A practice guide for magicians.
"As fine an exposition of this kind of material as I have ever read . . ." - Mike Close
"Fifty years from now this might be right on that shelf next to 'Magic and Showmanship'." - David Goodsell
"It will turn you into a better magician." - David Regal
What is the Ostrich Factor? As well-versed, conscientious amateurs and professionals, we know the accepted axioms of the art. But when practicing to perform, we sometimes inadvertently overlook or ignore one or more of these well-known rules. The oversight keeps our performances from being as good as they could be. We make an assumption: if we know and understand the axioms, because of our experience and intuition, we will somehow automatically apply them to our performances. 'Surely my head isn't in the sand.' This assumption is what Gerald has coined 'The Ostrich Factor.'
Mike Close (MAGIC Magazine - March 2005) explains:
In the nine chapters, Mr. Edmundson provides a step-by-step method for applying the classic axioms of magic to the creation of a new magic performance piece . . . An enormous amount of information is offered, but because Mr. Edmundson's presentation is so well organized, the reader is never overwhelmed . . . it is a marvelous resource for anyone who is serious about improving his magic . . . As fine an exposition of this kind of material as I have ever read . . .
- Contents
- Acknowledgement
- Preface
- Introduction
- Chapter One: Form the Mental Image
- Storyboard
- Storyboard Template
- Chapter Two: Learn the Sleights
- Chapter Three: Attention Control
- Chapter Four: Misdirection - The "Heart of the Art"
- Chapter Five: Plan the Movements
- Chapter Six: Plan the Patter
- Chapter Seven: Put It All Together
- Chapter Eight: The Help File
- Chapter Nine: Closing Thoughts
- Bibliography
- About the Author
1st print edition 2004, 1st digital edition 2024, PDF 96 pages.
word count: 30390 which is equivalent to 121 standard pages of text
