Stop Narrating Your Magic!

William Draven · Mar 23, 2011

... and start scripting your acts out with fully thought out and conceptualized scripts! Ever wonder what it looks like on the other side to just ramble on at the mouth about what you're doing when it's clear to the audience already because they can just watch you do it? I've found the PERFECT cross media example of this.

Watch this music video, and you'll see the POP version to what I'm talking about. This may be a rough lesson for some of you, and you may hate me for it now, but trust me... you'll thank me for it later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0

stovermagic · Mar 23, 2011

>Clicked link
>saw title
>Immediately X'd

Anyways, I agree. Although I do this a lot. I see people especially do it whenever they are covering up a move, because they want to convince the audience they aren't doing anything fishy. We need to remember that to them, we aren't doing anything fishy, so just go on with it. Also, I think we feel the need to fill up silence

rich23 · Mar 23, 2011

I cant believe i just watched that.......thanks draven.

CAndrew · Mar 23, 2011

stovermagic said:
>Clicked link
>saw title
>Immediately X'd

Haha I did the exact same thing.

Aaron.Williams · Mar 23, 2011

stovermagic said:
>Clicked link
>saw title
>Immediately X'd

Anyways, I agree. Although I do this a lot. I see people especially do it whenever they are covering up a move, because they want to convince the audience they aren't doing anything fishy. We need to remember that to them, we aren't doing anything fishy, so just go on with it. Also, I think we feel the need to fill up silence

Haha. I did this, and then saw that you posted that. Way to go.

Goth · Mar 23, 2011

I think it's a great example, but not a very good song.. However it got the point across to me. I will try to come up with actual patter and a plot for my tricks. This was also said by Praetoritevong in the thread 'Random object battle'. Well, Thank you for the great advice.

Luis Vega · Mar 23, 2011

WHAT A PIECE OF SH.....nevermind...

mehar · Mar 23, 2011

Ouch, my ears bled.

Anyone seen the Conan parody of it?

Sam Hindrichs · Mar 23, 2011

I have no idea what you mean Draven, but we we we so excited...we so excited...we gonna have a ball today. I can't sit around here all day. I have to get down to the bus stop. Gotta catch my bus. I see my friends. Kickin' in the front seat, sittin' in the back seat. Gotta make my mind up. Which seat can I take? Oh sorry, I digress.

Seriously though if you are taking a card and leaving it on the table or whatever you don't have to say "I am going to place your card on the table." You can say "I'll leave it here for now." It sounds less fishy not telling them it is their card placed on the table. They think it is their card already so there is no reason to tell them it is their card. They see you placing it on the table so you really don't have to tell them you are putting it on the table.

Just really think about it, in "real life", if you borrowed a pen and were trying to hand it back would you say, "I am going to place your pen on this table." or would you say "Here's your pen." and place it on the table. I don't mean for you to "dumb down" the way you speak but I believe you should simplify the words and sentences you use during your performance. You want to seem natural. The way you talk in "real life" is as natural as it can get and you don't narrate your actions in real life do you? So why not perform using the same vocabulary you would normally use?

Idea! Buy this book - Scripting Magic - Pete McCabe and quit talking your spectators through your magic tricks. They have 2 eyes to see what you are doing. You don't have to tell them everything. They aren't idiots.