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mmreed Inner circle Harrisburg, PA 1432 Posts |
People today have a higher excitement trigger level than the days of Benson, Houdini, and the classic masters. For example, look at children's games and movies ect... back a few decades ago, a simple show about a boy and his dog would entertain for hours, a simple game of candyland would be played over and over... today, it needs fast motion, high energy music, lots of action. People have changed over time due to media that exposes them to higher thresholds of excitement. Look at amusement parks. Long ago the Ferris wheel was a thrill ride. Today you have inverted 300mph rocket coasters. I think people continue to surpass the generations before them in terms of what excites them - and magic needs to keep that pace. Performing the classics of long ago is great for a nostalgia show, but for a general public show, it may not trigger that excitement point as it did to crowds of days gone past.
I am working on an article and would like some feedback on the statement above. Agree, disagree, why...
Mark Reed
Wedding and Event Entertainment |
RJE Inner circle 1848 Posts |
Totally disagree.
1. Anticipation and suspense do not need fast and furious behaviour and yet can hold an audience's attention. 2. In our quest to constantly create new shows for our regular clients, we (my wife and I) have often turned to pages of Tarbell to mine the gems of 70 or 80 years ago. They play just as big today for a family audience as they did in the past. 3. When pacing our shows, especially the 90 to 120 minute shows, we often will use routines to both work up and calm down an audience. All of the routines still entertain and hold the audience's attention. 4. I know some guys that haven't changed their act in 40 years and they're still working! I think it's a trap to think that we are caught in a vortex of ever increasing speed and energy. Seek out the truly good performers and see what they can do to entertain and hold an audience. The evidence will not support the supposition. "And yet it works!" |
mmreed Inner circle Harrisburg, PA 1432 Posts |
Great feedback RJE. Im happy to hear that the classics play strong with your crowds.
Anyone out there take the other side where they feel the classics do not hold the magic they did of yesteryear?
Mark Reed
Wedding and Event Entertainment |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
(sounds of crickets...)
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
mmreed Inner circle Harrisburg, PA 1432 Posts |
Crickets are good in this case!
Mark Reed
Wedding and Event Entertainment |
Cohiba Special user Michigan 749 Posts |
I don't know Mark. When I first read your post, I agreed with you. But RJE makes some good points.
I do believe, however, that attention spans today are not what they used to be, which can have an effect on magic. As far as televised magic - CA seems to have taken your stance and flashed it up as much as possible, catering to the bigger/faster/brighter/etc. way of things. Live performances are a little different. Live performances tend to draw attention / have strength just for the fact that you're there, witnessing it in person. It's much more powerful than watching it on screen. So, I guess my thoughts (without thinking too much about it) are that if you're performing on television, you better have something pretty quick, entertaining, and flashy to keep someone from changing the channel. Live audiences are much more forgiving, and interested in what you have to offer. |
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
Mmreed
I agree.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Presentations built around bigger, brighter, faster, etc. simply rob the modern audience of something that the inexperienced among them are not even aware they are missing... the time to enjoy plot development.
There is a place for such things in a well-developed plot, but the key is much simpler... variety.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Not sure what you're looking to address here - really.
Is it "how to get attention" via bigger, faster, louder? If so - yes technology ups the ante. Is it about "how to convey meaning to a large audience" - then technology makes such far easier as we now have a monoculture where folks all over the planet know about roses, macdonalds, houdini, ... name that brand. Is this about sentimental values? People have likely not changed as regards that aspect of being since as far back as we have found artifacts and IMHO not likely to change so long as we have sentiments.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
It's is just a fact of life that the pace of everything is quicker and shorter time wise. Roughly, tricks get to the point quicker.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
RJE Inner circle 1848 Posts |
It still takes 3 minutes to boil a "3 Minute Egg" Tommy.
I think you'd better check your "facts" because roughly or smoothly, tricks aren't all "getting to the point quicker." |
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
If you go back in time you will find it took longer than 3 minute to boil an egg. Have you seen the size of them dinosaurs eggs?
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
gaddy Inner circle Agent of Chaos 3526 Posts |
When I read "Clever and Pleasant Inventions" I was shocked to find out that so many tricks from my working repertoire were old even in 1584...
Artificial and passive means of stimulating our sense of wonder may need a continuous electrical jolt of "Bigger! Louder!! Faster!!!" but I seriously doubt that breaking the seemingly immutable laws of reality with magic falls into that category.
*due to the editorial policies here, words on this site attributed to me cannot necessarily be held to be my own.*
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Whit Haydn V.I.P. 5449 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-09-12 13:47, mmreed wrote: I do a whole show of classics, and the pace of the magic and humor is slow and relaxed. It has worked for audiences fairly well. It is actually a nice break from the loud and fast Vegas style productions, in my opinion. Here is a vid of the show: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5135678836890976103 What is difficult is doing a show like this on television. TV doesn't want to wait twenty-five minutes between commercials. On the other hand, a live audience doesn't want to have to keep refocusing on something new every three minutes. They need continuity and story arc to keep them involved. The requirements of good TV magic and good live magic are very different. |
RJE Inner circle 1848 Posts |
A point well made Whit. The venue and audience must always be considered when deciding what you're going to do in your show.
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mmreed Inner circle Harrisburg, PA 1432 Posts |
Excellent discussion guys! This is the beauty of a community discussion.
well made points and valuable observations!
Mark Reed
Wedding and Event Entertainment |
themagicofjoseph Loyal user 214 Posts |
What I have found is this...and it's just my humble opinion. People like to be entertained. Yes the world is fast paced now, unlike when I was a kid. But they still are curious about the unknown. I started magic as a kid and have had a deceint side business for about 10 yrs now, mainly in closeup restaurant type work and also mentalism and escapes. Done my share of kid shows and charities. But it's always the same. People like to be entertained. I love the classics. Folks enjoy the linking rings as much as metal bending or escapes. I think that there are wonderful new minds in the magic world and folks are looking for the next best thing...but lay folk are not like you and I. Even the simple act of vanishing a silk in a thumb tip turns brain to goo.
If your doing a preformance that requires more bang....taylor your effects to the crowd. Maybe this isn't a ropes and silks crowd, well how about Mentalism. I feel if you're well rounded in different areas and make what you do, nonconfrontational ( don't invite trouble), involve the crowd, and know your routine like the back of your hand ) including how to recover from mistakes. Folks should have a great time. Also....I have been thinking about getting into corporate events useing mentalism. If anyone can give any info/advise on this topic, please contact me at themagicofjoseph@hotmail.com thanks. |
edh Inner circle 4698 Posts |
Whit, that's a great show. Thanks for sharing it.
Magic is a vanishing art.
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tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
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