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leapinglizards Inner circle 1263 Posts |
Well, I would say there has been a LOT of improvement.
I would still switch to a thicker rope, it needs to look somewhat beefy. And you need to look "restrained." More important after the switch, your assistant ought to look 'restrained.' The dancing is getting better, I might cut out some of the flying arm gestures and a bit of the spinning on your part but you are moving better. THE CHANGE WAS MUCH SMOOTHER and looked much better.. All of this is only IMHO, your mileage may vary etc etc.... Keep working on it!
Leaping Lizards!!! Who knew it was possible.
<BR> <BR>www.LeapingLizardsMagic.com |
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M Sini Inner circle 1359 Posts |
I thought your performance was VERY entertaining but agree with leapinglizards that you do need to look more restrained. I like the rope idea but agree that thicker ones would look much better.
Good job! |
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sobrien Loyal user 248 Posts |
Nice improvements Patrick....
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MCM Elite user Minnesota 456 Posts |
I wasn't able to get the video to play. Is there a limit at putfile?
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patrickske New user 97 Posts |
Uploaded the video at Youtube, maybe loading is better there!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D90PN2BYj9I Thanks for the reactions so far. Patrick
Magic Creates Life
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Stanyon Inner circle Landrum, S.C. by way of Chicago 3433 Posts |
From "Van Helsing" to "Kill Bill"...music fits a whole lot better...never ever let your girlfriend choreograph your routines...you are not a dancer and she needs more work...agreed, you definitely need to replace the rope with horizontal straps at least 8 - 10 mm (3 - 4 inches) wide. You have to look like there is no way to get out of the bindings, which at present look real flimsy.
FWIW Cheers!
Stanyon
aka Steve Taylor "Every move a move!" "If you've enjoyed my performance half as much as I've enjoyed performing for you, then you've enjoyed it twice as much as me!" |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
I first want to say THANK YOU. The reason is that so many folks would not even have the courage and determination to put their creativity out here for the world to see. I admire and respect you for that. THIS is how one learns, continues to learn and improves. You are also taking the advice to heart rather then arguing with people as so many others do. You are taking in all of the ideas and thoughts and showing that you take the art seriously.
I first feel that this has come a LOMG way from the first rendition of it. I think the movement is getting better and the biggest improvement is in both you not moving once restrained and also the continuation of movement of the curtain. It just looks vastly improved and much more effective. The music works really nicely and I like the switch of music as well. Their are 2 issues I have more then anything else. Please keep in mind this is only an opinion and observation and not a personal attack by any means. Just food for though based on me watching and seeing it. First is the dancing. There is nothing wrong with dance and choreography for an illusion. However, the problem I am seeing now is it is looking to forced. It is looking like both of you are dancing not because it is a direct extension of the song and of the power of the illusion, but because you both feel you have to do it. If this is the case, it ends up feeling like it was tacked on. To me it feels overdone. Too much movement that does not really serve a purpose. The best analogy I can give is an artist. An artist has many many tools but he or she knows just which ones to use to create a work of art. There is often beauty in simplicity of movement. Right now ou both are trying too hard and it shows. Any dance used needs to feel like it is telling a story or telling the audience something. This movement I am seeing does neither for me. I also do illusions and I am no dancer at all. If I even tried to do it, I would have the audience laughing instead of engaged as I want them to be. This is simply me knowing who I am on stage and who I am not. It appears that you are not a dancer at all. if this is the case, do not try and force it. You can still have a great illusion through minimal movement and through use of effective movement that will work for your character on stage and not come off looking out of place. I am also not liking your assistants movement. She moves a tad bit better then you do but she still looks too forced in what she is doing. Now this may be because she 1) does not know the moves down pat yet or 2) is being hindered or held back because she feels she has to wait or see what you are doing first. I see that you have 2 ways you can go with this. 1) if she indeed can dance and can dance well, then use it but minimize your dancing and 2) if you both really are not dancers at heart or have that background, then minimize it a lot and use effective storytelling and simple moves to convey what you want to say to the audience. both can work. One way to do it if she can dance is by you becoming the dominant figure. She and tell the audience that you are this dominant person and you show this by having the head up a bit, shoulders back, chest out and legs apart. This can show a strength pose of dominance. You do not have to move, but allow her to move around you. She in a way is teasing you and then places an arm across your chest as your hand reaches up to grab hers she pushes you backwards in a defiant type of move. You stumble backwards into the prop and she takes on the dominant role. This brings me to my second point. Dancing is always an extension of a story or feeling or emotion being told and expressed through movement to the audience. What I am feeling here is just movement for the sake of movement and that does nothing to the routine. Your dance and movement needs to convey a message to the audience. It needs to speak to them. With this in mind, say to yourselves, "What am I trying to tell the audience? What story am I expressing to them?" The answer you give will be a guide to the proper usage of movement to convey what you are after. Like I described above., that is one way to do it but not the only way. You can see that it starts to tell the audience something and engages them. It also plays on both your strength while not forcing you to do something you are not ready for. When I view this illusion, one story plot tha comes to my mind is as follows. Please keep in mind that this is not the ONLY plot. There are so many out there but only you can determine what it is you want to say to the audience. For me, it is never good enough to just say all the time, "watch how cool this is." It is fine for some illusions, but a full show of nothing but that can get boring quick. This is a perfect illusion that just screams out plot line and theme. To me it is as if you are the dominant figure of strength but you are being tempted by this female figure. This female figure is tempting you and teasing you to give up your strength. You then start to become engaged in her and let down your guard as you are drawn to her. Just as you start to be drawn to her, she turns on you. She captures your strength and uses it against you in a moment of weakness. This then leads into why you would be locked up and would also control both how you and she moves and acts and reacts. As you are in this restraint, she knows it and she then gains he power and shows it in what she does and how she moves. She can also tease you once last time but reaching out towards you and as her hand is about to touch your heart, she immediately turns away in defiance and goes for the curtain. This starts to show you how the movement of what you do can convey a story line and give the audience so much more to enjoy and to get into. Hope this is of help to you. I will try and post more later as I have some additional thoughts and ideas for you. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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patrickske New user 97 Posts |
Wow Kyle,
Thank you for this reaction! Well, my assistent is a dancer. She has the background etc. So we'll have to work harder on that! Iam not a dancer.. so I tried not to dance that much anymore but tried some poses. I would be glad to hear more from you! I love the idea! Patrick
Magic Creates Life
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Patrick,
It is my pleasure. You are most welcome and I commend you for doing what you are doing, working hard at it, asking for advice and keeping a level head. This is way more then most people can and are willing to do. Let me see if I can suggest somethings for you guys that you may want to try out. Keep in mind this is only a suggestion and by no means is it meant to be the ONLY way to present this or do this. This is just something to get you guys thinking in a different way that can highlight her strengths and yours as well and minimize weaknesses. I hope this may be of help to you. The first thing to consider is the restraint from which you will be bound in with. It certainly can be rope, but as said above by others, it would need to be thicker or heavier rope if you go this path. The other option is a chain and lock. This gives a different impression to the audience and may look physically harder for you and her to possibly get out of it. Just something to consider as the illusion needs to be pwoerful; for the audience and it will only get a better reaction based on them realizing that it is physically impossible for you to make an escape once bound in. Now depending upon which you choose (and that is your choice to make) it will also determine a bit on how you move on stage. For example, rope is flexible and a bit more fluid. It moves with ease. it tends to have a bit more of a feminine quality to it. However, chain is stronger and rigid and does not move very easily. It is certainly a more male dominant item or object. I state this because your choice of object can also impact how you work out the movement and the routine of the illusion. For example, If you are using chain, then it may make sense possibly to have you with the chain and have it around your neck (back) and draped over your chest. You would stand front and center in a dominant stance showing and conveying strength to the audience. THis would be like I described above. This way the chain and the way you pose and move are one in the same. However, if it was rope, then it could be changed up a bit where by she could be using it at the start of the routine a bit more as it is more feminine in feel. She could use it in her movements around you. Almost using the rope as a tool of temptation as well. She could possibly bind your wrist and you allow her because you are being tempted by her beauty. but it also starts to convey her strength and turn against your power and strength. See what I mean? Your choice of object can directly impact how you move and how you both pose and routine this. So first determine exactly what it is you want to say to the audience. Then determine your item you will use to bind you. Then we use her strength in dance and play down your movement. Since you are not a dancer, it makes no sense to try and force it. Instead have her do the dance moves around you and have you as the more dominant male figure symbolizing power and strength. Make any sense? If not, please let me know and I can go into more details with you. If you have any questions, let me know also as I would like to share ideas and thoughts with you. I feel you have a great illusion and the right ideas but just need to focus them a bit more to create not only a great illusion but an enteraining routine. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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patrickske New user 97 Posts |
Hi Kyle,
Today I've been to a store for chains, but the chains they had where not big enough. They were expensive aswell and you could only buy them in sets of 30 meters. The guy at the store told me I could go somewhere else where they sell bigger chains. I haven't checked the place which he told so I will do that some day. Your idea's are great, and I get what your trying to say. I certainly can do something with those idea's! The hard part is to focus on the entertaining routine.. Patrick
Magic Creates Life
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
It is tough because so many times we as illusionist want to sell the illusion and the power of it that we forget that we also can convey a story or hint at a plot as well. This is not to mean it has to be done all the time, but it can add flavor and this type of illusion just seems so perfect for this type of treatment.
I also like the chain better then the rope. it allows you to still criss-cross it the way you are doing but you can also use a lock and lock it in place. It sells it more that it is a constraint that you can not possibly escape from. It also is more masculine and this can play in the routining of the act. I think your switch is MUCH better now with you going all the way around in one continuous path. It makes for a much more impactful reaction to the audience. It is also much more fluid. I really think you guys playing off of you having a more dominant strength role and her being the temptress will work really well as the basis for the routine. Then everything you and she does plays off of that. how she moves and how you move all is conveying this sort of plot to the audience. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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Sam Sandler Inner circle 2487 Posts |
Well I would like to chime in here and say a few things.
I will touch on the daning first. I will start with I am not a dancer however my assistant is a professional dancer with a huge reseame. looking at the dancing I will have to agree with kyle yet again that it should tell the story. here is the one mistake I feel lots of magicians make and that is this. you have a cool illsuion and it only takes 30seconds to perform however you need a 60 minute show sooooo, lets dance! now you have a 3 minute routine with a 30second illusion. I will be blunt and say some illusions need to be just a great 30second illusion (less is more) however I am going to say that with the right story line I think you could really make this illusion a stand out effect in your show. think of it this way, going off kyles domminate theory, the dancing by your assitant and your reactions tell a story and the illusion suddly becomes a 2nd thought thus this will create a much bigger reaction when the switch takes place. in other words do not make the illusion the main piece. maybe she could tie you up with shackles prior to putting you in the AR such as death device, or shackle escape and then put you in the AR and then criss cross the chains. then when you switch places maybe you still have one wrist in the shackles as you appear and it is dangling from your wrist. then you move the curtain open and your assitant is wearing the death device and all the cahins are still in tack. you should at that point appear to be out of breath and showing facial expression of whew I just made it. I hope this is coming out the way I am invisioning it as I write like I talk but I talk a lot better then I write. the main point here is you will have appeared to just escaped with your life and some how locked up your assitant at the same time. 2nd I agree there are improvemnets and yes Kyle makes a great case for chains. most AR are made with 2 sets of stocks and lether straps. the stocks go one at top for neck and wrist and then the other for your ankles. then 4 lether straps run horizontal and pad locked into place. that even sounds very restricting. that being said I like the chain idea and heck why not. however they do need to be menancing looking. ( check out Lowes and Home depot) as I mentioned in the desription above adding other restraints will help sell the illusion. One other quick thought is even if you left everything the same and jsut added this one idea it woudl help in my opinion. add a shackle to your neck and have it attached to the top of the AR. look into the death device and there may be a way to atach ittot he AR. in closing Great job and don't ever stop pursuing perfection. the Café is a great place to seek advice. I look forward to seeing what you do next with all this advice from the Café members. take care sam
sam sandler- America's only full-time DEAF Illusionist
http://www.samsandler.com http://www.deafinitelymagic.com |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Excellent feedback and advice Sam. Thanks for coming in and sharing it with us. I think you and I are on the same path and there is a lot that can be done with this. You jut have to be willing to look past the obvious and tell yourself what do I want this routine to say to my audience and what is then the best way to present that.
Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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Sam Sandler Inner circle 2487 Posts |
Hey I went to bed last night and started thinking about what I wrote and had this thougth. Now let me say this first. I am a comedy magician however I do perform many grand illsuions as well. anyway Ihad a thougth about your routine with the AR. what if after you escape you wheel it off stage (or a stage hand)with your assistant still locked up. then you do a routine that does not require your assitant. THEN you say or gesture as if your assistant is coming out to help you and she never shows up. so you look back stage and gasp and then wheel it back out and she is still in the stocks. then you release her. it woudl be a funny addition and certainatly a way to milk the effect.
just a thought. sam
sam sandler- America's only full-time DEAF Illusionist
http://www.samsandler.com http://www.deafinitelymagic.com |
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