Stage Tricks
- Thread starter SchNiTzELs
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It's not a terrible thing. It's the right thing to do, but not in this situation. This guy is a close up magician that would like to win $100 at his school talent show, he doesn't want to be the next McBride.
I think the most appropriate quote for this is, "if you don't have anything nice to say then shut the f....". He was very clear in that he wants recommendations of decent and presumably cheap stage magic, I gave it to him. You gave him something worse than nothing.
Another good stage effect; tossed out deck
I'm a close up magician as well Craig but I'm doing a 30 minute stand up show for a football club next month. Please teach me how to fish otherwise my show will be a disaster.
To those that are passionate about something, someone coming along and basically saying, "I just want to eff around with this, tell me how to do it well" is offensive. If you want to pretend to be something you're not, do the research yourself and don't expect those who actually are what you're pretending to be to do the work for you. He doesn't even want to do stage magic after this, and most likely will bomb because he's not taking it seriously.
And you know what? I will be damned before I encourage yet another half-assed magic performance to hit the stage. I am sick to death of the people that think all they need is the secret giving my performance art a bad reputation that I have to overcome, because I actually give a damn about magic and its performance.
So no. I will not hold his or anyone else's hand and tell them which tricks might win a talent show because they are too damned lazy to look it up themselves and come up with a way to present it that goes beyond following the directions like every other hack.
WOW!
Awesome response CT and dare I say, square on the head of the proverbial nail.
IF someone is unable to look up magic dealers on line and wade through their selection, figuring out for themselves what sounds right for them, they really don't have any business being in magic or any field of endeavor; if you don't do the footwork you loose! Part of the footwork in this case is learning to be an SHOWMAN first and foremost and then learn how to actually PERFORM the tricks you decide to do. . . there's a huge difference between knowing the basic mechanics of a trick and knowing how to perform it; every effect has little unspoken nuances that can only be discovered over time and EXPERIENCE.
I'm certain you'll have no difficulty given how much you know about it all. Best of luck!
Awesome response CT and dare I say, square on the head of the proverbial nail.
IF someone is unable to look up magic dealers on line and wade through their selection, figuring out for themselves what sounds right for them, they really don't have any business being in magic or any field of endeavor; if you don't do the footwork you loose! Part of the footwork in this case is learning to be an SHOWMAN first and foremost and then learn how to actually PERFORM the tricks you decide to do. . . there's a huge difference between knowing the basic mechanics of a trick and knowing how to perform it; every effect has little unspoken nuances that can only be discovered over time and EXPERIENCE.
I'm certain you'll have no difficulty given how much you know about it all. Best of luck!
Usually I would agree with you but he's not asking for anyone to tell him what to perform and he's not asked for any secrets to be revealed. All he asked is if anyone can suggest tricks that are suitable for a stage act. Given that you know nothing about his knowledge, skill level or speed at which he can learn, I think it's wrong for anyone to make a negative assumption.
By all means stick to that as your opinion, what pissed me off with some of the early replies to this thread is that instead of choosing not to answer, people tried lecturing him on what he should be doing. He didn't even say when the talent show is in his original post, for all any of us know it might not be for a few months.
I know that he doesn't know stage magic, or he wouldn't be asking for tricks. I know he's in school, so he doesn't have that much time. I know stage craft takes far longer to learn than most people realize.
By asking such a vague question he is showing that he thinks that it's the trick that does the magic. It's not. It's the performer. Showmanship makes a magic show, not a trick. That's why the legendary performers we know about were, in fact, legendary. They commanded the stage and entertained powerfully. Learning how to do that takes years.
If he had a character developed, or even a performance style, then the question would have been, "What are some good ways to do X?" not, "What are good tricks?" 'Good' tricks are determined by the one performing them. Penn & Teller do a great sawing-a-lady-in-half. If I had their exact setup, I couldn't do it. It's not my style, it's not my character. Asking such a vague question tells me that he doesn't care what he performs, which means he doesn't have a character.
Also, the fact that he came here without seeming to do ANY research (hence my link to Google), tells me that he's not really put any thought into this at all. That speaks of the attitude of, "I'll just get some tricks and do them and that's that." It tells me he probably won't put any effort into learning how to properly perform a stage illusion, which is only compounded by him saying that he doesn't plan to do any stage work after this. It's a lark to him.
Maybe I'm wrong. But the way he's presented himself is the only thing I have to judge him, and that presentation tells me he's just another hack. And I am tired of seeing hacks on stage making a mockery of something I care about.
So no. I didn't hand him the answer on a silver platter. If he wants to do a stage act, he can put the work into finding material, writing a script, blocking it, rehearsing it and then he can perform it himself. If he can't be bothered to do that, then he does not deserve to go on stage.
That would be true if i didn't know what i were newer to magic, but you chose to look down upon me and just be an ass. You aren't helping anyone here.
You're right, I've just opened the thread and this isn't what t11 forums should be. Please, everyone, be respectful. If you are won't help, just don't post. As simple as that.
About what you asked... I'm also new to stage magic, but if you could get a Linking Rings set that would be awesome. If you don't have to perform for a long time, a solid LR routine plays really big! The classic magic always works, that's why it's classic...
I also like Snowstorm in china, and it's not very difficult to perform. However, you'll need some music to perform it, it's almost obligatory...
Finally, I'd also recommend Fiber Optics. A couple of quite long and nice routines are included, so you can just choose one and prepare it! I learnt the 3 rope routine in a week (obviously I'll need more time to master it) so I think it's a nice idea.
I hope you find my advice helpful!
If you need anything else, just PM me!
Xa2
EDIT: Also consider the option of getting a camera and a projector (or jumbo screen). I think it could be a nice idea! For example Juan Tamariz's show is 50% close-up with a live camera on stage. Not a bad idea, really!
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as much as i enjoy sitting back and watching kids argue...craig and others have a point
if you think you can take a street effect, or even something for stage, and go infront of 100+ people, and treat it like one of your street or webcam performances, your in for a hilarious time.
Theres no way of knowing you via a comp screen, but unless you have a natural showmanship, natural nak for being on stage infront of a lot of people, your act will crash and burn, regardless if the magic was performed flawlessly.
if you think you can take a street effect, or even something for stage, and go infront of 100+ people, and treat it like one of your street or webcam performances, your in for a hilarious time.
Theres no way of knowing you via a comp screen, but unless you have a natural showmanship, natural nak for being on stage infront of a lot of people, your act will crash and burn, regardless if the magic was performed flawlessly.
