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Brad Burt Inner circle 2675 Posts |
Here's an essay I wrote some time ago. The principles are applicable to ANY type of show whether it is one you will be pulling from your pockets to do "on the spot" or a large stage show. I'm basically a parlor/close-up performer and have used what's below to routine virtually every show I've ever performed once I had a handle on the concepts I place herein. They have worked exceedingly well for me and maybe they will for you also. Best regards....Brad
How to Get an Act Together (Or, any routine at all...) By Brad Burt Copyright 2006 magicshop.com Productions This seems to be one of the major concerns of a lot of folks in magic. I used to get it constantly when I taught magic classes. It’s a good question and for many a real problem. How do you organize a ton of material into an ACT? O.k., let’s do this by the numbers! #1- Decide on the TYPE of show you are putting together. There are three basic performing venues: The Close-up Show or situation, Parlor work and Stage. For the purposes of this essay I’m going to stay away from side venues that take a different philosophy of performance. For instance Table to Table work in restaurants, bar magic, etc. I am also going to assume that each show above will be 30 minutes long. This time frame has served me well for over 30 years and it is easy to add or subtract from the basic framework to make the act longer or shorter. So, you have to decide WHAT KIND OF SHOW you are putting together. This will determine the types of tricks and routines you will be using. #1a- Close-up Show: This is the type of show that is now done both seated and standing. Your audience will be in close and usually surrounding you. Some may be seated and some standing, but the show will have your audience in close proximity. #1b- Parlor Show: This is a Stand-up show in a smaller venue. A home perhaps or a small room in a club. You will generally be working on the floor or maybe a small riser of some kind. This is the show that is most often associated with a performance in a home living room or back yard. Kids shows are probably the most common form of the Parlor Act or show. #1c- Stage Show: Almost always the stage show will be done ON a stage of some kind, usually a full stage with curtain and wings, etc. This is the ‘big’ show. Although that same act that many magicians use in a Parlor show can work even on a large stage this performing venue is usually associated with the large Illusion shows of both the past and today. You can see that the three forms have some crossover. Some Close-up routines work wonderfully in a parlor situation and I know of numbers of magicians who do illusions in their parlor work! But, for now let’s assume a fairly pure and unmixed conceptualization. #2- Make a decision on WHAT routines or tricks you will be using for the type of show you have decided upon. If you have a lot of material you will have to have some way in which to cull down your material to make the decisions on routining manageable. Although the following will seem obvious in order to keep this essay as complete as possible try the following: Use three pads of paper and label them Close-up, Parlor and Stage. Or, if you are only going to concentrate on one venue and know you have nothing that will work in the others then just use the one. But, let’s assume that you have a pretty hefty collection of material. Next, begin to put down on the appropriate pad the names of the tricks and routines that you believe are correct for that venue. You can place crossover effects on more than one pad. For instance I use the Professor’s Nightmare in my close-up, parlor and stage work. But, I use Color Monte ONLY in my close-up work. For Chinese Sticks is both a close-up and Parlor item and though it could be used on Stage I don’t use it there. You get the idea. Now, once you have your tricks listed I want you to go through and using the numbers 1-2-3 rate your routines for their strength. One is the lowest and three the highest. Consider carefully the AFFECT the routines have had on folks over the years of casual performance. What ones REALLY stand out? #3- Select a Venue to work on first and make a list of ALL THE THREES YOU LISTED. You want at least 10 items. If you don’t have enough then move enough two’s etc. over to make the list complete. #4- Now, you are going to perform each routine 3 times in the exact manner that you expect to perform it for real. RELAX. See the audience in front of you! Ask the help of a spectator if needed and wait for them to sign the card if that is part of the routine. In other words, do what ever you would do in a real performance. And, here is the most important part: TIME IT!!! Time each performance for the three times and then get an average of the time. I like to keep this info on 3x5 cards so that I can use the cards to make up an Act Order. #5- You now have exactly what you need to put together an ACT! You have selected your tricks and routines. You have timed them out so you know how long they go, etc. Now, you just have to select the effects you want to use and put them into a logical order of performance and then rehearse THAT performance. #6- O.k., you’ve made it this far. Let’s lay down some rules for selecting tricks for our act and see what we come up with. #6a- I personally try to look at my act pretty much the same way I look at a story. It will have a Beginning. This is the Opening of your show and should ALWAYS be a trick that you could do even if you were dead drunk or worse off. This trick must also be one that reeks of magic. You want your opening effect to tell the audience that YOU are a serious magician and not some hack who spent $50 at the local magic shop a couple of days ago and now calls himself a magician. This opening effect will set the tone for your entire act and although it doesn’t need, nor should it be, the best of your act it MUST be a routine that fools and entertains the audience. I hate to put any pressure on you, but this is the trick you CAN NOT mess up. It just plain has to work or YOU will lose confidence, etc. Note: Do not use a routine that needs a spectator for help, etc. This slows the pace of your opening too much and distracts from YOU. For me I use either a Rope Routine I have been teaching and doing for 30 years or I do the 6 Card Repeat. YOU will have a similar effect that you do Place that 3x5 card first in line. Note: Examples are from my Stand-up Parlor act. #6b- The Last Trick or the Finale of the show should be some routine that plays BIG and that is easily remembered and STRONG. I love to use the 8 ring Linking Ring Routine that is on my Linking Ring DVD. It’s flashy, magical, plays big, uses folks from the audience in a nifty manner and ends with a sure place to get mega applause. Can’t get better than that! You need to find that trick or routine in your repertoire. It’s there and if it’s not now, it will be. For now, select the very best routine YOU think fits the above criteria. Place that card down at the end of our imaginary act. #6c- Now, we are going to fill up the center or Middle of your act. For the next routine I want you to pick something that is strong and USES a spectator assistant if you have a routine like that. If not, select a good solid LONGER trick. This is the place to put the longest routine on your list. Generally, they are long BECAUSE they do use an assistant from the audience. Place that routine in the middle of your queue of ‘act’ cards. #7- You are almost finished. You have the Opening, the Middle and the Finale of your new act. Now, you need to do some filling. By the way if the three routines you selected come to 30 minutes …. You are done! If not, you now have to select the routines that will fit BEFORE and AFTER your middle trick. Go for it. Use common sense and place effects that seem right to YOU. When you are done you will HAVE an act. #8- Let me warn you about something. DON’T over think this. When you have your act: STOP! Stop worrying at it and give it a try. Remember the process of developing an act is exactly that A PROCESS! Go with what you have and over time you can delete and insert one trick at a time to try for improvement. Never if possible change more than one effect in you act at a time unless you are just going to come up with an entirely new act. Take it slow. You now have a good solid template with which to work with. Final Thoughts: I have an odd little rule that I use and I’m going to share it with you now. It’s not one of those rules that are hard and fast, but I have found that it has helped me in putting an act together. Here’s the rule: Always have an odd number of routine in an act. For instance, I HAVE to have at least three routines in an act. That’s the Opening, Middle and Closing of the show. I WILL go this far: If you do not have at least three routines in my estimation you do NOT have an act! I realize and admit this is MY arbitrary definition, but I have found that it works for me and for hundreds of others I have taught over the years. Here’s feedback from a former student on the, “Reading the Audience” essay: Hey Brad! Love this one. Think it's great! Wanted to mention the possibility of you writing an essay on how to properly structure your act. The advice you gave me has proven to be a winner. Sticking to an odd number of effects as opposed to an even number. Thank you for that advice. Take care, Bro! Lee So what if you want to have more than three routines? Then the next number is five and after that seven. Consider that five is a very nice number. It gives you two routines to bracket the Middle of your show. Seven adds two one each side. My performance style is very fast using short pithy routines and moving on. It is not unusual for me to have 9 or 11 routines in a 30 minute act! Most performers though tend to a more relaxed pace with longer routines using multiple effects within each routine. Thus five is a very workable number. Again, for better or worse, this odd little rule has allowed me to structure my act in a consistent and workable manner. Note also that the routines in the act can be all over the place time wise. My stand-up Opener is about 2 ½ minutes. My first Middle trick might be one minute long and the next one five minutes long. It is NOT the length of the tricks that determine the placement, it is the rules stated above. Generally, yes, the longer tricks WILL be in Middle placement, but not of absolute necessity. Personally, I always do put them in the middle, but this placement has worked for me for 33+ years. I know many performers who like to have the longest routine as the Closer. Is this helpful? I hope that it is. It is probably the most common question I get and one of the hardest to answer, because there is no short way do so. So this essay is my attempt to finally get all of this on paper. Understand that when I taught this the notes were bare outline and students got all the above in live lecture form! They were expected to take notes or to remember what was said. I am very relieved to have this all written out where it can eventually go into my long promised book. You folks are just getting to see the chapters as they are written! Another final thought: There is great value in sitting down and putting an actual act together. One that you will practice and rehearse. There is a kind of comfort as a performer in knowing that even as a hobbyist, that if you get asked to do a performance that you in fact have something in fact to perform. Not just an assemblage of tricks with no rhyme or reason in the way they are placed together, but that YOU thought about what you were going to do in an attempt to do it better. I have this guarantee for you: Even the smallest effort in this area WILL pay dividends. You will feel much, much more confident in what you are doing, because putting an act together FORCES YOU TO WORK ON THOSE TRICKS SPECIFICALLY! No more puttering about with this trick and that trick without ever really nailing them down. An act give you focus. It even give you a renewed focus in what you will buy!!! Think about it. Now, you can look at new tricks, books, dvds, etc. from the view point of WHAT you might want to insert into your new act. Will it help or hinder? Having an act, even one that you may not do that often if you are not working professionally, is a way to take what you do seriously and yet have MORE fun with it! Another side benefit of putting an act together. And, don’t think that you have to just have one! Routine together 2, 3 or 4 different acts that can be used when and if you get a return gig. I have used the system above for years and it works. It’s simple and direct and it is elastic enough to work with virtually any type of routine or act you want to develop. Hope it helps. All best,
Brad Burt
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B Hackler Special user 778 Posts |
Great advice Brad really enjoyed reading it.
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Sammy J. Inner circle Castle Rock, Colorado 1786 Posts |
Hi Brad,
Thanks for this essay. I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I have a bunch of stand alone routines, but not an act. You have given some great advice here. Thanks for your input. Sammy
Sammy J. Teague
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Yekrats Loyal user Dayton, Indiana 209 Posts |
Wow! Very useful. Bookmarking now.
Thanks!
--
Corporate or event magic & mentalism: http://WizardoftheWabash.com |
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Wes65 Inner circle I've said very little in 1219 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-06-15 12:59, Brad Burt wrote: I learned the hard way that a show can go much longer then you expect if your not careful.
Wes
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MikeOB Loyal user Doylestown, PA 217 Posts |
Hey Brad,
This is some really great info, thanks for taking the time to put this together. This will help a lot of people put together a great show. Mike |
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olaf911 Regular user Germany 104 Posts |
Hi Brad,
thank you for writing this down. I got your free email lectures when I was a magic novice (not that I am much further now, since this was 1.5 years ago) and that helped me very, very much. Along with the posts of Ron Jaxon in this forum I was able to put together an act to get me through my magic exam quite well. I consider this essay as VERY valuable especially for beginners. Thanks again, Olaf |
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Brad Burt Inner circle 2675 Posts |
You are all VERY welcome! I have mentioned before that I taught magic in and ran four different magic schools over a 20 year span. One of the things that I had to devise right away was a method for teaching the students a practical, workable method of handling putting together an act. Over the years the basic concept that worked quite well even in it's somewhat simplified form filled out conceptually to what you got above.
Mostly putting an act together is just work, practice, work some more, test it out and apply common sense to the process. It is VITALLY important for ANY performer to be a very, very, very careful: OBSERVER! You must observe the AFFECT of your performance upon your audience whether it's one person casually or an audience of 50 to 1000. What is the audience REALLY telling you about what you are doing??????? A performer needs to know the TRUTH of what they are doing, not the comments from friends who may not want to hurt our feelings. Let me put it this way: If you get feedback from fellow magicians and you never get your feelings hurt? They they are NOT telling you the truth. Force the friends in magic that your trust to really give you the truth of how they see your performance. Have them tell you every flash, every miss spoken word, etc. It will take some time to get used to. I hated it, but used it. The mistakes that some magicians make over and over and over is a result of no one wanting to tell the king that he's not wearing any clothes. Since we ALL hate to be called on such stuff we also don't like to tell our brothers that they are in violation also! You have to not just ask for it....you have BEG for it and then suck it up and take the information and use it to improve to the point that there is little anyone CAN call you on. Try it. You'll hate it at first, but in the end you'll reap the rewards that come from doing something really well instead of just so-so. Sincerest regards,
Brad Burt
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olaf911 Regular user Germany 104 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-06-16 13:32, Brad Burt wrote: No worries. This is exactly how my "career" as a magician started. Without mercy my wife and kids told me that I suck. This flashed and that flashed. But this is exactly as I want it. Like it? No. But I need it. If I get no honest feedback from my family and fellow magicians I surely WILL get it from the audience of my next act. And THAT will hurt much more. So again your advice is a very good one. Greetings from sunny Germany Olaf |
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david12345 Special user 714 Posts |
The essay is very relevant and logical.
Thank you |
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funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9982 Posts |
Quote:
I learned the hard way that a show can go much longer then you expect if your not careful. You touch on one reason why I chose not to "go pro" many years ago -- if I truly engage the audience I do not want the 'magic' to end, and if I do not, then I do not wish to suffer on some committed time-table. I thrive under conditions where the audience has no expectations, and I am not bound by someone else's rules. Somewhere on another planet perhaps ...
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
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Ed_Millis Inner circle Yuma, AZ 2292 Posts |
On my list of routines, I have routines that I perform with no audience help, routines with some audience input, and routines with an audience volunteer. Any advice on figuring that aspect into your whole show line-up?
Ed |
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Brad Burt Inner circle 2675 Posts |
Ed... The type of routine does not matter. Grouping them into categories as you suggest above is fine, but it does not detract from timing the outcomes, etc. Once you have all your usable routines organized as suggested above that can be then placed in a position in an act that fits the routine. Everything still works, etc.
For instance, let's say you have a routine that uses a volunteer. In 'general' the obtaining of the volunteer will cause a slight blip in the show, a possible 'stage wait'. The biggest problem in getting a 'helper' IS the stage wait. To deal with this, don't ASK for someones help. SELECT the person you wish to have help you and bring them forward with as much dispatch as possible. Experience will give you a virtually 100% lock on who will and who won't respond to your request. Stage waits are death to the flow of any show and have to be dealt with with as much dispatch as possible. These 'waits' by the way....CAN BE rehearsed! You HAVE to figure them into your routine and into the act as a whole spreading them out if you have more than one, etc. Again, experimentation will help you work out what to put where. Best,
Brad Burt
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Vick Inner circle It's taken me 10+ years to make 1120 Posts |
You mention nothing of how to thread everything together.
What about transitions and how important they are? There's a lot more to choosing an opening piece. If you really want to learn how to routine a show read Ken Weber's "Maximum Entertainment" The best material on the subject
Unique, Thought Provoking & Amazing Magical Entertainment Experiences
Illusions By Vick Blog of a real world working magician Magic would be great, if not for magicians |
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Brad Burt Inner circle 2675 Posts |
I had to make certain assumptions to keep from writing something the length of an actual book. Mr. Weber's book is highly recommended for something more in depth.
When talking about transitioning from one routine to another you really only have two basic forms. The first is what I call the Logical Segue. It is almost always used by manipulative acts in which something from the end of one routine is used to start the next. That is: Silk produced, silk produced, silk produced. A knot is tied in last silk. Knot plucked off is changed to a billiard ball, billiard ball routine ensues, etc. Although this form can be used in a Talking/Personality type routine it almost never is. For one of the few who does see the work of Johnny Ace Palmer. The second form is what I call the Modular Personality Form. Each presentation is a separate and distinct Unit of Presentation unto itself. My essay above is obviously concerned with the type of performing form and in fact I believe I should have talked some about this above. Almost all 'talking' magic acts use this form. You begin with say a Rope Routine, finale and take a distinct bow and move on to the next routine that will in almost every case be totally unrelated to the routine just before it. Say a Card Routine. That routine ends and you next offer up one with large metal rings that link and unlink, etc. It should be noted that this Performance Form is the most used form in ALL forms of performance! Note for instance that although something like the Ballet, The Nutcraker is 'themed', theme is not the same as logical segue. The theme is a story about a girl and a magical, etc. etc. But, the entire Ballet moves from one discreet act to another building logically to the finale. In magic the Modular Personality Form can also be 'themed' in much the same manner. In magic this might take the 'form' of a show around the old medicine shows or perhaps the Wild West, etc. But, each routine within the form will be distinct in it's own flavor, etc. This is not to say the Logical Segue form could not be used! For instance, let's say that you have a show that's themed around the Wild West. You might begin by talking about cattle drives and the expert horsemen that drove those cattle across the west. One thing that every 'Cowboy' had with him was his lariat! You produce a length of rope. Show that it's one large contiguous circle and then magically clip it open with your scissoring finger tips. The rope is then used for a short routine which ends with the rope 'catching' a deck of cards out of a spitton, etc., etc. The point is that neither form is particularly better than the other and most performers will have a form that better fits their style and personality. I for instance really dislike, for various reasons, the Segue form. It just does not work for me. I like to organize my presentations as separate units and further organize them into what is hopefully a show structure that gets better as it moves towards it's finale, etc. The modular form is obviously more elastic in what you can do with it. That's one of the short comings of the Segue form: You are locked in by the obvious structure itself to performing it in the exact manner that it is laid out! But....this is also it's strong point particularly for the silent/to music performer that must offer an act that is EXACTLY fit to the time required by the venue!!! Performers such as the brilliant Marvin Roy and many others can offer a client an act that varies with one just a few seconds either way EVERY SINGLE TIME IT IS PERFORMED ..... AND ..... they can shorten or lengthen the performance in exact increments to fit whatever time line is needed. The talking modular performer has much more elasticity ON THE FLY. That is, during the actual performance itself. The segue performer MUST make the time determination before the performance starts for considerations that range from music selection and cuing to lighting and more. Hmmmmm....don't know if in the micro the above was helpful, but hope so. With Vick above I can recommend Mr. Weber's book as a fine treatise on working in a professional manner for magicians. Best,
Brad Burt
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Vick Inner circle It's taken me 10+ years to make 1120 Posts |
Thanks for expounding on the subject Brad
I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum and use the logical segue form whenever ever possible. It assists the flow, gives form and preserves continuity. The separate unit doesn't work for me. For those starting out in many cases it can seem jumbled. Where a story could take place with conflict and resolution (many effects have these elements so it's not a big stretch to build out this element to your entire show) too often there are a bunch of random "tricks" strung together with no logical story arc and/or conclusion. Weber writes that the transitions are as important as the effects themselves and should be as strong. Obviously it's part of your show and your show is only as strong as it weakest parts This may be a little heavy for some starting out but thought should be given to structuring your show.
Unique, Thought Provoking & Amazing Magical Entertainment Experiences
Illusions By Vick Blog of a real world working magician Magic would be great, if not for magicians |
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Brad Burt Inner circle 2675 Posts |
Vick:
I agree that transitions should be strong, but transitions take many different forms. For instance I have seen the Logical Segue horribly abused in that there was almost never enough time for the audience to react and give applause! They hurried so quickly from one portion of the act to another that they really did not leave enough 'transitional' space for those watching to interact by showing their appreciation. It doesn't have to be that way with the Seque form, but it happens. For myself I find the that offering routines in the often used modular form to give me more leeway in both audience interaction and ability to change up depending upon the circumstances. It also allows that time between 'routines' to accept applause, etc. I'm not saying, of course, that the Logical Segue form is without these interactive pauses, it's just that the form is so generally rare in all types of performance that most magicians wanting to model a 'form' have a better chance to learn the one over the other. Frankly, I admire anyone who can use the Segue form to it's full advantage. I have always considered it a much more difficult manner of performance to fully realize, etc. Best,
Brad Burt
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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
Quote:
#5- You now have exactly what you need to put together an ACT! You have selected your tricks and routines. You have timed them out so you know how long they go, etc. Now, you just have to select the effects you want to use and put them into a logical order of performance and then rehearse THAT performance. I naturally agree with Brad on this but this is where, IMHO, the success is reached or missed. As you build an act, find a character (as close to you as possible unless you are a great actor) that illustrates one of the slopes in your personality. Imagine how a character impersonating this would talk, eat, behave, what this character would do professionally, how he would behave with the opposite sex, etc... Having found a character for the performer, the key in an act building is, after the tricks are selected and ordered, to find a theme that will be a unifying thread for the act. What the theme is in charge of doing trick after trick consists in revealing one (and only one per trick) facet of the character. This cannot be decided during the performance. This however will be the reputation maker of your show much more than the tricks themselves. That's another reason to follow Brad's recommendation to rehearse each act and not just the tricks which are involved in it. Theme and personality is what interests people more than the tricks themselves which they will not remember apart from the last one you will do for a climax (and even on that one their memory will quickly fade away and the remembrance will become vague). Theme and character's personality are the reputation makers of your show. They help you rewriting your script in a less challenging way and in making your tricks and magical act more entertaining. The character is sharing magical situations with the audience. He is on their side and only triggers these magical situations. A good tip here is to rewrite all your scripts in taking away all the "I" and replacing them for "we": it will force you to redesign parts in your effects but will make the performer likable which is half of the battle. Otherwise Brad's advice reflect his great performing experience and should be read several times and put into practice for bigger success (also meaning more demand and higher fees). Let me give you examples illustrating the above: Ricky Jay is impersonating an historian and reveals tiny bits about this historian along each effect; one of my act is questioning whether there is such a thing as "the force" that the Jeddis are using in Lucas films and if yes what it could really do and what its limitations would "naturally" be; another character in my C&Bs act illustrates an intellectual discussing religion with an official catholic exorcist and what the church was doing to magicians during the middle age: then the performer relates how the archbishop demonstrated magical effects not possibly achieved with finger flicking (justifying a question about "devilish" deeds)... All of these are "story telling" (reporting alleged personal experience), which are not "tale telling", interest audiences emotionally. The basics aught in show business is that audiences are interested in people. Actually every character and situation impersonating something that goes against everything that we know for true by learning and personal experience will do: the mad scientist we met, the sailor who learned more from the sea than any university could teach, the gambler who learned the hard way that his addiction was betraying something else...
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9982 Posts |
I am always impressed by Lawrence's insight,which speaks of research as well as applied experience. What I would add is -- don't do tricks.
Tricks are what come in the box or on a page of a book. It becomes an effects when you include something of yourself -- patter, consideration for setting, knowledge of the audience -- passion. The theme should always be that you are communication something importance about living that might be of value to the audience. You could sing or play a guitar or tell a story or -- do magic. As noted above , you will be remembered by who you are, not by the trick you did.
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-07-04 07:22, funsway wrote: I fully concur to both of these important comments especially the you are communication something of importance about living that might be of value to the audience This is one of the main keys to good scripts. If I may add, this communication should be paradoxal (as underlined by Hening Nelms) to instantly grab the audience by the guts and prepare for the final dilemma.
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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