talkmagic.co.uk

[silver shadow]

Whilst do a bit of a show at my wife's work today, i noticed a guy sitting at the back with a smile on his face, so after i had finished i asked why he was smileing, he said i knew how some of your tricks where done, apparently he saw he flash a bit of card during a back palm, well whatever, anyway he said it hadn't spoilt it for him as the performace made up for it,

thus coming to my question, is magic 75% performace and just 15% your actual magic ability?

Which is more important, performance or magic ability?

What do you think?

[seige]

Magic IS a performance art, so yes, performance is everything.

From taking a simple concept, such as the ID, two creative magicians could PERFORM completely different routines - and achieve the same standard - whereas a 'newbie' with no performance incentive or 'theatre' could perform the standard ID routine FLAWLESSLY and make it look like wet tissue paper.

Performance is the key: learn the trick, practice the trick, learn the performance, PRACTICE the performance - then, finally, perform.

Performance is the extra ingredient which makes a good magician.

[magicdiscoman]

from a comercial stand point performance is the key.

i have a change bag and a silk printed rabbit that colours itself .

i can take ten seconds to perform it or i can spin it out over several minuets, its all in the performance.

david "its not a camera trick honest" blaine does a dbl lft turn card, basic stuff but its presented in such a way thats its mystifiying and actualy enjoyable to watch.

you only have to look at tommy coopers "tricks" to see its all presentation.

[Mandrake]

Performance - 99% or higher. As mentioned already, all the expensive and self working props in the universe won't make you into a magician but sufficient skills, lots of nerve, and the desire to 'entertain' people (OK, I know Derren Brown enthusiasts wil have an angle on that!) are far more important.

Those who can take a coin or a deck of cards and produce magic are real magicians and it has to be perfomance if nobody spots the 'moves'.

[bananafish]

Skill is all well and good - as it opens up a lot more tricks to be performed - but you have to remember that from the spectators point of view - they shouldn't know how any of it is done - a self working trick needing no skill could be done against a very tricky sleight involved trick - and to the spec, they are both just magic being performed.

What makes the spec enjoy the show more - or why the spec would think magician "a" is better than magician "b" is purely down to performance.

And the only real way to learn experience is to watch other performers (not necessarily magicians) and actually get out there and perform.

From my (I admit limited) experience, If I am having fun with it - they are more likely to have fun with it. If I act all nervous and un sure - then that makes them a little nervous too.

so - in otherwords - I agree with the rest - performance. All of it is performance.

----
I should add here - that magic ability only really ever gets recognised by other magicians.

[nickj]

From some of the guy's that come into the shop I would say that it must be 100% performance, as many of them will only buy stuff if there is absolutely nothing technical for them to do.

[Mandrake]

I've just been having a swift run through the Tarbel Course and found this:

PRESENTATION

The important thing is presentation. Any really great Magician will tell you that it isn't so much what you do as how you do it. You may have $50,000 worth of magical apparatus and be a failure financially as a Magician. Then again you may have a few dollars' worth of paraphernalia and be a HUGE SUCCESS, financially and every other way.

Remember, an effect is only as good as its presentation. That is why I lay such stress on the Scientific aspect of Magic --on the Principles, the Psychology, Showmanship. While the actual trick is important, the little things that put it over are just as important. The trick is as nothing without the proper Presentation. Take an elaborate illusion—present it in a slipshod, uninteresting manner -- and you make it ridiculous. But inversely, take the simplest impromptu trick -- present it with finished Showmanship -- and you make of it a classic.

I want you to realize the close connection between Psychology and Magic. The more you study Psychology, the better will your Magic be. The discussions which I have given you on it are invaluable to you. Give them a great deal of thought. Not only will this study make you a better performer, but it will also make you a bigger public attraction. Study the reactions and impressions of your audience. Study the things that make them talk about you afterward. Study the creating of interest in them. Your reward will be packed houses when you play. Managers will come to know you as a big "box office attraction." And, of course, with this will come real money.

Hope it helps!!

[magicdiscoman]

my initial grounding was doing fourtunes and cold reading, so i can whole heartedly agree with mandrake.

i dont think i would have got anyware in magic if i had not been aware of how people react to a given situation, when you do spirit readings, you know the type where you say "i feel a presece its sam or samantha, could be samuel, then you look for the cringers or head bobbers.

your constantly useing psycology and mental tricks, magic was just a logical and more moraly legitamate way of making money for me.

[silver shadow]

ok so i am working in the right direction with my perfomance, as i have been told "i have the moves", i do alot of work in front of the mirror to check my angles and performance. I have seen alot of video's / dvd's where it seems to me the magi has over done the performace alittle, is that just because i my self would have done things different or should i be makeing my performance and theatrical as possible?

what do you think?

[seige]

The performance by no means needs to be theatrical, although it can be - depending on your own outward personality.

I think it has more to do with confidence, and the OVERLYING story which masks the workings of the trick.

I mean, most tricks would take seconds if they were just 'done'. But people love a bit of a build up, a bit of a story.

Know what I mean?

[Mandrake]

An 'over the top' performance can be great in the right circumstances. So can an underplayed performance or perhaps the persona of being totally bewildered by what's happening - even though you're making it happen - a bit like a skilled acrobat pretending to be drunk as a skunk and performing a clever routine on the trampoline.

I'd say it all depends on what you find comfortable. Not all of us would be OK with doing a Tommy Cooper or a David Copperfield but there's an 'image' somewhere which is best for each of us and we just have to keep 'trying them on' until we find the one which fits best. Some of us will find it in seconds, others will never fully get there. (All getting a bit deep and philosophical now so I'll shut up!)

[Happy Toad]

So you think my 45 tricks in an hour is a bit much then? Maybe I'll knock a couple out.

[Mandrake]

Nah - just make sure the specs are paying close attention!

[silver shadow]

just to confirm then, are we saying BE NATURAL, even if you are taking on a persona, make it natural as to not give away any thing, i.e nerves etc