SYNOPSIS:
Scripting Magic, Volumes 1 and 2 is Pete McCabe’s two-volume study of one of the most important—and often neglected—parts of performance: what a magician says, why they say it, and how those words shape the audience’s experience of the magic. Rather than treating scripting as simply memorizing patter, McCabe examines how language can clarify an effect, establish a premise, motivate actions, direct attention, strengthen character, create emotion, and make a routine feel more natural and meaningful.
Volume 1
The first volume lays out the basic process of creating, editing, rehearsing, and performing a script. McCabe uses dozens of real scripts and complete tricks to demonstrate how different performers solve problems of premise, motivation, clarity, timing, humor, and audience interaction. The definitive Vanishing Inc. edition includes 43 scripts and 30 tricks, along with contributions from 26 performers and thinkers including Eugene Burger, Michael Ammar, Guy Hollingworth, Max Maven, David Regal, John Lovick, Teller, Jim Steinmeyer, Jamy Ian Swiss, Michael Close, and others.
The result is not merely a book about writing dialogue. It teaches a practical method for examining an existing trick and deciding what the audience should understand, feel, and remember at every stage of the routine.
Volume 2
Volume 2 goes considerably deeper. McCabe revisits the complete scripting process and then explores more sophisticated techniques through exercises, worksheets, professional examples, and contributions from another group of leading performers. Topics extend beyond word-for-word scripts into the use of selective lines, silent scripting, premise, emotional meaning, and ways scripting can improve a routine even when the performer prefers an apparently spontaneous style.
Contributors include Roberto Giobbi, Juan Tamariz, Dai Vernon, Bob Cassidy, Max Maven, Joshua Jay, Paul Gertner, Curtis Kam, Michael Weber, Chris Philpott, David Ben, David Parr, Andi Gladwin, and others. Vanishing Inc. specifically describes Volume 2 as covering more challenging scripting techniques while still making them usable by both amateurs and experienced professionals.
The two books are complementary rather than replacements for one another; Vanishing Inc. explicitly notes that Volume 2 contains different material and does not supersede Volume 1.
Book Details:
Author/Creator: Pete McCabe
Publisher: Vanishing Inc.
Publication Year: 2007, 2017
Subjects: Magic Theory
Pages: 462, 445
Skill Level: Beginner
Availability: Vanishing Inc.
VOLUME 1: TABLE OF CONTENTS
• How to Read this (Revised) Book (p. 2)
• You Already Script Every Trick you Do (p. 6)
• Scriptwriting 101 (p. 8)
• Coins Across (p. 14)
• The Vortex by Pete McCabe (p. 15)
• Torn Restored Card (p. 21)
• It’ll Be A Miracle by Pete McCabe (p. 21)
• The Invisible Deck (p. 27)
• It’s the Future by Pete McCabe (p. 28)
• Super Powers by Pete McCabe (p. 35)
• My Tribute to Vernon by Pete McCabe (p. 40)
• Eugene Burger and John Lovick: A Theatrical Endeavor (p. 45)
• Gypsy Thread (p. 58)
• Cosmic Thread by Eugene Burger (p. 58)
• Human Thread by Eugene Burger (p. 62)
• Forming an Eternity by John Lovick (p. 64)
• The Handsome Jack Lovemeter by John Lovick (p. 67)
• Developing Your Character: How Do You Do That? (p. 70)
• Card to Pocket (p. 73)
• I Care by Pete McCabe (p. 74)
• Jonathan Levit: An Actor Playing the Part of a Magician (p. 83)
• No-Script Scripting (p. 101)
• The Add-a-Number Prediction (p. 103)
• It Adds Up by Pete McCabe (p. 103)
• Marked Deck (p. 110)
• The Human Galvanometer by Gary Ouellet (p. 111)
• Echoes by Pete McCabe (p. 118)
• The Cincinnati Kid by Pete McCabe (p. 125)
• My Favorite Things by Pete McCabe (p. 128)
• Jon Armstrong: Going With the Flow (p. 132)
• My Opening Act by Jon Armstrong (p. 146)
• Scripting for Effect (p. 147)
• Triumph (p. 148)
• All the Cards Turn Face Up by Pete McCabe (p. 149)
• The Trick that Fooled Einstein (p. 157)
• Grandma’s Purse by Paul Green (p. 157)
• The Southwest Miracle (p. 163)
• This is Reality by Kenton Knepper (p. 164)
• Magician’s Choice (p. 171)
• Hotel 52 by David Regal (p. 173)
• Just Say Yes (p. 179)
• The Self-Cutting Banana (p. 185)
• Yes! by Larry White (p. 185)
• Max Maven: Scripting Tricks (p. 195)
• Drama (p. 208)
• Gemini Twins (p. 212)
• Mate for Life by Pete McCabe (p. 213)
• Teller: Entering Uncharted Terrain (p. 220)
• Scriptwriting: The Backstory (p. 227)
• The 41-Cent Miracle (p. 229)
• Grandpa’s Coins by Michael Ammar (p. 229)
• The Open Prediction (p. 235)
• The Cassandra Quandary by Guy Hollingworth (p. 236)
• Rafael Benatar: The Practice of Magic (p. 244)
• Scripting Dealer Tricks (p. 258)
• The Dark Card (p. 259)
• The Magic Red Card of Mystery by Bob Farmer (p. 260)
• Hot Rod (p. 268)
• The Birthstone Sampler by Pete McCabe (p. 270)
• Svengali Deck (p. 278)
• Exhibit A by Jim Steinmeyer (p. 279)
• Chop Cup (p. 284)
• Tomahawk Chop by Joe M. Turner (p. 285)
• Fruit Cup by Pete McCabe (p. 292)
• The Koornwinder Kar (p. 298)
• Joey’s Hero by Bruce Barnett (p. 298)
• Michael Close: A Little Bit of Truth (p. 306)
• Scripting and Repertoire (p. 320)
• The 100 Bill Switch (p. 321)
• Double Your Money Back by Pete McCabe (p. 321)
• The Eleven Card Trick (p. 327)
• The Incredible Mystery of the Tenth Card by Eric Mead (p. 329)
• I Must Be Cheating by Pete McCabe (p. 342)
• Undo Influence (p. 354)
• Watching The Detectives by David Regal (p. 355)
• The Thumbtip Silk Vanish (p. 364)
• The End of the Rainbow by Eric Henning (p. 365)
• Wild Card (p. 370)
• Seven-Card Monte by Larry Jennings (p. 371)
• Scripting Counts (p. 377)
• The Business Card Prophesy (p. 382)
• Fortune Cookie by Mark Joerger (p. 382)
• Two in the Hand, One in the Pocket (p. 388)
• Repeat by Pete McCabe (p. 388)
• I’ve Got a Surprise For You by Jamy Ian Swiss (p. 393)
• A Hell of a Trick by Jamy Ian Swiss (p. 404)
• Should We Order a Pizza? by Vic Sussman (p. 414)
• What it Takes to Be Happy by Séan O’Neill (p. 417)
• Titles and Sentences (p. 422)
• The Ace Assembly (p. 427)
• When Magicians Play Poker by Pete McCabe (p. 428)
• Mental Cheating by Pete McCabe (p. 438)
• Out of this World (p. 449)
• Secret Powers by Pete McCabe (p. 450)
• Adaptation (p. 458)
• Other Resources (p. 462)
VOLUME 2: TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Read Me (p. 3)
• The Pre-Scripting Process in Six Lines (p. 7)
• An Idea We Wish to Communicate (p. 10)
• Finders Keepers by Pete McCabe (p. 13)
• The One Thing (p. 20)
• A Plot that Underlines and Reveals the Idea in an Interesting Way (p. 22)
• The Ring, the Watch, and the Wallet (p. 24)
• Modern Crime by Andi Gladwin (p. 25)
• The Difference Between Plot and Effect (p. 30)
• Kokology (p. 32)
• The Open Door by Chris Philpott (p. 33)
• Michael Weber: Best Story Wins (p. 45)
• The Three Heaps (p. 58)
• Play for Peanuts by Larry White (p. 59)
• A Short Note about Plot and Timing (p. 67)
• Magic Coloring Book (p. 69)
• The Book of Oz by Curtis Kam (p. 69)
• Solid, Rounded Characters for the Story to Happen to (p. 74)
• John Lovick: Persona and Other Pieces of the Performance Puzzle (p. 77)
• The False Shuffle (p. 86)
• Exdislycally Shunuffled By Francis Menotti (p. 87)
• Confession (p. 91)
• Get Legs (p. 93)
• The Three-Eyed, Six-Legged Monster by Ruben Padilla (p. 94)
• The Dancing Cane (p. 100)
• Dancing by Andrew Hill Newman (p. 100)
• The Water Torture Cell (p. 105)
• Challenged or Houdini Upside Down by Harry Houdini (p. 105)
• Joshua Jay’s Hitchcock (p. 121)
• The MacGuffin By Joshua Jay (p. 122)
• A Solid and Credible World (p. 135)
• Props (p. 137)
• A Larger, More Potent Whole (p. 139)
• Stereo Scope by Christian Cagigal (p. 141)
• Props and The MIT Exercise (p. 151)
• Script Season (p. 155)
• Catching a Leprechaun by Pete McCabe (p. 156)
• Jack O’Lantern by Pete McCabe (p. 163)
• Spin the Bottle (p. 168)
• The Spirit of the Sea by Pete McCabe (p. 168)
• Work on the Script Itself (p. 173)
• Thoughts on Scripting by Roberto Giobbi (p. 175)
• Scripting Magic for Non-Actors (p. 177)
• First Lines (p. 181)
• An Amateur’s Approach (p. 190)
• What is Structure? (p. 193)
• Groundhog Day (p. 197)
• The PATEO Force (p. 203)
• Sole Survivor by Robert Neale (p. 204)
• Electile Dysfunction By Max Maven (p. 208)
• The Last Word by Barry Fernelius (p. 212)
• The Cut Deeper Force (p. 220)
• All My Predictions Are Correct by Pete McCabe (p. 220)
• The Deck Switch (p. 226)
• Lucky for You by Pete McCabe (p. 227)
• Let the (Improv) Games Begin (p. 234)
• The Luckiest Man in the World by Pete McCabe (p. 235)
• A Strong Structure Anyone Can Use (p. 244)
• An Ever Organic Spiral Up (p. 246)
• The Principles of Deception by David Ben (p. 248)
• Scripting as Method (p. 254)
• Neither Blind Nor Stupid by Juan Tamariz (p. 256)
• The Einstein Card Trick (p. 263)
• The Four Witches By Pete McCabe (p. 264)
• Casting A Magic Spell (p. 269)
• Satan is My Friend and Now He’s Yours Too by Bob Farmer (p. 270)
• Persistimis Possessiamo by Pete McCabe (p. 275)
• Eat Me by Pete McCabe (p. 283)
• Pleasure to Burn by Pete McCabe (p. 289)
• A Tribute to Dunninger by James Swain (p. 297)
• A Yogic Mystery by David Parr (p. 307)
• A Cigarette Disappears (p. 307)
• Howard Hamburg: A Scripting Lesson from the Professor (p. 313)
• Connecting with the Audience (p. 322)
• The 100 Bill Switch (p. 323)
• Lottery Fever by James Lewis (p. 324)
• A Card Changes (p. 332)
• The Heckler by Pete McCabe (p. 332)
• Major Effects for Mentalists (p. 341)
• A Minor Book Test (p. 341)
• A Major Book Test by Bob Cassidy (p. 346)
• For a Song (p. 354)
• Scripting Workshop in PDF Form (p. 362)
• Correlation is Not Causation—it’s Better (p. 365)
• Trade Shows (p. 370)
• IHOP by Paul Gertner (p. 370)
• Post Scripting (p. 375)
• Derek Hughes: As Seen On TV! (p. 376)
• Boom, Famous By Derek Hughes (p. 379)
• Nine Questions for a Writer (p. 406)
• The Notebook (p. 415)
• Revision (p. 438)
• Scriptwriting 101 (p. 440)
