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| Topic: My first ever busking experience~ Video! |
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[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qRcvHC3Oeg][img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_khqkv71iMBM/S39_SIQpodI/AAAAAAAABC8/tUq_UXGzgeA/s400/Still+22.jpeg[/img][/url] [b]~Click the pic to watch the video~[/b] Well, I finally busked! After years of Corporate gigs and Private functions, I thought I should take it to the streets to see how I'd fare in the real world. Needless to say, my eyes were opened. Wide, lol. Please comment here, as I have a lot to talk about, lol. Jamie D. Grant |
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Well, in parts of it, you were moving really, really fast... So, how does it feel to get your hands dirty and go about entertaining complete strangers enough that they want to give you money? How, if so, did your opening gambit change from the 1st time to the last? Did you have a game plan for corralling and engaging the audience and did it change during the course of the evening? Did you find your approach to humor spot on for the crowds or did you have to modify it on the fly? Are you glad you read up on Cellini before hitting the streets? Nice video, btw... |
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I could see the learning process in motion. It's a completely different world when you busk. After a couple of weeks of doing it, you become a shameless hustler! ;) I really like your cups and balls routine, by the way. The cups look like the ones Willi Seidl made. Maybe the ones from Jedinat. |
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Greetings and Salutations, A dollar for the first hat! At least I'm not the only one. Good vid and your cups routine is sweet. You vid should be required viewing for everyone contemplating hitting the streets for the first time. Joe Zeman aka The Mage Ulysses |
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See... we told you it was easy. That's a fun vid. |
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| I loved the Rogaine line. |
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| Very nicely done.... did you only do one day or are you doing the whole Olympics? |
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First time out...I'm impressed. Don |
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| $130 in 1.5 hrs? WOW! I loved the video and music! |
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Nobody's asked this so I have to be first. Vancouver in February... how cold was it? I know they've been talking about the fact that this is their warmest winter ever, but that has to be a relative term. Even with multiple shirts and pants and whatever else you were wearing, your fingers had to be freezing! Hats off to you and job well done! |
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I really enjoyed the video. Well done. |
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I'm curious as to know hopw cold it was also. where I'm living it is still too cold for anybody to go out and enjoy what the area has to offer. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL SPRING!!!! |
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CONGRATS Jamie! MMc |
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| Good job, Jamie |
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| This was an awesome video. Favorited and shared on Facebook. It was fascinating watching that steep learning curve. Here's a versatile performer! Congrats, Jamie! |
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That was great Jamie! Mike |
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| $130.00 in an hour and a half sounds pretty good for your first time out! Congratulations! |
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Not to be a contrarian, but it appears to me in the video that the people who are wandering around in Vancouver for the Olympics have figured out how to dress for the occasion. That first show was a tad sparse. Evidently, Jamie hadn't figured out how to stop the crowd. That's not easy to do when you have people who are on the way to something and the weather is cold. But look how he progressed. He figured some things out. He got them to stop, watch and listen. He gathered the tip, passed the hat and he and the gilpins were pleased. I have a lot of respect for Jamie for getting out there and trying it. Of course, if busking doesn't work out for him, he can go back to his old job -- putting sealed decks of bicycle playing cards into small milk bottles! |
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Hiya Everyone! I learned so much stuff in an hour and a half, it's ridiculous! First of all, thanks for all the kind words and comments- they always mean a lot. Secondly, if you want to be a successful busker, [b]you need to ask them for money,[/b] lol. That's lesson 1! [quote] On 2010-02-20 02:22, rawdawg wrote: Well, in parts of it, you were moving really, really fast... So, how does it feel to get your hands dirty and go about entertaining complete strangers enough that they want to give you money? How, if so, did your opening gambit change from the 1st time to the last? Did you have a game plan for corralling and engaging the audience and did it change during the course of the evening? Did you find your approach to humor spot on for the crowds or did you have to modify it on the fly? Are you glad you read up on Cellini before hitting the streets? Nice video, btw... [/quote] To answer these: A) It was awesome! Unlike paid gigs, it's nice to have individual monetary responses. B) I changed my opening from Silk to TT to Crazy Man's Handcuffs. That might sound crazy, but I have fairly large hands and it just worked for me. C) My game plan for gathering a crowd changed immensely! The initial small group is your friend! I learned that stopping a couple of people right away was better than trying to gather a huge crowd off the bat. It's all about the build! D) Funny is money. I've always taken that to heart. E) I, obviously, devour material like nobody's business and I took a fair amount of time to prepare, via books, dvds, talking, etc. That said, none of it can compare to just doing it... I'll be going out again next week, and I'll be writing another 2 parts for my Magic Friday column detailing the whole experience. Fun! ~jamie |
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Yeah but how cold was it!? Brrrrrr... |
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| Not [i]that[/i] cold, lol. It was above 0, that's for sure. Besides, if there's people out to shop and hang out, then it's warm enough to perfom~ Hoo-rah! |
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Jamei D Grant: First, I must say that you've done a wonderful editing work. The video is excellent! I loved every second of it! Thanks for posting it! Second, since you're a professional, there's really no need for any of us to point out things that doesn't work. Third, I liked your style, the googles, your pick of tricks. Everything about your style on the streets. One thing that I have found is that confidence pulls a crowd. If it looks like you've got the right to be there - they stop. From the video it looked like you enjoyed yourself and were "part of the street". I.e people stop. I also liked your aproach to crowd pulling when you started doing tricks for small groups and building from there. Instant succes! Great! Thanks for the video, it really inspired me. Its of season here in Sweden. About five feet snow and -20 celcius. Van't waite to go out there as soon as spring is upon us. Best, /Ark |
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| This is a really good video, Jamie. I loved it! Welcome to the streets! I liked seeing how you progressed in such a short time - it was obvious in the confidence that you displayed in the end. Great work, man. |
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You looked like you were having a lot of fun. you looked good out there. |
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| Great video. Nice stuff. Suggestion: get a bigger table. It appears too cluttered. Bigger table appears like a bigger show. Try the trickle with a pitch at the end. Otherwise keep up the good work. |
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Jamie congratulations to you, your the man. Knowing you as a pal, and as visiting buskers to Vancouver you were very encoureging and wellcoming to me and Vee. The world of busking can do with man with a heart as big as yours. It is great to see you finally hit the streets, WELL DONE. Your deck of cards in the bottle takes pride of place in my RV. Mario |
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Thank you Jamie for answering my questions. I have a few more, if you don't mind. In your first outing, your rope barrier is circular and rather small, as if you were expecting to do a close up show. Your second outing has your minions broadening the area into a shallow half circle, like a Greek theatre. What prompted the change? Other than the trick change for your opener, was there any other adjustments/variety to your set as time passed along? Was the Cups & Balls always going to be your closer or did you consider other effects? I rather like the longish pause in the action before the final load reveal. I wonder what others on this thread think of it? Do you think every magician, regardless of his or her path in magic, should busk at least once in their life? Thanks in advance. |
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I made about 5 times more in my first hat than 2nd or third - one time I got litter..... I'm not really cut out for busking but It helped me a lot I spent 6 months in vancouver and loved it there - I wish I could be there for the games! |
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Jamie, Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Its inspiring for future buskers like myself. Really loved your energy!!! |
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Thanks for the kind words Mario! You rock! [quote] On 2010-02-22 20:00, rawdawg wrote: Thank you Jamie for answering my questions. I have a few more, if you don't mind. In your first outing, your rope barrier is circular and rather small, as if you were expecting to do a close up show. Your second outing has your minions broadening the area into a shallow half circle, like a Greek theatre. What prompted the change? Other than the trick change for your opener, was there any other adjustments/variety to your set as time passed along? Was the Cups & Balls always going to be your closer or did you consider other effects? I rather like the longish pause in the action before the final load reveal. I wonder what others on this thread think of it? Do you think every magician, regardless of his or her path in magic, should busk at least once in their life? Thanks in advance. [/quote] Lol, A) What promted my change in rope layout was that Travis actually knows what he's doing... (These are great friends of mine by the way, not minions, lol). B) My trick layout changed completely except for the Rope and the Cups and Balls. I switched the Silk to Crazy Man's and changed up my card effect. C) The Cups and Balls was always to be my closer. And, in fact, that was the very first time I've ever done the Cups and Balls live. D) I personally think every Magician should busk for a time in their lives- absolutely. For me, there is nothing greater than the knowledge that you can go out onto the street anywhere in the world and surviive. Not by digging ditches, or painting fences, but by simply being you. A Magician. ~ jamie |
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Jamie D. Grant said; "D) I personally think every Magician should busk for a time in their lives- absolutely. For me, there is nothing greater than the knowledge that you can go out onto the street anywhere in the world and surviive. Not by digging ditches, or painting fences, but by simply being you. A Magician." brilliant |
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| Right on Jamie. |
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I do have to ask: What's with the goggles? |
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As far as I can tell, the goggles just add an awesome steampunk look to his character. I highly approve. The real world should be steampunk. |
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[quote] On 2010-02-23 06:13, Scott F. Guinn wrote: I do have to ask: What's with the goggles? [/quote] Ha ha. Steam Punk is the coolest thing ever but I don't know if it's really a [i]character[/i] for me. I've always felt that my character is myself. My goal is for people to hire me because I'm Jamie D. Grant, lol. Strangely enough, my role model is probably Paris Hilton- I want people to pay me a schwack of moohlah just to have me at their party, it's just that I do magic tricks (not the other kind), lol. So, as for the goggles? I think they're cool, lol. That's just who I am. jamie |
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Yeah, I actually have a friend who wears goggles like that all the time. Maybe I ought to experiment with a subtle steampunk tilt. Anyway, you rock the goggles well! |
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| "Rock the Goggles" sounds like a 70's glam rock tribute band. |
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[quote] On 2010-02-23 15:12, Andy_Bell wrote: "Rock the Goggles" sounds like a 70's glam rock tribute band. [/quote] :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: |
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Lol, Maybe we can enter that into the Magic lexcicon. To [i]"rock the goggles"[/i] meaning: To be one's self. I.e. "Hey Jamie, what should I do?" [i]"Don't worry, Just rock the goggles."[/i] or maybe, [i]"Just rock your goggles."[/i] Gettin off track, jamie |
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| All together: JAMIE! JAMIE! JAMIE! JAMIE! |
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Welcome to the club, Jamie! Great job and fun to watch. Love the goggles. Congrats on getting out there. The second time is the hardest. Makes sure you do it again!!! |
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[quote] On 2010-02-23 00:30, Jamie D. Grant wrote: B) My trick layout changed completely except for the Rope and the Cups and Balls. I switched the Silk to Crazy Man's and changed up my card effect. [/quote] Hello Jamie, I've never busked so I'm shamelessly taking advantage of grilling a "rookie" busker as it were. You've stated, "Funny is Money" so did the changes in your set come from lackluster crowd reaction, a miscue in what the various tourists would find humorous or something else? The Vanishing silk(I assume) is a great effect and I've heard other street workers use it as openers. What did you find out about the effect that didn't play for you? Thank you for your time, rawdawg |
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Jamie, Thanks for sharing. Great vid. I love the glass of water production, and it seemed to get great reactions. It seems like a "loaded gun" that you can pull out at any moment in your act. The "steampunk" look is great. It really conveys character. Did you do anything with coins? |
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Way to go Jamie!!! Really nice video ... professional quality. $150 in 1.5 hours? On your first go? Kozmo would be proud. You brought a tear to my eye when you dedicated the short to Cellini. Cheers!! I hope one day to see you perform on the streets live. Keep On Buskin! |
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[quote] On 2010-02-23 16:55, Frank Starsini wrote: Welcome to the club, Jamie! Great job and fun to watch. Love the goggles. Congrats on getting out there. The second time is the hardest. Makes sure you do it again!!! [/quote] Frank! You didn't mention anything about my servante... jamie |
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Part 2 (The Write-up): http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=354152&forum=175#0 This is a write up of all the gear I used and the effects I chose~ |
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Jamie: Well done! What a shock going from corporate to street, eh? You did lots of prep and study and it showed - I hope folks will learn from that. You put together material you could already do and found great equipment. You obviously took your other experience and knowledge to shorten the learning curve, with great effect. That was great to watch. And stopping people in that cold is a pretty amazing accomplishment, too! But perhaps the most amazing thing is that it only took you SEVEN MINUTES to get your government permit! Are you kidding me? <lol> Oh, yeah - I want you to do my next promo reel - your video ROCKS! Cheers, Eric |
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| It's cute! |
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[quote] On 2010-02-24 01:59, Jamie D. Grant wrote: [quote] On 2010-02-23 16:55, Frank Starsini wrote: Welcome to the club, Jamie! Great job and fun to watch. Love the goggles. Congrats on getting out there. The second time is the hardest. Makes sure you do it again!!! [/quote] Frank! You didn't mention anything about my servante... jamie [/quote] I know. It was difficult but I try not to troll whenever possible. :) I'm glad you like it!!! |
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Frank didn't need to mention anything about it. It's obvious to anybody who knows anything about magic busking equipment--or Frank! ;) |
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Jamie! that was awesome not only for your success in busking also for the video editing.. that was impressive it was top notch |
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| Well done and thanks for sharing with us. The steam punk look was a nice touch. Very good work. |
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Steampunk Rocks! I have done magic at more than my fare share of events! I have a costume made just for it. And yes I do wear goggles. Only recently I have added some really cool ear goggles to the mix! My only thought is that you spelled license wrong at the beginning of the video. Keep the Steampunk look and keep "rocking your goggles" Chad |
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[quote] On 2010-04-09 22:37, Chad Sanborn wrote: My only thought is that you spelled license wrong at the beginning of the video. [/quote] Lol, it's a good thing it was shot in Canada ;) And thanks for the kind words everyone! I've just been teaching myself how to make videos and it's a loooong process, lol. jamie |