I rarely suggest electronic methods when I’m TV consulting.
Unless when electronics are the very best method for the trick—like a magic watch or every Marc Kerstein app. Often electronics open up a whole new range of possibilities for the solo performer. Technology may be integral to the trick, like searching for a random word on Wikipedia.
When you shoot telly, the cost of any trick must factor in the location fee, shooting crew, editorial crew, transport, camera hire, contributors (if they’re getting paid), and more. So even an Ambitious Card routine could cost you $10k on a good day. The stakes are high, the entire shoot could be entirely based around one trick and when the "magic isn't ready," it can be a tad stressful.
I learned from the best to always prepare extra gimmicks and backup methods:
- When I started consulting, I wanted to use an electronic reel for a shoot. An older and wiser consultant wanted to fill a closet door with a fake brick wall then hide a human in there for an entire hour to yank fishing line instead. Guess which method failed in rehearsal, and which one we used for the shoot?
- Another time, a performer wanted to use a digital impression pad—a second older, wiser magic consultant set-up a carbon paper layer inside the pad as a back-up. When we made a mistake and incorrectly set up the digital pad on the final take of the evening, the older consultant (in costume) went in to retrieve the pad, and the carbon paper saved us.
- At my first-ever consulting gig, when an older and wiser consultant discovered how easily the non-technology based gimmick could break (after I dropped and smashed it), they decided we would spend the evening making back-ups. We stayed in the office until 3 AM, making back-up gimmicks. The shoot’s call time was 6 AM.
