How to Write Scripts for TV Magic Acts

I get paid to write magic, and I’ve done so for many TV shows. Often, when discussing this, I’m quick to stress that not much actual “writing” takes place. It’s more about generating ideas — ideas for tricks, methods, stories, episode formats, reasons to be in certain locations, jokes, and the bigger concepts the performer is trying to get across to the viewer.

There is one exception, though, where my work really does involve “writing” scripts.

That’s TV magic acts.

These are performances on late-night talk shows, talent shows, and competition shows like Fool Us. In these instances, scripting is necessary for a whole host of important reasons we’ll get into.

The first reason, which we will quickly get out of the way, is to successfully get on the show and do well on it, given its “team” setup. You will have an easier time getting onto a show, being treated well, and getting shot and edited in the best possible way if you script your magic.

I’ve been in the production meetings where the director, lighting designer, sound engineer, floor manager, executive producers, and casting teams review the videos of performers showing exactly what they will do when they get on the show. If you have not scripted this, you’re not only relying on your own ability to improvise, but you’re also relying on an entire team of people to improvise, too. The key problem: you will inevitably care more about your act than they will, and they have fifty more acts to worry about getting right besides yours. Oftentimes, the production team won’t want to take the risk in the first place.

When I began writing One Ahead, back when it was a personal blog, a friend convinced me to open up my consulting services to private clients. Up until then, my only clients had been television and theatre production companies.

For the first time, I would be working directly with clients.  

One of the first performers to work directly with me was Savio Joseph. He wanted some help filling out the application form for the revival season of Canada’s Got Talent. I helped Savio with the application, and then every audition, all the way to the finals, where he placed second.

There is a lot to be said about how to succeed on a show like Got Talent.

These are the big three pillars.

First, go to the judges’ table. This is your superpower as a magician on a show like Got Talent. Sure, lots of magicians go to the judges’ table, but you’ll be the only magician in your episode and therefore the only performer to go to the judges’ desk in that episode.

Secondly, try to involve each judge in a way that builds on their individual personalities while also showcasing them. If you can give each judge an opportunity to look good in their own way, they’re going to like you, because that is something judges like to do.

Finally, try to perform magic that feels uniquely yours, and the key here is to tell a forward-facing story. That last part, about the forward-facing story, is key. It’s something many people miss. We want to board the train with you, and so the story needs to feel like it’s going somewhere. Tell a story that is still ongoing, and we’ll be much more likely to want to see you again.

For Savio, after some lengthy discussions, we landed on a story that was true to him. He was trying to decide whether to pursue magic full-time or pursue the careers his parents always hoped he would choose. This became the throughline for the routine, with judges choosing envelopes containing slips with the different careers written inside of them. In the next round, he put his life savings on the line — using all the cash from his bank account in the trick to show how serious he was about making magic his career.

There are very strong reasons to pursue essentialism in scripting when appearing on any TV show with a magic act. The first reason is that essentialism is pretty objective, not subjective.

Everyone might watch your act, packed with jokes, stories and references, and some might subjectively enjoy it, while others will not.

But if every single part of your act is essential — meaning you simply could not remove it — then suddenly, an entire audience becomes objectively impressed.

Take a long, hard look at your script and ask yourself, “Is every line essential?”

If it’s not: delete.

This can sound harsh, but it forces you to work much harder and deliver meaningful dialogue and scripting. Is that joke absolutely necessary? Yes: keep it. Do you think the third line is needed to add clarity to the routine? Yes: keep it. Does that line at the end help cancel the method? Kind of: then work it up to be something that does so better instead.

There are many creative exercises and templates that professional magic consultants, illusion designers, and magic producers use. None of them is rigid rules you must follow — they’re simply tools that force you to look at your work in new, critical ways.

The second, perhaps more important, reason to pursue essentialism in scripting for TV magic acts is that if everything is essential, the television show’s producers cannot cut anything.

I have been in those rooms watching those editing decisions get made.

My role was to ensure no methods flashed in the final cut, and to offer my advice on how best to cut the magic for maximum impact. But I did not have total authority over how acts were edited.