A few magicians divert attention of the audience by using two fundamental ways. One causes the audience to look away for a fleeting time, so that they aren’t aware of a sleight or move. The other approach re-frames the audience’s perception, distracting them into thinking that an extraneous factor can be a factor in the accomplishment of the feat but it actually isn’t a factor in the result in any way. Fitzkee says that the real talent of the magician is in the skill of his performance in changing the mind of the audience. Sometimes, a prop like magic wands aids in the misdirection.
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Misdirection uses the limits of human brains to present a false image and memory. The brain of a typical person in the audience can only concentrate on one thing at the time. The magician utilizes this to manipulate the perceptions or ideas of the audience of sensory inputwhich leads them to incorrect conclusions.
Many magicians have debated over the usage of the term, “misdirection,” causing a great deal of discussion about what it is and how it operates. The great magician Jon Finch identified a difference between direction and misdirection. One being a negative term, and the other positive. In the end, he considers both as one thing. If a performer, through some method, has influenced the thoughts of the audience to conclude that he did something he hasn’t done, he has wrongly directed them into this belief; hence, misdirection.
Tommy Wonder has pointed out that it is much more effective, from a magician’s perspectivein focusing on the purpose of directing attention to the audience. He writes that misdirection suggests the wrong direction. It suggests that attention is diverted towards something. When we keep using this term, it eventually becomes so ingrained in our minds that we may begin to think that misdirection is directing our attention away from rather than toward something.
Slydini said that if a magician believes it, the audience will believe it and the magic they can’t observe. The trick is to accept what the magician says and follow the magician. read more info about misdirection here
