Hi Guys

I hope it is ok for me to post a link to a video here, if not I apologise and please could someone direct me to the right forum.

In the meantime the following is a link to my first video, I felt a little tense recording myself but I would still appreaciate your feedback at my Vanish and Reproduction of A Coin.

http://media.putfile.com/Coin-Vanish--Reproduction

Many Thanks

Your load was good...

Try to dead out your hand when it is holding out though... It did not look
natural hanging where it was...

Overall good job. Keep it up.

Shawn.

Thanks for you comments, I really appreaciate it. I will try putting my hand to my side in order to look more relaxed. Also what did you think of the RT did it look convincing to you. I have preformed this for a number of people and it seems to have them convinced, but your opinion would be very valued.

Thanks

The RT is good... Try over exagerating the weight of the coin as you drop it in to the opposite hand...

It will telegraph the move better...

Shawn.

I think your easily probably in the top 20% of magicians, possibly higher.

Very well done, the construction and sleights were very well done and if you told a person do to a FP only vanish and reproduction sequence using those moves I don't know if it could be done better...

You made everything very clear and directed the spectators mind through the effect very well, and all your moves were burn proof imho.

It's a great feat to take something very simple and work it out so polished

very well done!

My only crit would be that yes the right hand looks a bit dead but because your working for a camera and need to keep it in frame I'm not sure how else you could handle it without a wider frame, but in performance I think you should feel comfortable letting the right hand hang at your side.

I also think that after showing the vanish that a little palm up ramsey display along with a slight "end" gesture as if to say "well that coin is really gone" before contiueing with the load... as it stands now because you continue directly into the load there is a bit of "dirtyness" on the right hand that I think could be taken care of with a gesture using ramsey sublty.

You must make "highs and lows" in your effects, a "high" on the vanish followed by a low where you subtly convince them the coin is actually gone, followed by a "high" when the coin is reproduced.

As it stands it currently kinda middle's it between the vanish and reproduction and I think it would play a bit better if you paused a bit.

-daegs

Hi Daegs/Shawn

Thanks you so much for your valuble feedback I really appreaciate it. I did feel a little stiff while filming this because it was my first video and I was trying to keep everything in the frame (I'm not trying to make an excuse because your are right and In real life my hand can & will go to my side from now on) Also Daegs I would really like to thank you for your idea of giving a pause and gesture along with a palm up Ramsey Display. I think that is a great idea and I will be working this into the routine.

Thank you so much for your feedback

I thought you performed it very well. Much better than I could. But personally I wouldn't do that kind of effect stand alone. While this may sound a bit too simplistic, I feel a spectator can too easily deduce what's going on. I mean, if it's not in one hand, where else could it be?

Maybe snap your right hand over left along with the spider vanish move. Because right now there's just way too much heat on your dirty hand. If you want the real truth of what's going on in the spectator's mind, sometimes you've just got to ask.

But again, for the move you're trying to accomplish, job very well done.

I agree with Platt. You've done an excellent job in getting this move down. Now it's time to incorporate it into a longer routine.

Hi Platt/Rob

Thanks for your valued opinions, yes I agree with you both that it is time to incorporate this into a longer routine and that it is a quite simple effect. I will be putting up another video soon of some of my other work, so if you have time please feel free to give your views and opinions.

Thanks Again Guys

Good evening,

Thanks for posting the clip. Are you working from "Nowhere Palm"?

You're welcome, TS.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of your routines.

Thanks for asking for criticism. It takes a lot of courage to do this. The beauty of technology now, is that we can view your video over and over again and, become so much more critical than if we saw your performance only once, live. Of course, this is good and bad. In real time, what passes for good magic is less demanding of the performer than that which has been taped and can be shown over and over again, revealing more and more flaws – not that you have that many.

When folks offer their performances up for criticism to the world (it is the world after all – at least anyone with a computer and internet connection – possibility of millions viewing your work), I would prefer a shot (view) of the whole person. Shots of just the hands and upper torso are rather limiting. Aren’t they.? I would like to see your expressions and your eyes – the eyes tell all – the hands are only part of the story. Show everything, then you’ll benefit more from any criticism offered.

I would suggest not moving your hands so much at the beginning – you do want to show a very clear picture of what is about to happen in your hands don’t you – it’s a bit too frenetic especially since we cannot see your face. It’s o.k. to express yourself with your hands, but not if you’re trying to show something as simple as a coin in your hands. It would be cleaner not moving so much.

What is your justification for throwing the coins from hand to hand the way that you do? If you weren’t about to perform a magic trick with a coin, would you toss the coin from hand to hand that way?

Your “patter” expresses in detail every action that you perform. Sometimes, you should let your actions speak for themselves and not describe exactly what you’re doing, unless you’re performing for someone that can’t comprehend visual information (or maybe very young children). For example, if you give the coin a squeeze, do you have to tell people that that’s what you’re doing – isn’t it clear enough just to give the coin a squeeze and let people figure that out for themselves. I’m suggesting that you edit your patter down to the very essence in descriptors. When you give the coin a squeeze and a blow, believe me, most people will comprehend that that happened without being told.

When did the magic happen, during the “little squeeze” or the “magical blow”? – this could be confusing. Try making the magic happen in one moment. If you have to squeeze and blow, perhaps you’re trying to hard to make the magic occur.

When you reveal that the coin has reappeared, take more time, let it sink in that magic has occurred again, before pattering on. Open your fingers slower, more expressively and pause – this is another big magical moment. Try not to step on the moment, because the people you’re performing for deserve the sensation they are experiencing.

Thank you for offering the opportunity to clarify my own thoughts on your work (and mine).

I look forward to seeing your next iteration of this. Keep up the good work.

Dan,

Great post! There's a ton of good advice there for all kinds of magic performance... many thanks!

Very well done! I especially like the post-conditioning you do with Ramsey subtelty; assuming the same hand position whether you're holding out or not. Clearly you've not only been working, but thinking too! Keep it up!

Keith Jozsef

Unfortunately, I can't get the video to run. Although I do have some thoughts on the whole squeezing and blowing issue.

I agree with Dan that sometimes things like that can be excessive. However, sometimes it's a rythm thing. Magic, like music or any other performing art, needs to have its own rythm. Occasionally saying, "Just a squeeze and a blow" simply fills in the gaps and keeps everything flowing and sounding good. Musicians will sometimes put a lot of "Ooooh's" and "Ahhh's" in their songs for the same reason. Not that you always need to be commenting on the action, but sometimes it works aesthetically.

Also, who's to say "magical spells" don't need more than one component? Eye of newt, toe of frog (or whatever the heck it is). Sometimes we need more than one thing to make the magic happen. I certainly do that with kids. For example, if I'm working for two kids at a table, to make them both feel like they are participating in the magic, I might say something like. "You blow on my hand... Now, you tap it with your finger."

Again, I haven't seen the video so I don't know how blowing and squeezing play in that context. Just throwing in my two cents.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time out to give me some feedback. It's very interesting to see how peoples opinions vary, and that little bits of advice and encouragement from all who contribute can make a big difference to your preformance. I guess that we all like to do things differently but at the same time we should be open to suggestion as this can make us all better preformers.

Thanks again to all of you