What a great thread for magicians & writers alike. Would be interesting to see a breakdown of clunky setups/payoffs (where you know xyz is going to feature later in the movie / story). What makes them bad? Is it more experience of chekovs gun, so they are harder to hide?
so I have mentioned before that I enjoy reading books on magic (it is more of an interest than a hobby), and sometimes I see suggestions that apply to writing
because in some ways magicians and writers are trying to do the same thing: lead, control, and surprise an audience