talkmagic.co.uk

Hi, I will soon be doing my first close-up booking (for free) in a few weeks and just need some advice on whether buying a close up table would be a good idea. It's just that I haven't seen a close-up magician using one yet.

It's in a marquee and there won't be hardly any tables and I enjoy performing magic such as John Bannon's Royal Scam for which a table would be needed.

Any opinions at all on using close-up tables at professional bookings would be appreciated not only for this particular booking but also for situations such as drinks receptions where tables are not available. Would I also use it next to dinner tables at all when people have sat down for their meal?

Any advice would be much appreciated and any recommended tables as well.

Thanks.

There are a few threads in existance on this topic so it would be worth checking the out.

I use a close up table for some performances but not when table hopping. I think that you'll find it too cumbersome around tables and will most likely get knocked over on a frequent basis. However, using a table when you want an audience to come to you is where it works best and it's very rare that I work without a table when doing trade shows.

You'll see in other threads that I've made my own table as I've never liked the standard magician's tables that you tend to get on web sites. I first got this idea when seeing Michael Vincent lecture.

Five of Hearts magic do a table hopper which is rather neat and works well in table hopping situations. It has a small platform and a bag to keep your bits and pieces together.

See http://www.fiveofheartsmagic.co.uk and look on page five or so on the close up magic section

I have one of these and have used it on a couple of occasions depending on the type of booking.

I'm the first to admit that I'm not a close-up worker but I have invested some time in doing the grind over the years and I've found that most venues don't have enough room for you to have your own table and too, there is no room on the existing tables for you to set up some sort of box... you can barely set a medium sized close-up pad for that matter. Long story short, why waste the cash?

If you are being tucked into a corner somewhere as a side draw then get yourself a simple table with a nice cloth; I've used folding TV tables as well as Waiter's Tables, butcher's blocks and even the tail of a dragon (he was a large steel sculpting whose tail tip worked perfectly for a small close-up pad and one's Cups & Balls routine.) The ONLY Close-up tables I've ever used were the ones in the Magic Castle's Parlor and Close-Up Gallery or the two down in the basement in the Pub area or the old Museum section (which I believe was all gutted out and changes around some years ago... I'm uncertain.)

So you may want to weigh things out in that it just don't seem practical unless you are going to do pitch work on the sidewalks. Even then, you want simple and light so you can pack and take off in a flash... trust me, there are times you must do such things.

get some velvet cloth to take around with you so if you find yourself on a table with an unsuitable surface you can drape the cloth over it atleast.

Surely you just need some common sense. If people are coming to you, you can have a table. As Craig and MasterCyde say, you don't need a special table, but you might want to ensure you have a cloth or mat that you can use. You will also have to make sure that at least one table is available for you to use! If it won't be, either do stuff that doesn't require a table, or bring along a small fold-up table from somewhere.

Another option, if you get a lot of sit-down work (i.e. don't bother for your first gig) is a drawer unit. I know both Mikame and Five of Hearts Magic do them. They comprise a portable drawer, which can hold props, and the top surface is a close-up mat. I think they intimate that people can move these from table to table, but I don't really think this is feasible, because they take up a lot of space.

Some people say you should not use things like close-up mats when table-hopping, both because there might not be space, but also because it's unnecessarily invasive of people's space.

If you are moving round, a table is cumbersome. At drinks receptions, you might be in someone's way. It's almost a certainty if you are table-hopping, as the waiting staff will have to get between the tables.

The Hopper dat8962 mentions is a very clever bit of kit. It clips onto a table, but doesn't really require any real surface space. Useless if there is no table at all, of course, and possibly a bit of a hassle to move round a lot.

You may very well like doing material with a table, but as so many people have said, you may have to choose your material to suit the venue. I think perhaps you should find out more about what you're expected to do and, if you will have people come to you, if a table will be available.

Thanks for your comments and sharing your experience with me. I think I may buy a close up table if I find one for a good price but seeing as it doesn't appear that i am going to get much use from it I don't think I will invest in anything very expensive. I have a nice cloth and close up mat which i will take with me and will ensure I have enough tricks on me that don't require a table in case it isn't practical to use one. Having not done my first booking yet I am trying to cover off everything but I am sure as I get more experience with different situations I will know what will work best with each event.

Thanks again for your replies.

Having a little close up mat when you're table hopping came be quite useful. An idea that I read once, I think it was Mark Leveridge who wrote it was that by using a small close up mat, you're kind of saying that this is my space. Any people are much less likely to grab something that's on your mat than if it's on the table.

Not that I've ever really had a problem with specs grabbing what they shouldn't (who wants to put that one on inuendo bingo?) it does create a nice little boundry between your things and theirs.

Lady of Mystery wrote:Having a little close up mat when you're table hopping came be quite useful. An idea that I read once, I think it was Mark Leveridge who wrote it was that by using a small close up mat, you're kind of saying that this is my space.

I think that's the problem others (such as Kenton Knepper) have highlighted. It isn't your space, it is their table (for the time being). A very good reason to have a mat if you're sat at a table, and people are coming to you, but I'm not convinced it's very polite if you are table hopping.

Having a little close up mat when you're table hopping came be quite useful

sorry to go off topic a bit, but I always kinda find it hard to put my mat somewere, people end up moving their plates etc for it to be placed down and i always feel rude?

You've illustrated Kenton's point perfectly, Chris.

A good couple of points guys.

Like everything, I think that it depends alot on the situation, if you're going to have to juggle a table around to make spacde for a mat than it probabaly not a good idea to use one.

But if you've got a nice, spacey table that by popping a little mat down isn't going to get in anyone's way then I see them as a good idea.

If you are going to do this regularly then develop 5 or 6 routines which don't need tables or cloths and make sure they don't need resetting (or have very fast minimal resets) and ensure all the props fit in your pockets so you don't need to carry a bag or case around with you, and you have considered your pocket management (loading & dumping etc.).

Then you will be able to work any venue with the same set of routines whether stand up mix & mingle drinks receptions, table hopping, BBQs, Trade Shows etc.

I worked a wedding reception at the weekend where the tables were so close together it was difficult to find a place to squeeze between people and stand at each table let alone get another table in and there was so much stuff on the tables I would never have got a mat or cloth down.

You can always ask someone to put their hands together and use them as an impromptu table if you need to simply place props down as part of your routine (eg. sponge balls)

I'm with Chris on this one and never use a close up mat when working at tables.

You're also in danger of getting food and drink spilled all over it which stuffs you if you're mid way through.

Unless you intend to buy a close up table with a "well" or one with some traps or even black art, I wouldn't waste the money. I personaly recommend a 3 1/2 foot stool with a top of about 1X1-2X2 feet. Cover the top with ethier velvet or a close up pad (I prefer velvet because it's cheap and there isn't very much or a difference inbetween the two). Don't use a table if your table hoping though, they just get in the way, as said earlier.