Which way would you prefer?

[heavymetalholic]

Ok so i was Thinking earlier today, If I was performing for a crowd and messed up ( no worries I practice my stuff to near perfect level before I go out and perform)
Which would I prefer,

1. Messing up by for example, forcing the wrong card, then during the revelation look dumb for revealing the wrong card.

or

2. Messing up by exposing the method by accident, maybe a slight that was not practiced enough or a exposed gimmick.


the first one makes you look bad but protects the secret behind the trick
as where the second one reveals the method, but might give you some credebility by doing something they see as being very well thought out or something that takes a lot of time to learn.

I personally would rather look dumb myself, then give the method away even if I did get a bit of credibility out of it.

Im not saying you should not practice your effects, Because I think you should be able to fool yourself in the mirror before going out and performing, but a mistake can happen, we are only human.

so which would you prefer?

 

[LLin]

Third method :

I didn't say this was your card. What was your card?
*Pulls out the card I predited and cull their card to the top*

Well this was your card when I predited it
*Gets blank stares from the audience*

I mean
*Color change*

*Muahahahahaha*

 

[chriswiehl]

first one.
i feel that if the magic is ruined then oh well
ive had both happen to me.
and the second one is easyer.
cause you can still improvise it.
the second one is a sure ruiner.
i had the second happen to me with some nosey participants and (good thing it was only 3 people_ but the trick was exposed and even tho everything else was great up till then when they saw what happened they just left
like umm thats stupid. cause they are more interested in how the magic works than to enjoy it.
if you just mess up a reveal or something like that it doesnt really take away from how you did it.

 

[RickEverhart]

When you perform for audiences enough times...whether it be daily or every other week, eventually you will have a slip up. It could be method number one or it could be method two.

I have had both happen as well. They are both embarrassing to say the least. Even the best of the best will have an off day where things just aren't running smoothly. I've seen it happen a few times to well known magicians in shows, lectures, or conventions.

I think a bigger question is, "How do you move on from there? Are you going to laugh it off and roll into your next effect or are you going to stand there and look embarassed and pack up shop?"

 

[heavymetalholic]

When you perform for audiences enough times...whether it be daily or every other week, eventually you will have a slip up. It could be method number one or it could be method two.

I have had both happen as well. They are both embarrassing to say the least. Even the best of the best will have an off day where things just are running smoothly. I've seen it happen a few times to well known magicians in shows, lectures, or conventions.

I think a bigger question is, "How do you move on from there? Are you going to laugh it off and roll into your next effect or are you going to stand there and look embarassed and pack up shop?"

Very nice question I will add that to the original thread question if thats ok?

 

[RikAllen]

I'll answer with my most recent mistake.

I was performing a trick I had just gotten performance ready, took it to my normal starting audiences.
Made my girlfriend sit through it, she liked the effect and thought the presentation was good.
Showed it to my dad who was bewildered and entertained.
Showed it to my boss who just laughed and said 'that's a good one'
and then my final toss before it goes 'public' shares a building with my boss.
Two businesses in one building, Danny works downstairs with T-Shirts...I make trophies and plaques.

I won't say where I messed up, but I kind of flinched because I knew I had done it wrong. He said 'what is it?" I told him I had something in my throat, and went on with the effect.
I had to do some quick thinking, but I figured out I could still do it through to the end and have something to show.
I felt dumb because I actually showed where the card had vanished...and because of the mistake there was still a card there.

but the selected card was still reversed in the deck, I simply shrugged it as "Oh, they must have changed places"...not as good as an effect.

I would rather look dumb, I have short (3 phase) routine that probably uses one or two real sleights (DL and a force/control) so if I mess up the first bit the rest of the trick will be see-through (If I'm not careful). Thankfully it's not been a problem.

What do I do? To be honest, I will try to salvage an effect, I try to practice for these kinds of things in the first place as well. Any one trick you have should have multiple endings, even if it's someone else's trick, think of an out or two if you should happen to mess up.

If you can't...I remember Dan Sperry talking once about his Voodoo effect, where the person is sitting in a chair and he shocks them when he pokes the voodoo doll. One time something went wrong and he was like 'Right...' eventually just telling everyone what was supposed to happen, and then going on like nothing went wrong and finished the act. He was being paid to be somewhere, so he had to finish the set, and decided at the time telling them how the trick worked was the best option since it didn't ruin any other effects he had planned. (I'm sure you can search it, if you feel like it)

A few disoriented thoughts (I am starving...)

 

[RickEverhart]

Sure...you can add my question in your thread if you want.

 

[Morgan B]

I would rather mess up the trick, and use an out when possible, then reveal the method. I have messed up tricks, but not revealed the method. Ended with a strong out, and then showed the trick I wanted on the very next trick. No loss. If you expose the method, you can't do that.

As for moving on:

If you expose the method - apolagize, nice to make a joke about yourself if you can - then move on to the next trick if you can.

If you mess up an effect - nobody knows but you - as we do it all the time "magician in trouble", you just have to think quick and try to end strong. This seperates pros from blows.

Tamariz talks about rehearsing that 3 things go wrong with each trick, and how you will get out of it. Good exercise in being awesome.

 

[King Of Spades]

Kostya Kimlat has a great out for if ANY trick goes wrong. (Assuming its a card trick that requires your spectator to pick a card and return it to the middle). It's on his RoadRunner Cull DVD. It's really good, I used it today and the person I was performing for started screaming at me. I really don't know why but he now hates me wondering how I got the card in my shoe Which since I had honestly thought I had his card the first time makes it one of the best outs ever in my personal opinion.

 

[canadamagic]

What is the point of performing if you give away the method (I mean this in the nicest way) I would so much rather look like an idiot that reveal.