In theatrical illusion, misdirection is a method of deceit in which the performer draws audience attention to one object to divert attention from the other. The ability to control attention from the audience is the main goal of any theatre, and is the primary requirement of all magic acts. Whether the magic is of the “pocket trick” variety or the stage is a major productionmisdirection is the main secret. The term refers to either the effect (the observer’s focus on an object that is not important) or the sleight-of-hand or patter (the magician’s voice) that creates the illusion.
It’s hard to pinpoint who coined the phrase, however the first reference to misdirection appears in the writings of an influential author and performer, Nevil Maskelyne: Admittedly, it consists of misleading the senses of the audience to block out from being aware of certain information that require secrecy. Around the same time, the magicianand artist Harlan Tarbell noted, Nearly everything about illusions is based on this art of misdirection.
Magicians who have studied and refined techniques of misdirection are Leipzig, Malini, Derren Brown, Tommy Wonder, Juan Tamariz, Tony Slydini and Dai Vernon.
Henry Hay describes the central act of conjuring as manipulation of interest.
Magicians misdirect audience attention by using two fundamental ways. One leads the audience to glance away for a brief time, so that they don’t detect some trick or movement. The other method alters the perception of the audience, lulling them to believe that an extraneous factor is a significant factor in the performance but it actually isn’t a factor in the outcome in any way. Dariel Fitzkee explains that the real talent of the magician is the ability that he displays in manipulating the mind of the audience. In addition, sometimes, props like magic wands aids in distraction.
Lacking misdirection, even most skilled sleight-of-hand or mechanical device will fail to make an impression of real magic. In reality, misdirection is the heart of compelling magic.
Misdirection makes use of the limitations of the human mind to create a false picture and memory. The brain of a typical person in the audience can only concentrate on only one thing at a given time. The magician makes use of this to influence the audience’s ideas or perceptions of sensory inputand lead them to make false conclusions.
Some magicians have debated the use of the term, misdirection, causing plenty of debate regarding what it is and how it operates. The accomplished illusionist Jon Finch made a distinction between misdirection and direction. One being a negative term, and the other positive. In the end, he considers the two as the same thing. If a performer some means, has directed the thoughts of his audience to the conclusion that he did something he hasn’t done, he’s wrongly led them to believe thisand, consequently, misdirection.
Tommy Wonder has pointed that it’s more effective, from the magician’s point of view, to concentrate on the goal of directing the audience’s attention. He states that misdirection is an untrue direction. It implies that attention is directed away towards something. By constantly using this term, it eventually becomes so it is ingrained into our brains that we might start to think that misdirection is directing the attention away from instead of toward something.
Slydini explained that if a magician believes that, the audience will believe in it, and magic is something they don’t perceive. It is true that people believe in what the magician is doing and then follow the magician. site