In the world of theatrical illusion, misdirection is a form of deception that attracts attention of the audience to a certain thing to distract it from another. Controlling attention of the audience is the goal of every theatre, and is the primary need of any magic act. It doesn’t matter if the magic is a “pocket trick” variety or an extensive stage productionthat relies on misdirection, it is the primary element. The term is used to describe either the result (the eye’s attention being drawn to an object that is not important) or the sleight of hand or patter (the magician’s speech) that causes the illusion.
It’s difficult to determine who coined the term, but an early mention of misdirection is found in the writing of a renowned writer and illusionist, Nevil Maskelyne: Admittedly, it is a method of distracting the senses of the audience in order to screen from being aware of certain information for which secrecy is required. Around the same time, the magicianand artist Tarbell noted, Nearly all the art of sleight of hand depends on this art of misdirection.
A few magicians who have studied and evolved misdirection techniques are Nate Leipzig, Max Malini, Tommy Wonder, Derren Brown, Juan Tamariz, Tony Slydini and Dai Vernon.
Henry Hay describes the central act of conjuring as manipulation of interest.
Many magicians misdirect audience attention in two basic ways. The first is to make the audience look away for a fleeting time, so that they aren’t aware of a act or gesture. The other approach re-frames the viewers’ perceptions, leading the audience into believing that some other factor is a significant factor in the performance when it really isn’t a factor in the outcome in any way. Fitzkee says that the true skill of the magician is in the talent of his performance in changing the mind of the audience. Additionally, sometimes a prop such as magic wands aids in distraction.
misdirection, even the most adept sleight-ofhand or mechanical device will fail to make an impression of convincing magic. Without doubt, misdirection is the keystone of all effective illusions.
Misdirection exploits the limitations of the human mind to create a false picture and memory. The brain of an average spectator can only focus on one thing at the time. The magician uses this to manipulate the perceptions or ideas of the audience of sensory input, leading them to false conclusion.
Magicians have debated the use of the term, misdirection, creating a great deal of discussion about what it is and how it functions. The distinguished illusionist Jon Finch identified a difference in misdirection from direction. One is a negative wordas opposed to the other, positive. In the end, he sees the two as the same thing. If a performer some means, has directed the mind of his viewers to believe that he’s done something he hasn’t done, he’s wrongly directed them into this beliefwhich is why he has misdirected them.
Tommy Wonder has pointed out that it is much more effective, from the magician’s viewpoint, to concentrate on the goal of directing attention to the audience. He writes that misdirection suggests an untrue direction. It suggests that attention is diverted away towards something. By constantly using this termit becomes it is ingrained into our brains that we may begin to see misdirection as taking attention away from rather than toward something.
Tony Slydini explained that if a magician believes it, the audience will believe it, and magicians are something that they cannot see. It is true that people believe what the magician does and then follow the magician. misdirection references