talkmagic.co.uk

hey guys
i am thinking about doing some street magic this summer holidays in places like shopping malls swimming baths, and just around generally busy places.

i am just wondering how i should approuch someone on the street, and what to say i just dont want to go and make myself look liek an idiot .

And what types of tricks are best for street magic?? I am looking for unbelievible mind blowing tricks (not liek the ambitious card that gets no re action) mebe some good coin tricks that require no props, well if you have any suggestions on any of the things posted in this message plz reply.


Thanks

I'd suggest if your ambious card gets no reaction you might want to look at your presentation.

Happy Toad wrote:I'd suggest if your ambious card gets no reaction you might want to look at your presentation.

Most tricks are and should be mind blowing when presented correctly, young Ben.

Ambitious card is a classic of card magic for that exact reason.

And if I remember rightly, you don't have a lot of money, and buying the 'mindblowing' tricks you're probably thinking of is gonna be way out of your league.

I think there's a small issue of a licence to perform too...

very difficult to do a coin trick without a prop ie a coin

okey dokey if you are sitting comftably then i shall begin, as an attention getter you cant go wrong with the old classic stiff rope also consider your dress it should emediatly highlight you from the crowd and convey your intentions.

trick wise with no props that kind of limits you but if you are proficiant at slieghts then:-
vanishing and reapearing bouncy ball is fun and you can incorporate a colur change if you have one with two coloured halfs .
copper silver transpo in and out of specs hand.
coins across.
card to wallet sorry a wallet's a prop.
card to pocket .
cut and restored rope though technicly the rope is a prop.

thats about all at the moment, i'll get back to you.....MagicDiscoMan wanders off to the basement considering non prop tricks, perhapse super sharie....no thats a prop too.

i was thinking of mebe an ambitious card routine and i have hardly tried my routine but i have seen it on TV and magic vids ambitious card gets no reactions, i will tyr it anyway of course.

Here is some tricks i was thinking of doing

Sponge Balls
Mebe buy some small silks and do an entertaining trick i saw this guy in magic shop do.
erm some rope magic.
obvious coins accross
ambitious card
(card to wall) lo,l


i am going to put much more thought into this and mebe find a job to give me money. (any suggestions on thats job for under 16s plz reply to message).

thanks for help so far

Those you've suggested should all be fine, esp sponge balls and rope. How about invisable deck, always a winner and only a fiver.

Ok ben,
like MagicDiscoMan said, your 'costume' and way you present yourself is crucial to the public taking you seriously and not thinking "its just some kid who wants to show me a magic trick", its hard making people take you seriously when your young, i've been there.

I think i understand where your coming from with the "prop" thing but the unknown use of shells and copper/silver is a great way to create "mindblowing" effects. this comes down to preparation and routining. You cant expect to go out and make money by just walking down the street and showing someone a trick.
Your routine will have to inviolve items that stand out in the busy enviroment of a highstreet so you can gather an audience.

Where you planning on doing a circle show or a walkaround style routine/act? This determines how you will gather and keep audience attention.

Bean.

whats the brainwave deck liek i heard this guy in a magic shop saying its unbelievable what are your guys opinions?? and what kind of clothes shall i wear something that will sytand out i cnt really think of anything. mebe a wierd mask lol or something, i could buy the bo selecta david blaine mask. that would be a laugh. what u guys think???

and i am going to hit the books hard on coin magic in 2 weeks when my bobo book comes.

It's along the lines of the invisable deck though in my opinion not quite as good.

I like the brainwave deck but due to the differing colours its not as easy to replay to the same audience in the same way the ID is.

As for the costume, if you are performing magic on the streets you will need to look different to other people around you. Wearing a suit and tie would aid you in standing out. It depends on your persona though. Do you want to be wacky?i.e. bright clothes big hat? or serious? i.e. shirt, tie waistcoat? It depends on who you are and how you want to be portrade(sp?). The mask idea is cool but by wearing a mask does it break down the rapport with the specs? This is essential if you want to make some money out of it. Also wearing a mask could hinder your patter. If you wear doing a circle style show perhaps to music you could get away with a mask utilising gestures and such.

You can wear/do anything that aids you in the way you want to perform but you have to remeber what you want to do and ask the question, is this going to add or detract from my performance?

Bean

right, i think i wouldl go for the suit and tie. Now i have to buy one. i will be needing one later this year for at my school. my dad will get me one then and i will do street magic then, for now i dont know what to do, do people in england give tips for magicians???? it would be nice if they do.

balejben wrote:for now i dont know what to do,

practise, practise, practise!

i am currently doing 2 weeks of work experience for school and i have ended up doing 11hr unpaid days, by the time i get home i am shattered, and need sleep. But i will find sometime to practise I'm looking forward to my bo bo modern coin magic book, its ordere and will take 2 weeks to get here so soon as i have finished this work i will have to go fetch my book then practise practise practise thans for all your help.

I spent a lot of time last year working on the streets entertaining the tourists that we get over here and I suppose as they are on holiday they are 'in the mood' to have a good time and BE entertained.

Your clothes as said earlier are very important. You MUST stand out in a crowd. I used to wear jeans, white short sleeved shirt (which took away the question of anything up the sleeve), a waistecoat with a very loud card design on it and a trilby hat. I was never un-noticed...

Another thing to consider is taking a couple of friends out with you to 'get the ball rolling'. The general public are naturally curious and if they see 2 or 3 people watching someone else doing something with them, it is a natural reaction for them to stop to see what is going on. This can also be considered from a safety aspect as well... i.e. there's safety in numbers.

Don't take too many tricks out with you. I used to use a couple of packs of cards, the set ups for Color Monte, Double Back and NFW and occasionally a few coins. You don't need to take a whole show with you as you should only really show 1 trick to 1 or 2 people.

Let us know how you get on and don't hesitate in asking if I can help you in any other way.

Oooohh Nearly forgot... Don't forget to let the police know what you are doing and make sure that you don't block people from walking down the streets as believe it or not, you can be prosecuted for causing an obstruction. If you are doing this for tips etc, you will also have to inform the council and get hold of a buskers liscense. They used to be free a few years ago when I was in the UK but you never know, there may be a small charge now!!

Gordon Bean's Monte 3.0. Absolutely fantastic. A Monte that is done in your hands (and the spectators) and leaves you with three cards that the spectator can examine. In addition to that it is instantly reset. Very strong. Takes a little while to learn, but the demo video on the Magiclabs website really helps. good luck.