talkmagic.co.uk

I wanted to post a short guide on how to improve any trick. These are actually five steps I always go through before I performe the trick for somebody.

1. Practise all slights in fornt of a mirror at least 30min, no matter how easy the seam to be.

2. If the trick is using misdirection, try to get make the misdirection as short as possible, because you don't want them to know that they have been misdirected. Also it often helps a lot if the misdirection is funny, combined with a joke.

3. If it is a trick which is not very visaul think of a good story. This will help the imagination of the spectators and the trick will be for them more visual than it actually is.

4. Think about a secure way of getting the trick started and finishing it. Also think about things like: for which kind of spectators is it good? when and where should I performe it? Is light, wind or anythings else making the trick harder?

5. Go back to the mirror and performe the trick in front of the mirror while talking to the mirror. Practise speaking clearly and slowly. Get used to the trick while talking and telling your story.

The mirror is a good place to practice, and it is where I do most of mine, but the best way to judge your performance is by filming yourself. That way, you can concentrate on your performance alone and not have to worry about what your doing, what your saying, etc. Plus it gives you a chance to hear your own patter the way someone else would.

Very good point mccabe24! The mirror and video camera do the exact same thing, but the advantage goes to video as you don't have to watch and perform at the same time.....you simply perform and watch later!

I think a video camera is much better than a mirror. When you look into a mirror you can see that the certain sleight is going as you want it too, bu then when you do it without a mirror you have no idea how it looks (you have gotten too used to seeing yourself do it). With a video camera you have the advantage of doing it then watching it. This means you can see what the spectator would actually see.

That is another good point! You should never get too used to performing in front of a mirror because that mirror won't be there for your close up perfromances.

I consider the right combination of mirror and camera best; that is, use a mirror to first learn sleights, get the angles etc because the mirror gives one an immedieate idea and one can, for example, move one's hand until the right angle is achieved and so on. Then, once the whole trick is learned, film it and see how it looks, i.e. fluency, talking, overall impression, ...

Yes, I wouldn't use a camera all the time, in fact, I use a mirror more than my camera! But that could just be because mine is one of thouse ancient VHS only cameras.

It's a really good idea to go through the whole thing in your mind from the point of view of the spectator. Do it in great detail, so that you get a very clear idea of how it's going to be perceived by someone else. I do this sometimes when I can't get to sleep of an afternoon

Joking apart, it can give you a whole new perspective and sometimes good ideas for improving the presentation even more.

scripting! even if you do yer street magic thing...script the whole thing, it'll help you rehearse, will help you keep track of any gaping holes in your structure...plus it sticks in your mind quicker...

once you learn the effect inside and out, then you go "jazz"...