How to light a magic show

[nicfar]

Hi all,

 

Had a search for a thread similar like this, but came up with no results and I need a bit of help.

 

A friend of mine from school is a very accomplished magician and is putting on a performance in our schools performing arts centre when our exams are finished. He has spoken to our A.V technician and gained permission for me to be his LD and operator for this show.

 

Now heres my question, does anybody have any tips/ideas about the best way to light it?

 

Now, having seen much of his act, I know that there is a lot of sleight of hand work involving cards and props. This provides a problem. I want to create an effect and help the illusion, but I need to provide sufficient light for the audience to actually see the trick.

 

For the purpose of those willing to help me I will be using;

 

around 20 lanterns, 6 par cans, 6 profile spots and 8 fresnels

 

budget may also allow the hiring of certain kit, suggestions are welcome.

 

 

many thanks for any help

nic

[philis]

First talk to the act, Does he have any Idieas of what "look" or mood you are looking for?

 

Also a Magic act can be ruined if the wrong light is used from the wrong direction at the wrong time

 

ask what he wants the audience to see and importantly what he wants them not to see!

 

 

Phil

[Tomo]

In magic shows, it is extremely important to light from the correct direction(s)

 

There are many illusions that can be ruined by light from the wrong angle, so you must ensure that you have consulted with the magician before starting to design the rig.

 

Most magicians will have very clear ideas on the 'feel' of each illusion, and will usually have chosen background music that contributes to the style.

Your lighting must take this 'feel' and 'style', and emphasise or complement it, and must fit with the music.

 

There are usually "Hits" within the act and the music - some of these may benefit from accompanying lighting changes.

-But don't change things too often as the audience may start to think that the lighting is trying to distract them from the illusion

 

In general:

Texture is king.

Gobos, beams, haze - all of these things are great!

 

However, 99% of the time, you should fully facelight the prop(s) and the magician, as otherwise the audience will think that the 'trick' is being hidden from them by using the lighting.

Actually, in many cases it is, but you must make it appear that the props and magician could not be concealing anything by holding it in shadow.

 

The beams and gobos should usually frame the prop(s) and magician, and not obscure them.

 

As with all lighting design 'rules', there are times when these guidelines should be broken!

[mac.calder]

It depends on your friends style. Some magicians interact with the audience a lot, and don't tend to use the space much, just present their tricks. Others present a wonderful theatrical experiance (no, I'm not the slightest bit biased :unsure:).

 

If he is of the first type, keep it simple - Spot from the front, highlight any locations where an 'object' will be used, then fill (add colour as needed) - making sure you can keep your lighting relatively static through the illusion (so as to prove that it is not some trick of the light).

 

If he is of the second type - I doubt you have the stock to make anything really 'spectacular' (as far as dramatics go) - but if you can get your hand on a low-lying fogger/dry ice, you can make some brilliant effects by illuminating the fog on the floor. You will probably need some fans to get rid of it towards the 'meat' of the trick - to prevent the audience thinking the fog is providing a smoke screen.

 

Magic is about mystery, so remember that what is dark is just as important as what is light - you want the magic to seem transparent, but you also need to keep some mystery to it.

[Shez]

I've provided sound & lighting services to an annual magic convention for a number of years now. (Having a background in magic helps - you can tell from a list of names of effects what sort of thing to expect).

 

A lot of performers (even seasoned professionals) will simply ask for an "everything up" kind of state; up at the start, down at the end. Some have more creative ideas about what they'd like to achieve but that tends to be more rare.

 

I'd be inclined to approach this like any other show - if you've seen what he's planning on doing, then you'll already have an idea of pace, mood etc for each effect. As you're working with a fairly small rig, get a good, even FOH coverage in one or two very pale colours (something warm and something cooler - 103/OW and 201 is cliched but may be adequate) and some deeper colours as backlight. Perhaps all your profiles FOH, fresnels as top / backlight with pars as additional, more rock 'n' roll backlight. If you can get hold of a few more profiles, then some gobo texture would be good.

 

It's generally accepted that thread work is best under bluer light but it always pays to try it out & see what it looks like (besides which, most magicians know this and expect threads if the lighting shifts in that direction).

 

Feel free to PM me if you get stuck with any particular effects, the details of which wouldn't be appropriate discussion material on a public forum.