The bright lights

Struggling with an effect? Any tips (without giving too much away!) you'd like to share?

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The bright lights

Postby Pandywooo » May 15th, '11, 00:46



Hi everyone, i've just joined and thought i'd share a moment in my magic life :D .
I've always loved playing cards, something about just holding a deck, I'm sure there are loads of people that understand what I mean. Even as a youngster i'd pretend to do card tricks even though I didnt actually know any. I'm sure my parents found it highly amusing/irritating haha.
Well i've been putting a bit of practice into card sleights and flourishes, handling the cards in the brief 5 minute lulls I get at work and whilst watching telly at home. Slowly but surely I'm getting better.
I've put some of these techniques to work with select tricks, card control, palming etc and have got quite good at a few...so I thought!

I decided to show a friend one of these tricks, the Houdini Change. It works nicely in my living room but I didn't take into consideration the differences in my house with its nice subdued lighting and friendly shadows compared to the stark bright light of florescent tubes in the workplace which tend to be right above you.
I dont have the biggest hands and in the past have broken a couple of bones which makes some gaps between my fingers. To cut a long story short, because of the lighting, he saw straight through the gaps in my fingers and knew exactly what i'd done. I understand now that there is more to consider when doing a trick even when you're fairly confident in the technique.
I'm glad this happened though because it's changed the way I approach my practice and if i'd started to cut corners, albeit unintentionally, this should tighten everything up again.
I'm sure there are a lot more things I need to consider and I guess these things come with experience.
I have decided that If I have any doubt of my ability in the heat of the moment, I should perform the trick 1 inch from the observers face and as fast as I possibly can befor emaking a hasty retreat.

Haha

Noobie mistakes, gotta love em!

Andy

:P

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Postby BrucUK » May 15th, '11, 07:40

I'm sure there are a lot more things I need to consider and I guess these things come with experience.

Yes :D
Sometimes in close-up, being closer is better, but lighting is an area that I have not seen being directly observed and discussed before. Good observations.
Bruce

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Postby Alec Burns » May 15th, '11, 10:27

A great piece of advice I was once given is still used by me to this day. I'll share it on the off chance it's not something you do.

When you practice something such as a palm. Stand in front of a mirror and do the same actions WITHOUT palming a card and then see what your empty hand naturally does. You should then replicate this while palming a card. I'm lucky and have quite big hands so I can b
Close my hand quite a lot without causing damage to the card.

Hope that helps!

Alec

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Postby jim ferguson » May 15th, '11, 19:05

Great point Alec. I have written about this a couple of times on the forum. With ANY sleight it is very important to understand the reality we are trying to duplicate. If we are learning, say, a false pass, we must first study what a real pass looks like - how our hands move, the timing, the shape and 'poses' our hands naturaly make etc. What is also important yet seems to be looked over by many is how our hands and body are just before a pass and just after (im using a false pass as an example though this applys to all sleights).
    jim


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Postby Pandywooo » May 15th, '11, 23:35

Funilly enough that was possibly one of the first things I ever heard about performance that really made sense to me. It took me a long time to mentally let go of the fact that, yes I'm doing this action but to the observer I'm actually doing a different action so what should that action really look like. I spent many many hours taking a coin from one hand into the other in preparation for the french drop (which I'm still not convinced looks natural) On another note, to help me in performing well with both hands I will study what my dominant right hand does and try to replicate that with my left hand. In actual fact I do it with a lot of things in life, although I dont consider myself ambidextrous, it seems to be possible to teach yourself to be. Another topic methinks!

:D

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Postby Nic Castle » May 16th, '11, 00:10

Great post Pandy, we often neglect the effect of different lighting and shadows on our performance. I know I do, the advice the other people have posted on here is excellent and can make all the difference when learning and performing sleights.

Another point you might want to look into when performing sleights and that is movement. Movement can be used to make people look at your hands or away from them. You mentioned gaps betweenyour fingers due to past injuries, slight movement and an altered angle of your hands may solve that issue for you. Practicing infront of a mirror or filming yourself will help you find the best technique.

Nic

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Postby jim ferguson » May 16th, '11, 00:55

Pandywooo wrote: I spent many many hours taking a coin from one hand into the other in preparation for the french drop (which I'm still not convinced looks natural)


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Postby Discombobulator » May 16th, '11, 17:40

your body language says a lot.

For a French Drop, assuming you are taking the object from your LH supposedly to your RH then at the end of the move you should end up looking at your RH and your LH should be pointing towards your RH. Everything about you should say... "Look here at my RH, I'm looking here, I expect it to be here and so should you"

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Postby Pandywooo » May 16th, '11, 22:46

The gaps between my fingers are only slight and maybe I think about them too much to stay natural, dark faced cards might be an idea. Some very helpful stuff on the french drop there thanks. Actually made me think that maybe movement is a key point to making things look natural. Its a bit like telling a lie and the little things that give you away. I need to look at myself a little closer methinks! :?

Andy

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Postby jim ferguson » May 17th, '11, 00:55

Discombobulator wrote:your LH should be pointing towards your RH.
    Nah, that is one tradition that should definetely be forgotton. I know that its described this way in some books but its not really the best of ideas. I mentioned in one of my posts above that we should study what our hands etc do, not only during a move, but just proir to and just after aswell. What our 'dirty' hand does just after a false pass is very important. If you REALLY passed a coin from one hand to the other I dont think you would then point at the hand containing the coin, would you ?
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