You’re reading this as a free or paid subscriber of One Ahead: the magic newsletter. Every week, I send paid subscribers two new posts with valuable insights, magic secrets, and trick tutorials.

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It was a great month on One Ahead, with our first ever column from our first ever columnist. The more members who join us, the more new columnists can write for us and the better the magic newsletter gets.

— Rory

Here’s some of what you missed this month…

One Ahead

Best Easy Ways To Force A Playing Card

When thinking about card magic, few skills are more valuable than the ability to force a playing card. Magicians should think about when, why, and how we force playing cards. The answer to those questions will only improve our card magic. So let's start answering those questions about forcing playing cards together…

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9 months ago · 3 likes · 2 comments · Nathan Wilson

One Ahead

The Lie Detector: Magic Tutorial

Bob Ostin & Harry Idanov This is a wonderful trick. It was shown to me by Bob Ostin in the 1970s. Bob was a kind and inventive fellow who became something of a mentor. He had a lot of experience as a professional entertainer, having worked on club, cabaret, and kids' shows earlier in his life but, when I knew him, he was a modest and enthusiastic amateur who always had some magical novelty to show. A simple method and an entertaining premise were hallmarks of his work…

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9 months ago · 7 likes · 4 comments · David Britland

One Ahead

Everyone thought this was a camera trick

At almost every magic convention I attend, someone will find out I work on TV magic shows and get very upset. They’ll say something along the lines of how maddening it is that we TV magic people always use camera tricks. We supposedly set an unrealistic expectation for the close-up workers — they say this forgetting magic in real life should always be b…

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9 months ago · 6 likes · 5 comments · Rory Adams

One Ahead

Casting Spectators for Magic TV Shows

So the truth is that most TV magic shows cast their spectators. They do this for the same reason most decisions are made on television — to save money. You have a limited budget, so you have a limited time with your crew and rental equipment at a location. The costs add up fast. Some sites charge thousands, most crew members get paid vast amounts for ov…

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8 months ago · 6 likes · 4 comments · Rory Adams

One Ahead

If you build it, they will come: sure.

I love John Archer. I grew up watching him, and he’s the best at what he does. He’s the only performer I always look forward to seeing perform at Blackpool. I genuinely believe his Fool Us performance is the best there’s ever been. I always know I’ll enjoy watching him perform, even if it’s magic I’ve seen before…

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8 months ago · 10 likes · 6 comments · Rory Adams

Something from the archive…

One Ahead

The Best "Pre-Show" Techniques

Listen now (14 min) | You can listen to or read this week’s newsletter. Leave podcast feedback here. What even is pre-show? Why is it often misunderstood and rarely taught? Pre-show is essentially anything that takes place before the show begins to enhance the show for the audience as a whole. In the world of television and social media, pre-show has become defined as someth…

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2 years ago · 54 likes · 10 comments · Rory Adams