Getting Better

[Brehaut]

I would say a large majority of the time I perform for someone afterwards I learn something about the effect. Usually I learn something that I would never think of unless I actually perfrom the trick. Either I realize something I did made the trick better or worse. Often I am suprised by something the spectator said, saw, thought they saw, etc. Elements of the performance that I might not think were important may amaze the spectator and vice versa.

My question is do others after a performance make notes about it? For instance spectator very suspicious of certain move, spectator asked this question, etc. Or do most of you simply mentally note ways to improve after performing? Look forward to your responses.

 

[praetoritevong]

My friends describe me as a very academic mentalist; what they mean by that is that I tend to take notes about everything, which is very true. I take notes after a performance in my own time... I brainstorm ideas, take notes from books I read, record thoughts, etc. It definitely helps; a lot of professional magi do so, and you can never rely on yourself to remember everything you think of!

On a similar note, something else that is very helpful, is to imagine that you were sitting down with your magic buddies, and that you were explaining all of the tricks you perform (even if you have no intention of doing so). When you break it down like that, it often makes you realise the importance of certain elements of your performance that you should take more notice of, and things like that.

 

[n0va_jason]

Even after practicing in the mirror for quite a while and you think you've gotten all the small details, there's always something you've missed out. Or at least most of the time. Because what you see may not be what your audience sees! That's what I have found out. And you're right, the only way to solve this is to perform.

I may go out of point a little here. But I find this relatively similar to making notes after a live performance For me I have a good buddy or two who's also into magic. We both use each other to our own advantage. Very much like how Dan and Dave used to do, I often keep in mind to try out any trick that I've learnt on my friend, just like he will do to me, before an actual performance for live audience that is. This way, we can point out each other's mistakes, say an exposure of a move. Or we can help each other improve, for example telling the other that adding a particular flourish will help make the trick more amazing. Or well something like that. This way, we can take note of any minor details that we may have just missed out by accident, at the same time add more flare to our trick, hence improving greatly when performing for a live audience.

Nonetheless, what an audience says during a performance is always important. Whether they're saying good or bad stuff it doesn't matter. Go back home, interpret what you hear, then practice again. Based on what I hear, I practice with regards to it and seek improvement.

Cheers!

 

[oldavid1]

Although I don't take notes (I dislike writing), I do mentally note my spectator's reactions, and what they say after the tricks. Another fine indicator of how strong my trick is; when the spectator mentions the trick you performed for him/her a month from now, you know the trick's good for keeps. But that doesn't mean it's perfect, because some people tend to be more amazed by a trick than others. For example, my friend mentioned my performance of Angle Zero every so often, even though I performed it for her last year. Impact really shows after a period of time, contrasted by knee-jerk reactions.

If some spectators immediately start guessing my methods out loud, and if they get pretty close to the actual method, then I try to find the flaw in my presentation, or the trick itself. Is it too obvious? Am I MAKING it obvious? It's not a simple task -- to refine a trick based on spectators -- due to the wide range of people that make up my audience.

I also highly recommend one of the most critical tests; the Mom/Girlfriend Test. It depends on the attitude of your mom/girlfriend, of course, but it really helps to have someone who can tell you with a caring, kind smile, "Honey, I saw you palm that card to your pocket." But take heed; sometimes their love for you as a person serves as an obstacle for truthful critique. Tell them beforehand that you want honest reactions. I also tell my mom to spot for flashes, so that I can take notice of the best/worst angles.

 

[canadamagic]

What I actually do is take small clips of videos explaing and showing myself what may work, what I should watch out for and what is something to strive to get better. I don't usually do this so much right after a performance but in my spare time if I think up an idea I want to progress later than I can take a quick video of it to remind myself later about it, but I am sure it can be usefully explaining to yourself how an effect shouuld or shouldn't look and what to look out for.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

I keep a journal, and in it I note every performance I do. I write about the audience, the reactions, what I performed, where I screwed up, what innovations I tried, etc. Basically, as complete an account as I can manage. Writing things down helps me analyze it in my head.

I also do the same with my practice sessions, when I'm having difficulty with something. It's a way to step back and look at the move or trick from the 3rd person, and see if I can figure out what I'm getting wrong or whatever.

When I have a camera available, I also record my practice sessions from the spectator's point of view. I then play it back and see what needs to be adjust there.

 

[D ICE R]

I am very critical of my effects and the subtle things that I do to make them work. After every effect I create both the method and presentation change slightly over the course of the life of the effect to the point where I am happy with it. This can be a very short period my close up out of this world had one change to the method after about five performances and has stayed the same for about three years now. My stand up version went through about six hours of playing with methods and presentations and it is ready to go. However from time to time I do change it up a little bit.

Conversly my Q&A act is still a work in progress, however recently I has one of those moments that could potentially change everything in the effect. I have yet to add this into the Q&A for two reasons the first is I haven't had a show where a Q&A would fit recently and the second one is that on paper it looks really good but when it come down to it, it may fail.