Misdirection: Sam Fitton at TEDxLancasterU
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ค. 2013
- An award winning magician and mentalist, Sam became interested in magic at an early age and quickly learnt the tricks of the trade. After obtaining a degree in Biology and serving 2 years as a police officer Sam decided to pursue his dream of performing magic. Sam now specialises in close up magic and mentalism and has entertained thousands of people across the UK.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
Have to appreciate a fella who still replies to comments after 5 years. Seems like guy who i would gladly buy a beer and have cozy conversation.
I'm in Manchester, UK. Always up for a beer. Still replying... nearly 7 years later! :D x
@@samfittonmagic Well Manchester is bit far from Tampere Finland, but the offer still stands if you happen to visit here or if i finally get to visit UK. Cheers Sam! 🍻
@@mordecaieagle4240 I've still not managed to visit Finland (thank you, Covid) but when I do I'll bear this in mind. Hope you're well :)
This "Sam Fitton" guy actually replied to almost everyone who made a comment, whether good or bad. Something like that is typically indicative of someone with a very amazing depth of character...and it really implies that he not only cares about peoples' different opinions but he truly appreciates the fact that anyone would give him a few minutes of their lives when they don't have to. So many people, both online and offline, are egomaniacs and almost Expect people to give them their time and attention. It's like they feel the world owes them their attention and time just because they exist...And they usually either don't take negative comments seriously or don't bother with them entirely. But SAM definitely is not like that and truly does deserve MY attention. I am not a mentalist but I can figure people out thru observing things about someone that most people never consciously realize......and THIS guy has already won my respect before I have seen even one of his vids because if he cares that much about the little things, I can imagine that he puts great thought and care into his "craft" or anything else he cares about doing....I will be checking out all his stuff now!!!
So you expect people to give your comment their time and attention all for your ego building
Thanks for your epic comment! I agree entirely and appreciate your support. I try to stay well grounded as a human being, let alone a performer and rarely let my ego get in the way. Although like everyone it sometimes gets the better of me! Thanks for watching and all the best, Sam
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Truthfully this opened my eyes and made me really think, and also there was just something about the presentation that actually made me drawn in the way you actually talked and took your time with it all was very well planned out. GG my friend
Thanks very much :D
Just like you mentioned with how most start.....my Uncle David gave me The Mark Wilson Course in Magic when I was nine. I watched The Wilson's and Doug Henning on TV and began to check out magic books from our San Mateo library. Continued success Sam.
Michael Rovno Thanks very much :) All the best to you too!
I didn't learn one thing about how to actually perform misdirection manouevres which I thought was the whole point. This shouldn't be a Ted X talk, this should just be listed under "Magic acts". thanks for demonstrating you can do misdirection, we kinda already knew you could do it, you're a career magician. You were meant to teach us something egg head!!
Thanks(?) for your comment... If you want to learn about Misdirection I can highly recommend any number of books & specialist teachers (rather than TEDX talks which are aimed at a general audience) BTW - The theme of the TEDx event was 'The Journey So Far' hence why it's not about the Misdirection you were looking for. Funny, you got Misdirected. So maybe it is? ;)
The audience isn't that bad everyone! The only mic feed is the one of his face so the audience sounds really quiet. In the actual auditorium they are cheering respectfully.
ShlomoMetzenbaum Very true. Sadly they had very little in way of audio capture from the audience however they were a lot of fun :)
I know you have obviously grown since this has aired, but I’d like to tell you I think you did damn well here and I would come watch a show of yours, for sure! You definitely have a passion for what your doing and a are a great storyteller, which to me makes most of this good, the rest is learned. If I ever get to be in the same area of where you are preforming, I will definitely make it a point to see you put your show on! Xx
Thanks so much, that's really good of you. Grown is an understatement! This was filmed almost 8 years ago and as well as professional magician, I'm also a professional speaker and trainer! It's been a wild ride and I still perform shows. So, if you're ever in the UK, Manchester or Edinburgh Fringe Festival be sure to come along and drop me a DM on here :D Take care and all the best, Sam
Thoroughly enjoyed this presentation all the best from Newcastle 👍
Thanks very much Marty, from Manchester :D x
I came here to learn more about misdirection... All I learned was a bit of your story.. Got a bit frustrated :/
+Pedro Amaral Thanks for your comment. The theme of the Lancaster TEDx in 2013 was 'Life. The journey so far' and 'Misdirection' was the perfect way to some up my journey. If you want to learn about the 'art of misdirection' may I suggest an excellent TED talk by Apollo Robins www.ted.com/talks/apollo_robbins_the_art_of_misdirection?language=en or reading Magic by Misdirection by Dariel Fitzkee www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Misdirection-Dariel-Fitzkee/dp/1614278563
Pedro Amaral you were misdirected...
Stuck up audience. Sheesh
7j557j7j5 They did actually. The only audience audio came from mics directed at performers, so it was very quiet. Thanks for your feedback however I don't think (looking at your many cat videos and 'how to draw x' videos) that this was going to be your cup of tea.
Sam Fitton - Magician I thought the reveal was very creative. I don´t know what the people expect from an original magic effect. ( I particularly liked the google thing)
+Gregor Mann Thanks very much! This was a couple of years ago and so over that time things have 'stepped up' a bit :) It's always difficult to try something different, and to me, standing on this stage, without all the props and tricks I'm used to.. Hell yea it was terrifying! Glad you enjoyed the Google reveal, it's one of my favourites!
Amazing talk Sam! Wish I had the courage to put all my attention into being a magician professionally instead of school! Just started sixth form and will probably go to uni too so i guess I have that time to decide whether to continue with Magic as a hobby or if I will commit entirely and attempt to make a living. Loved that talk and your mentalism trick was superb mate
Study hard and get your grades. It's important to have a good level of education no matter what you choose to do with your life. Pursue your chosen career with as much enthusiasm as possible and you won't fail.
I wondered why he'd written 'GoogLE' with mixed up case.
This seems like a variation of the Toxic trick. Very simple. The flourish with Cinderella seems somewhat original, and the square doesn't make the base of Toxic any less real. If the number is in beforehand (reference the Toxic trick) and you know what the square can be, then you know what page and what line and what word it can be.
Yep. What you said. :) Thanks for watching
I thought that the presentation was well done. It wasn't about the magic, I think. But about a point he was making. In the beginning and the end we learn that it is about misdirection. Misdirection of life's direction. Where are we going and what are we going to do with our life. Sometimes we are misdirected as to where we are going. Searching for what we are going to do with our lives. But sometimes the answer is right in front of us. But some of us are misdirected and keep searching in the wrong places. So, we sometimes fail to work out what we want to do with our life.
Then keep on searching and searching and perhaps never work out what we want to do with our life.
So, stop, slow down and take a look at what is in front of us, within ourselves and just maybe we'll find the answer to our life's calling.
Samuel Hodges EXACTLY! Thank you for your understanding, graciousness and support! It's really appreciated!
Thank you for responding. I totally get what you're talking about. It is funny. Because I have a show to do in August.It's for the kids Every year before school open after summer break, the city holds a benefit back to school rally in the park and there will be free food to eat and games to play. At the end of the day, school supplies are passed out to the guest. Things like pencils, note book paper and tablets and so on.
That got me to thinking to customize my show for the event about school related themes. I do my comedy magic routines. And at the end of the show I will give a support speech about 'Misdirection' for the kids in order to relate to them about keeping focus on the importance of their education and future. I make the point to them not to get misdirected while on their journey.In the beginning I said,, "it's funny." Because this idea was out of the blue. But it is so related to what you are speaking about. In fact, I just realized the relationship.
Your speech is tight, well said and on point. Also your illustration with the magic was right on point and well used. I know that it wasn't easy putting that program together. Good job. When you get a chance, check out, "Hocus Focus." project on 'You Tube.' It too speaks on the 'Misdirection' concept.
OMG asif I found you on youtube searching for magic when you was in my school today, great magician loved it :)
Ha! Brilliant! Glad you liked in Josh! Follow me on twitter @samfittonmagic
This is a fun and entertaining performance, and it has a great meaning behind it. It's wonderful to see magic with a story that unfolds. Beautiful work. :-)
+Torgo Thanks very much! I tried my best!
Oh wow! Bravo! I was following the trick all the way along and I was struggling to grasp how this was related to misdirection. And then he turned the Google upside down and I was like no way
Glad you enjoyed :) Thanks for watching, Sam
great performance comrade power to you !
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed!
That was a brilliant presentation !
Thank you.
Thanks very much, really appreciate it. 8 years on... :D
nice performance! Neat and cool.I thought the three visitors are really misdirected.. And in the end, I came to know that me too got misdirected unknowingly :)Its like watching inception movie LOL
Sam, I noticed you've been responding to people's comments and for that you've earned my respect, I wanted to thank you for taking the time out for your fans and even hecklers. I am very interested in learning your art but I happen to live on an island community that makes finding others who are interested in this skill nearly impossible, are there any courses, books ect. that you would recommend? I don't want to steal your tricks or profession or even use it to make money, I just want to really jump head first into the world of magic and immerse myself for the sake of passion and hope you can help me, I look forward to your response.
Ragglfraggle Please feel free to message me personally if you'd rather, I'm sure you're a very busy man but if you could find the time for a fellow enthusiast I would greatly value it.
+Ragglfraggle Hey there! Thanks for your comment and interest! Really appreciate it :) So a few 'core' books that I highly recommend are:
-----
Card Magic: "The Royal Road to Card Magic" by Jean Hugard
Advanced Card Magic: "Expert at the Card Table" by S.W.Erdnase
Coin Magic: "Modern Coin Magic" by JB Bobo
-----
That's enough material to turn anyone into a working professional but without a doubt the best book you can read on the subject of magic and performance can be found in this book...
"Magic & Showmanship" by Henning Nelms
All the best with your journey and thanks once again for your feedback, it really means a lot!
Sam
this audience is ruthless
+Squeezing Everything They were a bit!
I would love to have that calculator ...
magic calculator....
Specially designed for the magic... :P
Maybe.... ;)
it's not haha, get any calculator and plug in any number, then put in + 0 x and then any number or series of numbers
nah, my best guess is mislabeled buttons, where the square root label was on the memory recall button with 379009 saved previously with M+ function.
+Bergentruckung IV Smart :) Although it would make more sense to store the correct number, otherwise you'd need more magic to subtract the missing 2265054000
Wow hah! I never saw that coming in a million years... and I used to be so proud of 8008 and 7734
Sam, glad I found you man..well done..looking forward to more of your vids
Thanks very much! x
brilliant sam !!
sam, i don't know you'll reply this or not, the magic was not as good as i expected, but the message was so beautifully delivered :)
Thanks, I think. Although I did reply so maybe a brownie point there?! lol - Thanks for your feedback!
well what he basically did was pre-enter 376009 + (0 x first pin x second pin x third pin),
yep, that's it. Thanks for watching!
Oh hey! you replied. it was a great video and an even greater presentation!
:D
+Shashwat except it must have been 141382768081
Nice! Dunno how you did it. Maybe x0 or something I don't know but good job!
Wow that was amazing.
Thank you very much :D
Hello there Sam, great speech and performance there I enjoyed the trick very much. But it turned my curiosity on. I am not asking to reveal your trick, but as I think this is mentalism can you in some way help me more about this topic or a hint on how you did the trick?
Hi Lazarus. If I were going to try and duplicate this trick, I would need a special calculator. If memory recalls, it would need a square root button. wink wink nudge nudge
+AmericaFyeah1776 +Lazarus Lazarides what he said... ;)
Amazing 😀👏👍😊
Thanks very much
Thanks very much :)
Not sure if the "it's hot up here" is a redirection tactic, but if you were genuinely overheated doing this talk I can totally relate.. Something I've been meaning to look more into re; genetics and sensitivity to climate/environment. My dad used to break a sweat while simply reading a book, and unfortunately, I seem to have inherited much the same gene ;p I love public speaking but deodorant manufacturers love me even moreso.
This was a combination or extreme nerves and the 30 or so studio lights! It was really hot and most speakers suffered that night. Needless to say after a further 5 years at speaking at events, nerves are no longer an issue. Hurray!
loved the google at the end awesome
A thank you! :D
Am I the only one who noticed that 376009 is google turned around before the guy said that
Maybe. Who knows? But well done for spotting it.
W-maiL you have the mind of a magician
He speal googLE wrong.
Honestly, I noticed it as soon as he reintroduced the "GooglE" , but before he flipped it over. I could tell he was going to get us to 376009 a second way, just wasn't sure how until right before he flipped it.
Bamboozled again
I think it is a double bluff that fails to work. Or fails to bluff me whilst others may have been suckered. The double bluff is using mis-direction to try to misdirected when in fact there was no need for mis-direction as nothing was being concealed to have it appear later as if by magic. The entire trick was mentalism and not mis-direction. He organised the number selection and even said at the end that the outcome was always there right in front of you (The audiance). So the long waffle was trying to bluff the audiance in to thinking there was mis-direction when in reality was was none, other than the audiance being told there was (A double bluff).
And there, is life my friend! It is riddled with moments that seem far more complicated than they actually are. This was recorded over 5 years ago and in that time I have learnt an unmeasurable amount.
get thaat guy some water
much water drank since then, many lessons learnt!
OH MY GOD MY BRAIN
YAY YOU LIKED IT!
Classic Misdirection!
A thank you!
How much can mankind trust a calculator?
yeyy..that is the only thing happened . cal is giving that number what ever typed
deathrock20 ye and there is no way the audience can double check since we never knew what numbers they entered
oscar jagermark And that's why I constructed the routine in that way ;) Thanks for your comments :)
Sam Fitton - Magician I appreciated the message. Having practiced magic for the last year and soon to finish my time at university it struck a chord.
+Sam Fitton - Magician So... was the calculator mislabled? Switch Square root with memory recall? Or were the 3 people plants?
they weren't plants so... ;)
Sam, please never ever ever repeat that story about your eyes until you have studied the length of the optic nerve and the physical impossibility of removing the human eye from its socket without resulting in complete and irreversible blindness. Other than that.....good presentation and you have more nerve than I will ever have. Good luck to you.
Haha! Best comment yet. I actually have a degree in Biology and studied the eyes at length. Informing the audience that the eyes are removed was just a bit more dramatic. Sam
too much time wasted during presentation.
I agree. I'd definitely do this (and have presented this talk) differently since recording this... which was the first time I'd done it! (I was nominated to talk!)
i got into magic at an early age too. my uncle paul would give me magic milk at bedtime and id wake up in the morning with a hurt hiney
+choongification A clearly different experience to mine. Thanks for sharing!
The art of mapping out a coincidence?
The idea of trying to understand life in nutshell?
It’s the calculator
What's your address? I just want to make sure you get this medal! Thanks for your comment :)
The number trick would be stronger if you dispensed with the envelope and book with Cinderella on page 376, line 9 and went straight for the Google sign turned upside down. It's pretty anticlimactic to take an envelope off your back and it not contain the number directly. Demonstrating that you knew what number would turn up should be done in the most straightforward way possible. Otherwise it looks like you're manipulating any of several possibilities in arbitrary ways until you get to the right answer. Who knows what other secret envelopes you've got and how they could be used with the props at your disposal to make any number "meaningful"?
That's a really interesting point dlwatib, however revealing the number in said 'hidden envelope' would be very boring to watch due to it's predictability.
@Sam Fitton My only advice for you would be to stop taking so many pauses during your talk. I don't know if you were thirsty or lips were chap, not sure, but they were very awkward.
I agree. At that time I was actually f*cking terrified. Trying to remember a precise script rather than letting it flow. Hence the pauses. Lesson learnt and after 3 years, many acting classes and improv sessions have done me proud.
not bad , # and magic are 2 different things, one is not to be confused with the other.....i got into magic because of a tragic event in my life also... i killed my girlfriend and had to make he dissappear, i was good at it so i thought magic was the right career for me
even the speech was miss direction ^_^
We have a winner! ;) Thanks for your comment and watching!
I stopped watching after 1 min because the misdirections were too obvious.
I think you missed the point... but thanks for watching... I guess?!
Geez.... this guy is clearly not a natural born speaker. He is boring and doesnt capture my attention for very long.The tricks were boringly executed with no flair and charisma.
Sounds as though he had a dodgy calculator.
The Calculator does sound dodgy... you should listen to the back chat it gives before I go on stage!
√ Rigged Calculator √
Maybe....
That’s not magic or misdirection tho
It’s just math....
@@BaRS_flint No, it's most definitely magic, and certainly Misdirection... But don't take my word for it!
His routine was way to complicated and the effect too simple. If you wanna catch an audience with these kinds of tricks they need to bee much shorter and you need to improve your showmanship. Add a little humour.
You're right with the humour! There's much more in it now however the routine has stayed the same length and nails people. In fact, I did it last night and got standing O for it... so... :D
the way he's trying to be funny is so cringy... but it's because of this audience
Eeesh. You're telling me! It was a combination of a really odd audience set up and my first time speaking at a TED event. I was terrified! Lots learnt since then I can tell you!
you need to pay real bills, magic is a hobby unless you are unique enough to have a large live audience that pays for the show. Then it mightbecomes a full time job
Having that said, do you think the idea of paying bills is the misdirection? Or am I right about finding a technical skill along with being an entertainer?
Erm, yea I guess although I have been a full time magician (professional) for 6 years and it most definitely pays my bills and I largely perform at weddings and corporate events.
I literally fell asleep watching this.
+Tommy McAllister I hope you had pleasant dreams and clearly woke with enough time to leave a comment. Thanks for sharing!
The most annoying thing about this guy is that the smacking of his lips stood out more to me than anything he was saying.
I can relate to that. It was hot, there was little refreshment in the holding area before speaking and I was frickin' nervous! Still, 5 years on, lots of lessons learnt and no more nerves :D
booooooring............
thaaaaaank youuuuu
Boring
thanks for your insightful feedback.
the trick is Good, but the performance was terrible
Harsh but fair enough. Trick is my own so at least you enjoyed that :) thanks for watching.
Very boring
Brad Cotton Thanks for your feedback.
+Sam Fitton - Magician Do not listen to that guy. This was stunning, well thought out, and utterly beautiful. Brilliant job!
+BurstWave Thank you very much. Seems a long time ago now and so much has changed both with my act and presentation but it's nice to reflect on this now and again. Really pleased you enjoyed it :)