Entertainers not just Tricksters

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Comment by Jordan on June 18, 2009 at 5:05am

I got that e-mail too maybe someone sent this group message. I'll have to screen out sending messages by members to the group.

Comment by Jim Salabim on June 17, 2009 at 3:17pm

I just got an email to take a survey about pizza. The 3 makers of the pizza were listed and I am given a choice of which one makes the best pizza. I picked "None", they all make lousy pizza.

Why am I getting this email? Did anyone else get this email?

Comment by Laura Hathcoat on November 8, 2008 at 3:40pm

I think what Bill is saying is correct.... and it's much like the difference between a trick and magic. You can teach someone to perform a trick... but the magic comes from within the performer. We've all seen really bad acting performances and ones that carry us away... ones that pull us into the moment and make us laugh, cry, get angry of be very very afraid. Those actors/actresses create the "magic" in their craft and are able to make us feel part of the action, or one with their character. I am not a magician and I'm not an actress, but I know a good performance when I see one. The performer is totally at one with their character (Bill's truth), and comfortable with every aspect of their performance. You can't convince others of your craft (no matter what it is) if you appear unconvinced yourself. Being the magician isn't enough... you ARE the magic.

Comment by Bill Palmer on November 3, 2008 at 1:51am

I don't know if you can teach people how to be entertaining. I know you can see the parts of an act that aren't. One of the most important things is truth. If your act rings true, it will have a better chance of being entertaining. You have to be yourself, or at least a version of yourself.

Treating your audience and volunteers is one big step.

Consistency in your script is another.

Comment by Kipp Sherry on October 10, 2008 at 1:47pm

Todd brings up a very good point, it's about learning how to hold that special moment. But before you can hold it, you have to create it. So let's look at some ways to create that special moment.

You need to move beyond the magic moment, this is the point at where the magic happens, something changes, disappears, or is revealed. This is the "magic trick". As someone who is just getting started in magic, you may think it is about mastering the "move" to make the magic moment happen. Although this is important so that you look good and don't flash any secrets, that is just the first step in a performance. The next step is routining, and we'll get into that more later. The final step is making it a performance, a show, really drawing the audience in.

There are several ways to do this. One is body motion, as we have already discussed. To go a little further, look at the other performing arts like dance. A whole story is told and emotions conveyed with only body motion. You care share emotions of sadness, excitement, love, conflict, and more all with the way you move your head, arms, chest and legs. This works very well in magic as well. Large stage productions will often use a cast of dancers to help convey the proper emotions for the effect. As a side note, dancers are also used to misdirect and help with other elements of the effect itself. But for right now we are looking at body motion being used to connect with the audience.

Another way is story telling. You can really pull on the heart strings of others if you can tell a story they all can relate to. By incorporating a story into you magic trick, you have just added another element of entertainment and connection with the audience. With stories you can create a special moment for your audience as the reflect on their own life and and personally relate to your story of childhood, love, conflict, triumph, fantacy, etc. But, if you don't connect with audience, they are just watching a magic trick, not a performance.

Music, and if available, lighting can help set a mood and a connection with your audience. We all know the power that a song can have on the listener. And you don't have to restrict this to stage only where you have complete control over these elements. Look at your surroundings and use them to your benefit. You would perform differently if you were at a swank restaurant or a casual restaurant, a kids birthday party or an adults birthday party, a convention hall or on the streets. Use the mood of the environment you are already in to enhance your performance.

Spontaneity is another great way to connect with your audience. It is important to script out your performance, but it is equally important to leave a little flexibility for spontaneity. This goes beyond having a great come back line. It includes being ready to perform what might be asked of you. If someone has seen a magician before and that magician did something that they really liked, be ready to perform that same effect for them. If you can do this then you are riding on the coat tails of some of their fondest memories and you instantly are remembered just as fondly.

A great way to create the illusion of spontaneity is to practice the same effect with several different presentations. Let's say you have a disappearing scarf trick, write a routine that would be appropriate for a corporate audience of business managers. Now, same trick but write a routine that would be appropriate for a kids birthday party. Now do it again for one that would be appropriate to a church group, a wedding, a street setting, etc. Do you get the drift? It's the same trick, the script is just rewritten for the audience you will be performing for. If your audience can relate then you have a better chance at connecting with them.

In summary, if you just create a magical moment, then you are just a magician. If you create a special moment that connects with your audience, then you are an entertainer.

Until we appear again,
Kipp Sherry

Comment by Todd Diamond on October 9, 2008 at 10:32pm

Right on Kip, Each venue requires a different type of body movement and communications skills I feel that they are very similar in that they both require audience control.

How to control your audience is crucial in everything we do. Applause cues on stage and in close up are essential for what we do! Learning how to hold that special moment, pausing, and standing your ground is effective for all types of magic.

Just thought I would throw that out there!

Todd

Comment by Kipp Sherry on October 8, 2008 at 10:23am

Since Jordan wants to leave this open to all presentation styles of magic, I would like to point out that each performing venue requires a different skill set.

Close up magic requires good interpersonal communication skills since you are working one-on-one with people. Here you can see the persons facial and body expressions and you need to be able to read them accurately and adjust your presentation accordingly. The magicians body language is more hunched over, head down, arms held closely together as you try to get people to move in closer and look at the small items you hold in your hands.

Stage magic requires more public speaking skills since you are addressing large audiences with blurred and unseen faces. Usually the only cues you get from your audience is what you hear (applause, silence, booing). The magicians body language is more grand with striking poses, chest thrust forward, arms extended fully as you try to draw peoples attention to everything and everyone on the entire stage.

Parlor magic is sort of a morph between the other two. You are working with a larger audience so you need your public speaking skills, but you will still have one-on-one interaction so you need those skills as well. The magicians body language is also a morph between the other two depending on the scale of the illusion your working with. Most of the time your body is more "every day" natural, but may require a grand stand at times, and may also require you to move closely to a single audience member and draw them in.

Now with all that said, I haven't even talked about what it takes to be entertaining, I'll post more on that later. But I will leave you with a teaser, it requires personality. Have you found yours yet?

Until we appear again,
Kipp Sherry

Comment by Kipp Sherry on October 8, 2008 at 9:17am

Jordan,

Glad to see that you grabbed the bull by the horns and ran with it.

Until we appear again,
Kipp Sherry

Comment by Mark Williams on October 8, 2008 at 8:35am

Hello All!! I just thought you'd like to know that one of our members Laura Hathcoat started this blog [quote]There are tricks, and there is magic... and then there are magic tricks. What is considered a trick and when does it become magic?[/quote]

Here is my answer which I believe is relevant to our discussion group here:
Performing one's magic to harness emotions is a valueable lesson to learn. Magic truly is the embodiment of unseen forces. Sometimes weaving an emotional story into your effects will, in fact, create the Magic. As a performer, it is our job (read as : joy) to entertain. By merely showing off trick after trick...Magic soon loses its appeal. However, if the performer enjoys the magical moments as much as his audience, then the Magic transcends beyond all limits and boundaries. The World is indeed our stage...and Magicians need to live and breath in the Arcane Arts to truly understand its potential.

To check out the rest of her blog and the great responses, click here:


Best Magical Regards,

Mark Williams

Comment by Jordan on October 7, 2008 at 9:48pm

No Problem Ryan. I actually created this group as we, along with Kipp Sherry and Mark Williams are discussing on how a show should go and we had talked a lot of things. I thought that it would be great if other magicians could share too some info on how to entertain.

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