You’ve Got Talent: Characterizing the Presentation of Magic
(Chapter 7 of 15)
VII. Research
Anything worth doing is worth researching, and to correctly present the kind of character you want for your act you’re going to need to do some research. If you think about it, actors and writers do it all the time before the undertake a role or assignment.
I’m going to assume that you already have the kind of character you want to play in mind, as it is a bit of a pre-requisite to this step. Now all you have to do is invest some time in watching others perform the kind of magic tricks you’ll want to perform in your act, as well as watching other magicians who already perform a similar character so you know how to improve upon or be different than what is already on the market. You should never settle for being nothing more than a carbon copy of a pre-existing act, persona, or person. That’s what hacks do. Don’t be a hack. Always either improve or diversify. If you don’t have a great resource as a magic club close to you, then the internet is your next best thing. Websites like www.youtube.com, www.itricks.com, and www.streetofcards.tv are GREAT ways to review a lot of material from your own living room. Just remember, when you are watching these other performers that you are not there to have fun. It’s homework. You should be watching their acts with a critical eye for details.
Your critical eye is that part of your brain that analyzes a performance that you’ve seen and critiques it by saying things like: “The timing of that {X} move is off” or “The patter doesn’t feel quite right here.” It’s that part of your brain that is consciously aware of all the details the act is presenting the common spectator that they are unconsciously perceiving. If you want your act to succeed, and your character to be believable then it is important that you learn to develop your critical eye for details, without it you’ll be sunk.
Unfortunately there is no amount of reading, text book studying, or coaching that will help you develop this golden talent. It’s just one of those things that need to come to you over the course of time, and exposure to many, many performances. You’ll find as you read others reviews of things that you yourself have thought about (be it books, DVD’s, magic tricks, or acts) that you’ll start to see details you may have missed before. You’ll start to see acts in a different light, and what’s worse is when you turn this ability on yourself. You’ll see your act for what it really is. Not what you think it should be. It’s when you can see yourself in the mirror image of your mind for what you are presenting to your audience that you will be forced to raise your magic to the next level. Either that, or retire as quickly as possible. I don’t think I know anyone who is content with where they are currently for the rest of their time. Every single person I’ve ever talked to is always working on developing the next “thing.” What ever that may be.
Outside of reading reviews from other people about subjects you yourself are familiar with, there are some things you can be certain to look out for when you are watching or reviewing an act with your critical eye. Things such as:
· Patter: Did the persons patter make sense? Did it reach out to you and connect with you in some way? Was it natural, or did it feel forced or contrived? Were you able to believe that the person was actually able to do the things they claimed?
· Moves: Did the person execute their moves quickly, efficiently, and covertly? Did they flash? Did they make a mistake? If so, how did they compensate or cover for it?
· Audience Reaction: How did the audience react to the persons act, presentation, moves, magic, character? Were they drawn into the show? Did they suspend their belief in reality? Did they feel transported to this persons version of reality? Did they laugh, cry, or scream with outrage? Were they emotionally moved by the presentation? Did they feel like they could connect to the performer, or take something away from their act?
· Convey Message: What was the message the performer was trying to convey? Did the show have a theme? Were you able to decern what that theme was without the performer needing to spell it out during the show or afterwards? Did every act in the show, or every part of the trick flow into each other effortlessly? Did one thing build on another, cumulating into the apex of the show’s overall message and theme?
· Convey Character: Were you able to understand the character the artist was trying to present? Did the character make you feel anything or in a certain way? Did the performer even have a character? Was the character the right kind of character for the type of show that you watched?
· Music: Was the music fitting to the performance? Did the lyrics (if any) take away from what it was that you were seeing? Did the music make you feel anything in any certain kind of way?
· Lighting: Was the lighting right? Did the lighting help the mood, character, theme of the act? Did the lighting affect the way certain tricks were presented? Was the tricks affected in a good or bad way? Did the lighting expose anything that shouldn’t have been?
· Wardrobe: Was the characters wardrobe appropriate to the type of character? Was the wardrobe selections appropriate to the type of act? How did the wardrobe make you feel when you watched the character perform?
· How did the act make you feel? What emotions did you feel while watching the act? Did you feel things appropriate to what the presenter wanted? If the act asked you to feel happy, or triumphant, did you? Would you want to watch this act again? Would you recommend someone who books you for magic watch this act? How about friends or family?
The more you review the kinds of acts you want to perform the better you’ll understand what will be required to make them successful. The more you review any kind of performance, the stronger of a performer you, yourself, will become. It’s just one of those things that comes with a lot of experience, and the only way to gain that experience is by doing. One thing is certain though. Research be it passive or active, will only in turn make your act stronger. So take the time to do it, and do it as often as possible.
I want to end this chapter on a little advice I once got from a good friend. While I’m sure my friend didn’t mean for it to apply to magicians, it certainly can. I think it’s more of a universal law really. The advice goes like this. “You will be a product of what influences you are around.” Kind of puts things in perspective when your parents object to certain friends you bring home with you doesn’t it? Think about this for just a second… it’s powerful. You will become what ever it is that you hang around with the most. That’s because their habits and influences will eventually rub off on you. So if you want to be successful at anything, magic, business, sports, etc. Then you find someone whose already doing well at it, and you hang around them. That way you can learn the proper good habits it takes to be successful at what ever it is you want to do. If you want, for example a million dollars, then you wouldn’t want to hang out with people who flip burgers at McDonalds. So to bring this full circle, if you want to be a better magician, hang out with magicians better than yourself.
(To Be Continued....)
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