In the world of theatrical magic, misdirection is an art of deceit where the performer draws audience attention to one object to divert attention from another. Managing audience attention is the main goal of any theatre, and is the primary need of any magic act. If the magic is of a “pocket trick” variety or the stage is a major productionmisdirection is the main secret. The term refers to either the result (the eye’s attention being drawn to the unimportant object) or the sleight of hands or the patter (the magician’s voice) that creates the illusion.
It is difficult to say who coined the term, but an early reference to misdirection appears in the writing of an influential writer and magician, Nevil Maskelyne. it consists of misleading the senses of the audience in order to screen from noticing certain aspects for which secrecy is required. The same time, the magicianand artist Tarbell noted, Nearly all the art of sleight of hand depends on the art of misdirection.
Some magicians who have researched and developed misdirection techniques includes Leipzig, Max Malini, Derren Brown, Tommy Wonder, Tamariz, Slydini, along with Dai Vernon.
Henry Hay describes the chief act of conjuring as manipulating interest.
Magicians divert attention of the audience in two primary ways. One causes the audience to glance away for a brief time, so that they do not notice a act or gesture. Another approach alters the viewers’ perceptions, leading them to believe that an extraneous factor can be a factor in the performance but it actually isn’t a factor in the result in any way. Fitzkee notes that The real talent of the magician is in the talent he exhibits in influencing the mind of the audience. In addition, sometimes, props such as magic wands aids in distraction.
Misdirection uses the limits of the human mind to give the wrong picture and memory. The brain of an average audience member can only concentrate on one thing at a time. The magician utilizes this to manipulate the viewers’ thoughts or perceptions of sensory inputwhich leads them to incorrect conclusion.
A few magicians have debated the meaning of the term, “misdirection,” causing plenty of debate about the meaning of it and how it operates. The superb magician Jon Finch made a distinction between direction and misdirection. One is a negative word, while the other is a positive. Ultimately, he equates both as one thing. If a performer, through some method, has influenced the mind of his audience to conclude that he’s done something he hasn’t done, he’s wrongly led them to believe thiswhich is why he has misdirected them.
Tommy Wonder has pointed out that it’s more effective, from a magician’s point of view, to concentrate on the purpose of directing the audience’s attention. He writes that misdirection suggests wrong direction. It implies that attention is diverted towards something. Through constant use of this phrasethe idea eventually becomes embedded in our minds that we begin to see misdirection as taking attention away from rather than towards something.
Slydini explained that if a magician believes it, the audience will believe it, and magicians are something that they cannot observe. Misdirection is true when they believe in what the magician is doing and then follows the magician. site