talkmagic.co.uk

I have just made my very first magic youtube video, the link to it is here :-

http://youtu.be/61ljpzo-flg

I know my patter is rubbish, but, tell me what you think guys.

For a youtube video you could do that trick with 4 extra aces and no one would be any the wiser

Well done Try making it look a bit more 'magical'. At the moment its just riffle, heres the card. I think it needs to be paced a bit better

Also the 3rd ace going in face-up seems a bit obvious to me. Try and figure out a way around that, but still maintaining the same effect.

And with more practice it will become more fluid and the cards will feel as if they belong in the hands! Good luck

It was akward. Don't hate me actually you can hate me thats is up to you, but I will try to help, although you may not like it.

There is nothing wrong with your method, it was clean, it was pretty smooth and it got the job done.

I should point out that the method for this particular version of the trick was poor, but you did a great job with what you had to work with. Meaning while I love this type of effect, there are far better methods that will enable you to do the exact same thing. Perhaps if this effect was put in the middle of a routine it would be better.

Your first issue was the initial display of the aces. What an odd way to show four cards and because there was nothing before we can't exactly see what is 'normal' for you. So there is suspicion from the get go.

A better way, (if it works with your method) is to have the aces in the deck to begin with turn the deck towards you and as you fan through the cards upjog the aces, once you have found all four remove them together and then slide them into that akward display, (that is if you must use that display). Because really who starts out with the four cards held that way?

Secondly I can see what you are doing. You don't have to tell me every detail. This is a common error so don't worry about it, just fix it. It makes for a very boring effect.

I'll try for an example here of what would be better.

Take out the cards, show four aces.

"four aces, loved by gamblers and magicians all over the world. Doesn't matter what you do with them" at this point they go face down on top of the deck but don't tell them that just do it! 'cause if your good with cards...or a magician, they always come when called' During this patter the four cards go face down onto the table, again don't explain it, just do it.

"First ace, or bullet as the old timers called them goes to the bottom, with a snap of the fingers and a flick of the wrist it jumps to the top, the second goes in reverse" Suit your words to actions. See what I am doing? I am not just telling you what I am doing as I'm doing it, I'm telling a story. The description is in the story.

The problem with describing what you are doing while you are doing it is that the trick does not engage the audience and at that point they are free to think about method rather than be involved in the effect. So they will begin to wonder things like, 'why are the aces face down? I never really saw the aces except at the very beginning. When the audience cannot engage, your routine is in trouble.

In the middle of the routine you attempted to show the ace going into the deck, but you never really showed the ace, it looked like you were trying hide the card rather than show it. Either show it, or don't show it. If you insist on trying that gambit then you have to go about it correctly. You can't say, 'See the Ace is going into the deck" and then try to show an ace that really isn't an ace' What you have to do is pause, look the spectator in the eye and causually flip the deck so they see what the presume to be an ace out of the corner of their eye. But it has to be really smooth and done on an off beat and you have to have great amounts of courage and a wee bit of faith.

All this could be avoided of course by using a different method for this type of effect. There are lots of them out there, keep on trying till you find one that works for you. Mark Wilson's Course in Magic has a few alternatives.

As I said in the begining, you did it, and thats the first step. Congrats and I really think with a little seasoning you will do very well. Keep up the good work.

If you managed to read through all my drivel then thanks for reading.

Brian

I'm sorry, but I'm kind of going to have to say something a little negative too. It was a neat trick, and I'm guessing because all the people here are a little more aware of card magic, they will all spot the method you used. However, that is all it was a neat trick.

Personally, I think that the first mistake you made was making a youtube video in the first place. I've mentioned this before but youtube webcam magic just screams teenager in their bedroom. I don't really know what you want to get out of your magic, but I'm sure you don't want to send out that image.

Secondly, I'd imagin that your average joe would be fooled by this method even if magicians could spot it, but even with better patter and performance, I can't really see this making the jump from a trick to magic. I would say that if you're going to do something that is clearly slights and misdirection, like a card under the box routine, then it should be so impossible seeming that the spectators can still be amazed at how you can still pull it off under their watchful eyes, even though in their hearts they know it's trickery.

Anyway, was it a trick you learnt from somewhere else, or something you came up with? Either way, good luck with it and I'd say that if you really feel the need to film your effects, then film yourself performing to real people, not just the web cam.

hds02115 wrote:I'm sorry, but I'm kind of going to have to say something a little negative too. It was a neat trick, and I'm guessing because all the people here are a little more aware of card magic, they will all spot the method you used. However, that is all it was a neat trick.

Personally, I think that the first mistake you made was making a youtube video in the first place. I've mentioned this before but youtube webcam magic just screams teenager in their bedroom. I don't really know what you want to get out of your magic, but I'm sure you don't want to send out that image.

Secondly, I'd imagin that your average joe would be fooled by this method even if magicians could spot it, but even with better patter and performance, I can't really see this making the jump from a trick to magic. I would say that if you're going to do something that is clearly slights and misdirection, like a card under the box routine, then it should be so impossible seeming that the spectators can still be amazed at how you can still pull it off under their watchful eyes, even though in their hearts they know it's trickery.

Anyway, was it a trick you learnt from somewhere else, or something you came up with? Either way, good luck with it and I'd say that if you really feel the need to film your effects, then film yourself performing to real people, not just the web cam.

I agree with the whole youtube thing except if it is listed as unpublished which means that you can only see it if you have the link, a search will not find it then I don't see the problem because after all the person posting is asking for help. It is much easier to help if we can see what the poster is actually doing.

If you read my blog you can click on my youtube links of our fox release and possum release but you can't find them if you search youtube, you can only see them by clicking on my link. (I just learned all about this a week or two ago).

But yes if you are putting it out there for everyone to see then it is a bad idea.

Secondly anything can be made into something magicial. I used to think like you but I've learned in the right hands...well what you think may be impossible can be very possible.

I'm not sure the original poster is anywhere near making this a performance piece but he is going in the right direction. One has to start somewhere.

Well, tbh, I mainly was using that little trick to test my webcam setup, which is a PS3 eyetoy on a stand, it was a trick learned off the Iphone, so, wasn't anything exceptional and I agree with all you comments, both positive and negative.
When I am truly ready to start making proper videos, it will be when I have perfected anything I do, thanks guys for your words of wisdom.