|
|
Zephury Elite user Hollywood, FL 488 Posts |
I'm interested in thought process for routine creation while table hopping. I've heard a lot of advice before... "You shouldn't worry about the types of effects your doing, but how well they transition" and what not. I definitely have heard a lot of advice when it comes to routine creation and I'm not looking for a short answer like that, no disrespect intended on that.
I'm going to list my current table hopping repertoire as well as my sets of 3 that I'm currently using. There's a couple questions I have in which I would like YOU to answer: If you were performing the tricks in my repertoire, which order would you perform them in? I give a little bit more detail past the trick's name so that you have more of an idea. What are some of the sets that YOU would perform in a restaurant? I would enjoy details of WHY. Answers explaining that you just love performing your three FAVORITE tricks together are fine. Your reasoning doesn't need to make literal sense, just what your preference is. I think the thought process of others is very interesting and I'm sure hearing responses can benefit just about all of us. Please note: This is a constant work in progress, I've taken and added many things to the list before. Some readded and some totally removed from my repertoire for good. My current restaurant repertoire: One Coin Routine (Personal sequence, not directly copied from anyone, though minor parts are inspired by Slydini and Ponta the Smith. Ends with a jumbo coin Finale. It's not very long) 3-Fly (The first half is exactly like Ponta the Smith teaches it on "Sick" but the ending is the same as Michael Vincent's. Sorry for lack of correct credit, but I'm not sure where it's originated. I'm a strong card historian, but I've yet to learn all of my coin history and names. The part where it changes is when the third goin goes back and fourth. Hope you understand what I'm coming from. Non the less, it's a classic 3-fly routine that uses no sh**l) Holy Moly (Pretty much out of the box from Jay Sankey. It's the trick with washers! If you don't know it, I strongly recommend you look in to it. It's not mechanically demanding at all and packs a PUNCH) The Color Changing Knives (Still don't have my full routine figured out. I just see them as an absolute classic and it brings out an interesting prop. I do it different almost every time as of now. Would love some dvd or book recommendations on a solid place to learn a color changing knife routine. Would prefer video though as much as I love books, my comprehension is pretty bad) The Chicago Opener (Similar to Pop Haydn's Chicago surprise, just with more of a "hand sandwich" sort of handling and no card to pocket) The Ambitious card (Very generic beginning instead of doing card to mouth, I do card to top left shirt pocket for sanitary reasons in a restaurant [my idea so far, but I'm sure someone else has done it] after that, I sometimes do the pop up move and then I end with a CTW using the Real Man's Wallet. I'm very interested in the way you misdirect when using something like the Real man's wallet. I personally hint that the tricks finished by changing the subject so they stop burning me, then I 1 hand top palm with my right hand and pass the deck to my left simultaneously. I draw attention elsewhere on the table, or ask them a personal question as I insert the card. The wallet is in my back right pocket, so I turn the left side of my body more towards them than my right. It only takes a second. I make both hands visible once again before calling attention back to the deck and snap my fingers. I quickly go through the deck, dropping off 5~10 cards at a time on to the table, showing that their card has vanished. I fairly reach my hand in my back right pack, fairly and take my wallet out with my index and middle like a pick pocket to eliminate the possibility of anything fishy in their mind. I open the flap (The card is facing down, so it's just a card at this point) I do everything very slowly, building suspense until I finally make the reveal-- Their signed card. that's just what I came up with since I never really followed any instructions with a card to wallet. Never came across any good ones that I paid attention to at least.) Triumph (In the hands. Learned it from J.C Wagner's International Magic Lecture. There's a decent list of contributions which I'll not go in to. It's pretty much straight out of the DVD, but I don't use any of the cheesy Triumph patter [Don't think he does either] I just explain the effect as I do it. 2 Card Transpo (Utilizes the Shape Shifter change. It's a standard 2 card transpo with two selections from two different people. But, the handling is all from my mind, though of course the different sleights used are invented by other magicians. May post a video eventually. No sleights in it are precisely my creation, though I have finesse on them; it's not publishable, nor worthy of it in my opinion as it's meant for laymen. Not to fool magicians.) That was longer than I expected... Now here's the order (still a work in progress) that I perform them in different sets. A lot of the time though when I'm actually performing, I end up doing tricks not even on this list and in a different order, or mixing and matching, I personally want to focus on doing the same three every time for each set so that way I have something different to show them next time, without trying to remember precisely which tricks I mixed and matched that they've seen already.) Set 1: One Coin Routine The Color Changing Knives ACR with CTW Finale Set 2: 3-Fly The Chicago Opener ? (Any ideas here? I could put something else in the middle and close with the chicago opener as well. I usually just do two in this set) Set 3: Holy Moly 2-Card Transpo Triumph I'm interested in creating more sets as well. Not just addition 3 sets of 3. Now you see the sort of effects I do, maybe you'll have some suitable recommendations for me. I hope that I might have given some other guys some ideas as well. Oh and before someone tells me "that's a lot of time! What if the food comes? you need to be able to get out quickly!" Don't worry. I choose which types of restaurants that I Work in. They all have lengthy service. I start performing the very moment that their orders are taken. I also co-ordinate with employee's, everyone has loved working with me so far and I haven't had any issues, mind you that I only started working in restaurants 3-4 months ago. In closing on this paragraph.. Don't worry. I know how to get out of dodge, aha! Thanks if you took the time to read this. I'm creating a lot of topics lately and I'm going to continue to do so. I don't know if it's just me-- but the Café seems a lot slower than it use to be, and I want to keep topics that I find interest in going. Support the activity of the Café and respond to this post, please. I don't care if you're a brand new table hopper, or a seasoned pro. All responses are greatly appreciated. -Harley Salas |
ROBERT BLAKE Inner circle 1472 Posts |
First color changing knives: http://www.mymagic.com/downloads/mymagic......word.pdf find this book that is the best book there is.
second the order: the magic word MORE. look at your routines and ask yourself what has MORE magic - More interactive MORE MORE. example: one coin routine first - second three fly. why you use more coins more movement. |
scaress Veteran user salt lake city 337 Posts |
I like those routines.
But I honestly think that the routines and tricks that you select should be dictated by the circumstances. I try to size up the group and decide what tricks would go best. A lot of the time it doesn't go the way I planned when I walked out of the house. www.eliascaress.com |
Zephury Elite user Hollywood, FL 488 Posts |
Quote:
On Jan 22, 2015, scaress wrote: I like that-- I mentioned in there that I almost never end up doing exactly what I planned. I switch things up. My only concern is that there's a lot of regulars and people who come back to see me. I want to be sure that I show them a new set the next time and make a rotation in three's hoping that by the 4th time they're back, they wont remember the first set I showed them very well so they wont know what to look for. Any thoughts on that? How would you treat that situation? |
Rocky Elite user 486 Posts |
You'll find it surprising that sometimes just one set (out of your three mentioned) of effects can carry you through a night of table hopping. You may find it impossible to complete a full routine due to various situations that can occur when performing table side. With that in mind, routines which can end at various points of the routine without spoiling the magic are wise choices ( I've recently introduced Fiber Optics with phases which I've blended in from a ring and rope routine that has many magical phases and can easily be finished at any point...)
Its also nice to have something specific for the kiddies. The general populaces still considers magic as an entertainment option specific to young children. I realize and respect the restaurant magicians who are aiming their performances to a more sophisticated and mature audience. The effects that they perform are difficult for children to understand. I think parents want to see their children entertained by a magic trick probably more so than watching a trick themselves. Unless you're working a high end restaurant where diners would be less than likely bring the whole family, then stick to the cards and coins...but Im sure any restaurant worker who has done their share of entertaining would agree with this advice. |
Zephury Elite user Hollywood, FL 488 Posts |
Quote:
On Jan 22, 2015, Rocky wrote: If it's the first time I perform at a restaurant, I'll end up using 1 set. But, when it comes to the second visit and you have the same person returning, I want to do a different set for them and so fourth. Currently, I usually just do the same set again and again, but I'm preparing myself for the future and so that I'm prepared when people want to see me again. I think having structure to things will give me more confidence in what I'm doing. It'll give me a sense of assurance that I'm ready for anything that comes my way. I mentioned in my post-- I'm aware that things don't always go according to plan. I'd like to hear more about the sort of routines you guys perform and why and for what scenarios. Also, it's not that often that I perform for smaller children. When I do, I use coins and everything works fine. I just change up the presentation a bit to be more goofy and put the spot light on the kid as appose to myself. |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Over time, I developed what I called my "core" routine. These were the tricks that I would usually do under most circumstances. But then, I also had several things in reserve. These weren't per se, another complete set (although the tricks and routines could easily become "a set". Mostly they were things that I did not find practical to work repeatedly, either the props were not something I chose to lug around from group to group, or the reset wasn't ideal, etc. Yet the magic was strong enough to keep "in the back pocket", so to speak. I would use these when a table wanted more (I worked a lot of places that catered the full evening experience, rather than turn and burn philosophy). These tricks were also ideal for repeat customers.
Aside from a few routines that sort of blended from one to another, I never believed in busting my balls to make everything transition. I was the common thread, not the magic. Too many magicians seem to forget this, or have not reached that point yet. That theory is simple... people are used to getting their entertainment in short bursts... look at television. Even songs on the radio are rarely over 3 minutes each. I have NEVER had a problem with people getting the hang of experiencing a series of "vignettes", each being a complete entity unto itself. The nice thing about this is... if you get interrupted (which is HIGHLY likely with table-hopping), it is much easier to get to the end than if you still had a couple tricks left before the whole package makes sense. Now, this may be against the popular grain of "how it's done today". But, I made a handsome living from it for a few decades.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Zephury Elite user Hollywood, FL 488 Posts |
Quote:
On Jan 22, 2015, Michael Baker wrote: I agree with you, precisely. I know that I enjoy seeing tricks that a magician blends together REALLY well, but that's from a magicians perspective. I do think variety is very good to have, but I don't think it's totally necessary to have perfect transitions in an effect according to what a laymen sees. I think if anything, a laymen would rather see 3 tricks with 3 different props then 3 coin tricks that were blended together so well that they seemed more like one. Not saying that you have to use the same prop when blending tricks together well though either. |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
My set would open with a cigarette routine (smoking was OK in restaurants at that time). There were MANY effects that blended together, but many of them were incidental bits. I think I counted once and there were maybe 18-20 different effects or gags that happened with a couple very short minutes, beginning with the cigarette being produced and concluding with the cigarette disappearing. The main effect was the cigarette through quarter. That had the most focus and took the longest.
But following that, I would introduce a purse frame, produce sponge balls from it and go into a simple routine with that. At the conclusion of that, the balls were put back into the purse, where they of course disappeared. I would then reach into the purse and produce a half dollar. A coin routine followed. So there was a transition there, but each phase was unique unto itself. Once the coin routine was completed (it may simply consist of a one coin routine with a jumbo coin finish, or extend with a copper/silver routine. But once it was done, I completely changed direction. In the core routine, I would go directly to cards. The card routine usually began with a pick-a-card format, usually included a brief Ambitious Card segment, but could conclude a number of different ways, depending on time, the group, and my mood. So essentially, there were four routines, if you'd want to label them (Cigs, Sponges, Coins, and Cards). But, only two of them had any kind of transition, and that was quite vague. If I felt the need to add on, I could easily throw in other things. Depending on what they were, determined there place in the line-up. I wanted to always conclude with something that would remain in their mind for a long time. Card on Ceiling was hard to beat, but floating a paper rose was also a good closer. Never in my life did I once hear, "That was fun, but so disjointed."
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Zephury Elite user Hollywood, FL 488 Posts |
How did you go about getting permission to do a card on ceiling in a restaurant? I've always envied the setup that Doc Eason had... Pretty much free rein to his heart's content. I don't know how I'd even ask for permission to do it-- Did you use Wax or Thumb Tac? I've only done the thumb tac that Doc teaches and I can't imagine a restaurant owner being totally fine with me throwing things in the air and making holes in his ceiling, aha. Would love to hear more of the specifics about that.
|
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Quote:
On Jan 23, 2015, Zephury wrote: Some places I would not do it. In one particular place though, we estimated in about 14 months time, that I'd put about 2500 cards on the ceiling between two of the three rooms in the place. Believe it or not, this was a fairly high-end establishment that catered to the money people in the city. The cards actually became an attraction for the restaurant. The fact is, this place was opened by people who I was already working for in another location at a lake resort. Long story, but many features in this place were built to accommodate me and my magic. It's not what you know, it's who you know. In most cases, my philosophy was simple. One card on the ceiling is a magical thing. More than that can easily become trash. There were several places that boasted a single card, though. I only did it once in a person's home, and that was by request. I recall only being scolded once. I figured that Malini didn't get yelled at for stabbing his dagger into a nice table to do the card stab... (he-he!!) I used wax. There were several interesting stories related to doing this trick. You can read about one of them here (second story): http://themagiccompany.com/Anecdote_page.html
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Table hoppers & party strollers » » Routines - Would love for EVERY person to respond to this. (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.09 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |