Short effects ?

RealityOne

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Nov 1, 2009
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If you are looking for short visual tricks, Dan and Dave's Trilogy has a lot of them. Also check out the Art of Astonishment books and True Astonishment DVDs. Recognize that a lot of that material is not for the beginner.
 
Dec 18, 2007
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If you are looking for short visual tricks, Dan and Dave's Trilogy has a lot of them. Also check out the Art of Astonishment books and True Astonishment DVDs. Recognize that a lot of that material is not for the beginner.

I had to echo what R1 says here and take it a step further . . . doing a single "silly bit" such as card from the mouth, ISN'T Magic. If you honestly want to astound folks and blow their minds you have to learn how to create "enchantment" by linking material together and employing the proper, well spoken patter (script) and of course, tie all this into your character or more accurately, tie the material to an established persona so that it supports your personal vision . . . I would dare to say that you do not have such a vision as of yet given your inquiry.

I can do a quick "short" trick by using a French Drop and making a ball vanish OR, I can create a sense of amazement by coupling a series of productions, vanishes, color changes and multiplications (a.k.a. Billiard Balls) and really blow people's minds. Not just because of the "trick" but the perceived skill, which is where you earn the kudos. This goes with any sort of item, be it playing cards, coins, match boxes/books, cigarettes, thread/chord, etc. It's about the sequence of things that lead up to a crescendo, not just the crescendo itself. . . the foreplay is always the exciting part.
 

RickEverhart

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Sep 14, 2008
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Why not take your "card to mouth" and put it in an ACR...it is a great kicker ending to mine. As everyone else mentioned, visual short effects are okay but magic should be an experience not some little quickie (excuse the word play).

Here's another example: I take a Scotch and Soda Routine and play it up normally but then the Mexican Centavo is found buried in a deck that a nearby spectator is holding which has also found a selected card from earlier (a call back).

This to me seems stronger than short and quick. I know I didn't give you examples of short and quick, but what I tried to do is steer you the opposite way.
 
Jan 22, 2012
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Pixel by David Jade is a good short effect. But like others have said, it's better to have a nice strong routine then just short effects. I'm trying to improve myself by instead of just performing short effect after short effect after short effect, is to create two routines consisting of three short tricks each that I can do straight away. This way it gives the spectators more of a stronger impact in what you're doing
 

RickEverhart

forum moderator / t11
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Sep 14, 2008
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You can do a ton of short effects using rubber bands. Touch, CMH, rubber band through ring, rubber band through thumb, etc.
 
Jun 8, 2012
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0
Thanks for the advice, its sounds a very powerful routine! I tend to stay away from the longer effects as spectators would find that it drags on a bit and would lose interest after a while, I like performing D&D's effects because they aren't too short and they also fool the spectator(s). I will try an ACR with card to mouth with a colour change and see how it goes ! Thanks again !
 
Jan 11, 2011
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0
Let them select the card, and find it using twirl or classic color change.
Quick ACR.
Make a selected card vanish and reappear in a sandwich.
Change the card in their hands.

Just a few effects, all of them play pretty strong and are quite simple to perform.
 

RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,744
4,076
New Jersey
I had to echo what R1 says here and take it a step further . . . doing a single "silly bit" such as card from the mouth, ISN'T Magic. If you honestly want to astound folks and blow their minds you have to learn how to create "enchantment" by linking material together and employing the proper, well spoken patter (script) and of course, tie all this into your character or more accurately, tie the material to an established persona so that it supports your personal vision . . . I would dare to say that you do not have such a vision as of yet given your inquiry.

I can do a quick "short" trick by using a French Drop and making a ball vanish OR, I can create a sense of amazement by coupling a series of productions, vanishes, color changes and multiplications (a.k.a. Billiard Balls) and really blow people's minds. Not just because of the "trick" but the perceived skill, which is where you earn the kudos. This goes with any sort of item, be it playing cards, coins, match boxes/books, cigarettes, thread/chord, etc. It's about the sequence of things that lead up to a crescendo, not just the crescendo itself. . . the foreplay is always the exciting part.

People will waste hundreds of dollars on DVDs and books in an attempt to improve their magic, and ignore priceless advice given for free.
 
Routines are the way to go but it does depend on your style of magic. I believe single, short tricks can work extremely well if they are visual enough. Im talking about effects like, pressure, prophet, haunted deck, panic - to name but a few. Its exactly what made David Blaine so famous; choosing really visual effects and performing them as stand alone effects with little or no patter. Must be highly visual though. Ungimmiked card tricks i dont believe, except a select few exceptions (SWAK for example), are visual enough so i believe do need to worked into a routine. If you love card to mouth, so do i, link it into an ACR - you can even use it as a finisher.
oh, and remember single tricks like those ive mentioned only really work on the street or some similar setting, if you are performing in a professional setting then of course use those tricks but having solid routines is vital.
 
Dec 18, 2007
1,610
14
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Northampton, MA - USA
Routines are the way to go but it does depend on your style of magic. I believe single, short tricks can work extremely well if they are visual enough. Im talking about effects like, pressure, prophet, haunted deck, panic - to name but a few. Its exactly what made David Blaine so famous; choosing really visual effects and performing them as stand alone effects with little or no patter. Must be highly visual though. Ungimmiked card tricks i dont believe, except a select few exceptions (SWAK for example), are visual enough so i believe do need to worked into a routine. If you love card to mouth, so do i, link it into an ACR - you can even use it as a finisher.
oh, and remember single tricks like those ive mentioned only really work on the street or some similar setting, if you are performing in a professional setting then of course use those tricks but having solid routines is vital.

Oi Vey!

For starters what made Blaine & Angel so "famous" had little to do with the actual effects presented and more to do with a planned and deliberate marketing campaign -- Money is the grease that creates celebrity status in today's world; the effects are only one side of the product. Too, what you see on TV IS NOT what works in real life. A Tv spot is just that, a short focus bit and frequently, that's all you see because of time edits and a long list of other issues.

When it comes to card effects that are strong vs. gaffed deck routines. . . sorry, I'm not even a card guy and I know better. I've seen Ricky Jay up-stage major stage performers on National TV by doing little more than Assembling Aces and watched Martin Nash leave people totally stunned as he dealt poker hands times after time, telling people what they were holding before they even knew.

Working on the Streets is a new thing, used to be such work is what we did when the gigs weren't coming in and we needed cash to cover food & rent; today it's a perceived Destiny. There is a reason however, you don't find many books written on the topic prior to the late 1990s. That said, if you study the works of the old time hustlers such as Senator Clark Crandle, you'll see that routines that build and hold interest are the key to this sort of thing, especially when you are barking on behalf of a given company that's sponsoring your spot (used to be, to get sidewalk space a local store would sponsor your application, I believe this is still viable in some areas).

ACR is solely for Magicians -- its Masturbatory in its essence even though it can impress folks because of how it demonstrates dexterity and command. On the down side, such antics likewise bore the hell out of folks and become part of the reason people loathe us -- we're pompous show offs. The public knows we've trained, much like an athlete when it comes to manipulation skill. Traditionally, the showing of such skill is done from the stage in the form of billiard balls, coins, cards & card fans, birdies, daggers, etc. A cohesion that's appreciated by the paying public because art & talent are combined into a single thing by way of a series of "miracles" that culminate into a big surprise.

I know that this site and E have a heavy patronage of "Sidewalk Entertainers" but I also know that many of the older members here grew up and away from sidewalk busking for a reason; the biggest being a more assured sense of income via legit means. Busking, when done in the more traditional manner, only paid well when the mage served as misdirection for his pick-pocket partners and when throw the cards or shuffling a pea beneath walnut shells. It was a criminal act but a stealthy one that many people enjoyed participating in, knowing they might be taken for all they have on their person. Even now, there are suckers that will play 3 Cards believing they can beat the dealer . . . a con that's been known of for over 300 years to my understanding.

Understand the history of your craft and you'll be able to see first hand, what worked and why as well as how. From this effort your magic can and will evolve into a thing appreciated by all, even your most ardent critics. Relying on gaffs & gimmicks however, makes you a trickster and little other; such things might give the ego a temporary boast as they are presented, but without demonstration of "theater" -- skills of oratory and animation -- such things fade quickly from the public mind and worse, leave us with memories of faux accomplishments -- a general "lie". This may sound cruel and of course, we would hope it untrue, but look at how empty such things really are and how much "More" you could give with but a modicum of creativity and "Theater".

Yes, you close your post with a correction -- recognition of what others have stated and the need for structure, but why cheat one audience of a more complete and focused act while giving it to another? Why sell yourself short by singling out two or three favorite things vs. raising the odds to your favor by delivering a practiced product -- a "signature" that the right person may just happen upon and the right doors opened, that take you from the one forum to a much higher level of recognition?

Just a few thoughts. . .
 
Craig, im not going to quote your post because of its length but this is a reply to you.

About TV magic, i do agree, at least to a point. Most of the time way in which street magic on tv is performed doesnt work in reality, ive learned this from experience. But thats only the way in which it is perform and not the effects themselves. By saying that single visual tricks work very well i dont mean you should ambush people with one, visual effect and then walk away. You must still build rapport with your spectators and perform a few effects (with creativity and a sense of the theatrics), i simply meant that highly visual tricks like those i mentioned dont necessarily need to be linked into a flowing routine. Depending on the situation there's nothing wrong with showing one trick, then moving straight onto another unrelated trick with the same audience.

I do absolutely agree with what you said about Ricky Jay. I never meant to imply that gaffed card tricks are harder-hitting than other card effects, i believe nothing of the sort - performers like Ricky Jay prove that all you need is a deck of cards to perform incredible magic, and that is a motto i hold to often. I personally much prefer to perform ungaffed card effects, especially fractal effects (im a big fan of John Bannon). However, i do recognise the power of highly visual effects like those i mentioned.

As to your point about working on the street (3rd paragraph), you clearly have more knowledge and experiance than me, but i will say that i perform professionally at parties, wedding etc. but use the street and bars to test out new effects and gain exposure. Ive managed to book quite a few gigs by performing at pubs/bars or on the street and handing out business cards to those i perform to - free advertising (and free drinks!) So, as i dont busk (collect money) your point doesnt really apply to me but i do agree with what you said.

I dont fully agree with your point on the ACR. I perform almost every day, and one of my go to routines is a card forcing routine that drifts into an ACR, and it is my go to street routine for a reason. Its very hard-hitting and gets great reactions. I think the key with and ACR to laymen (because your right, performed badly it can be boring for laymen; 'oh look its on top again - what a surprise') is to only do 3-5 rises. For me thats a simple rise (to introduce the idea), card to mouth, a paket transfer (from Daryls routine) and sometimes the Pop-Up move.

Of the 3 card monte - i agree absolutely. After all, cons like 3 card, 3 shell, fast and loose etc. would not have been and still be used so much if you could earn more money busking with some magic tricks.

Of history, i also agree. I make a point of learning the history of any move i learn, i havnt been doing magic for that long so my knowledge is naturally rather limited but is always growing. I dont however fully agree with gimmicks making you a simple 'trickster' it all depends on your performance. Using a gimmick doesnt mean you no longer have a sense of theatre, or skill with engaging patter, the gimmick has no effect at all on your performance skill. the two are not related. you can still theatrically perform even if using gimmicks. In fact, there is great skill involved in the way you bring the gimmick into play and get rid of it secretly.

And finally, it all depends on your audience. When performing walk about or table magic, the show you give one group of spectators may not be exactly the same as another. It totally depends. I believe a magician should be flexible and able to sense what effects/routines will work best of certain people. I agree with the point about a 'signature' routine but why not make every performance 'signature' in its own way, even if your performing different effects. I perform a wide range of effects/routines but dedicate significant time to every single one so that all are performed to my absolute best. Some may be harder-hitting or more visual than others, but all are performed fluently with a sense of theatrics and creativity.

Thanks for your thoughts, i hope i havnt sounded rude by disagreeing with you, it is not my intention.
Like most art forms, magic is very subjective.
 
Dec 18, 2007
1,610
14
64
Northampton, MA - USA
I think we agree more than not and with the ACR reference, I was thinking of those that show off with a million fancy cuts not someone doing an Ambitious Card Routine (some short-hand terms throw we old guys) Yes, I more or less do the same sort of gag with the Ambitious Card & limited forcing and people love it, so I stand corrected, it was just a language issue. . .

YES, we must adjust what we do to the kind of people & environment being worked and yes again, on how you use sidewalk & bar magic (though I would hope you're pulling in some cash for the bar work; I used to get at least $100.00 a night doing the same and that was 30 years ago). An old chum of mine used to do Pitch work on Santa Monica & Venice Beaches ages ago and with a slight change of patter, he'd take the same close-up act he did at the beach into the Beverly Hills Country Club . . . a change of clothes and basic patter was all he changed to go from beach bum & busker to top rated local performer and worthy of Ivy League support.

The only thing you missed in your observation about adjusting to different crowd types and circumstances is the one thing many magic lovers have an issue with; Not Everyone Has the Same Personality e.g. what I can get away with may not work for you and vice versa. This is why we MUST define ourselves as a persona and work the material that fits that persona . . . and I do mean our OWN persona, not our version of the latest TV Head. To this day we have more mascara wearing androgenic appearing "performers" because of one person that hit the scene 15 years ago and folks are still following after him (while swearing up and down that they aren't "clones"). On this same point we must likewise consider that not everyone has the same skill level and while we MUST make ourselves push to get better consistently, we must likewise deal with reality and when we have techniques to effects we can't master either find an alternative that works for us or choose to move on to something else for the time being.

Lots of variables to consider, being willing to LISTEN however (to your audience, your own gut and your peers) is what separates the real Magicians from the wannabes.
 
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