Mailbag #144

Curious if you think the new levitating phone version of Leviosa has the same issues you had with the floating deck version. —SC

Let me start by saying, I love the ambition behind this trick. A phone floating from the ground into someone’s hand is a wild effect, and I admire that there are people like João Miranda attempting something so bold and difficult.

That said, there are a lot of issues here.

The first is one of basic human perception. We have a deeply ingrained, evolutionary sense of how physical objects should move. Even without touching something, we can judge its weight and solidity by how it travels through space. Our brains are wired to pick up on these cues.

And I don’t think this passes that test.

That is to say… this moves like a lightweight fake phone, gently wobbling and swaying as it rises up, pulled by some unseen strand of something.

Now, you could argue, “Well, maybe magical levitation would look like that. Maybe the phone is dangling from a ‘string of telekinetic energy.’” Sure, you could try that angle.

But most people aren’t going to think “psychic thread.” They’re going to think: string.

Second, structurally, the trick is messy.

The phone flips over. The flashlight goes on. Then it levitates.

The phone flip makes the phone look lightweight (to me). It looks like a stiff breeze could blow it over. This not only burns the surprise that you can make the phone move, but also puts the spectator on edge that maybe the phone isn’t moving like they would suspect.

Then the flashlight turns on, which barely qualifies as a magic moment. A phone’s flashlight turning on is not going to impress anyone.

By the time the levitation happens, it’s already lost some of its punch. You've already shown the phone can move from a distance, so the escalation feels flatter than it should.

Assuming you can do it this way, I would just make the flashlight come on first. This is about the most unremarkable thing you can do with a phone, so it’s not going to get much of a reaction. Then make it rise. When it moves fully out of the blue like that, I suspect the levitation will hit much harder.

Third, the phone can’t be examined at the moment people actually want to examine it.

Sure, they’re shown a normal phone at the start of the trick—but that’s not when the phone is interesting. And no spectator is going to say, “Yes, the phone I saw at the beginning was definitely the one that levitated later.” They’re not scrutinizing it that closely. And if you prompted them to pay close attention at the start, they’d also likely notice when the phone goes out of sight for a beat.

Look at the reaction in the demo. I would say the responses are in line with what I would expect from people reacting to a fake phone levitating up to someone’s hand. They’re somewhat surprised and pleased. There’s definitely a “magicalness” to it, whether the phone is real or not. But that’s not the response I would expect from people who felt they were seeing a real phone floating.

I would say their responses are less intense than what I get when I use a Loop to “flip up” a borrowed pair of sunglasses.

Fourth—and most egregiously—there’s the presentation.

Now, you can disagree with everything I’ve said so far. You might think the float looks great, the phone looks legit, and there’s not much heat on it afterward. And if that’s how it plays for you? You’ll probably be happy with the product. I’ve owned a couple of João Miranda’s items myself and been satisfied with the quality.

But here’s the thing that should absolutely infuriate you—if you’re the kind of person who gets infuriated about magic tricks. (You shouldn’t be. But still.)

Let’s take a look at the patter used during the switch, when the real phone is secretly swapped for the gimmick under the pretense of getting a pen:

I'm pretty sure that you know this, but we have plenty of notifications, right? This is so nice. This technology is so nice because we can get in contact with anyone around the world and we just get an answer in a few seconds. This is so nice. I mean, years back, this technology doesn't exist. Do you know what they used to use? Let me show you.I think I got it here. It's here. They used pens to write letters and they ship those letters and they had to wait like weeks even months to get an answer back. Right now with mobile phones you get an answer in seconds and technology and let me know if you think about it too but technology provokes an impact right something happening in another part of the world we can feel that impact here thanks to technology. Let me show you what I mean.

Let’s take a beat and really think about this.

You’re about to levitate a fucking phone right in front of them. This should be one of the most amazing things they’ve ever witnessed in real life.

And how do you introduce it?

With a meandering little essay on phones and how people used to write letters with pens.

What does that have to do with anything? How does that build toward the moment you’re about to create? It doesn’t. It’s dull, retarded filler.

It’s a big fuck you to the audience, too. “I need to grab something from my pocket to switch in a fake phone, so I’m going to ramble about technology and pens. Doesn’t matter what I say—just needed the cover. Got your ass.”

They spent months, if not years, working on the mechanics of the trick. And absolutely zero time coming up with an impactful way to present it that respects the audience at all.

I’ve had farts that lasted longer than the amount of time they put into this presentation. That is not hyperbole.

Now, you might say, “Okay, sure, it’s dumb. But you can just change that part.”

True. You just need an excuse to go to your pocket. And yes, you can come up with a better rationale. But the fact that this is the script they chose to showcase the trick? That tells you how little consideration went into anything beyond the gadget.

And the fact is, most magicians are going to do it just like this. They’re going to spend $250 to leave their spectators mildly amused, and in part that’s because they’re trying to build up what should be an impossible moment with the dumb, “Have you ever heard of a pen before?” presentation. Then they’ll wonder—once again—why no one gives a shit about what they do.

---

What’s the best way you know to decline to perform for someone who asks? —DC

I don’t do that very often. But if I have to, I will do so by suggesting there’s something I want to show them, it’s just not quite ready yet.

“Oh, actually, there’s been something I’ve been looking into that I think you’d be perfect for. I’ve been wanting to try it with you, but I don’t have it with me. Next week I promise to bring it.”

Builds anticipation. Doesn’t seem like you’re brushing them off.

What if I won’t see the person again so I can’t delay?

In that case, I either show them something simple or let them know—genuinely—what’s pulling me away:

“I’d love to, but I actually have to [meet someone / be somewhere / do something] in a few minutes.”

That’s usually enough. Most people understand.