I just made a new version of my promo video and some of the new footage looks GREAT on VHS but kind of dark on the web.

http://www.funnymagic.com/videos.html

Take a look and tell me how frustrating the dark parts are:

1. Not bad, don't worry about it.

2. Kind of annoying, but I didn't stop watching.

3. Impossible to watch; Get on the ball and fix it ASAP, Loser!

Also, any general comments about the choice of material and editing would be greatly appreciated.

Please don't tell me that I need BETTER footage - I already know that and am working on other opportunites to get professional tape (anyone here work for Comedy Central?) But for now this is what I've got.

Thanks in advance,


Peter Gross
http://www.funnymagic.com

Don't worry about the darkness in spots. NOT A BIGGIE!
The performance was better than great! Real nice stuff! I could'nt stop WATCHing!
But I have to be honest: I my own opinion.....maybe a bit too long for someone looking for talent to hire. Leave them WANTING more. You are very talented and FUNNY but giving such a long performance for an audition, (and that is what it really is isn't it?), might leave the potential client to expect even more when you get the gig.
Just a thought.
PS: Can you lend me a little of your talent and skills please?
GOOD WORK my friend!
Magically,
KW

Took a while to load, but the video is fine - only constructive criticism I can make is that it is a little long - perhaps cutting the Viking bit and possibly the last "Just one more watch" wouldn't hurt it - in fact repeating "Just Watch" three times might give people the impression that this is THE main feature of your act - it may be, but you don't want to tell them that, leave them guessing!

(Looks like a great act by the way!)

Peter, did we work the Waterloo Buskers Festival together 15 years ago. Was that you? Liked your tape. I shot some killer footage of you back then. If you want, I could post it and see if you would like a copy.

Keep up the great work!

TF

Tom-

It certainly was me! For a couple of years Waterloo felt like my home away from home. Nice to hear from you. I would love to see the footage, just to be reminded of what I looked like with hair...

Seriously, I doubt the footage has any business applications at this point, but I would LOVE to see it.

Please let me know where I can go to see it.

Thanks for the kind words.

Sincerely



Peter Gross

It may take me a few days to find in from the archives and post it to the web, but you'll be the first to know. As I recall you do the misers dream with this kid who is PERFECT and cute!

If your interested in what I've been up to, visit my blog

http://www.ballvase.com/tfrank/weblog/tfblog.htm

I'll let you know when the clip is up.

TF

Well, here it is ladies and gents. A real blast from the past. This HUGE streaming file is 17 minutes long.

http://homepage.mac.com/tfrank8176/TomFr......r23.html

Let me know what you think.

A guy you probably don't even remember,

Tom Frank

Just wanted to introduce myself. I edit video for a livin' - and there's a lot in that last one that could use some marked improvement - at least in the sort of performance it focuses on. I'd get technical, but the short of it is -

Focus on a quick setup, then effects and reactions. A lot of the set up a quick promo could do without. What you're selling is the audience reaction and that they'll enjoy themselves.

But I do like your act.

Jmarquiso-

Are you talking about Tom's tape of my street show? He was just documenting my show, so cut the guy some slack. I know I need some slack too... for that haircut! Who did I think I was, a member of Duran Duran?

What Tom has posted is not a 'promo video'; it's source material. He just thought it would be fun (or just funny) to share it with the world. To be honest, I'm a little embarrassed by the looseness of the performance. Pretty messy, indeed.

If you are refering to MY video (From the top of this post) I would greatly appeciate your input.

Please contact me directly (peter@funnymagic.com) and I will greatly appreciate your input.

Thanks

Peter Gross
http://www.funnymagic.com

Peter, you spend a lot of time on the watch routine. Do you feel that this is your strongest moment in your show? Is it necessary to show the audience the same bit 3 times? Overall I like it and you. Nice work.

Tom-
My friend Alex (www.alexthejester.com) said a long time ago that real success in a promo videotape would be to have a tape that make the viewer laugh. Laughter from a live show is one thing, but to get out-loud laughs from a tape is quite a bit harder. When I show people the tape, it is the watch routine that generates the biggest laughs. This is true for my stage act as well. Even though I do bigger, more impressive stuff in my show, I always close with "Do You See It?" because it gets such a great reaction, I can't follow it.

You are the second person, in the last couple of weeks who has suggested that I take one of the watch people out, but it hurts me to do it. Like a parent and his kids, I love each of the equally and could never figure out which one should get cut. That's why I moved one to AFTER the end of the video. If people stop watching, that's fine with me.

I am doing work with Royal Caribbean pretty regularly (Folks, check the website for details) and with each contract I come back with a bit more really good footage, so eventually I'm sure new stuff will push some of the old stuff out of the way, but for now three's the charm.

To answer your actual question, I think the two strongest moments in my show are the watch and the miser's dream, which has grown and developed into a wonderfully long and out of control bit. But the miser's features a kid and I feel it pigeon-holes me as a 'family' act, which is not where I want to be. I still end up doing it all the time, even on the ships, but I always 'claim' that I'm doing it because we happen to have a kid at this show (what a magician lying to his audience? Shocking!). The reason both of them work so well is that they have grown to be about much more than the magic being done. They are really just very good excuses for me to 'play' with the audience, as most of my show is. The magic is just an excuse.

Thanks again for sharing the footage from Waterloo.

Peter