Quick question regarding exposure and improv

[MagicalSleight]

I like to do a false cut or shuffle before each performance that requires set up. Earlier today I had a guy come up to me an tell me that he had just figured out how I did French Kiss which I had performed a few days prior for a couple people. When I asked him how he thought it was done he gave me the exact method. Though I was terrified, I maintained a smirk and asked him how I could have had the deck set up since I had shuffled the deck well (gotta love giving them false memories ) before beginning the trick. After telling him this his face grew very red and said that I was a witch.

So I was wondering how you guys handle situations like this and what you do to improve your improvisation skills.

 

[RDChopper]

I like to do a false cut or shuffle before each performance that requires set up. Earlier today I had a guy come up to me an tell me that he had just figured out how I did French Kiss which I had performed a few days prior for a couple people. When I asked him how he thought it was done he gave me the exact method. Though I was terrified, I maintained a smirk and asked him how I could have had the deck set up since I had shuffled the deck well (gotta love giving them false memories ) before beginning the trick. After telling him this his face grew very red and said that I was a witch.

So I was wondering how you guys handle situations like this and what you do to improve your improvisation skills.

A quiick response that I once read here (and I tought that it was really god) was:

When they come to you and they tell you the method (whenever it is correct or incorrect) calmly just answer:

"How cool man, I didn't thought of that!, yeah, that would be one way of doing it.... "

 

[Jacob L]

Haha love RD's reply!

I showed the trailer of dresscode to a coworker, and he also gave pretty much an exact method. I just said "But he takes the jacket off" and he just totally scrapped that idea and was left befuddled. It's great how one little thing can completely throw someone off.

If someone gives me a method, or starts to, I say "you see, I slowed down time, then *insert "secret action" here*, then unfroze time. You caught me."

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

I prefer to perform in such a way that makes people not want to know how I did it.

 

[RDChopper]

I prefer to perform in such a way that makes people not want to know how I did it.

But still, let me tell you that there are people who are logical thinkers just because they are like that, they are people that often analyse everything they see or perceive, and Im not talking about hecklers, Im talking about people who are just that way .

For example, I performed at a party two days ago and there was this girl that didn't reacted like the others, she just watched everything silently. After I was done, she approached me and told me " I have been trying to come up with methods for the stuff you showed us me, but gosh, the way you do them is so simple, that it becomes so hard for me to figure them out! But okay, I am going to trust you for a while and believe that it is magic "

No matter how muuch they analyse it, they still enjoy it

 

[Schism169]

Whats the worse is when they think they see something but they done. IE you just do a simple riffle shuffle and the spectator says "I saw what you did"

Anyways, normaly when someone comes up and says that they saw what i did I say, "Really? Awesome thats good for you." and ignore them

 

[JNGmagic]

i learnt a lot from this thread hahaha thanks

 

[praetoritevong]

There's something interesting that's been mentioned in this thread that no-one's quite picked up on, or at least, been able to articulate. It's something I regularly talk to some of my magician friends about.

If you convince a spectator that 5% of his (completely accurate) explanation is impossible, the remaining 95% (also completely accurate) usually goes out the window as well. It's a very useful thing that is quite standard to see in advanced performers (I first noted it in a Richard Osterlind product).

 

[TheatreHead]

Anyways, normaly when someone comes up and says that they saw what i did I say, "Really? Awesome thats good for you." and ignore them

This. One of the things I have to do a lot for the audiences I perform for is to just look them straight in the eye, and say, "I don't care."

They will come and tell you how you did the trick expecting a response from you. Don't give them one. Act as if you don't care.

 

[Aaron.Williams]

This. One of the things I have to do a lot for the audiences I perform for is to just look them straight in the eye, and say, "I don't care."

They will come and tell you how you did the trick expecting a response from you. Don't give them one. Act as if you don't care.

If you just try to ignore them and say you don't care like you're annoyed, they'll think that they bested you and figured out the trick. Even if it's wrong, they'll go about thinking they know how it's done, and they'll tell people. So it's probably not the best idea to just ignore them, especially if they're not even rude to you.

 

[TheatreHead]

If you just try to ignore them and say you don't care like you're annoyed, they'll think that they bested you and figured out the trick. Even if it's wrong, they'll go about thinking they know how it's done, and they'll tell people. So it's probably not the best idea to just ignore them, especially if they're not even rude to you.

I stuffed up my wording, I meant to say "Don't give them the response that they expect".

 

[Leander]

> improve your improvisation skills
I'd say practise plain technique (have at handy, several controls, switches and so on...) and create and memorize several outs.

> they tell you a method (right or wrong doesn't matter)
If possible tell them in few words, why their idea is impossible, since as Helder says if they figure out 1% of the trick they think they know everything.
"Really, you know how I do it? Guess what, me too? You're a genius ... WITH magical powers!" If I manage to convince myself, that I don't care, they stop, though that is the most difficult part.

While performing, I like dropping subtle psychological hints, if the spectators are not burning. I say that they can shuffle, cut, take out this card, look at this card, while doing it myself. This may be caused by fear of detection, but works great. >But I didn't see the card< "Obviously you must have, weren't you standing right here next to me? You [to another spectator] must have seen it." I don't lie, I just don't tell the truth. Most spectators accept my actions as theirs, but if not then comes: Sure, I did shuffle the cards, you could have to. [I would only have done a totally different trick or used another (less magical) method. Not lying, concealing the obvious.