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I gotta tell you — almost everything I have learned from older, wiser, more experienced magic consultants, writers, directors and producers is gold. There are passing comments I overheard as a teenager on magic shoots that I hold onto tightly today in all of my work.

There’s one thing, though — a particular technique — I’ve come to realise completely and utterly sucks. Ugh, it’s so bad. But it was kind of a golden rule early on that people on a variety of magic TV productions will follow. But, alas, the final straw has been snapped, and there’s no going back. I refuse to use this particular technique going forwards.

Let’s unpack what the technique involves, why magicians do it, and an alternative I’ll be using going forwards. Here we go.