We’re at the end of the summer and the Summer Reading Library shows are done. Here’s look at the props that I have on my person during the non-themed library magic show:
And here are the props in my prop bin:
This show had a pretty simple set up, it took about 15 mins to set and strike the show. The non-themed show had elements of other shows that I do, so it was like a “greatest hits” and was fun to do!
-Louie
The film cans that I use for my Film Can Dice Force aren’t made anymore. They still make film cans, but the ones currently made don’t work for the gimmick. I have to source mine on the “used film can market”.
The last batch that I got were super beat up and I had to refurbish(?) them. The can on the left is what they look like when I got them:
The middle can is after I gave them a wipe down, and the can on the right is after I buffed them with my Dremel! The amount of labor that goes into making the Film Can Dice Forces is way too much for what I charge for them!
-Louie
This was in the hall of a performing arts center that I was doing a show at:
My first thought is the world’s largest Haunted Key!
Turns out it works!!!!!!
-Louie
A few days ago was a meeting for the Portland SAM magic club. I remembered it was a meeting day, so I wrote a new script for it, made the cards for a new method and tried doing it as a solo spot instead of as a running gag.
The script had the flow that I wanted, and the spots for the jokes that I wanted were there. The jokes were just meh for the most part, but for me, the important thing was to get it in front of people to see how it felt.
The trick played well, but the ending is going to take time to figure out the best way to reveal the card at the end. I have a lot of options and variables on those options, like is the person from the audience onstage, does the whole thing happen in the crowd, do they hand me the final envelope from the audience, but I open it onstage, etc.
This is work!
-Louie
PS Click here to read more about how I develop magic tricks!
The School Assembly Tour that I did in April had a running gag in it. It was a bit with Jeff McBride’s BEKOS (smiley face version), and you can see me do it in my School Assembly Set. I really liked how it played, and I’m thinking of adding a running gag to my show.
In the past, I’ve done a thing with the Nest of Boxes, I wrote an article about it over a decade ago called Call Back: My Take on the Nest of Boxes. Basically, I was using the nest of boxes as a running gag throughout the show. I really would like to use them again; however, the reality of how my show travels prohibits me from using a traditional nest of boxes.
The idea is a Nest of Envelopes. The idea is that something is inside a nesting set of 4 or 5 envelopes. The thing inside doesn’t have to be an object that has vanished; it could be a prediction or even some sort of punchline. This opens up a lot more possibilities.
The nice thing about envelopes over a set of boxes is that they pack flat and are much lighter! Also, something that, in an emergency, could be sourced in any city with an office supply store.
-Louie
Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with magic props that use electronics. There’s so much that can go wrong, and when it does, how do you still do the routine? For me, I usually run two different methods at the same time and can switch from the cleaner/easier electronic method to the analog method instantly.
I’ve got a bit in my new show that uses an electronic magic prop, and the easiest solution to it failing is to have a second one running at the same time!
I do have a third backup method that’s analog; however, the more efficient way is two of the electronic gimmicks.
With magic methods moving towards apps, and electronic gimmicks, I think it’s important to look at your show and figure out where the potential failure points are for tech and how you would deal with them when it happens.
It will happen!
-Louie
Well, tomorrow is the first show of my new school assembly show and the first show day of this month long tour! The show is designed to set up and strike really quickly, in less than 15 minutes. The show will run 40-45 minutes in length and will have to play for 150-500 people per show.
Here’s the front of the case:
I have a screen on the front of the case for visuals if the school doesn’t read my requirements list and doesn’t provide me with a projector or TV. The visuals aren’t necessary, but they help make the show feel bigger.
Here’s the view of the back of the case:
The props in the case are laid out for the show. The only thing missing from the picture is my snake box, because it’s not in the case during the show. The snake box sits on a table (provided by the school) during the show.
I’m very excited to see how this plays. This show is 95% new to me. The 5% that’s old are a couple of jokes/gags that I’m recycling. Hopefully, I won’t have to change much. When I was writing the show, I was worried that it wouldn’t be long enough. Now that I’ve been practicing it, I’m worried it will be too long! Having too much material is a way better problem to have than not enough.
-Louie
I like the idea of the mentalism premise where you have a 5 objects that are all the same and one different one. People from the audience all hold one of the objects, and you find who is holding the odd one.
That premise is fun, and I have a few themes for it. The other day I thought of one using Monopoly game pieces.
The hotels and houses lend themselves to a presentation about finding your way home.
This set of houses and hotels was 3D printed and is gimmicked to work with Promystic’s Flux. One of the challenges of using an electronic gimmick is what do you do if it doesn’t work? What’s the out? For some things, I’ve decided the best way to do it is to have a second gimmick. Luckily, Flix isn’t too expensive, and running two gimmicks at the same time isn’t very complicated.
I look forward to trying this out!
-Louie
I’m going to be a grumpy old magician today. I get super annoyed when I see posts like this:
The poster bought a trick, which is the easy part, but doesn’t want to do the hard work. People who ask for routines never say what work they’ve done (I’m assuming they haven’t done any). This is why many people don’t think of magic as an art, because magicians constantly demonstrate that they aren’t artists.
Here’s what that person should do to work on a routine for mental dice:
1: Examine the prop:
-What is it…duh it’s a die
-What can it be hidden it to make it look like something different
2: What can the prop do:
-Let’s you know which side of a cube is uppermost
-Since opposites sides of a die add up to 7, it also tells you the lowermost side. This could be applied to any decorated cube, you’ll just have to memorize pairs.
-Can be used as a random selection device (free choice)
With those two things above accomplished, you should have a little bit of a start.
Let’s say you put the die into an alphabet block that has a different letter on each side. That essentially is a die, but instead of numbers, you have letters. Also, each letter is colored, so now you have a choice of letters or colors. That gives you 12 things you can get information about instead of six.
A three-phase routine with the colored alphabet block could look like:
Phase 1: You reveal the uppermost color selected by someone
Phase 2: You reveal the uppermost letter selected by someone
Phase 3: Someone randomly rolls/shakes the block under a cup. They then selected a color from a stack of color swatches and a letter from alphabet cards. Those reveal the lowermost side of the block.
A little bit of work and you can have something unique. Not sure I’d call what I just thought of above as “art,” but it’s a step in that direction.
-Louie
For a show I’m doing in a couple of months, I needed a way to force a number (really a position in a row of things). I didn’t want to use the Hot Rod Force, and my normal default is the Quinta Force, but I wanted to try to figure out something new.
My idea was to put a die in a film can and have someone shake it, and that would force the number.
First of all, I didn’t want to use a die that’s missing a number, and you eliminate numbers as they’re rolled. I’ve seen too many shows where that method is used, and it takes forever to get the last item eliminated, as that number just doesn’t come up.
Other methods I didn’t want was to use a die that’s all the same number or a magnetic die. My goal was to try to come up with a NEW method before I resorted to old methods. Even if I don’t use the method I came up with, it’s fun to try.
Here’s what I came up with:
I think this method had potential. Is it a lot of work to accomplish what a magnetic die could do? Yep.
Is the method interesting? Yep!
-Louie
