This has nothing to do with the type of reactions you hear about in the selling of a product. Reactions are based upon different factors, many of which very few of you probably have noticed or realized.
You know about about three different reactions, categorized in very broad terms because it's easier to figure out if "hey, this trick is so cool it get's awesome reactions." You know them as, Freakout's, Stunners, and Cool, Neat trick all of which are good to know, if you're still a beginner that is.
Freakouts- are the ones everybody want's to have it seems, the "OMFG how did you do that." While these are great you won't be getting these most likely unless that person is easily impressed, and by that I mean people who ask "how'd he do that" while watching a movie. While these are fine to strive for I don't imagine these as the best.
Stunners- are the one's you leave your audience speechless with, something I know very few of you have gotten many of. Myself have only started getting these regularly, and while some of you like these because hey you entertained them you don't prefer them to the Freakouts. Believe me these are the one's you truly want, if you don't believe me read the Alchemical Tools once you're prepared for an amazing book.
Brook talks about in the beginning how people seemed to be enjoying his pupil's show better, laughing, freaking out, things like that which most magicians seem to want. Yet, Brook had somewhat an opposite show yet at the end they took a vote who they enjoyed more and Brook had the unanimous decision. They were not his friends or had ever met before, yet to the untrained eye it would seem as if he had "failed" in some way.
I'll get back to it a bit later.
Cool, Neat Trick- is something I thought was fine, because hey they thought it was super neato or something. This is in my eyes and my standards a failure of a performance. This is like them doing a magical math problem, no real substance behind it or anything just something cool they didn't know about or how to do.
I have watched the videos of many people here, been lurking about a month now. I also watched several videos of other places, and it pains me to watch such poor performances when I know the same people read people's post on what to do in these situations. You get these types of reactions more times than you realize, and thinking that you get a Freakout but just an overexcited Cool, Neat Trick.
Now that you understand the types of positive reactions you need to understand the core value of each one.
Freakouts- Amazed, usually by the technical skill or by the lack of explanation.
Stunners- Baffled, no explanation because second thoughts are unnerving.
Complete Astonishment, the true goal.
Cool, Neat Trick- Slightly impressed by technical skill or lack of explanation. Similar to Freakouts, but poorly executed.
We got through the first part of this wonderful journey now let me get you through the rest on why you had to read that.
How do you fix your performances to get these type of reactions? Well, read some other posts besides this one first because this is more of an elaborated first stage.
Most effects you do won't be a stunner right off the bat, because you don't know what to expect and you don't want your best effect to be the first effect. So you open with something to prove your prowess and get the audience to start thinking about what you are doing, leading to the reactions, the astonishment.
Now I'm going to get a bit off the path but still continue to the same destination.
You need to have performed quite a bit by now to understand this skill set, perceiving your audience. Without this true skill you will be blind for the most part, possibly leading to good things but often times not so much.
So, what exactly is this skill you should try and develop if you haven't done so already. This is a ambiguous trade skill, but as I see it the simple findings are that you react to the reactions.
Your audience is like a pie chart, one whole broken up into smaller parts. Without one of them, the pie is lacking and thus cannot be completed to satisfaction. Audiences often have the trait of reacting to those around them, amplifying what they do.
Something you would normally get a decent snicker at becomes a slight roar of laughter, or something you find a bit distasteful becomes a small moment of rage. You get the point now, that you need to play to the majority of the audience to get the most out of it. Maybe it seems a bit unfair or cheap the way you play the crowd, but really the entire show is made up of a big ol' lie we sell to them.
That path we just went off of is now right under our feet, waiting for the final moments until we reach our destination. Getting back on track, how would you react to your audience if your opener is filled with the sound of *crickets*. Many people's thoughts will be to try really hard and sell the effect even better, which of course putting it in those words makes you realize this is a failure 90% of the time.
You have to take a different approach, nothing like taking a 180 but branch off a bit and see where it takes you. Now you may be wondering why make a script if something like this were to happen, wouldn't it be ruined and I have to improv a bit to much. Well depending on how far it goes you should be fine and can continue with the script, making small changes along the way.
Understand that you must find what the core of your audience is and play with it, feel for it, and react to it. Your job is to entertain them and by using a bit of psychology I guess you could say, you will succeed much more often.
So some of you may be rereading this and you can go ahead and skip this part, since it's for those of you who have understood the post. You could be disagreeing with my core "technique" that playing to the majority isn't necessarily good. Maybe your audience consists of inbred hicks who get a kick out of something that doesn't require a second's thought.
Well this is obviously a slight exception, because even the best of performers like comedians don't get positive light all the time. Chris Rock in one of his performances talked about a few jokes absolutely bombing in Oakland. Yet he won't be remembered for that there, or anywhere else.
Now some of you may be still be disagreeing, possibly making a possible reference to small time bands or unknown bands that play to a smaller crowd but are great. Well, they have love for what they do, but they probably don't pay all the big bills or make the money to secure a future. Money isn't everything and I agree but you aren't lowering your values, unless they are silly to being with, you aren't copping out, you're just playing to the crowd like any other performer with his audience that pays to come see them.
Also, one final note not in direct relation to this. Get to know the f'ing names of your specs please, telling somebody "alright, you go ahead and do this" is quite annoying as it is a amateur performers mistake. I recently saw some "street" magic, I hate that term, and the magician didn't get a single person's name. All he did was get the balls to get some people to watch his Cool, Neat Trick performance, and if you know who I am talking about then don't take it the wrong way. Scarecrow made a wonderful post about building Rapport and Sherlock not to long ago about the Importance of Presentation and Performance.
Many of you read it yet decide not to follow it because of silly bad habits and trying to stay in your comfort zone. Well kiddies, the best in the world didn't get better or where they are at by playing it safe. Time to man up and try new things, often ending in failure. If you are against it then look at one of the most incredible person ever, Thomas Edison. You think he's remembered for the hundreds of times he messed up mistaking the light bulb, or is he remembered for actually creating it?
You know about about three different reactions, categorized in very broad terms because it's easier to figure out if "hey, this trick is so cool it get's awesome reactions." You know them as, Freakout's, Stunners, and Cool, Neat trick all of which are good to know, if you're still a beginner that is.
Freakouts- are the ones everybody want's to have it seems, the "OMFG how did you do that." While these are great you won't be getting these most likely unless that person is easily impressed, and by that I mean people who ask "how'd he do that" while watching a movie. While these are fine to strive for I don't imagine these as the best.
Stunners- are the one's you leave your audience speechless with, something I know very few of you have gotten many of. Myself have only started getting these regularly, and while some of you like these because hey you entertained them you don't prefer them to the Freakouts. Believe me these are the one's you truly want, if you don't believe me read the Alchemical Tools once you're prepared for an amazing book.
Brook talks about in the beginning how people seemed to be enjoying his pupil's show better, laughing, freaking out, things like that which most magicians seem to want. Yet, Brook had somewhat an opposite show yet at the end they took a vote who they enjoyed more and Brook had the unanimous decision. They were not his friends or had ever met before, yet to the untrained eye it would seem as if he had "failed" in some way.
I'll get back to it a bit later.
Cool, Neat Trick- is something I thought was fine, because hey they thought it was super neato or something. This is in my eyes and my standards a failure of a performance. This is like them doing a magical math problem, no real substance behind it or anything just something cool they didn't know about or how to do.
I have watched the videos of many people here, been lurking about a month now. I also watched several videos of other places, and it pains me to watch such poor performances when I know the same people read people's post on what to do in these situations. You get these types of reactions more times than you realize, and thinking that you get a Freakout but just an overexcited Cool, Neat Trick.
Now that you understand the types of positive reactions you need to understand the core value of each one.
Freakouts- Amazed, usually by the technical skill or by the lack of explanation.
Stunners- Baffled, no explanation because second thoughts are unnerving.
Complete Astonishment, the true goal.
Cool, Neat Trick- Slightly impressed by technical skill or lack of explanation. Similar to Freakouts, but poorly executed.
We got through the first part of this wonderful journey now let me get you through the rest on why you had to read that.
How do you fix your performances to get these type of reactions? Well, read some other posts besides this one first because this is more of an elaborated first stage.
Most effects you do won't be a stunner right off the bat, because you don't know what to expect and you don't want your best effect to be the first effect. So you open with something to prove your prowess and get the audience to start thinking about what you are doing, leading to the reactions, the astonishment.
Now I'm going to get a bit off the path but still continue to the same destination.
You need to have performed quite a bit by now to understand this skill set, perceiving your audience. Without this true skill you will be blind for the most part, possibly leading to good things but often times not so much.
So, what exactly is this skill you should try and develop if you haven't done so already. This is a ambiguous trade skill, but as I see it the simple findings are that you react to the reactions.
Your audience is like a pie chart, one whole broken up into smaller parts. Without one of them, the pie is lacking and thus cannot be completed to satisfaction. Audiences often have the trait of reacting to those around them, amplifying what they do.
Something you would normally get a decent snicker at becomes a slight roar of laughter, or something you find a bit distasteful becomes a small moment of rage. You get the point now, that you need to play to the majority of the audience to get the most out of it. Maybe it seems a bit unfair or cheap the way you play the crowd, but really the entire show is made up of a big ol' lie we sell to them.
That path we just went off of is now right under our feet, waiting for the final moments until we reach our destination. Getting back on track, how would you react to your audience if your opener is filled with the sound of *crickets*. Many people's thoughts will be to try really hard and sell the effect even better, which of course putting it in those words makes you realize this is a failure 90% of the time.
You have to take a different approach, nothing like taking a 180 but branch off a bit and see where it takes you. Now you may be wondering why make a script if something like this were to happen, wouldn't it be ruined and I have to improv a bit to much. Well depending on how far it goes you should be fine and can continue with the script, making small changes along the way.
Understand that you must find what the core of your audience is and play with it, feel for it, and react to it. Your job is to entertain them and by using a bit of psychology I guess you could say, you will succeed much more often.
So some of you may be rereading this and you can go ahead and skip this part, since it's for those of you who have understood the post. You could be disagreeing with my core "technique" that playing to the majority isn't necessarily good. Maybe your audience consists of inbred hicks who get a kick out of something that doesn't require a second's thought.
Well this is obviously a slight exception, because even the best of performers like comedians don't get positive light all the time. Chris Rock in one of his performances talked about a few jokes absolutely bombing in Oakland. Yet he won't be remembered for that there, or anywhere else.
Now some of you may be still be disagreeing, possibly making a possible reference to small time bands or unknown bands that play to a smaller crowd but are great. Well, they have love for what they do, but they probably don't pay all the big bills or make the money to secure a future. Money isn't everything and I agree but you aren't lowering your values, unless they are silly to being with, you aren't copping out, you're just playing to the crowd like any other performer with his audience that pays to come see them.
Also, one final note not in direct relation to this. Get to know the f'ing names of your specs please, telling somebody "alright, you go ahead and do this" is quite annoying as it is a amateur performers mistake. I recently saw some "street" magic, I hate that term, and the magician didn't get a single person's name. All he did was get the balls to get some people to watch his Cool, Neat Trick performance, and if you know who I am talking about then don't take it the wrong way. Scarecrow made a wonderful post about building Rapport and Sherlock not to long ago about the Importance of Presentation and Performance.
Many of you read it yet decide not to follow it because of silly bad habits and trying to stay in your comfort zone. Well kiddies, the best in the world didn't get better or where they are at by playing it safe. Time to man up and try new things, often ending in failure. If you are against it then look at one of the most incredible person ever, Thomas Edison. You think he's remembered for the hundreds of times he messed up mistaking the light bulb, or is he remembered for actually creating it?
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