Japanese TV Sued for Magic Exposure

When I saw this story in my local newspaper today, I knew that it had hit the big time. It’s one of those stories that catches the attention of lay people because it has to do with the exposure of our magic secrets.

The article states that Japanese broadcasters exposed the secrets behind some coin tricks. The segments were spurred by the arrest of an operator of a magic bar in Osaka, Japan who had altered coins (in Japan, it’s against the law to deface money). A group has filed a lawsuit that says the TV exposure segments infringed upon magicians' common property, which "instantly deprived pro magicians of their assets.”

It’s natural for lay-people to wonder how magicians perform their illusions and when given the opportunity, their curiosity is going to take over. And given the chance, any broadcaster is going to expose magic for the ratings that a segment is sure to get.

The problem with objecting to exposure is that it draws attention to the secret, something that we don’t want out there. There’s nothing that a broadcaster loves more than a bunch of irate magicians who continue to contest a secret, which, in turn, allows more people to learn about the exposure and see it. It’s much like movie companies that hire "protesters" to picket in front of a theater to draw attention to a new and controversial film.

By protesting, magicians always lose. When we object to exposure, more of the public finds out about it and learns the secret. And equally damaging, magicians are depicted as individuals who lack talent and hide behind secrets. To a snide lay public, we are not presented as talented entertainers, but as cheesy performers who without secrets would be nothing.

When it comes to exposure, I think the best course is to ignore and adapt. When exposure occurs, downplay its importance and move on. I think that I have history on my side. For example, when millions watched the masked magician exposures on television a decade ago, magicians were not put out of work. Admittedly, magicians did have to adapt.

The second step involves understanding the exposure and adapting your act or routine. In the least harmful case, you can combine a trick with another one, alter a method or add a red herring to throw off those in the know.

In the most harmful cases, you’ll have to retire the effect. When Criss Angel exposed "ashes" on his television show last season, I discovered that I couldn’t perform the trick for a certain age group, teens and fans of Angel, because of the exposure. The trick is now out of my repertoire. I’ll bring it back some day or use the secret in a different way. Meanwhile, life goes on and like other magicians, I’ll be performing and entertaining.

You can read the article here.