Exposure (magic)
Exposure in magic refers to the practice of revealing the methods of magic tricks.
The practice is generally frowned upon amongst magicians, who believe that it ruins the experience of magical performances for audiences.
Exposure is uniquely impactful to magicians, as magic relies heavily on the elusive nature of secrets and methods in order to create mystery.
Background
Magic effects have been exposed by both professional and amateur magicians. Some magic effects have been exposed in stage shows, and in other public media including television, the Internet, certain video sharing interfaces, discussion forums, and blogs.One notable case of exposure on network television involved Val Valentino, performing as the "Masked Magician" in the Fox series , which ran between 1997 and 1998. Valentino was ostracized by the magic community and received much criticism from magicians for contravening the joint International Brotherhood of Magicians and Society of American Magicians ethics statement.
Penn & Teller have often exposed their own tricks for the purposes of entertainment. Penn Jillette has stated that while the duo show the audience how a trick is done, it is often done so quickly or with different mechanics that the audience is unable to follow. This highlights the need to distinguish apparent exposures performed by magicians during an act, which invariably turn out to be illusions in their own right.
Arguments
Supporting exposure
| Reason | Argument | Counter-argument |
| Education | New magicians need to learn somewhere. Exposure enables young magicians to develop their skills across a wide range of magical methods. | There are many accepted methods of teaching magic that target those who want to perform, rather than those who just want to know the secret. |
| Innovation | Exposure of old tricks forces magicians to develop new ones. | Developing new tricks is a difficult, time-consuming process. Rather than encourage innovation, exposure may discourage the process. Moreover, innovation is encouraged through competition and collaboration between magicians. |
| Appreciation of skill | Exposure allows spectators to fully appreciate the range of skills involved in performing magic tricks. | The entertainment provided in magic is heightened by not knowing how the trick is achieved - unlike, e.g., juggling, where appreciation of the skill of the juggler adds to the experience. |
| Audience satisfaction | Exposure allows the audience to feel "complete" after watching the performance, instead of being left with an unsatisfactory, nagging cliffhanger. | The cliffhanger is key to the performance; not knowing how it is achieved keeps the trick magical and mysterious, instead of rendering it a simple step-by-step "how-to do this" exercise. |