Interview and Performance

[notsoltd]

Well guys, I just got done with my talk show interview and performance and I took (I believe it was) Realityone's advice and got me a composition book to take notes. I just wanted to tell you guys about this performance and let you see what I wrote in the journal. Hope you guys like it! Let me know what you think! Here is the journal:

Nov. 4, 2010 - Interview and performance with the broadcasting class.

-Trick Set-

• Do as I do (1 helper)
• Cards Across (2 helpers)
• C3: Con Cam Coincidencia (3 helpers) (this effect KILLED)

The performance went well! All of the effects played out as planned. I feel very strongly about this routine. Each effect was more amazing than the previous! While I was happy with the performance and everything went great, I believe it could have been better. I also believe that I should re-evaluate my patter for this routine.

I was nervous at first with the number of people in the room. They offered to evacuate all but a few people but, I kindly refused (this is something I will have to get used to). Once the interview began, I was way less nervous!

C3 NOTE: Be sure to pay attention to all 3 helpers during this effect. I re-watched the video and realized that most of my attention was on 2 of the helpers, and not much on the other.

Is there anything else you guys feel I should cover in my journal?

The reactions were amazing guys this is by far my favorite performance I have done. When I did "Do as I do" she was impressed and they were amazed. Then I did Cards Across. I had two people each hold ten cards that they counted out to be ten. I told one of them to imagine a card turning invisible, floating out of her hand and then into the other girls hand. I played this up for 3 cards. She was BAFFLED when she counted only 7 cards into her hand and when the other girl counted 13 cards....Wow the reactions were amazing.

As far as the last trick, C3...wow that killed. They were stunned just absolutely could not believe it!



Also, I want to note this: There was a video recently where the performer would just walk off after the tricks. I learned today what it truly means to connect with your audience. After everything was over, one of the girls that and interviewed me was re-watching the video with me. We started talking and it just ended up us talking for 25 minutes about her broadcasting class, school, sports and just a lot of random stuff. I believe I truly connected with her not just as a magician, but as a person and I think now that that is key to being a magician. It isn't about the tricks...it is about YOU and your AUDIENCE.

Sorry for the long post guys I hope you read it and I can't wait to read your responses. I learned a lot from this performance!

 

[b_08]

We started talking and it just ended up us talking for 25 minutes about her broadcasting class, school, sports and just a lot of random stuff. I believe I truly connected with her not just as a magician, but as a person and I think now that that is key to being a magician. It isn't about the tricks...it is about YOU and your AUDIENCE.

Now you're starting to get it. Keep doing other things besides magic and keep performing (in the proper setting) and you're going to understand this concept more and more. Believe me, if you're still doing magic at 25 yrs old, you're going to look back and realize how different things are than you think they are right now.

The next experiment you should try is to be at a social gathering or party and NOT do any magic and see if you still can connect with people. If you don't know how, then that's something you should strive to work on. Make sure you've got a good wealth of interesting topics that people in general are interested in. If you can achieve that, even if you don't learn another new trick or read a new magic book, you'll find that you are 10 times the magician you are today. Plus reactions you get will be insane even if you do the exact same tricks you do now.

 

[~Illogical_Illusionist~]

Congrats on your solid performance! I was reading one of your other threads where you were concerned about spectators not being fooled by the c3 effect, glad to read you were able to overcome that.

 

[notsoltd]

Heck yeah I am glad I just went ahead and did it anyways! They were so floored it was awesome!

 

[~Illogical_Illusionist~]

Any chance of putting the video up? It would be pretty cool to see how the talk/magic show worked out.

 

[notsoltd]

Definitely! There is another video they also did of me that was more of like a news cast and a close up performance that I will also put up! It could be a while before I get them though, I'm not sure. The teacher just got out of the hospital and he is kind of out of it still. I have already given them a flash drive though, and once I get the video's, they will be posted!

 

[RealityOne]

Here is the journal:

Nov. 4, 2010 - Interview and performance with the broadcasting class.

-Trick Set-

• Do as I do (1 helper)
• Cards Across (2 helpers)
• C3: Con Cam Coincidencia (3 helpers) (this effect KILLED)

The performance went well! All of the effects played out as planned. I feel very strongly about this routine. Each effect was more amazing than the previous! While I was happy with the performance and everything went great, I believe it could have been better. I also believe that I should re-evaluate my patter for this routine.

I was nervous at first with the number of people in the room. They offered to evacuate all but a few people but, I kindly refused (this is something I will have to get used to). Once the interview began, I was way less nervous!

C3 NOTE: Be sure to pay attention to all 3 helpers during this effect. I re-watched the video and realized that most of my attention was on 2 of the helpers, and not much on the other.

Is there anything else you guys feel I should cover in my journal?

Good job on the performance and starting the journal. The only advice I have is to be more specific. How could your performance have been better? Why didn't the patter work? What other patter could you use? What you did in your note on C3 is really what the journal is about. The best analysis asks what you would do differently.

Also, think about your statement "Once the interview began I was less nervous." Why was that? Do you think you could get the same effect by talking to your spectators before you begin doing magic? Do you think if you designed your patter so that you are having a conversation with your spectators it would make both you and them more relaxed?

Make sure you put the last couple of paragraphs in your journal. Those are great, especially the last paragraph about connecting with the audience.

Finally, take some time to think about the "why" of what went right. Fill in the sentence "I think they reacted so well to cards across because they..." Exercises like that will give you a sense of your performance from the audience's perspective and allow you to reach more general conclusions about what works for you.