the clearer the story is, the better

23rd March 2017 | for Creatives | magic/mystery of creating/art, reaching your audience, storytelling, magic/illusion/mentalism, Derren Brown  |       

the clearer the story is, the better

"A good magic trick forces the spectator to tell a story that arrives at an impossible conclusion, and the clearer the story is, the better.  Normally, everything you need to solve the puzzle happens right in front of you, but you are made to care only about the parts that the magician wants you to.  When you join up those dots, so misleadingly and provocatively arranged, you are left with a baffling mystery.  A good magician might make the trick mean more, by elevating it beyond the mere disappearance or transposition of some props.  If it can be made to feel somehow relevant to you, rather than mere display of skill, then the story is likely to have more import and the trick more impact."

— Derren Brown

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