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maps Inner circle 1124 Posts |
So what are some ways to choose a helper or two in a stage show?
1) Going down the stage to pick one 2) Throwing an object like a frisbee,foam brick,beach ball,etc... 3) Go go down stage and have a person or two examine something and then invite them up on stage to hand you the prop and have them stay on stage to help What other ways are there?
the heart is where the magic begins
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Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts |
How many stars are there in space?
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
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maps Inner circle 1124 Posts |
A lot.
the heart is where the magic begins
Visit my website [www.mascotsandpuppets.com] |
sammagic New user 70 Posts |
A friend of mine went to see Copperfield in Las Vegas as few years ago and went into the show early. Some of Copperfield's staff were then going around the early comers to ask if they would like to 'volunteer!' for the show. The friend of mine agreed to do it and was taken back stage to show what he had to do, it was just to hold a rather large box. However, my friend then had some kind of small luminous mark put on his shoulder that would only be visible from stage. When it came to the trick Copperfield asked for volunteers to help, and surprisingly picked my friend. After the show they were invited to go back stage to be thanked by Copperfield himself, but what really annoyed my friend was that when he asked Copperfield if he would pose for a picture with him and his wife, the reply was a rather blunt 'No!'
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maps Inner circle 1124 Posts |
Thanks for sharing Sam
the heart is where the magic begins
Visit my website [www.mascotsandpuppets.com] |
Frank Simpson Special user SW Montana 883 Posts |
Before taking Dick's response as being glib, note that the question itself is extrememly broad.
The choosing of a volunteer is not simply something to be gotten through, but is an integral part of a routine. The presentation of the effect is going to steer the manner in which an assistant is chosen. I have some effects where I spend up to a minute going out into the house for some comedic interaction before coming back onto the stage with my helper. There are other effects where I don't even give the person an option, simply pointing at my chosen spectator and asking the audience to welcome them to the stage with a round of applause. Less than five seconds. For me a key is choosing potential voluteers well before I need them. I don't do this by any kind of pre-interview, but by watching audience reactions to the effects leading up to when I need a volunteer. This way I can avoid the overly shy as well as the overly rambunctious person. But the way I invite them to the stage is designed to dovetail with the overall presentation of the specific effect. |
maps Inner circle 1124 Posts |
Thanks Frank,I know for sure that the magic Café is a great place for discussion and learning,and I am grateful that many experienced greats even bothered to look and post.I am learning something new everyday and gleaning from the posts.
the heart is where the magic begins
Visit my website [www.mascotsandpuppets.com] |
magicwatcher2005 Elite user Washington state 446 Posts |
Quote:
On 2014-01-08 05:58, Dick Oslund wrote: All of them. |
Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts |
Quote: On 2014-01-08 08:45, Frank Simpson wrote:
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
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Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts |
Darn~ I messed that up typographically! The final paragraph is yours, but I hoped to 'second" it.
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
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maps Inner circle 1124 Posts |
For me a key is choosing potential voluteers well before I need them. I don't do this by any kind of pre-interview, but by watching audience reactions to the effects leading up to when I need a volunteer. This way I can avoid the overly shy as well as the overly rambunctious person. But the way I invite them to the stage is designed to dovetail with the overall presentation of the specific effect.
Well,sometimes the house lights are really low and you can't see into the audience.
the heart is where the magic begins
Visit my website [www.mascotsandpuppets.com] |
Frank Simpson Special user SW Montana 883 Posts |
Except in the most harsh of lighting conditions I have always been able to see at least 10 rows or so into the house. I don't know, maybe my vision allows me to do so. But barring that I begin nearly every performance with the Miser's Dream. This gives me a chance to run through the audience and gage reactions accordingly from point-blank range. My routine is a high-energy effect, and I put it at the beginning specifically for me to get the chance to look for potential volunteers for much later in the show.
It is as much art as it is science, and it is only through much repetition that one develops the skill of predictably choosing the right volunteer for the right effect. Of course it is not an exact process, and occasionaly you'll get someone who is different gtom what you expect. And the most important skill of all is making the volunteer the star, regardless of who you expect them to be. |
maps Inner circle 1124 Posts |
Choosing the right volunteer is an art by itself.It's a great idea to do something like the Miser's Dream that allows you to go amongst the audience and start 'casting' them
the heart is where the magic begins
Visit my website [www.mascotsandpuppets.com] |
Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts |
Good post, Frank (only I close with the coin pail--I can't follow it!!!)
I especially like your second paragraph! I imagine that anyone who "works" will occasionally pick the "wrong" person. (sheer odds!) That's when experience and talent "takes over"! SW Montana! Anaconda? Butte? Helena? I've worked schools all over that area. I especially recall a JOB CORPS 'CAMP' near Anaconda. --I was there twice.
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
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Frank Simpson Special user SW Montana 883 Posts |
Dick-
I love how an effect that works as an opener for one is a closer for another, and a middler for yet another! I believe that is going to happen as a by-product of (hopefully) performance style, and a performer paying attention to what is going to work best for them specifically! I'm a bit further south than those. I'm in Bozeman. If you ever want to visit Yellowstone country, I've got a room for you! |
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