Just a quick story I thought I would share, simply because the power of magic astounds me sometimes!
I was recently speaking to a person who I had performed to a little over a year ago, as they were interested in hirng my services again (thankfully just as a magcian, nothing too illegal!). I hadn't seen them for a year and as we began to discuss what they were looking for, they began to recollect an effect I had shown them last time i performed - Angle Zero.
Well, I must say I was astonished by the way in which he recalled the event! The beginning of the effect he described was exactly as it appears, simply having the spectator select a card. I had him sign it, before I began with the main show! However, rather than tearing off just the corner of the card, he recalls that i tore it into '50 pieces' which I simply held in my 'open hand'. In the blink of an eye, the pieces 'miraculously vanished', leaving my hand empty. The card box (where I made the corner reappear) had been in his hand the entire time.
Rather than pulling out the matching corner, he remembers discovering the entire card fully restored in the card case! I am truly amazed at the powerful impact we as entertainers can leave behind for a baffled spectator.
My main point is to play to the strong segments of the effect. By this I mean, you have to treat the effect like a simplistic storyboard consisting of several photos. It is these images that you want a spectator to remember, so that when they begin to piece the effect back together later on, they multiply the effect they have just witnessed tenfold in their mind. Construct these mental images carefully, and ensure they are clear and vivid. Imagine how incredible this effect must have sounded when he described it to some, with such passion and joy on his face!
So remember, first and foremost - ENTERTAIN. But almost as important - BUILD A STORYBOARD. Achieve both these things and you have the recipe for a magnificent show!
Thanks for reading, if you managed to get through it all!
Kieran
I was recently speaking to a person who I had performed to a little over a year ago, as they were interested in hirng my services again (thankfully just as a magcian, nothing too illegal!). I hadn't seen them for a year and as we began to discuss what they were looking for, they began to recollect an effect I had shown them last time i performed - Angle Zero.
Well, I must say I was astonished by the way in which he recalled the event! The beginning of the effect he described was exactly as it appears, simply having the spectator select a card. I had him sign it, before I began with the main show! However, rather than tearing off just the corner of the card, he recalls that i tore it into '50 pieces' which I simply held in my 'open hand'. In the blink of an eye, the pieces 'miraculously vanished', leaving my hand empty. The card box (where I made the corner reappear) had been in his hand the entire time.
Rather than pulling out the matching corner, he remembers discovering the entire card fully restored in the card case! I am truly amazed at the powerful impact we as entertainers can leave behind for a baffled spectator.
My main point is to play to the strong segments of the effect. By this I mean, you have to treat the effect like a simplistic storyboard consisting of several photos. It is these images that you want a spectator to remember, so that when they begin to piece the effect back together later on, they multiply the effect they have just witnessed tenfold in their mind. Construct these mental images carefully, and ensure they are clear and vivid. Imagine how incredible this effect must have sounded when he described it to some, with such passion and joy on his face!
So remember, first and foremost - ENTERTAIN. But almost as important - BUILD A STORYBOARD. Achieve both these things and you have the recipe for a magnificent show!
Thanks for reading, if you managed to get through it all!
Kieran