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kentfgunn Inner circle Merritt Island FL 1639 Posts 
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I liked his routine. Fuzzy balls . . . he says fuzzy balls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZvd-Su9HX8 KG |
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spatlind Special user still moving 863 Posts
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Enjoyed it, too! And I can confirm, he did indeed say fuzzy balls...
Actions lie louder than words - Carolyn Wells
I believe in God, only I spell it Nature - Frank Lloyd Wright. |
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funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9987 Posts
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A delight -- story, engagement, having fun ...
His sharing the surprise while peeking into the empty cup is a great touch.
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
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cupsandballsmagic Inner circle 2705 Posts
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Brandon Hall's Fuzzy Balls, he's a poet and he don't know it!
What a fun rendition of the Mendoza routine. Me thinks the ch***** ball needs a little adjustment, and the timing on (or confidence in) the final loads could use a little work, but an enjoyable performance none the less.  |
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24315 Posts
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Nicely done.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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lint Special user Concord, CA 967 Posts
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Very nice. I dug it. I can't help but think when working with a combo set that slamming (or rough handling) all of the cups all of the time might eliminate some head scratching, though.
-todd
"There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip..." -English Proverb
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Dave V Inner circle Las Vegas, NV 4824 Posts
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The slamming is the one part I didn't care for. Loved the routine otherwise. He either needs some lighter balls, some thicker padding on his table, or do as you say and slam them all equally. Come to think of it, he can't really do that either some of the time. He reaches a bit too far under the table for the loads, but hopefully that's just "magician eyes." But I suspect the audience will notice it, too.
No trees were killed in the making of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
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Alan Munro.jpg "View Profile") Inner circle Kentwood, Michigan, USA 5952 Posts
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Nice routine! It's rare when a C&B routine will hold my attention like that one did.
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Chessmann Inner circle 4247 Posts
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The *balls* joke has gotten very old with me, personally, but....
My ex-cat was named "Muffin". "Vomit" would be a better name for her. AKA "The Evil Ball of Fur".
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Bill Wilson Special user 536 Posts
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Quote:
On 2009-10-04 13:23, Dave V wrote: I quite agree with Dave V. As far as the final load steals, I would think an audience would notice, especially when done four times. |
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24315 Posts
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I do like the fact that his cups don't go all the way out of sight at the crucial moment.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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Bill Wilson Special user 536 Posts
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Quote:
On 2009-10-04 20:46, Bill Palmer wrote: You're right, the cups don't go out of sight, but his left hand does. And each time it does, it obviously comes back with a ball which is stuffed into a cup. The move was bad the first time. Four times makes it really, really bad. You don't have to have 'magician eyes' to see it either. Maybe some of you think I'm harsh. Maybe I am. I love magic, and I appreciate really good magic. Mr. Hall's routine certainly has potential. There are a number of things good about his routine, and there are things which aren't so good. He does a sloppy addition of a working ball at about 2 min. ten seconds into the routine. I'm sure he realized this himself, but for some reason decided not to retake. He thumps the chop more then he should. Too much too often can and will arouse suspicion. People are aware of m-----s. As far as I'm concerned, the chop addition to the cups and balls has been wonderful. BUT it must be used sparingly to be effective. The main fault with the routine is, of course, the way in which the final balls are loaded. I have my ideas already on what would work better. This is a forum which can be accessed by anyone, so I really don't feel right about going into it. These are just my opinions, Mr.Hall. I mean them simply as constructive. |
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MMark New user Edmonton, AB, Canada 39 Posts
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I really liked the routine and didn't find the final loads to be that bad. From my own experiences, most people never notice sloppy loads or one cup being slammed down harder than the others. I suppose skilled C&B workers cringe at such things, but your average audience member doesn't seem to.
Mark |
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Bill Wilson Special user 536 Posts
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Quote:
On 2009-10-04 22:48, MMark wrote: Don't count on it. People do notice sloppy work, especially when repeated. People often remain quiet about it... but not always. |
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Chester M New user Saskatchewan, Canada 24 Posts
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I do agree with wandboy. I've noticed over the 40 some years of performing and working with other magicians, we want to say "Bravo" to every magician we see. Thankfully, a forum like this should allow us to be honest, sometimes brutally honest. But....think about it - if we tell a fellow performer that looks great, then we'd better state from our eyes or, possibly, the eyes of a lay person. Lay people are not stupid. They are often polite, which unfortunately will not help us as performers. Thus, we should be able to rely on fellow magicians to tell the truth no matter how hard it may be to swallow. It's in the name of not good but great performances.
On 2009-10-05 20:55, Chester M wrote: Sorry, forgot to note that Mr. Hall's concept is wonderful. In my likings, not there yet, but the idea he is going for is spot on! The pounding and the (to me) obvious steals can be massaged out to become a real performance item. Keep it going, Mr. Hall! |
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Slappy Loyal user North Hollywood, CA 266 Posts
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First, I want to say "Thank You" to Kent for posting this here. I, personally, was not as aware of the "pounding" until I viewed it. My c****** ball could use some tweaking. I just don't want to risk a "hang-up" in performance and am trying to mask the slamming as over-enthusiasm. I will work on that more, so it comes across as enthusiasm. As for the steals, they are very close by, not requiring me to reach. I'm actually leaning down to table level to look under the cups, but with my arm in my lap, it DOES look suspicious. I will work on that. I appreciate all the comments and just hope it was entertaining.
Brandon "Slappy" Hall
"Help, I've got a silver ball stuck on my thumb"
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Donnie Buckley V.I.P. Cleveland, Ohio 1123 Posts
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It's hard to do cups and balls on video. If you rehearse in front of a camera, you can really improve your performance because the camera sees ALL weaknesses.
Of course, those weaknesses are not nearly as strong in REAL LIFE because human beings are NOT unmoving, unblinking camera eyes, and they respond to your direction. Don't beat yourself up over the weaknesses, just tweak them until you are satisfied. |
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Bill Wilson Special user 536 Posts
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Quote:
On 2009-10-06 11:27, Slappy wrote: Mr. Hall, so glad you didn't mind the critiques. Your routine is entertaining and, with 'tweaking,' will become more magical and, therefore, more entertaining. Everyone has their own opinions and ideas on stealing and loading those big balls. I really believe a performer has more methods to choose from if he/she stands to perform. Two problems occur when seated. First, a ball is harder to load into a cup if seated because if the performer is seated, he can't very well swing his arm down to his side. You could, but it would look ridiculous. If one is standing, swinging your arm down to your side can look quite natural. This can be a real advantage. In your routine, you load four big balls. All four are loaded exactly the same way. The cup is mouth down each time, and the ball shoved up and in. If standing, you could load it the way you're doing it, OR you could swing your arm down to your side so the cup is mouth up and simply drop the ball in. Even better, use both methods or even a third method? And all of this will really help to sell the "where the **** did those big balls come from?" The second problem (as I see it) when seated is audiences are aware of a lap. They have one, too. As far as my opinions about standing as opposed to seated.... I'll just wait until someone chimes in about Bebel's or Gertner's great routines... that ought to shut me up. |
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Slappy Loyal user North Hollywood, CA 266 Posts
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I totally agree and would love to find a "standing" routine that I'm happy with...I just haven't. I fell in love with this routine (John Mendoza's) immediately and spent years (yeah, really) working it and trying to come up with patter that I was happy with and that suited my personality. Still, the loads have to come from somewhere, and I rarely wear jackets/coats unless I'm at the Castle, which is where the lap comes in. However, being that it IS a seated routine, I rarely have the opportunity to perform it, so in that way, a standing routine is more practical...
"Help, I've got a silver ball stuck on my thumb"
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Bill Wilson Special user 536 Posts
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Yes, a standing routine is definitely more practical. There are a number of sources for routines, both in videos and in literature. I won't start listing them; besides, there are more qualified people here to do that then me. Why not try and stick with the general routine you're doing? With a few changes, your steals will be far less noticeable. If wearing a jacket helps, then wear a jacket. When performing close-up/parlour type of magic, I personally like to wear a jacket. Pockets, I love pockets, and you have a lot more pockets if you wear a jacket. Also, when it comes to steals, a jacket offers MORE than just pockets. I say stick with the general routine you're doing because you like it, and liking the routine you're doing is important.
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Posted: Oct 4, 2009 04:53 am 
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