Proof of Concept Selection
THE SEARCH FOR MAGIC
THE SEARCH FOR MAGIC follows magician Michael Carbonaro on a quest to recapture his own sense of wonder; by exploring the physics, and metaphysics of the illusions he performs. Following in the footsteps of blended format shows like HOW TO WITH JOHN WILSON and PARTS UNKNOWN, Michael will participate in almost anything (obscure research projects, fad exercise trends, novelty therapeutic immersions, confrontational moments of intimacy) to get the answers he seeks.
Biography
Gilly Barnes is an Emmy award winning commercial and narrative director known for capturing offbeat characters, and bringing real world verisimilitude into the advertising space. Her first short film, HEY SPIRIT—an expressionistic documentary about cheerleading—screened at The Telluride Film Festival and was acquired by IFC. She’s been mining the territory of female cliches ever since, for a more complete look at how women show up in the world. Other projects include a short film featuring tap dancing suffragists and Gaby Hoffman that was created for Vanity Fair’s centennial issue, a comedy about actors auditioning for a men’s hair loss commercial, a day in the life of a singing telegram performer for Refinery29/MAX, a film about a queer girl’s crush in support of Focus Features KAJILLIONAIRE film release, and a short documentary about the history of glitter. She is thrilled to be working with the Proof of Concept program on her first television series, THE SEARCH FOR MAGIC—and to be able to continue exploring her favorite thematic; when the quotidian and the sublime intersect in our everyday lives.