|
|
warren Inner circle uk 4138 Posts |
When working on a routine some people set them selve's rules i.e no reset,no gimmick's,no table,angle proof,hands never seeming to come together,the list goes on.
for me I like no reset,angle proof and I like thing's to be visual,even better if I can do something in a spectator's hand's I tend to see something I like then see if I can duplicate it,then I look at a presentational hook,then I rework it to consider the reset,then I try to make it look cleaner,then I test it with the wife and at the magic club to get some honest feed back,then finally I look for other people's variation's in case I've missed the obvious. so what rules do you set yourselve's ? warren |
Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
I usually start with an image or story fragment. The story goes where it goes and the props do what they do. The mechanics come later. Till there is a premise or story... I wait on routines.
As to no gimmicks etc... it seem more useful to make the tricks work properlly and keep focus on the action the audience sees and not the traffic issues they are not interested in.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
|
Sk8rDave Regular user California 189 Posts |
When I work on new routines I throw all the rules out the window so I won't be too judgemental. Otherwise I'll just criticize every idea as "not good enough" until I make myself cry so I have to sit in a corner and practice my pass until I feel better.
For the routines I work on, the impression I leave with the audience is everything. If I have an idea for a killer effect that will leave every mouth agape in disbelief and every mind firmly convinced in the existence of the supernatural then I'll do whatever it takes to achieve it. But I can be lazy so I don't always prepare the effects that demand a long reset or stuff my jacket with all the gadgets. I let the performance conditions and the audience determine what rules I set for the magic I perform. I've learned routines that will work in different situations and I use the ones that I, from experience, believe will play best in my venue. Of course, sometimes I'm wrong... When that happens, I go home, cry in the corner and practice my pass until I feel better. Then I take notes so that I don't make the same mistake again and it happens less and less. Every performer needs to have some good solid material that can be done surrounded, in 100+ degree heat when you are dripping with sweat, there are no tables or they are covered in barbecue sauce as are the specator's hands and they don't speak your language but it doesn't matter because they want you to perform in the clearing next to the DJ who won't even stop playing his MC Hammer collection to announce you, much less let you plug in your mic. On the other hand, everyone should have a couple of routines in which they've pulled out all the stops. Maybe, it's a difficult reset and you have to be at a table with nobody on either side and you only get to perform it once per year but the effect causes people to report you to their priest as a possible candidate for exorcism. That can be pretty satisfying. One other point, I noticed you set visual as one of your rules. I'd think long and hard about that one. I used to really love visual magic, it just looks the way magic should. However, it removes the opportunity for the audiences imagination to create the effect because we all know that the effect happens in their mind and nowhere else. If they are willing to believe their eyes then you're golden but if they question their eyes and they have nothing but "visual proof" to back up their convictions they might not be willing to suspend their disbelief and buy into your magic. Also, they are going to focus on the moment they see the magic happen for clues to the effect that will destroy your illusion of magic. Since almost all (I can't think of an exception but there might be one) visual magic requires the method and the effect be simultaneous you will be telegraphing the when the method occurs. I still enjoy visual magic but I've found that there is a much stronger reaction when the spectator sees nothing happen but magic occurs. As an example, do an instantaneous one handed color change I learned years ago, the one time I met Paul Chosse. He was kind enough to tip it to me. It looks good and people go "wow". But, if I do the same (actually similar but not exactly the same) one handed color change as I momentarily cover the deck. When I uncover the deck and they see the card has changed they go "WOW!!!". Their imagination will be filled with all sorts of possibilities because, while they have seen magic, I haven't focused their scrutiny on one tiny fraction of time. Wow, I really managed to go off on a tangent there. I just wanted to share with you what I've learned from my experience. That highly visual magic is fine but often invisible magic can be better. It's free advice so it's worth what you paid for it Test this theory for yourself and see if it's right for you. Dave |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Food for thought » » Rules for new routine's new routine's (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.02 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |