Marco Tempest: King of Magic Viral Videos

I was talking about the lack of magic viral videos the other day in a story, and I completely overlooked Marco Tempest, who's excellent series of "PhoneCam" videos - uncut, unedited footage that was shot via a cell phone and features a magic trick or optical illusion - was a smash hit on YouTube. I was recently watching the excellent DVD set for the "Essential Magic Conference," which featured Marco Tempest, and it reminded me of his fine and innovative work, as well as his marketing savvy.

My favorite Tempest "PhoneCam" video is "PhoneCam Magic #8 - Proximity. I also enjoyed PhoneCam Magic #7 - Stand Up and
PhoneCam Magic #1 - The Umbrella.

With his "Augmented Reality," Marco Tempest came up with an intriguing new routine that blended card sleight-of-hand with virtual reality, technology, animation and video editing. You can watch it here.

And his "Techno-Illusionist" routine features another fantastic blend of magic and technology. You can watch it here.

I greatly admire Marco Tempest. I have a degree in engineering and worked for a time as an engineer and keep trying to think of ways to combine technology and magic. But my greatest brainstorming falls far short of the brilliant innovations brought to reality by Marco Tempest.

More Reading:
Top Ten Magicians of Our Time
Famous Magicians
Las Vegas Magic