Wait a minute, do you actually mean to imply that there are actually periods of time (how ever brief as they may be) that you are actually not strange?! GASP!
Dear Stage Magicians...
- Thread starter Zac Eckstein
- Start date
Wait a minute, do you actually mean to imply that there are actually periods of time (how ever brief as they may be) that you are actually not strange?! GASP!
Hey Zac,
I know everyone's been talking about everything BUT what you asked for in your original post, and I agree with a lot of it.
Anyway, with all of the effects you've listed in your show, I would suggest maybe a geek piece of magic for your finale. Needle/Razor Swallowing, THREAD, something along those lines. Dan Sperry has a great version of this that stays in your pocket.
That might be good if you keep the current tracklist, although Steer is trying to get you to scrap the whole thing and start over from scratch.
It's all in what you want as a performer, and an individual. You know what works if you've been using this show for a while. No one on here knows how it goes over unless they've seen you perform it.
I know everyone's been talking about everything BUT what you asked for in your original post, and I agree with a lot of it.
Anyway, with all of the effects you've listed in your show, I would suggest maybe a geek piece of magic for your finale. Needle/Razor Swallowing, THREAD, something along those lines. Dan Sperry has a great version of this that stays in your pocket.
That might be good if you keep the current tracklist, although Steer is trying to get you to scrap the whole thing and start over from scratch.
It's all in what you want as a performer, and an individual. You know what works if you've been using this show for a while. No one on here knows how it goes over unless they've seen you perform it.
I don't see how the effects relate to each other zack, an appearing bowling ball follwed by a ballon with a soft spot.... mmm I'm not sure about that.
Do you have another set of tricks? I find it hard to find anything more to aad to the mix.
Do you have another set of tricks? I find it hard to find anything more to aad to the mix.
Thanks for the attention to the thread everyone!I don't exactly have much to say, I have done the show before with using shiv by andrew mayne as my finale, but I don't like it. I like my show and how it works. I've done it a pretty good amount of times to know that. I really appreciate everyone advice, including you steerpike, even though you have to be a dick to get your point across. But none the less I appreciate everyone's time attempting to help me out!
No. Unless you let your audience know ahead of time that is what they're buying, no shock effects. It's too easy to alienate an audience with those. It's playing with fire.
I only have your word to go on for that, but without going into people's word isn't good enough on the internet, let me try another approach. Do you not think you can do better?
You know, I am not sure to be completely honest with you. Working on a stand-up show for about a year and a half by now, its really hard to do right. Even after working hard like that, still I am apparently nowhere. So I can honestly say I don't know.
Frist things first.... what kind of show/act are you doing?
I didn't notice anyone asking you this question and it needs to be known first in order to give you an educated and appropriate answer.
As an Illusionist (think Copperfield, not this new lame idea as to what that means) I'd close the show with one of my best routines and even that depended on which show I was doing; the Macabre show ended with the Buzz Saw while my family show typically ended with either a circus or patriotic mode (the latter is always garunteed to give you a standing ovation, just ask Elvis).
The traditional magician, someone like Norm Nielson who'd just completed an uncanny manipulation act, would likewise have multiple endings based on what the client wanted. His full act ended with his floating Grand Piano but more typically he ended with his version of the Coin Ladder & Miser's dream. . . his previously vanished floathing violin, sneaking out from the curtains to take a bow in encore.
My point being that theme and the type of magic you do means everything! That is, IF you don't want to be another clone -- another guy doing the same exact stuff everyone else is doing.
An "Act", "Show", etc. isn't a bunch of tricks tossed together, if this is how you are approaching things, please get out of magic NOW!
Learn about showmanship and then script writing (getting some storytelling under your belt wont hurt when it comes to the latter). Then decide on your character and what is appropriate to him/her. . . not what you want to do but what is APPROPRIATE to that invented entity and the type of audience you plan on focusing on... and be realistic, you aren't going to be on the Vegas strip over night unless you have at least a million to burn on room rent and ads (it's called 4-walling, which is how most major acts actually work -- far more profitable than being hired but not for the lazy or poor).
If you are just starting out 90% of the gigs you do will be very low pay and if you're shooting for the club gigs, you'll be on a very small, shared stage (nothing like having a drum kit bumping your butt while doing Professor's Nightmare). You need to consider this before you get started. You need to think about lighting, what you will have avalable and if there's a curtain that can open or not (due to critter loads or even people loads).
All of these things MUST be wieghed before you worry about a finale. . . because this forum has a word count issue I'm going to continue this lecture below. . .
The Finale of your routine also depends on the time constraints you're going to be under; it will be rare that you are given more than 10 minutes in a club until you're more established and too, most club gigs will require you to do more comedy than magic. That being the case, plan on two really quick gags and closign with one primary effect that works with your joke lines; use the climax of the trick as the punctuation to things -- your finale.
If you are working a coporate or civic group gig then you want to use your best audience tested stuff that is group friendly; you won't use the same type of patter or material at a Men's Smoker or Strip Joint as you would a family Picnick or Church Social (I'd hope). Then again, you can end a kid's birthday party with a special bit you do with the special kid of the day but this won't work well in any of the above settings. So this gets us back to the question as to What is Appropriate to Your Character & the Situation?
Are you doing a fundraiser? The ending would be different if such is the case, same goes with a major PR situation; the big stunt or reveal ENDS THE SHOW be it a Straight Jacket Escape (any major escape), the Production/Vanish of a large object or a Headline Prediction.
THE BOTTOM LINE. . . there is no one trick that you can use as a finale and yet, every single effect has the potential of being such. It's all up to what is appropriate to who and what you are as an entity on stage and the setting -- the sort of venues you will work the most, the market group being it kids, family, teens, church groups, civic groups, men's stag (or the women's equivlent), etc.
It only become "Magic" when we think it through and pull all of the puzzle pieces together in proper placement in order to create a full and complete picture. At first it's a royal pain because there are so many pieces and such little in way of direction. Eventually you will begin finding parts that connect and understanding the pattern and while you will always find more and more pieces that go to this puzzle, more and more of the portait -- the collage -- will come together in a way that leads towards the success you now envision.
I hope you'll contemplate this as you digest all the other suggestions that have been shared.
ONE OTHER THING. . . if you are not a "Mentalist" don't end with a mentalism routine... DON'T MIX the two art forms together. While it's ok to have one or two bits of mental magic in a show, you end up hurting yourself and mentalism (specifically) when you mesh the two together; the psychological dynamics of mentalism are in exact opposition to what is involved with magic.
Think about it.
If you are working a coporate or civic group gig then you want to use your best audience tested stuff that is group friendly; you won't use the same type of patter or material at a Men's Smoker or Strip Joint as you would a family Picnick or Church Social (I'd hope). Then again, you can end a kid's birthday party with a special bit you do with the special kid of the day but this won't work well in any of the above settings. So this gets us back to the question as to What is Appropriate to Your Character & the Situation?
Are you doing a fundraiser? The ending would be different if such is the case, same goes with a major PR situation; the big stunt or reveal ENDS THE SHOW be it a Straight Jacket Escape (any major escape), the Production/Vanish of a large object or a Headline Prediction.
THE BOTTOM LINE. . . there is no one trick that you can use as a finale and yet, every single effect has the potential of being such. It's all up to what is appropriate to who and what you are as an entity on stage and the setting -- the sort of venues you will work the most, the market group being it kids, family, teens, church groups, civic groups, men's stag (or the women's equivlent), etc.
It only become "Magic" when we think it through and pull all of the puzzle pieces together in proper placement in order to create a full and complete picture. At first it's a royal pain because there are so many pieces and such little in way of direction. Eventually you will begin finding parts that connect and understanding the pattern and while you will always find more and more pieces that go to this puzzle, more and more of the portait -- the collage -- will come together in a way that leads towards the success you now envision.
I hope you'll contemplate this as you digest all the other suggestions that have been shared.
ONE OTHER THING. . . if you are not a "Mentalist" don't end with a mentalism routine... DON'T MIX the two art forms together. While it's ok to have one or two bits of mental magic in a show, you end up hurting yourself and mentalism (specifically) when you mesh the two together; the psychological dynamics of mentalism are in exact opposition to what is involved with magic.
Think about it.
Awesome Advice as always...either way...I am working on my stage act...how can I test it? should I go to some places and perform it for free?
Thanks for taking time out to help me out! Bottom line is, I LOVED your advice! I'll definitely take it.