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TAJ Regular user 197 Posts |
Mike,
I wanted to know if you could elaborate on the statement that, "magic is just a means to communicate". I have always thought of magic as pure entertainment for the sake of the audience, a sort of selfless gift. Taj |
michaelvincent V.I.P. 567 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-08-13 11:28, TAJ wrote: All of life is an exercise in effective communication. Every problem in the world is a result in poor communication, every successful endeavor has its roots in effective communication. Successful entertainment is in proportion to how well the performer/artist communicates with his audience. Communication is the end goal. Magic is the tool we use to express our thoughts which hopefully will initiate a conversation. Entertainment is a by product of the end goal. Here is a question for you. How entertaining can you be without performing a trick? If there was no magic, how well could you communicate and still make an impact? Can you hold an audience spellbound with just the power of your words and delivery? As magicians, we rely too much on the trick to carry the conversation, the trick is just a tool to initiate the conversation and justify your presence. Thank you for your question Taj I hope we can have a good conversation on this topic as my time is almost up. Please share gentleman Mike
Magic for the 21st Century
"Why be mediocre, when you have excellence as an option" Mastering Magic Elegant Decpetions Learning Tools The All Cards Blog The Vincent Academy of Magic |
TAJ Regular user 197 Posts |
Thank you for the reply Michael. You have raised some very interesting and prfound points about communication. I'm not sure I could be as entertaining without the aid of magic. Perhaps that is why the arts were created, they function as a medium for those who can't effectivley comminicate.
Taj |
michaelvincent V.I.P. 567 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-08-13 11:54, TAJ wrote: Believe it or not, if you study magic well and present it well, your communication will improve exponentially. Good luck Mike
Magic for the 21st Century
"Why be mediocre, when you have excellence as an option" Mastering Magic Elegant Decpetions Learning Tools The All Cards Blog The Vincent Academy of Magic |
Mark Ennis Inner circle Raleigh, NC 1031 Posts |
Very interesting subject. In regards to communicating a magic effect, do you find it difficult to create a presentation that compliments the magic effect without overshadowing it or underselling it?
Also, since you are revisiting effects you used to perform, have you altered your presentations to better communicate what you want your audience to experience? Have you changed any of your presentations drastically or even discarded old presentations for new ones? On a related subject have you seen a performance of an effect where the story and the magic trick are almost unrelated except for maybe in a couple of spots during the performance? In this case (usually they are story tricks or historical anecdotes), the presentation and the effect are competing for attention rather than complimenting each other to enhance the magic effect.
ME
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michaelvincent V.I.P. 567 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-08-13 12:16, Mark Ennis wrote: Creative presentations requires much work, as much as learning the effect. Since revisiting old effects like Triumph, I have stuck to familiar story lines, all I have done is pay attention to my delivery in terms of pacing and allowed the audience to appreciate the impossibility of the effect. I have a bad habit of saying the same words in my delivery, this is only because I watch videos of myself to improve my work and notice similar phrasing and repeated words like O.K etc. This has shown me the value of working to a clearly defined script. One thing I admire about Darwin's performances is that his delivery is really tight, his scripting is right on the money, nothing wasted. I believe that I communicate my magic better now than a few years back but I am constantly reviewing my performances to improve my delivery. I have watched many performances of Rene Lavand, and noticed that some of his performances feature a story where there is only one fraction of the presentation related t the trick. If you listen to a lot of music like I do, you will notice that that the words and music appear unrelated but still fit and compliment each other. What are your thoughts on the questions you have posed Thanks for your comments Mark Mike
Magic for the 21st Century
"Why be mediocre, when you have excellence as an option" Mastering Magic Elegant Decpetions Learning Tools The All Cards Blog The Vincent Academy of Magic |
BarryFernelius Inner circle Still learning, even though I've made 2537 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-08-13 12:00, Michaelvincent wrote: And, believe it or not, if you study effective communication and apply it to your magic, your magic will improve exponentially!
"To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time."
-Leonard Bernstein |
michaelvincent V.I.P. 567 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-08-13 13:16, BarryFernelius wrote: Right on Barry..... The two go hand in hand Mike
Magic for the 21st Century
"Why be mediocre, when you have excellence as an option" Mastering Magic Elegant Decpetions Learning Tools The All Cards Blog The Vincent Academy of Magic |
Whit Haydn V.I.P. 5449 Posts |
I think this is very important, and I agree with Michael.
Something about magic appealed to your mind, excited and fascinated you to make you interested enough to want to learn about it. A big part of what we do is to try to create a similar experience for others, and get them to share in our love for magic. They might not want to become magicians, but if we communicate what it is we love about magic to them, they will at least understand a bit about why we find it so wonderful. If a stamp collector wants his young nephew to understand his love of stamps, he has to communicate and share what it is about stamps that is truly fascinating to him. If he shows his albums and talks about how many stamps he has and how valuable they are, the kid will probably not find it all that interesting. But if the stamp collector shows the kid certain stamps and explains what the history is and why he finds it interesting and about the fun of the search for a certain stamp and the friends he has made along the way, the boy might at least gain an appreciation for why his uncle finds stamp collecting worthwhile. Magic is the same way. We need to communicate to our audiences the fun and joy that we find in magic, and when we do that, we have become real magicians. |
michaelvincent V.I.P. 567 Posts |
Superb posting Whit.
One of things I love doing in my show is talking about Robert Houdin I have old copy of "The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic" 1868 publication date. ANd share some of the writings of Robert Houdin with my audience. The audience is fascinated by Robert Houdin the clock maker and then I hit the with his fantastic effect "The Metamorphoses". By the end the audience is totally engaged in magic as a craft and my passion for it. Thank you Whit for your excellent contribution. Mike
Magic for the 21st Century
"Why be mediocre, when you have excellence as an option" Mastering Magic Elegant Decpetions Learning Tools The All Cards Blog The Vincent Academy of Magic |
TAJ Regular user 197 Posts |
Thank you for your insights gentleman, I have learned a valuable lesson about communication and passion! It strikes me that magicians experience this passion vicariously through the spectator's reaction to magic as well.
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michaelvincent V.I.P. 567 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-08-13 15:30, TAJ wrote: That's perfect Taj Alan said this to me on numerous occasions over the last 25 years. Great Mike
Magic for the 21st Century
"Why be mediocre, when you have excellence as an option" Mastering Magic Elegant Decpetions Learning Tools The All Cards Blog The Vincent Academy of Magic |
Pete Biro 1933 - 2018 18558 Posts |
Well said, and thanks for coming here and opening up some eyes and ears. See you next time
STAY TOONED... @ www.pete-biro.com
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Darwin Ortiz V.I.P. 486 Posts |
Mike,
Here is an example to underscore your point about magic as a means of communication. I recently reread one of my favorite nonfiction books, On Writing Well by William Zinsser. Although the book is about communicating through writing, almost every page has advice and insights directly applicable to magic. Here is one example: “Ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is.” Zinsser also stresses a point that you and Whit made, that the writer has to communicate to the reader his enthusiasm and passion for the subject he is writing about. Sincerely, Darwin Ortiz |
michaelvincent V.I.P. 567 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-08-13 17:05, Darwin Ortiz wrote: Darwin Your cross referencing of Wiiliam Zinsser book helps to consolidate the importance of this thread. Thank you again for your contribution. Mike
Magic for the 21st Century
"Why be mediocre, when you have excellence as an option" Mastering Magic Elegant Decpetions Learning Tools The All Cards Blog The Vincent Academy of Magic |
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