The other day I was hanging out with a magician friend, we were working on something not magic trick related. At some point we always end up goofing around with magic. and that’s when the good ideas come out. Unfortunately this day it was just goofing around. One of the things we were playing with … Continue reading “Play Around…”
The other day I was hanging out with a magician friend, we were working on something not magic trick related. At some point we always end up goofing around with magic. and that’s when the good ideas come out. Unfortunately this day it was just goofing around.
One of the things we were playing with was a bottle cap. Here’s one of the things that we did:
It’s not a great trick, or even that original, however it’s a good example of part of the creative process. It’s just playing with an item and seeing what comes up.
Yesterday I finished my first attempt at making a clear coin for the Silver Extraction magic trick. I made the mold in silicone and cast it in a clear resin. The clear coin ended up having a lot more air bubbles in it than I would like it to have. At the end of the … Continue reading “First Attempt…”
Yesterday I finished my first attempt at making a clear coin for the Silver Extraction magic trick. I made the mold in silicone and cast it in a clear resin. The clear coin ended up having a lot more air bubbles in it than I would like it to have. At the end of the day, it’s a clear coin and would work for the trick.
After doing some research on the causes of the air bubbles, what it will take to remove them from future castings is something I’m not really set up right now to handle. I learned a lot from making this, mostly that clear castings are going to be a pain in the butt!!
For some reason this month I’ve done a lot of community center shows. I’m not sure why, it could be that they call me year round, but I’m just not available to do them and this month I was home. These shows are family shows, and the age range will vary from very young to … Continue reading “Community Center Shows…”
For some reason this month I’ve done a lot of community center shows. I’m not sure why, it could be that they call me year round, but I’m just not available to do them and this month I was home. These shows are family shows, and the age range will vary from very young to very old. While these shows are geared towards kids, there are usually an equal number of adults and kids. Frequently you’ll have more adults than kids.
I’ve mentioned this in the past, when I do these shows I don’t do a kids show. I do my normal show and make the kids “step up” to whats going on. My show which ran 50 minutes didn’t pander the 4 year olds, and it shouldn’t when they are a minority of the audience. Sure I do some funny things, but they are universally funny across most ages.
The other thing is that I’m doing a show that’s watchable to the people who are in charge of making the decision to go, or buying the tickets. When my kid was young, I didn’t take her to shows that I knew weren’t going to engage me. I was the one in charge of the decisions, and that’s who I’m catering my show to.
One thing I like to do when I’m learning to new things is to do them whenever I can for projects that I won’t necessarily use, but someone will. Right now I’m learning more about making silicone molds and casting things in resin. My current project is making some coins that will be clear. This … Continue reading “Making Magic”
One thing I like to do when I’m learning to new things is to do them whenever I can for projects that I won’t necessarily use, but someone will. Right now I’m learning more about making silicone molds and casting things in resin.
My current project is making some coins that will be clear. This will be for the a trick similar to the Silver Extraction Coin trick.
Above is the mold for the coins. After making the mold, I think there are a few changes I would make to it. We’ll see if these turn out.
Yesterday I was at a class on making silicone molds and using them to cast things in resin. Personally, besides learning the skill, I’m always watching for ideas that I can use during my performance. I noticed a couple of things that confirm my current thoughts on audio and video during a show. The first … Continue reading “Keep Learning…”
Yesterday I was at a class on making silicone molds and using them to cast things in resin. Personally, besides learning the skill, I’m always watching for ideas that I can use during my performance. I noticed a couple of things that confirm my current thoughts on audio and video during a show.
The first thing that while we were in a fairly small and quiet room and there were only 25 of us, it was hard to hear the presenter. They should have been mic’d up. This goes for pretty much anything that’s not a close up gig, you need to wear a mic!
The second thing was their use of video. They had a straight down show from directly above the table with the screen directly behind the presenter.
This is the way to do it. In all of the shows I’ve seen when the action is on a sidewall, your attention is torn between the screen and the presenter. With the action on the screen behind you, it really lets you watch both the same time as both are in your field of vision. This is the way to got for projection.
As a bonus to confirming my theories on audio and video during a show, I also learned to make molds and cast things in resin!
Recently I added the Silk in Light Bulb trick to my show. Essentially a silk that has disappeared reappears inside a light bulb. To do this or similar “in light bulb” type of tricks I’ve always used glass light bulbs. I hollowed out real glass light bulbs and used those. These look great and work … Continue reading “Economy of Motion…”
Recently I added the Silk in Light Bulb trick to my show. Essentially a silk that has disappeared reappears inside a light bulb. To do this or similar “in light bulb” type of tricks I’ve always used glass light bulbs. I hollowed out real glass light bulbs and used those. These look great and work great, but travelling with them is a pain as they are fragile.
About a week ago I was talking to another magician and he mentioned he started using plastic light bulbs. These have the metal base that unscrews giving you access to the inside. I ordered some and they showed up a couple days later. They look great, and I’m glad I ordered them, it’s going to make travelling much easier.
One problem with this style light bulb is how long it takes to unscrew it. There’s too much threading on the base:
I took my Dremel and sanded off some of the threading:
Now it unscrews in less than one twist. That speeds up the moment from when the audience realizes it’s the silk in the light bulb to when you are displaying it.
Look at your show and figure out where there’s wasted procedural motion. Once you find that, try to figure out ways to eliminate it. That will tighten up your show.
When is good enough good enough and when do small details matter? I was thinking about the mis-made bill trick and how the serial numbers don’t match. It’s a small thing, but it’s one that someone who want to try to bust you can catch on to, and they do. For 99% of the times … Continue reading “Is It Good Enough…”
When is good enough good enough and when do small details matter? I was thinking about the mis-made bill trick and how the serial numbers don’t match. It’s a small thing, but it’s one that someone who want to try to bust you can catch on to, and they do.
For 99% of the times you do the trick, no one examines the bill, but that 1% it can lead to an awkward moment. It’s an easy fix, but one that takes time. For someone like me, that gives away the bill at the end, the time to make the serial numbers match adds up to a lot of time!
When do you take the extra step and add little things like that? I’d say for bigger gigs, or ones where you want to make sure you leave an impression. For example having a set of bills set up for someone that you want to book you. Whether or not they closely examine them doesn’t matter, you have the insurance if they do.
It’s fun playing around with magic tricks. A couple days ago I wrote about tweaking the card trick A Case For Premonition by Roberto Giobbi. This is a card trick where someone names a card, it disappears and it’s in your pocket. I jammed the card trick with a buddy and showed him another way … Continue reading “Keep Tweaking…”
It’s fun playing around with magic tricks. A couple days ago I wrote about tweaking the card trick A Case For Premonition by Roberto Giobbi. This is a card trick where someone names a card, it disappears and it’s in your pocket. I jammed the card trick with a buddy and showed him another way of doing it that I had thought of, which I like a bit more.
In the original method you need to count out 51 cards, it’s boring and time consuming. What I’m doing instead is using a deck that’s marked and in a memorized order. They call out a card and you spread the deck to about where the card is, locate it and get a pinkie break under it. I do this as I say, “You could have named any card…” then I square up the deck. I then side jog the card, and ribbon spread the deck face up on the table. This will hide the selection. Be sure to not be selfish and ribbon spread the cards so that they indices aren’t upside down to the audience. I then run my finger across the cards looking for their card, and it’s gone! I finish by doing Bob Farmer’s Bammo Move as I pick up the deck, palm the card and produce it from my pocket.
It’s not a huge change, but I think it really streamlines the process of making the card disappear. It’s also technically a lot easier than Giobbi’s version that uses a Double Deal and a Cull Palm. If you used an edge marked deck, you’d eliminate the need for the estimation and spread, you could just look for the mark and get a break.
In any art form you are taught to be different, and as far as your show goes that’s what I think about magic. Marketing is a bit different. Recently someone in a Facebook group for magicians wanted advice on getting an agent to get them shows around the country. In my career, every agent that … Continue reading “Follow The Crowd…”
In any art form you are taught to be different, and as far as your show goes that’s what I think about magic. Marketing is a bit different. Recently someone in a Facebook group for magicians wanted advice on getting an agent to get them shows around the country. In my career, every agent that consistently gets me work has seen me perform and approached me. Sure, there are more ways to do it than my route, that’s just my experience.
One thing about agents is they’ve come into my life when I was ready for the kind of gigs they book. One of my agents has told me I’m “starting to level up” and I need my promo to reflect that. I’m currently working on taking my promo to the next level. That’s the thing, if you promo isn’t at the level you expected for where you want to work, then you’ll have a hell of a time getting any agent to take you seriously.
Here’s a good example, my core market is performing at fairs. I want to work indoors more, and the first thing I did was look at the websites of people who were doing the gigs that I wanted to do. If you look at a lot of them, you’ll start to see things repeating. Not tricks, but things all of their promo has in common. Things like the length and style of their promo videos. Are they one trick, a sizzle reel, or a combination of the two? Are their headshots studio or something else? There’s a reason they are common things in promo, that’s because that’s what the industry expects.
Now you need to take a moment and look at your promo, what can you do to take you to the next level?
Today is Valentines Day and an easy day to generate social media content for. Think of a trick using a paper heart, a flower, or a valentine and you’ve got good content for you social sites. You aren’t limited to Valentines Day, you can do this for any of the wacky national holidays. You can … Continue reading “Easy Magic Content Generator…”
Today is Valentines Day and an easy day to generate social media content for. Think of a trick using a paper heart, a flower, or a valentine and you’ve got good content for you social sites. You aren’t limited to Valentines Day, you can do this for any of the wacky national holidays. You can find a list at: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/
In the past I’ve done tricks for things like National Light Bulb Day. If you simply visit the list once a month and look for days the next month you’ll have plenty of chances for an idea for a trick. I just took a peek at March and here’s some ideas:
National Pig Day: Get 4 small toy pigs and do a Coins Across
National Cheese Doodle Day: Broken and restored cheese doodle
