theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards

Question: How to Best Formulate a Routine

M

Magic100

Dec 25, 2008
10
0
What makes a good opener? A powerful closer? What are things to keep in mind when formulating a routine?

I've attempted to create short routines, longer routines, routines for different situations, by thinking up a good sequence for the tricks I know, but I am yet to be satisfied. I tend to try to make things flow by utilizing whatever cards are on the table at the end of a trick for the next, and so on. However, I am aware that breaking this flow can be fully appropriate and at times almost advantageous.

I've searched but I cannot find any recent threads on this topic.
 
Here's a good post from one of the guys at my magic club.

http://forum.scmc.co.nz/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=115

Thoughts on Routining

A good rollercoaster starts off slow, grabs your attention, there are some unique and interesting parts in the middle, it slows down slightly, and then the end is the best part of all. Afterwards you are left wanting more.

Using this example in a magic show :

1)Let the audience get to know you
2)Get their attention
3)Impress them
4)Do something different or unique
5)The show-stopper
6)End

David Ginn's Kidshow Format :

1)Comedy Warm Up
2)Silent Magic to Music
3)Talking comedy or sucker trick
4)Audience participation routine with one helper
5)Two-or-more helper routines
6)“Danger” type trick (older children only)
7)Show closing, usually with music

“No-Brainer Format” : (impromptu closeup etc)

1)Second best trick / attention grabber. Simple. Visual.
2)Something different. Tangible. Involvement.
3)Best trick. The lasting memory.

HOW TO ROUTINE YOUR SHOW

Keep a list of the tricks you know and/or the ones you want to put into your show. You may wish to break it down into Stage, Closeup, Children's Magic, etc. Using the formula above (or another one that works), slot tricks into each spot.

The only real way to know what is good and what works is to test it in front of an audience and improve it over time.

Closing Thoughts :

Anyone can do tricks. Doing a bunch of tricks doesn't make you a magician. Presentation is the art.

Your show must be ROUTINED and must flow. Pulling tricks out and doing them randomly is not a show, and the audience knows it.

Practise the transitions between tricks. Patter and prop management.

Superman / Control Every Moment.

If you are working to a formula it's a simple matter to rotate tricks in and out or put new shows together!

Mick Peck"
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Cheers, Tom
 
mse&nc said:
But how long do you think the ideal show should be?
Click to expand...

That simply depends on what you client want/needs/can afford. I find the 45 min show is a good time for me. Long enough they feel like they got to see a lot, and short enough they want you to do more.

*I should note, I don't do kids shows. There might be a very different set of rules there.*
 
No, pick up Strong Magic by Darwin Ortiz. It's got loads of great stuff on routining.

EDIT: I said this on some other thread so i might as well put it here.

Opener- A quick, amazing trick to grab the audience's attention
The number one rule for an opener is that it must be quick. Meaning, there's little amount of time between the beginning of the trick, and the first climax. /.Color changes, ACR, inversions all make great openers. Just make sure you get to the magic quick before you lose the audience's interest.

Middle Tricks- Fillers in between the opener and the closer.
Middle tricks can be composed of anything you want but they must be BETTER THAN THE OPENER but NOT AS GOOD AS THE CLOSER.

Closers- The best trick in your routine that really ends with a bang.
This has to be the most amazing trick in your routine. If you end with a weak effect, there is no sense of progression.

Encore- Always prepare for the possibility that the audience may want you back for more.
This does not always happen, but sometimes a crowd will love you so much they want more. This trick is a tough one, cuz you've already used your best trick as the closer. In this case, it's best to move on to another prop (coins, mentalism, sponge balls, etc.) If you have no other props, go to a different theme. Say you used Everywhere and Nowhere as you're closer. Then you could say do a gambling demonstration, or a prediction effect. Just make sure themes of the closer and the encore are incomparable, so the sense of progression remains. You dont want you're people thinking "Wow, that last trick wasn't nearly as good as that other one."

The KEY element is a good routine is a sense of progression. Each trick has to be more impressive than the last. And finally at the closer, the audience's expectation are REALLY HIGH so ending with a weak trick will completely ruin the routine.

I know you're gonna read this and say "Ahh, this is too much work, i'll stick to my routine." Trust me, i used to be just like you, throwing random effects together without care. But once i realized that my routines weren't as effective as they should be, i knew that it was time for a change. I hope you will consider these details and really think about how you for your routine.
 
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