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feher Inner circle Michigan 1421 Posts |
I love this routine from Bro John but really don't know how to present it. Do you think how I'm presenting it right now make's the spectators feel dumb. If so how would you go about presenting this to make it not as harsh.
Comment suggestion input is always welcome. What I really like about this routine is that a lot of magic happens with a normal deck of cards no gaffs or dupes, not saying gaffs would be a bad thing, I just try to stay way from them...lol Tim http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=166-wcRUIEo
Mean people SUCK!!!!!!!
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Sword of the Soldier Elite user 437 Posts |
Tim,
I like it. To me the presentation works. I don't feel like your dumbing down the spectators at all. I think the changes will detract from anything they could potentially feel and replace any negativity with surprise. The one thing I would modify would be the framing and placement of the cards. I think the way you had it in the video could be improved upon. Perhaps keep the remainder of the deck in you hand at the end and fan it or something. IDK, I just like my magic to look very clean and crisp when it comes to displays and placements if you know what I mean. This looked a little less so. Of course I say this with the most admiration and respect. Regardless, I liked the effect a lot! I've been looking for Hammans book for some time, this is more incentive for me to look harder. Best, Josh |
Daegs Inner circle USA 4291 Posts |
I hate to leave the unhelpful comment, but I thought it was confusing and way too much to remember.
If I had to guess, I would say speed up the reveals so they all happen <10 sec. Take your time burning the supposed image of where everything is suppose to be, and then quickly show everything was wrong nearly at once so its a big shock. It seems like trying to play each reveal by itself just draws it out and makes it confusing and too many opportunities to get lost on where things were suppose to be. |
magicfish Inner circle 7006 Posts |
I agree with daegs' tips to a degree. However, I think you did it well. I love the magic of John Hamman and I am glad to see you perform this classic. You have a pleasantness about you and you come across as a likeable guy. It is refreshing. I liked it.
Fish |
Double J Veteran user 331 Posts |
I agree with Daegs.
I don't think spectators will get the magic. I think they would be too confused to feel dumb. Too much to keep track of. |
feher Inner circle Michigan 1421 Posts |
Thanks guys for taking the time to view and comment.
Deags, I'll keep that in mind and speed it up some and see how it looks. This is still in the beginning stages, patter, exacution...etc... so I'll play with all suggestions. I want to add this to a set,thats why I was asking, haven't done this for anybody yet. Thanks Tim Sword I'll keep in mind about the display too, I'm usally not that messy but its good you brought it up. thanks Tim
Mean people SUCK!!!!!!!
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magicfish Inner circle 7006 Posts |
Don't be discouraged. You chose a great effect. Hamman was a card magic Titan. This routine which I have experimented with in the past, is structured for maximum impact. It is up to us to exploit it. Good luck, and keep working
fish |
kentfgunn Inner circle Merritt Island FL 1639 Posts |
Tim,
I worked this up a while ago. For me, it was too complex a sequence to effectively present. I've never seen anyone else do it though. It looks better when you do it. KG |
Medifro Inner circle Miami 1258 Posts |
I do this trick regularly and it never fails. Its really trick to present though, here's my advice :
- Present each card as a separate entity, and associate each one with a one spectator. X's card is the ace ( the first spec on the right, for example ), Y's the 2, Z's the 3. the selection is involved as another (not special) choice. Once you've established the locations, go for one card at time slowly in a numerical sequence, letting each one sink in ( which is hard to do in a video with no audience to interact with ). - I have no idea why you've shown the box empty then made the card travel to it afterwards. This is by no means related to the goal of the effect and frankly makes it very confusing. The idea of the whole trick is that each card thought to be somewhere ends up somewhere else, with people witnessing the initial placements, hence the name "False Witness". Hope this helps, good performance overall. Regards, ~ Feras |
feher Inner circle Michigan 1421 Posts |
Thanks Fish for the encourgment, I'm not discouraged, just want to present this in the best possible manner, for some reason this routine has given me trouble on how to do just that. So I figured I'd come to the dark side...lol and ask the card guys. I usally hang out in the coin section.
Feras, What you suggest helps a lot thanks!! Already have some ideas know. Thanks guys this is what I needed to get my mind working. Tim
Mean people SUCK!!!!!!!
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Kex Special user Arlington, Texas 577 Posts |
Great effect... Bro John was superb at getting way ahead before the trick really starts. This is a great example of his thinking. You should also check out The Revenge of the Pink Panthers. So much magic in a short time... and has a bit more logical flow to it. Just my opinion though.
Kex |
Xcath1 Inner circle 3052 Posts |
Your coin presentations are excellent. I certainly don't know how to perform this any better but I think so-far this falls on the side of too much confusion for too little magic. I would love to see you change it into somethin else, it would be a great lesson in evolution of presentation
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Bill Hallahan Inner circle New Hampshire 3222 Posts |
Tim Feher wrote:
Quote:
If so how would you go about presenting this to make it not as harsh. You could make it either a story about yourself, or about some fictional characters, or even about well-known public figures. The story also doesn't have to be about people. I like the idea of having each card value being a grade on a test, and the hero struggling at first and eventually getting the best grade, and the others end up working for him, while the cheater who does well at first ends up failing. I've never tried that presentation, it's just what came to mind. That also supplies a built in reason to remember the scores (card values). In that case, I wouldn't use the T formation, I'd arrange the cards in vertical row with the best grade, i.e the hero's grade, being closest to the audience. (Or, perhaps this presentation would make it even more confusing?) I'm not always fond of story presentations, but I have used them when they justify the handling of a trick. (The Cannibal Cards being one example). By the way, I wonder if it wouldn't be best to announce the theme of your presentation only after the first card is switched. Because the card goes completely out of sight for a moment, I don't think that particular switch is strong enough to stand up to scrutiny when the audience is expecting you to switch a card. The presentation "things aren't always what they seem" will likely telegraph that you are going to switch a card to some observant non-magicians. I don't know if that is true, but it's what I thought when I watched your video. I also agree with the previous comments. I thought it was confusing. Although I don't perform this routine, I had the same idea Medifro posted. If each person knows their number, it will make it a little clearer. Oh, one final very minor nit. Don't say, "You can hear the cards in the box when you shake the card box. It's not that it hurts the magic, it's just obvious that the card can be heard and it adds nothing to the routine to say that.
Humans make life so interesting. Do you know that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to create boredom. Quite astonishing.
- The character of ‘Death’ in the movie "Hogswatch" |
feher Inner circle Michigan 1421 Posts |
Xcath and Bill,
Thanks a bunch for taking the time to view and comment. I haven't played with this recently, but, will now. Sometime it's best to put things down for a bit and come back with a fresh head. I'll keep your suggestions in mind when playing with this puppy again. I'll post a new vid when I have something. Thanks again. Tim
Mean people SUCK!!!!!!!
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Uli Weigel Inner circle Berlin, Germany 1478 Posts |
Some of Brother Hamman's tricks are really tough to present. What I would experiment with, is to slow down the initial phase even more and speed up the revelations to a crescendo, getting faster, louder, with lots of energy. Then pause just before the final revelation - and bam!
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts |
Although it's a minor point, the break you were holding before you switched out the heart six was obvious to the camera; you need to make sure that you don't expose that.
You said that you "need to isolate a card." Why? This needs some motivation. Also, I'm not sure that "isolate" is the best verb to use; not many people use that term, so it comes off as a bit, well, scripted. "Protect", "hide", "capture", even "sequester" might fit better. Similarly, what's the motivation for covering the ace of hearts with half the deck? It's odd, unless you give a plausible reason for it. By the time you were ready to vanish the ace, I'd honestly forgotten whether it was on the right or the left (making the change of the ace and the three very unimpressive). As mentioned above, it would help to emphasize the locations of the three cards. ("I want you to remember that the ace is here, and you to remember that the two is here, . . . .") In presentation, would you have the spectator guard their card (put a finger on it, or whatever)? I'd encourage you to consider that. You've the makings of a good presentation piece here. Lots of good suggestions. I look forward to your next - new and improved - video. |
feher Inner circle Michigan 1421 Posts |
Uli & S2000
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. You both have brought up some good points as well that I will keep in mind when structuring and presenting this. I love this place. Tim
Mean people SUCK!!!!!!!
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