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Props reason to exist

In magic, people tend to react more strongly when the props are something they are familiar with. For example, today's children magicians use a prop called a change bag, which was commonly used by churches to  collect money, it was called an

offering bag. The unfamiliarity of  the prop today makes it a wizard's item, so people don't react to it in the same way as if it were a common thing. When people don't understand the props, they will think it’s a magician's gimmicked item.

In a magic lecture by Bizzaro, who is an optical illusionist appeared on FOX, NBC, and America's Got Talent, he gave a great example of how he turns unusual props into something the audience can understand. For example, Zone Zero is a classic trick that uses a board with a large hole near the center. The board is shown empty on both sides and a ball mysteriously comes out from the hole.

 To have a tray with a hole in it is NOT something that the audience understand or relate to. Often, magicians have to explain why they have this unusual item. In the case of Bizzaro, his stage background setting includes a logo of his name with an eyeball somewhere near the center. Unlike pulling out a white tray with a hole, Bizzaro pulls out his poster with his logo, removes the eye, and now it becomes the Zone Zero prop and, in a way, justifies its purpose.

This is something the audience can understand and relate to.

Consider how you can make your unusual props more relatable to your audience. Here is a tip from Jeff McBride: take your fake looking feather flowers and pretend it’s a feather duster, then magically turn them into real flowers.

Here are some examples of modified and rebuilt props to make them more relatable to the audience.

Botania feather flower tube into a Safety Cone that can be useful on the set.

Die Box from a Calendar Box.

Sponge Balls to Clown Nose

 

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