Haunted Key!!

Hostile?
No not really, dissapointed more like it. Guess my dissapointment shows in my words.
Read the posts, the only things they provide are reasons not to do this excersise in creativity.

I'll note your contribution Danny "See your actually missing the point. The transitions, and continuity come from you"

This is not, nor was it ever intended to be for my routine.
This is not, nor was it ever intended to be a real routine.

There is a topic 'round here somewhere that is like 6 pages long based around using the last letter of a trick.....how original, never saw that one before..really makes my brain start to think. (sarcastically spoken)

Tying hard not to take this personally,
Will//

Too be fair, a couple of us tried to keep it going. Also to be fair, I can see why the OP would get frustrated. I thought it was a great exercise in creativity.

Knowing that it would probably never lead to a "real" routine, what is wrong with coming up with unique ways to transition from one effect smoothly to another buy using some of the same props, gimmicks, items, what-have-you in the next routine. It is a bit like my B-day show I'm working on, where PB&J makes Rocky Raccoon hungry and causes him to stir in his carrier. This leads to a Rocky routine where he, among other things, jumps through hoops. The hoops then lead to a linking ring routine, and so on and so forth. Of course there is a lot of interaction and audience participation involved, but for the original idea stated, we don't need all that in this thread.

As much participation as the name game thread got, I was expecting this one to really take off. Part of the "problem" was that it got stuck on cards right from the start. How hard is it to transition from a card routine to a routine that uses or flows from a card or deck of cards without being a card er, ah, trick?

At first glance not so easy, but with a little thought really not that hard. Card to wallet, to torn and restored card in a dove pan, to magic cooking, to whatever you want.

Another issue that came up was that everyone may not know the routines posted. So a (very) brief description of the effect, or at least the props used might help.

Maybe the creative juices were all dried up after stupid cupid day?

Personally, I'd enjoy seeing folks give this another shot, but that's just me.

Best,
Jim

Oh and PaleoMagi,

THAT was funny!

Well I only mentioned how the exersise misses the point of transitions.

THEN I said keep going. No need for frustration.

Sorry for the real world break in on fantasy land performing. My bad.

Well...one "problem," if I can use that word, with the original request is that creativity is not involved. Basically, this is a memory excercise...much like the name game on which it is based. With a volume or two of the collected Apocalypse or Magic Menu on the desk next to you, you can go playing "connect the props" for hours. I think that part of what killed the thread, if in fact it is dead, is the way in which creativity is actually limited by defining continuity in terms of the props in your hands.

I, and I'm sure many others here as well, could build a seamless routine with strong continuity out of a coin effect, card effect, and sponge ball effect. If you really want a creative exercise, see how many ways you can come up with to do exactly that.

The end result of the prop-to-prop exercise would not be a seamless routine. It would be a list of effects. To transform them into routines, you would still have to work out transitions, whether they be verbal, physical, or whatever.

With regards to your stated intent of trying to see "how much transition plays a part in performance," permit me to answer directly without adding to the chain of effects: For me, transition plays a huge part. I spend a great deal of time choosing effects, developing sequences, and working out transitions from effect to effect. Props in hand play a part, but not always. Transition and continuity are very important to me, but they are not very important to all magicians in all performance contexts, for better or for worse.

It was an attempt.

Yes...and it does have its uses. For example, it actually is one of the activities I perform in constructing my routines, though I consider it a bare-bones method for constructing a simple framework or skeleton of effects which must be "fleshed out" with real transitional elements, patter, etc.