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Billy-one Inner circle IOWA 1028 Posts |
Mr. Cassidy,
Thank you so much for your response! Generally, I don't script anything until have I "practiced" the effect enough times to know what I want to say..bad habbit that I fell into while doing close up magic. I find that if I write, due to my poor english skills we have discussed , my script is so robotic and awefull I just wing it until I have a soft script in my mind. A close up guy, Jay Sankey, wrote that he keeps lines like a archer would keep arrows and applies them when needed.....I find myself, with regret, adopting this approach. |
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
Sometimes I just sit and write short stories, like I'm the witness to it all in the audience...i don't fret about the methods or anything else, but when I read it back I ask myself "did I enjoy the experience? was it entertaining as much as it was mystifying?"
I've asked to be banned
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
As far as sounding robotic goes, it's important to remember that we don't generally speak with the same formality, the same vocabulary and the same grammar that we use while writing. A good novelist or playwright needs to have a good ear for dialogue to avoid coming up with lines that sound fake.
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Billy-one Inner circle IOWA 1028 Posts |
Iain,
Wow, now that's an awesome idea! So you write the story as if describing the act you just watched? I think that I will try that right now. Truley, Iain, I don't know if this concept is original with you or not, but I think it may be the best thing Ive read on the forum (in my short but dense amount of time) |
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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
You better read some more in that case Billy!
I don't do it all the time, but for me, it helps a lot - I've got a strong visual memory and imagination (even on IQ tests I rate extremely higly on things like spatial awareness) - so it just works for me... like when I'm trying to learn something, I tend to re-write the instructions/steps in bullet points...just helps me mentally clarify each part of the process. I love writing - its a big interest of mine, so its just something that suits me...can't say it'll work for anyone else, but hey - give it a go and see what happens... and yes, I just write it out as if I'm an audience member and I'm telling friends about it later...
I've asked to be banned
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Billy-one Inner circle IOWA 1028 Posts |
Mr. Cassidy,
Do you market anything that covers scripting, blocking, and other stage concerns? Perhaps this isn't the appropriate topic, being one that this topic was in regards to comedy. However, Mr. Cassidy if you would like to answer that in a PM or here I would appreciate it. I have looked at lybary.com and didn't notice anything but maybe I missed something. |
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
There are a lot of resources out there. In my own work you might want to check out "Fundamentals, a Guidebook to Professional Mentalism".
(Note: This is NOT the same as my "39 Steps," which is just an appendix to "Fundamentals" that can be read free at the lybrary site.) Here is the link to the complete eBook where you will also find a description of its contents: http://www.lybrary.com/fundamentals-p-56......2d2004b5 Good thoughts, Bob |
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Billy-one Inner circle IOWA 1028 Posts |
Mr. Cassidy,
Awesome. Now I just need to figure out this whole ebook thing! Looking forward to reading. Now, off to work on Ians idea. Respectfully, Billy |
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Dr Spektor Eternal Order Carcanis 10781 Posts |
HUMOR can be used to punctuate other pieces, hightening horror and terror - some of the best terror tales use humor.... mentalism too haevy becomes to much and you need tension relief to allow people to recover so you can lobber them with metaphysics again.... also, used correctly, it allows people to like the performer instead of think him or her an arrogant toad
"They are lean and athirst!!!!"
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Shrubsole Inner circle Kent, England 2455 Posts |
I always make sure that I have a full script that works fully as it is and that I know backwards, BUT I don't repeat it like a robot and like to interact with the situation. People are people and say and do all manner of strange things (Especially when put under the spotlight) and you have to react to that. You can't just ignore all and mindlessly trot out the script.
Audience management comes into it as well. Normally you can get the audience member to respond exactly as you planed it, by not all the time. Remember, the audience member doesn't know what you are doing or what to do, so you have to tell them what to do. That should be in your script. If you have a sloppy script full of gaps and an audience member not knowing what to do or say, they will start thinking of things for themselves. (Not good) Command, control, conquer. (But with a smile)
Winner of the Dumbringer Award for total incompetence. (All years)
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Decomposed Eternal Order High Desert 12059 Posts |
Timed comedy I feel is a must, so many mentalism shows I hear from laymen are boring (without it perhaps?).
Since he has a regular show in Vegas, go see Gerry McCambridge next time in Vegas. A former comedian, you will see it show forth in his show. Decomposure
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DWRackley Inner circle Chattanooga, TN 1909 Posts |
Not quite on the original topic, but I really like the direction this has drifted into. Often, when I’m writing, I’ll go off by myself (where no-one else can see or hear!) and I’ll talk to myself, then allow myself to talk back. I’ll often have two, three, and sometimes more characters running at the same time. What comes out is natural, direct, and on point. I may run through it several times until it carries just right amount of “flavor”, colorful euphemisms, and believability.
THEN I start writing down what I’ve just said. So really, my scripts are more like TRANScripts, and when I speak, they sound natural (for ME). I’ll often encourage some of the actors I work with to do the same; to put the script into their own vernacular (not just the words, but the tempo, the pitch, and the feel). Back to the topic, I like using humor. As has been noted above, it has a way of bringing people over to your side. I don’t do self-deprecation especially, because for my character it would sound phony, a sort of false modesty that would seem insulting to my guests’ intelligence. But word-play and “observations” about current events are very popular, and I’m told I’m pretty good at it. Even really bad puns will get laughs IF they’re relevant and your timing is PERFECT! (“I had this HUGE horse that kept running into things – he was a Collides Dale” – Yes, I actually used that recently! It was a horse show and the people roared.) The thing is you have to find your own style of doing comedy. When I tried comedy monologue, it almost always fell flat. But when I do “raconteur”, it’s a hit, because people love it when I walk them down the garden path before yanking out the rug. Even after the punch line they aren’t sure if what I’ve been saying had any truth to it. Does that make me less effective as a mentalist? I honestly don’t know, but people like it, they seem to want more, and they are still totally freaked out that I can “know” the things I do. For me, for now, that’s success.
...what if I could read your mind?
Chattanooga's Premier Mentalist Donatelli and Company at ChattanoogaPerformers.com also on FaceBook |
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Decomposed Eternal Order High Desert 12059 Posts |
Good post. I sometimes talk to myself also, usually its because I don't sleep well and honest to admit it.
Helps me not crash my car otw home from graveyard shift on my other job. :fruity:
ClICK HERE for HOW TO MAKE TRANSITION FROM MAGICIAN TO MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER WORLD NEW BOOK!
Click here for NEW PROMO TRAILER! 90 seconds of pure laughs without a standing ovation! Click here for Magicians Austin Mentalist Performance https://www.facebook.com/AustinMagicians https://www.speakermatch.com/profile/gianicano/ Magicians Company Entertainers in Dallas, TX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8sHW_zVuSc https://about.me/motivationalpublicspeaker |
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Shrubsole Inner circle Kent, England 2455 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-09-24 18:04, mastermindreader wrote: Great post! Yes, until you have your script down solid, you are either bumbling through without a script or bumbling through trying to remember a half learnt script. Whilst you are doing that, you can't concentrate on good ad-libbing, reacting to the audience, taking advantage of chance or anything else.
Winner of the Dumbringer Award for total incompetence. (All years)
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