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MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
Two tons hauled around for BIRTHDAY SHOWS????? Two tons? Does that include the 3,965 pound trailer?
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Santa
You misunderstood Sam, he does very few birthday parties. Most of what he does is an illusion act at big venues.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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Sam Sandler Inner circle 2487 Posts |
Al,
don't tell christine I forgot to include her in my expenses! your right I have to pay her to and not just for the shows but for the practices as well. we are currently working on two new illusions and practice at 2 times a week for 4-6 hours that does not include all the shows in the meantime as well. But I am so Lucky to have her she is the best!!!! Santa- I don't take 2 tons to a birthday party my friend! that would be a bit over kill. maybe a bar mitzvah when I do a birthday party though I do bring more to the show then any one else I know! but that is also because I am playing for a certain clientele. I do love birthdays as they are a way for me to cut loose and have fun and try new stuff plus the money aint bad:) TonyB I am also selling ME not my props but, what I bring to the table is part of what my clients pay me for. they know that they are getting the biggest and best show possible! people are paying to see Copperfield not just the tricks but they know that going to see his show is going to be a spectacular event as h e travels with 2 tractor trailers and a few grey houd buses but again that's what he does. I love magic and I love to entertain regardless of where I am performing! have fun where ever you are and enjoy the fact that we magicians get do do something amazing that very few get to do- make others laugh and feel good!
sam sandler- America's only full-time DEAF Illusionist
http://www.samsandler.com http://www.deafinitelymagic.com |
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MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
Sam, you have to realize many here are struggling to come to terms with not doing their first show but don't want to be left out so now they are all out weighing their magic tricks....after they look how much a ton is. At least three of them are cruising on line magic shops looking to buy a 'ton' because if you use two of them it must be a great trick and make girls scream.....
Illusion show...two tons easy, those box jumpers travel heavy! |
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Sam Sandler Inner circle 2487 Posts |
Ok so maybe its not really 2 tons maybe its 1.5:)
so now they only need to buy one and half ton trick:) it takes us 6 -7 hours to set up our full show! it takes approx 2-3 hours for our 60 minute illusion show. I do it now while I can and still young and agile enough to move those boxes LOL sam
sam sandler- America's only full-time DEAF Illusionist
http://www.samsandler.com http://www.deafinitelymagic.com |
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Potty the Pirate Inner circle 4632 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-08-14 21:54, TonyB2009 wrote: That's fair enough, but I sell a "show", which includes many trimmings apart from just me. My belief is that at certain points during my show, I should stand back, and let someone - or something else - take centre stage. This can be a kid helper, a puppet, or a really amazing prop. If you were to appear on TV, or even were making a video, would you be happy to perform in front of a heap of ornaments, bookcases, and other clutter? I wouldn't, but as I say, I aim to give my client a "show", which means a lot more than just keeping the kids happy. :) |
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Happy Hank New user Winnemucca, NV 34 Posts |
Quote:
I charge a little more than my "calculated fee" (the fee I require to make my business viable, and pay me a reasonable income) Potty, Back to Al's topic at hand. Please help me, I'm trying to understand so I can take your side, I finally seen your website and had 3 other search windows open. Someone correct my math, but you have over _Twenty Thousand Dollars_ worth of props. If you take 15% of your show money to recoop and replace your props, how long does that take? If you charged $200 a show, you would have to do 100 shows to replace this. How often do you replace this? The comedian Carrot Top literally has a FULL tractor trailor of props for his shows, I would love for you to prove Al Anjello and all the other prop haters wrong. HH |
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Carrot top, and the amazing wid do nothing but silly gags using a stage full of house hold items, but they don't post here.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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Bill Hilly Elite user 449 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-08-13 21:27, MagicSanta wrote: Heeeyyyyyy! Don't lump us in with "them". |
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MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
The Amazing Wid? Who is that?
Can't compare a party magician to a top draw comedian like Carrot Top, who runs his own concessions and has loads of stuff other than props with him. |
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Google him. He is a stand up comic that does a sight gag act like Carrot top does. I'm sure (although I don't really know) that there are lots of copy cat prop comedians. It is not a complicated concept.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
Sam, when I talk about travelling light I am obviously not talking about illusionists. I appreciate that an illusionist is a different beast, and you must give spectacle. And if you are a good illusionist you are selling the look and feel of your show, rather than generic girls in boxes tricks. So you are still selling you.
But I struggle to see why bigger is better in the kids birthday party market. Potty - whom I have do doubt does a great job - says: My belief is that at certain points during my show, I should stand back, and let someone - or something else - take centre stage. This can be a kid helper, a puppet, or a really amazing prop. I find this thinking completely alien. At no point will 'a really amazing prop', a puppet or a kid helper upstage me. I am centre stage. This is not an ego thing, but I am the showman, the entertainer, and I must be centre stage. Otherwise why not put on a DVD and go out and have a cup of tea?
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
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Sam Sandler Inner circle 2487 Posts |
Tonyb- I understand what you say about the illusionist and yes it is much differnt however I think you really miss the point of entertaining families!
this is never about ME or YOU its about the audience! we are there to entertain them and provide that magic memory. I can only hope that a kid upstages me in every show! the more a kid goes off the beaten path the funnier the routine the more laughs I get from the audience. (you need to know how to contol the kid with in this moment) making the kid the star will only Make you a BIGGER star! Yes I sell me even for my birthday parties parents know when they book me that I not only provide a spectacular show but I provide a spectacular looking event with back drop, sound and great props. my routines range from hip hop rabbits, a change bag, a mouth coil, a 3 minute minipulation act, a grand illusion but that is me. I am getting off point here I want to stay with the comment you made -- "At no point will 'a really amazing prop', a puppet or a kid helper upstage me. I am centre stage. This is not an ego thing, but I am the showman, the entertainer, and I must be centre stage. Otherwise why not put on a DVD and go out and have a cup of tea" this attitude will never allow you to fully succeed in my opinion. by making others the star by providing spectacular props and back drops I become a bigger star. maybe I can say it this way. I look at myself as a sort of servant in that I am in this persons house as a guest and my Job is to serve them with the best show I can. Now YES I could easily provide a spectacular show with out the back drop and the sound and even some of the bigger props BUT I feel the show goes up a few knotches compaired to others when I do provide all of that. It did not cost me a fortune to get it and does not take that long to set it all up however I can charge more because of all of the extra props. I can tall you that almost every show I get the comment "we have had other magicians but you were amazing, you even made my living room into a whole theatre WOW" that's what I want to hear. before I even start the show people are excited. Hey I am not trying to bash you just pointing out for me this is what I have learned and works for me. others find success with out it then Great. but I really don't like hearing you say you don't want to be upstaged by a kid or htat you don't want them being the star! "if you don't want to be upstaged, then don't work with kids or animals" sam
sam sandler- America's only full-time DEAF Illusionist
http://www.samsandler.com http://www.deafinitelymagic.com |
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MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
Remember Sam, mi amigo, you are at a much higher tier than most of us. We salute you! Well, I salute you....
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Potty the Pirate Inner circle 4632 Posts |
Sam, you said it exactly. I LOVE to let the kids upstage me. In fact, I have various bits of business and patter which aim to make it probable that they will. My puppets are very rude and obnoxious to me - and though I get frustrated and furious, they're my friends, so I can't overstep the mark.
With the right Big Prop, you can also allow yourself to be less of the centre of attention for a while, as the kids become fascinated by a crazy machine or colourful and strange object. This subtlety of allowing the personality to come forward, then allowing someone/thing else to momentarily take all the attention, means that folks don't tire of your persona. Each time you "come back" to the kids' attention, they are even more fascinated by you, and start to hang on every word. That's when you can let rip with ANY form of comedy, and you'll just keep right on winning. I have a lot of value tied up in my props, but I simply re-invest the "supplement" that I charge. This was my plan from Day 1, and several years down the line, I simply don't need to invest much any more. Now, that supplement adds to my income. :) |
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Scott Burton Inner circle 1131 Posts |
In the end, I believe it all has to do with the economics of running a business and having a plan. Those that will do well do things on purpose and know their potential rates on return on all expenses. Know your numbers.
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TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-08-16 00:38, Sam Sandler wrote: To me the key point in the above quote is the piece in parenthesis. You need to know how to control the kid. In other words, the kid only appears to be upstaging you. You are really in control. I have no problem with this; that is just clever pacing of the show. It happens several times during my own show. If the attention was on me the whole time it would become monotonous. But when the attention is not on me I am still in control of the attention, and directing where it goes. That is what I mean about never allowing a prop, a kid or a puppet to upstage me. I have no problem with attention being on a puppet (my finale) or a kid (my TT routine, etc). But I am still the puppet master, pulling their strings. If I do my show properly there should be no moment during which I am not in complete control. And, despite my lack of props and backdrop, I am also regularly told: We have had other magicians before, but you were amazing. I stand by what I said: We should be the star of our own show. And bigger isn't better. Only better is better. I have said it before, but it bears repetition. If you want to invest heavily in your show, that is your personal choice. But it won't make your show any better. Only investing in your skills and presentational style will make your show better. Posted: Aug 16, 2010 6:30pm The above post ended abruptly and I could not edit it. I have seen clips of both Sam and Potty performing, and I know both do a great job entertaining kids. I once had the privilege of sharing a stage with Harry Blackstone, and the strength of his performance blew me away. But that had nothing to do with his props. It was all down to his personality. And when the kids upstaged him (during the vanishing birdcage) he was still in charge, and still the one we were applauding. Unless you are talking Shakespeare, it is the performer not the show that counts.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
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Sam Sandler Inner circle 2487 Posts |
TonyB - well that is a different take on what I first read. If I mis understood I apologize.
you are correct that when I let a kid get "out of control" that I am still in control Not everyone can do this. so I agree with what you are saying now and thanks for explaining I think this might have been one of those times where txt does not convey the whole message as we mean it. as for the props yes I guess it is a preference that one wants lots of stuff and another does not. I do not rely on my props but over the years I have aquired many that I love having in the show. I enjoy putting on the "big" show so for me yup I will h ave lots of stuff for the show but you are right it is not the prop that makes the magician sam
sam sandler- America's only full-time DEAF Illusionist
http://www.samsandler.com http://www.deafinitelymagic.com |
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