|
|
Greg McKenzie New user Australia 1 Post |
So I performed some magic for my family tonight and my Dad is a very big sceptic and with every trick I performed he wanted me to show him things like what was in my other hand or how it was done. I reacted sarcastically and tried to throw in some humour but not once did I reveal the secrets behind my tricks.
How do magician's react to this kind of situation? If someone asks to see your other hand in situations where you're secretly holding a thumb tip or another small prop that you can't reveal because it would give away the secret? It's kinda hard to avoid these questions and in doing so it can make you look like and feel like a bit of an idiot. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. |
Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts |
A quick response: Don't perform magic for dad!!! --Good for you that you did not "tip your mitt"!
#2 response: Remember that Psychology is "85%" of "magic"!!! About 5% is Physical Skills, 5% is Esoteric Science Principles, and 5% is Sensory Illusion. (The math. is rather loose!) So, analyze your presentation! Is it possible that you are "telegraphing" nervousnes? Are you possibly "looking guilty" when you are p**ming something? Are you absolutely "sure" of yourself? These are questions thay only YOU can answer! If any of your answers are "yes", tackle one of the problems at a time. No one is a "master" the first day. "Practice makes perfect" is NOT TRUE! PROPER practice, guided by a qualified mentor, can make "perfect". Hope this is helpful! Best wishes!
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
|
Joe McIntyre New user North myrtle beach S.C. 61 Posts |
It's your Dad. thank him for the help and move on.
|
DWRackley Inner circle Chattanooga, TN 1909 Posts |
First response: read Dick Oslund’s post again!
People who know you are TERRIBLE audiences! If you think about it, they’ve known you when you weren’t being magical. They’ve seen you spill your Coke, flunk a test, make rude body noises…and now you’re asking them to believe you have magical powers? Hah! And if they have reason to feel threatened (dads and brothers are the worst) by your changing the status quo, they are required by their own egos to keep you in your place. They might not even be aware of the dynamics, but seriously who in their right mind would sit in a proper theatre watching Peter Pan and yelling at the stage “I can see the wires!?!?!” “It’s a magic trick, Dad. Grow up!” Two year olds might be forgiven, but most adults these days recognize you’re not really in league with the devil, that it’s a performance, and that maybe one or two things aren’t exactly as advertised. It’s called “suspension of disbelief” and most folks understand that even David Copperfield can’t REALLY make the Statue of Liberty disappear (The NSA would be all over him, right?) It’s time for dad to grow up, and maybe time for you to move on. “A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” Jesus Himself couldn’t work with ***holes.
...what if I could read your mind?
Chattanooga's Premier Mentalist Donatelli and Company at ChattanoogaPerformers.com also on FaceBook |
yankay37 Regular user Canada 176 Posts |
Yea, It's significantly harder to perform for your relatives and friends because they feel that they can say and ask anything at anything.
When you're doing it for strangers, you take control over the situation, the pace, the rhythm. Don't worry about it |
Mr. Woolery Inner circle Fairbanks, AK 2149 Posts |
Approach dad a different way. Tell him you value his analytical abilities and want to improve your performance. Can he please watch a couple of tricks and tell you afterward what you could do to improve your deceptivness?
Start off with the assumption that you won't fool him, then see if you can anyway. His insights about when you look guilty might be painful but they could also be very helpful. -Patrick |
acesover Special user I believe I have 821 Posts |
Do something painfully obvious as to how it was done such as have an object palmed in your hand, but use something such as The Raven for a disappearance. Then when asked to show your hand, hesitate and balk and finally show that it is not there. Then say, "enough of that". Now just watch the magic and refuse to show again by saying, "we have already been through that" and continue on.
If I were to agree with you. Then we would both be wrong. As of Apr 5, 2015 10:26 pm I have 880 posts. Used to have over 1,000
|
David Fillary Special user 662 Posts |
Yeah, my elder Brother is my toughest audience and I remember my Mum watched me do CMH at least 10 times in a row to try and catch me out. I'd normally refuse, but figured it was a good opportunity to test how burnable my hands are during it - turns out very! My Dad got me into magic, so its a bit different with him, but I did manage to fool him with his old thumb tip!!!
I wouldn't worry about it unless you get similar reactions from the public. One option is to use subtleties to suggest the other hand empty before revealing a vanish, eg. ramsey subtlety. But more important is getting them to not be trying to catch you out in the first place which is nigh impossible with close relatives like that! |
djurmann Inner circle thinks time to practice and stop writing 1481 Posts |
Thank your Dad. He is forcing you to think about how you could react to this if it happened elsewhere (it will).
Can you ditch the guilty object and retrieve it? Can you change the method? Can you intentionally look guilty as hell with a clean hand so that each time he goes "it's there" you can prove him wrong, do this a few times and he will be less ready to commit. Family is a tough audience and the more confident you are the less it will happen, but planning for what to do if things go wrong is not wasted time. Danny |
adrianbent Loyal user 210 Posts |
Think of it from this angle: framing is key.
I'll expand on what I'm trying to say. Magic is theatre. When you "show" a magic trick, it is a performance. If you were "performing" for thirty people, and someone started addressing you while you were performing, you'd call them a HECKLER. But when you perform one on one, it is framed differently in the eyes of a spectator. They don't see it as a performance, they see it as a social interaction. Ideally, I'd want my audience to sit there (or stand as the case), watch respectfully, and clap when its done. But when you perform for your close relations, in small groups... it is a social interaction. They feel they are empowered to challenge you. There are a few ways around this. Do your best to frame things with subtle cues that this is a performance, not a dialogue. Learn a script like the back of your hand. Bulldoze through that script and it becomes patter. Don't engage when they interupt. Learn Routines. Learn how to "ditch" the dirt and "end clean". Establishing a strong PERFORMANCE and pretty soon they will respond to it as such. Framing as I've tried to describe it here, is just one of the things to think about. This is an age old problem for the beginner, and the challenge ahead of you that I'm sure most established magicians have journeyed through. Keep searching out the many answers to your question, the previous posts are all valid too. |
Atom3339 Inner circle Spokane, WA 3242 Posts |
Well, my Dad has a huge EGO and would hate it if I could do something he can't do or do something better than he does. I think it tends to be that way with dads and sons.
TH
Occupy Your Dream |
djurmann Inner circle thinks time to practice and stop writing 1481 Posts |
In that case I would suggest perform for others
|
djurmann Inner circle thinks time to practice and stop writing 1481 Posts |
In that case I would suggest perform for others
|
djurmann Inner circle thinks time to practice and stop writing 1481 Posts |
In that case I would suggest perform for others
|
cricketer15 Loyal user Sydney, Australia 248 Posts |
Whenever I perform for my sisters they keep on making random explanations and stuff. Friends and families that know you a long time will not enjoy the magic you just did but will question it. Hence strangers are best to perform to
Anything is Possible
|
motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
Send your Dad to his room.
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
Mercutio01 New user Ocean City, NJ 68 Posts |
The worst audience for my tricks is actually my nine-year-old daughter, so she's always the first person I try out any trick on that I'm considering presenting. She's currently my guinea pig for vanishes, and I'm almost at the point where I might try it out in public. I've found that the old adage about believing the transfer is true, although it's far easier said than done.
~Cameron Mount
|
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » New to magic? » » How exactly are you supposed to react in this situation? (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.02 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |