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Michael_MacDonald 1964 - 2016 Washington 2034 Posts |
I have been searching for effects that have emotional content. that looks and feels like the real thing.
I bought the luna books and have only performed with 36 as I have it down solid. I performed it as a closer for a group and used a 6'4 biker as my book Chanel. the first thing that when wrong was he turned to the wrong page initially and was looking at a non entry profile. I caught it after a couple of questions and decided to see where it went. I nailed it then had him turn to the entry he picked, his wife was watching close now as I was so right on target it was scary. I kind of got really into it to the point the emotions were strong in my voice by the time it was done we had hit all three of the f... profiles and 2 that were non f.... I was not prepared for the big guy to start sobbing and shaking. when the people asked him whats wrong all he could say was I see her omg I see her. my question for you all is .... is this supposed to happen? is luna too realistic? should it be softend up a bit to ease out of it? I wanted a dramatic climax but was not prepared for the depth of emotion that came from this performance. everyone was raving about the performance but I still feel bad for emotionally draining the book Chanel. I hAVE A LOT OF IDEAS THAT WILL MAKE THIS MORE DRAMATIC AND STRONGER HITTING BUT NOW IM WORRIED THAT IT MAY BE TO STRONG THE WAY I PRESENT IT NOW. any advise is appreciated. Michael |
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Godzilla Inner circle Tied & Untied Witches on 5316 Posts |
Sounds like you did it correct ,Michael!
You can back off a little on your choice of participant,but on a 6'4" Biker dude...you should have had his Biker Chic, in tears too! And,if you would have pushed even farther,you could have heard his Harley,cried out,in her Thunder! Maybe,some of the lives of C.H.,deserve tears ,shedded for them! Yep,I have a Harley,and I Love the 'Meatloaf',"Bat Out of Hell" Albums! All 3 !
"If you watch Godzilla backwards, it's about a big ass lizard who helps rebuild a half burnt-down city, then moonwalks back into the ocean"
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Michael_MacDonald 1964 - 2016 Washington 2034 Posts |
I just was not ready for this type of reaction some of this stuff is way stronger then the normal spec has ever seen. tonight kind of crossed a line for a lot of the people watching. it went from cute tricks and cool mind reading tricks to....this is real....i guess the reality shifted in a way tonight that some of these people watching wont believe me now when I say I'm just an entertainer. I was asked repeatedly for personal readings after I closed the set. this normally doesn't happen to me.
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revenantproductions Regular user 136 Posts |
Michael,
That is the power of the L*n@ effect. When you can take an effect and give it such an emotional presentation you used it to its full potential. That audience will remember that presentation for the rest of their lives. Well done! Best, RP |
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Godzilla Inner circle Tied & Untied Witches on 5316 Posts |
Welcome to ...MAGICK !
"If you watch Godzilla backwards, it's about a big ass lizard who helps rebuild a half burnt-down city, then moonwalks back into the ocean"
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Michael_MacDonald 1964 - 2016 Washington 2034 Posts |
If a single book is that strong I'm afraid to see what the full set with pictures and keys would do. I can honestly say that it was unforgeable for me as well as those that saw it.
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Christopher Gould Inner circle in special pants. 1029 Posts |
I think it is all a matter of context. It would not be good if they cried because of the standard of your performance, for example. It would equally not be a good thing if subject cried at the end of a reading where you told him they he had bowel cancer.
What ever art you are involved in should always engage the emotions. Pause and think a moment, all great art does this. This is why so much magic is so artless. At the same time, I feel that art should elevate and refine. Again, all of the great art does this as the central hub of civilisation. This is why I feel magicians have a part to play in a society that devalues art, or spends billions on producing art which lowers, rather than elevates us. I can think of many examples of this. Luke Jermay talked about the importance of the emotions in performance at Whitby, then went on to demonstrate by taking an audience member back to her first kiss. The tears were streaming down her face by the end. Now, although these were complex emotions (joy, nostalgia, remembering things that are now past etc.) the performance elevated. The audience (although I am assuming that none of them ever kissed the same guy) were also in touch with their emotions due to it's resonance with similar experiences. The first time this happened to me was when performing Death in the Family. It was quite unexpected. I just looked up and saw the woman I was working with sobbing and the others that were sitting around the table looking somewhat uncomfortable. My first though was 'shite, how do I get out of this?'. At the end, the woman's husband came up to me and thanked me. He said that his wife had just lost her mother and could not let go. The rest of the audience continued to look at me with the same slack-jaw expression that was a favourite of my own father when attempting to understand his son. So I was confused, but the reaction was really strong and positive. In the end, I concluded that the woman had had some kind of cathartic experience, she has relived her grief in a context which allowed her some distance from her own circumstances. The audience were part of a psycho-drama which put them in touch with their own emotions regarding loss, but in a powerful way as they were to some extent experiencing the very real emotions of the woman who had just lost her mother. I think we need to be quite careful in bizzare magic, as it is so easy to slip into hackneyed themes and ideas that lower the spirit rather than elevate it. At the same time, bizarre magic is the branch most suitable to achieving the opposite. This is my over-comprehensive way of saying, it is all a matter of context. Michael, I read your posts with interest.
The Moon is now to be found in the constellation of Gemini:
https://www.geminiartifacts.com |
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Michael_MacDonald 1964 - 2016 Washington 2034 Posts |
Christopher,
thank you for that. I see and understand what you are saying and agree with all my being. please do not get me wrong the viewers were enthralled with the whole event. I say event as it went way passed an effect for them. the whole process I used was devised to take them down a dark path. to give them a bit of a fright not in fear for their own safety but for the plight of the patients. I think what made tonights performance so much more frightening was that even though he went to the wrong room initially I still was able to connect with the patient. then he went to the right room and it was a hit on the male which brought in the young girl. I not only got what was written but took them deeper into the experiences of hatred for women and the terror of the young girl, described the treatments, the living conditions....when I perform I do it with a belief that what I'm doing is not a trick. that is what gives me the ability to seem real. if I believe it then they do. so as I got involved with the man girl situation I was keyed up a bit and it transfered to the sitter. the raw emotion in my voice the panic in my eyes as I "channeled" the young girl. the hatred from the man. I slammed him between a rock and a hard place with no outlet to bring him down. it was not my intent but the way it played out that was the road we took. I think I need to put a few buffers in place because the material is so strong. a way for them to withdraw to a safe place. I also need to have a closing that will bring them back up as if they wake from a bad dream and find that they are safe. so far all I have been using is words and the book. I'm not sure I need added stimuli of pictures that will not only give them a visual of the real hospital but it will sink home that these are REAL people, that really suffered, that really died. when I start I bring out a very old dr bag, open it and bring out a old wood box that holds nothing but the books that in its self lends to the antiquity of the subject matter. the fact that I handle the books with great respect and gentle care. just seals the deal. don't get me wrong I love this set but I just need be able to bring them back from the edge of the abyss to a more secure |
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Jon_Thompson Inner circle Darkest Cheshire 2404 Posts |
I've certainly seen people burst into tears and be emotionally very moved by bizarre magic. There's a burden of care on the performer, and a responsibility to ensure that they're OK afterwards.
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Dr Spektor Eternal Order Carcanis 10781 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-07-30 06:41, Jon_Thompson wrote: 100% agree Less is more As I teach simulation I have this guideline I share as it involves the titration of stress to get people into the learning mindset zone..... You can increase the stress as you facilitate the situation based on the people present.... And I'd rather they didn't get the full effect than produce pain or sometimes even trauma PTSD activation/reactivation - no joke I have small role plays that can produce people to tears in 30 seconds who are just watching the action - less is more less is more - I kid you not - gives you also more time to deal with the processing debriefing of what happened to the people.... IMHO
"They are lean and athirst!!!!"
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Balaram Special user 904 Posts |
I think it is important to give your participants an escape if needed. Tell them "if the experience becomes too much/intense/strong, close the door to the room," by symbolically closing the book. Let them know they can do so at any time. Yes, it may cut the routine short, but it is not our job to rip away someone's psychological defenses, and leave some issue or other exposed, raw and twitching on the floor. Or anything unpleasant and less dramatic. Let them have an out, and you will not have to worry about harming them.
One time, while presenting my intro to '36, I noticed one face display INTENSE interest. I invited her to help. Flat-out, unequivical NO! No worries, moved on to another volunteer. She came up afterwards to explain: she had been a patient in a mental hospital, and "just didn't want to go back there". We just never know. Protect them with an out, then enjoy it yourself. After so much time spent with the patients in '36, I get sad for them too. It is a psychodrama, we should all enjoy the emotion and mystery of human connection and compassion thru time. Even with our fictional patients. |
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Vic Nadata Special user Charlotte, NC 935 Posts |
Great thread. I too have had a similar experience. The effect was L*na and during the reading I saw tears streaming down. Her explination was that she felt connected to the patient and can feel her pain.
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Michael_MacDonald 1964 - 2016 Washington 2034 Posts |
It is nice to see that I'm not alone in this experience. thank you guys for the advice.
This is exactly why I started performing more realistic meaningful routines. I want a strong emotional charge. getting it was not the issue but defusing it at the end to create a more lasting positive experience is where I had the issue. these books are not a book test in any sense of the word they are not props but rather pieces of history to those they are shared with, in them are people that are perceived as real people with real problems. because the sitter takes on the aspect of medium it has a profound experience on them. I need to always remember that my pride and ego have no place in this type of performance. that the sitter is the highlight. I must remember that respect and security are what is expected of my by them as they trust me not to abuse them publicly. because I was perceived as caring for how the spectators felt during last nights performance I started getting lots of requests for private readings and inquiries for private performances. so now I find myself with another tough spot... readings, should I do them..... because of the emotional investment they have seen in my CH event are they going to expect that for a personal private reading?.... thinking back this show was not perceived as a show last night. these people saw it as real. it was a walk into the darker side of life. so to them I am real, what I do is real, no matter how much I would tell them otherwise they still believe it was not just a show. that's why the readings were requested as they think I may have some answers. |
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PROF BC Inner circle 1445 Posts |
This is absolutely the LVNA effect. Spot on. It is what Aristotle would call 'catharsis' (original meaning)--the cleansing and purging of emotion through tears. It is more than bizarre; it is pure theatre--which is what this art form seeks to recapture and salvage from the finger flickers and party clowns.
Congratulations. You are fully blooded now, MM. BC
Phasmologist
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Michael_MacDonald 1964 - 2016 Washington 2034 Posts |
It is a very humbling experience I must say my friend. it would be nice to be able to compare my performance take on this piece to others that are doing it. just to see what the spectrum diversity this actually has. I think I am going to have a recorded session that I can post off this site in a more private area and see if others will as well. I think we can all learn from this type of collaboration. I do not think the potential has even been scratched here.
I am really glad that this is not a main stream over used piece as I think I have years of valuable material in this set. |
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Michael_MacDonald 1964 - 2016 Washington 2034 Posts |
LETS SEE IF I CAN ATTACK SOME PICS
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Michael_MacDonald 1964 - 2016 Washington 2034 Posts |
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Michael_MacDonald 1964 - 2016 Washington 2034 Posts |
IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THAT ALBUM YOU WILL SEE ALL I THINK
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Vic Nadata Special user Charlotte, NC 935 Posts |
This content is currently unavailable
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Michael_MacDonald 1964 - 2016 Washington 2034 Posts |
Ok ill upload tonight when I get back from my performance
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