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Levi Bennett Inner circle 1778 Posts |
Montana- I've used the blank deck as a force gag- ask them to pick a card, but don't pick a blank one. It startles people and then they laugh when I show them the whole deck is blank. Then I go into the routine with a regular deck.
I don't usually do it anymore- to save time I just take out a blank card and have them sign it while showing them the deck I'll be using is a regular deck.
Performing magic unprofessionally since 2008!
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pepka Inner circle Uh, I'm the one on the right. 5041 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 16, 2014, Montana76 wrote: No need to force, I just take it out of the wallet and hand it to them and ask them to sign. "I saved this for you. It's a blank card. If anyone asks why it's blank I tell them that they are made for kids to make flash cards on. No one has ever questioned it. This also works to do ACR for small kids. You can have them draw a picture and just have the picture card keep coming back. |
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Montana76 Inner circle I hope I one day reach 1177 Posts |
Thanks pepka! This is an excelleny idea!
Do yo then do the acr with your normal deck or the 24 blank card that is left? Excuse me if I'm beeing a bit slow here.. |
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pepka Inner circle Uh, I'm the one on the right. 5041 Posts |
I just add it to the deck. Signing and giving away cards can be expensive because I normally use the Richard Turner Bicycles. The card appears in my wallet and people always keep it, and I'd say almost 50% of the time ask ME to sign the other side.
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Montana76 Inner circle I hope I one day reach 1177 Posts |
Thank you Pepka:)
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frankieacemagic Elite user 498 Posts |
So since reading this post, I've been forcing a blank card after doing a few quick card effects (so they can see the cards are all normal). In my final effect (before the ACR), I turn around so they can show each other the selected card and I slip a blank card in from my shirt pocket. After I find their selected card, I have someone pick one more, force the blank, and turn around while they're looking at the card. This is HILARIOUS! I had no idea the built in comedy with this They just crack up!!!! Then I go into the ACR.
Anyway, I just thought Id share how much this thread helped. I'm so glad pepka mentioned the blank card ACR! |
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robwar0100 Inner circle Buy me some newspapers.Purchase for me 1 Gazette and 1747 Posts |
Impressive,
If you are looking to get into restaurant magic, you should spend $30 on Jim Sisti's lecture from Penguin Magic. Jim used to publish The Magic Menu, a magazine focused on the restaurant and bar magician. Up until Sunday, I only knew of Jim from Richard Osterlind's videos. We had spoken over the phone a few years ago for a story I was writing. On Sunday, I was in the audience during Jim's lecture. I absolutely loved the lecture. There is a lot of usable, commercial effects in the lecture. Here is my review here: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......&forum=5. Here is the link to make the purchase, if you so desire: http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/4420. I wish you well. Bobby p.s. I have not done close-up magically regularly for a while. I have gravitated toward parlor magic and small stage shows (50-300 people). However, I was doing some close up a couple of weeks ago. Here are some of the things I did: 1. Svengali Deck (cross between a Svengali pitch routine without selling the deck, an Open Prediction/Selected Card at Any Number and Ambitious Card) 2. Three Phase Coin Routine: - One Coin: Basic vanish and reappearance - Two Coins: A Head and Tails Routine with a kicker ending - Three Coins: Coins Across (my own routine) 3. Three Phase Rope Routine - Professor's Nightmare - Fiber Optics - Cut and Restored Rope
"My definition of chance is my hands on the wheel," Greg Long.
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Greg755 Regular user 126 Posts |
Things I always have on me. Some string or rope, pk rink wedding band style, linking finger ring, thumb tip, some type of reel, some type of invisible thread, magicians wax a gimmicked coin or two, a gimmicked bill or two.
If I have a jacket on then I also have a topit and 2 pulls. I don't do card tricks as a general rule, because most spectators don't carry cards. I like to "borrow" things from them, every one has coins, money or rings on them. All the stuff I carry (above) takes up little space, yet I can do several different tricks with each item. |
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Greg755 Regular user 126 Posts |
I forgot to mention I always have some type of magic wallet on me, once again a lot of different things can be done with them.
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Blindside785 Inner circle Olympia, WA 4541 Posts |
There are a lot of different styles and preferences when it comes to sets. My word of advice is to make up those sets on paper and try honing one set at a time. It can be enticing to go out and buy every new promising table hopped effect that comes out, I speak from experience, but it's really as simple as to getting amazing at 3 solid routines at a time and extend that to at least 2 more sets (3 sets total). The Approach is going to be a good to you once you crack that open.
Here are my sets Turbostick Stand Up Monte Fiber Optics/John Guastaferro's Full Circle Rubberband Routine (Can be as simple as a 2 Phase CMH depending on crowd) Icebreaker by Lee Smith Ambitious Card Routine Flash by Chad Long/Spongeballs 1 and 5 Transpo Qauntum Bender 3.0 My third set is usually my interchangeable set but that's what flows well for me |
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Chamberlain Special user 629 Posts |
My Current Sets
Act 1 Crazy Mans Handcuffs > Broken Restored Band Invisible Deck Sponge Bunnies 2 Selection Transpo (double lift and twirl change with 2 selections) Ambitious Card to Wallet to Omni Deck ACt 2 Wonderland Bill B'Wave Shell Coins Across Red Hot Momma in my Wallet Homing Card 51 to Pocket Act 3 Bag 4 Life > One Coin Flurry 5 to 10 Transpo Hand Twist John George Fav Card to Pocket Chad Longs Torn and Restored Kind |
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davidpaul$ Inner circle Georgetown, South Carolina 3086 Posts |
You have to be flexible...When working restaurants you encounter many different scenarios, so you can't stick with a specific set.
When interacting and conversing with patrons you may go in a total different direction than the sets you determined you were going to use because of that conversation/interaction. You will encounter medical professionals from the nearby hospital, people coming back from a sporting event, people celebrating a special occasion, school teachers, couples on a date, special needs people etc. etc...... So , you have to evaluate what you think will be enjoyable entertaining and relevant to a certain degree to your spectators. NOT "Your" trick list/set you thought of at home. Does a fine dining restaurant play hard rock backround music while their patrons are dining? Just some food for thought.
Guilt will betray you before technique betrays you!
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george1953 Inner circle Mallorca (Spain) 5943 Posts |
I normally have my set ready to go but for the reasons stated above, I always have my close up case on hand so that if need be, I can just go to it and pick up anything I decide to change. My case is an aluminium tool box type thing with fold out trays, it holds a huge amount of props and is a bit inconvenient to carry around but I have been glad I had it with me on lots of occasions.
By failing to prepare, we are preparing to fail.
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Montana76 Inner circle I hope I one day reach 1177 Posts |
How did you set the strucutre for your effects? I am struggling with understanding what Jamie (The Approach) would call
low,low,medium medium,medium,high high,high,high I have my effects chosen but my OCD forces me to rething the structure at leat ten times a day.. |
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frankieacemagic Elite user 498 Posts |
I don't do a lot of corporate cocktail hours--maybe 1 or 2 a month, maybe--but 5 props/effects has sufficed for me. Chop cup, sponges, regular deck, ID, Extreme Burn. Maybe color changing knives. The 3 sets of 3 seems like A LOT!!! But I suppose if you're working a room for a few hours, that makes sense. But if you're doing a few hours of corporate strolling, doesn't that include tables? No need for 3 sets of 3 there! Anyone else just carry 5ish tricks? A deck of cards has at least 10 built in effects
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Montana76 Inner circle I hope I one day reach 1177 Posts |
So you think I am overthinking it? I should just prepare some routines/effects and jazz? That's what I usually do when I'm at bars..
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frankieacemagic Elite user 498 Posts |
Hey Montana--everyone finds what works for them eventually. But I would guarantee these 5 effects for all ages of strolling:
1. Mini chop cup (or full size. I use the full size even without a table) 2. Sponge balls 3. invisible deck 4. Ambitious card as a climax to an engaging pick a card routine 5. Extreme Burn 6. TT with a mismade bill inside When I stroll I also carry color changing knives. So that's 7, I guess. But it all takes up very little space (except the tennis ball loads, lol). But for each group, I do 3 effects. I don't have a set order. I just read the group. Short answer? I think you're overthinking it. Just have 5 or 6 effects ready to go an stroll and joke around with everyone and have a blast!!! And hand out your business cards!!! (I always joke when I hand out my card, "I do laundry, lawns, tiling...whatever. It's the recession." They crack up.) |
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Alex Rapattoni Loyal user Seattle, Wa 229 Posts |
This is a topic which has been discussed ad naseum on this board. You can find lists of what people carry everyday, as well as when they're working. What you'll find, an it's been touched on a couple of times in this thread, is that there isn't any right way. And tastes differ from person to person. Find effects that you want to perform over and over again. I only carry things that hold a special place in my heart
Profile by Garrett Thomas Ring and String 4 seperate bill switches in a small index Sponge bunnies Some sort of out to lunch effect And if I'm feeling sassy: A deck of cards Rubber bands Pen through anything
Weird is part of the job.
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Adam Joseph New user 77 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 4, 2014, frankieacemagic wrote: The great thing about these tricks is that they all reset very easily. I think having tricks that reset quickly is very important if you're out performing magic for lots of people. You don't want to be in a spot where you've done your three sets of three, and half of the tricks need to be reset before you can do your sets again. So if you're doing a "3 sets of 3" type of thing... I think that one or two of those sets should reset virtually instantly so that you're always ready to go. It's also nice to be able to do at least 5 or 10 tricks just with a normal deck, so if you're ever wondering what you should show someone, you'll have a card trick ready to go that they haven't seen yet. I also like to plan my sets based on a few other factors. For example, I have a set that I'll only perform if there are one or two spectators and the angles are good. I'll do 1) visibill, 2) envylope, 3) torn. If it's a group of 5 or 6 people, I wouldn't want to do these tricks because they're a bit angle sensitive... but for one or two people, these three tricks really kill. I'll also plan a set of three that can be done without the use of a table. And I'll plan a set of three that can be done if I have a nice surface to work with. I'll have a set of tricks that are good for just one person. Tricks like entourage/b-wave etc. I feel are better for one person because I feel that mentalism type tricks aren't really as enjoyable if you're not the one participating. And I really like doing capitulating queens for one person. When it's more than one person, I always worry that someone will see the card that I cop off. It's good to have a set of tricks to do for kids. A set that plays well for a large group (rope effects). So for the most part, I'll just open with a chop cup routine, then go into stand up monte, then bend their signed quarter and then move on. But if I come up to a single person or a large group of people, or a group with little kids, or whatever... I'll have a little set ready to go for that situation. |
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Greg755 Regular user 126 Posts |
I pretty much agree with Adam. I tend to carry 9-12 things with me. 2-3 of them are utility items I can do multiple things with like a wallet or TT most of them reset ( or automatically reset) very easily. If I have been at the place for a while I will have 2 or 3 additional things that require a lot of pre set up, like making a live gold fish appear in a glass of water, but only use them if the conditions are right. As far a sets go. I really don't have sets. It's not like a stage show where the match turns to a silk, then the silk dances around then it vanish into a box which you then produce a rabbit out of etc etc... Like Adam says I see who is at the table and through a little conversation I try to figure out what they are interested in. If it is all guys maybe I do cards, if girls maybe money or rings, if it's young people maybe I float something if it's old people maybe something that involves them in the magic. Also I ask what they ordered so I can figure how much time I have. If they got a sandwich I may only have 5 minutes if they ordered steaks maybe I have 15 minutes. What I don't want to do is have their food ready and the waitress has to wait on me to finish up. On the other hand if the waitress tells me the kitchen is having a problem then I will stay longer to cover the problem for them.
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