55Hudson,

How'd it go?

-Mary Mowder

Hi Mary - practicing as we speak. Okay, taking a break from practice! Sat with a magician friend/mentor last week and revamped my story and performance a bit. A little stressed since I changed the routine up just a week before the competition, but it is much better now and more personal. I also ordered and received olives from RNT2 to go with the story - from my Army days in the club. I may subject you all with a video ... If your aren't lucky! (of course I still haven't managed to get a picture loaded even with Laurie's instructions, so you are probably safe foe a while!)

Hudson

I would like to see a video.
All the best!

Okay - here it is. My first YouTube video It is a little dark, not much practice at videos. Hope you enjoy ... I won't leave it up for too long (if I can figure out how to take it down!). I'm not happy with it yet, but it will have to do for now.

Hudson


http://youtu.be/o0H7tXVw9nk

Hudson-

Kudos! That is a VERY interesting routine- I liked every part of it! I would put my version up, but don't know how to get it loaded... Keep up the good work!

Regards,

Jim

Excellent work, Hudson! Thanks for the video!

Hudson,

Good video, I really liked the story.

Is it true?

Nice routine as well.

Smile more, you're good looking, use it.

-Mary Mowder

Mary - Is it true? Parts. Fort Knox, Ranger, Office Club - Red is fictional as is the Olive test - but the rest is all fact.

Jim, Laurie - thanks for your comments and support. Wish me luck!

Hudson

Jim, Laurie & Mary,

Thanks for your well wishes and advice. I tried to incorporate the comments I had ... Not enought practice and an equipment malfunction (ball failed to drop) that threw me off. Overwell did okay - didn't win, but I'm pretty close to a new routine that seems to be pretty good. I will practice some more and then repost a video when it is more polished.

Thanks for your support!

Hudson

Glad you did well Hudson!

I've actually had more growth after competitions that I did not win (although I wish I had won).

After that much pressure your practice will be more relaxed and go to a new level. You've already experienced the most pressure you can be under and you not only survived, you did well.

Competitions can be more loser generators than winner generators (one winner, lots of losers) if we don't find our own personal victories.

One year I used the competition to develop a new act. It looks like you have a new performance piece under your belt.

Congratulations!

-Mary Mowder

Mary,

The competition was a good forcing mechanism to learn a new routine. I have a personal objective this year to learn 4 new routines, with this one at the top of the list. It still needs some work, but once I get it nailed, believe it will be one of my favorites.

Now I've got to get back to working on the Jumping Knot!

Thanks again,

Hudson

Good for you, Hudson.

55Hudson,

I watched your video. This is on its way to being an excellent piece. It's already quite good.

A few thoughts that come to mind:

What does Red McGinty sound like? Is he gruff? Kind? Sarcastic? Mocking? Condescending? Does he have a touch of an Irish accent, or is he just a mean guy? Is he an old fossil? Or just middle-age? Since he's the dominant character, you get to have the fun of making him as broad or subtle a character as you like. Why is he administering the Olive Test? Is he truly concerned about the new officers that
are eager to chug the booze, or is he just out to make fun of them? Or a little of both? That could determine how he sounds.

In contrast, what does the young officer ("you") sound like? How old is he? How does he respond to the repeated variations of the test? He seems a little too calm to me. I'd get a little impatient. But maybe your young officer is cocky. Or is he anxious? Intimidated by this guy?

I like the "give me another shot" pairing with the display of the shot glass. It's clever. But how would McGinty react to that sort of cleverness?

I'm suspicious of that blue silk. That's no bar rag! Let me see a real bar rag, or something made from comparable material. I want to soak up the feeling of this officers' club. Give me an artifact from that world to look at (I've never spent time in the service - what's typical, what's not typical? Tell me a little more about that world). What's that other thing at the very end? A bag? What else could be used, or what reason could be invented for the bag being there?

As the repeated tests continue, do the two characters change at all? Does the pace change? Red's just badgering the young upstart, isn't he? C'mon, c'mon, what's Red really up to?

I really like the ending with the baseballs. Visually startling. Rawhide, sewn textures against machine-spun steel. But I'm not quite clear about what to make of the "one shot/two shots" language. Would there be a benefit to tossing these two "keepers" into the audience? Could the final red ball ("never a third shot") be thrown in an opposite direction (back in your case)? Why is it red? Red because it matches his name? Red as in no/stop sign symbolism? Even if you don't intend some of these things, I'm thinking about them as I'm watching (well, really only about 30 percent - the other 70 percent is occupied by the initial visual surprise).

These are only thoughts. I love the personal story you've written around this, based on your own experiences. Your audience will love you for this. Let them see you as you play. Keep up the good work.

Vince

Vince,
Thank you for your suggestions. I will continue to refine and incorporate your comments with the other comments I have received. I feel pretty good about this routine and believe I can make it my signature trick.

Thanks again!

Hudson

Just a quick thank you to Mary who brought this topic up to my attention. I will be posting and active in this topic area very soon. I can't wait to join you guys,
Dain

You're welcome Dain.

I am hoping to receive a Picto-Transpo in the mail sometime next week.

I'll be working on that at least a half hour a day and also hit and run practice on the drawing.

I can't wait.

-Mary Mowder

Hey Nancini,

How is the Rope Project going?

-Mary

Hudson - nice routine! I would pick up the pacing a bit to keep it moving but I enjoyed the incorporation of all the different elements and the multiple final loads.

The Castle gig went great - thank you all for the suggestions! I didn't even consider Blizzard which is silly because I own it and LOVE it. I did Dean's Box though, producing it from a bowling ball briefcase and wrapped like a present. The whole theme was Christmas traditions - my dad setting down his briefcase after coming home from work and pulling one last wrapped present out of it (the box,) then memosas on Christmas morning (I produced a giant one from a spectator's sleeve,) opened the box and produced a dove from the wrapping paper, vanished the dove (zero turtle doves...) and then did the box routine. Followed that with talking about Christmas dinner and did the vanishing ketchup bottle, produced a glass of brandy from the bag at the end (an after dinner drink) and then talked about how my cousin and I would stay up late that night playing cards, and did a multiple card selection/revelation to close. John Carney told me afterward that I'd done a good job, so that was the Christmas present to myself. I did a 25-minute close up show later in the evening for a smaller group and that was that!

All together we raised over $1100 for the Los Angeles Mission, so the event really was a success!

What's everyone else working on these days? Sorry I'm not on much - things are nonstop down here but when I check in on the Café this is the only thread I check at the moment. Kudos to everyone in here for being awesome!

Hi Mary and all,

I just happend to stop by on this thread tonight and saw your post. I apologize for just disappearing, but I felt really bad that after I joined you guys, all of my plans got derailed and fell apart.

We have increased our business considerably which takes a lot more of our time (This is a good thing and I am not complaining). We also have had some personal issues that have taken a lot of time to work through as well.

We had an opportunity to take part of our business yet another direction and we think it will help us in the long run, but in the interim, it only makes both my son's and my plate fuller.

To make a long story short, I have books, dvd's, lots of rope, and a strong desire to actually learn and be good at it, but by the time I have a moment to pick it up, I am too exhausted to even think about it.

Oh, and we added another show to our summer line up (a busking show) which actually has been going very well, and my son insists we be out on the pitch any spare moment we do have. (Needless to say, rope is not involved).

All that to say, that I am sorry for crashing your thread and then vanishing. I am embarrassed that my big rope plans turned out to be a pipe dream.

Thank you all for being so kind to me and helpful. Hopefully I will get to put it to good use some day.

~Nanci

Hey, Nanci!

I predict you will LOVE rope for busking- well worth the practice.

It is good you are so busy, although I really missed working with both of you at the Columbus Arts Fest. It was a great 3 days, great hat, plus a sponsor paid the magicians as well! Maybe next year, unless you are in Vegas...

Please stop by often. We all get energy and resolve from each other!

Jim