Hello everyone,

I'm gonna make my promo video.
Is there anything tips or knowhow that I should know?
Should I add some testimonial in it?
Should I cut some TV performance clip in it?
Should I put my contact information in it?

I'm a mainly a comedy magician, make my audience laugh is my goal.
Can someone provide me some good examples?
Thank you very much.

YuYen

To answer your questions: yes, yes, and yes. Oh, and make sure you have clips of people laughing (since you are going for comedy).

From a point of view of someone who must watch these things let me at least offer my opinion.

First off I would have to sections on the DVD. One with a "clips" section about 6 minutes long, and another chapter that has the whole show on it. This way the person can deceide which they may want to watch. Edit the second as little as possible.


For the love of God make it a clean looking piece. Edits smooth, not perfect but ok lighting and music and your mic. that are directly into the camera and not just picked up randomly by the camera mic.

A comedy magician always hurts themselves in the following way. I do not know you from Adam. I have never seen your act, so needless to say I am not speaking directly to you with this. BUT just because you buy something in the "comedy magic" section of the web site, does NOT make you a comedian, or even necessarily that funny. Doing the Bananna/Bandanna trick does not automatically make you a comedy magician.

My point is more that you are judged in a different way, against comedians. Who are just funny. Why do that to yourself? You are better off if you under promise and over produce. Most magicians today do the exact opposite.

TV performance? Depends on what it is, and what your trying to accomplish with the video.

Contact information? Only put that on if you want them to get in touch with you.

One last thing. When you are making this video, you need to deceide what you want to have in it first. You need to storyboard the video in your head, and create the moments in your show, as opposed to just waiting and hoping they happen and you can somehow catch them on tape. I can always tell the difference in the video that has done these things.

Here is an example. Mr. Robb. The guy is not a magician, but he knows how to do a great promo video! (Also he is a good friend of mine.) He has a perfect blend of voice over, audience and really appropriate music. This video took him years to get together exactly like this, and he is probably still working on it. http://mrrobb.com/video/

Also avoid as much as possible tricks such as the bowling ball, Bananna/Bandanna, Oragami, Spiked, and a host of others that EVERYONE is doing with the EXACT same patter! Nothing says hack to a booker (even if you are indeed NOT one!) than a guy who is on his video using the exact same jokes and words as 100 other people.

Hey Uncle here is a sample of one of my Promo Videos, I'm not offering it as any advice just as another look for ideas.


http://gallery.me.com/lionfludd#100694