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Glenn Alloway Regular user Edmonton AB Canada 103 Posts |
I've been out busking about 5 times now, and I'm starting to get a lot better. I made a ten the other day and was pretty pumped about it (I was thinking of having it framed).
But the one part of my show I really need to work on is stopping the first five. I checked out the local street performers festival last week to look for insight. Stopping people in a festival is not the same as stopping them on the street. People go to festivals to see buskers. All a guy needs to do is plop his case on a spot and five people will stop so they can get good seats to the show. This is very different from working a true street show. People walk down the street because they need to go somewhere. How do you guys deal with stopping your first five? I know it has to be noisy, flashy, energetic etc. What is your best method of stopping people? Once the show has begun, I find it easier to build the crowd, but it is getting the kindeling for the fire that is causing me troubles. As background, I do a small doorway show; 10-30 min in length, designed for 5-25 people. I don't have a table or a sign. My show fits in a small shoulder bag. I have been considering making a sign to help my casue. What do you guys think? Any help and/or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.
"This is madness and yet there is method in it." ~Shakespeare
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drwilson Inner circle Bar Harbor, ME 2191 Posts |
I will pass along an idea that I learned from the Art of Street Performing DVDs (you only really learn this stuff when you try it on the street, but the techniques are there). Cellini says that if you want to stop a crowd, stop a child. I have had very good luck using a simple silk vanish with a TT as Cellini demonstrates on Volume 2. Anything fast and visual can work.
I have also stood there holding my Fast and Loose chain in the air doing a sort of bally. Once one or two people are at the table learning how the game is worked, a crowd gathers. For this to work, you need only stop one or two people. For the right setting, I have used my Roller Organ. Everyone stops to hear the music. If you are not parked right by the pitch this isn't practical, and of course you need a Roller Organ. If you just stood there with a guitar it looks like you are just another musician doing a trickle, but I think that other odd instruments might work also. On the Street Performing DVDs you will see a trumpet, a conch shell and a tambourine being used. At a fair, which is very loud and flashy, I have used silence. I stood holding a wooden box in the air without saying anything. Soon, someone stops to ask what is in the box. Slowly and deliberately, I take out the ball and vase. By the time I am ready to start talking, there is a crowd. In this case, it is the contrast that draws them in. Everyone else is shouting, I am just standing there. I think for a doorway show you have to convey immediately that you are an entertainer and are harmless, and that this isn't some kind of con or hustle. Oddly enough, I have had good luck with inviting people over to see an old street con. If it were really a con, the operator wouldn't say that; he'd say, would you like a little action or how'd you like a chance to make some money, sport. I don't use a sign, but I think that my costume and actions declare what I am. Some folks use a sign to good effect. Cellini has his table set up so that when he breaks it down to go get coffee, his sign is working for him when he is not performing. Let us know what works for you. Yours, Paul |
Kondini Inner circle 3609 Posts |
On very poor days working the UK shows I have been known to gather very large crowds by holding a sign above my head. It reads S*E*X, after they have gathered I explain that now I have their attention I will do my show.
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chrisrkline Special user Little Rock 965 Posts |
That might only work if you have the animal magnatism you obviously exude.
Chris
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BroDavid Inner circle America’s North Coast, Ohio 3176 Posts |
I target a person or two that is passing by, (preferably a couple), and then start talking to them about magic, fun, entertainment while either banging my rings around, or doing card flourishes with brightly backed American flag decks.
So as they are walking by, I make eye contact and I give them a big smile and then I start talking to them.......exactly what I say depends a lot on what they look like and what I think will catch their interest. Reading people isn't all that hard, but 30+ years of selling has given me a pretty good eye. "Hey there, how ya doing? You two look just perfect. I am going to do a magic show here in a couple of minutes and I could sure use your help. You do like magic, don't you. Sure, everyone does! Ok, good, we are going to have some fun.... yada yada..." If they aren't stopping, then you aren't doing or saying anything intersting enough to stop them. don't wait for them to come to you. life is too short. Reach out and pull them in. Then once you get them, keep them interest by starting to show them something that can be interrupted, because if nobody else is stopping, it might be necesary to snag another couple. Four or five folks should be enough to draw the rest. I do Sankey's paperclipped as a draw. And I get everyone involved in watching the prediction card. Part of their job in watching it, is to yell STOP is someone, anyone, reaches for it. Then I reach for it, get them started yelling "STOP". And as I go through the routine, (I can drag it on for as long as I need, and use a move towards the prediction card to get them yelling real loud.) I don't actually start performing until I have the core (8-10) built. Until then, I just play around and get them involved in having fun and making noise. Like an awful lot of street perfroming, what works for one, will tank for another. I have a good friend who couldn't draw a crowd on the street if he was stinky cheese and people were flies. He is a good magician, just he cant make the people connection on the street. He is quite timid and it shows. Once a crowd is assembled, he puts on his performing personna, and he can knock them out. But he just can't seem to light up in front of strangers. Personally, I don't believe in strangers. What others call strangers, to me are just friends I havent met yet. And I am not the least bit afraid to meet them. Anyway, that is what works for me. Your mileage may vary. BroDavid
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
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Whiterabbit Loyal user Kevin Mc Lean 278 Posts |
I normally pitch balloons, but sometimes I work festivals and I have a whistle that sounds a lot like a soft version of a train whistle. I wait until there is a family group just passing by and blow it, shouting out "All aboard..." then there is a little spiel that I go into.
The whistle is distinctive, but not so loud that it'll go through your head. I first saw it used in markets a few years ago by a guy selling woodwork. Just the "All aboard" line is so quizzical that it will usually get a smile and people asking "What's going on?". This guy used to do it as they just got past his stand, turn them back, and create a bottle neck on the sidewalk. It certainly works in my neck of the woods.
May your fingers never lose their deftness,
May your tongue always lead them down the garden path... Regards, Whiterabbit |
Danny Hustle Inner circle Boston, MA USA 2393 Posts |
I announce that I am about to start a show in 2 minutes. I then go into a bally about what they are about to see (all of the stuff I mention is not actually in my show just crazy stuff that will make people stop).
When I get the first few or even just the first two but I can see that there are a few people watching from the distance I go into my "world famous crowd building trick". I then turn off my mike and tell the people that are actually standing my edge that this first trick, isn't much of a trick but it draws a crowd like nobodies business. I tell them to stick with me and after I get the crowd I will do the good stuff, and then I give them a wink. I then bring out my "world famous crowd building trick" and spend about five minutes pretending to do the trick. I then give a "wah, wah, wah," false pay off and explain to the crowd that has gathered that it wasn't much of a trick but now that I have their attention do you REALLY want to see me do (insert thing I promised to do). If their reaction is mediocre I let them know that, then I take the blame myself and say that perhaps I need to be more animated. Then I REALLY pitch the trick and say, "Do you all want to see it!" and hold my hand to my ear. If they give me the reaction I am looking for I tell them okay I will now (insert thing that has been promised) and hopefully it will cause you to burst into a spontaneous round of applause. By the time I actually do the thing I have a very healthy edge, if the area is busy. If it is 100 degrees out and they have no attention span this is also a good cut point and tell them I will try again later. More seasoned guys will just stand there and talk and milk for 45 minutes until they have a HUGE crowd before they do anything. I have not yet developed that skill and to be honest, I don't know if I want to. I also think having a built in cut point later in the show is also a good idea. Nothing is worse than doing a show for people who have no real desire to be entertained. If you have the crowd and they are not responding don't be afraid to let them go because 5 minutes later there might be a crowd that would LOVE to see your show. If you have a bad crowd and are in the middle of the show and the good crowd steps over to the pitch, the bad crowd can poison the good crowd. I know that this is more than you asked for but for me the two have been intertwined lately and something I spent a lot of time wasting shows early in the season doing them for people who were only watching because I was a curiosity. Doing the whole show for those people is not only a waste of your time but is even a waste of theirs. I had to find it out the hard way. Also, don't panic if a chunk of your audience walks away. Let them go, people who want to see you will soon come up. You are better off cutting a show than trying to talk them into staying or worse, letting the audience that is staying see that it bothers you. Best, Dan- "MT is one of the reasons we started this board! I’m so sick of posts being deleted without any reason given, and by unknown people at that." - Steve Brooks Sep 7, 2001 8:38pm ©1999-2014 Daniel Denney all rights reserved. |
Glenn Alloway Regular user Edmonton AB Canada 103 Posts |
OK, I think I'm getting a better understanding of what I could improve.
I was trying to start out by singling out individuals. I was asking a single person, "Excuse me miss, I think I can guess your name." and of course fail, and try again, as I went in to Greg Wilson's point blank routine. I think one problem with my method was singling out an individual. Based on your descriptions, it sounds like a much better idea to pitch to everybody, not just one person. I like the pitching to everybody idea because instead of stopping a single person who may or may not want to be there, you are taking a large group and the few people who chose to stop will have a genuine interest in your performance. I do have certain cut-outs build into my show, so I can end it early if required. I have given some thought into using a torch, and play it up about how I'm going to put it out in my mouth and injur myself, and may be seriously burnt and play it up as a big event. Then end up finishing as a torch to rose gimmick, and don't actually eat the flame. I was even thinking about exposing the gimmick as a comedy bit, and then re-light the tourch and actually extinguish in my mouth. Have you guys had any success in using a flame to build a crowd? or is that a can of worms that is best left unopened? I think that ultimately I need to just bally up my show before starting any tricks. At least to get four or five people. Thanks for all the advice. I have a lot of ideas to mull over in my head. I really like the idea of pitching your entire show at the start, and build the finale through-out the show. Thanks again for the help.
"This is madness and yet there is method in it." ~Shakespeare
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Kozmo V.I.P. 5473 Posts |
Well I use my voice...i tell them whats up...i tell them if they watch they will remember forever....sound...the sound of the human voice...works....sometimes it takes aminute or 2 but ti works....be patient and it will happen...i don't think that in this day thumping your stick will do but if you thump your stick so they look then you talk to them....thats woks...make them feel like you are safe...
good luck koz |
Whiterabbit Loyal user Kevin Mc Lean 278 Posts |
Quote:
On 2005-07-26 14:39, Glenn Alloway wrote: Hello Glenn, again, not what I do a lot of, but I try for two or three teenage girls in a group, or a family (Mum, Dad, a couple of children)to build the group. I tend to find if you can get a family group with a child and do it from the perspective of "does your child like magic?", you get a "yes". That first "yes" obligates them to stay. A couple of children in the family is good, they tend to mob. Also, families with children accept time being used as it's par for the course and they're usually trying to occupy the children. With the teenage girls a simple trick like sponge in the hand can get a 'scream' and that too is a drawcard. Anything (er, within reason) that has people squealing and jumping up and down is good. Groups of teenage girls tend to do that. Anyway, those are the two groups I try for to get a crowd. Best Wishes,
May your fingers never lose their deftness,
May your tongue always lead them down the garden path... Regards, Whiterabbit |
Danny Hustle Inner circle Boston, MA USA 2393 Posts |
Koz: Great stuff. That is it in a nut shell. I use the thumper but only as an exclamation point, In the middle of a trick just before a climax I will say, "Ladies and gentlemen you do not want to miss this, watch!" Thump! Thump! etc..
Glenn: Addressing the group is great for getting their attention. Treating them as individuals and personally connecting with as many of them as you can one on one will get them on your side and turn them from a crowd into an audience. Guessing the name is a good idea, something I do that takes it one step further is laying on the New Orleans shoe hustle, "Excuse me sir but I bet I can tell you where you got them shoes." Wait for his response and say, "You got them shoes on your feet!" It gets a laugh AND it gives them a joke they can take home and lay on their friends. Giving them a funny line, joke, or piece of your personality, that they can take home and talk about is the thing that will get them to stay. Chatting them up before you do your real first trick or having a "milker" like a rope trick or a rings routine that you can pause, talk, and joke, with them as you do it with will also save you from suffering through "Premature show time". "Premature show time" is when you have that first edge of just a couple of people, go through your whole routine, and two minutes before you finish you look up and see you have gotten a big crowd in the last thirty seconds. As you are finishing up your grand finale you know that because these people only saw two minutes they are not going to tip. If your act is strong you can use them to start your next show but they will have already seen your finale. If you are doing a 10 minute sidewalk act they will watch until they get to the point where they came in and bail on you. That is what used to happen to me anyway, a lot. So, getting them all at once as a group is great. But interacting with them as individuals as they are in your crowd throughout your show will turn them into an audience. Best, Dan- "MT is one of the reasons we started this board! I’m so sick of posts being deleted without any reason given, and by unknown people at that." - Steve Brooks Sep 7, 2001 8:38pm ©1999-2014 Daniel Denney all rights reserved. |
bropaul Loyal user Florida 222 Posts |
After listening to KOZ and Danny I guess there's not much to say. Great job guys. It is the absolute truth that you need to connect with the first wave and get them on your side. I like to start off with a joke...
As they are walking by I say, "Ok there's these three pirates and they died..." If they look over and continue to walk I say, "Oh, so you've heard it?" At that point they stop or go. If they go I wait a couple of seconds and then do it again. If they stop I say, "Come here I've got a good pirate joke for ya." As soon as they approach I talk to them. Ask how their doing. Where there from. I basically get involved with them. People really do like people that are interested in them. They love to play along as long as they know that you're a nice guy and not going to roll them or anything. As this introduction period is going on I'm either shuffling cards with a couple of flurishes or getting out my cups and lining them up on the table. By that time I have a couple of other people stoping to see what's up. I pull them in and make them all say Rrrrrrrr, like pirates and I tell them the joke. The joke takes a couple of minutes and by that time I've got about 5 to 10 standing there. That's when I break out the balloon and shove it down my throat. When I look up I have 25 to 50 just standing there with their mouths open. I throw my cups out into the audience and walk in front of my table and put them in line. "Just like a KOA camp, all I want now is a semicircle." Once I have drawn the edge I explain that they are the front row and not to move because there will be another 8... 10... Or 12... Thousand people wanting to push forward to see this trick... Then I tell them to pass the cups around and check them out and go into my routine... As the crowd builds I may push the front row back a couple of feet to make it easier for the 2nd and 3rd rows to see the table. I make a big point of letting the audience know that they have to see the top of the table, "That is the stage." They will adjust themselves most of the time and the people in front even look over their shoulder and make an adjustment to let the people behind them see better. "Like clay in your hands..." Then I give them the best show I can and then GTFM. I'm proud of what I do. I love people. I love doing magic. It all shows and they share their energy with me at the end. It really is a good life. Don't forget, If they like you, you can do anything you want. Good luck my friend. |
ROBERT BLAKE Inner circle 1472 Posts |
Don't forget that the most important factor to stop people is YOU!
you can do all kind of tricks but YOU have to do it. the most important thing I had to learn was .... be open to the people. if you think he is not into it - she is not looking happy - it is not going to happen. YOU should show that YOU are going to do a show that's going to be Great. If they don't want to see the show that is thier problem But YOU are going to do a great show. This is a way of showing confidence. if you are going to that they get curious because if somebody has that kind of confidence it must be good. my advise is to talk to the people. be open - show confidence and tell what you ar going to do. it also helps if you do something. get some street chalk and draw a circle to create you area and invite people to come up to the line. no tricks but preparing for the show. put props on th street arrange them. don't hit on one person this is to threadning. I know this is hard to do the first time. but if you can do only tricks to get people what do you do when that not works. and there will be time they don't work. people like Danny Hustle or Kondini can walk on the pitch and people are looking. why confidence. they show I AM ARRIVED AND I AM GOING TO DO A GREAT SHOW FOR YOU. THIS COMBINED WHAT THE OTHERS SAID IS GOIN TO HELP YOU TO GET A GOOD START |
NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
Try this....
Find your favourite version of seven keys to whatever (paradise, baldplate etc.) I suggest Tim Ellis' version from his lecture notes. Get a $100 bill and put it in a clear box with a big padlock. Have seven keys on display. Get out ALL of your props and get them ALL ready. Make it clear you are going to do a show. Then start shouting. "I have $100 here to giveaway to someone! Who wants it? Anyone can have it! Don't worry, The cops say that I can't your money to play this game otherwise it is gambling but I can give it away!" Keep saying this until you have a person. Have them select a key. Ask their name but don't let them open the key. "Bob here has a one in seven chance of winning $100. Who else wants a go etc" Repeat until you have six people. Assume that each of these six people is with at least ONE other person. This means you now have 12 people who all want to try and open the lock. Six try and fail but the last key is a success and you get to keep your $100. Segue into something else that makes them think they could win something. E.g. "Who else wants to win some money? I'll show you how to do it. Sir, can I borrow your wallet? I'll just take out $50 to show this.....there you go, I just made $50! Now everyone go home and try that!" Vanish, bill switch, burn and restore, put it in a lemon...whatever! You now have a crowd! |
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