You need to find out who you are and just as importantly find out who you are not.
Look at yourself with an honest eye.

You may never be a Copperfield or a Blaine. But they will never be a Devlin either!
Remember that!

Find out who you are. Incorporate your strengths and exploit your weaknesses. Be the best Devlin you can be!

The best way you can figure out who you are is to look around you when your not performing. What do you surround yourself with? Other interests? What types of people are your best friends? Write it all down and make lists if you have to. Once you figure out who you truly are, that character and everything else will fall into place. From the type of magic you should be doing, to the style of dress you will wear.

This is what I did. I loved vintage clothing from the 30's and 40's. I associate with vintage-esque people. I love reading about vaudeville and old magic and other acts. That is who I am. In order to be honest onstage, I incorporate all that into my show. It defines my style of dress, my verbiage, and my actions. Everything about seems real to the audience, because it is real to me. Does that make sense?
Once you are true to yourself, everything else will come easy.

You'll see!

'ello David,

I'm going to be a touch more specific one some of the points mentioned before, and since character is a bit of a specific area of study for me, I'm going to go step by step.

Your Vid's Title Screen (The Magic of David Devlin, etc.) does not seem to fit your character at all. It might fit a character you want to be, but not the person you are. You're not Goth or Medieval or Metal, so why have your titles look like that?

Also, do you perform a self-sawing in half or Copperfield's Laser Illusion (which I highly advise against) in your show? If not, why is your logo image you in half? It sets up an unrealistic expectation of what you do. It's similar to a magician with a rabbit on their business card when they don't use rabbits in their show, or a wizard when they dress in a tuxedo. Your logo should represent what you are and what you do. (If you do, then disavow this aspect of the critique) Also your picture isn't even happy in the title. You don't need to be goofy-happy, but to be a little less morbid perhaps.

Now onto the actual video:

It is fairly obvious by your video that you're not much of a dancer. This isn't a jab, there are many people who aren't dancers. I took 5 years of tap & jazz, a year of Irish Step Dance, and 13 years of Tang Soo Do Martial Arts, and I fancy myself just barely able to not trip over myself on a daily basis.

My point is that you need to know your own body. You have to know what you're capable of as a person. Don't force yourself to do what you think is popular because other magicians look good doing it, because that's how you end up looking foolish. Even taking the stance of allowing your nimble dancer assistant to dance around and make you look good. I call this "White Guy at a dance club" methodology.

Also, in all your dancing, you do use the spin way too much.

Your Clothing: Need to have some semblance of matching, even if its just a similar use of colors. And I do agree that the vest does you no favors. Being a man of size myself, I understand the desire for layers. A solid color vest may do you much better.

Your chair and table: A nicer, smaller table and a wooden stool (perferably a dark colored wood) would start to make the act look much more professional.

Your props: This is something for both the Head Twister and the Dagger Chest... you reeeally need to make your props fit you better. The twister looks too plain and, unless I'm missing something, you do not have an Asian Themed Act, so why have your prop look Asian? A new paint job and perhaps some reworking of the top of the boards can be the difference between a "Demonstration of a magic catalog" and a "Pro"

The actual head twister didn't excite me at all. And its because it looked like you didn't care. You're doing something very strange to someone (and, in the right plot line, very horrible), react in some way. Expression is a major thing missing in your act from what I can see. You need to emote. Not just happy, but any expressions will add to your effects. Happiness, focus, awe... learning how to show all this can improve your act by leaps and bounds.

The Dagger Chest: Again with the table... smaller, nicer...

The Music. Your character is not meant for Rob Zombie music. My character is not meant for Rob Zombie music. MOST people's character isn't meant for Rob Zombie music. It felt really awkward to watch you (even your assistant, who is WAY too happy for Rob Zombie) moving around to this music. Find something that will suit you more. Possibly something without words. Try orchestral. Movies have GREAT soundtracks and this might be a good resource for you.

I admire your attempt at a plot in this piece (Girl fights guy, girl loses, girl gets stabbed in head repeatedly). However, two moves does not a dagger fight make (particularly when the second move what that spin again). Fight Choreography is a beautiful and awesome artform. I've spent many years studying it and there are some great resources available to learn about it. Go check some out. Also, being that you don't look like a quick and nimble person, you can create a fight that uses your size as an advantage and your assistant's nimbleness as her advantage, making for a more believable fight. This is just one of the things you need to consider when choreographing a stage fight.

If you have a plot, stick with it. During the effect, if you're fighting her, she should be struggling, not willing sitting down and doing as you wish. If you're against her, stay that way. Don't get wishy-washy.

The daggers, after the first few, should move faster going in and when they come out at the end, even faster (i.e., pull out two at a time). It drags the piece down.

With the daggers, lose the handles that come with it and design your own. Make them look more ominous and interesting.

So there's a few things for you. Is it a lot to do? Yes. But magic is supposed to be difficult to do well. That's the point. Don't rest on the idea that you're the only magician in town because if you do, then you'll be the only magician in town who never works. And you've got a lot more to do than what I said here. For instance, The dagger chest and the twister look to similar in one show... pick one and perfect that one. And there's many things beyond that... but I'm just giving you some ideas. And don't forget to follow some of the other better critiques above.

Daniel,

Your post is loaded with information that ALL of us can take to heart.

Yes, we should all learn something from Daniel's comment, in both ways. Either its contents or the way he made the comment ... positif critic and real feedback.

Oliver

Daniel, there are some very insightful comments that show a lot of insight.

I'm not sure about suggesting a more realistic fight with knives between the magician and his assistant before doing a dagger head chest. lol..my "hoakiness" alarm just started going off.

Now in theory I'm all for it! In my pirate scene years ago, I had a full sword fight, muskets, high falls, all leading to a capture of the magician and imprisonment in a crate. It was a fully developed scene on board a dimensional pirate ship set and I believe was within the bounds of a theatrical context where a suspension of disbelief was suitable.

I always just ask myself, "What am I really asking the audience to believe?" I find a similar disconnect when a magician has his assistants lock him in something and they all do that fake "struggle" section. Do we really think the magician and his paid assistants following his directions are in some conflict here? Or does it just look hoaky?

I'm all for action, scene development and character work in the context of a developed scene. but I'm just trying to picture this "fight scene" being believable or plausible leading in to David's dagger head chest. Now, as an exercise, I KNOW that we can all come up with some way it CAN work but is it realistic in this isolated case for the intended performer? I have no doubt that you could pull this off and come up with some way to justify the props and staging as an exercise in theater. I'm just not sure that recommending MORE theater is the best course of action for David at this point.

The hardest thing I run into in directing shows is to not overlay my feelings of how I would do it on the other performers. I have a very unique background and approach to most things that isn't going to work on anyone else. My job in directing is to create a cohesive and achievable result that fits the artists I'm working with. Every project has to be approached from a totally different direction. It's a concept I developed called Dynamic (vs. Static) Creativity.

My goal of communication and teaching is not to talk but to be understood by the selected recipient. I try not to tell anyone something they can't (or in some cases aren't willing to) understand. It's so hard on these boards where there is a WIDE range of knowledge and listeners. We've all probably given him MUCH more information than is digestible for the time so I'm hoping he can sift through everything, find the things that resonate with his identity and bring them to life.

BTW, thanks for taking the time to give some great constructive comments that hopeflly will inspire us all to reach past our limits!

'ello Ray!

Your comments were quite focused and insightful as well, good sir.

My suggestion for the fight was based on what he had envisioned for his effect. Do I feel that a dagger fight would be the best artistic choice for the Dagger Head Chest, particularly in this case? Not at all. But my feeling is that it's not my show. So I figured that giving him options to make his vision better was better than telling him to scrap it all together.

I believe in the concept of illusion vingettes. I think that if you and your assistants are playing characters in a scene, then struggling is very reasonable and not at all hokey. However, if you're the same person with the same assistants without emotion, purpose, or even asthetic elements to show that you're playing a scene, then it will certainly come across as hokey.

I think David should be studying as much theatre as possible at this point (perhaps as much, if not even more than magic). But that is my own background and my own idea of training. It is much simpler to teach an actor how to become a magician than vice versa.

I agree that my hardest part with advising is trying not to imprint my own style on another performer. I was trying to be a broad as possible with my advice so as to not focus on what I would do. Thank you for picking up what I was putting down.

And also, thanks for your comments as well. I think David has gotten some really great viewpoints and hopefully, will use them to his fullest advantage.

Thank you all for your very helpful comments...keep 'em comin' lol. As far as doing a Laser Sawing, no I don't, but I do Andrew Mayne's Pocket Sawing and Bisection along with ropes through the body in the same set, which leaves the audience with the promo picture's impression. I have changed to an all black vest. I suggested repainting the dagger chest, but my wife didn't think it was a good idea. I disagree and since it has been mentioned here, a new paint job is on the way. I am going to read every book I can on theater and acting (I learn better from books). I think that smiling more and having more fun performing these effects will add greatly to the overall feeling of the show. I think my biggest problem is that I am making the switch from very serious and dark mentalism over to magic. I know that right now that is a little bass ackwards but mentalism just doesn't seem to play very well out here in the sticks.

Posted: May 4, 2009 2:28pm
Would someone tell me if the link still works?

Wow, you should be kicked off of here for posts like that. You sir are nothing but a classless jerk (I have other words, but I am not allowed to post it) - plain and simple and I honestly wish nothing but bad things for you in your 'magic career'. I realize this is a week old thread but seriously, I am surprised nobody mentioned this... The guy is looking for constructive criticism, which he got from people who willing to help, that is very nice to see. That is what this place is all about - helping others.

Not much more to say here as a lot of great points have been made.
jsut one thing on your costume. If I understand it you now where black pants, black shirt with an all black vest. I wodul suggest adding some color as you on stage you may seem to look like a floating head. I am not being sarcastic jsut think about it for a minute. all black clothing and your head is the only th ing that the light will pick up. I think I read you had a white tie that wouuld be good. also if you look at some dress shops ou can find black shirts that have white collars and white cuffs. the name of them escape me at the moment but that might fit your personality and add alittle pizzaz to your look.

one last thing. as you follow the advice and work to improve remeber this will not happen overnight the best thing you can do is to do as many shows you can free shows, volunteer shows and paid shows. this is where y ou will really learn what works and what does not. after 4000 or so shows I still work on ideas and perfecting my routines.

as well as asking for help on the Café is a great resource many of us when starting out many moons ago did not have.

good luck
sam

Hi, I hope I can help you in some way. Critisism is great its there for you to learn from. Don't take it to heart I'm sure every one wants the best for you,..
Ok ,is it working for you ? yes or no and be honest.
Are you happy with what your doing ? yes or no.
What can you do to make a difference ?.

IF THE ANSWERS ARE NO.. Reinvent yourself, your in charge of your destiny no one else.Be yourself and try not to copy any one else. Smile and enjoy it, when I'm doing my hypnosis shows, I almost wee my self, I love it and the audience pick up on it too. Remember laughter is contageous.