talkmagic.co.uk

hey0
-I was wondering what tips anyone could give me on developing a
character.

some of my traits are (in real life)
- good at improv (go improv club)
- good at acting (i go to a performing arts school)
- odd (eg, i have one orange shoe lace and one pink one)
- like comedy especially sketch comedy
- would like to become a restaurant magician (not full time)

that was fun....nothing like tooting your own horn!

The book Strong Magic by Darwin Ortiz has a long section devoted to just that subject. It is an excellent book and one I highly recommend.

Roger the rabbit

just be yourself. if your naturally funny..don't try to be a serious mystical magician. if your as boring as watching paint dry then i would recommend a "dark, mystical" type approach to it all.

Old bean it sounds like you won't have much work to do in finding the right character for yourself...

In fact I think you already have, look in the mirror and they'll stare right back at you. I do lots of clowning and character work in my professional life but I've actually found that the character I use most when I do magic is simply that of me.. Why? because it allows me a freedom that the confines of a character generally don't and people relate to me a bit better (alright they still think I'm a wierdo or freak but that's just because I am).

But then again just because it works for me doesn't mean it's right for you. Some of magic's all time greats have been very character based, so I guess it's just what floats your boat.

Another book that deals heavilly with this subject is Derren Brown's Absolute Magic which I would thoroughly recommend as a New Year purchase.

I.D wrote:Roger the rabbit

Is 'Roger' a noun or a verb?

If you are on a performing arts course they should be teaching you HOW TO DEVELOP A CHARACTER. For an actor it is easier as he has the text to build it on.
As a teenager, my first drama teacher used to make us carry a notebook, everywhere , and we had to observe and write down any characteristics of people we met or saw on a bus or train or in the street.
THESE DAYS don't stare or write immediately if you try this..you may get punched on the nose or worse be booked at the police station. Write your informatio/observations down, AFTER you left the scene. It certainly taught me a huge amount about how people walked, dressed, talked, gestured and looked; a lot of which went into my character roles over many years.
To say 'Be yourself' can be a misnomer as a great number of magicians DO NOT have a natural performing personality. It often HAS to be created by trial and error, beginning by listing everything in a notebook and selecting certain facets. Although comedy helps, you do not necessarily HAVE to be funny to be a magician.
Amongst other magicians I have coached in recent years, is one, internationally famous young performer who's is very clever and original with his routines BUT give him a gag and he cannot put it over. His timing and pace; his moves, handling, movement & all his routines are excellent. He holds every audience ( magicians & lay folk) quite spellbound but Gags do not fit his personna. The odd 'light humorous remark' does fit, but not gags as such.

Trick situation comedy can be very funny and 'easier' for many magicians.
Most important you must ask yourself, 'Is my magic Entertaining?'
The book Strong Magic is brilliant BUT is a lifetime study.
FOR YOU. Read a simple, in expensive, book called 'The Big Picture' by Woody Pittman Published in 1998 by the American magician, it is SIMPLE advice on 'Character development for magicians.'
Allen Tipton

I am in the final process of producing an e-book entitled "Wit and Wisdom of Mark Lewis" which will consist of all my random ramblings on the magic forums.

Here is an extract which pertains to this question. It is in reply to someone who said that you don't need to be a character and that the trick should speak for itself. It is mentalist oriented but I think it applies to any kind of magic.

..........................................................................................................

I am a psychic reverend and man of the cloth so I must try not to swear when I read that silly quote about nobody wanting to see a character and that it is essential to be boring. Absolute BALONEY! You are supposed to be in SHOWbusiness. So put on a SHOW! As for the notion that people with the real powers are all like "normal" people I can assure you that it is not true. I know many, many "true" psychics (readers not entertainers) and each and every one is a character. In actual fact they are way more colourful than some of the mentalist entertainers I know.

Every single great mentalist BAR NONE was a character. Kreskin, Geller, Dunninger, Fogel, etc; They didn't present mentalism they presented THEMSELVES doing mentalism. Anyone that says "nobody wants to see a character" needs to start to study magic all over again. I will certainly agree that not every character is to everyone's taste and I will also agree with great sadness that 95% of magicians and mentalists are not characters. I think this is the greatest tragedy in magic. In fact it is a bloody disgrace. And don't give me the excuse that you are not a character by nature. You MAKE yourself into one. It is your duty as an entertainer. No. I don't like Max Maven but for other reasons. I will agree however that he got the notion of being a character right. I am pleased that he recognised the concept. Yes. Of course you MUST become a character. I am quite vehement about it. It is actually a tool of your trade and actually the most important one.

It is the very reason that audiences prefer to see Kreskin do his tricks wrong far more than the average performer do his tricks right. He is selling HIMSELF.

For more on this I suggest in my infinite wisdom and great genius that you all scurry over to read the presentation section of Expert Card Technique. It is at the back portion of the book. The whole section is valuable but pay particular attention to the first few pages which draw attention to the fact that the secret of being a great magician or mentalist is not the tricks that you perform that is important so much as the ILLUSION THAT YOU CREATE ABOUT YOURSELF.

Of course you may create a persona that doesn't work. I expect this can happen quite often. However you must try again because this is such an essential part of being a performer. I think probably the key is to base your persona on your own personality but magnify it a bit. How you do it is up to you but do it you MUST. My sermon is over. Reverend Mark Lewis Free Spiritualist Church of Canada.




And here is part two. This is from the same thread ........................................................................................................................ Naturally this place is more helpful to you than any other place you visit. This is of course because I, Mark Lewis am here and am banned everywhere else. With regard to other mentalists saying it is essential not to have an interesting character I have been led to believe this is one of the rules of the PEA and is written up in their constitution. I have reason to assume that mentalists believe it is mandatory to be boring in order to be credible. I believe otherwise.

However it is also wise to be careful about what kind of character or personality you are trying to put across. The wrong kind can actually be detrimental and do more harm than good. You do not have to be loud and bombastic to be a character although I am not necessarily decrying that either. You can be on the quiet side and still put your personality across with great showmanship. Koran was very good at this. However it is YOU who should be memorable not the tricks. If an audience is raving about the tricks I am not impressed since it is the inventor of the effects that should be getting the applause and not you. I am not a fan of bizarre magic and in fact I think it to be quite bizarre. However if the bizarrists are proponents of the performer being some kind of character then I can only be in agreement with them.

I actually think it is MORE essential for a mentalist to be a character than it is for a regular magician. This is because mentalism is inherently more boring than magic and more showmanship is required to hold an audience. However no matter what branch of the magical arts you choose to perform it is YOU who should be memorable. The tricks are secondary and just come along for the ride. Make sure you have good travelling companions though. The material should be good. However YOU should be better.

mark lewis wrote:
......
However no matter what branch of the magical arts you choose to perform it is YOU who should be memorable. ....

Have a look at this clip of a magician producing jumbo cards (discussed at another thread)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THyZ-ynSzDA

The magician is utterly uniteresting as a person, and completely secondary to the magic. For me he present some of the most memorable magic I have seen!

PS. Like someone pointed out in the other tread this magician reminds us that there is not such excuse as having small hands.

hmmm...but imagine how much more exciting that effect would be performed by someone with a dash of personality and character though...

it would elivate it even higher surely?

I've never really given any thought to developing a character, I just act like me.

Perhaps it's something I should think about.

When I perform I am not exactly me but not exactly a character either. I tend to take elements of my character that I believe are beneficial to performing and then magnify them into performance mode.
I think it can vary person to person whether this will work or not, for example if you are a massive extrovert in normal life then magnifying this could be incredibly annoying (unless this is the effect you wish).

Also, more than developing a "character" as such one should first think what kind of impression do you wish your audience to have of you; mysterious, scary, funny etc. and these should in someway reflect the kind of person you are to some degree.

But mostly I do agree with Mark on the fact that this is SHOW business and magic is not a bunch of sleights and gimmicks but a full performance and should be approached in this such a way that you create something around the tricks you are performing in a way that says something about you.

I don't necessarily think you have to be a loud extrovert to be a character. David Blaine is a case in point. I have often thought that his seeming lack of presentation is superb presentation in itself. At any rate he presents a character.

David Nixon was another one. A charming gentleman type of character but a character nevertheless. However he certainly wasn't loud or bombastice.

As for Soren's point about the young card manipulator it was indeed a superb presentation if perhaps a little repetitive. There is only so long you can watch cards being pulled out of thin air whether they are big cards or small cards.

However this is a silent act and somehow perhaps different rules apply. However once the magician starts to open his mouth he had better be a character or he is not using his full potential. The young man did 10 minutes only. What would he do if he had to do 45 minutes? There is only so long you can watch a silent magician work. Sooner or later he would have had to speak.

However even for a silent act there is advantage in presenting a character. Fred Kaps did so I think and even more so did the immortal Cardini. I believe their acts were enhanced by this.

Mind you I once saw Kio the magician when I was a kid. It was a superb show and Kio's presence wasn't even required. I don't remember a thing about him and there were so many things going on and so many people in the show I don't think the guy stood out particularly.

However these are the exceptions rather than the rule. Illusions are so big and spectactular that they can often be good entertainment in and of themselves. However I think it will be agreed that the best illusionists such as Thurston, Blackstone etc; presented THEMSELVES.

For a close up magician I think it is fatal if you don't present YOURSELF presenting magic. I am afraid the strength of the trick isn't enough. YOU should be the interesting factor and the trick comes second. If you don't do this perhaps you can become an adequate performer but certainly not a great one. You will be just presenting puzzles.

I once met the wife of a magician who as many magic wives do hate magic with a passion. She said "magicians show me tricks. I don't know how they are done and I don't CARE how they are done!" I venture to suggest her attitude would have changed if the performer was an interesting character.

mark lewis wrote:....
As for Soren's point about the young card manipulator it was indeed a superb presentation if perhaps a little repetitive. There is only so long you can watch cards being pulled out of thin air whether they are big cards or small cards.

However this is a silent act and somehow perhaps different rules apply. However once the magician starts to open his mouth he had better be a character or he is not using his full potential. The young man did 10 minutes only. What would he do if he had to do 45 minutes? There is only so long you can watch a silent magician work. Sooner or later he would have had to speak.

However even for a silent act there is advantage in presenting a character. Fred Kaps did so I think and even more so did the immortal Cardini. I believe their acts were enhanced by this.

Mind you I once saw Kio the magician when I was a kid. It was a superb show and Kio's presence wasn't even required. I don't remember a thing about him and there were so many things going on and so many people in the show I don't think the guy stood out particularly.

However these are the exceptions rather than the rule. Illusions are so big and spectactular that they can often be good entertainment in and of themselves. However I think it will be agreed that the best illusionists such as Thurston, Blackstone etc; presented THEMSELVES.

For a close up magician I think it is fatal if you don't present YOURSELF presenting magic. I am afraid the strength of the trick isn't enough. YOU should be the interesting factor and the trick comes second. If you don't do this perhaps you can become an adequate performer but certainly not a great one. You will be just presenting puzzles.

I once met the wife of a magician who as many magic wives do hate magic with a passion. She said "magicians show me tricks. I don't know how they are done and I don't CARE how they are done!" I venture to suggest her attitude would have changed if the performer was an interesting character.

OK I have never done magic for 45min! To keep an audience entertained so long requires a different skill. Yes there is no doubt that some kind of character would help.

Yesterday I watched a science program on TV. I love science that I studied all my life. For me the people are secondary. I like the maths and the theories and ideas. Well, I just have to acknowledge that I am in minority and the TV station got it right. It focused on the great characters of Science (and if they were not great characters, they were certain presented as great characters). Had the TV station just presented the science part of the program, very few would probably have watched. Now hearing about the characters for most people the program became interesting and full of drama.

When I perform magic, I typically do a short 5min piece of strong magic, followed by for example table-hopping. For the table hopping its not my "character" that matters, but my general social skills and wit. But maybe I am an interesting character for the people I perform (e.g. academics at Oxford colleges) since I myself is a fulltime academic from Oxford doing magic. That combined with the strong magic (especially for high brows sceptical not-easy to fool-spectators) might work will for that audience.

I have also done paid magic in other situations, but on reflection it appears that the people who hired me always seem somehow did this because of who I am rather than solely because of my magic. This is for me depressing, since I (being by nature somewhat introvert) do not seek to be the centre of attention. I love "showing and sharing" strong magic with people and I often find myself centre of attension. Sometimes if a few people ask how and where I learned my magic, I talk with enthusiasm about the great Dai Vernon or the magic community as a whole and how we all - like in the sciences - stand on each other’s shoulders etc. Probably a completely stupid thing to do if I want to build myself as a strong character. It looks -sadly- that I should learn more character building. Well maybe this skill can be used elsewhere in life! Any recommendations what to read?

Soren. You are looking at this, undoubtedly skilful magician, through a magican's eyes and mind. What you are seeing is
Magician's Magic peformed TO magicians. What would lay people think? Surely card, after card after card from the air with lots of finger flinging would bore them stiff after a while. Some of his initial work ( and no I could not nor wish to emulate him) was a bit rough. The A4 cards leading to a climax would hold a lay audience; it was just long enough. The small stuff they will have seen before, and would say 'Oh we've seen that before', no matter how skilful. I remember Billy McComb saying he'd worked up an incredible c & r rope trick with many subtle moves & handling etc in it, spending hours and hours rehearsing. He asked the Head Waiter ( London Nightclub) afterwards what he thought. The reply " Oh it was all right but so and so did it here,quicker and better, last week". Billy knew so and so only used the 3 inch extra bit of rope and just cut then restored it.
I found the Korean magician's EARS fascinating. But WHERE would YOU perform his type act in the UK?
Greendoniz: You have reiterated Orson Welles's theory on the Art of Acting he said." You simply bits of your persona, what you have, and use them, leaving the rest in the dressing room till the show is over. That is Acting'
Allen Tipton