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funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9982 Posts |
I've always been clear in my mind as to the distinction between Gaffs and Gimmicks,
until I joined the Café' -- and my perceptions may need tweeking. A Gaff is a modification of a natural object to add a feature or remove a limitation without changing the appearance. A Gimmick is an external device for manipulating an object or masking an object. The problem is our use of words in various contexts that leads to vagueness and equivocation. A shell coin is a Gaffed Coin, but become a Gimmick when it covers another coin. Any magnet is a Gimmick but a coin with an affixed magnet is a Gaff -- unless it mechanically controls another coin in whch case it is Gimmick. How about objects that are both? A hooked two sided coin? A Shell covering a Flipper? A TT with a coin painted on it? Are these then Gafficks of Gimmaffs -- or just a non-existent problem for myself alone? Is using a Utility Pass to switch a CS for Shell really a Sleight -- or something else? as an author and eBook innovator I'd like to be clear in what I describe.
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
Mb217 Inner circle 9520 Posts |
Fun, I think you're right about how you see it up to the point of creating 2 new words to describe hybrids. I think your explanations are succinct and should be put just that way for those that might ask such general questions about gimmicks and gaffs. Your perceptions are pretty right on.
*Check out my latest: Gifts From The Old Country: A Mini-Magic Book, MBs Mini-Lecture on Coin Magic, The MB Tanspo PLUS, MB's Morgan, Copper Silver INC, Double Trouble, FlySki, Crimp Change - REDUX!, and other fine magic at gumroad.com/mb217magic
"Believe in YOU, and you will see the greatest magic that ever was." -Mb |
Johnny Butterfield Veteran user 378 Posts |
David Roth, on one DVD or another, said that "if it is seen, and fully comprehended, it's a prop. If it is seen, and not fully comprehended (like a shell coin, or a c/s coin), it's a gaff. If it is not seen (like a Raven), it's a gimmick."
I agree that magic suffers from somewhat unfixed terminology. Music, visual arts, acting and dance all have pretty solidly defined terms - a dancer knows what it means to be too sharp, a musician knows what staccato means, actors know that blocking refers to one specific thing. In Designing Miracles, lots of ink is devoted to passages like "What David Roth calls 'routining', I call design" and "he uses the terms 'belief state' and 'true state' for what I call 'outer reality' and 'inner reality'". Heck, he even changes terms between his own books. While I'd really like to see the terminology standardized, I happily settle for the author defining his terms clearly.
The current economic crisis is due to all the coins I've vanished.
The poster formerly known as Fman111. |
lorenwade Special user 869 Posts |
I definitely learned some things. Previosuly I really didn't see much of a difference between gaff and gimmick. Thanks for this.
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vinsmagic Eternal Order sleeping with the fishes... 10957 Posts |
What do you consider a C/S coin?? a gimmick or a gaff
for me a gmmick is mechanical a gaff isn't, |
Curtis Kam V.I.P. same as you, plus 3 and enough to make 3498 Posts |
This whole thing was settled back in 1902. Then we stopped using the work "feke".
Is THAT a PALMS OF STEEL 5 Banner I see? YARRRRGH! Please visit The Magic Bakery
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funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9982 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-07-01 04:47, vinsmagic wrote: for me -- a C/S coin is a Gaff. Put a shell on it and it is a Gimmicked Gaff. Not sure about 'mechanical' -- wax is a Gimmick -- either magician's stuff, or ear wax to make "the Red Sea part." A folding coin is 'mechanical' but is a Gaff to me since it's function is to appear as a normal coin.
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
MortenN Veteran user Norway 338 Posts |
For me gimmick or gaff is only two words on the same thing.
-Morten- |
Rik Chew Special user 538 Posts |
What problem is solved by a distinction between the two?
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funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9982 Posts |
As noted, I am creating description of new Moves, Sleights and Subtleties and wish to be as accurate as possible. If most feel the distinction is meaningless then I won't care either. But I would hate to see a magician proud of his dexterity with coins or balls fail to look at a new Sleight because it says, "Gimmick." Likewise a fair beginner might be turned off by an effect using a Gaffed Coin, thinking it would require difficult sleights; when, in fact, it employs a mechanical device (gimmick), and your Aunt Tillie could use it.
Internet usage is already limiting the fine distinction of vocabulary, and with texting these may disappear all together. I just wanted to know what most think the distincion is so that I can produce the best possible ShareBooks.
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
vinsmagic Eternal Order sleeping with the fishes... 10957 Posts |
For me the sublety is what sells the slight
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Mb217 Inner circle 9520 Posts |
I guess to me beyond any such semantics here, if you are doing an effect and go outside of doing it with anything but a real coin(s), then the effect is gimmicked and or gaffed...That is to say that it takes something extra to make the magic happen beyond just sleight of hand.
Now here's a question...If you are using an extra coin like in a Coins Across that specs are not aware of. That would be something more as well. The coin is not gimmicked or gaffed but it is something extra that is directly responsible for making the magic happen as seen by the specs. Just what is this called? I would think of it as more a gimmick than a gaff.
*Check out my latest: Gifts From The Old Country: A Mini-Magic Book, MBs Mini-Lecture on Coin Magic, The MB Tanspo PLUS, MB's Morgan, Copper Silver INC, Double Trouble, FlySki, Crimp Change - REDUX!, and other fine magic at gumroad.com/mb217magic
"Believe in YOU, and you will see the greatest magic that ever was." -Mb |
mfeld Elite user San Francisco 457 Posts |
I think there is a technical distinction, something along the lines of: a gaff is an object that appears to be normal, but has hidden properties (a flipper coin, a shell, etc); a gimmick is an object that is used to create a false impression and doesn't neccesarily approximate the genuine article (or may not even be intended to approximate a genuine article), something like a c/s coin or csb gimmick, or in card magic, cards that are mis-pipped, etc.
While there may be a technical distinction, I don't think many magicians pay attention to it, and I don't think you'll lose anything significant by using the terms interchangeably.
Michael Feldman
www.michaelfeldman.com Or follow me on Twitter - @magicianmike And Instagram - @magicianmichaelfeldman Check out my newest book with Ryan Plunkett: A New Angle https://www.ryancplunkett.com/project/anewangle |
Rik Chew Special user 538 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-07-01 11:36, funsway wrote: The problem there seems to be caused by a misunderstanding of the way in which both gaffs and gimmicks are used, rather than a misunderstanding of the difference between the two items. I'm not sure in the idea that gaffs=hard to use, gimmicks=easy to use (or in some way 'cheating') |
funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9982 Posts |
I agree that for most magicians the distinction is not important, yet on the thread http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......orum=217
it is critical whether a Gaff, Gimmick or 'pure sleights' are used. I do not think Gimmicks are necessarily 'easier' -- often requiring special garb or hand positions. Maybe "feke" does have a purpose ;-). In my experience some Gaffs and Gimmicks were created to get around the difficulty of learning Sleights. Others were created so that dealers could make it sound like they had a new effect. Very few were created as the only way to achieve a specific result. Now the word "subtlety" has been thrown in ... don't blame me
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
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