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WazMeister Loyal user 233 Posts |
I have not really performed for many people, well family and friends but my ACR I have never shown anyone.
I don't have much confidence when it comes to performing, so I get too worried incase it goes wrong. I've praticed it for a good few months now, and so I made a video. I was extremely nervous in the video and I think I should have done better on some things but I was hoping to get some feedback from some fellow magicians even if your pro..... I know it wont scratch up to much, but just to see if I am going in the right direction.... I've upped it to Youtube, which was my nightmare but I had no other means to show it. I was hoping for a few magicians could PM me who would like to crique my performance and I give you the link. After its been viewd a few times I will be deleting it, I don't really want myself on Youtube let alone my dodgy magic. Thanks for your time and efforts in providing me some feedback. Regards Waz |
WazMeister Loyal user 233 Posts |
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cmdash24 New user 74 Posts |
That was okay. You did flash the palms, and the pop-up card part.
One other thing, you're rushing through the effect. Slow down, take your time. The phases need to sink in, I know you were doing this for the camera, but keep that in mind when performing for people. Lastly work on your patter, because you're basically mumbling through the course of the effect, and come off as really nervous. I think you're good enough to try this for real people. That would be the next step. |
The Burnaby Kid Inner circle St. John's, Canada 3158 Posts |
Ok, there are flashes for the insertion just prior to the pop-up move and the palm near the end, and you've got to sell the single card as being a full deck as well. The flash on the pop-up is probably not going to be an issue unless they're watching at waist height, but it's something to consider. Otherwise the technique isn't a huge problem.
The real key here is the anxiety. You've got a fairly big routine there, and yet it seems that you're a bit anxious about handling a simple card selection and return procedure. At that point, you're shifting around, talking quickly and about nothing in particular, doing lots of unmotivated riffles and fancy cuts. However, once you show that the card on top isn't their card, you've gotten into a groove, you pause appropriately, your body language becomes less shifty, etc. If I were you, I'd perfect a simpler trick first. We could spend forever parsing the ACR for minor points (I'd personally recommend shuffling a couple of phases around and using a different DL) but those issues are, in my opinion, secondary to just getting you comfortable with a deck of cards. Take a simpler trick, find a good script for it (making sure that the script extends prior to the trick, so that you can get in the groove before the card selection happens), perfect that, and as your confidence grows it'll help you out with everything else you present. Moves like the pass, for instance, have trouble surviving scrutiny if you're really tense, and if you're rewarding the audience for staring at your hands by doing all sorts of fancy cuts and other eye candy. As a thought, you could even do a trick that's built around how nervous you feel. In fact, sometimes you get so nervous that you have trouble shuffling the cards properly, and then head into the standard Slop Shuffle routine.
JACK, the Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery, a free card magic resource for beginners.
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WazMeister Loyal user 233 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-11-29 16:09, Andrew Musgrave wrote: |
The Burnaby Kid Inner circle St. John's, Canada 3158 Posts |
Waz,
I don't think you necessarily need to drop this routine, just put some effort into perfecting the scripting and execution of a simpler effect first. The skills you'll learn in presenting a full effect from start to finish will help you make a longer, more complex trick more entertaining. Plus, if you're in a situation where you're dividing your attention between executing difficult techniques and giving them an entertaining presentation, you're going to make it harder on yourself to come up with something of real quality. Watch that video again, and notice that even after the preamble, it took over a minute to go from the card selection to the card return (0:45 to 1:50), and that's without an actual spectator there -- in other words, an ideal scenario. What's more, during that time, we didn't really get much in the way of compelling patter. That's a lot of dead time. Finally, practicing this routine more before taking it live will give the chance to deal with the flashes in technique.
JACK, the Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery, a free card magic resource for beginners.
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WazMeister Loyal user 233 Posts |
I see what you mean Andrew, Thanks!
I need to get better patter that's for sure, I am concenrated on praticting moves/tricks all the time to myself walking around house, sitting on loo etc etc and never really pratice the patter.... The patter I did in the footage I just caem up with there and then, it's no excuse but it does need better scripting and execution that's for sure. I get back to drawing boared and pratice more and try get a better patter, I tend to find when I do other tricks to family/friends though a lot patter for me comes nautral cracking jokes on the spot and playing around, doing it to a camrea its hard to crack a joke or do some form of something . do you think I should slow down each stage of the rise? I've followed Bill Malones routine which is awe inspiring and he goes real fast from one stage to the other. |
The Burnaby Kid Inner circle St. John's, Canada 3158 Posts |
Speed and pacing is one of those areas that's generally reliant upon character. Bill Malone's a fast-talking guy, and he's also got the timing of a standup comedian -- comedians, if they have a string of jokes, will sometimes wait until the audience is just on the verge of recovering from the last laugh before hitting them again with something funny. There may be a sense of speed there, but it's not about actual velocity so much as it's about pacing and timing.
Whether or not you should go fast is going to depend upon your performing character. That's a choice you'll have to make as you get more comfortable performing for people. For comparison's sake... Bill Malone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpzuXmQm3fA Tommy Wonder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrApPgoWZqE Both of these guys have found a way to use the trick as a means of expression and a way to convey character. They also operate at completely different speeds. For the most part, if it's slower, the audience can follow it better, and people will be less inclined to think that speed is somehow being used as a cover for the effects, or that you're able to do the tricks because you have "fast hands". That said, you don't want to arbitrarily violate your performing character, so if you're a quick-talking guy, slowing down all of a sudden could ruin the character.
JACK, the Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery, a free card magic resource for beginners.
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The Futurist Veteran user 331 Posts |
Nice! Of course, things that come across one way live may come across differently on video, even without freeze-framing and rewinding and what have you. The sense of being "live" with the magician in-person makes all the difference IMHO. Still, it looked alright to me; I don't attempt the ACR myself, and I watched it not in a spirit of deconstructionism, but how a member of the general public might watch it.
So, maybe you might delete this and, later, upload an ACR that you're happier with, and perhaps repeat the process until you have your best possible ACR up there with no "paper trail" of proto-ACRs Then you might feel differently about having your work on the Youtube record. |
coolini Regular user australia 176 Posts |
Hey WazMeister, I like the ACR that you did here, and bill's Malone ACR is one of my favorite and I do it all the time...
as mentioned before, it was obvious that you was nervous while performing in front of a camera...and you was talking soo fast!!! just relax and as dai Vernon once mentioned, even the way you turn the top card makes a difference...you are doing a miracle...make it look like a miracle!!!!! a card that you put in the middle of the deck jumps on top again...to a lay person, that makes him start thinking...let him think! I personally makes a big deal out of it, and sometimes even pretend to misdirect the spectator. and let's say they caught you doing a palm or soo...i say"i knew this wouldn't fool you...but what about that one", as you do another florish or so...the key is that when you go with your routine slow and with proper timing, you give your spectator time to understand what you are communicating with them and appreciate what you are doing, if they see something, make it seem as if it was planned, and remember that you are always one step ahead... |
WazMeister Loyal user 233 Posts |
Thanks for all the replies guys.
Really apprechiate it, so I've jotted down the advice. Just so I know where I am at with this. A)Work on pacing myself a bit more b)work on the patter, relax more c)pratice the sleights a bit more until I can do them without hesitation d)Get the routine to work for myself and my patter rather than speeding off in the moonlight like Malone. My main question now is, do you think it's at a stage I could try on people to boost my confidence.. The trick side of things. Or do you think I should be back to the drawing bored as to the sleights/moves? Thanks again Waz! |
Stanyon Inner circle Landrum, S.C. by way of Chicago 3433 Posts |
Don't worry about the ACR...but do clean your kitchen before inviting anyone into your home!
Stanyon
aka Steve Taylor "Every move a move!" "If you've enjoyed my performance half as much as I've enjoyed performing for you, then you've enjoyed it twice as much as me!" |
WazMeister Loyal user 233 Posts |
HAHA
My wifes words exactly, she went mad when she saw me post it up looking that much of a state! |
stijnhommes Special user 568 Posts |
If you get rid of the flashes and perform the moves without hesitation, you could start showing it to family and close friends. When you've perfected the patter too, you're ready to perform for strangers.
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alibaba Loyal user Hawaii 280 Posts |
I thought your routine was great and certainly should be developed and used. I had to smile as I watched, though, because you "do as I do", i.e., move around a lot. I was taught early-on that we cover small movements with big movements and because card and coin magic has so many small movements, I have a tendency to become rather kinetic when performing. I have willed myself to control this, to go slower, try to make the step-to-step transitions flow smoother and not talk quite so much and for me this helped my performance a lot. Also, as Dai Vernon and others have pointed out, one doesn't rush the slights and conversely one doesn't pause after a sleight to let its amazingness sink in - the audience doesn't know there's been a sleight. In fact the audience has no idea at all that the sleights we practice so dilligently even exist. They're simply watching miracles unfold.
I'm as real as you think I am
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edshern Special user 957 Posts |
In the Bill Malone video referenced above there is a guy in a red shirt seated right next to Bill who he speaks to by name. Dave. I have a bunch of Michael Ammar tapes and this guy is in those videos too. Plus I've seen him in others. Just curious, Anyone know who Dave is?
I just watched the Tommy Wonder video and there is Dave again! Who is this guy? |
Hansel Inner circle Puerto Rico 2492 Posts |
I agree with your wife about the Kitchen ( Just Kidding )
Ok lets be serious: You are a little bit nervous, in real situation avoid all the excesive playing with the cards, a little bit of flourishes is ok, and a little riffle too but keep the cards moving in that fast way distracts the people of what you are saying and send a message of be nervous. The control is ok, The change in the 2:04 section is very good. If I found the T**t move a little exagerated it works and the change at 2:13 would pass by a lay audience. The bend part at 2:35 was good, The Riffle P**s would need to be more worked, but don't flashed that is important. The top P**m NEED to be VERY worked but the bottom one is on the right way. The grip of a single card as the entire deck need to be in dealing position, not in biddle grip because they look like a single card. Check out Party Animal Dvd by by Matthew J. Dowden he have a very nice handling of this kind single card illusion. In 3:22 you sping too much the card, with a single sping it would be enough ( Matthew J. Dowden idea too ) In any way quit practice or perfecting this routine, with a little bit of more work this would be a great worker piece. My best, Hansel!
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oOMagiiCOo New user 74 Posts |
I think that was a pretty good performance of the trick and I think you are better than you think. If you showed that trick to your family and friends I think they would be very impressed.
One tip: try not to rush your routine and practice the patter as it makes or breaks the trick. Overall I think it was a good performance. For a brillaint example of a good patter and smooth performance just type in to youtube '4 queens 3 ways' and it is the first link. Hope this helped! |
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