talkmagic.co.uk

Hey folks, Brrrrrrrr.

Well whilst the power, lights and communications are back I wanted to ask you all.....

I was down at my prime testing ground the other day, the local pub, the only place to find people apart from at home, and I tried something different.

What I'd been doing previously, given my fairly minimal repotoire was kind of ranking the tricks in my head by the reactions they generally get. This can differ depending on the crowd but you know a really good one when you hit on it I figure.

My really good one is 'Up the Ante' as mentioned elsewhere round here, and I generaly like to save it for later. However, there's been a few times I've been trying things out and saving the best to last so to speak. This seemed kind of logical to me at the time but having been in a few scenarios where I haven't had time to break out the best, or by the time I've worked through a few 'warm up' things peoples attention span starts to drop or someone has to leave or I feel like I'm having to force one more trick on them in some small way because it's the best haha, I'm sure some of you must know what I mean. So...

I was there meeting an old friend who hasn't been around for ages, I knew some magic would be expected so I brought a range of stuff which was mostly not cards As someone said previously 'Got anything other than card tricks?'

After kicking off at the bar with my friend and a specially prepared '34' as seen on the dvd Automata, she said come to the table and show them all one! I had limited time as my lift was about to leave and I didn't fancy walking home so I broke out 'Up the Ante' streight off the bat where I normally would have saved it for a bit and it just seemed to work beautifully. What I really noticed was that launching in with something like that is that everyone was instantly impressed and the tricks I would have previously used beforehand seemed so much better once everyone had seen a proper 'wow' to start with. So I'm now re-thinking the way I go about performing when someone says 'show us a trick'.

I just thought I'd share this and ask for your thoughts and experiences on it or similar sorts of things.

Hope everyone's keeping warm!

Cheers

I always try to write my closeuproutines along very similar lines. Aim for about 10 minutes, that's about as long as you want to go before people start getting distracted and include three or four different effects. I always like to start with something that's ging to grab the attention. Something that's quick, easy to follow and had a good WOW factor. The next effect or two can be slightly less 'WOW' than the first but should include as much spectator participation as possible, that way you can really get to know each other and have a laugh before the last effect of the set which should be the hardest hitting of the lot.

That's just my approach but it seems to work quite nicely for me.

Yes sounds about right from recent experience

I just need to find something more Wow now to finnish off with I guess

MrCat wrote:Yes sounds about right from recent experience

I just need to find something more Wow now to finnish off with I guess

Remember that your definition of "wow" and a spectator's definition may not be the same

soveda wrote:

MrCat wrote:Yes sounds about right from recent experience

I just need to find something more Wow now to finnish off with I guess

Remember that your definition of "wow" and a spectator's definition may not be the same

Dead right, Soveda. Some times it's good to take a step back and think about the things you found impressive before you learnt magic, think like a spectator. It's all too easy to over look something simple because you know the method in favour of something super complex that might impress you but the average audience will be snoring before you're halfway through.

Absolutely agree with The Lady Of Mystery's routining...

And if you have Automata, then you have a great wow finish!! Have you tried Fireballs?

For me Fireballs is the ultimate ending, surprise vanish and a surprise appearance along with the immortal words, 'Thanks for watching, that's shallott!'

Ha! Funny you all mention that, as after makingh this post I went out and got just one trick in at the bar...and guess what it was...fireballs Nice coincidence, I took it out as I've never really used it before apart from once when, due to unforseen circumstances I never got to finnish it, but this time it went down a treat. I just need some bigger cups now as I've not found a shallot that'll fit under the ones I have. So I've been trying various things that will somehow be of use to whatever I'm planning on doing next. It is a great trick tho that I've had some excellent reactions from.

I'll be using that one more often now

Here is the thing, and it is not always easy to put it together. Lady of Mystery is dead on in my opinion. The first effect has to be WOW and grab attention. You have to show the audience you are not uncle bob pulling a quarter out of your ear at the family dinner table. You have to establish yourself as a pro and worth watching. And your last should also be WOW and you need to leave on a high note, "Always leave them wanting more".

But your middle effects should also be WOW!

Getting my point yet? Each effect on it's own should have that wow factor. Each effect should grab the audience and leave them wanting more. Each should be just as powerful as the one before, but perhaps in a different way, because you have to create those high and lows as well.

You should be able to leave in the middle of your set and still have the audience satisfied, you shouldn't have to feel like you have to get to the end so they see your best stuff. In the eyes of your spectator all your effects should always be your best stuff. Especially in a restaurant of pub setting where you may have to leave, or they may have to leave. They don't know the best is yet to come. So each effect should be that best effect, (in the eyes of the spectator).

The trick is to get your best stuff together and put it in a routine, and in my opinion that routine should be 'modular' you should be able to switch them in and out just in case.

Jeff McBride gave some of the best advice I ever heard when it comes to routining.

You create lists. The first list is the most difficult. Sit down, take some time and list all the highs and low's of your life. All those wonderful and not so wonderful moments.

Second list is all the effects you can passibly do.

Third list is all those that you have mastered, that you are confident and satisfied with.

Fourth list is all the effects you don't have, don't do, may not have a clue how to do, but would like to do.

If either of the last three lists are longer than your first list, as Jeff Mcbride said, "Get a life Man!"

Now look at your other lists and try to come up with effects that tell the story of your first list. Start with just two effects, try not to go past five. Tell your story.

Nobody else will ever be able to do what you do to the same degree because it will be your story, it will be personal to you. Even if the audience doesn't get that it is a story, that it is your story, the 'litteralness' of it doesn't matter. Like a good song will have different meanings to different people, and non may be the artists intent. But people love it just the same, it has heart, it has sense and it has a good beat.

Hope that makes some sense.

Yes it does make sense I was thinking it's kind of like making a good mix of tunes, so I think you're saying 'no filler, just killer'

MrCat wrote:so I think you're saying 'no filler, just killer'

Spot on

I love the 'your story' concept too bmat, that's genius! Thanks. I'll see what happens