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mleskanic Regular user 152 Posts |
Hello Everyone,
I have yet to enter a magic competition (I'm 15), and I just wanted to know a little more information about what judges usually "grade" and what they look for in an act. Thanks, Matt
Matt Leskanic
www.cardsharkentertainment.net |
Lion Dope New user York PA 88 Posts |
It varies, but typically it's broken down into categories such as technical ability, originality, overall entertainment value, audience reaction, etc. IMHO, originality is the keystone. If you get up and do someone else's material, even if you do it flawlessly, you're probably dead in the water. The judges are most likely going to know it's not your stuff...
Just my opinion; Cheers; Mike |
61magic Special user Sacramento California 775 Posts |
Matt, question are you a member of the IBM, and/or SAM? They have information on what they judge on during competition. Other organizations like the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians also have competitions and publist the rules and describe the judging criteria.
Lion Dope is correct in the categories the judges work with. I also agree with him on originality, I've coached/directed a couple of competitors and you cann't imagine how many perform card manipulations exactly like Jeff McBride does. Sure Jeff is great but he "is" Jeff McBride, you can do the same moves in the same order but if you frame the action differently it looks original. Good luck competition can be a enjoyable adventure. JC
Professor J. P. Fawkes
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mental4u New user 80 Posts |
Originality in props and presentation are always in vogue. That might be hard to come by, but it is worth thinking about. An over use of matrix or the dancing cane will not get you any where, in case you perform it in an original manner.
Gregg Lancaster Mental Masterpieces College Station, Texas |
Mary Mowder Inner circle Sacramento / Elk Grove, CA 3659 Posts |
Dear mleskanic,
Other than what the others have said you should strive to do what you do well even if it is a simple effect. It is a very common mistake to try Magic that is over one's head in contests. That plus nerves results in a lot of train wrecks. (Sadly some judges do give points to people who try Skilled Magic but perform it badly. I wish that were not the case but it is. I still stand by my earlier advice, it's better for Magic.) - Mary Mowder |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
I've been a judge in a number of competitions. Most of the competitions have a point system that they use to help the judges determine who is really the best performer, so that a guy who produces and levitates a watermelon and does it with very little response from the audience doesn't necessarily win over a guy who does a good manipulative act and gets a good audience response.
They look for several things: 1) originality 2) audience response 3) how they deal with audience volunteers, if they are used. (not really a good thing to do in most competitions -- it messes up the total time of the act) 4) technical skill 5) stage setting 6) appearance 7) confidence 8) performing within the allotted time All of these are important.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Anatole Inner circle 1912 Posts |
The FISM guidelines can be viewed at
http://www.goochelaars.com/images/pagina......ines.pdf There is even a percentage guide for the following criteria: Magic atmosphere Showmanship and presentation Entertainment value Artistic impression and rating However, the percentages given are suggested percentages only, as noted by the comment in the guidelines that "each judge is free to use his own ratings." ----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez
----- Sonny Narvaez
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Anatole Inner circle 1912 Posts |
Continuing the discussion of magic contests... I think in many ways the experience itself can be very positive whether you win, place, show... or none of the above. When I entered the IBM Gold Medal Competition the year it was held in New Orleans, there were 27 contestants. Among the contestants were Bruce Johnson, Howard Hale, John Caddy, Devin Lushbaugh, Lori Charles, Sandra Fahey, Jeff Hobson, John Caddy, Levent, Jeff Hobson, and myself. It took most of one day to see all the contest acts. The judges must have been very tired at the end, although Levent's act was near the end and well worth the wait. My act was immediately after Levent's, and Jeff Hobson was the last contestant. Three great reasons to sit through the whole drawn out process;-) Of the 27 contestants, I think only four finalists were chosen to appear on the Gold Medal evening show. That particular year the judges decided that no act was good enough to receive the Gold Medal. Levent, however, did win first place in the competition. Most of us in the competition felt that Levent's act _should_ have gotten the Gold that year. Interestingly, Howard Hale entered the Gold Medal competition a few years later and did take the Gold home then. So if your first contest experience is disappointing, don't give up.
Even if you don't place among the top three, being in a contest like this has its rewards. You get to see a wide variety of magic acts, and you make some contacts that may serve you in good stead as your career progresses. A few years after the New Orleans competition, I ran into Johnny "Ace" Palmer at another IBM convention and he commented that he liked my dancing cane routine from the New Orleans contest. And being in a contest does motivate a person to look at his/her act with a very critical eye. The time constraints (acts were limited to around 8 minutes) force you to weed out what might be the weaker elements in an act so that what remains has an even greater impact. Eight minutes is a lot of time for a magic act. Channing Pollock used to point out that it took him a long time do develop his seven minute act and he used to cringe when he had to listen to would-be magic stars talk about their 30-minute extravaganzas. (I got a video copy of the preliminary competition from the New Orleans IBM convention and was surprised how many acts went past the time limit and would be automatically disqualified. Also, most of the silent acts in general were poorly timed to the music, ending in the middle of a cut.) ----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez
----- Sonny Narvaez
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Dennis Michael Inner circle Southern, NJ 5821 Posts |
Matt, I posted this in this section "way back". I have been trained in developing "behaviors skills/techniques" for a variety of job descriptions.
If you are serious about winning contests, you will evaluate your act with the below criteria. It is no guarantee because most judges do not have the skill or techniques necessary to judge fairly. Personal preference cloud their judgments, they judge by "feelings" and not tasks. They also do not know what is original, or have stage presence to determine presentation skills. If they like what they see, then that is the way they judge. Often points scales are prejudice. the larger thew scale the more errors are made. One judge given a candidate a (1) on a 10 point scale, eliminates the candidate completely. A four point scale is the best. There are no averages, you are either above or below average. and in that category you are either better or less than the others being judged. Another major fault in judges is allowing their personalities to determine who they think is better than others. Here is a great guide to determine if you are ready for a contest: To increase your chances in winning, remember you are performing for professionals who have seen a lot of magic so out of the package stuff and standard routines and patter won't cut it. In studying contests, in general, I was developing a list of behaviors or dimensions which I would judge an individual. These are not IBM or SAM or anybody else's requirements, just expected behaviors of a performer. They are practical and some form of written guidelines to follow to ensure a successful chance of winning. I rated on a 1-4 scale and purposely left out average because average is a point where one can't make up their mind, therefore, one needs to be above average or below average. These guidelines also are designed for a judge who has been around a lot and can be reasonably objective based on a broard understanding of the magic entertaining business. The purpose of these guidelines is to eliminate subjectiveness. Scoring Criteria: will be based on a one to four scale in each dimension:
What is left out is Use of Music because music can take a bad act and push it into a good act. It can enhance a performance tremendously or it can hurt a performance equally by inappropriateness, timing is off and numerous other possible positive and negative behaviors. Music will push an act above a four and it can pull it below a one. The best acts use music and take that chance!
Dennis Michael
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Pakar Ilusi Inner circle 5777 Posts |
Thanks for the really informative posts guys!
"Dreams aren't a matter of Chance but a matter of Choice." -DC-
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JeremyTan New user has magically produced 89 Posts |
Mr. Dennis Michael, you been a great help! Thank you!
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/jeremytanmagic Instagram: @jeremytanmagic TikTok: @jeremytanmagic |
Steven Leung Inner circle found the Magic Rainbow after 1614 Posts |
Thanks Mr Dennis, your post indeed, very constructive and informational about contest.
Most memorable moment - with Maestro Juan Tamariz & Consuelo Lorgia in FISM Busan 2018.
"Being fooled by a trick doesn't always mean they are having a good time" - Homer Liwag https://hhpresents.com/ https://www.glitchstudiohk.com/ |
Tryllejakob New user Denmark 51 Posts |
Take a look on this guide for the FISM jury there is a lot to learn both for the artists and the jury members.
http://www.spcmn.es/documentos2/FISM/FIS......20v5.pdf |
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