Some so called professionals say magic shows should only be performed if the performer is getting some kind of pay. Their explanation is it “cheapens the art form” to do magic for free.
I believe that sort of none sense comes from people who don’t understand the power of giving. These people don’t understand the idea of doing something or giving something out without expecting to get paid or have a favor done in return.
To say doing a free show for a hospital cheapens the art is like saying Toys for Tots cheapens the retail industry, volunteering at a soup line cheapens the food industry, or caroling cheapens Christmas.
Some so called professionals say that it hurts the art to do free shows for charities.
I don’t believe a great performance done for free hurts magic. In fact, I believe it hurts the art when you have a poor performer, who really doesn’t like children or people for that matter, perform for a group and gets paid to stroke their ego. A poor performance always hurts the art more than a lower price.
If the “professionals” set aside their egos and put more emphasis on their performance, rehearsed their show more, and had better customer service, then their customers and the public would see value in buying their services and the professional would never have to worry about anyone undercutting them. Why pay to have the show of no value when you can get the amateur for free?
Is it the fault of the professional magician or the consumer when the consumer doesn’t find value in the professional magician’s show?
By performing for different charity events, you can get more pleasure out of them than if you sell out a theater. You can’t tell me it cheapens the art when you can help a child get the surgery their parents can’t afford. You can’t tell me a magician is hurting the art when they donate magic kits to orphans or kids in need for Christmas. And you can’t tell me a performer who lets parents see their child smile just one more time before cancer takes them, harms magic in anyway.
There is more to the art of magic than money.
There is more to friendship then having to get something from the people you call your friends.
There is more to family then always having to get your way.
I have been a magician for a long time and it has filled my wallet quite well. But the moments when my art can help someone, even when I’m not getting a check are the times I cherish, because those are the times magic fills my heart.
Always wishing the best,
Adam
Ebook
www.adamwhitemagic.com
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Rush, Rush, Rush
Have to get to the wife’s job’s Holiday party!
Have to get to the next gig!
Have to see the in-laws for dinner!
Have to get to the next gig!
Have to make it to the store for the sale!
Have to get to the next gig!
Have to get the mailer ready for January!
Have to get to the next gig!
Have to clean the house for company!
Have to get to the next gig!
Have to do dishes!
Have to get to the next gig!
There is a lot of rushing during this time of year. Sometimes tempers flare and sometimes in our rush we forget what the time is all about. Make an effort to be nice to the people around you. Friends, family or strangers. Any time you buy something, give the check out person a smile and wish them a Merry Christmas, even they took too long in your eyes.
One of my “Have to’s” this year is to keep in touch better with friends. At least contact them by email, phone or more preferably meet up with them, once a week.
Who know’s if we get to see them again, talk to them again, laugh with them again.
I can’t remember anyone saying, “I wish I spent less time with the one’s I love.”
That is my “Have to” this year.
Always wishing the best,
Adam
Ebook
www.adamwhitemagic.com
Have to get to the next gig!
Have to see the in-laws for dinner!
Have to get to the next gig!
Have to make it to the store for the sale!
Have to get to the next gig!
Have to get the mailer ready for January!
Have to get to the next gig!
Have to clean the house for company!
Have to get to the next gig!
Have to do dishes!
Have to get to the next gig!
There is a lot of rushing during this time of year. Sometimes tempers flare and sometimes in our rush we forget what the time is all about. Make an effort to be nice to the people around you. Friends, family or strangers. Any time you buy something, give the check out person a smile and wish them a Merry Christmas, even they took too long in your eyes.
One of my “Have to’s” this year is to keep in touch better with friends. At least contact them by email, phone or more preferably meet up with them, once a week.
Who know’s if we get to see them again, talk to them again, laugh with them again.
I can’t remember anyone saying, “I wish I spent less time with the one’s I love.”
That is my “Have to” this year.
Always wishing the best,
Adam
Ebook
www.adamwhitemagic.com
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Magic and Money
After performing some amazing feats of magic, the magician says…
“Now what I’m about to do next is very special and I know you might be tempted to say something funny or witty. But I warn you, you really shouldn’t say a word or you might ruin this next trick. Without saying anything, would you please bring out a one dollar bill and hand it to me?”
The magician again gestures for everyone to be quiet, by holding a finger to his lips as he patiently waits for the one dollar bill to be handed to him. The magician holds up the borrowed single and says…
“I still need you all to be quiet and not say anything because you see the first thing most people do when I ask for a one is they want me to make it into a larger bill, like a five, ten, twenty or on and on. Now here is the thing; I can do it, but you can’t ask for it. That’s why I’m having you not say anything.”
The magician performs the feat and turns the one into a five.
“Now see the reason why I can’t just stay home and do this is because I can hear my internal dialogue asking myself to turn the one into a five. Let me show you. “I want me to turn this five into a ten.”
The magician folds the bill up and it changes back into a one dollar bill.
“There, you see. Whenever someone asks or even when I ask myself to do it for myself it always backfires. So the key to this is when you see a magician, hand him a dollar bill and if you’re lucky, they’ll turn it into a five. But I have to warn you, most magicians will ask you, ‘what is this for?’ the problem is you can’t tell them or else the magic spell won’t work. But one more word of warning, if you hand a magician a one dollar bill and don’t say anything, most of the time they will just say ‘Thanks.’”
With that the magician places the one dollar bill in his pocket and walks away.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
www.adamwhitemagic.com
“Now what I’m about to do next is very special and I know you might be tempted to say something funny or witty. But I warn you, you really shouldn’t say a word or you might ruin this next trick. Without saying anything, would you please bring out a one dollar bill and hand it to me?”
The magician again gestures for everyone to be quiet, by holding a finger to his lips as he patiently waits for the one dollar bill to be handed to him. The magician holds up the borrowed single and says…
“I still need you all to be quiet and not say anything because you see the first thing most people do when I ask for a one is they want me to make it into a larger bill, like a five, ten, twenty or on and on. Now here is the thing; I can do it, but you can’t ask for it. That’s why I’m having you not say anything.”
The magician performs the feat and turns the one into a five.
“Now see the reason why I can’t just stay home and do this is because I can hear my internal dialogue asking myself to turn the one into a five. Let me show you. “I want me to turn this five into a ten.”
The magician folds the bill up and it changes back into a one dollar bill.
“There, you see. Whenever someone asks or even when I ask myself to do it for myself it always backfires. So the key to this is when you see a magician, hand him a dollar bill and if you’re lucky, they’ll turn it into a five. But I have to warn you, most magicians will ask you, ‘what is this for?’ the problem is you can’t tell them or else the magic spell won’t work. But one more word of warning, if you hand a magician a one dollar bill and don’t say anything, most of the time they will just say ‘Thanks.’”
With that the magician places the one dollar bill in his pocket and walks away.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
www.adamwhitemagic.com
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Chapter 3
Back in the days when Showmanship for Magicians was first published, there was no television, there were no rock bands with pyrotechnics, no summer blockbuster movies, no video games and no internet. During those times there was mainly radio, different varieties of live theater and motion pictures.
Though eras are different, the preferences of audiences truly have not changed that much over time. Audiences still prefer entertainment that includes conflict, character, and emotion.
Conflict, simply put, is a struggle. Some type of problem a person must overcome. The conflict can be between man vs. nature, man vs. circumstances, man vs. man, or man vs. himself.
It is much more interesting to watch a man trying to complete a task of accomplishment then it is to watch someone who has already succeeded. I think we see this everyday with celebrities. We are first happy for the fame these people get and then we buy the tabloid pictures or cruise the gossip websites trying to see how these people fall from grace.
Everyday people struggle. It may not be as elaborate as defending your home from aliens from another planet. Most people only have to struggle with the mundane tasks of paying bills, having to put up with their over confident boss, or driving through rush hour traffic. At the same time, all people can understand struggle, they can relate to it and watching someone struggle can make people actively think about the situation the character is going through, put themselves in the character’s shoes and fantasize what it would be like to be in the same situation.
This starts at a very early age, while some boys pin towels to their shirts pretending to fly, some little girls play the role of a princess in a Disney movie.
The conflict in a magic act doesn’t have to always be the classic sucker effect, of the magician faking to expose the trick, and then revealing the trick worked anyway.
Cardini’s act was nothing but conflict about a man who’s props seemed to come to life and pop up when they were not wanted.
Houdini’s famous for building conflict in his struggles to escape his binds.
I think the path most magicians take is the incorrect one and that is starting a conflict with the audience. When a magician brings out the “look how clever I am” attitude on stage or in their performance they put themselves on the other side of the playing field of most of the members of the audience. The show is nothing more than a challenge and a contest with the magician on one side struggling to keep the methods of his “amazing” feats a secret and the other side consisting of the audience attempting to figure the secrets out. I think most people would agree this situation, though amusing for a brief moment, is not a form of entertainment.
Here is a quote from one of my favorite movies, The Color of Money.
Eddie Felson: You're some piece of work... You're also a natural character.
Vincent Lauria: [to Carmen] You see? I been tellin' her that. I got natural character.
Eddie Felson: That's not what I said, kid. I said you *are* a natural character; you're an incredible flake.
[Vincent's smile fades; Eddie continues]
Eddie Felson: But that's a *gift*. Some guys spend half their lives trying to invent something like that. You walk into a pool room with that go-go-go, the guys'll be *killing* each other, trying to get to you. You got that... But I'll tell you something, kiddo. You couldn't find Big Time if you had a road map.
Having character is completely different than from being a character. Character is having charisma, being able to have people drawn to you. That can come from having a sense of humor, being charming, talented, and most important, humble. Being able to lead and guide others into different states of mind that you want them to go into. This could also be called rapport.
Some people are just characters. In the quote above, Eddie is telling Vincent that with his “go-go-go” he can get people to want to challenge him, want to beat him at his game. As a performer, you must know when the pep and excitement isn’t turning into that “go-go-go”, challenging attitude that turn a performance into nothing more than a battle of the wits.
Emotion is the way you can move an audience. The emotion doesn’t have to be a huge dramatic slap in the face or cheesy dramatic tear jerking. It can be as simple as making people laugh, smile, shock, be sympathetic, suspenseful. All of these can be done in a magic show successfully if thought out fully and performed well after following precise rehearsal.
If you watch television, movies, theater, music concerts and even some high quality productions on the internet you will see that the performances stress sex, common problems, sensations, complex situations and “escape” from the humdrum. You will also find comedy, nostalgia and sentiment.
Please also note a successful production is carefully rehearsed and routined, the material has been edited and selected. And at the end there should be a PUNCH! Details are considered; costume, make-up, lines and sets.
This attention to detail and knowing what people want can be incorporated to a magic show. Music, rhythm, staging. There is too much reliance on the mystery and the comedy. Costuming, grooming, make-up should be considered.
Most magic shows suffer from poor material, poor delivery, fumbling, lack of precision, slow tempo or having things be out of date.
Magic can’t be shaped to modern entertainment if public preferences are not catered to.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
www.adamwhitemagic.com
Though eras are different, the preferences of audiences truly have not changed that much over time. Audiences still prefer entertainment that includes conflict, character, and emotion.
Conflict, simply put, is a struggle. Some type of problem a person must overcome. The conflict can be between man vs. nature, man vs. circumstances, man vs. man, or man vs. himself.
It is much more interesting to watch a man trying to complete a task of accomplishment then it is to watch someone who has already succeeded. I think we see this everyday with celebrities. We are first happy for the fame these people get and then we buy the tabloid pictures or cruise the gossip websites trying to see how these people fall from grace.
Everyday people struggle. It may not be as elaborate as defending your home from aliens from another planet. Most people only have to struggle with the mundane tasks of paying bills, having to put up with their over confident boss, or driving through rush hour traffic. At the same time, all people can understand struggle, they can relate to it and watching someone struggle can make people actively think about the situation the character is going through, put themselves in the character’s shoes and fantasize what it would be like to be in the same situation.
This starts at a very early age, while some boys pin towels to their shirts pretending to fly, some little girls play the role of a princess in a Disney movie.
The conflict in a magic act doesn’t have to always be the classic sucker effect, of the magician faking to expose the trick, and then revealing the trick worked anyway.
Cardini’s act was nothing but conflict about a man who’s props seemed to come to life and pop up when they were not wanted.
Houdini’s famous for building conflict in his struggles to escape his binds.
I think the path most magicians take is the incorrect one and that is starting a conflict with the audience. When a magician brings out the “look how clever I am” attitude on stage or in their performance they put themselves on the other side of the playing field of most of the members of the audience. The show is nothing more than a challenge and a contest with the magician on one side struggling to keep the methods of his “amazing” feats a secret and the other side consisting of the audience attempting to figure the secrets out. I think most people would agree this situation, though amusing for a brief moment, is not a form of entertainment.
Here is a quote from one of my favorite movies, The Color of Money.
Eddie Felson: You're some piece of work... You're also a natural character.
Vincent Lauria: [to Carmen] You see? I been tellin' her that. I got natural character.
Eddie Felson: That's not what I said, kid. I said you *are* a natural character; you're an incredible flake.
[Vincent's smile fades; Eddie continues]
Eddie Felson: But that's a *gift*. Some guys spend half their lives trying to invent something like that. You walk into a pool room with that go-go-go, the guys'll be *killing* each other, trying to get to you. You got that... But I'll tell you something, kiddo. You couldn't find Big Time if you had a road map.
Having character is completely different than from being a character. Character is having charisma, being able to have people drawn to you. That can come from having a sense of humor, being charming, talented, and most important, humble. Being able to lead and guide others into different states of mind that you want them to go into. This could also be called rapport.
Some people are just characters. In the quote above, Eddie is telling Vincent that with his “go-go-go” he can get people to want to challenge him, want to beat him at his game. As a performer, you must know when the pep and excitement isn’t turning into that “go-go-go”, challenging attitude that turn a performance into nothing more than a battle of the wits.
Emotion is the way you can move an audience. The emotion doesn’t have to be a huge dramatic slap in the face or cheesy dramatic tear jerking. It can be as simple as making people laugh, smile, shock, be sympathetic, suspenseful. All of these can be done in a magic show successfully if thought out fully and performed well after following precise rehearsal.
If you watch television, movies, theater, music concerts and even some high quality productions on the internet you will see that the performances stress sex, common problems, sensations, complex situations and “escape” from the humdrum. You will also find comedy, nostalgia and sentiment.
Please also note a successful production is carefully rehearsed and routined, the material has been edited and selected. And at the end there should be a PUNCH! Details are considered; costume, make-up, lines and sets.
This attention to detail and knowing what people want can be incorporated to a magic show. Music, rhythm, staging. There is too much reliance on the mystery and the comedy. Costuming, grooming, make-up should be considered.
Most magic shows suffer from poor material, poor delivery, fumbling, lack of precision, slow tempo or having things be out of date.
Magic can’t be shaped to modern entertainment if public preferences are not catered to.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
www.adamwhitemagic.com
Friday, October 31, 2008
Showmanship for Magicians Chapter 2
Fitzkee encourages modernizing magic performance and props. There are a lot of props in magic that are very outdated.
Fitzkee goes into depth about the special tables magicians buy with the black felt and the tacky fringes and how modern tables never look like that anymore.
But not only the tables that have a problem. Boxes painted in contrasting colors, or worse, fake Chinese symbols. Black dice, funny looking stands and pedestals, and flowers that look like feather dusters is just the start of a list that goes on and on and on.
“Just because it is magical apparatus is no reason it can violate the rules of present day taste.”
If you are getting paid to do a show, you should consider your magical equipment the tools of your trade. Shouldn’t you put your best foot forward when attempting to make an impression?
Magic shops are not to blame for this, because magicians continue to purchase these things. Granted sometimes magicians don’t buy these, but the hobbyists who like to buy their little toys and to play with for an hour and then use them to cover the blank space on the shelf of their magic collection.
Again maybe the past influences magicians. Maybe they have the picture of the magician to be in tails with vibrant painted props, facial hair waxed in strange curls already stuck in their heads and so they feel they must continue the habit. I now see a bad habit of young magicians not dressing up at all. They wear the clothes they wear any where to do a show. Jeans and T-shirt advertising their favorite band. Maybe certain magicians on TV influence that and though acceptable for the realm of street magic, to perform a professional act unless your character is a slob, I would categorize as unacceptable.
Just recently I saw a man in his thirties doing a magic show with illusions and some manipulation in jeans, an untucked shirt and a coat. The shirt didn’t match the coat at all and the jeans looked worn and dirty. He looked ridiculous. Like he was a man that couldn’t face the fact he was getting older and wanted to hold on to his youth for just one more year. The audience judges you within the first five seconds you walk on stage and whether your performance is good or not, that conclusion they make in the first five seconds will haunt their minds and their impression of you for the rest of the show.
Many magicians are characters to their audiences. They have weird haircuts, eccentric behavior, unconventional dress, lack of proper grooming, bad conversation and talking habits.
They brag too much, lie too much and are disagreeable in the attitudes of others and without a care in personal grooming.
People don’t hire a magician for strange boxes, convoluted false stories of the travels around the world, or for poor performances.
No one hires someone for poor workmanship. If you hired a plumber and they did a poor job would you hire them again? If the cable company doesn’t have a clear picture for their channels, do you put up with that? Of course, you don’t.
Now as I discussed earlier, a majority of the people who go to magic shows don’t really know what to expect when seeing magic live. They only can relate magic shows to what they have seen in the past. If they don’t know what a good magic show is, then is it fine for a magician to do a sub par job of entertaining the audience? As a performer of the magical art it is our responsibility not only to the audience, but to the rest of professional magicians out there to the best job possible. To take the time to rehearse, to take the time to replace worn props, be well groomed, have clothes we are proud to wear in front of a crowd.
The point is most audiences are going to be polite to a performer. They’ll laugh politely at the same old lines and they’ll applaud kindly at the end of the show. But don’t think for a second that they didn’t notice the pants that weren’t pressed, the shoes that weren’t shined, the props that look old with the colors faded, or the prop is dirty, or the paint is chipped. Just because they don’t say anything doesn’t mean they didn’t notice, and at the same time you may not get a chance to hear again for it will be the last time you perform for them.
Mind your clothes. If you cannot afford the latest style at least take the time to press and clean them. Mind your grooming, make-up and mind your hands.
Patter is defined as “Glib and rapid talk; Idle chatter or gossip.”
The problem is this truly defines what most magicians have to say during their performances. Most of the time their words are nothing more than explaining the actions taking place or worse a chattering of gags that most of the time do not fit what is being presented.
Prepare, write your lines, memorize the lines, and rehearse. Yes, a lot of work, but none the less fairly simple.
Hiding the secret.
Some performers do not practice enough to make it so the audience can see the effect. Instead they hide the moment with a gag or gesture to block the view of the magic happening. This is a sign of bad rehearsal and performing what should not be performed in front of an audience.
Magic is supposed to be seen. No trick is worth performance if the secret of how it’s done is more important than the impression it makes on the audience.
A secret hoarder is not a magician from the standpoint of being an interesting entertainer.
Rehearse the magic, till it becomes out in the open and still amazing. Practice until the motions, the words and performance is to the ease of breathing. For when you are at this point you can worry about what is truly important; the audience.
One way of doing this is to go to performance of first-class productions, taking notes of dress and behavior. Listen to the music and how the performers responds, take not the delivery of the lines, study the reaction of the audience. Not just a magic show, but a professional theater production. Spend some money and become educated.
Then ask yourself. What do you prefer? Do you go to a magic show because they entertain you ? Or because your interested as a magician?
Fitzkee goes into depth about the special tables magicians buy with the black felt and the tacky fringes and how modern tables never look like that anymore.
But not only the tables that have a problem. Boxes painted in contrasting colors, or worse, fake Chinese symbols. Black dice, funny looking stands and pedestals, and flowers that look like feather dusters is just the start of a list that goes on and on and on.
“Just because it is magical apparatus is no reason it can violate the rules of present day taste.”
If you are getting paid to do a show, you should consider your magical equipment the tools of your trade. Shouldn’t you put your best foot forward when attempting to make an impression?
Magic shops are not to blame for this, because magicians continue to purchase these things. Granted sometimes magicians don’t buy these, but the hobbyists who like to buy their little toys and to play with for an hour and then use them to cover the blank space on the shelf of their magic collection.
Again maybe the past influences magicians. Maybe they have the picture of the magician to be in tails with vibrant painted props, facial hair waxed in strange curls already stuck in their heads and so they feel they must continue the habit. I now see a bad habit of young magicians not dressing up at all. They wear the clothes they wear any where to do a show. Jeans and T-shirt advertising their favorite band. Maybe certain magicians on TV influence that and though acceptable for the realm of street magic, to perform a professional act unless your character is a slob, I would categorize as unacceptable.
Just recently I saw a man in his thirties doing a magic show with illusions and some manipulation in jeans, an untucked shirt and a coat. The shirt didn’t match the coat at all and the jeans looked worn and dirty. He looked ridiculous. Like he was a man that couldn’t face the fact he was getting older and wanted to hold on to his youth for just one more year. The audience judges you within the first five seconds you walk on stage and whether your performance is good or not, that conclusion they make in the first five seconds will haunt their minds and their impression of you for the rest of the show.
Many magicians are characters to their audiences. They have weird haircuts, eccentric behavior, unconventional dress, lack of proper grooming, bad conversation and talking habits.
They brag too much, lie too much and are disagreeable in the attitudes of others and without a care in personal grooming.
People don’t hire a magician for strange boxes, convoluted false stories of the travels around the world, or for poor performances.
No one hires someone for poor workmanship. If you hired a plumber and they did a poor job would you hire them again? If the cable company doesn’t have a clear picture for their channels, do you put up with that? Of course, you don’t.
Now as I discussed earlier, a majority of the people who go to magic shows don’t really know what to expect when seeing magic live. They only can relate magic shows to what they have seen in the past. If they don’t know what a good magic show is, then is it fine for a magician to do a sub par job of entertaining the audience? As a performer of the magical art it is our responsibility not only to the audience, but to the rest of professional magicians out there to the best job possible. To take the time to rehearse, to take the time to replace worn props, be well groomed, have clothes we are proud to wear in front of a crowd.
The point is most audiences are going to be polite to a performer. They’ll laugh politely at the same old lines and they’ll applaud kindly at the end of the show. But don’t think for a second that they didn’t notice the pants that weren’t pressed, the shoes that weren’t shined, the props that look old with the colors faded, or the prop is dirty, or the paint is chipped. Just because they don’t say anything doesn’t mean they didn’t notice, and at the same time you may not get a chance to hear again for it will be the last time you perform for them.
Mind your clothes. If you cannot afford the latest style at least take the time to press and clean them. Mind your grooming, make-up and mind your hands.
Patter is defined as “Glib and rapid talk; Idle chatter or gossip.”
The problem is this truly defines what most magicians have to say during their performances. Most of the time their words are nothing more than explaining the actions taking place or worse a chattering of gags that most of the time do not fit what is being presented.
Prepare, write your lines, memorize the lines, and rehearse. Yes, a lot of work, but none the less fairly simple.
Hiding the secret.
Some performers do not practice enough to make it so the audience can see the effect. Instead they hide the moment with a gag or gesture to block the view of the magic happening. This is a sign of bad rehearsal and performing what should not be performed in front of an audience.
Magic is supposed to be seen. No trick is worth performance if the secret of how it’s done is more important than the impression it makes on the audience.
A secret hoarder is not a magician from the standpoint of being an interesting entertainer.
Rehearse the magic, till it becomes out in the open and still amazing. Practice until the motions, the words and performance is to the ease of breathing. For when you are at this point you can worry about what is truly important; the audience.
One way of doing this is to go to performance of first-class productions, taking notes of dress and behavior. Listen to the music and how the performers responds, take not the delivery of the lines, study the reaction of the audience. Not just a magic show, but a professional theater production. Spend some money and become educated.
Then ask yourself. What do you prefer? Do you go to a magic show because they entertain you ? Or because your interested as a magician?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Showmanship for Magicians Chapter 1
The major complaint Fitzkee shares in the first chapter is the lack of preparation that goes on when amateurs and hobbyists decide to perform for the public. I personally believe some hobbyists get the impression that if you know how to do a few pocket tricks, all of a sudden you will have personality and be an interesting person. Fitzkee as well as I disagree.
“Magic, as exhibited by the majority is the indulgence in a hobby which rarely instructs, seldom amuses and almost never entertains.”
The effects performed by the too enthusiastic and poorly rehearsed hobbyist never entertain anybody but the performer themselves. In addition, if the individual is not performing in most cases they themselves are bores.
Most audience don’t really care how clever YOU think you are. And the ads lie when it says “Everyone Likes to be Fooled.” Because of this it has to be our search to make sure someone watching our performances get something more out of it than just a little puzzle to be solved. People don’t like watching individuals stroke their own egos. And in most cases whether it is watching a movie, listening to a sales pitch or a watching a magic performance people want to feel like they are getting something out of the experience.
Magic is not magic if not performed in the presence of spectators. Because in any other form it becomes research, exercise, recreation, hobby or even a particularly exotic form of narcissism. There are magic hobbyists who know their place in the world. They collect their books, they collect their tricks, and they practice their sleights.
Even if one starts to get into magic as a fan, a collector or hobbyist, sooner or later they will want to perform.
It is at this point “the damage starts.”
And out of the thousands of tricksters out there very few take anytime for the thought and rehearsal of showmanship which is the lifeblood of entertainment.
Fitzkee believes a performer has no right to perform without intelligent preparation in selling entertainment to an audience big or small.
For it hurts not just the bungler, but all magicians as entertainers and it injures all magic as entertainment.
When a majority of the performances are poor than all of it is classed this way.
When Fitzkee talks about this I have to selfishly agree. He isn’t too gentle in the way he puts it but I think he writes with the passion of his beliefs.
I think most people who perform in front of people don’t understand their responsibility to their art form whatever it may be. An actor of a cast in a play has the responsibility to rehearse, memorize lines, hit their marks and give a believable performance not only to make themselves look good, but to support the rest of the cast and to suspend the belief of the audience watching. Now there are plenty of different ways for people to be exposed to the musical and theatre arts. All you have to do is turn on TV.
Magic on the other hand is rare. It’s rare to see good magic on TV and it’s even rarer for an individual to see a magical performance live in person. Because of how special of a moment it is, it amplifies the importance and the responsibility of the individual who is about to give the magical performance. Because people have few opportunities to witness magic in real life they do not have anything or very little to compare it to. So if the spectator as nothing else to relate the magical performance to and the performance was poor or at best amateur, then that is how the person is going to class all magical performances. It that fair? Not in the least, but this is how the human brain works.
The performing hobbyist don’t understand this responsibility for their goal is a selfish one. They perform magic to put themselves on a pedestal, to make themselves look good and sometimes just to get attention.
Since their intentions and worries are only focused on themselves as individuals, they have no concern for if the audiences are enjoying the performance, they are not concerned about the impression they are leaving on the audience, and they don’t care how the audience perceives magical performances afterwards. As a performer they must be good because they are in front of a crowd. They must be good because they are doing a magic trick that got great reviews in the latest magic journal. They must be good because they assume the people they are performing for are witnessing what the performer has dreamed up in their head, not what is actually taking place.
Most people don’t care to see magic when it is performed as nothing more than a quiz. Most people like to be leisurely entertained. That is why magazines are filed with narratives not puzzles. They also don’t talk about things, but instead people.
The only people who care for magic when presented as a puzzle is the child, an adult with a juvenile mentality, or the magic hobbyist.
Magicians are the only ones to blame. The Thurston Show was the most valuable property in show business at its time. No magic show comes close to that anymore.
It attained this distinction when its method of presentation was geared and attuned to the times.
“If your principal can so present a magic show that it once more appeals to the masses, he will be greater that Thurston, Herrman, or Houdini.” “And he’ll make a fortune.”
I think the words, “appeals to the masses” are key here. Not appeals to just magicians. Not appeals to just the performer. Not just appeals to a certain demographic. But appeals to the masses.
The information is sound not only for the large scale, two hour, one man show, but it is also important to the individual doing a single packet trick for an individual.
The person who does only a mediocre performance doing a close-up effect does just as much damage to the art of magic as a mediocre stage show.
This can be the most important reading a magician ever did, even if the only thing the reader gets from it is an urge to look upon his magic performance objectively, as his spectators see it.
I think the most important thing when looking at your own material is not whether you are proficient enough to keep the sleight or gimmick a secret. True, it is sometimes the first thing magicians worry about, but in most cases once the trick can be done without revealing the secret, the rehearsal stops there. But there is much, much more. Before we can even decided to do the effect much less perform it in front of others is to ask ourselves, “what does the audience get out of this?”
“A small bit of entertainment,” is not the answer
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
“Magic, as exhibited by the majority is the indulgence in a hobby which rarely instructs, seldom amuses and almost never entertains.”
The effects performed by the too enthusiastic and poorly rehearsed hobbyist never entertain anybody but the performer themselves. In addition, if the individual is not performing in most cases they themselves are bores.
Most audience don’t really care how clever YOU think you are. And the ads lie when it says “Everyone Likes to be Fooled.” Because of this it has to be our search to make sure someone watching our performances get something more out of it than just a little puzzle to be solved. People don’t like watching individuals stroke their own egos. And in most cases whether it is watching a movie, listening to a sales pitch or a watching a magic performance people want to feel like they are getting something out of the experience.
Magic is not magic if not performed in the presence of spectators. Because in any other form it becomes research, exercise, recreation, hobby or even a particularly exotic form of narcissism. There are magic hobbyists who know their place in the world. They collect their books, they collect their tricks, and they practice their sleights.
Even if one starts to get into magic as a fan, a collector or hobbyist, sooner or later they will want to perform.
It is at this point “the damage starts.”
And out of the thousands of tricksters out there very few take anytime for the thought and rehearsal of showmanship which is the lifeblood of entertainment.
Fitzkee believes a performer has no right to perform without intelligent preparation in selling entertainment to an audience big or small.
For it hurts not just the bungler, but all magicians as entertainers and it injures all magic as entertainment.
When a majority of the performances are poor than all of it is classed this way.
When Fitzkee talks about this I have to selfishly agree. He isn’t too gentle in the way he puts it but I think he writes with the passion of his beliefs.
I think most people who perform in front of people don’t understand their responsibility to their art form whatever it may be. An actor of a cast in a play has the responsibility to rehearse, memorize lines, hit their marks and give a believable performance not only to make themselves look good, but to support the rest of the cast and to suspend the belief of the audience watching. Now there are plenty of different ways for people to be exposed to the musical and theatre arts. All you have to do is turn on TV.
Magic on the other hand is rare. It’s rare to see good magic on TV and it’s even rarer for an individual to see a magical performance live in person. Because of how special of a moment it is, it amplifies the importance and the responsibility of the individual who is about to give the magical performance. Because people have few opportunities to witness magic in real life they do not have anything or very little to compare it to. So if the spectator as nothing else to relate the magical performance to and the performance was poor or at best amateur, then that is how the person is going to class all magical performances. It that fair? Not in the least, but this is how the human brain works.
The performing hobbyist don’t understand this responsibility for their goal is a selfish one. They perform magic to put themselves on a pedestal, to make themselves look good and sometimes just to get attention.
Since their intentions and worries are only focused on themselves as individuals, they have no concern for if the audiences are enjoying the performance, they are not concerned about the impression they are leaving on the audience, and they don’t care how the audience perceives magical performances afterwards. As a performer they must be good because they are in front of a crowd. They must be good because they are doing a magic trick that got great reviews in the latest magic journal. They must be good because they assume the people they are performing for are witnessing what the performer has dreamed up in their head, not what is actually taking place.
Most people don’t care to see magic when it is performed as nothing more than a quiz. Most people like to be leisurely entertained. That is why magazines are filed with narratives not puzzles. They also don’t talk about things, but instead people.
The only people who care for magic when presented as a puzzle is the child, an adult with a juvenile mentality, or the magic hobbyist.
Magicians are the only ones to blame. The Thurston Show was the most valuable property in show business at its time. No magic show comes close to that anymore.
It attained this distinction when its method of presentation was geared and attuned to the times.
“If your principal can so present a magic show that it once more appeals to the masses, he will be greater that Thurston, Herrman, or Houdini.” “And he’ll make a fortune.”
I think the words, “appeals to the masses” are key here. Not appeals to just magicians. Not appeals to just the performer. Not just appeals to a certain demographic. But appeals to the masses.
The information is sound not only for the large scale, two hour, one man show, but it is also important to the individual doing a single packet trick for an individual.
The person who does only a mediocre performance doing a close-up effect does just as much damage to the art of magic as a mediocre stage show.
This can be the most important reading a magician ever did, even if the only thing the reader gets from it is an urge to look upon his magic performance objectively, as his spectators see it.
I think the most important thing when looking at your own material is not whether you are proficient enough to keep the sleight or gimmick a secret. True, it is sometimes the first thing magicians worry about, but in most cases once the trick can be done without revealing the secret, the rehearsal stops there. But there is much, much more. Before we can even decided to do the effect much less perform it in front of others is to ask ourselves, “what does the audience get out of this?”
“A small bit of entertainment,” is not the answer
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Showmanship for Magicians
A Chapter by Chapter Review and Discussion on Showmanship for Magicians by Dariel Fitzkee.
I started reading the book “Showmanship for Magicians” by Dariel Fitzkee and felt that more study should be taken place. I have decided to go back and reread the chapters one at a time and take notes and write down my thoughts and ideas on how the topics mentioned in the book fit into what is going on today. Though the book was written in the 1940's, I believe the observations and ideas are still useful for today's working magician.
This is truly an exercise of being thorough in my study of this book and the other two that follow it.
I’m writing this and sharing it with others, not only so they can possibly enjoy the opinions I have, not only become informed by the words of Fitzkee, but for the selfish reason of starting a discussion on the material itself and to learn from others.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
I started reading the book “Showmanship for Magicians” by Dariel Fitzkee and felt that more study should be taken place. I have decided to go back and reread the chapters one at a time and take notes and write down my thoughts and ideas on how the topics mentioned in the book fit into what is going on today. Though the book was written in the 1940's, I believe the observations and ideas are still useful for today's working magician.
This is truly an exercise of being thorough in my study of this book and the other two that follow it.
I’m writing this and sharing it with others, not only so they can possibly enjoy the opinions I have, not only become informed by the words of Fitzkee, but for the selfish reason of starting a discussion on the material itself and to learn from others.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Friday, October 10, 2008
Twisting the...
I’m not going to give away secrets to effects on this open media. I think it’s unnecessary. I don’t have a problem giving some quick tips on how to present different magic effects though.
One of the first packet tricks I learned was Vernon’s Twisting the Aces. It interestingly utilizes a secret move and when presented correctly can be a miracle. I’m not going to discuss which “twisting” effect is the best. Hollingworth’s and Asher’s are both worth looking into.
Instead, I’m going to discuss a presentation idea I came up on my own a few years ago and later on found out a brilliant magician, Brother John Hamman, came up with the same idea long before I was even interested in magic.
When I first started doing Twisting the Aces, I always felt the trick was more for magicians than it was for the lay audience. The reason is the spectator’s view four aces one at a time turning face up in a packet of four cards. The problem with this is most people when viewing playing cards are not in the mindset to eliminate and keep track of suits. Making the audience have to remember which suit is left or what suits have already turned over is confusing for them and an exercise not practiced enough to really make the demonstration effective.
The idea is to make the presentation easier to follow. Since we have been 5 years old we have been learning and relearning numbers in sequence so in most cases, we can recite them very quickly and effortlessly. At the same time we have been learning to eliminate numbers, or keep track of what numbers have been used and keeping it to short term memory to use in the near future.
My tip for you when doing Twisting the Aces is not to use the four aces. Instead use the sequence Ace, Two, Three, Four. Then have the cards turn over in the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4 or in reverse, like a countdown 4, 3, 2, 1.
How do we do this?
The set up really is easy and it will take you only the length to read this to learn and less time to memorize.
Have the cards in the following order: 4, 3, 2, Ace Have the ace at the face of the packet. Then cut the cards perfectly in half and complete the cut. So the sequence will now be 2, ace, 4, 3. The three should be on the face of the packet. It is at this point that you start in with the Twisting the Aces routine and the outcome will be the Ace will turn over with the 2 being next, followed by the 3 and finally the 4 being the final card to turn face up.
This makes the sequence much easier for the audience to follow making it much more enjoyable to watch. Remember, confusion is not magic.
I have tested this at my walk around magic events and have found when I use a sequence of numbers instead of just a four of a kind I have gotten a much greater response from the spectators.
Of course, do not take my word for it and instead go try it out yourself.
I’m going to leave it up to you to figure out the order of the cards if you want the sequence to count down 4, 3, 2, 1.
You can find more interesting presentations for this effect in a wonderful book by Robert E. Neale titled “Life, Death, and Other Card Tricks.” This book really is a fun read and should get your creative juices flowing when developing different presentations for your magic.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
One of the first packet tricks I learned was Vernon’s Twisting the Aces. It interestingly utilizes a secret move and when presented correctly can be a miracle. I’m not going to discuss which “twisting” effect is the best. Hollingworth’s and Asher’s are both worth looking into.
Instead, I’m going to discuss a presentation idea I came up on my own a few years ago and later on found out a brilliant magician, Brother John Hamman, came up with the same idea long before I was even interested in magic.
When I first started doing Twisting the Aces, I always felt the trick was more for magicians than it was for the lay audience. The reason is the spectator’s view four aces one at a time turning face up in a packet of four cards. The problem with this is most people when viewing playing cards are not in the mindset to eliminate and keep track of suits. Making the audience have to remember which suit is left or what suits have already turned over is confusing for them and an exercise not practiced enough to really make the demonstration effective.
The idea is to make the presentation easier to follow. Since we have been 5 years old we have been learning and relearning numbers in sequence so in most cases, we can recite them very quickly and effortlessly. At the same time we have been learning to eliminate numbers, or keep track of what numbers have been used and keeping it to short term memory to use in the near future.
My tip for you when doing Twisting the Aces is not to use the four aces. Instead use the sequence Ace, Two, Three, Four. Then have the cards turn over in the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4 or in reverse, like a countdown 4, 3, 2, 1.
How do we do this?
The set up really is easy and it will take you only the length to read this to learn and less time to memorize.
Have the cards in the following order: 4, 3, 2, Ace Have the ace at the face of the packet. Then cut the cards perfectly in half and complete the cut. So the sequence will now be 2, ace, 4, 3. The three should be on the face of the packet. It is at this point that you start in with the Twisting the Aces routine and the outcome will be the Ace will turn over with the 2 being next, followed by the 3 and finally the 4 being the final card to turn face up.
This makes the sequence much easier for the audience to follow making it much more enjoyable to watch. Remember, confusion is not magic.
I have tested this at my walk around magic events and have found when I use a sequence of numbers instead of just a four of a kind I have gotten a much greater response from the spectators.
Of course, do not take my word for it and instead go try it out yourself.
I’m going to leave it up to you to figure out the order of the cards if you want the sequence to count down 4, 3, 2, 1.
You can find more interesting presentations for this effect in a wonderful book by Robert E. Neale titled “Life, Death, and Other Card Tricks.” This book really is a fun read and should get your creative juices flowing when developing different presentations for your magic.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Friday, October 3, 2008
A Misdirection Story
There is a definite difference between magic for magicians and magic for laymen. The most obvious is sometimes a fellow magician will not give you the same sort of reaction you would get from a laymen when performing a magic trick. Meaning the magician may not be as impressed as someone who is not in the know. At the same time there are some magic tricks out there that magicians love to watch and get enthusiastic to watch a sleight or a psychological technique being used when an audience member won’t think it’s that big of a deal.
Over the years there are effects I have developed which I believe only magicians would appreciate. These effects most of the time show off a great skill such as being able to do realistic blind shuffles, which are shuffles that leave the deck in the exact order it was in before you started the shuffle. It might also be a fancy and skillful way of revealing a card. In the end of the day though for a lay audience, it’s still just a card trick and using a multiple packet cut which took hours of practice to find a card is no different to them then if you used an easier or even gimmicked way of revealing a card.
There are also tricks I perform which are wonderful when played to someone on a one on one situation. On these moments I like to perform this sort of magic for one lay person and the rest of the audience being made up of magicians. In most cases the methods I’m using for such a trick are incredibly bold. So while the person who is not in the know witnesses a miracle, the magicians can’t believe the boldness utilized in performing the magic effect.
I asked a fellow magic fan to write the following passage:
I recall the first time I met Adam. It was when I attended my first meeting of the Lincoln Magical Society. Adam and the rest of the guys and gals in the LMS, welcomed me into the fold, and I was immediately impressed with Adam's talent after watching him do a few card tricks. After the meeting Adam and Dave Carr invited me to go with them to a bar to have a drink and talk magic. Even though I didn't have enough money to go, Adam insisted, saying that he would cover me and I could pay him back later.
While at the bar we tossed back a few, and began to trade chops. I don't remember everything that happened that night, but one incident is forever burned into my brain. Adam, Dave and I were sitting at a table talking, and a young woman noticed that we were performing card tricks for each other. We noticed her watching us and asked to join us and we offered to show her a few tricks.
Adam offered to do a card trick, and had the young woman pick a card. She looked at the card and Adam placed it face down on the table. The next few moments seemed to move in slow motion just like in the movies. Here is what happened from everyone else's point of view. Adam asked the woman about her ring, then he looked into her eyes and he named her card. Both Dave and I were shocked, but for entirely different reasons, because we saw two completely different things. I am sure Dave saw everything just I stated previously. I, on the other hand, saw a moment of pure magic that haunts me to this day. It was at the moment that Adam asked the woman about her ring, for whatever reason, perhaps I was taking a drink of my beer; this clever bit of misdirection did not take me in. I sat in disbelief while two things happened at once. The woman looked at her ring explaining that it was a gift or something to that effect, and I watched in bewildered awe as Adam looked down at the table and peeked at the tabled card. Even though I know that Adam just peeked at the pip, I swear to me it looks as if he flipped the card completely over, stared at it for a good minute. Like I said it was like slow motion. After his peek at the card, he just looked back at the woman and asked her to look into his eyes. He then named the card. It was perfect, the woman was just floored and so were Dave and I. Once the woman left, I just looked at Adam and asked him, "Is it hard to walk, with balls that big?" I told Adam that was the boldest move I had ever seen. Dave was completely clueless about what I was talking about and Adam just sat back in his chair, and smiled.
I need to clear up a couple of things just for completeness. It’s funny I still remember the girl’s name of that night. (Felecia) This isn’t really a trick I go out of my way to perform, but when it hits it’s a miracle for both laymen and magicians and later I’ll tell you what happens when I miss.
Anyway, after the other two magicians showed a couple of cards tricks she asked if I could do anything. Here’s what actually happened. I spread the cards out on the table and asked her if there were any funny marks on the back of the cards. She stated no. I then asked her to slide a card towards her on the table. Now before she could look at it, I noticed she was wearing an exotic ring. It was one of those rings girls wanted you to notice. How I look at it, if they didn’t want you to notice they wouldn’t wear it. I acknowledged the ring and asked her if it was a gift from a relative.
Exactly at that moment, she looked down at the ring and held it up to the light so she could admire it while she told me where she had gotten it from. While she was doing that, I moved in without drawing attention to the movement and looked at the pip of the card by merely placing my hand on top of the card and bending the corner up using my thumb. This gave me the glimpsing opportunity. At the time she didn’t catch me, so I drew her attention back to the card trick and asked her if she had a free selection.
She said yes.
I asked her if there was anyway for her to know what the card was.
She said no.
I told if there was no way for her to know what the card was and she was the one to pick it then there would be no way for me to know what the card was, correct?
It made sense to her at the time, so she agreed.
I told her to look at the card while I looked away.
After she noted the card and with some more mysterious by play I plucked the card from her thoughts and revealed what the card was.
I had two magicians there with me. Felecia, the spectator was seated on my right. One magician was seated at my left and missed the peek. The other magician was sitting right across from me and witnessed the peek.
Now what I was thinking during this time is a lot more important then the motions and movements used to perform this miracle. When performing these tricks there is a chance you will get caught. If my direction of Felecia’s attention wasn’t strong enough, then she could have easily caught me looking at her card. Luckily, most people in general are vain and when they’re not out to catch you then they’re more than happy to tell you about themselves. When people go inside their minds to remember something most of the time they look away for just a split second, which gives you plenty of time to do whatever secret move you want to perform.
Also in the rhythm of the trick and the environment I was in, Felecia didn’t think the trick had even started yet.
Keep in mind that I did have a back up plan if I got caught. If by chance she caught me peeking at her car and you can tell when you get caught I would have changed the trick and done something else such as Paul Harris’s Ultimate Rip-off. Again at the time she didn’t know what trick I was going to perform and she didn’t even know the trick had already started.
The number one advantage a magician has over his audience is the magician knows what’s going to happen.
That is the main reason someone always asks to see something again. It’s so that the next time around they’re ready for it and know what to look for.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Over the years there are effects I have developed which I believe only magicians would appreciate. These effects most of the time show off a great skill such as being able to do realistic blind shuffles, which are shuffles that leave the deck in the exact order it was in before you started the shuffle. It might also be a fancy and skillful way of revealing a card. In the end of the day though for a lay audience, it’s still just a card trick and using a multiple packet cut which took hours of practice to find a card is no different to them then if you used an easier or even gimmicked way of revealing a card.
There are also tricks I perform which are wonderful when played to someone on a one on one situation. On these moments I like to perform this sort of magic for one lay person and the rest of the audience being made up of magicians. In most cases the methods I’m using for such a trick are incredibly bold. So while the person who is not in the know witnesses a miracle, the magicians can’t believe the boldness utilized in performing the magic effect.
I asked a fellow magic fan to write the following passage:
I recall the first time I met Adam. It was when I attended my first meeting of the Lincoln Magical Society. Adam and the rest of the guys and gals in the LMS, welcomed me into the fold, and I was immediately impressed with Adam's talent after watching him do a few card tricks. After the meeting Adam and Dave Carr invited me to go with them to a bar to have a drink and talk magic. Even though I didn't have enough money to go, Adam insisted, saying that he would cover me and I could pay him back later.
While at the bar we tossed back a few, and began to trade chops. I don't remember everything that happened that night, but one incident is forever burned into my brain. Adam, Dave and I were sitting at a table talking, and a young woman noticed that we were performing card tricks for each other. We noticed her watching us and asked to join us and we offered to show her a few tricks.
Adam offered to do a card trick, and had the young woman pick a card. She looked at the card and Adam placed it face down on the table. The next few moments seemed to move in slow motion just like in the movies. Here is what happened from everyone else's point of view. Adam asked the woman about her ring, then he looked into her eyes and he named her card. Both Dave and I were shocked, but for entirely different reasons, because we saw two completely different things. I am sure Dave saw everything just I stated previously. I, on the other hand, saw a moment of pure magic that haunts me to this day. It was at the moment that Adam asked the woman about her ring, for whatever reason, perhaps I was taking a drink of my beer; this clever bit of misdirection did not take me in. I sat in disbelief while two things happened at once. The woman looked at her ring explaining that it was a gift or something to that effect, and I watched in bewildered awe as Adam looked down at the table and peeked at the tabled card. Even though I know that Adam just peeked at the pip, I swear to me it looks as if he flipped the card completely over, stared at it for a good minute. Like I said it was like slow motion. After his peek at the card, he just looked back at the woman and asked her to look into his eyes. He then named the card. It was perfect, the woman was just floored and so were Dave and I. Once the woman left, I just looked at Adam and asked him, "Is it hard to walk, with balls that big?" I told Adam that was the boldest move I had ever seen. Dave was completely clueless about what I was talking about and Adam just sat back in his chair, and smiled.
I need to clear up a couple of things just for completeness. It’s funny I still remember the girl’s name of that night. (Felecia) This isn’t really a trick I go out of my way to perform, but when it hits it’s a miracle for both laymen and magicians and later I’ll tell you what happens when I miss.
Anyway, after the other two magicians showed a couple of cards tricks she asked if I could do anything. Here’s what actually happened. I spread the cards out on the table and asked her if there were any funny marks on the back of the cards. She stated no. I then asked her to slide a card towards her on the table. Now before she could look at it, I noticed she was wearing an exotic ring. It was one of those rings girls wanted you to notice. How I look at it, if they didn’t want you to notice they wouldn’t wear it. I acknowledged the ring and asked her if it was a gift from a relative.
Exactly at that moment, she looked down at the ring and held it up to the light so she could admire it while she told me where she had gotten it from. While she was doing that, I moved in without drawing attention to the movement and looked at the pip of the card by merely placing my hand on top of the card and bending the corner up using my thumb. This gave me the glimpsing opportunity. At the time she didn’t catch me, so I drew her attention back to the card trick and asked her if she had a free selection.
She said yes.
I asked her if there was anyway for her to know what the card was.
She said no.
I told if there was no way for her to know what the card was and she was the one to pick it then there would be no way for me to know what the card was, correct?
It made sense to her at the time, so she agreed.
I told her to look at the card while I looked away.
After she noted the card and with some more mysterious by play I plucked the card from her thoughts and revealed what the card was.
I had two magicians there with me. Felecia, the spectator was seated on my right. One magician was seated at my left and missed the peek. The other magician was sitting right across from me and witnessed the peek.
Now what I was thinking during this time is a lot more important then the motions and movements used to perform this miracle. When performing these tricks there is a chance you will get caught. If my direction of Felecia’s attention wasn’t strong enough, then she could have easily caught me looking at her card. Luckily, most people in general are vain and when they’re not out to catch you then they’re more than happy to tell you about themselves. When people go inside their minds to remember something most of the time they look away for just a split second, which gives you plenty of time to do whatever secret move you want to perform.
Also in the rhythm of the trick and the environment I was in, Felecia didn’t think the trick had even started yet.
Keep in mind that I did have a back up plan if I got caught. If by chance she caught me peeking at her car and you can tell when you get caught I would have changed the trick and done something else such as Paul Harris’s Ultimate Rip-off. Again at the time she didn’t know what trick I was going to perform and she didn’t even know the trick had already started.
The number one advantage a magician has over his audience is the magician knows what’s going to happen.
That is the main reason someone always asks to see something again. It’s so that the next time around they’re ready for it and know what to look for.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Confidence
Stage fright… Some people have a problem with their hands shaking as they perform close up magic in front of people. Now that you have practiced the moves and rehearsed, how do we over come the nerves?
We know how to handle cards, but now we need to learn how to handle people.
Confidence comes with experience and experience comes from the opportunities we build for ourselves. When we sit around and don’t take action then there is nothing to attract our opportunities to us.
I suggest the exercise of an evening or a weekend and without cards or magic tricks on you, meet 20 knew people. I suggest going up, introducing yourself and then asking the person you just met about themselves.
When my grandmother was around 40, she had to give a speech to a large group of people. She rehearsed and worried, worried and rehearsed. She then talked to my grandfather about really being scared to give this speech.
My grandfather’s eyes got big as he looked at her and said in a sarcastic scared voice, “what do you think they’ll do to you if you make a mistake?”
For my grandmother, it put things in perspective. People aren’t going to beat you up if you make a mistake, especially if it is a card trick. Is it embarrassing? Only if you let it be.
I think some people, (not necessarily you) get into magic thinking that after they know a couple of tricks, they can impress people and people will like them. The truth of the matter is after the magic tricks, what is left?
Sorry for my long winded-ness, but in conclusion:
Instead of practicing moves while watching TV by yourself. Get out of the house, go to a pub, a café, a park and just start looking people in the eye, smile and give a warm “hello.” Will you feel silly at first, maybe? But isn’t that a small price to pay to gain a new friend?
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
We know how to handle cards, but now we need to learn how to handle people.
Confidence comes with experience and experience comes from the opportunities we build for ourselves. When we sit around and don’t take action then there is nothing to attract our opportunities to us.
I suggest the exercise of an evening or a weekend and without cards or magic tricks on you, meet 20 knew people. I suggest going up, introducing yourself and then asking the person you just met about themselves.
When my grandmother was around 40, she had to give a speech to a large group of people. She rehearsed and worried, worried and rehearsed. She then talked to my grandfather about really being scared to give this speech.
My grandfather’s eyes got big as he looked at her and said in a sarcastic scared voice, “what do you think they’ll do to you if you make a mistake?”
For my grandmother, it put things in perspective. People aren’t going to beat you up if you make a mistake, especially if it is a card trick. Is it embarrassing? Only if you let it be.
I think some people, (not necessarily you) get into magic thinking that after they know a couple of tricks, they can impress people and people will like them. The truth of the matter is after the magic tricks, what is left?
Sorry for my long winded-ness, but in conclusion:
Instead of practicing moves while watching TV by yourself. Get out of the house, go to a pub, a café, a park and just start looking people in the eye, smile and give a warm “hello.” Will you feel silly at first, maybe? But isn’t that a small price to pay to gain a new friend?
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Friday, September 26, 2008
Performing for the Deaf
I have been cruising The Magic Café and someone was talking about performing magic for a deaf audience.
One person’s concern was would they be able to misdirect them since they would lose the power of sound and their voice to direct the audience’s gaze at their hands. And to be honest, deaf people are the easiest to misdirect since most of the time, in order to understand what you have to say they can do one of two things; read lips or watch the person off to the side signing what you are saying.
I personally have had a blast performing for the deaf. Many moons ago I was asked to perform for a group of children years ago and really had a good time.
Throughout the show I would make fun of the situation, being concerned if the person signing what I had to say was really signing what I was saying.
I told the kids, “I could really be saying everyone here looks happy and smart today, and what they could be signing is ‘Hello, everyone! Don’t I look like a monkey?”
Of course the kids smiled and laughed and had a good time.
One thing I’m not particularly proud of, but it was still a lot of fun for the kids is I would say words just to be curious on what the sign for it would be.
I called the translator a cheater when she used sign language to spell out the word “booger.” I then showed the kids what I though the sign for “booger” should be. I’ll leave that to your imagination. Needless to say the children had a great time.
I guess the lesson here is to know your material so well that you can pay attention to your audience and your environment so you and your crowd can have a lot of fun together.
And a more important lesson is kids are kids, no matter what their situation is.
I was doing walk around magic at a restaurant and there was a family. I approach the table and asked if could perform magic for them. The couple mentioned their child was deaf. I thought nothing of it and told them it wasn't a problem.
I didn't really change my act, just did some fun sleight of hand stuff. Afterwards the parents came up to me and told me thanks and that it meant a lot to them that I did something for their little girl. They explained to me they felt she misses out on a lot because people don't know how to handle the fact she was deaf.
I just laughed and told them it was the other people missing out, not their little girl.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
One person’s concern was would they be able to misdirect them since they would lose the power of sound and their voice to direct the audience’s gaze at their hands. And to be honest, deaf people are the easiest to misdirect since most of the time, in order to understand what you have to say they can do one of two things; read lips or watch the person off to the side signing what you are saying.
I personally have had a blast performing for the deaf. Many moons ago I was asked to perform for a group of children years ago and really had a good time.
Throughout the show I would make fun of the situation, being concerned if the person signing what I had to say was really signing what I was saying.
I told the kids, “I could really be saying everyone here looks happy and smart today, and what they could be signing is ‘Hello, everyone! Don’t I look like a monkey?”
Of course the kids smiled and laughed and had a good time.
One thing I’m not particularly proud of, but it was still a lot of fun for the kids is I would say words just to be curious on what the sign for it would be.
I called the translator a cheater when she used sign language to spell out the word “booger.” I then showed the kids what I though the sign for “booger” should be. I’ll leave that to your imagination. Needless to say the children had a great time.
I guess the lesson here is to know your material so well that you can pay attention to your audience and your environment so you and your crowd can have a lot of fun together.
And a more important lesson is kids are kids, no matter what their situation is.
I was doing walk around magic at a restaurant and there was a family. I approach the table and asked if could perform magic for them. The couple mentioned their child was deaf. I thought nothing of it and told them it wasn't a problem.
I didn't really change my act, just did some fun sleight of hand stuff. Afterwards the parents came up to me and told me thanks and that it meant a lot to them that I did something for their little girl. They explained to me they felt she misses out on a lot because people don't know how to handle the fact she was deaf.
I just laughed and told them it was the other people missing out, not their little girl.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Productive Practicing
Practicing moves while watching television is a wonderful way of getting the moves down, which is very important to our art form. At the same time it can only improve only about 20% of the actual performance. The other 80% of the performance is made up of presentation, patter, and order of operation for the trick to be perfected.
When rehearsing for a magic trick it is important to practice the trick from the very beginning (how do I get into the effect?) to the very end (how do I get out of the effect?) It is more effective when rehearsing to not stop and start the trick over if an error occurs and instead continue on to the end of the trick. The reason for this is because you will get more of the trick practiced at the same time. This way you will not just be a master of the beginning of the trick, but you are also mastering the middle and end of the trick as well.
At the same time, instead of swearing and cursing because you missed your cue, sit back, analyze what went wrong and more importantly come up with a solution to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Some magicians like to categorize these as “outs.”
After you have mastered the trick from beginning to end, make up mistakes and come up with solutions to fix them.
This rehearsal time is crucial. This is the time to make your mistakes and come up with ways to trudge through the trick without being embarrassed in front of an audience.
The point is: When rehearsing, practice the trick all the way to the end. If an error occurs continue on and constructively analyze the problem so a solution can be found.
Also remember, “There is no failure, there is only feedback.”
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
When rehearsing for a magic trick it is important to practice the trick from the very beginning (how do I get into the effect?) to the very end (how do I get out of the effect?) It is more effective when rehearsing to not stop and start the trick over if an error occurs and instead continue on to the end of the trick. The reason for this is because you will get more of the trick practiced at the same time. This way you will not just be a master of the beginning of the trick, but you are also mastering the middle and end of the trick as well.
At the same time, instead of swearing and cursing because you missed your cue, sit back, analyze what went wrong and more importantly come up with a solution to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Some magicians like to categorize these as “outs.”
After you have mastered the trick from beginning to end, make up mistakes and come up with solutions to fix them.
This rehearsal time is crucial. This is the time to make your mistakes and come up with ways to trudge through the trick without being embarrassed in front of an audience.
The point is: When rehearsing, practice the trick all the way to the end. If an error occurs continue on and constructively analyze the problem so a solution can be found.
Also remember, “There is no failure, there is only feedback.”
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Friday, September 19, 2008
Hecklers
When I was a teenager, I was a restaurant magician. Back then I was obsessed with practicing sleights and moves. Though I was making pretty good money, I was still addicted to learning new sleights and taking the time to practice them.
One of the habits I got into was I felt the faster I did the moves and got through the tricks, the more amazing the magic was going to be. This was an error in my young thinking. I would go through routines so fast my audiences weren’t really entertained, they were more shell shocked.
During these times, every once in a while I would get in my audience what I considered at the time a heckler. They would interrupt my break neck speed of going through the routine to make some kind of comment. Back then I was too young, too cocky, too arrogant and had too big of ego to see the problem wasn’t that my audiences were jerks, but instead, I was just a poor performer.
When I was a kid, I performed to show people how skilled, clever and witty I was. I really could care less about pleasing the audience because I believed if they were watching me, than they had to be enjoying my show.
But as time went by, I realized I was performing slower. I was starting to find out how to make my show better. I started to become concerned about the audience. When that happened, it became clear to my audience I was performing for their entertainment instead of boosting my ego.
Honestly, I don’t know which part of me, the performer part or the man, matured enough to make the change happen and it really doesn’t matter. The important thing is that the change took place.
What I found when I didn’t bring the wrong attitude was the hecklers seemed to disappear. But I don’t think that is a true statement because I don’t really believe they disappeared. I think what truly happened was I stopped labeling the people who would make a funny comment or ask a question I’ve heard a million times before right in the middle of a routine, hecklers. Instead, they were just people wanting to be a part of the show and were showing they were having a good time.
Sometimes you get more rapport with people than you may want. But they are enjoying you so much, they feel like they can joke around with you and have a good time.
Now don’t get me wrong. There are people out there who are insecure and the only way for them to have a good time is at other people’s expense. They are there to ruin the show. Sometimes alcohol is involved and there really is nothing you can do about it. But in my experience, I have found these occurrences are incredibly rare.
My show is so tight with lines and with jokes and with action, there really isn’t a chance for people to get a word in when they are not suppose to. They are being entertained. This has happened because of the years of listening to the crowd, getting the material, so now I say things the audience is thinking and sometimes before they even think of it. In a way, maybe I’m heckling myself.
In conclusion, the best way to handle hecklers is to examine how you are handling yourself as an entertainer, and handling your audience before the hecklers even decide to strike.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
One of the habits I got into was I felt the faster I did the moves and got through the tricks, the more amazing the magic was going to be. This was an error in my young thinking. I would go through routines so fast my audiences weren’t really entertained, they were more shell shocked.
During these times, every once in a while I would get in my audience what I considered at the time a heckler. They would interrupt my break neck speed of going through the routine to make some kind of comment. Back then I was too young, too cocky, too arrogant and had too big of ego to see the problem wasn’t that my audiences were jerks, but instead, I was just a poor performer.
When I was a kid, I performed to show people how skilled, clever and witty I was. I really could care less about pleasing the audience because I believed if they were watching me, than they had to be enjoying my show.
But as time went by, I realized I was performing slower. I was starting to find out how to make my show better. I started to become concerned about the audience. When that happened, it became clear to my audience I was performing for their entertainment instead of boosting my ego.
Honestly, I don’t know which part of me, the performer part or the man, matured enough to make the change happen and it really doesn’t matter. The important thing is that the change took place.
What I found when I didn’t bring the wrong attitude was the hecklers seemed to disappear. But I don’t think that is a true statement because I don’t really believe they disappeared. I think what truly happened was I stopped labeling the people who would make a funny comment or ask a question I’ve heard a million times before right in the middle of a routine, hecklers. Instead, they were just people wanting to be a part of the show and were showing they were having a good time.
Sometimes you get more rapport with people than you may want. But they are enjoying you so much, they feel like they can joke around with you and have a good time.
Now don’t get me wrong. There are people out there who are insecure and the only way for them to have a good time is at other people’s expense. They are there to ruin the show. Sometimes alcohol is involved and there really is nothing you can do about it. But in my experience, I have found these occurrences are incredibly rare.
My show is so tight with lines and with jokes and with action, there really isn’t a chance for people to get a word in when they are not suppose to. They are being entertained. This has happened because of the years of listening to the crowd, getting the material, so now I say things the audience is thinking and sometimes before they even think of it. In a way, maybe I’m heckling myself.
In conclusion, the best way to handle hecklers is to examine how you are handling yourself as an entertainer, and handling your audience before the hecklers even decide to strike.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Too far?
One of the topics I really like discussing, especially with minds like Dale Hildebrandt’s, is how far is too far when it comes to magic.
Is it ethical to announce you have magical powers and have people believe you have magical powers?
Is it ethical to announce you do not have magical powers and have people believe you have magical powers?
Is it ethical to remain silent and to have people believe you have magical powers?
Is it OK to let people come to their own conclusions or is it our responsibility as a magical performer to take the spectator by the hand and lead them back to reality?
If a hand full of the public actually believes a magician actually has magical powers, does it make the magician better than the parlor showmen?
Some magicians have very strong feelings about this.
I don’t necessarily agree with someone telling me they can contact a lost relative and my relative can talk back to them, but then again, maybe they are being sincere and I’m being cynical.
I don’t necessarily agree with magical experts telling clients in order for a spell to work they must sacrifice a large sum of money, but then again, everyone needs to make a living.
Do magicians break their own code of secrecy, by saying magic is not real in the first place?
I personally feel, the one secret the “true” magicians are keeping, is that magic truly is real and they are very comfortable choosing not to let anyone know about it.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook,
Is it ethical to announce you have magical powers and have people believe you have magical powers?
Is it ethical to announce you do not have magical powers and have people believe you have magical powers?
Is it ethical to remain silent and to have people believe you have magical powers?
Is it OK to let people come to their own conclusions or is it our responsibility as a magical performer to take the spectator by the hand and lead them back to reality?
If a hand full of the public actually believes a magician actually has magical powers, does it make the magician better than the parlor showmen?
Some magicians have very strong feelings about this.
I don’t necessarily agree with someone telling me they can contact a lost relative and my relative can talk back to them, but then again, maybe they are being sincere and I’m being cynical.
I don’t necessarily agree with magical experts telling clients in order for a spell to work they must sacrifice a large sum of money, but then again, everyone needs to make a living.
Do magicians break their own code of secrecy, by saying magic is not real in the first place?
I personally feel, the one secret the “true” magicians are keeping, is that magic truly is real and they are very comfortable choosing not to let anyone know about it.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Ebook,
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Get a Life
In December of 1986, William Shatner was guest host of Saturday Night Live. It was then he gave his “Get a Life” skit telling all his “Trekker” fans to go out into the world and to quit wrapping yourself up in a television show.
I think to a certain extent there are some magicians who really need to take this advice with magic. Some people just get too involved and wrap their whole life around magic.
It could be some magicians get into magic thinking it will make them interesting. Of course, this is a false way of thinking. In the end of any performance, it is the performer who is found interesting, not the effects.
There is a great big wonderful world outside of magic. There are different live stage shows going on besides a magic show like dramatic plays, lectures at universities, or musicals. There are television specials besides the ones that have a magician on them discussing behaviors in insects, the aftermath of certain World War II battles, and more biographies of other people besides magicians.
There are books on topics outside of magic. Public Speaking, staging, business, fashion, art, theatre, which are all topics that can help magic performances even though magic is never mentioned in them.
The challenge for the month… Attempt to break the ice with a group of people without using any magic. If it’s close-up don’t ask them if they would like to see some magic or if they have lost a pocket knife. If it is a larger platform show, don’t open with a silent act with music.
Some say within thirty seconds, establish yourself as a magician. I think after four or five tricks, some magicians are nothing more than a dog who can sit, stay and roll over because they still have no relationship with the audience.
Learn about life. Learn about the world. Don’t worry, there will still be time to work on your pass.
Magic doesn’t make a magician interesting. It is the magician who makes magic interesting.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Go HERE to order my ebook.
I think to a certain extent there are some magicians who really need to take this advice with magic. Some people just get too involved and wrap their whole life around magic.
It could be some magicians get into magic thinking it will make them interesting. Of course, this is a false way of thinking. In the end of any performance, it is the performer who is found interesting, not the effects.
There is a great big wonderful world outside of magic. There are different live stage shows going on besides a magic show like dramatic plays, lectures at universities, or musicals. There are television specials besides the ones that have a magician on them discussing behaviors in insects, the aftermath of certain World War II battles, and more biographies of other people besides magicians.
There are books on topics outside of magic. Public Speaking, staging, business, fashion, art, theatre, which are all topics that can help magic performances even though magic is never mentioned in them.
The challenge for the month… Attempt to break the ice with a group of people without using any magic. If it’s close-up don’t ask them if they would like to see some magic or if they have lost a pocket knife. If it is a larger platform show, don’t open with a silent act with music.
Some say within thirty seconds, establish yourself as a magician. I think after four or five tricks, some magicians are nothing more than a dog who can sit, stay and roll over because they still have no relationship with the audience.
Learn about life. Learn about the world. Don’t worry, there will still be time to work on your pass.
Magic doesn’t make a magician interesting. It is the magician who makes magic interesting.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
Go HERE to order my ebook.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
All the girls want...
It’s funny how men come up to me after I have performed and mention how I must be getting all the girls since I have a load of magic as my arsenal. And the truth was, I never used magic to impress girls. What is the point? Girls don’t fall in love with a card trick. Girls don’t go ga ga over a retention vanish.
There are people who sell these books on how to seduce woman. Most of the time, the end goal is nothing more than physical satisfaction. But after you have “had them,” where do you go from there? Now that you have given the lines and the patterns and got her… where do you go from there?
Sure the physical contact is fun, but is that truly what the man wants. Maybe he wants more confidence, companionship, a true relationship, or just to have a sense of being attractive. End result is you have a bunch of guys using the same techniques on girls, having their way with them and then being lost on what to do next. They end up in the exact same spot where they started because their true goal wasn’t just to get in bed with someone, but rather to have a loving relationship. So sure they’ve met a lot of women, had relationships with them and yet, they are still lonely because they aren’t actually going for the true goal they want.
Maybe some people who call themselves magicians should ask what they want out of magic. Do they want attention? Do they want to appear smart? Do they want to gain friends? Appear attractive? Are they just a fan of the art and really don’t want anything from it at all?
Sometimes people don’t understand what they are truly after. I was with a client and she made the statement she wanted to find time to workout more. I ask her if you had time to workout more what would you get out of that. She told me she would have more energy. I asked her if she had more energy what would she get out of that. She mentioned she wouldn’t be so tired in class. I asked her what she would get out of not being so tired in class and she told me it was to better her grades. Her end goal wasn’t to find more time to workout, but what she really wanted was to get better grades. Don’t you think there is a more efficient way of getting better grades then jogging a few miles every morning?
Don’t get me wrong. Magic is a wonderful way to get people’s attention if you are selling a product or service at a trade show or illustrating a lesson. But, after you perform the trick, there is only you.
The exercise is real simple. Whether it be about magic, a new job, dying your hair, etc. just ask, “What would I get out of this?” three times like the example above and you may be surprised on what you find out about yourself and what your TRUE desires actually are. Then once you know your true desires, you may find you’ll have to get them through other ways besides magic.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
https://dalemagic.com/Other_Artists.html
There are people who sell these books on how to seduce woman. Most of the time, the end goal is nothing more than physical satisfaction. But after you have “had them,” where do you go from there? Now that you have given the lines and the patterns and got her… where do you go from there?
Sure the physical contact is fun, but is that truly what the man wants. Maybe he wants more confidence, companionship, a true relationship, or just to have a sense of being attractive. End result is you have a bunch of guys using the same techniques on girls, having their way with them and then being lost on what to do next. They end up in the exact same spot where they started because their true goal wasn’t just to get in bed with someone, but rather to have a loving relationship. So sure they’ve met a lot of women, had relationships with them and yet, they are still lonely because they aren’t actually going for the true goal they want.
Maybe some people who call themselves magicians should ask what they want out of magic. Do they want attention? Do they want to appear smart? Do they want to gain friends? Appear attractive? Are they just a fan of the art and really don’t want anything from it at all?
Sometimes people don’t understand what they are truly after. I was with a client and she made the statement she wanted to find time to workout more. I ask her if you had time to workout more what would you get out of that. She told me she would have more energy. I asked her if she had more energy what would she get out of that. She mentioned she wouldn’t be so tired in class. I asked her what she would get out of not being so tired in class and she told me it was to better her grades. Her end goal wasn’t to find more time to workout, but what she really wanted was to get better grades. Don’t you think there is a more efficient way of getting better grades then jogging a few miles every morning?
Don’t get me wrong. Magic is a wonderful way to get people’s attention if you are selling a product or service at a trade show or illustrating a lesson. But, after you perform the trick, there is only you.
The exercise is real simple. Whether it be about magic, a new job, dying your hair, etc. just ask, “What would I get out of this?” three times like the example above and you may be surprised on what you find out about yourself and what your TRUE desires actually are. Then once you know your true desires, you may find you’ll have to get them through other ways besides magic.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
https://dalemagic.com/Other_Artists.html
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Ghostbusters
August 29th a local theatre decided to have a midnight showing of the movie Ghostbusters. Being thirty years old, I have fond memories of going to the theater and watching the movie as a child. I remember catching ghosts with my backpack, a stick and a shoe box acting as a ghost trap.
I dragged my poor wife to the theater at around 11:30 PM thinking it would give us plenty of time to get settled in and find a good seat.
I was surprised to see we had to stand in line to get into the theater. There was already a wait which matched the one we were in to see the new Batman movie. I was flabbergasted.
There were some people my age, though most of the people who were there were much younger than me. In fact, I believe most of them were college kids that couldn’t get into the bars on a Friday night. Some people were wearing old T-shirts with the Ghostbusters logo on it. And a couple of them looked like they hadn’t worn the shirt in two decades. No one was dressed in full out Ghostbusters gear with the proton packs and ghost traps. I guess Ghostbusters fans have a bit more dignity or argued less enthusiasm for the movie compared to Star Wars or Star Trek fans.
I was a bit worried, not because of trying to find a seat, but because I actually was going to the movie to enjoy seeing it on the big screen. I was afraid the crowd was going to get rowdy and turn a great movie like Ghostbusters into a shouting match like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Yell out lines before they happen, yell at the characters to watch out, or shout whatever non-clever remark the restless ones can think of at the time.
I was ready for the worst and was wondering if I could get my money back if that was what was going to happen.
The lights faded down and of course the audience cheered. The opening scene is a librarian going through the basement… I’m sure you, the reader, have seen the movie. And the audience was dead silent, watching the screen. After the first big scare of the movie the memorable version of Huey Lewis and the News “I Want A New Drug” starts in with new lyrics by Ray Parker Jr. (just do a quick search on the net) and everyone starts singing along.
It was that moment it hit me. Everyone is here to enjoy the movie as much as I am. Everyone here is trying to get a piece of their childhood back and forget about things for about 100 minutes.
People laughed at the jokes and were quiet during the dialogue.
To tell you the truth, I got wrapped up in the moment. I was 6 all over again. I was really enjoying myself and then my annoying analytical side of me starts in wondering if there is a pattern, or a way to recreate this hold that something like this has.
I have customers who are hiring me for the fifth year straight. The reason is they know I give a great show. When I first started getting repeat shows I was paranoid I needed to have a brand new show for the old customers and a lot of times the clients asked if I could show new magic. When you do this, you run into the problem of things not being as polished because you haven’t had as much time to spend with the new material. The show will end up looking forced and you’re worried about the next effect instead of worry about the most important thing, the audience.
What I found was that after the repeat show people would come up to me and ask me why I didn’t do certain magic tricks I did the year before, because they loved them.
Hmm…
I immediately stopped trying to find new material for past clients and now I explain to them there is a reason why they are hiring me again. There are parts of the show people really love and actually want to see again like a really good movie you can watch over and over again. My clients understand because all they care about is their guests continuing to have a great time.
At this point there are 6 tricks I put into rotation two at a time in my show. Two tricks will be in one year and then two different tricks will replace them the following year. But I leave in the ones that really leave an impression on the audience. Things people want to see over and over again.
I’m not saying I’m never developing new material because that would be a lie. The point I was making is people are hiring you back for a reason. They want to see you at your best, not your second best. There must be things in your show people want to see again because they were simply amazed the last time.
This has worked for me and I continue to get called back year after year.
It’s true some people are interested in the new fad, but sometimes oldies stay goodies
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
https://dalemagic.com/Other_Artists.html
I dragged my poor wife to the theater at around 11:30 PM thinking it would give us plenty of time to get settled in and find a good seat.
I was surprised to see we had to stand in line to get into the theater. There was already a wait which matched the one we were in to see the new Batman movie. I was flabbergasted.
There were some people my age, though most of the people who were there were much younger than me. In fact, I believe most of them were college kids that couldn’t get into the bars on a Friday night. Some people were wearing old T-shirts with the Ghostbusters logo on it. And a couple of them looked like they hadn’t worn the shirt in two decades. No one was dressed in full out Ghostbusters gear with the proton packs and ghost traps. I guess Ghostbusters fans have a bit more dignity or argued less enthusiasm for the movie compared to Star Wars or Star Trek fans.
I was a bit worried, not because of trying to find a seat, but because I actually was going to the movie to enjoy seeing it on the big screen. I was afraid the crowd was going to get rowdy and turn a great movie like Ghostbusters into a shouting match like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Yell out lines before they happen, yell at the characters to watch out, or shout whatever non-clever remark the restless ones can think of at the time.
I was ready for the worst and was wondering if I could get my money back if that was what was going to happen.
The lights faded down and of course the audience cheered. The opening scene is a librarian going through the basement… I’m sure you, the reader, have seen the movie. And the audience was dead silent, watching the screen. After the first big scare of the movie the memorable version of Huey Lewis and the News “I Want A New Drug” starts in with new lyrics by Ray Parker Jr. (just do a quick search on the net) and everyone starts singing along.
It was that moment it hit me. Everyone is here to enjoy the movie as much as I am. Everyone here is trying to get a piece of their childhood back and forget about things for about 100 minutes.
People laughed at the jokes and were quiet during the dialogue.
To tell you the truth, I got wrapped up in the moment. I was 6 all over again. I was really enjoying myself and then my annoying analytical side of me starts in wondering if there is a pattern, or a way to recreate this hold that something like this has.
I have customers who are hiring me for the fifth year straight. The reason is they know I give a great show. When I first started getting repeat shows I was paranoid I needed to have a brand new show for the old customers and a lot of times the clients asked if I could show new magic. When you do this, you run into the problem of things not being as polished because you haven’t had as much time to spend with the new material. The show will end up looking forced and you’re worried about the next effect instead of worry about the most important thing, the audience.
What I found was that after the repeat show people would come up to me and ask me why I didn’t do certain magic tricks I did the year before, because they loved them.
Hmm…
I immediately stopped trying to find new material for past clients and now I explain to them there is a reason why they are hiring me again. There are parts of the show people really love and actually want to see again like a really good movie you can watch over and over again. My clients understand because all they care about is their guests continuing to have a great time.
At this point there are 6 tricks I put into rotation two at a time in my show. Two tricks will be in one year and then two different tricks will replace them the following year. But I leave in the ones that really leave an impression on the audience. Things people want to see over and over again.
I’m not saying I’m never developing new material because that would be a lie. The point I was making is people are hiring you back for a reason. They want to see you at your best, not your second best. There must be things in your show people want to see again because they were simply amazed the last time.
This has worked for me and I continue to get called back year after year.
It’s true some people are interested in the new fad, but sometimes oldies stay goodies
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
https://dalemagic.com/Other_Artists.html
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Don Driver's Pitch Video Review
A note before you read: Below is a review of Don Driver's Pitch video I posted July 28, 2006 on the magic cafe. I talk about what you can make and of course, there is no guarantee you will receive the same outcome that I did. Though, if you are willing to put in the work, you will reap the rewards.
I bought Don Driver's Pitch Video back when it was just on VHS. I liked the idea, but I didn't think it was for me. I'm a working professional and I like to know how much money I'm going to make before I show up for a gig. Any extra in back of the room sales is gravy.
On a whim, I decided I was going to work a fair. I found a weekend I wasn't booked. I went back through the information that Mr. Driver supplies, bought the minimum order from the suppliers he provides and worked on the pitch. I probably practiced for a week before the fair. I wanted to be prepared to cut down the nerves and so I could handle any interruptions that might happen in the middle of it. I bought a cheap easy-up from Wal-mart, packed a card table and bright red table cloth got in the jeep and headed out.
Now I'm not going to say this was easy money. It was hot, muggy and the air smelled of cattle, but it was a fair after all. I got a lot of walkouts and "blanks." The same people would come back and watch my little show and walkout again. I got tired of giving "free shows" really fast. Funny thing is in the end those "blanks" turned to "sticks" and I was "turning" the "tip" over and over.
I made about $1200. Not bad for my first time out. It's more than minimum wage and it sure beats digging ditches and it's not too shabby for a weekend I was probably going to spend clearing out my DVR.
I plan on doing the pitch at my next show that is open to the public right before intermission. Hey, repeat customers are always the easiest to close, right?
In the end, this info works if you are willing to put the minimal of work into it. I wish Don would charge more money for it though because he's giving you a wealth of knowledge honed and polished over decades of experience.
From a business stand point. I more than doubled my investment on my first time out. I can't guarantee you'll do the same, but it is well worth the shot. All you have to do is get off the couch and do it. Seriously, if I paid $500 for this video I still would have shown a profit.
Quick review of the video for you magic guys that have to know everything before purchasing:
What you don't get:
State-of-the-art title screens
Fancy fade in, fade outs and swipes
Annoying music
Ego
Worthless Filler
What you do get:
-Step by step instructions on how to do the pitch. I swear if you haven't even heard of a Svengali deck before, you will be a master of it after Don's easy to follow instructions.
-Word for Word scripting on the pitch.
-Suppliers for the goods
-How to make a "pitch joint" so you have a place to sell your goods.
-Impressive real world action of the man turning the tip. You're not stuck in a room full of fakey magic fans. He shows you what happens right on the street!
-Tips and hints on the pitch, gathering a crowd and more importantly getting the money
-Tips on how to get the gigs and where to do the pitch
Buy it, use it, get the money
Note to Don: I feel like you have been way too generous for giving so much information for such a little cost. The least I could do is give you a plug on the Café and on my blog. Please raise the price on this thing because you deserve franchise prices for the all the hints and tips you give on this video. I wish you a joyous and long life.
By the way, if you are interested in his material you can find it at. www.dondriver.com
Please note, I don't make anything if you buy a DVD from Don. And I don't get anything if you click on his link from this blog.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
https://dalemagic.com/Other_Artists.html
I bought Don Driver's Pitch Video back when it was just on VHS. I liked the idea, but I didn't think it was for me. I'm a working professional and I like to know how much money I'm going to make before I show up for a gig. Any extra in back of the room sales is gravy.
On a whim, I decided I was going to work a fair. I found a weekend I wasn't booked. I went back through the information that Mr. Driver supplies, bought the minimum order from the suppliers he provides and worked on the pitch. I probably practiced for a week before the fair. I wanted to be prepared to cut down the nerves and so I could handle any interruptions that might happen in the middle of it. I bought a cheap easy-up from Wal-mart, packed a card table and bright red table cloth got in the jeep and headed out.
Now I'm not going to say this was easy money. It was hot, muggy and the air smelled of cattle, but it was a fair after all. I got a lot of walkouts and "blanks." The same people would come back and watch my little show and walkout again. I got tired of giving "free shows" really fast. Funny thing is in the end those "blanks" turned to "sticks" and I was "turning" the "tip" over and over.
I made about $1200. Not bad for my first time out. It's more than minimum wage and it sure beats digging ditches and it's not too shabby for a weekend I was probably going to spend clearing out my DVR.
I plan on doing the pitch at my next show that is open to the public right before intermission. Hey, repeat customers are always the easiest to close, right?
In the end, this info works if you are willing to put the minimal of work into it. I wish Don would charge more money for it though because he's giving you a wealth of knowledge honed and polished over decades of experience.
From a business stand point. I more than doubled my investment on my first time out. I can't guarantee you'll do the same, but it is well worth the shot. All you have to do is get off the couch and do it. Seriously, if I paid $500 for this video I still would have shown a profit.
Quick review of the video for you magic guys that have to know everything before purchasing:
What you don't get:
State-of-the-art title screens
Fancy fade in, fade outs and swipes
Annoying music
Ego
Worthless Filler
What you do get:
-Step by step instructions on how to do the pitch. I swear if you haven't even heard of a Svengali deck before, you will be a master of it after Don's easy to follow instructions.
-Word for Word scripting on the pitch.
-Suppliers for the goods
-How to make a "pitch joint" so you have a place to sell your goods.
-Impressive real world action of the man turning the tip. You're not stuck in a room full of fakey magic fans. He shows you what happens right on the street!
-Tips and hints on the pitch, gathering a crowd and more importantly getting the money
-Tips on how to get the gigs and where to do the pitch
Buy it, use it, get the money
Note to Don: I feel like you have been way too generous for giving so much information for such a little cost. The least I could do is give you a plug on the Café and on my blog. Please raise the price on this thing because you deserve franchise prices for the all the hints and tips you give on this video. I wish you a joyous and long life.
By the way, if you are interested in his material you can find it at. www.dondriver.com
Please note, I don't make anything if you buy a DVD from Don. And I don't get anything if you click on his link from this blog.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
https://dalemagic.com/Other_Artists.html
Kids These Days
Some performers are scared to death of performing for kids.
What some magicians say:
- Kid shows are tough
- It’s difficult because the kids don’t know how to behave at a show
- They would rather perform for adults because they understand how difficult the magic is
- Adults appreciate magic much more than children.
-With television, video games and the internet, some say magic has lost its edge with the times.
This is what I say to:
Kid shows are tough – Anything is as tough as you let it be. Personally, kids shows are fairly easy anymore. I believe time and experience has something to do with that, but I think the real key is I enjoy children. I’m not afraid to have conversations with kids or to act goofy in front of kids to make them laugh. I also know what children want in a show. Some magicians may think kids want to be amazed and fooled, but what they really want is the same as any other audience wants and that’s to be entertained. In the end, kids just want to have a good time.
Kids don’t know how to behave at a show- What a poor excuse to blame the audience for a bad performance. A bad show has nothing to do with an audience and everything to do with the performer. Can some audiences be tough? Of course they can be. If kids act up during a show, whose behavior do you think is easier for the performer to change? The children’s behavior or their own? Kids want to have a good time. If you say you are a magician and you’re going to put on a great show for them, that is what they expect. If a performer is not doing a good job entertaining the children, the children are going to be honest and let the performer know. Some performers will call the children little brats instead of coming up with a way to have a better show. Some magicians have fragile egos and don’t want to hear the truth because it hurts.
Adults appreciate magic more than children because they understand how difficult the feats of magic really are- Some magicians get this idea because adults don’t run up to the stage when they know how the card trick is done. I believe most adults are not truthful when it comes to watching bad performances. They have trained themselves to be polite whether they are enjoying the show or not and will still applaud at the end of the show, which sometimes instead of applauding for the performer, they applaud because it is the end of the show. Just because no one says it to the bad magician they stink at performing, the performer believes they are great.
Magic has lost its edge with the times – If they can’t blame the audience for a bad performance, they blame the art? It is true there are magic effects and presentations that are a bit dated. Yet there is nothing stopping individuals from being creative and coming up with new ideas, new stories to tell, and new presentations to have in their show. Well, there is one things stopping them, laziness.
I personally love performing kid shows. Most of the magic I perform for children is the exact same trick I perform for adults. The presentations are different, but the concepts are the same. I believe if you can consistently execute a great magic show for children than you are a better magician than the magician who can only perform for adults. Makes sense, right?
Children are very expressive. If you are horrible and they don’t like your show, they will holler and yell and be disruptive. If you are wonderful and they love your show, they will holler and yell and be supportive.
It’s a bad idea to blame the audience’s age for having a bad show. It’s also a bad idea to give credit to the audience’s age for having a great show.
If you don’t like kids, don’t know how to perform for kids, and hate performing for kids, the best thing to do is not perform for kids.
If you are one who has problems with children’s entertainment, maybe instead of changing your audience, you should see how to change yourself.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
https://dalemagic.com/Other_Artists.html
What some magicians say:
- Kid shows are tough
- It’s difficult because the kids don’t know how to behave at a show
- They would rather perform for adults because they understand how difficult the magic is
- Adults appreciate magic much more than children.
-With television, video games and the internet, some say magic has lost its edge with the times.
This is what I say to:
Kid shows are tough – Anything is as tough as you let it be. Personally, kids shows are fairly easy anymore. I believe time and experience has something to do with that, but I think the real key is I enjoy children. I’m not afraid to have conversations with kids or to act goofy in front of kids to make them laugh. I also know what children want in a show. Some magicians may think kids want to be amazed and fooled, but what they really want is the same as any other audience wants and that’s to be entertained. In the end, kids just want to have a good time.
Kids don’t know how to behave at a show- What a poor excuse to blame the audience for a bad performance. A bad show has nothing to do with an audience and everything to do with the performer. Can some audiences be tough? Of course they can be. If kids act up during a show, whose behavior do you think is easier for the performer to change? The children’s behavior or their own? Kids want to have a good time. If you say you are a magician and you’re going to put on a great show for them, that is what they expect. If a performer is not doing a good job entertaining the children, the children are going to be honest and let the performer know. Some performers will call the children little brats instead of coming up with a way to have a better show. Some magicians have fragile egos and don’t want to hear the truth because it hurts.
Adults appreciate magic more than children because they understand how difficult the feats of magic really are- Some magicians get this idea because adults don’t run up to the stage when they know how the card trick is done. I believe most adults are not truthful when it comes to watching bad performances. They have trained themselves to be polite whether they are enjoying the show or not and will still applaud at the end of the show, which sometimes instead of applauding for the performer, they applaud because it is the end of the show. Just because no one says it to the bad magician they stink at performing, the performer believes they are great.
Magic has lost its edge with the times – If they can’t blame the audience for a bad performance, they blame the art? It is true there are magic effects and presentations that are a bit dated. Yet there is nothing stopping individuals from being creative and coming up with new ideas, new stories to tell, and new presentations to have in their show. Well, there is one things stopping them, laziness.
I personally love performing kid shows. Most of the magic I perform for children is the exact same trick I perform for adults. The presentations are different, but the concepts are the same. I believe if you can consistently execute a great magic show for children than you are a better magician than the magician who can only perform for adults. Makes sense, right?
Children are very expressive. If you are horrible and they don’t like your show, they will holler and yell and be disruptive. If you are wonderful and they love your show, they will holler and yell and be supportive.
It’s a bad idea to blame the audience’s age for having a bad show. It’s also a bad idea to give credit to the audience’s age for having a great show.
If you don’t like kids, don’t know how to perform for kids, and hate performing for kids, the best thing to do is not perform for kids.
If you are one who has problems with children’s entertainment, maybe instead of changing your audience, you should see how to change yourself.
Always wishing the best,
Adam White
https://dalemagic.com/Other_Artists.html
Thursday, August 28, 2008
What is a magician?
There are so many people out there calling themselves magicians.
Uncle Bob and his 21 card trick calls himself a magician.
The kid who flips and juggles cards around calls themselves a magician.
The guy who buys the newest best trick just to know how it’s done calls themselves a magician.
You know what’s strange is…
Even though I have changed a pipe in my sink, that doesn’t make me a plumber.
Even though I cook at my house every night, that doesn’t make me a chef.
Is a karaoke singer a musician?
Dictionary.com Unabridged says
Magician, noun, 1. an entertainer who is skilled in producing illusion by sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.; conjurer. 2. a person who is skilled in magic; sorcerer
American Heritage Dictionary says:
Magician, noun, 1. A sorcerer; a wizard. 2. One who performs magic for entertainment or diversion 3. One whose formidable skill or art seems to be magical: a magician with words.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary says a magician is a person skilled in the art of magic.
Do you notice a common theme here? The word that keeps popping up is “skilled.” Now there are other definitions and there are always exceptions, but the word that kept coming up over and over again is “skilled.”
Magic is a very interesting art form. Interesting because of how rare it really is. Most people do not see magic everyday because most people, unlike some magic fans, have lives that go on outside of magic. *gasp* Yes, it is true.
There is plenty of music out there and the general public can make a pretty good judgment of what is good music and what is bad. They know the difference between what is a professional musician and what is amateur. They know what a good singer is compared to a bad singer. The same goes for acting, painting, sculpting, and writing.
But, since the “normal” person really doesn’t have a lot of information to reference, they cannot compare one magician’s performance to another.
How many times when you have been performing, approached a group and someone asks you, “So are you like David Blaine?” “Are you like Cris Angel?” “Are you going to make the Stature of Liberty disappear?” “Have you seen the masked magician?”
Some performers get upset when this happens. Of course, the professional doesn’t let it show, but for some it can be a thorn for their side. Magicians have to realize most people who are going to watch your performance have only what they have seen on TV to compare you to. In most cases, audiences who ask these questions are just curious, wanting to have a good time and trying to invite you into their world because they are curious and want to learn more about this art form they do not get to witness very often.
This is very beneficial to the magic performer. Since most people have never seen magic live they have nothing to compare it to. So even the most average magician can be labeled by most people “the best magician they have ever seen.” And most magicians take advantage of this and don’t take the responsibility in making sure the impression they are making on an audience is a memorably good one, so later down the road they are actually looking forward to seeing magic again, instead of avoiding the area the magician is in.
Since most normal people don’t know the difference between one magician from another, it is easy to label anyone who knows a couple of card tricks a magician. Should it be that easy though?
I personally have my own definition of what a magician is as in context to the world of perform magically feats.
A magician is a master of his art form. Not only well studied but well practiced in techniques, history and performance of the magical craft.
I don’t believe some one who is not a master of performance can or should call themselves a magician. They can call themselves hobbyists, dabblers and inventors of new effects, but magicians they are not. There are magic fans, who just like to be around it and learn how things are done, but magicians they are not. There are people who do a trick now and again for their families, friends and co-workers at the company parties, but a magician they are not.
Having said that… There really is no way to police it. I don’t believe there can be a “High Magic Council” that tells everyone else who is a magician and who isn’t. In the past, I think some have tried, but eventually if you have sixty bucks you to can be a part of the brotherhood or society of magic fans who are called magicians.
So in the end the only person who can police whether they are called a magician or not is really the person in question… and who is humble enough to do such a thing?
Uncle Bob and his 21 card trick calls himself a magician.
The kid who flips and juggles cards around calls themselves a magician.
The guy who buys the newest best trick just to know how it’s done calls themselves a magician.
You know what’s strange is…
Even though I have changed a pipe in my sink, that doesn’t make me a plumber.
Even though I cook at my house every night, that doesn’t make me a chef.
Is a karaoke singer a musician?
Dictionary.com Unabridged says
Magician, noun, 1. an entertainer who is skilled in producing illusion by sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.; conjurer. 2. a person who is skilled in magic; sorcerer
American Heritage Dictionary says:
Magician, noun, 1. A sorcerer; a wizard. 2. One who performs magic for entertainment or diversion 3. One whose formidable skill or art seems to be magical: a magician with words.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary says a magician is a person skilled in the art of magic.
Do you notice a common theme here? The word that keeps popping up is “skilled.” Now there are other definitions and there are always exceptions, but the word that kept coming up over and over again is “skilled.”
Magic is a very interesting art form. Interesting because of how rare it really is. Most people do not see magic everyday because most people, unlike some magic fans, have lives that go on outside of magic. *gasp* Yes, it is true.
There is plenty of music out there and the general public can make a pretty good judgment of what is good music and what is bad. They know the difference between what is a professional musician and what is amateur. They know what a good singer is compared to a bad singer. The same goes for acting, painting, sculpting, and writing.
But, since the “normal” person really doesn’t have a lot of information to reference, they cannot compare one magician’s performance to another.
How many times when you have been performing, approached a group and someone asks you, “So are you like David Blaine?” “Are you like Cris Angel?” “Are you going to make the Stature of Liberty disappear?” “Have you seen the masked magician?”
Some performers get upset when this happens. Of course, the professional doesn’t let it show, but for some it can be a thorn for their side. Magicians have to realize most people who are going to watch your performance have only what they have seen on TV to compare you to. In most cases, audiences who ask these questions are just curious, wanting to have a good time and trying to invite you into their world because they are curious and want to learn more about this art form they do not get to witness very often.
This is very beneficial to the magic performer. Since most people have never seen magic live they have nothing to compare it to. So even the most average magician can be labeled by most people “the best magician they have ever seen.” And most magicians take advantage of this and don’t take the responsibility in making sure the impression they are making on an audience is a memorably good one, so later down the road they are actually looking forward to seeing magic again, instead of avoiding the area the magician is in.
Since most normal people don’t know the difference between one magician from another, it is easy to label anyone who knows a couple of card tricks a magician. Should it be that easy though?
I personally have my own definition of what a magician is as in context to the world of perform magically feats.
A magician is a master of his art form. Not only well studied but well practiced in techniques, history and performance of the magical craft.
I don’t believe some one who is not a master of performance can or should call themselves a magician. They can call themselves hobbyists, dabblers and inventors of new effects, but magicians they are not. There are magic fans, who just like to be around it and learn how things are done, but magicians they are not. There are people who do a trick now and again for their families, friends and co-workers at the company parties, but a magician they are not.
Having said that… There really is no way to police it. I don’t believe there can be a “High Magic Council” that tells everyone else who is a magician and who isn’t. In the past, I think some have tried, but eventually if you have sixty bucks you to can be a part of the brotherhood or society of magic fans who are called magicians.
So in the end the only person who can police whether they are called a magician or not is really the person in question… and who is humble enough to do such a thing?
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