Let me share some tips here dealing with the video. I am sure a lot of you have Afraidy Cat Rabbit. That is a great effect when presented right. I had mine for plenty of years. The rabbit looks nice. If you want to enhance the colors, place a different design on the panel. It was not long ago when others showed they placed a dinosaur design on the panel. Having a cut out of the shape is going to enhance the visual of the trick to.

Movement is a plus for me. Of course there are professionals who do not include much movement in their shows. Usually they use verbal and humorous lines to keep their audiences highly entertained. I like to rely more on movement because I am an energetic person. In my shows it helps captures the attention so others will look directly towards me.

Facial expressions are a plus for me too. I have performed hundreds and hundreds of shows already performing a lot of the same effects already. The audience do not want to see anything as if the entertainer is bored with his or her presentations. Keep your facial expressions fresh for the audience each time.

Some magicians will turn around their Afraidy Cat panel themselves at the end. My tip is to have a child do it. When I am looking confused as the kids are telling me to turn it around, the same time I am visually searching for a child who I see with great facial expressions. I want that child to have smiles and laughter on their face. When I spot one, I call them to come and turn around the panel because the will look more excited than a normal face child. When the audience sees his/her expression, (especially the adults,) it helps pass laughter around the room.

I do not have any dead time in my act. You noticed when I am done with the apparatus, ready to put it away, I ask the kids the magic word. It helps fills time with interactions to help keeps the children under control so their attention will not wander off into a different subject.

I forgot to mention I always thank the child who has turned it around to by having the audience give him or her an applause. It shows he or she has done the right thing.

While I don't do this effect, I have at times enjoyed seeing this routine done by others. A magician friend used to do a 7-8 minute routine with this prop. He told a story, made some jokes, did some acting bits, and drew the audience in for those 7-8 minutes. I really enjoyed watching him do his routine.

Now I watched Dynamike's routine using this prop. And it flew by........ On a good way. I thought it was entertaining and drew the kids attention and interaction. I also enjoyed his routine. Lotsof energy. And love your props, Dynamike.

How would I present this effect? Not sure. It's not one that I have really thought about purchasing and presenting. But I like that Dynamike put himself out there and shared the video. Perhaps instead of negative comments (either stated or implied), it would be more helpful if others shared their own videotaped performance or written account of their performance just to share, compare, contrast, etc. Hopefully this way we can get back to the mission if this site: Magicians helping magicians.

I was with you right up until the feet. Excited kids would very likely never put together the pun of "prince" and "prints". I can say with relative certainty they would start yelling "That's not a prince, it's feet!" The ending would not be satisfying to them. But I love the concept. I hope you can do something with it. This kind of creative thinking is why I like to read posts here!



I hope this was not a "feet" pun! LOL!



And that is exactly what is wrong with a lot of children's magicians. Getting the kids all worked up and yelling is mistakenly assumed to be entertaining them. I once stated that you could get the exact same reaction by letting a baby piglet run wild throughout the room. I am exasperated trying to explain all the things being missed when magicians makes this assumption.

So many magicians are missing out on the opportunity to expand your skills and abilities and become great entertainers, and are satisfied with simply being a scream generator.

But, why swim against the current? If this is your goal, and in the spirit of "magicians helping magicians", I am going to provide a list of how to make kids scream (thereby, presumably, being a great entertainer):

Pepper spray
Take away their candy
Perform with an open fly
electric shocks
Have a booger hanging from your nose
Have a TV next to you and every 30 seconds turn it on to a "Sponge Bob" episode ... then turn it off after 10 seconds
Threaten to tell their moms (or mums for our British friends). It doesn't matter what you are going to tell them, just make the threat
Give them all a piece of paper that says "Turn over" on both sides
Have a butterfly float around outside a window behind you (this can be animated from ease of use)
Do one trick (make it a badly executed "Turn it around" for maximum effect) and then say ""That's my show!"
Paint your thumb bright red but pretend you don't realize it

That's my short list. I am sure these ideas will multiply the effectiveness of your show if you think getting kids to yell and scream is entertaining them.

P.S. This is not a commentary about Mike's performance, but rather the opinion that making kids scream = entertaining them. There are some elements about Mike's performance I liked very much. I liked the way he walked to execute the "turn it around", for example.

Being silent means not posting. It does not mean posting and pointing out the fact that you are being silent (with a hidden message by stating that aloud).

- Donald

Thanks Donald. You are truly right. But I just have to give him credit by not entering this thread without any strong negative comments. If we can keep it like that, much of the arguments will go away. That will eliminate the revenge attacks. It will also help from having the misunderstandings taken so seriously. "If you have nothing good to say, don't say nothing at all."

It's not a hidden message, Donald. It's a pretty blatantly obvious message. But after all, isn't that why we are here? Magicians helping magicians does not necessarily mean handing out "attaboys". There is value in honest criticism.

There is a difference between "Honest Criticism" and "Personal Attacks."

My thoughts on this is that we are all artists and the magic we perform is unique to each of us. My show is totally different than Mikes and his show is different from Starrpowers. We are not all the same and just looking at where we live will give us more insight I to our performing styles. For example, Silly Billy can be rougher with the kids because he's in NY. My show is way more gentle and everything is very well controlled. I'm in San Diego.

I tried out te Silly Billy method of getting the kids to scream and it did not fit my clientele nor my style. My style is more in line with Danny Orleans.

I think that instead of saying one way is better than another is wrong and we should appreciate the style for what it is.

Now if mike came in here and messed up the trick that would be another conversation, but he performed the routine exactly like his character would.

Josh

I agree with you Josh. If everyone performed in the same manner, parents will call magicians less. We will be loosing business. Parents want to see something different presented in a professional manner for their children.

Josh I totaly agree with you about styles , I have seen many styles of performer for kids we each have our own. But regardless of style quality will show through. I have seen many performers who I thought that was not my style but they where good at what they did . I have also seen many whom I have thought " oh my god is this a joke! " phil

Routine or not when it comes down to it it gets the laughs and reaction, with fraidy cat it is all built in, the kids loved it that is all that matters.

The trick is serviceable.
The setup is effective and not overdone.
Allowing a child to do the final reveal is a nice touch, especially if it's the birthday child.
The cut-out object is not bad, but I don't know if it really adds anything. I guess a magician might like it, but does it make the presentation or the magic better? I don't think so.

Is it great? No. But it's not bad either. Perhaps in someone's hands it's a showstopper, but I think people here are being overly critical. I've seen worse; LOTS worse!

I agree there is much more to entertaining children than making them scream. However, there is a place for it. You’re correct, making them scream is easy, reeling them back in and creating a roller coaster ride takes a little more thought and skill.

Now, I’ve got to go search for a baby piglet. I understand kids love them.

I have a pug dog and that works too if you can't get a piglet
Phil

You workers have received complements for taking them up and down the escalator as well as leaning forward silently to catch every whispered word.

Harris
Still too old to know it all

I think this is going to become my mission for 2014.

Of course there is a place for it. I COULD just let every hack magician go out and think they are doing a bang-up job, therefore making myself look incredibly great by comparison, but that would be selfish. I have read numerous times here at The Café that these guys really sincerely believe they are doing a fantastic job of entertaining because they make the kids scream -- and then they get upset when someone tries to explain why they should move BEYOND just getting them all worked up.

As an aside, by definition a piglet is a baby.

Starrpower I agree with you , I have mentioned having up and downs and pull them in moments on other threads. It also gives you better audience control as you are directing the flow rather than just winding them up and up . If the audience starts to get wound up and loud don't try to out do them by cranking the voulume up .... Try talking quietly so they have to settle to hear you and you will soon find that things calm phil

Good points, Starrpower and Phil. Audience control is important. Different performers have different approaches and what works for one may not work for the other. But if they maintain a connection and have ongoing interaction with the audience then this also helps. But children screaming can also mean they are being entertained and enjoying themselves. If it's simply havoc that is being created then I agree that that is not the same thing.

Now to bring it to Dynamike's video, it did seem to me that the children were being entertained. I believe I previously mentioned a friend of mine had done his routine to these props for 7-8 minutes in a differentmanner. Kids laughed but it was a more relaxed energy. And the kids were equally entertained and engaged.

I hope they learned from your post Jimmy.