So the truth is that most TV magic shows cast their spectators. They do this for the same reason most decisions are made on television — to save money. You have a limited budget, so you have a limited time with your crew and rental equipment at a location. The costs add up fast. Some sites charge thousands, most crew members get paid vast amounts for overtime, and you must get the cameras back to the rental unit by midnight.
We’re casting for several reasons. It might be that there’s not typically anyone at the location, and we’ll need to bring in spectators. If we’re shooting at an arcade, the arcade might request that we close the arcade down for the day. If so, we will need to bring people in to be spectators. If we’re filming far away or remote, we would need to do the same.
Sometimes you need a specific kind of spectator for a particular trick, like a chess expert, siblings, or someone of an exact age. In this case, we’ll also need to cast the spectator. The same goes for when you want to include a celebrity spectator on your show. You’ll likely brainstorm potential celebrities, and then a booker or your talent will reach out to them directly.
The most practical reason to cast your spectators is that they need to want to be on telly. They’re going to need to sign that release form. Not everyone wants to be on television, especially when shooting in cities like London. We will almost always leave London if we’re ever doing a hidden camera prank. I’ve offered people £10,000 on the spot to sign a release form because their reaction to a trick was so good, and they’ve declined. The magician Troy has a brilliant story about the lengths Channel 4 went to get one spectator to sign a release form after giving a great reaction.
