talkmagic.co.uk

yeah, try some stagecraft...voice projection, eye contact and so on...

also - if you have the money available, try Scripting Magic a nice big fat old book about the importance, of scripting your work....

once you know something inside and out, then you can freeform...

bet you've played a musical instrument - maybe bass or guitar? you learn the scales and chords before you can put a tune together...same with magic...

this is what i do: imagine a story/ scenario that would provide a good back ground for the trick either a game, a ritual, a travel experience,ect. then imagine what it would be like if you really were doing magic- real magic. then combine the two ideas, changing them slightly so it makes sense then look at it like a spectator would, change and repeat

My advice? Steal what you want. Seriously.

If you see a line that another magician uses, and you like it and you think it would suit you, try it on. You're young, and you're just getting started - and remember, this process of deciding what does and doesn't work for you isn't actually "copying", it's actually a process of selection that makes absolute sense. Because while you may like, say, Derren Brown's presentation of Out Of This World, you may not like his card forces, which you may get from Tommy Wonder or whoever. Deciding what not to use is just as important. I read this in a book on writing by Russell T. Davies in which he both admitted to taking ideas and devices from other writers, and openly encouraged other writers to do the same with him.

Eventually, you'll inject so much of yourself into it through this process of selective stealing and tweaking - which I think you will do, if you're already concerned with what does/doesn't fit your performance character - that it will be your routine. You won't just tweak the patter, you'll tweak everything - some lifts/moves won't "suit" so you'll swap them out, you won't like X, Y or Z conclusion to the trick and you'll think of a better one, and it's this process that will lead you to coming up with dynamite routines completely off your own steam.

You're on the right lines anyway. Some people are making very good money out of magic who clearly haven't put an ounce of thought into what is and isn't appropriate for them to perform.

Just go out there and give it your best. The secret is not to be afraid to fail. You have been performing only a short time and you will fail. A lot. So don’t let it get you down. As bad as it feels now you are training yourself for the future and getting these mistakes out of the way for yourself is part of the learning process. Keep trying new things until you feel something that fits but please do not perform anyone’s personal routines. I have seen people perform my stuff that I created and it hurts. You are still new and you don’t want to start a reputation for yourself as a thief. There is plenty of “Public Domain” material to use until you find yourself.

Ever try a silent act?
It’s a very challenging exercise for any artist. You can learn a lot about how to speak by being silent.

Hugs and Hissessss,
Maria

Look for courses and information on public speaking as well as acting.

I was lucky in that my school made every student take two years of what they called "speech and drama". It seemed so pointless at the time, but I can see now how it helped me understand the basics of getting up and doing things in front of people (ooh-er missus).

You might make a surprising amount of progress if you just stop using the word "patter". If you think about what you say as mere "patter" slathered on top of technical moves, of course it will seem stupid and awkward. Instead, think of your words as an integral part of what you're doing. Saying a certain thing at a certain time is just as much a part of the routine as controlling a card.

Farlsborough wrote:If you separate yourself, thinking "I'm the magician, I must get out my script flawlessly..." you'll be very nervous and won't feel part of the situation necessarily.

... and...

Farlsborough wrote:Some people would say scrap the script - I would say stick with it, but as you become more confident, thin it down to the bare bones. It's good to have permanent lines, like bullet points, that help to structure the effect, but allow for chat and reactions too.

I agree completely with this, but I'd like to add something else to it as well...

A very small part of my day job is to make presentations, which are sometimes recorded on video. Sometimes the people doing the recording are the BBC, PA or other broadcasters. Knowing that you are going to be on national TV can make one rather nervous and the only way I can come across as being natural is to have a rough idea of what I'm going to be talking about (the facts and the order in which they should come), rather than sticking *tightly* to a script. If you try to follow a script word-for-word and you are not very experienced then you'll come unstuck.

Even if you remember the words perfectly, you risk appearing quite wooden because you're running an internal autocue rather than connecting with the audience (visible or otherwise). And that brings me on to my second point. When you perform, you actually need to turn 'up' your volume. Watch TV presenters and listen to radio presenters. If someone talked and acted like they do on-screen in real life you'd think there was something wrong with them. That is because we are trained to over-act slightly - which looks natural on screen and on stage.

If you act completely naturally you'll come across as quite boring. Most people's normal voices are quite monotonous. Listen to DJs - their voices are going up and down all over the place - even quite conservative ones. Then watch the hand and face movements of TV presenters (including magicians etc) - those hands and eyebrows will most likely be flying around. In real life you'd think, "what a nutter" but if you don't do it in a performance you'll look scared, bored or generally not interested/interesting.

Incidentally, this is quite different to acting on TV, where movements are usually cut right down. Watch Holby City and other TV dramas to see what I mean.

first of all thank you all so much for your opinions and thoughts, Ive learned a lot from it.

I also do think its an interesting subject.

its nice to see people here spend so much time and energy into helping each other out. wasnt expecting that.

reading through it all gave me a little confidence boost as well.

a lot of smart points made by the people here.

i guess i do will get better in time. and have to perform as much as i can.

i will def try the silent act as well. power of stillness is something i enjoy enormously.

and something which gives a lot of meaning sometimes as well.

i think my biggest fear is just to fail, im too focussed on that.

What if the things you were saying were not things that were said at set points in a routine, not things to carry a plot when certain moves had been completed?
Ask yourself what the effect is that the spectator is seeing forgetting all about what techniques you're using to accomplish that. Put away all of the props that you need to use in the effect and then approach it from the perspective that you have a gift to be able to actually do what you're showing the spectator. If you could genuinely do what you're doing and you weren't thinking about hidden moves but you were actually doing the thing for real then what would you say to guide the spectator in what was going on? Assume you can actually do it without the need for any shifty work and let your own personality guide you so that what you say is natural. This will involve you asking questions of yourself but don't avoid that. If you were making something disappear that you definately had in your hand, how would it feel to have that physical item melt away - warm, cold, uncomfortable etc? When you have an idea of what the reality would feel like for you, live it without necessarily explaining the whole process to the people that will be watching. If you believe a coin is getting warmer and that it's physically melting away, the things you might say and your reactions will represent that without it having to be spelled out.
Once you have the full idea of what it would be like FOR YOU if it was really happening then you can start to compromise on how the necessary evils can be included! For a long time I've struggled with presentation - the moment I open my mouth I change from the person that I am because mentally I'm thinking "I've done stage one, I've got stage 2 to do" and what I'm saying has been a tool to the routine rather than something natural to me. The approach above might help you. I've gotten some progress from using the model mentioned. It's not an uncommon concept but the two main people that focussed me were Richard Osterlind and Derren Brown. If you have a chance to read any of their material then I would strongly recommend it.
It is so easy to fall into traps, and I don't mean this offensively. 20 years ago, a magician was somebody in a penguin suit. He's slagged off and he's not one of my favourites but when David Blaine started doing what he was doing, it was something out of the ordinary. "Magicians have to be in penguin suits? This guy isn't! He's on the street"! He shifted expectations. Derren is another guy who has shifted expectations of what magic can be by how it's presented. Even now, I would be willing to bet that if you questioned people coming out of his shows, the majority wouldn't think they'd seen a magic show! We all have expectations of how magic should be presented and of a certain way that it should be presented, whether that's conscious or not but that isn't necessarily the case. Make it personal, think outside the box and some of the things that have been around for a hundred years will be a fresh thing to give to people.

Most magicians spend hours or weeks practising moves and techniques, but devote far less time to the patter. But experienced performers know that you have to put in as much time and effort on the patter. Don't just think it will fall into place. You work on the trick, why not on the presentation?
Luckily there is easy and cheap training available. The Toastmasters organisation provides great speech training in a friendly environment, and a few months of going along to their meetings will painlessly remove your difficulties. At a masterclass in Blackpool a number of years ago Jeff McBride was asked what was the most useful bit of advice he could give to someone hoping to make their living doing magic (and it applies to the hobbiest as well). He said that joining Toastmasters was the single most useful thing you could do.
They will teach you to talk confidently and sincerely, inject humour into your presentations, and prepare carefully. They will also teach you how to think and speak off the cuff.
At a lecture a few years ago Irish magician and hypnotist Barry Sinclair said that even the jokes you put into your performance should be as carefully rehearsed and honed as your favourite pieces of magic. He said that he works on the joke until it is word perfect, then tries it for friends and family, working on pausing and presentation, until it is perfect. Only then does it go into his show. That's why he is so good, I suppose.
Try Toastmasters for a few months (you'll enjoy it) then work on the patter for each of your tricks until it is perfect.

Toastmasters International, in the post above, is a good suggestion.

Also, remember this: You are the one who knows what is going to happen, not your audience. So there's no reason for you to feel unconfortable.