I know I'm not the only one who loads from a servante, so what's the normal reason to go under the table for loads, standing or sitting?

Putting something away would be the best reason. Basically, the moves must be justified. Al Schneider simply performs with his non-working hand in his lap. He gets the audience accustomed to seeing it that way. Now he can do the "move" without arousing suspicion.

The other thing he does is break the retrieval into two steps, retrieving the ball and then resting his fingers at the edge of the table. You can load a pretty big ball right from the edge of the table that way without the cup having to go out of sight. Simply move the cup to the edge during the action of placing it aside, change hands and the load is done.

Your technique seemed to be good.
Your presentation is of the "explaining what you're doing" variety so after watching it I think back and what I hear in my head is..

"I'll do this and this and then this happens."
"Then I'll do this and then this and then this happens"
"Then I'll do this and then this and then that happens"
"If I do this and then that, then this happens"

It's a bit repetitive in other words.
What could you do differently?
Perhaps a phase is very magical but it does not work out the way you're explaining?
That would add a comedy element and break it up a bit.

The ending is nice with the 4 lacrosse balls but it gets bogged down after the first ball and seems to stall. This is a big moment but your words don't seem to match the reaction you should be getting at that point. You're being apologetic and stalling at the point in the routine when I think you should be putting more energy into the routine at that point for the reveal of the final 3.

What are the memorable moments in this routine besides the final loads?
What will the audience remember 1 month later besides the final loads?

Hi Matt, I enjoyed your performance, but I am more and spectator than a magician..
However I'll agree with some of the comments that the delivery is a little bit rigid and you look a little bit tight. Comparing to me You are by far loose
I recommend to work more in your "acting" rather than in your technique, as a reference look into rannie raymundo c&b routines (youtube), not because of his skills that are great but rather in the way he choreographs the whole routine and the ways he communicates with the audience when he does the moves.
He even has a C&B video done for Vinny Marini, I have a copy, where Rannie is like you in front of a camera, however the body language and communication is the big difference.
All along I do like your routine

Pablo

That was my very first cup routine. Darn near verbatim. Of course then I stole um er...I mean learned a new routine. ;-) (all in good fun. nobody kill me)

For those commenting on the "acting" - keep in mind it can be tough to perform for just a camera. Any of the street performers in this thread would agree that so much of the energy during cups comes not from the performer, but rather from the crowd.

Robert

Matt :

Why not test your versatility now and try your routine standing up? Might be an interesting and beneficial experiment. I'll bet you'll find it a lot easier. There are more natural movements that are possible standing than sitting, especially when it comes to the loading sequences. Why not give it a whirl and let us know what you think.

Fortasse

Matt:

Remember when I posted this?

"Practice until it becomes boring, then practice until it becomes beautiful."

You are well on your way. I'll echo some of the other sentiments. You need to work on your script. I once watched a famous female performer from England do one of her shows. It was like watching a cooking show. She explained all of the details.

"Now, I place the ball in my right hand. Now I do this. Now I do that." It was not the finest I had seen.

So, here are a few thoughts.

You can say, "If I place the ball under the cup and wave the wand like this, then the ball becomes invisible and moves wherever the wand directs it to. Watch..."

That's done with the addition of just a few words ... If... and ... then. This gives purpose to your speech. If you have purposeless speech, then you don't need to use it.

When the wand goes through the bottom of the cup, react to it. Look shocked. Or look puzzled. Then do that bit where you twist the top and bottom of the cup in opposite directions to tighten it up. That's a funny bit.

Add some theater.

Work on a premise.

Think of this "Who am I? Why am I here?"

Can you convey that with the cups and balls?

Otherwise, excellent work!

When I finally have time to develop a routine someday I think it will be set to music with no patter. Just timed perfectly to a nice classical track.

-todd

Looks like I have the first half down! Just kidding =) But I will make sure to practice until it is beautiful.

I will definitely add more theatre to my routine. Also it is pretty short (just over 3 minutes) so I can do quite a bit more talking without dragging the trick on for too long. Also, I will try to make more "magic" happen by waving my wand, tapping the cups, etc.

Thanks everyone for the great advice!

Matt:

I meant -- until it becomes boring for YOU!

Very good, it is not easy to develop a routine without falling on vernon's routine.
you did it!

The comments from everyone have been quite helpful for me, as I think about reworking my routine. What a great group we have here!

RevJohn

As to your "telegraphing" the loads, I don't happen to think so. Hands to the lap while performing a sitting routine are as natural as any resting "tick," if you will. But that's how I feel about it. I for one perform standing.

I would offer this--along the lines of Bill's advice.

It looks to me like you've got the structural issues down. Now, hammer out your patter, so that you have the freedom to veer from your explanatory constrictions.

And lastly, I'd suggest the possibility of removing one phase. It's not a must, but it did have a "long" feel to it.

I appreciate your willingness to post yourself performing this. I could never cajole myself into filming my cups and balls routine for the camera alone. If I ever post mine, it'll be under live fire--where my ebbs and flows have reflexive value to them.

-R

I agree RevJohn, I'm still putting a routine together and I've gleaned a ton of great info from this!
Mick