Hi all,
This is the first time I've ever had the technology to put something online and I am just trying it out. Feel free to watch the following clip of me performing the floating table and a sponge ball routine. Comments are welcome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkMVfaLbdSg

Great Job! At first I thought it was going to be a little hokey. But then I was surprised. I love the premise/reason for floating the table.

I might chose to have different coloured balls (yellow? Orange?) or a different shirt. It could just be the video, but the colours were close and the balls were not that visible.

Chad,
I like the video. One comment would be when doing the sponge balls either place the table on the floor or use the floating table for the effect. As having you turn your back toward the audience does seem to make it hard to follow.
I read somewhere about a 10-2 rule meaning your feet should never be past 10 Oclock or 2 Oclock when facing the audience. Granted rules are made to be broken but this idea helps alot.
Less is more, Max Howard says rehearse your show on a 8X11.5 piece of paper and only move off the paper if there is a theatrical reason. This will help build focus.
I recently saw a high paid performer at a fair who left all his props in his case way of to the side of the stage. He was constantly walking to the case. It made it hard to follow and several people even walked out. After the show I ask him why he left his props on the side of the stage and he said he did not want to clutter the stage.
Later that day I saw a street performer who had an ugly bag and table on stage he never left the center of the stage and it was riveting to watch. It was so much easier to focus on what was important when all the Unnesessary movements had been removed.
Hope that helps and keep up the good work,
Brent Braun

Thanks for the comments. I wanted to use the red sponge balls due to it being a Christmas themed show and the rudolph tie-in. I thought about the shirt making it blend in on the video, and I will change that in the future. Also, Brent, good idea about keeping the table down front and placing the balls on it during the sponge ball routine, as that would allow me to face forward the whole time.

Overall, the audience loved it and I had lots of folks come up afterwards and thank me, but there is always room for improvement. I also notice that I say "you guys" a lot. Now that I have the new camera, I will be using it to tape almost all my shows, and that will really assist me in fine-tuning things.

Glad you guys enjoyed it!

Chad,
Nice. I appreciate the fact that you don't "look" like a magician. Nice/professional attire, but no obnoxious ties, cheezy vests, or unfitting suits. If you could streamline your mike wind screen, I'd find it less distracting and can focus on your face more than the screen.

Heehee...I oftentimes do wear the vest, although it is not a bright multi-colored one, it's a normal one. The mike screen could be smaller, although, deep down an evil part of me is still in the early 90's when it was cool to have that "look." lol.

If you want to see my "other" look, check out http://www.photosite.com/magicwithchad and take a look at the library show 2006. That is one cool outfit!

Chad,

I enjoyed the premise of Rudolph's nose making the table float. You also have a relaxed and pleasant personality.

The only 2 observations I noticed are, that you tended to pace noticabley in the middle of the sponge ball routine and it would've been nice to see you lead the applause as your assistant was leaving the stage.

Rick

Lead the applause....I like that. Thanks Rick, great comment.

I enjoyed that! I especially liked how magical you made the floating table look as well as the motivation for the floating.

A small suggestion, perhaps you might like to place the floating table segment AFTER the sponge ball routine. As it is right now, the sponge ball routine can't quite match up to the miracle of the floating table. You can lead into the floating table effect after the sponge ball routine by saying that the balls can fly (i.e. mock explanation for the sponge ball routine) and you go on to prove so by placing the ball into the box which rests on the table.

That's just my personal opinion, overall, well done, I enjoyed that very much.

Good job!

I obviously can't comment on patter because I can't hear it. But from reading the posts about the Rudolph I think it's a neat idea.

What I'll share isn't a comment on your video but a suggestion for something to add to the routine. Just an idea that hit me when I was watching.

Make a ball float first (Fearson's hook up). So you basically perform "Lite Flite" but with a sponge ball. I have a little tip on that because sponge balls are too light for that hook up to work well (They'll move up but not down). Look at sporting good stores in the hockey section. You can find street hokey balls that are made of a red foam rubber and they look just like our magic sponge balls. So they'll have a little more weight to them.

Then make the ball vanish with the old presentation that it's not gone but it's just invisible. Place the invisible ball in the box on the table then perform Bill Abbott's "The Thing". If you're not familiar with that it's basically a floating invisible ball. So it'll just be a way of proving the ball is really there but it's invisible.

With some practice you can mime that the invisible ball has a mind of it's own. Try to get it to float back into the box but it fights you and tries to float away from it. You finally win and lock the box close. Act happy with your success then the ball comes back and wins by making the table float.

You could end by making the ball visible again. Fights you some more by jumping to places you don't want it to. Put it in your pocket and it appears some where else. Put it in your mouth and it multiplies. I hope you get the idea. The ball becomes a life like thing and keeps messing with you. Kids love that kind of thing when the magician has funny things happen to him that make him annoyed.

Well, I know I keep adding on but that's just what came to mind as I watched your video.

Good work.

Ron Jaxon

Thanks Jaxon, that is an interesting idea worth looking into. Logan, another good point. I could easily see the sponge ball routine coming before the table routine.

I agree with Jaxon's suggestion about the lead into the floating table routine, very creative, as always!

Sfmiraj

You described how most magicians dress lol.

Nez

Exactly! I despise 'the look' of cheezy attire. You can spot them in a crowd.

Elevate the art....and our appearance.