I'm looking at the latest issue of MUM Magazine, where I see an ad for Axtell's line of "hands-free puppets." According to the ad, each routine includes the voice of the character, its distinct movements, music and sound effects! It's totally customizable and... always looks alive -- automatically!"

It seems like this is a serious competition to ventriloquist-magicians. Now any magician with the money to buy such a prop can add "ventriloquism" to his or her act. Add to this the Magic drawing board, which most magicians perform with the recorded routine, and you have serious competition.

My question is, is vent really necessary? When I purchased the Magic drawing board, I decided it went perfectly with ventriloquism and I wrote up my own original routine for it. Since then, however, I've seen at least two magicians perform the effect with a prerecorded routine, and you know what? I hate to say it, but they got just as much laughter and applause with their prerecorded routines as I get using true ventriloquism!

Now some may argue "well this isn't really a competition with ventriloquism, it's just a supplement to it," but I heartily disagree. It most certainly is competition to magicians who do ventriloquism, because any magician can say that he adds puppets and dialogue to his act. If audiences respond just as well to these audio-animatronic figures and prerecorded dialogues as they do to live ventriloquism, then what is the difference? I really don't see the advantage magi-vents have anymore.

Don't get me wrong, dedicated vents like Jeff Dunham will always be popular, but I don't think the layman sees much difference between a magician who does real vent in his act and one who make skillful use of one of these pre-recorded dialogues. To them, it's all just the same thing -- entertainment.

I use things like the Magic Drawing Board with no tape track - just me. I get huge laughs and reactions when that drawing starts to move or speak.

When people see a ventriloquist who can truly bring puppets/figures to life and get the laughs, they soon see the skill involved. Audiences regularly tell me how much they love my characters and how nice it is to see a real ventriloquist.

I am not a big fan of using the fully programed animatronics, but that's me.

Timothy,
I'd go head to head with any recorded track act - and I guarantee you the audience will not respond the same. As Neale said - there is a skill involved. People appreciate the skill when it is done properly. Add to that the spontaneous ability of the ventriloquist to improvise and interact, something a recorded act can not.

IMO - if you are getting the same response as a recorded act, you are doing something wrong. If the recordings allow Steve to sell more puppets - no problem. But the two really can't be compared.

If you are concerned about your clients not realizing the difference - just frame the argument another way. It's like a recording vs. hearing the real band.

Tom

A recorded show can get a very good reaction. But then something unexpected happens and the live puppet can respond, the recorded one can't.
Seven times out of ten you might wow the audience with electronics. But you will do it ten times out of ten if you learn the skills. That's the difference.
Its like those horrible tricks such as Vanishing Bandana. They'll get a laugh, but a real performer will get a far bigger laugh.
I don't think there is anything to worry about.

I vote no.

Some say the Ukulele is old school, but my audiences tend to disagree.

On the other side, yesterday when I told a friend about an upcoming gig featuring 9 ukulele players, he quipped "they saught you out?"

The answer yes.

back to the Vent question. Yesterday got another call (Blue and Gold) based not on the magic, but on my skills as a (don't get ahead of me) a Ventriloquist.

If you have time please check out my new drawing for my home page. It is supposed to be at a slight angle. (below my signature)

It was done by an artist associated with the Puppetry Arts Institute. http://www.hazelle.org

Harris "have puppets will travel" deutsch
http://magician.org/member/doctoroflaughology

I always tell callers who phone to inquire about my show that I do vent in addition to magic, and I had it built up in my mind that it would get more of a response than it does, something along the lines of "WOW! You do ventriloquism too?! Can you really throw your voice? I've always wanted to see one of those in person," etc. In reality, I can't say whether mentioning that I do vent has ever resulted in a booking or not. Maybe. Who knows?

Conversely, I always pictured those using recorded dialog as very mediocre performers who get, at most, polite applause, where in reality I have seen it done by some fairly talented magicians who got good reactions. Maybe the fact that they were decent magicians is why the reactions were good, but I hadn't pictured magicians who were competent as even wanting to do what is basically "fake ventriloquism."

Agree with Harris. Tell this fun couple, who travel around the world, that Uke is "old school"

http://ukulelesafari.com/

Best,
Tod

I won't buy an animatronic puppet just to be able to do ventriloquism...I honestly believe that using one takes off the talent in a performer at least to the eyes of a layman...specially of you are joining a talent contest.

BUT I WILL BUY ONE to ENHANCE my ventriloquist act. Meaning an animatronic puppet can easily enhance your existing vent act. For axample, after doing a well routined act with regular figure/puppet, showing how good you are in manipulating a regular puppet, you follow it up with an animatronic puppet which will show variety in your act and a twist as well.

I won't hesitate getting an animatronic puppet (if I can finally afford it) it won't kill my act as a ventriloquist...it won't make the art of ventriloquism die...more so, it will enhance it. I would love to use one in our "Tournament of Champions" scheduled early next year. I can imagine myself holding a regular gorilla with my left hand, a regular orangutan with my right hand and an animatronic chimp beside us operated by a fob controller inside the orangutan's mouth. All 3 apes will use my own voice with a hear no evil, see no evil and talk no evil routine

Just me thinking out loud...

Wanlu

In Manila, basically the trend is a magician adds a puppet to his act only to be able to say he/she has ventriloquism in his/her act.

I also do magic but my approach is different...as far as presenting my act to clients.

I can do a full magic show...and a full ventriloquist show...each show can stand alone as an act. Meaning, you can get me as a magician doing a full magic show or you can get me as a ventriloquist doing a full vent show. BUT if you want an act with variety and a twist, different from the acts other performers in Manila are offering, then try my SIGNATURE ACT which is Ventrillusion...magic, puppetry and ventriloquism blended in one act. It's not a magic show with a pinch of ventriloquism but a show which showcases both arts equally. Its more expensive than a full magic show and a full vent show...

Here's the difference...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drc_XqalzFE

Yep, there you go. It was obvious to the audience, think how this looks to the actual vents here Timothy. There's a HUGE difference. Vent won't be made obsolete by something like this.

There is the whole story behind that Y/tube clip, Tom and David, somewhere on this forum. Louis is actually a very good vent, but was not allowed to do/complete the routine he had planned.
This is not the thread to go into it, but I believe it is certainly gone deeper into on at least two other threads on this forum.

regards all,

Dave

Thanks for the info Dave. I didn't mean to put Louis down and I'm sorry he was stopped so abruptly on the show. I would have like to have seen the full routine. I think the Axtell animatronics and prerecorded products are great and I am not opposed to anyone, even a vent, using them. I can see how a vent could be even more creative with them. The point though, is that they can't effectively REPLACE or make obsolete the actual skill.

David, no problem. I agree wholeheartedly.

I own one of the Toucans, the vent one, but would never think of using it with pre-recorded dialogue, unless it was a 'stand-alone' thing, say, on a trade stand, where they just wanted a 'spiel' and nothing else.

I have used mine for meeting and greeting, but with me voicing it. In that way, Tetley (my Toucan!) can have a conversation and respond/question as 'it' seems fit.

Regards,

Dave

Good video, and nice tie-in! I agree that Louis may actually be a very skillful ventriloquist, and the bird was very cute. But the comments of the judges do sum up my feelings about magicians who use recorded dialogs in place of real vent. It does seem to be cheating!

Dave,
Just want to make clear that in no way was I trying to insult Louis. Nor am I knocking the animated puppets. I posted it simply to point out the difference between vent and a recorded track. It is huge.



I don't see this as competition at all.
Tom

I used that word in reference to the Magic Drawing Board, which is now done by so many magicians (mainly non-vents) that it is in danger of being overdone. But maybe doing it with vent instead of canned dialog will make it stand out in the eyes of the audience.

When I use the MDB, it reacts to me AND the audience so they know it is not a recording, it is me doing the voices.

I had someone tell me after a show they had always thought it was a bit tacky (their words) with the recording but when I did it myself, they sais it was truly funny.

And that is because you are funny, Neale !

Many discussions have been held on the Café on the pros or cons of certain props and why they might help or hurt a performer to get results from his audience, or help or hurt other performers in the business.

Good performance is NOT about props, figures, or animatronics.

It is about being entertaining.

Saying that a prop (in this case, Steve's very cool animatronic inventions) is causing the demise of an art form is ridiculous. That argument is comparable to when people cursed automobiles for scaring the local horses.

Sure, there may be some bad performers out there who have the line of credit to buy one of Steve's animatronic figures, but that does not make the product a bad thing. It just unfortunately reaffirms that there are indeed some bad performers out there who think that buying an expensive prop will make them good.

As for the video that was linked above, I am reminded of an interview that was done with Vegas performer Kevin James about his experiences while appearing on one of the many shows in Simon Cowell's stable of craptastic "reality competition" shows.

Kevin told of how the producers met with him before each performace to make sure they had complete control over making him look how THEY wanted him to look. In Kevin's case, they wanted to make sure he failed. Do you suppose maybe, just maybe, Louis was set-up to fail in the same way ?

Hmmmmmm......

Mark

Disney has been doing animatronics for decades, and it hasn't killed movies, puppets, magic or vent. In fact, animatronics even pre-dates Disney, all the way to the beginning of conjuredome.