talkmagic.co.uk

Here's just a quick performance of 'Ace Sandwich' performed by me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xqy9pezH9E

That was fab. It that your own effect or was it out of a book/DVD? I love sandwich tricks and that was not too technically demanding, which is right up my street.

I think it was pretty good, still think it would be better with some audience paticipation. For example them taking the card and replacing it, or them miraculously finding the aces before the trick started. I know this is hard to video, but otherwise it was well performed.

I think the patter is way too casual. The way you talk - I mean, the intonation and everything - seems straight out of an ordinary dinner table conversation at home.

Examples:

* "For this trick I'm gonna need" - not exactly an original way to start a performance. Also, I don't like it when a performance is introduced as being a trick, particularly when it's pronounced as a very casual "chrik". Sounds so unprofessional. The casualness of "gonna" doesn't help either.
* "and the card from the middle of the pack" - there's a loud sigh just after the word "pack" which will make the audience feel as bored as you sound.
* "with the king in the middle of course" - the phrase "of course" tells the audience, "this is obvious, this is boring, there are no surprises coming here". It is as effective as any sigh.
* "now it hasn't completely disappeared of course" - this whole phrase is pure 100% grate. It's so casual, so dinner-table, like something out of an extremely tedious and pedantic argument.

Sorry to be so negative. The same faults are evident on far too many Youtube performances.

When i perform at restaurants etc i don't use this kind of patter at all it's just I'm not prepared to talk as if there was someone there because the fact is, there isn't so i just perform it casually, i only do these videos to entertain the public so i don't really think it's that necessary to use great patter.

I really liked the effect. However, I must agree that your patter should have been done better. Yes, there was no-one else there, but that is probably the only performance I will ever see from you, and now I associate you with "ah... he sounded bored" or something similar. I really do think that you should have a better patter than "now the king's here... now it's not... now there are 2 face up black aces in the deck... look the king's in between them". Sorry to be harsh.

Adrian Morgan wrote:I
* "with the king in the middle of course" - the phrase "of course" tells the audience, "this is obvious, this is boring, there are no surprises coming here". It is as effective as any sigh.

Do you mean when the king was between the two red aces and he turned them face up on top of the pack? I think this is good because he turned over the "three" cards as one and audiences don't see that a lot so they may have been a little confused?

Adrian has hit the nail on the head. It doesn't matter if nobody is there, talk to us as the viewers. It's good to practise your patter for varying situations and different type of people.

magicmystro wrote:When i perform at restaurants etc i don't use this kind of patter at all it's just I'm not prepared to talk as if there was someone there because the fact is, there isn't so i just perform it casually, i only do these videos to entertain the public so i don't really think it's that necessary to use great patter.

If it's on video there's always someone there - you just can't see them.

Or else look at it this way. Your signature says, "Live Magic Breath Magic". Now, either you actually mean "breath magic" as in a type of magic that uses breath in the same way that card magic uses cards (but personally, I don't see the potential - for example you can't have an invisible breath routine because breath is supposed to be invisible) or else it's a mis-spelling for "breathe magic". And I don't understand how you can claim to "breathe magic" if there's no enthusiasm in your ordinary, everyday patter. To breathe magic you must speak magic, and you weren't breathing any magic when you sighed that sigh.

I would advise the young man to ignore the nitpicking criticism above. I, Mark Lewis am one of the greatest card magicians of all time and couldn't see anything particularly wrong with the patter. Actually I am THE greatest card magician of all time but I don't want to seem immodest by saying so.

You must try out your trick on laymen and go by what they say rather than the biased views of magicians. If a layman thinks you are the greatest thing since sliced bread then you probably are. If he thinks that your trick is boring then it probably is.

The opinions of other magicians are of no consequence and should always be ignored. I learned that a long time ago. The only exception is if the magician is so superb that he has to be listened to. However he may still be wrong as his advice pertains to you.

As a general rule only go by the reactions of laymen. Never magicians.

I already do perform this trick to laymen it's a trick i perform when i have to perform at restaurants.

Nicely performed - though I'm not keen on the finish, myself. I think it plays a bit stronger if the cards aren't openly cut in the fashion of your video, but that's just me.

Nice work.

I bloody love this trick, not sure where i learnt it now, but it is a good one. Your performance of it is good, forget the debate on your patter, im sure its good when it matters.

Personally i get the audience to pick a card and then do a really bad glimpse, they think they've caught me out so i say ok, i'll do something else and continue with the trick!


good start to an ACR also!

Adrian Morgan wrote:

magicmystro wrote:When i perform at restaurants etc i don't use this kind of patter at all it's just I'm not prepared to talk as if there was someone there because the fact is, there isn't so i just perform it casually, i only do these videos to entertain the public so i don't really think it's that necessary to use great patter.

If it's on video there's always someone there - you just can't see them.

Or else look at it this way. Your signature says, "Live Magic Breath Magic". Now, either you actually mean "breath magic" as in a type of magic that uses breath in the same way that card magic uses cards (but personally, I don't see the potential - for example you can't have an invisible breath routine because breath is supposed to be invisible) or else it's a mis-spelling for "breathe magic". And I don't understand how you can claim to "breathe magic" if there's no enthusiasm in your ordinary, everyday patter. To breathe magic you must speak magic, and you weren't breathing any magic when you sighed that sigh.

WTF...Its a card trick,no need to over analys it.Does it matter if he meant breathe magic or breath magic.Do you really care

WTF...Its a card trick,no need to over analys it.Does it matter if he meant breathe magic or breath magic.Do you really care

Flood, slow down there! No need for aggression. It's a card trick, it's magic, of course it matters. If you believe performing a trick with bad patter or without passion, you clearly know nothing about magic.[/code]