Looking for good constructive criticism for this performance

[CardMagicNJ]

Hey everybody happy Saturday to you my name is Ryan and I'm from Atlantic City New Jersey I was taking a walk through town today and wound up performing for these for ladies... and a couple of other people showed along anyway I don't perform much in public it's been a few months and I'm two years young in to Magic so I'm an amateur aspiring Street magician. You'll notice as you watch I actually messed up my two card Monte in the intro but I persevered and kept going and got some great epic reactions !! I'm shocked because I never mess that trick up but apparently I took up one too many cards I was holding five in the beginning instead of 4 my bad. Anyway we just like the advice of experience magicians on how you would have handled the situation and how do you think I handled the situation ? Just please be constructive with your criticism I have a passion for magic like no other. I learned a lot here Theory 11 and from The Magician's here like you that helped make me the amateur magician I am today. Thanks in advance and enjoy PS the ending is great also just letting you know there is some foul language from the spectators LOL.

 

[obrienmagic]

I remember when you said you were first starting out. That wasnt very long ago. Your performance and presentation look great for someone who has not been in it long. You dont seem super nervous. Your tricks have a sort of theme (gambling) and flow well together.

Constructive feedback:

1. Practice your technique: The moves still look quite amature-ish when executed. The double lift and top change specifically stood out to me.

2. Audience management: Though you did a pretty good job of managing your audience, I think there is room for improvement. There was a couple times where you said “you see how this is your card” when it wasnt. All they had to do was look and the trick would be over. Id suggest avoiding over proving things.

3. Improve your story/performance: Though the performance was great and had a general theme, there was a lot of narration going on. Alot of “ok look ill place your card here and snap now your card is there” kind of patter. I think expanding on your gambling/hustling premise would make the impact of the effects much better. Take them on a ride with you.

It is clear you have put in some effort to learn and actually perform. Only thing I can say is keep doing it and keep practicing. Id love to see you perform this exact same thing again in 6 months to see how far along you come!

 

[CardMagicNJ]

I remember when you said you were first starting out. That wasnt very long ago. Your performance and presentation look great for someone who has not been in it long. You dont seem super nervous. Your tricks have a sort of theme (gambling) and flow well together.

Constructive feedback:

1. Practice your technique: The moves still look quite amature-ish when executed. The double lift and top change specifically stood out to me.

2. Audience management: Though you did a pretty good job of managing your audience, I think there is room for improvement. There was a couple times where you said “you see how this is your card” when it wasnt. All they had to do was look and the trick would be over. Id suggest avoiding over proving things.

3. Improve your story/performance: Though the performance was great and had a general theme, there was a lot of narration going on. Alot of “ok look ill place your card here and snap now your card is there” kind of patter. I think expanding on your gambling/hustling premise would make the impact of the effects much better. Take them on a ride with you.

It is clear you have put in some effort to learn and actually perform. Only thing I can say is keep doing it and keep practicing. Id love to see you perform this exact same thing again in 6 months to see how far along you come!

O'Brien thank you so much for the feedback it means the world to me especially since I admire someone like you who has worked and is still working in the Hollywood Castle. Just you taking the time to actually watch it and critique it for me means the world. This was the biggest " crowd " I know it's nothing for you guys I've ever performed for it got up to about 6/7 people one point. But like you said the biggest thing I can do is keep doing it and keep practicing which is experience out there in the real world and you can't get that from any book or video. A lot of people have critiqued this that I sent this to and almost all of them have said my strongest point is my personality and how I deal with people. You're right the over proving I definitely have to work on that and saying check this out LOL. I had that Adrenaline Rush going that all performers get early on in their magician career. It's almost too much excitement to contain. Your advice means everything thank you again and I look forward to keeping you posted and sending you a routine 6 months from now.

 

[NinoIng]

Hi @CardMagicNJ !

I too have watched your posts since your early days on the forum and appreciate that you’ve not been going long. You’ve got a lot of passion for magic and it’s always a pleasure reading your posts.

I’m no pro, I’m a hobbyist like you and to be honest I probably perform less. That said, whilst agreeing with O’Brien’s constructive (and far more experienced) views I’ll say I quite liked the top change in the context, although if there was more of a focus on the theme of gambling and theee card monte it would be even better. It’s probably the only trick like that where you can get away with a ‘move’ as that’s how they would do it in the real game. That’s the effect after all right, you switched it just like the pros and it was still impossible!

I’ll share a quick story that I will always remember from my time on Internet forums. Years ago, maybe 15 years ago, I was part of a photography forum that had weekly competitions for hobbyists.

I enjoyed it even though I was never gonna be a pro. Some of those guys were professionals or amazing hobbyists. I was just happy to learn and have some fun.

There was a kid, maybe 14 years old. He was awful. I mean he was starting out and he was really keen, but I remember thinking ‘man, even I can take a better photo than this guy.’ All out of focus, poorly framed etc.

(If you can see where this is going, you are a far better magician than he was a photographer, but this story seems relevant as you share the desire to learn and improve)

Life got in the way and about five years later I popped back to the forum to see how things had changed. I saw a thread with this guys name in the title and I clicked it.

He’s only gone and shot all the promotional work for the Twilight trilogy. Any movie poster or promo material for those movies that you’ve seen and that whole style of overprocesed desaturated colours and moody poses that spawned from it were that bloody kid. Turns out in the time I went away he not only got good, really good, but he went and changed the aesthetic for all Hollywood fantasy movies for a good decade.

The point is your posts remind me of his. Humble and desperate to learn and improve.

And you’re a far stronger magician now that he was a photographer.

Go for it!