THE SHORT GLOSSARY
The words behind the wonder.
A few useful terms before you open a book or compare a prop listing.
- Effect
- What the audience experiences: a card is found, a coin appears, a prediction matches. It is different from the method used to create it.
- Method
- The procedure or handling that produces the effect. Learning it is one part of preparing a performance.
- Patter
- The words accompanying an effect. Plain speech can be more useful than a memorised stream of jokes.
- Reset
- Getting props ready to perform again. Some resets can happen openly; others belong between performances.
- Gimmick
- A specially prepared object used for an effect. The term does not mean every routine needs one.
- Close-up
- Magic presented at relatively short viewing distance, often using small props or a table.
- Sleight
- A practised handling action. Smoothness and timing matter; moving faster is not automatically better.
- Self-working
- A convenient description for effects with little or no demanding sleight of hand. Instructions, preparation and presentation still matter.
- Misdirection
- Managing attention through a performance. It is not simply shouting “look over there” whenever a difficult action approaches.
- Angles
- The viewing positions from which an effect can be presented as intended. A camera view and a live group are different conditions.