My First Magic Video

My First Magic Video is an educational activity video released in 1993 by Dorling Kindersley Vision. It is intended to show children how to both monitor and protect the environment. It is based upon a book title called ‘My First Green Book’, which covers many of the same recipes as shown in the video. Uniquely among the ‘My First’ videos, this one shows not only the demonstrator, but also has several children to model and watch the activities in the studio.

## Sections

Unlike the other ‘My First’ videos, this one does not divide up the activities between tiles. Instead, each instructional video comes out from a hat, with the materials required for each trick included before the instructions. The introduction says that eleven tricks will be covered over the course of the video. The introduction also provides the safety briefing for when working with scissors.

The first activity is making a top hat and performing a magic scarf trick. This activity requires a piece of thin black cardboard, scissors, glue, a pencil, a ruler and gold ribbon for the hat, and a silk scarf for the trick itself. The silk scarf trick involves hiding the scarf down the front of the shirt, and only making it look like it is around the back of the neck, before it is pulled out.

The second activity is making a magic wand. Making one requires a cardboard tube, two gold buttons, shiny blue and gold paper, elastic thread, scissors, a pencil, glue, a ruler and some gold and silver stars. This section also shows how, by removing one of the button ends surreptitiously and disguising it in the hand, it can be made to seem as if the wand has a mind of its own.

The third trick is the magic tie. Making this trick needs black felt, black nylon fabric fastener, yellow poster paint, a paintbrush, a jar of water, a saucer, glue, black sticky tape, pencils, a ruler, a pair of scissors, thick yellow and black paper and smaller yellow paper circles. This is a distraction trick, with a yellow-and-black-striped board inside the tie that drops down when released.

The fourth trick is the conjurer’s cone, which makes silk handkerchiefs disappear. Making this trick requires thick black and coloured paper, scissors, glue, a pencil, a ruler and a small silk handkerchief. This trick requires using a secret pocket in which the handkerchief can be hidden, so it looks to have disappeared.

The second trick involving a silk handkerchief is making one disappear from a clear plastic cup. This trick requires a clear plastic cup, coloured sticky tape, glue, scissors, sewing binding, nylon fabric fastener, nylon fishing line or magician’s invisible thread and a silk handkerchief. This trick involves the handkerchief being attached to the fishing line, which pulls it up the sleeve of the magician’s jacket when the cup is thrown into the air.

The third silk trick involves making the handkerchief change colour. Making the tube requires thick black and coloured paper, black ribbon, scissors, glue, a pencil, a ruler and three small silk handkerchiefs. This trick involves making a secret inner tube where the handkerchiefs are hidden.

The seventh trick is a dancing matchbox containing a magical spider. Making this requires a matchbox, coloured paper, pipe cleaners, a needle, invisible thread, a safety pin, a pencil, ruler and scissors. This trick relies on the invisible thread being attached to inside the trouser pocket by the safety pin, so the box can be made to appear as if it is moving by itself.

The eighth trick is a levitating genie inside a bottle. Making this trick requires white cardboard, coloured paper, a clear plastic bottle, poster paints, paintbrush, saucer, a jar of water, a needle, invisible thread, pencil, ruler, felt pens, glue, clear and coloured sticky tape, scissors, a craft knife, two beads, a piece of pipe cleaner and a safety pin. This trick also involves the invisible thread, this time taped to the shirt under the jacket. By moving the bottle away from the magician’s body, the genie appears to rise.

The ninth trick is pulling a toy rabbit from inside an empty tube and box combination. To make the three parts to this trick, the materials required are two cardboard boxes, coloured paper and cardboard, poster paints, a paintbrush, water, glue, a pencil, a ruler, scissors, a craft knife and a toy rabbit. This trick relies on the rabbit being in a third smaller box inside the tube and larger box, which is painted black to blend in with the interior.

The tenth trick is a ring and rope trick, making it appear as if a ring is appearing tied to a rope without either end moving. This trick requires a two-foot square of cloth, two yards of soft rope, a cardboard ring from the inside of a sticky tape roll, gift ribbon, a saucer, a brush, glue, glitter and scissors. This trick involves a clever knot made under the cloth and out of sight, before doing a sleight of hand to pull one end of the rope through so that the ring now has the rope running through it.

The eleventh trick, and finale, is a seemingly empty box that is able to produce ribbons and candy. Making the box requires coloured cardboard, a ruler, pencil, glue, a craft knife, scissors, two beads, about ten yards of coloured ribbon, tissue paper, wrapped candy and a mirror. This trick uses a mirror to hide the ribbon and candies inside the box.

The episode ends with tips for a first magic show – plan and rehearse the performance, making notes of which props are needed and when, have a dark backdrop behind the table to hide any threads. Do not worry if things go wrong – if you enjoy your performance, your audience will as well.

Credits

* Executive Producers – Tom Gordon and Paul Baker
* Director – David Furnham
* On Line Editor – Bill Ogden
* Cameraman – Stephen Brind
* Props – Clara Biagi
* Graphics – Betelgeuse Productions
* Demonstrator – Eva Marie Bryer
* Narrator – Michaela Strachan (UK) / Jane Gabbert (USA)

## Home media releases

The cover for the VHS of My First Music Video has a black background and a border of coloured ribbons tied together, with the picture below the title showing a child magician about to perform the necktie trick, with a coiled rope, the magic matchbox, the rabbit box and the wand forming a collage around the magician.