How to stand out among other magicians...?

Jul 13, 2009
424
0
Edmonton, Canada
So what if you're with a group of people with 2 other person that also know a little bit and the basic techniques about card magic. One is using trick deckS like the svengali, stripper or blank deck and the other one is doing simple tricks, like the 2 card monte and tricks using the key card Principle. So far the audience is astonished by the performance but you want to do something that exceed what these guyz are doing just to stand out among them because you don't want the audience to prefer someone who is learning videos off Youtube and doing a crappy performance, or using tricks decks than someone who is really dedicated in magic and have many years of experience.

So if you are in this kind of situation .. what would you perform to really stand out and leave the audience dumb founded ???
 
Apr 18, 2010
112
0
If these are people you will have a chance of seeing again I would not do a single effect and let these guys get their reward. This will do 2 things for you...

1.It will create a mystery around you and an expectation of a future presentation from you, that you will have an upper hand in before you even open your mouth. And the reason you will have that upper hand is because the waiting will produce in them (your audience) a desire to WANT to see what you will be presenting them. Think about this in live theater when you sit down are you immediately presented with the show, or is their a gap from when you take your seat to curtain call? (trailers were not always the norm before movies played)

And you want your audience to WANT to see you instead of just ENDURING you because your just there.

2. It will give you time to put together a set that will be specifically designed for just your audience. So it will allow you to pick pieces that will touch each person in a way that they will remember their entire lives.



Now if its not people who you will run into again then either present some material that has some mind reading feel to them or have a loop on your wrist and animate something..cant ever go wrong with loops.

Justin Miller
 
Dec 14, 2007
817
2
(trailers were not always the norm before movies played)


Justin Miller

Because I am pedantic this way - trailers were not the norm - but there were originally performers who entertained prior to the movie. (This was in the transition from vaudeville to the movie houses.) And then, as vaudeville completely died, they replaced the acts with cartoons and news reels.

Further fun fact: Movies did not use to have set start times. You would buy your ticket and walk in at any time and stay however long you wanted. Basically, something was on the screen the entire time.

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho was the first movie to insist that no latecomers would be seated. He was telling a "story" and felt his audience NEEDED to see it from the beginning.

It was a smart move and created a ton of publicity for the flick.

This pointless yet hopefully amusing historical correction has been sponsored by the letter 'D'.
 
Sep 30, 2009
272
0
50
Elkhart, IN
So what if you're with a group of people with 2 other person that also know a little bit and the basic techniques about card magic. One is using trick deckS like the svengali, stripper or blank deck and the other one is doing simple tricks, like the 2 card monte and tricks using the key card Principle. So far the audience is astonished by the performance but you want to do something that exceed what these guyz are doing just to stand out among them because you don't want the audience to prefer someone who is learning videos off Youtube and doing a crappy performance, or using tricks decks than someone who is really dedicated in magic and have many years of experience.

So if you are in this kind of situation .. what would you perform to really stand out and leave the audience dumb founded ???

I would do something with rubber bands or a silk vanish. Stairway would hit hard or even blind mans hand cuffs. I have a silk appear and disappear routine that I have been working on. With lots of "card" guys out there these should leave some kind of impression.
 
Apr 5, 2009
874
1
29
Illinois
if you want to stand out. stand back.

be considerate and modest. don't trash their performances. and if somebody asks you do to a trick. then do one. but not until asked.
 
Even if your tricks are on the same level by doing a different kind of trick it should make yours more memorable. Don't do the third card trick, or coin trick or whatever. As long as the trick is as good it will stand out. Also being the last person to perform is best because the last person sticks in the minds the longest because it is the freshest.
 

WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,877
2,945
Brad Henderson for the win. Don't perform AT them, perform TO them. Engage them as people, treat them intelligently.

Another bit, which I also read from Brad but I've seen elsewhere, is to find something that no one else is doing and make it yours. You can't help but stand out if you're doing something totally unique. You know, as long as you're a decent performer.
 
Jul 13, 2009
424
0
Edmonton, Canada
if you want to stand out. stand back.

be considerate and modest. don't trash their performances. and if somebody asks you do to a trick. then do one. but not until asked.

This is usually what i do ... i let some guyz do some easy tricks before i say "Alright, let me show u something" to the spec. he was performing to ... And I also discourage trashing other people's performance no matter how simple it is, or how obvious he made it look (when they do it to me)

Even if your tricks are on the same level by doing a different kind of trick it should make yours more memorable. Don't do the third card trick, or coin trick or whatever. As long as the trick is as good it will stand out. Also being the last person to perform is best because the last person sticks in the minds the longest because it is the freshest.

NICE tip, also what do u recommend that i perform. I mean they won't be satisfied with a basic transpo. with 1 card under their hand if some other dude switched 2 cards under their hand (2CM) ...
 

WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,877
2,945
Ultimately it comes down to you. What fits your style and is powerful? The internet can't always be the one that chooses your effects for you.
 

RickEverhart

forum moderator / t11
Elite Member
Sep 14, 2008
3,637
471
46
Louisville, OH
This is a difficult situation because if you are someone who has some "chops"...you know you could blow the other two guys away..making them look silly and boosting your own ego, but that is definitely not the way to go.

I sort of like Justin's approach in that you play the cool card and just sit back and let them get their attention they are seeking and then just wait until the next meeting for your turn. This is difficult because many of us want that adrenaline rush like the next line of cocaine.

If you are not going to ever see this group of people again, then I would do material that hits them on an emotional level and not just the next best card trick.
 
Dec 13, 2007
803
0
North Hollywood
as staed above a few times, stand back until asked to perform, and in a situation like you mentioned where everyone is doing card stuff, try something like pressure or some rubber band stuff
 
Sep 1, 2007
168
0
California
Honestly, there are few times where you should definitely TRY not to perform. This may perhaps be one of them. I will explain why, and I hope my points hit home.

1) You mentioned that these people may be performing gimmicked tricks and other pretty hard-hitting stuff, but there is something you should realize. I am going to take a leap here, but I am assuming these guys don't have much sense of effect or routine structure, and thus the effects are being thrown together without much thought. Going back to what Justin Miller said, if you really want to one-up these fellows, pay attention to what that audience responds to and build a small routine around it. I would, if you haven't already, take a look at Darwin Ortiz's books Great Magic and Designing Miracles. These, and many other sources I'm sure others on here and the magic cafe can point out for you, will help you a LOT in terms of routining and structuring performances and effects. Basically, the fact that these guys haven't put time and effort into structuring ruins the crescendo effect of reactions you may want to achieve. Instead of a book-read type of thing where interest continually peaks, the unstructured performance these guys use will probably keep the reaction levels around the same, when if fact, each effect should build onto the other + follow a specific theme or message you want to deliver to your audience.

2) I alluded to this point in the last sentence of #1, but make sure you have a specific message or theme you want to get across to the audience. By taking the time to get to know your effects, and by making them your own and changing them around to fit your personality and performing style, not only will you DEFINITELY be remembered better in the eyes of the audience... you will also come across as YOURSELF. This is important because most people separate themselves as "myself" and "my magician self," when indeed, they should both be the same person. be natural and yourself, and once you make your routines "your own," then there is literally NO competition with other magicians. Many kids that start magic these days, and I am not one to criticize since I'm only 18 and a few years into magic, do not make effects and presentations their own and thus limit their success and progression with magic.

I hope these points help you out and give you some stuff to ponder over. The second point is rather universal and is something that I find all professional magicians have EXACT knowledge of. They don't perform "for the hell of it," but pretty much have reasons why they want to share magic and what they hope to achieve out of it... and when they're good enough... they don't need to "hope" to achieve because they know that's how they're going to make the audience feel.

Some food for thought

-AK

2)
 
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