Tailor your personality or be yourself?

[formula]

Firstly to clarify, I don't mean creating a character and performing under that character like Chris Angel's gothic/rock presentation. I'm talking about the way you speak, act, walk, stand, sit, your hair style, dress sense, taste in music.....what makes you you.

A lot of magicians (and businessmen) believe that to maximise your audience (thus boosting your potential sales) you must appeal to them by changing small things about yourself. Actors do it all the time for TV and their ability to do it can be the difference between getting the job or not. An example is that when I say "think" I don't say the th so it comes out as "fink" which can come across as common to some people but that's how people pronounce it where I'm from.

So, my question here is, do you think you should be yourself when performing and if people don't like you that's their problem or do you think you should change yourself to appeal to more people or a specific demographic?

 

[Craig Browning]

Firstly to clarify, I don't mean creating a character and performing under that character like Chris Angel's gothic/rock presentation. I'm talking about the way you speak, act, walk, stand, sit, your hair style, dress sense, taste in music.....what makes you you.

A lot of magicians (and businessmen) believe that to maximise your audience (thus boosting your potential sales) you must appeal to them by changing small things about yourself. Actors do it all the time for TV and their ability to do it can be the difference between getting the job or not. An example is that when I say "think" I don't say the th so it comes out as "fink" which can come across as common to some people but that's how people pronounce it where I'm from.

So, my question here is, do you think you should be yourself when performing and if people don't like you that's their problem or do you think you should change yourself to appeal to more people or a specific demographic?

I'd hate to be in a place where people were finking as in, being tattle-tales on other's misdeeds, etc. Sorry, but PROPERLY SPOKEN and PRESENTED language is the key, it denotes one's level of education or, maybe I should say, the ASSUMED LEVEL of education in that anyone with a bit of determination can improve their vocabulary and force themselves to learn how to appear educated. . . and while I'm on that point I will convey a short anecdote. . . in the early 80s I was involved with writing proposals to corporate groups -- CEOs and other top management personalities, the majority of whom had college degrees that dwarfed my simple High School diploma. Nonetheless I was taught how to speak/write on their level which, in 1984-85 was comparable to where a 8th grade High School student was supposed to read and hold comprehension status. Roughly a decade later, writing to the same type of people, the comprehension level had dropped to that of a 6th grader, industry wide. In other words, it's really not that hard to step up and even raise the bar slightly. . . on paper. When it comes to the spoken word however, we're talking a different critter.

Being able to use a scant handful of $1,000.00 words in an appropriate manner (and not over-do-it) is one part of this "trick", but likewise, pronouncing each word properly and at what's known as being a "structured cadence" coupled with reasonable grammar is the real key; you need to come off as being intelligent, non-lethargic, but not (too) superior to your target audience. While higher education is one way of cultivating this dynamic I believe side classes and workshops will serve the typical entertainer sufficiently at first in that this is something that requires time and a bit of getting used to in order to become most effective (I believe in spoon feeding this kind of thing rather than cramming -- a little bit of effort day by day) On this point classes in basic acting, storytelling and learning how to use your voice from said platform is a must but likewise, you need the formal guidance that comes with Public Speaking and the various training programs allied with such. Some of us even need a Speech Therapist to help us overcome sloppiness in our speech such as placing an "x" in a word where "sc" or "sk" is proper i.e. exapes vs. escapes "ax" vs. "ask", etc.

Sometimes we can learn to correct ourselves simply by looking up the proper spelling and definitions of similarly sounding words. Once we get used to seeing them and placing them in the right "niche" within our mind, it becomes easier to consciously choose which word/spelling is proper and more so, how to pronounce that word in a way that allows the greater majority of folks in a group to understand us.

COMMUNICATION, especially from the stage and when allied with an individual in the public eye, also means learning how to use effective body language, which does include grooming habits. Before his fame I would bet that Criss Angel showed up at business meetings dressed far more conservatively and age appropriate (given that he's old enough to be the father of the majority of his fans) This is true with anyone in show BUSINESS in that they understand the power of segregating the packaging of the product from representing it (sadly, success frequently results in a horrid blurring of said truths). My only major suggestion here that goes beyond what was shared earlier about acting school and speech/public speaking workshops, is to not get too vested in NLP and all that silliness until you are comfortable working with the basics. . .give yourself a couple of years before complicating things with theories and psycho-babble.

OH. . .ONE LAST AND IMPORTANT NOTE HERE. . . in order to effectively create a proper and sound stage presence with whom you and the public is most comfortable is to get honest about how and what you are -- get to know who you are and why you do some of the things you do or don't do -- get to know the real you. This is the single most difficult thing for most anyone of us to do and it is an on-going task, but when you look at those that seem to excel in our world as true public icons, the majority confess that their lesson in how to be effective in their work was to get to know themselves and how to call upon the various facets they find within themselves that helps them convey elements in a role or simply how they participate in life as a whole.

 

[formula]

I'd hate to be in a place where people were finking as in, being tattle-tales on other's misdeeds, etc. Sorry, but PROPERLY SPOKEN and PRESENTED language is the key

It's funny you say that. While in other professions I would agree I think magic is slightly different in the way that the magic can be more important than the person.

Dynamo: http://youtu.be/MvgzhKfOSbA
Michael Vincent: http://youtu.be/nVCLC3h_T6k

Both hugely successful but from opposite ends of society. Michael is a well dressed, smart speaking gentleman and Dynamo sounds like a common, lower class citizen. I can't speak for Michael but Dynamo has been himself since before he got famous and his vocabulary as well as pronunciation is terrible.

 

[JButterfield]

So, my question here is, do you think you should be yourself when performing and if people don't like you that's their problem or do you think you should change yourself to appeal to more people or a specific demographic?

This strikes me as a choice you have to make in your character; and when you're performing, you're a character.

Is your character a likeable sort of guy, or not? Is he highly educated or not? Is he formal or casual in his speech, his manner of dress, or the way he treats people?

As far as accents and the local vernacular - as long as it is still easily understood (and consistent with your character), I wouldn't have a problem with it. People from New York City sound far different from Chicagoans or Bostonians. A card cheat needn't sound like an english major, for instance.

 

[eostresh]

In general I would agree with C. Browning. I think that is all in all the best advice for most magicians. But that is also for guys who don't have a specifically developed character. For people with very specific characters, however, I think Johnny Butterfield hit it right on the head. Gazzo wouldn't be Gazzo without a foul mouth and a lower class accent. Now look at Richard Turner. This isn't meant to big a big slap at him(he is by far my favorite of the demo guys) but he has a character that would actually benefit from not sounding so well pronounced and proper. Indeed a wild west gambler character would do well to peruse through old dime novels from the era. Think of the difference language alone made between a movie like, "The Assassination of Jesse James..." and "3:10 to Yuma." Both good westerns but one is practically a modern day classic and I honestly think the dialog played a huge role in that.

 

[Craig Browning]

In general I would agree with C. Browning. I think that is all in all the best advice for most magicians. But that is also for guys who don't have a specifically developed character. For people with very specific characters, however, I think Johnny Butterfield hit it right on the head. Gazzo wouldn't be Gazzo without a foul mouth and a lower class accent. Now look at Richard Turner. This isn't meant to big a big slap at him(he is by far my favorite of the demo guys) but he has a character that would actually benefit from not sounding so well pronounced and proper. Indeed a wild west gambler character would do well to peruse through old dime novels from the era. Think of the difference language alone made between a movie like, "The Assassination of Jesse James..." and "3:10 to Yuma." Both good westerns but one is practically a modern day classic and I honestly think the dialog played a huge role in that.

There's a truth to this but I think I mentioned that there is a huge difference between the Character the public witnesses vs. the person that must juggle the business side of things. I'll likewise point out that looking at the exceptions and thinking they give you permission to be lethargic ain't the wise bet. If you're in this craft for the sake of putting dough in your pockets you need to look to the rule -- the standard that seems most constant in our universe, which goes straight back to what I mentioned earlier.

When I was doing the Punk Rocker street performer a few decades ago (I was probable about the age most here are today -- early 20's) My language habits were all over the place WITHIN THE ACT but not when it came to actually talking with would be job leads. These people should expect RESPECT and when you give it to them they are far more likely to give it back in way of work, referrals, and positive recommendation letters.

Though my introduction to proper enunciation came early in life the value behind it came through my work in side-shows (before they were in vogue and still under canvass) in that you had to be understood by persons from every walk of life. Too, you had to be able to make the pitch 18 or more times a day (the shows started at 9 in the morning and ended between 10 and 11 in the evening, no "breaks" they were continuous) learning to pace yourself and focus on how you spoke was part of the "trick" to not wearing your voice out and keeping it strong.

When it comes to the stage persona itself, which I think was the key question here, the answer is likewise found in traditional theater. . . while magicians claim to be actors playing a part very few ever learn anything about acting or proper theater, if some of our books books actually emphasized these things more than card tricks I think the craft would know a seriously different kind of reputation in the public mind. Nonetheless, you will find that any and all characters you do must have part of you inside them. Oddly, even when you're "just being yourself" on stage or in front of folks when clowning around, you will channel a bit of ham. . . you must if you are to be ENTERTAINING with the former being just as valuable for the very same reason.

Go see any film by Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks or Jim Carey and tell me you don't see them playing the same character over and over and over but with slightly different plot-lines. It's exceptionally rare you do not see this in the majority of actors and the rolls they get "typed" into. Tom Cruise has two films in which he's not playing Tom Cruise; Interview with a Vampire and Collateral they are the only two of all of his films that are distinctly distant from most roles he takes on and the reason is that he puts a greater level of his own self-image into the other roles and so things get repetitive. . . similar in action, plot and gesture.

There are those in the acting world, who seem far more flexible such as Johnny Depp, but they are few and far between -- exceptions, not the rules. You will also find that the majority of those that fit this mold aren't just in film but likewise live show actors -- theatrical thespians to the core, which is why they have such strong versatility.

Eostresh has made another point however, when it comes to the persona being played and wordage; we need to adapt a mode of speech that fits the entity. . . Capt. Jack Sparrow wouldn't be the lovable lush we love if it weren't for his peculiar way of saying things, would he? The new character I've been experimenting with the past five or so years steps a bit outside my comfort zone but MUST because he has to have that turn of the century bravado that was so common to the late 19th and early 20th century in the show-biz (variety arts) element (trust me, if you ever hear a recording of Barnum or Houdini, it will make you wonder how they ever became so highly acclaimed), but for Phineas VanBirch, Esquire a world traveler, inventor and professor of the the Surreal, Strange & Esoteric it is paramount that he be able to mirror the ways of that particular time and persona -- that half-shyster/half-intellect that was so common to the day. This "stretch" however, is what acting is all about and what character creation (even when you are just being you) is all about.

BTW... "Being You" on stage is typically more about being who you think you are and how you want to public to see you, not who you really are in life, even when you want to believe otherwise.

It takes time and experimentation to create a genuine character, it also means being willing to listen to others and accept guidance... coaching and direction by persons that know theater first and foremost followed by those that can aid you in the more technical aspects of magical technique and gesture. This is the combination that will give you the success I'll assume most of you wish to know.