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shg_123 New user Coffey, MO 71 Posts |
So I was performing for some people the other night and after an effect where I was left dirty until I was able to reach for my next effect and ditch the gimmicked bill, however, before I was able to do that one of the spectators insisted on looking at the bill himself and I was a little stuck stupid because nobody had asked before but I convinced him to just let me move on to the next trick. What do you guys do when you are caught in this situation?
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heybobby08 New user Charlotte, NC 54 Posts |
Usually I stick with the "I've got something even more {insert adjective here} to show you." and just keep the show rolling.
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eralph357 New user 61 Posts |
Vanish the bill and say "What bill?"
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Ivan Imagination New user 10 Posts |
There are many options here. One of the things that I find helpful when I come across a problem like this is to make a list. A vanish is certainly an option, but it might be more effective to do a switch for an ungimmicked bill. If you make a list and do some research you can probably come up with many different types of switches, vanishes, subtleties, or other outs that will enable you to handle the situation with more confidence the next time. If you have another trick lined up, you can probably switch the bill while taking the other item out of your pocket (for instance). Then, you can take the bill out as an afterthought. The important thing is to not switch the bill too quickly. Often, if one performs an effect well, people will not ask to see the gimmicked item. If they do, pretend you didn't hear them at first. Then execute the switch slowly, and as an afterthought. Don't run if you're not being chased.
All of this is just one option. There are many solutions to this problem, and it depends on what the trick is and your performing situation. My personal belief is that a vanish is not the best option, because if you could perform real magic it wouldn't be a problem for them to look at the bill. People want to hold the bill, touch a little piece of the magic, and if you vanish the bill you are taking away part of their experience. |
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Doug Trouten Elite user Minnesota 471 Posts |
For card tricks, you might check out a booklet called "Outs," Precautions and Challenges by Charles H. Hopkins.
For links to a lot of other helpful discussions on the subject of outs, check out Bill Hallahan's post at the end of this discussion: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......&forum=2
It's still magic even if you know how it's done.
Terry Pratchett |
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Shurikenstorm5 New user South Carolina 75 Posts |
If you ever get caught with cards, just tell them theres no way they'll catch the next one, then just do an impromptu trick you can pull at any time.
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Shurikenstorm5 New user South Carolina 75 Posts |
You could also do a cheesy version of the trick with no gimmick the other day someone saw my double backer for the phantom card, so I removed the double backer and did the same thing with a braue reversal.
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DaveGripenwaldt Elite user 487 Posts |
Since I don't know the effect you were doing, this may not be germane, but the principle is sound. See if you can structure the routine so the bill, or whatever, gets into the spectator's hands during the routine. That will often satisfy the audience because they have seen the item as un-gimmicked early on and make assumption about that later.
So maybe it looks like this: An un-gaffed bill is handed to a spectator for a motivated reason - not to say “examine this bill”, but maybe something like, "Do you know how many times 'one' appears on a dollar? Four? Here, look and see...". Then on the off-beat the bill is switched for the gaffed bill. Now, because the bill was in their hands earlier, it is much less likely they will want to see it after. The another way to play it is routine the effect so that the dirty item gets put out of reach naturally during the routine, or otherwise goes out of play.....which also get's you ready for a casual switch as you "bring the bill back out" if they ask. |
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Jacob3 New user 51 Posts |
One day I was performing a Hand Sandwitch trick and the spectator asked me if he can check my deck because he thinks that I have a duplicate card. I managed to get away by sidejoging duplicate card and then spreading all cards in front of him.
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funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9982 Posts |
SInce first reading this post I have thought of a dozens things to say -- any of which would get me jumped on as not understanding today's audience.
Probably true -- and I wonder if anyone does. With tens of thousands of magic effect performances under my belt, no one has ever asked/demanded to examine anything. Were my moves so incredible? Were my gaffs of higher quality? No -- but I commanded respect and I got it. So, I ask, "are you doing tricks or creating conditions under which magic can happen?" The very fact that you think that you have "a dirty item" means the audience might also. Read Al Schneider's thoughts on "knowing where the object is," and others. After such an experience, sit down and ask, "what did I learn from this? How can I be a better performer tomorrow?" It isn't about "the trick" or "outs" -- it is about who you are in the performance.
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
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bignickolson New user 87 Posts |
Everyone gets busted sooner or later. Learn from it. Did the world end? No, now you know the consequence of getting caught, (nothing really) which should hopefully give you more confidence in the future, which will in turn reduce your chances of getting caught.
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bignickolson New user 87 Posts |
As an aside I recently did Red Hot Mama for some people at a bar because they had a couple decks laying around. I grabbed an off color and did the first phase and they flipped and before I could move on a lady snatched the card out of my hand revealing it had changed to a different card.
Sure it ruined the second half of the effect because I couldn't do it anymore, but at the same time they saw one good trick and I politely took the card back and said there was gonna be more but I was done if they were going to be interrupting. I didn't admonish them for touching props etc, because that just adds suspicion to me. I approached it from an angle of it just being rude to someone performing and trying to entertain, which I think actually goes over better. |
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Tukaram Loyal user Iloilo, Philippines 227 Posts |
Generally I get requests (demands?) to see props from family or close friends. I figure because they know me, and know I am just a regular guy. Aquaintances and strangers tend to see more as an entertainer and give more respect. Unless you just run into a heclkler - that can happen anyway. It happens so rarely I don't really have any outs prepared... and I should.
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mindtaker New user 60 Posts |
I tend to agree with funsway. It's all about crowd control and having that respect to where they may want to ask to see something, but won't. And in the rare occasion when they do you don't flinch and you have your game plan already. I also have the same experience as Tukaram when family is harder to perform for than strangers. It all comes down to how they see you. I'd suggest having someone film you so you can watch it afterwards. It's amazing how quickly you can improve when watching yourself on camera. You catch all sorts of things you didn't notice before.
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Father Photius Grammar Host El Paso, TX (Formerly Amarillo) 17161 Posts |
No easy answer to this question. I learned a lot by watching Harry Lorayne. He recovers from a flub better than anyone I've ever seen. I asked him what his secret was and he said "keep going until you come up with something." That says a lot and can mean a lot of things. Harry primarly does card magic, so with cards it is not unthinkable to do just what Harry suggested. But, after putting some thought to it, I realized it was good advice in any type of magic.
In your case the "ending dirty" indicates leaving yourself no place to go. Hard to continue when you reach a dead end. To start with I never use as an opening trick one that ends dirty. My experience has shown me that they watch the first trick closest. Also make all tricks entertaining. People love being entertained, but hate being fooled or made a fool of. Never do magic like that. Funsway put it well, you need to create situations in which magic occurs not do tricks. Next, you need to have multiple ways of getting rid of something dirty, not just one. If they cut you off at the pass, you have a backup. I used a topit very successfully as a back up, never used it as the primary. But I always left myself more than one out. Your challenger can't cover two escapes at once. Finally, always have a second effect that uses the same or similar prop and just go into a second trick, int he process switch the prop for a real item. I've done that with gaffed coins for years. Someone asks to see the coin and I'm immediately already into a second coin routine that does not require a gaff and in the process always have another real coin available to switch to in the process. Same could be done with a bill. Once challenged with a "dirty" bill, I had a second bill trick waiting to be done a bit later in my routine, and when the challenger tried to reach for the bill I held it up, then did the fake tear and handed him half a bill (the actual gaff for the later trick) and said "Here you look over this half for now, I'll give you the other half later" He was shocked, and took the torn half bill and just sort of stared blankly at it and flipped it over in his hands. While he was busy with that, I simply went on with the trick which involved vanishing the half I held (actually the first gaffed bill) and the challenger calling out the serial number of the half he held for a later production to match. I, of course, let him examine both halves of the torn bill at the end, as it was simply a real torn bill. The trick was to vanish and then produce the other half with matching serial number at the end. (if you want to know how to do that trick, and it is quite a reputation maker. You can find it in Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic. I believe it is called the "last trick in the book" and is, the last trick in the book.) Just think ahead in how you routine, so you have someplace to go and a way of keeping on going until come up with something. As a clincher if the guy is a skeptic, let him keep the two torn halves of the bill used in the last trick. You can always tear another bill. Let him go home and spend all night looking at it with a magnifying glass.
"Now here's the man with the 25 cent hands, that two bit magician..."
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Professor Marvel New user 51 Posts |
Well said bignickolson. Think about how it happened and what went wrong. Think of it as a learning experience and how you can do better next time.
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1KJ Inner circle Warning: We will run out of new tricks in 4385 Posts |
I think it is a good idea to think through every trick or performance. To me, magic is all about entertainment, so I am always trying to think of a way to turn any situation into an entertaining one.
So, with the bill, here is one option: Say: "sure, but only look at this side of the bill, ok?" Then fold the bill in half and say: "Wait, maybe just this quarter, ok?" fold the bill again. Keep folding until the bill is rather small. Then, do a false transfer, turn your body so the hand they think has the bill moves toward them and your other hand goes down and to your back pocket. Ditch the bill in your back pocket as you hand them thin air. Follow this up with a borrowed coin effect. Guess what happens to the coin? KJ |
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pcrpttc New user 62 Posts |
Quote: This is very good information. Thank you for sharing
On Dec 1, 2015, Father Photius wrote: |
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Soniczjx New user 72 Posts |
Actually I don't think there are really good outs when you are busted bu the audiences, because when they trying to find out the secrets, the magic is no longer attract them, I think you maybe should re-work on the presentation, make it more interesting and more magical,then less and less audiences will look for the secrets. Just my two cents. Good luck on your next performance.
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DaveGripenwaldt Elite user 487 Posts |
One way to some up what is being said here is put some thought into your next performance before it takes place. For me, it would include thinking about ways to build into the routine the removal of the dirty prop. Greg Wilson makes liberal use of what he calls the "Oh, by the way” switch for this kind of clean up. He will casually go to the pocket with the dirty prop and then immediately, as though it just occurred to him to pass the item out, come back out with the sanitized version to give to someone. It sounds obvious, but with some forthought and a little acting, it goes by layman every time when he does it.
To go further, think about if there one more step you can add to the presentation - a secondary climax, effect or preparation for display - that takes the dirty item out of play. As already mentioned there are switches galore, but the idea is to see if you can build one into the natural flow of the routine. For example, in the marketed bill to credit card, you could just change the bill into the credit card and stop; therefore inviting the problem you are having. Or, you could build in Nick Lewin’s over/under switch with the wallet you took the bill from originally as part of the routine, so when you are done, you are displaying a card that can be grabbed with impunity. Just remember, a lot of magic that is shared in the magic community comes without real world performance testing. Someone comes up with a cool idea, does it in a mirror, and shares it without thinking through the performance much before it’s released. That’s why it is incumbent on you to do some of that heavy lifting to eliminate the rough patches. Just a thought… |
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