Practicing in front of a mirror?

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Practice in front of a mirror

Good Idea
35
90%
Bad Idea
4
10%
 
Total votes : 39

Practicing in front of a mirror?

Postby leighton » Apr 11th, '06, 09:01



Hello friends,

I got a little discussion for you: Practicing in front of a mirrror "Good or Bad"

I was recently told not to practice in front of a mirror because it will train you to focus your eyes about 2/3 feet in front and below your hands (or somthing like that) Insted, for about every 10 times you practice a trick you can perform it in front of a mirror once!

I do see the logic in this but wondered what your thoughts would be on this.

I made my wife dissapear just by arguing with her!!!
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Postby dave_100 » Apr 11th, '06, 11:36

I have found it difficult to perform a trick after performing it multiple times in front of a mirror, coz im so used to seeing what im doing, when performing for an audience, i cant see what im doing,

still think its a good idea though

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mirror work

Postby archimage » Apr 11th, '06, 11:37

I can see the value of practicing without a mirror sometimes. But, I think anyone would be crazy to practice and then perform without doing some sort of mirror work. Of course, you can video yourself and get similar results. However, the mirror gives you instantaneous feedback in the look of where your hands are and what your spectator is perceiving.

My practice breakdown is:

50% normal practice: sitting around, watching tv, waiting around, during transportation (i.e., long airplane, bus, cab rides)
40% Mirror work
10% practicing on family/friends. (if I can get past their trained eyes, then I'm ready for performance).
And another 10% with other magicians. Magic takes 110% effort! :)

Archimage

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Postby Flash » Apr 11th, '06, 11:44

Most of the time I don't use a mirror, but sometimes I do... Mirror work can help your confidence on a trick and give you an idea of what the spectator sees. So if something is heavilly angle sensitive (King Rising, Raven etc) it will give you a better idea of where to position yourself and your punter...

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Postby Mark Smith » Apr 11th, '06, 11:45

Yeh, there are good points and bad points to practicing in a mirror.
Firstly you should practice with one when working on slieghts. Its easy to practice a sleight which appears invisible to you, but to someone standing opposite its pretty blatant. Also, when I'm studying in London I don't have a mirror and so just practice at a table. However when I went to perform I found myself watching my hand automatically every now and then to watch if a sleight was invisible - and as such bringing the audiences eyes down to the cards too. In which case it would have been a good thing to have practiced with a mirror.

But, as has been said before, its very difficult when practicing in a mirror to stop looking at the cards the whole time! And as such when you perform you end up looking down the whole time automatically - which can throw you slightly, and when you're performing this can be enough to make you falter!

So, essentially I'm saying use a mirror and don't too!?! Um. Use it for practicing sleights, but do performance practice without one!

Mark

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Postby MiniMindFreak » Apr 11th, '06, 11:50

I prefere doing it to someone I trust that way Ill know the angles right and how to talk to him ... and i won't feel Stupid!!!

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Postby IAIN » Apr 11th, '06, 12:05

...sometimes its handy to set up your digi-camera (if its got a video mode) from the spectator's point of view, then film yourself doing whatever it is...if youre worried about being out of frame - then you can use a book either side of you for you 'mark'...

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Postby MiniMindFreak » Apr 11th, '06, 12:06

Digital Cams and Humans Are better than Mirrors!!!

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Postby leighton » Apr 11th, '06, 12:27

Thanks for the replies.

All good comments so far, with both pros and cons, I got an old Sony Camcorder somewhere I might dig out, also my digital camera does have video mode, so there is an option too.

I made my wife dissapear just by arguing with her!!!
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Postby rcarlsen » Apr 11th, '06, 15:43

How can anyone believe that practicing infront of a mirror is a BAD idea? The idea of NOT doing it, THAT is a BAD idea.

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Postby Flash » Apr 11th, '06, 15:51

rcarlsen wrote:How can anyone believe that practicing infront of a mirror is a BAD idea? The idea of NOT doing it, THAT is a BAD idea.


Hey we haven't seen the guy in the magic shop! Maybe he's just so darn ugly he can't bear to practice in a mirror!! :lol:

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Postby MiniMindFreak » Apr 11th, '06, 17:48

Lol Flash You kill me!!!

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Postby Flash » Apr 11th, '06, 18:20

MiniMindFreak wrote:Flash You kill me!!!


Ah so Mr Mindfreak you've worked out my plan, one by one you will fall and soon I'll be the only magician left alive in the world... today TalkMagic, tommorow the world.... bwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! :twisted:

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Postby ultimatecreate » Apr 11th, '06, 19:19

Great idea, but mirror work should never be relied on alone

regards,

Alex

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Postby dat8962 » Apr 11th, '06, 23:35

I very very rarely use a mirror but whatever works for you just has to be a good thing!

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It's not really an optical illusion - it just looks like one!
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