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SeaDawg Special user The Lunatic Fringe 718 Posts |
Folks I am looking for some input on a couple of strong visual effects that I can use to get passerbys to stop and notice what I am up to.
I work as a "Magic Pirate" outside a Maritime Museum as my primary pitch. Currently I goof around with a balloon Penetration and that turns heads and draws the first curious few. from there I am generally successful in getting a nice build. But I would like to add to my bag of tricks and am convinced that someone here who does "Commando street" may have some ideas for the "Hardcore worker". Any suggestions. Thanks in advance
Crazy people take the psycho-path thru the forest...
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Steve V Inner circle Northern California 1878 Posts |
Wanna know what would be interesting? Get a piece of rope and ask a couple people to hold on to the ends. You'll be surprised how many will stop to see what you are up to.
Steve V |
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Laird Regular user Kansas City 124 Posts |
Ninja Rings, Chrime, Bright, can't ignore them......
It's never to late to have a happy childhold!
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
You might just try searching these threads. You will find this topic among others already discussed. Crowd building, type of act, type of tricks best for the street, hat lines and so forth. There is a virtual text book hidden amongest these threads. Start reading, start learning and above all have fun.
Then, get out and do it and report back your experience.
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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Arkadia Special user Sweden, Sundsvall 866 Posts |
Never underestimate the power of a TT and a silk... you can hold a crowd a long time with that effect. It is a great crowd puller. Simple but brilliant.
/Ark
Don't miss out on the great new mentalist magic: www.metalwriting.com
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
I hate the TT and silk. I won't argue with your expertise on the subject of street performing... but I personally <hate> the TT and silk!
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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Arkadia Special user Sweden, Sundsvall 866 Posts |
Mandrake: Well, a lot of people hate cut and restore rope, silk vanishes, vanishing cigaret etc. But it is effects that works extremely well on the streets. The "plotline" is easy to grasp and the reaction is there! No weird counting of cards, storys where to remeber names, cards or dates. It is plain magic, in your face - which is what you're looking for when you gather. Well, the best way is to be funny, but the topic was about tricks.
Still, I respect your opinion and tend to dislike that trick aswell. Still, I do it in almost all my street shows. And it plays very well. /Ark
Don't miss out on the great new mentalist magic: www.metalwriting.com
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TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
Silk/tt is especially great if you have a phase for the wize-guyz, such as a color change or other ....
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate, Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder. |
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Wanlu Inner circle Manila, Philippines 3058 Posts |
Hi...The Talking Masks will most certainly attract people...
"The Old Path"
www.angdatingdaan.org Wanlu's Affordable Puppets http://wanlu.net/ventpuppets.html Wanlu and his Puppets http://wanlu.net |
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
Mandrake, I personally don’t like several of the tricks/effects I perform. The trouble is my audience’s love them and they work! The old red rag trick (TT) done over and over rapidly while standing on a box and saying nothing will draw an edge almost as fast as a burning torch! Chris Capehart used this ploy for almost a decade in NYC! In fact, there was a time when he did nothing but the TT and earned a nice living doing it! Back in the late 70’s I watched him entertain for over an hour doing nothing but the TT! He was racking in the cash. Man that was magic!
Heck if you want to attract a crowd and draw a good edge all you have to do is to light a torch and stand there, wave it back and forth a few times, put it out when you have the start of the crowd. It draws faster and easier than any magic trick you’ll do. I can’t juggle worth a darn (OK, I can’t juggle at all) but I have a nice Dube’ juggling torch. I’ll light it and swing it Indian Club style and will have an edge in minutes even in broad daylight). I also use the oh so easy formula provided by the genius Don Driver (mentioned above). He has all the psychology of gathering a crowd down pat and gives it to you on a platter (or rather on a DVD!). Remember, what draws a crowd to your show is color, sound, and movement. Get the Cellini DVD’s (volume 1 of “Street Magic” discusses just this topic) for a graduate course in street performing/busking. You don’t need any magic trick to draw a crowd. It is your personality and the promise of things to come that will cause them to stop. You will have to entertain them once they stop and watch. Entertaining them is what gets the hats (usually). ***** By the way (and slightly off topic), I was having breakfast this morning with a couple of friends who were passing through. There were a couple of kids at the next table. They were tired and fussy (probably from having to get up early and travel). I borrowed a dollar bill from their dad and pulled some of the linen threads from the bill then stuck them back in again (yep the old red-rag TT trick!). The kids were goggle eyed and several patrons in the restaurant asked me to do it again. I borrowed bills all over the place and pulled the red fibers from them and stuck them back in again. I must have done the old trick six or seven times. I refused all offers of tips (and there were offers). One of my friends did the old “Boomerang” trick/optical illusion it played well for the kids too (he carries the old Norm Neilson close-up version. Sadly no longer made). The kids were maybe 7 and 10. In all it was a good breakfast!
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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Kozmo V.I.P. 5473 Posts |
Use your voice
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SeaDawg Special user The Lunatic Fringe 718 Posts |
Folks, thanks for the feed back.
Here is some of my thoughts.....] 1. as for using my voice. God blessed me with a powerful set of pipes that the military helped fine tune. I worked street sans amplification until the crowds got big enough that the projections were killing me and I was forcing it. I added a Fender Amp Can and it is awesome for my needs. 2. As for the TT.... I change colours like a chameleon in the sun. Literally by the hour. I have found problems matching tone and size with my meathooks. Any suggestions for colour matching? I am thinking of adding a rope routine to my act based on some other feedback... Thoughts anyone?
Crazy people take the psycho-path thru the forest...
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Dave V Inner circle Las Vegas, NV 4824 Posts |
FrediUp now sells several shades and sizes of TT's. Some here will insist you can get away with a red TT, but tell that to your brain. If you worry, you'll "telegraph" it to the audience. Just keep a variety of shades handy.
I've heard "Fiber Optics" is good. Might be too long to do the whole routine, so just take the bits you need.
No trees were killed in the making of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
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TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
If you're worrying at all about the color of the TT you're worrying too much.
Put it out of your mind. As far as a rope routine goes, I would suggest starting with something simple knowing your're going to push ahead for something else. even a very simple cut and restored is pretty startling. as daveV says, fiber optics is certainly one of the best. (no actual cutting) terry herbert on his kids DVD has a wonderfully easy cut and restored routine. he incorporates a very simple way to utilize the cut piece in a second phase and nobody knows it. I've performed this for adults and they REALLY want to see the rope when I'm done. That's a good indication that it's a good routine. That is a fantastic 1st routine to learn. cellini on his new lecture DVD has a fantastic rope routine complete with patter which has 2 cut and restored phases back to back, bringing the rope back to one examinable long piece, followed by a wonderful, deceptive, and easy cut sequence to get into the prof. nightmare. this is very attainable in a short amount of time and one of my new favorites. if you're willing to put more work into your routines or ready to move on.. check out Daryl's routine (no cutting necessasry) and Whit's routine. Great stough.
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate, Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder. |
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Amon Regular user Chicago, IL 134 Posts |
Mandrake, I'm curious to find out why you hate the tt and silk? The overuse of it, or what? Not picking on you, I just was honestly curious...I remember as a kid before I knew about the secret, I saw a magician do this and I thought he was more amazing than any tv magician I ever saw, just because of the sheer simplicity and magical nature of the effect, to my lay eyes.
here and now
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mikevandecarr New user Chicago area 47 Posts |
I've worked with a piece of construction paper wrapped in black electrical tape as a thumb tip on a dare and never got caught. a TT works as long as YOU don't draw attention to it.
Almost forgot, on the rope I blend 3 phases of fiber optics with some of bro pauls rope routine and it works freat on the street, or anywhere I go for that matter. I use only one rope though not 3 as describbed in the original three ropes and a baby. good luck, Mike |
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fanwun Regular user 172 Posts |
Quote:
On 2006-09-06 12:11, Harry Murphy wrote: Hey Harry! Thirty years later and Chris still opens, more often than not, with the TT and silk. Man is he nice with it. I don't use a TT, mainly because I didn't want to feel like a Capehart hack (I usually put whatever he advises to use immediately). Plus, I just wanted an alternative, so I invested in Jay Scott Berry's Cloaking device. You won't get as much mileage with the streamer production as you would with a TT, but it will make people notice. If you add in his finale streamer production with his FS2 gimmick, you'll be satisfied. |
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
Quote:
On 2006-09-06 12:11, Harry Murphy wrote: Quote:
On 2006-09-07 07:19, Amon wrote: My problem is the first magician I saw was Jeff Sheridan. I got spoiled watching those perfect routines. The next few I saw waved the red rag around and made it vanish flapping the other hand around so wildly, you HAD to get suspecious (sp). I got burned out very quickly on that. There, one answer for two posters! And I didn't back to back post! Yay, me!
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
Next time you get a chance, do the red rag trick for a little kid and watch the reactions as it vanishes and reappears in their sleeve (or wherever).
do the trick at half speed. the reactions are priceless and will bring you back. getting down on a knee and doing something like this for a kid makes you feel great when you see how much they love it. and when a group sees you really giving an honest performance to some little kid, you'll win them over too. If you don't have 'seriously silly' get it for soem great ideas on how to present the effect in several very entertaining ways.
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate, Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder. |
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Jason Fleming Veteran user Marooned, Hawaii 374 Posts |
Stop a child, and you can stop the world... Someone really wise said that once...
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