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dpe666 Inner circle 2895 Posts |
Ok, so tell me what you think. After doing a shadow box to appear, I plan on the following sequence: Ropes Thru Body/Pocket Sawing/Bisection/Rope Thru Neck/"the trick on Andrew Mayne's video where you pop your head like a balloon" (I can't remember the name at the moment). Any suggestions?
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Landon D Parks New user Bloomington, Indiana 1 Post |
Your routine depends on a number of things. To do a good show, it needs to have some sort of story to it. I can't stand shows where the magician comes out, does a whole bunch of tricks in no particular order, never tells you anything about the trick, etc...
Good magic shows will be well rehearsed, with well places dialogue and magic / illusions in the proper order to give the show a theme. Only you can come up with a good line of tricks to perform. It also depends on what you have, what you can buy and more importantly, what you can afford. I might say, well, do a Buzz Saw illusion next... but that's no good if you don't have one and cant afford one. Your best bet is to step back, review your show, and rethink what needs to be done. Get opinions from your audience as well! How long are wanting your show to be? 15 minutes? and Hour? Thanks! |
dpe666 Inner circle 2895 Posts |
This sequence is done to the theme from Beetlejuice.
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Ray Pierce Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 2607 Posts |
In my show format, the "Opener" isn't there to talk about yourself, your philosophy, likes, dislikes, or anything else. It's designed to acquaint them with you as a performer and to hook them for the rest of the show. It is, in fact, the PERFECT time to just do some good magic as a teaser for what is to come. Even if you ARE telling a story (and I'm still not sure that is a must to be a great magician) you don't need to get into the exposition yet. There is time! I wrote a series for Genii back in the ... maybe 80's?... I forgot, called Pansophical Production where I went through the 5 elements of a short form show. They are:
Opener Personality Ballad Rouser Closer Each has a specific role to play. These elements are the same for a great show, a great roller coaster, a great murder mystery or great relationship. (lol... I don't accept anything unless it applies to my life globally!) When you meet someone attractive at a party (and just for the illustration, let's just say you're single!) and as you introduce yourself, they go into a 20 minute monologue about their life, politics, problems, past relationships, etc., you might get a little turned off. That's what happens when you get into too much exposition too soon in a show. I always like to say, Why should the audience automatically care WHAT you think?" They shouldn't. You have to create that interest and seduce them one routine at a time. Let's just say you did about 5 minutes of non-stop solid great magic. No story, no details, just blew them away. Don't you think they'll be interested in what you're going to do next? Now you do something that gives them a chance to see that you're not only an amazing performer, but you're fun as well! The personality piece lets them see your fun side. Just building the report.... Assuming the first two pieces worked correctly, NOW you can show them that you care, that you're passionate. That is the purpose of the ballad. You can sneak this in now because at this point, they're open to what you have to say as you've proved yourself worthy by the first two segments. Now you come to the rouser which is your slow build to the closer. I always think this is something with multiple paths that all pay off at the same time concluding in a climax that they're pulling for. Now the closer. It would take hours to discuss the 3 element closer that is my personal fave, but this is the chance to bring it all together. Wrap it up and let them walk away amazed that every element was there. That is a complete and well rounded show. You've taken them on a journey and showed them a total package. What's not to like there? Let me say that I LOVE story driven shows, magic included. I've directed them for years from Summer Stock to theme parks, to film and television. I've been the Magic Tech Advisor for dozens of shows acting as a consultant to the writers and creators to develop magic that doesn't just amaze but move the plot and character arc forward. I've also seen it totally destroy great magic. If you like telling stories, tell them! I've done a Charlie Chaplin Routine with the Keystone Kops, a Pirate scene with a complete character set and plot line, My "Mission: Impossible" routine is ALL story... but I also love just doing great straight ahead magic and fooling people. I remember when David was doing "A Date with a Magician" with Cyndi Williams, we all thought it was amazing to work all of those cute story points into the routine. Many laymen however were so caught up in the plot, they missed the magic! They literally didn't realize an effect had taken place. Doing story driven magic is like comedy magic. People tend to fall into it as they're not really good enough at either one individually but instead of succeeding, you see them failing at two things rather than just one. Make sure you're a great magician, AND a great story teller, then make sure the story is really worth telling. lol... sorry to go on, but I'm on a plane to NYC for a meeting and it's either this or some bad movie! Good luck developing your opener. Ray
Ray Pierce
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