Magic only works when you don’t know how it works

From the beginning of “THE INCREDIBLE” I though about creating some sort of magic.

The question is: why are we drawn by magic in the first place and where does this fascination come from?

I have been fascinated since I receive inspiration for our StartUp from four people who want to experience marvel that could lead them to self-awareness.

A former intern of mine gave me “Kinder Surprise” and said: “Think about it”. Now here is the funny part: She doesn’t know exactly why she was giving it to me just like myself.

Subconsciously she could imagine that the revealing of the hidden is something that our team needs to develop our project further. Maybe it was a narrative element that she was missing or even a conceptual strategy… I had no clue.

Yesterday, I contacted a bunch of people to give us a feedback on the current version of “THE INCREDIBLE”.

My favorite response came from Peter Schreck a.k.a. Idea Republic. He send me a link to the movie “THE GAME”.

Before I continue to tell you his idea, let me refer to a great advisor of our StartUp who said to me a couple of month ago: “What ever we do, we do it to experience self-awareness”. This sounds like a hard core psychological statement, but if you think about it you might agree with him.

Back to “THE GAME”.

The game is a birthday present of Sean Penn to his brother Michael Douglas. <- Sean Penn initiated THE GAME, because his brother wished his “life would be more fun!” 

Now what the hell is THE GAME and how does this all relate to magic and self-awareness?

As far as Peter told me: THE GAME is a thrilling adventure where Michael Douglas is drawn into without being aware that it’s just a game. We see him being hunted and being put in a life threatening situation that he never had experienced in his life before.

At the end of the movie the truth behind the thriller is being revealed when Sean Penn surprises his brother together with his friends. As Michael Douglas does not get the “artificial” set up of THE GAME he shoots his brother accidentally. He regrets his decision and tries to kill himself by jumping off the top of a building.

Since THE GAME was designed to excite Michael Douglas and fulfill his wish: “…my life would be more fun!” he survives THE GAME (the end scene) and starts to appreciate being alive.

What I loved about the idea is that it creates magic through covering the process. Since Michael Douglas doesn’t know what he is going through, he experiences magic. At the same time he undergoes the experience of self-awareness, because he understands the fragile side of his life.

Michael Douglas is totally transformed. His wish is being fulfilled without him noticing it.

The question I have on my mind is now: How to create magic that touches people?

Looking from the magicians perspective, there is no mystery behind any experience, but from the spectators perspective, the magic is an outcome without understanding the process.