Hi everyone!
So, me and my friends worked on a card routine and uploaded the video to youtube.
It is a really simple and well knowned concept but i think that it has a really big impact.
What do you guys think? Please leave me your opinions and suggestion on how to improve our performances and videos.
Here is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4Hi2n_RSZc
To be honest, I'm not really a fan of the whole approach of just showing disembodied hands performing a trick. Unless there's a particular theatrical justification for it (which I can't see in this case), I think it puts up a barrier between the performer and audience which makes it hard to feel any connection to the magic. Having said that, I understand that it's almost become standard practice on YouTube, so I can't single you out for criticism on that account. Maybe it's something you could think about in future videos, though.
The execution of the trick itself was OK, but not great. At about 44 seconds in, the whole deck went out of frame for about 2 seconds. Anything could have happened in that time, including switching decks, ringing in some kind of gimmick, or anything else a layperson could imagine. Therefore I think this lessened the impact of the trick. If you've chosen a particular framing for the effect, then I think you need to stay within it, otherwise it's like wandering offstage halfway through a trick. Talking about execution, I think the fumbling at around 1 minute in could be eliminated with a bit more practise. In general, though, I thought the handling of the cards showed a level of confidence and competence which helped me, as an audience member, to feel as though you knew what you were doing.
The last thing I want to mention is the music. I think that, maybe, the use of such an overblown, cinematically-epic soundtrack was a mismatch for the trick. It was a very small, intimate trick captured in a small, intimate shot. Juxtaposing that with an expansive landscape of a tune really jarred. In fact, it almost came across as a parody, with the vastness of the soundtrack serving to mock the tininess of the trick and make it seem more unimportant. I think some gentler, less obtrusive music would have served the trick better.
I hope that's some help.
