Torn & Restored Cards :: Motivation?

[CaseyC]

What's the motivation?

Why rip up a card only to put it back together?


I've been spending a lot of time working on T&R cards lately. It got me thinking about the patter.
What I want to stray away from is the boring "if I put the piece here...you can actually see it restores..." patter.

I want to know what patter would best provide the justification for ripping up a card and putting back together. There needs to be something in what the magician is saying that provides an emotional hook for the audience. Without the hook, it becomes a very bland systematic "trick".

What sort of patter provides both a justification as well as something for the audience to be interested in?

All Thoughts/Ideas/Help are welcome.

 

[Nikki]

i talked to a friend about this a while back, there really is no point to ripping it up just to put it back together.

 

[SKSleighofHand]

No offence to anyone, I, too, thought about this. Torn and Restore is a great effect, but it is going to be a boring patter.

 

[James Smith]

I know that a lot of magicians use a patter like this:

"The only question a magician really asks if what's real, and what's illusion? For example, If I were to rip this card into four pieces, it would look there were for pieces. Right? Wrong, it's only an illusion. It may look like I"m tearing the pieces, it may even sound like it, but in reality they are always one card..." Then you would start restoring the pieces.

I think this is the patter that Doug Henning used for his torn and restored newspaper. I'm not sure it was him though, I'd have to check on it.

 

[MagicShadow9]

I was wondering about this too. What i can think of right now is restoring the card symbolizes fixing a mistake. How many times in your life have you made a mistake that you can't take back? Like accidentally knocking over a glass vase? Or saying something that hurt someone? Or saw a great opportunity and was to scared to take it?

That fact that you can take a completely wrecked object, and put it back together, can give a great emotional hook. Every one has something they wanna take back in their life. To them, the restoring of the card means fixing the unfixable (E.g. The vase, their words, or their insecurity)

But you have to somehow convey this fact into your presentation. I haven't found a way to do this because i'm not that interested in torn and restored card, but that's just an idea for you to play around with.

 

[CaseyC]

I was wondering about this too. What i can think of right now is restoring the card symbolizes fixing a mistake. How many times in your life have you made a mistake that you can't take back? Like accidentally knocking over a glass vase? Or saying something that hurt someone? Or saw a great opportunity and was to scared to take it?

That fact that you can take a completely wrecked object, and put it back together, can give a great emotional hook. Every one has something they wanna take back in their life. To them, the restoring of the card means fixing the unfixable (E.g. The vase, their words, or their insecurity)

But you have to somehow convey this fact into your presentation. I haven't found a way to do this because i'm not that interested in torn and restored card, but that's just an idea for you to play around with.

You know what, that's very true. I could relate it to something in their life that means something. This is a very helpful first step. Helps a bunch. I'll try and work with it.

@daveygs
I seen this used before but I never loved it because it was more of a "watch me" type thing. Thanks for posting your thoughts.

 

[James Smith]

@daveygs
I seen this used before but I never loved it because it was more of a "watch me" type thing. Thanks for posting your thoughts.

Yeah that's true. I still think it's pretty good though. It doesn't work for a lot of magicians though. I mean I could never see a guy like David Blaine use that. It all has to do with your style.

 

[Randy]

My idea for a reason is just me talking about seeing David Copperfield do it with a baseball card when I was a kid. Then just doing the phases while explaining what I saw him do.

 

[Lucas_Kaus]

What's the motivation?

Why rip up a card only to put it back together?


I've been spending a lot of time working on T&R cards lately. It got me thinking about the patter.
What I want to stray away from is the boring "if I put the piece here...you can actually see it restores..." patter.

I want to know what patter would best provide the justification for ripping up a card and putting back together. There needs to be something in what the magician is saying that provides an emotional hook for the audience. Without the hook, it becomes a very bland systematic "trick".

What sort of patter provides both a justification as well as something for the audience to be interested in?

All Thoughts/Ideas/Help are welcome.

The motivation is simply to show to people that you have this strang ability to restore things, but if nothing needs repair, then you must destroy something.

However, if you don't like a certain effect's presentation or it isn't really discussed or presented, create your own. Make it fit you and your persona.

And for the record, I got this from Huron Low on "Four". He discusses it in some extra part of the DVD.

always,
LK++

p.s. Four was really creative, since your getting into TNR's you should probably check it out.

 

[bd]

If there were an effect that could do without patter, I would say that a good TNR would be it.
However, in my opinion, there is no effect that is better without patter.

I, too, was pulled into the lure of the TNR effect not too far back in the past. I collected and studied several different methods; combining and changing things to suit my own needs and wants. Throw in a little creativity, and voila - an original TNR is created.

However, I soon realized my folly - what would I say when performing this?! I am a very active performer, and my "persona" whilst performing is the same as my persona when I'm not - talkative, cheery, sarcastic, funny. Well, somewhat funny . Sure, I exaggerate it a little, but I couldn't possibly think of making a radical change for one trick and not speaking much during it.

My solution? Personal experience(s). What I say below, I believe in firmly, and I think should apply to every effect that each performer performs:

When developing patter for an effect, try and link it (either the objects or the effect) to your life - that way, you can perform the effect without changing your personality. Wayne Houchin recently said, "Sit down and ask yourself: How does any of this relate to me at all? What stories do I have that I can tell to an audience that makes sense with this trick?"; I believe he hit it right on the nail.

 

[CaseyC]

Yeah that's true. I still think it's pretty good though. It doesn't work for a lot of magicians though. I mean I could never see a guy like David Blaine use that. It all has to do with your style.

Yeah I agree. It really does just depends on what your presentation is like.

The motivation is simply to show to people that you have this strang ability to restore things, but if nothing needs repair, then you must destroy something.

However, if you don't like a certain effect's presentation or it isn't really discussed or presented, create your own. Make it fit you and your persona.

And for the record, I got this from Huron Low on "Four". He discusses it in some extra part of the DVD.

always,
LK++

p.s. Four was really creative, since your getting into TNR's you should probably check it out.

Yep that's what I've been working on. I'm trying to make it flow and not seem forced.

I've been looking at those Dvd's. They sound great. I'll do some more research.

 

[TheoryGV]

david wiliamson has good patter and motivation for the trick torn an restored transpo

 

[CaseyC]

If there were an effect that could do without patter, I would say that a good TNR would be it.
However, in my opinion, there is no effect that is better without patter.

I, too, was pulled into the lure of the TNR effect not too far back in the past. I collected and studied several different methods; combining and changing things to suit my own needs and wants. Throw in a little creativity, and voila - an original TNR is created.

However, I soon realized my folly - what would I say when performing this?! I am a very active performer, and my "persona" whilst performing is the same as my persona when I'm not - a talkative, cheery, funny guy. Sure, I exaggerate it a little, but I couldn't possibly think of making a radical change for one trick and not speaking much during it.

My solution? Personal experience(s). What I say below, I believe in firmly, and I think should apply to every effect that each performer performs:

When developing patter for an effect, try and link it (either the objects or the effect) to your life - that way, you can perform the effect without changing your personality. Wayne Houchin recently said, "Sit down and ask yourself: How does any of this relate to me at all? What stories do I have that I can tell to an audience that makes sense with this trick?"; I believe he hit it right on the nail.

Excellent point. I'm going to sit down and think about this.
I think it's important to realize how much the patter and presentation plays a role in an effect.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. This is helping me out a lot.

 

[Justin.Morris]

There's an effect on TA (Ripped and Fryed) where the patter is great because the idea is to replicate sawing a woman in half with cards. It's a great effect.

j

 

[Giianni]

I do a TnR with my buissenescard, I act sad and go like you didn't like my magic
and then when they said they do.
I give them the pieses and when they look at me I go like. ow so you want a full card or what ?

and then I restore the card.

 

[Deechristopher]

Surprised that no one's mentioned Morgician's topic yet, "Torn up from the floor up."

It's in the card magic section.

D.

 

[Twozwozer]

Hurron Low from FOUR

"A piece by piece restoration has always seemed to be that of logical progression. But logical progression isn't exactly something that makes magic wonderful, amazing or powerful, it can make magic quite predictable and boring..."

He goes on to talk about how doing a TnR and giving them the card to keep is really, quite pointless. It give the spectator no reason to keep the card because it leaves no evidence that the effect ever occurred.

He also talks about FiTH or Making Ends Meet having a motivation. Ill quote hime later.

Just some more ideas for you guys to throw around.

Cheers, Tom

 

[Dizzi]

depending on the area/venue. vyou can use patter about a person dying *rip* but over time they the memories of them make it much easier to handle

 

[BlakeVogt]

I was wondering about this too. What i can think of right now is restoring the card symbolizes fixing a mistake. How many times in your life have you made a mistake that you can't take back? Like accidentally knocking over a glass vase? Or saying something that hurt someone? Or saw a great opportunity and was to scared to take it?

That fact that you can take a completely wrecked object, and put it back together, can give a great emotional hook. Every one has something they wanna take back in their life. To them, the restoring of the card means fixing the unfixable (E.g. The vase, their words, or their insecurity)

But you have to somehow convey this fact into your presentation. I haven't found a way to do this because i'm not that interested in torn and restored card, but that's just an idea for you to play around with.

Holy crap! I love this idea sooo much! My old patter consisted of me talking about how a card is three layers and since the top and bottom layers have plastic coating then if you touch the peices together and just melt the plastic just barely enough (with either a lighter or the fingers depending on the version) then the cards will stick back together. I do this as not magic but something nacky I can do and encourage others to try The "magic" comes into play when I turn the card over and its changed (TNR) I love this But I really wunna come up with a patter for something like ^^ up there. Thanks for the idea and I hope mine might spark an idea for someone. Thanks.

 

[7uPyOuRs]

People do TnR because it's cool.