The Magic Castle is an exclusive private club and home to the Academy of Magical Arts. It sits on a hill overlooking old Hollywood and hosts members and invited guests as they present and enjoy some of the best magic in the world. It is not easy to get in, especially for non-magicians, but with You Are Here: At the Magic Castle with Siegfried Tieber, you can enjoy some live-captured magic in some of the castle’s rooms, with an Apple Vision Pro.
Quality magic is not a series of tricks. It is the real feeling that audiences get when they witness an engaging performance that feels like the impossible took place. Being present in a live-captured immersive video magic performance offers a special opportunity because not only can you watch several unedited performances take place, but you can also choose to re-experience the moments and watch the feeling of magic take over the audience members close to you, as well as magician Siegfried Tieber’s reactions.
The experience is split into two stand-alone episodes that are about 20 minutes each. They include different performances and some quick insights into several elements that are important to magicians when performing… without giving away secrets of course. Both episodes are now available free to Fovii subscribers or to rent or buy on the app. They are also available for purchase on Front Row.
Trailer
Small Spaces Force a Sense of Presence
Most performance spaces at The Magic Castle are designed for smaller audiences to get up-close with the magic. The proximity to the magician as well as other audience members makes you feel like a part of the show, instead of a spectator.
In You Are Here: At the Magic Castle with Siegfried Tieber, you are invited into the Close-Up Gallery, which is often the toughest room to get into, and the Library Bar. You are at most a few feet away from the magic being performed while viewing the show from an audience seat, and in some cases you are right next to Siegfried Tieber. The natural but abnormally close camera placements make you feel present at the show. The magician sometimes glances at you as a member of the audience (and a possible method of controlling your attention). You are also able to take in the range of ways that audience members transition from possible disbelief to absolute shock and awe, along with you.
A Simple Setup Serves The Performance
The production has at most two cameras capturing Siegfried Tieber in the Close-Up room, and simpler captures elsewhere. But that is all that is needed to let you take in the experience of live magic up-close. Jumping back and forth from too many locations would have created an unintended distraction, and the magic is good enough to let you pause, rewind and rewatch uninterrupted shots without catching on to any methods. The switches happen at just the right times.
Live capture is valuable for this type of magic. In a digitally created environment, the story of an impossible moment could be dismissed as something programmed to happen. As I learned creating Magicians in VR, the first live magic show and event in VR, mentalism is the best type of magic to leverage in digitally created environments. Penn & Teller’s VR experience blended digital and real worlds. There is close-up magic as well as mentalism performed in You Are Here: At The Magic Castle.
Storytelling Invites You Into The Castle And The Art of Magic
In addition to the performances, I appreciate that the narrative in the experience layered in some of the history of magic and The Magic Castle, along with what it is like to be a magician.
It is more than just an immersive magic show; it is a visit to one of the most significant magic destinations. Locations like The Magic Castle, David Copperfield’s International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts and even private magic collections like those owned by David Blaine are not highly accessible. Immersive access lets you watch the planned story unfold, while also controlling your experience in a small way by looking around to take in the details that interest you. The show is about more than the effects.
The shots of Siegfried Tieber speaking to camera that took place in a venue outside of the Magic Castle were the only elements that felt disjointed from the experience. It made more sense when his non-performance shots were in the Close-Up Room or the bar inside the entrance of The Magic Castle.
Combined, parts 1 and 2 of the experience are about 40 minutes and while they are not written in a manner that directly connects the narrative between the two, I recommend watching them both to get up-close with the range of magic performed.
