Improvising After A Mess Up

Nov 19, 2008
107
0
How have you guys made up for a mistake in a card trick in the past? Like if you flashed something how did you improvise to work your way out of it? For me, I was doing that ace trick where they deal out as many cards as they want, deal those into four piles and the aces are on top. anyways the guy was supposed to deal one at a time from the top, he started dealing four at a time! but i realized he only had four cards in each pile, so once he had finished i used the magicians choice to get him to choose the pile with the aces. most of the time i would just move on to a different trick, but that was just too perfect.
 
Jul 21, 2008
266
0
Ohio
Haha. Nice man. That has happened to me my fair share of times. The other day in English last period and I was performing for the class. I was doing my ambitious card routine. There was a kid named Paul who thought he'd be cool and tell my friend how he thought I was doing it. Pretty much all he was saying was nonsense, and he kept saying its a fake cut and such like that. Anyways lets tie this in with the topic. So I tried to ignore him and kept on going. But then he got to me and I messed up. Nobody in the class noticed. I realized this and quickly went on. I continued and did a simple effect which included laying a card on the table, and it jumping to my pocket. I did a few types of transposition type effects like these and eventually he shut up. So yeah, that is my story. ;)
 
Well, there are many different options.

One I heard once that has served me well is that if you were to drop a break and actually lose the card you can say "Oh, I forgot to have you sign it" Have them select another, sign it, and you continue on. Its a decent method for the right situation.

I cannot, however, encourage you enough to learn culling. With a cull and a little ingenuity you will never, ever lose a card again. PM me if you'd like some suggestions.

One thing I did once, which has a lot of psychological roots I don't have room to explain, was use the audiences perception of my mistake to make me look greeeeaaat... haha

I was doing a triumph, George-Bush-simple stuff, but somehow revealed the wrong card... (still no idea how on earth I messed that up...) They said it wasn't their card and named their selection. I mentioned how perception affects how we see things (makes more since when its pattered... hah), culled the card, did a color change and bam, instantly fixed. Then I jokingly said "Haha, And you guys thought I messed up.". It made me look great and was a very funny moment.

Just a few thoughts,
C
 
Aug 31, 2007
135
1
34
England
Every magician should have many outs.

One I use if i find the wrong card... I say "Oh well what is your card then?" then I spread through face up, culling it and say "Ah I know what the problem is, I couldn't find your card because it's not even in the deck" then bottom palm it into pocket or under glass or anywhere else.

The having a card signed one already mentioned is also great.

I once had 2 X cards on top of the selection in an ambitious routine when I thought I had one, so I doubled lifted to show the selected, but of course it wasn't, so I just had the spectator blow on the back of the deck, and done a triple lift, and the reaction was great.

Hope that helps :)
 
May 13, 2008
543
0
St Albans, UK
You could always fish for the card if you lose track of it. Try guessing the colour, then suit and so on. If done well it shouldn't be suspected.
 
Jan 4, 2009
59
0
If you lose the card just say "What was your card" then you run throught the deck and find it (without they noticing) and ust use your favorite stealing action and say "Nope that's impossible, your card was never on the deck It was in my pocket"
 
Nov 20, 2007
4,410
6
Sydney, Australia
I'm not sure I agree with the concept of having outs as per Gimmickless' argument. It's important for a magician to be able improvise, sure. But having outs for every possible situation? I feel that that conditions a magician against being spontaneous. It loses the essential sense of play in theatre, by trying to cast controls over tricks. And besides - if you screw up, and it makes you feel horrible, you sure as hell aren't gonna screw it up like that again now are you?
 
Jan 18, 2009
78
0
I'm not sure I agree with the concept of having outs as per Gimmickless' argument. It's important for a magician to be able improvise, sure. But having outs for every possible situation? I feel that that conditions a magician against being spontaneous. It loses the essential sense of play in theatre, by trying to cast controls over tricks. And besides - if you screw up, and it makes you feel horrible, you sure as hell aren't gonna screw it up like that again now are you?

i agree with praetoritevong(weird name no affence) having outs for everything takes the fun away, messing up is very important every does it, plus wen you mess up you do feel bad and that causes you to practice more, making you even better and less likely to mess up again.
 
Jan 18, 2009
78
0
So you'd rather mess up and leave a bad impression on your audience than do a good trick (In their eyes)?

Hmm...

Hi gimmickless
You misunderstand what i meant, i was saying that having an out from everything is rediculus, and tedius. of course if you make a mistake make an excuse or something, but messing up makes you practice more.

as praetoritevong said if you screw up, and it makes you feel horrible, you sure as hell aren't gonna screw it up like that again now are you?

you dont need an out for every little thing you do, just important or tough stuff
 
Nov 20, 2007
4,410
6
Sydney, Australia
So you'd rather mess up and leave a bad impression on your audience than do a good trick (In their eyes)?

Hmm...

No, of course not, did you read my post?

I'm saying, I'd rather not mess up at all. But if I do mess up, I'd rather rely on myself to improvise an ending, an important skill, rather than spending valuable practice time working on restrictive outs, instead of preventing mess ups in the first place.
 
Aug 31, 2007
135
1
34
England
Im not saying have outs for every single routine... just a few for general situations, such as losing a break and finding the wrong card.

Regarding practicing, having to use an out also encourages you to practice more so you don't have to do it again.

And of course improvisation is used as well... it all depends on the situation.
 
Sep 1, 2007
281
2
New Zealand
Some good ideas in this thread. I've found that if I've made a mistake and I tell people jovially "haha you won't believe it but I've messed up, here pick a card, make it an easy one this time ;)" If you act like it's the end of the world, then they will probably leave a bad impression, but if you act properly, you can relax the people you're performing to and even get them on your side.

Just an idea
 
Nov 26, 2008
71
0
I think I posted this story else where:

Top shot instead of a cardini. I responded with "Oops, I've seem to have missed my sleeves", I live in florida, sleeves are rare. It got a good laugh.
 
May 3, 2008
1,146
4
Hong Kong
ah this thing
exprienced this stuff a lot a while back.
1. I lost a break with the card in the middle. I cut the deck approximately where the card was. did a false flourishy cut and picked out the top card and said it was there card. 1/10 times it is there card, then they still find it amazing. If its not. i say its belief and all that stuff. I ask for their card, control to the top, do a top change. Say they have to believe and tadaa.
2. I controlled a card, was about to do something with a fan when some heckler kid smacked the entire fan out of my hands. Luckily the smack helped me crimp that card i was holding a break above. And it was a pretty big crimp. I then went into a card stab.
3. This was way back when i couldnt think of an out. I was doing a trick and during a cut or pass or what ever it was i dropped a whol quarter of the deck. Obviously, it looked like a messup. A guy was like "dude. you messed up". i couldnt think of much so i replied with "thats what she said" and everyone laughed and no once cared that i messed up.
 
Nov 19, 2008
107
0
So today I was doing the TV transpo, and before i did the cardini change I accidentally did a triple lift. So i do the change and instead of the first card, I changed it to the joker. so i pointed to the joker and say "just joking, (I do the change a second time to get the card and secretly get the joker in the middle) this time it does(switch places)" see what this did was made them think that I had that joke planned, by quickly reacting and not over reacting I was able make the effect equally as powerful.
 

bd

Jun 26, 2008
584
2
San Francisco, California
You will build your own "outs" to situations as you perform. You can gather advice from other magicians; however, rarely will you be able to use an out like the originator did, because outs suit the magician, not the situation. For example, many of the outs I use would absolutely not work for you, I guarantee that - and it's due in part to my personality, and in part to my performance style.

Ben
 
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