I’m writing this week for a TV show in the Netherlands. They sent over the scripts and names of celebrities booked on the show and want fresh thoughts and ideas.
Projects like this are nice because there’s low pressure. The task is simply ideas and angles. Have you thought of this? What about this? There’s the freedom to suggest ideas you know are not perfect because they might spark something else.
Jobs like this also be tricky because there’s low pressure. Without the goal of getting something right or fixing something, you can sometimes find it tricky to throw things at the wall. I write in my book that the blank pages are scary. That the hardest shows to work on are the ones who do not know what they want.
Luckily this is not one of those shows. They know exactly what they want. They even have their own terminology for a “magic trick” on the show. The first time they said it, my eyes lit up. Suddenly everything became exciting, and I knew exactly what they were going for. Creating your own terminology is a wise move.
A friend of mine is on AGT this season. When they called me for advice, I think they were surprised at just how many questions I had for them.
In my opinion, good consultants ask questions.
Imagine a doctor meeting with a patient, and without asking any questions, they begin throwing up a huge range of possible diagnoses.
Don’t do that. When magic consultant asks the right questions, they can help produce the best possible magic. Annoyingly, this is something I learned from comedy writers rather than magic consultants.
Here are some important questions I tend to ask when I arrive at a new magic project…
