Ideas for an ambitious card routine

[Tamir]

Hey guys =]
Lately I tried to make my on ambitious card routine and I found out that it's difficult then I thought =\
Eventually I came out with a standard routine when the selected card rises from the middle to the top like seven or eight times.
I demonstrated the magic for some of my magicians friends and they all said that It was to bored. and when I asked why, the answers were all the same.. They all said that there is no thing surprising after the second time. The card goes in to the pack and back to the top, so what? you did it a min ago.. that is the overall idea.
Now, I'm asking you buddies to help my to improve the routine with some ather things (like: http://media.theory11.com/3618-Waving-the-aces )

 

[Justin.Morris]

Ambitious is really good when each time it builds on the last.

Phase one: Simple. Card in middle - rises to the top

Phase two: Repeat. Often people want to see it again because they feel they must have missed a move.

Phase three: Make the process "easier" for them to follow. (Do it slower, or remove half the pack, or have them put the card in the middle etc)

Phase four: Get them involved. Have them push the card in, or hold onto the deck, or have apart to play in the magic moment.

Phase five: Something different to finish with. Whether you do the pop up move, or to the mouth, it doesn't matter, but lure them in by making it easier for them to see the moment, then kick them in the teeth (figuratively).

That is just how I do it, but I hope you get the idea of how I feel it builds on itself, and captivates interest. You must be commanding your audience's attention, and not just doing something and hoping that they watch it all.

 

[nIvan]

Phase five: Something different to finish with. Whether you do the pop up move, or to the mouth, it doesn't matter, but lure them in by making it easier for them to see the moment, then kick them in the teeth (figuratively).

From experience, this is far more fun literally.

In all honesty, one of the best ways to get audience interactions is to have them push "their" card in. Either dribble and let them shove it into the falling cards, or riffle down, etc. Also with c2m/c2w etc, they can push the card in all the way and when they see it in the new location they'll freak.

Don't do the same thing more than twice in a routine, it gets boring fast.

 

[MrEUser]

Hey guys =]
Lately I tried to make my on ambitious card routine and I found out that it's difficult then I thought =\
Eventually I came out with a standard routine when the selected card rises from the middle to the top like seven or eight times.
I demonstrated the magic for some of my magicians friends and they all said that It was to bored. and when I asked why, the answers were all the same.. They all said that there is no thing surprising after the second time. The card goes in to the pack and back to the top, so what? you did it a min ago.. that is the overall idea.
Now, I'm asking you buddies to help my to improve the routine with some ather things (like: http://media.theory11.com/3618-Waving-the-aces )

I asked Lee Asher what he thought about the Ambitious Card. My first question was, "How many times should I make the card rise to the top." His answer, "3 to 4, at the most."

Based on this, my routine starts before the ambitious card. I pulled a move out of Dominatricks. I have a spectator sign a 4 of ... and then have it become a six of ... one pip at a time.

Once they have the 6 of (whatever) that they have signed, I put the card into the deck (middle) and it goes to the top. I do this to set the expectation for what will happen next. Second time I have the spectator put the card in the middle, and it goes to the top. Third time, I use a Braue pop up. After that I spread the cards over a ziploc bag face up. The spectators signed card is in the bag. When the deck is turned over (so that the spectators can see the backs of the cards), the back has changed color. Their card is the only one that is blue in a red deck, or red in a blue deck. I've never had anyone get bored.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

You did nothing but put the card in the middle and make it jump to the top 7or 8 times, and you wonder why people got bored?

As was already stated, I think 3-5 is the maximum number of times a card should 'jump'. Personally, my ACR is four phases, but technically only one of those is a 'standard' ACR phase, where the card goes into the middle and then appears on top. Nothing repeats at all, every phase is different from every other phase. I highly recommend this.

 

[jok3r]

3 or 4 times is good, then i like to put in face up and do a pass to make it come to the top. After that happens twice, i like to finish with a card to mouth and or card to pocket. Adding a color change, and a card to pocket are also good idea. Get creative with the patter, ambitious card has sooo much more for creativity

 

[Tamir]

Thanks you for replying.
I think I got your point.
I'll tray make a new one (even that it was really hard to do 8 faces without octagonal lift >< ).
So I think I have the overall idea, first of all I need to find another magic to get out from it. Then place their card in the middle and bring it to be second (by control) and then show it with DL.. that part was a transition section. From here I'll do one basic face, and two uniques faces; And in the end come my best one.. Right? Is that better?

 

[-Ty]

While an ACR is fine to do for a bit of fun, to create something of substance from this routine there simply must be a presentational hook. I've done quite well with the ACR in the past, but only because I found two significantly different (but thoroughly engaging, I tell myself) presentations for this effect. The key thing with the ACR is that there simply must be a reason for doing what you're doing, or at least a context within which this routine can sit. Otherwise it is is no longer about entertainment, and more to do with trickery. People will want to find out how you did it, rather than suspending their disbelief and enjoying the effect (I will add that the actual 'catch me if you can' presentation for this effect is excluded from that last comment, but is still a dreadfully masturbatory hook). While I admit that this is a vital component to any effect, I think the ACR highlights this issue more than any other close-up effect.

So, instead of asking yourself how you make a card rising to the top more entertaining, ask yourself why you are making a card rise to the top in the first place. After that the effect should flow much more logically for you, and build to a specific impossibility.

Ty

 

[JJK]

I've been trying work on my ACR recently as well and have found it difficult, i've had some great advice but i'd love to see some, if anyone has a video of them performing their ACR i'd love to see it.

Thanks

 

[praetoritevong]

If you wouldn't perform the same trick eight times, why would you perform the same thing within the trick eight times?

Magic is not inherently interesting. There's a surprise factor to it, but a card rising to the top, disappearing, appearing, or being found has no inherent meaning other than that surprise factor. Give meaning, and it will be interesting.

Finally, be wary of doing too much based on what magicians say... They're just people with bunny rabbits and top hats on their business cards, and no sense of imagination, creativity or wonder (most of the time).

 

[JButterfield]

Find a really solid ACR from someone whose work you admire, and perform it for real people until you can really see what it is that makes it a solid routine. Try to see what people react to, and what it is about the routine itself that creates the reactions.

Then you'll know what to shoot for.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Thanks you for replying.
I think I got your point.
I'll tray make a new one (even that it was really hard to do 8 faces without octagonal lift >< ).

.. I don't even use a double lift, let alone 8 ..

So I think I have the overall idea, first of all I need to find another magic to get out from it. Then place their card in the middle and bring it to be second (by control) and then show it with DL.. that part was a transition section. From here I'll do one basic face, and two uniques faces; And in the end come my best one.. Right? Is that better?

I got kind of bored reading this, plus it just doesn't make sense. Don't over analyze this. As the others said, use maybe 4 phases, make them different and end with a bang. Having a reason to be doing the trick helps people relate to it, which keeps them interested.

 

[saborfang17]

Finally, be wary of doing too much based on what magicians say... They're just people with bunny rabbits and top hats on their business cards, and no sense of imagination, creativity or wonder (most of the time).

Spoken like a true mentalist.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Spoken like a true mentalist.

I agree with him.

 

[RikAllen]

I agree with him.

Because it was the truth?


An ambitious card routine should be anything except an ambitious card. Josh Jay used a remote control and by having the spectator press channel up (or something similar) the card would go to the top. When it didn't work he would take the remote and check the batteries, and in the compartment there was a card. Can you guess who's it was?

This was different, had inherent comedy (asking to press the mute button and not being able to talk, or the volume up turns your voice up...) it was fun for the spectator and had a surprise (impossible) ending.

3-4 phases is a good average, though I've seen more and been entertained throughout.

This is also the reason most coins across use 3-4 coins, you can only have a coin go from one hand to the other in so many ways before it's boring.

Figure out a presentation that makes sense, and is entertaining (to lay audiences) and then build your phases around that presentation. It's (for some reason) hard for magicians to start with the premise and then work out the routine, too many have routines and then make up presentations after perfecting them.