talkmagic.co.uk

I can't do multiplying sponge balls because the audiences aren't directly in front of me (I tried it today during a rehearsal).

I decided to do 3 tricks in between the other performers.
1. Something flashy and cool (undecided)
2. Something mysterious (TOD)
3. A trick that I'll teach the audience (the twisting arm trick)

I'm going to a magic store tomorrow to find something flashy.

The tossed out deck can be learnt quickly, costs very little, and is very entertaining. Forget all about it taking a lifetime to perfect a performance (true) as you don't have the time. Learn the ID and it will kill for you. Good luck.

don't reveal a trick...whats the point?

IAIN wrote:don't reveal a trick...whats the point?

agreed

TonyB wrote:The tossed out deck can be learnt quickly, costs very little, and is very entertaining. Forget all about it taking a lifetime to perfect a performance (true) as you don't have the time. Learn the ID and it will kill for you. Good luck.

very agreed

Narudodude: The Twisting Arm is NOT your own trick. Therefore you should not reveal it. **** You should never reveal ANY trick to lay people
!
Also if you did, HOW can your audience practise it?
Surely they will be sitting on chairs?
And not have either the floor or a table to try it out on.

Just giving an explanation will not be very satisfying to them.
And at your finishing the explanation--there's no climax!!!
You'll walk off to the sound of your own footsteps!

Again: It is not your trick to reveal.

IF you want to break up the 'usual singing & dancing by appearing IN BETWEEN the other acts' then you should look to Comedy.
That would make you shine out more than just tricks.

The TOD will take more than 5 mins even if there are only 3 reveals.
There's the introduction to the trick.
Showing the deck & banding it up.
Then the explanation & demonstration of how to break open the deck.
Watching they all do the break open correctly, especially the first one.
Passing the deck around.
Any missed throws with the deck or dropping on the floor, or fooling around by fellow students,--- will cause dead spots & delays.
The lead into the Reveals.
The actual climax?
Have you thought of one?
You really need to read Wayne Dobson on this.

'Going to a magic shop to look for something flashy!!??
Flashy is not good. If you mean something quick as Cane to Silks then it will only work if it's in a sequence of effects.
One flash trick has gone by them--in a flash.
AND you said 'no more than $20'

Allen Tipton

Trust us, Allen is saying what everyone else wanted to say but didn't know quite how. It is excellent advice.. although, the problem with wisdom is that fools don't heed it and the wise don't need it
The question you want to be asking, is do I want to show someone some TRICKS or do I want to ENGAGE them in some MAGIC. Every magician could do with looking up the definition of magic every now and then and thinking about what it means. Magic deserves more than trying to look flashy.

Sorry if I offended any of you (didn't mean to). Here was my thinking:

1. I want a flashy opening because if I do the TOD right away, they won't know what's going on until the last part where I read out the cards. Today, I went to the magic store and got a flower production (using a fishing line), silk to flower (inside a tube), color changing silk (extremely easy version), and disappearing silk (thumb or pull) (so it's basically all silks and flowers).

2. By now, the audience already knows how amazing I am . So I'll build up the suspense and then have a huge amount of cheering when I get off the stage (not many of the audience seen magic tricks other than Choose a Card). This trick will probably keep the audience thinking for a long time.

3. I thought that showing the audience a simple trick would be an appropriate way to end my performance, but you guys seem to disagree. What I meant by the "Twisting arm trick" is the one where you twist your arms, put your hands together, and turn both arms to make them straight again. This is one of the tricks that got me into magic. I saw it on TV when a magician showed his entire audience how the trick was done as a finishing trick.
Another reason that I decided to do this is that, chances are, some people in the audience will either know some of my tricks or saw how it's done. After the performance, those people will spread how it's done. Then, lots of people will start saying "Your trick is so easy, you suck" and be thinking that I thought that they wouldn't be able to figure out how my tricks are done. But if I teach them a trick, they won't do so because:
1.They'll think I don't care if they know how a trick is done.
2.They'll be busy with the twisting arm trick.
3.They'll be thankful for teaching them a trick.


Anyways, I still need to come up with a way to make a routine with my gimmicks. I know there's no routine with my specific 4 gimmicks, but if you know a way to combine any two of them, please let me know. Thanks in advance.

N: You haven't offended anyone! It's just that you are so in need of help, everyone is eager to offer advice.
Partially because: you are obviously very young--I'd guess at 13/14- and partly because we are anxious that you get it right.

Your latest purchases, combined in a Routine would go as:

1. Produce the Silk (TT)
2. Vanish it (TT)
3. Reproduce it (TT)
4. Use it for the Colour Change.
5. Whichever colour silk you are left with, goes into the Tube & it turns
into a flower.
6. The Flower production.

THUS one trick blends/links into the next.
The flowers making a climax.
It is possible to begin at 2.

Audiences. You are very naive re audiences.
They don't really care about secrets. Only Magicians do this.
If you ever audition for a Magic Club the members will know how all your tricks work BUT they will be only interested in HOW YOU PUT THE TRICKS OVER. See 'What Matters' --below.

You say 'they may know how things are done etc.'
Doesn't matter.

WHAT MATTERS IS:
HOW You entertain them.
Are you relaxed & polished and pleasant to look at and listen to?
Are your tricks well presented without any fumbles/hesitations and done smoothy?
So do You look and sound as if You KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING?
Can you make them LIKE You.
AND HAVE You entertained them?
Allen Tipton

If you do want to give them something that they can perform for family, buy yourself a few of these:http://www.magicbox.uk.com/shop.php/shop/magic-accessories/misc-accessories/appearing-wand-giveaways/p_287.html
One for each member of the judging panel, and one for each helper. Make sure you have 2 or 3 more than you need if you are doing that though, as people may come and talk to you about the show afterwards, and you want to be able to give them something to remember.

Or maybe sign a silk in sharpie and give that out?http://www.magicbox.uk.com/shop.php/shop/magic-accessories/misc-accessories/silks/p_302.html
Much better than revealing a trick they'll forget about a few days later anyway

Sorry, but I prefer to teach a trick instead of giving stuff out (since I have about 450 audiences).

About the routing that Allen provided. The color changing silk is gimmicked, and the appearing/disappearing silk is normal (my color changing silk is the version where you turn two silks into two other colors). The color changing one is too large to work with the TT.

P.S. My silk to flower is this version: [img]http://www.maxello.com/pics_0/fu909_0.gif
[/img]


Here's the best routine I can think of:
Before the performance: hide a silk in the TT and put it on.
1. Produce the flower, then get rid of it.
2. Show a normal silk, then pull it.
3. Produce the hidden silk.
4. Perform the silk to flower.

I still need to put the color-changing silk in this somehow. Maybe I can put it inside a multiplying sponge ball shell, then produce it.

P.S. I also have sponge hearts, linking rings (if you're asking why I'm not going to perform this, it's because it's too hard to see), multiplying sponge balls, IT, the glowing lightbulb, chinese baton sticks, and lots of close-up gimmicks.

This thhread is reminding me of this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seHIyR3-jvE

Its sounding more like a series of unconected tricks rather than a routine. If you look at Allen's idea for a routine it builds up in stages for a climax. Producing a flower at the start and as the climax seems a bit dis-jointed.

Now we get another list of effects!

And he is STILL not satisfied.

The Impetuosity Of Youth

I rest my case

Allen Tipton