Posts Tagged ‘Magic’

Street Magic: A Crash Course in Real World Performing

Friday, January 8th, 2010

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After watching David Blaine’s street magic specials back in the early noughties, what deck wielding teenager could resist the urge to head for their local streets and offer free impossibilities to passersby? Not me. I was there. Seventeen, inexperienced and excited. Armed with only a deck of cards and a friend with a video camera, I headed for the streets expecting overnight stardom and greatness.

When you’re out approaching people on the street, however, and you want even the most insignificant fraction of attention from people it doesn’t seem to matter whether you’re offering free wonderment or selling The Big Issue. Most people do not have time.

And when things don’t come easy, you have to back to the drawing board and figure out what your goal is. What is your goal? And how should you go about getting it?

I realized that what I was out there to do was capture magic on film in shortest amount of time possible. Getting rejected fifteen times between each performance was tedious and time wasting. So I came up with some ground rules, tips and techniques to reduce my rate of rejection.

Rule 1 - Don’t perform to the elderly or the busy. Yes, if they look like they’ve got a free bus pass or a briefcase, you really don’t want to waste your time. I found a lot of older people were scared of me and far too stressed by me being in their immediate proximity to possibly follow let alone enjoy what I was doing. And I’m not scary, honest! People in suits are probably on their lunch break and pushed for time. If they’re not eating yet, they don’t have time to watch you. Your performance could be the difference between a long and a short queue at Starbucks.

Rule 2 - Perform to students. The vast majority of students don’t have anything better to do (no offence to them). They’ve just gone to university, realized that year one is much easier than A Levels were and don’t really know what to do with all the spare time they have suddenly got. If you find some students hanging around, they’ll likely participate. I have never had a student reject me.

Rule 3 – Let the magic sell itself. Start with something short and shocking. The magic needs to happen in seconds and be unignorable. It needs to build curiosity in your target spectator. Recommendations would include a card flourish or a transformation.

Rule 4 – Don’t take rejection personally. Just don’t. Those rejecting you don’t mean it personally.

Rule 5 - Enjoy it. At first, if you have never performed to strangers before it can be difficult to relax but you really just have to plough through this stage. Keep doing it until it feels natural. And trust me, eventually you will.

 

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Students Of Illusion Magic And Magicians

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Whoever invented illusion magic must certainly have felt that they had created a magic system that was perfect and which would remain unfathomable for all times to come. In essence, we consider everything that we can feel and touch as well as hear and see as being reality and so magic would mean something that dictates what we feel and see and hear and perhaps touch. This in turn means that illusion magic is the ultimate in magic that would, if mastered, make the magician capable of doing virtually anything.

Not Perfect

However, in reality it is erroneous to consider illusion magic as being perfect though it is certainly very interesting while also quite confusing as well. In fact, this form of magic happens to be a topic around which there is so much debate that it deserves a special mention whenever the topic of magic is being discussed.

True understanding of illusion magic can only be experienced if a person delves very deeply into the deepest recesses of the human psyche and in fact, according to sages, the understanding of magic would actually be incomplete unless a person is able to understand them. A master of illusion magic will of course be extremely adept at casting tactile, visual as well as auditory as too taste and scent illusions and will also be someone that can accomplish their tasks with consummate ease.

The difference between a student of illusion magic and a master of this art is that when told to “make an apple” the student will only ensure that the apple crunches when bit upon whereas the master will go deep into the subject of an apple and point out its many flaws, or to be more exact, lack of flaws in the apple.

Magicians know and have mastered the art of making the human mind, so intent on perceiving perfection of form, react dramatically when the mind is made to face up to anything that defies this notion of perfection that exists in most people’s minds. Actually, sorcerers will have to realize this fact that individuals react differently when they see the effects of illusion magic.

Creating an apple is the secret of their success that might seem not perfect to an observer, that might have the effect of making the apple seem actually more real to them. Additionally, quite a few people are not too responsive to illusions as the others. So, a non-responsive observer would deny that the illusion magic trick even took place while a responsive observer would believe the opposite thereby giving rise to debate on illusion magic. Nevertheless, there is a bit of illusion magic in everyone, which can best be seen in the way people try to look more glamorous than they really are.

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All About The Magic Castle In Hollywood, California

Friday, July 31st, 2009

If you have the opportunity to visit the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, go!  If you want to see some amazing magic tricks, and you’re free for an evening, go enjoy some grown-up fun. It is a place like no one has – and your visit will be a life-long memory for you.

Back To Basics – Things To Know Before You Visit

A word of warning before you start planning your visit to the Magic Castle: not everyone can attend. Just because it is a private club for those who love magic and for magician, members (Associate members and Magician members) pay for the privilege of attending as much as they wish in any given year. For you, (a non-member) to attend, you will need to know someone who is a member and get a guest pass from them. Or, even better, get them to take you with them.

Attending the Magic Castle is a formal affair. You would not be out of place in a tie and jacket (for men) or evening gown (for ladies) – in fact, it is required. What? You don’t have a jacket, you say? Don’t worry – the front desk has several jackets and ties they lend for the evening, so you might be just fine. But don’t show up with running shoes on, or expect to take your jacket off once you get inside – it just isn’t done. Formal places call for formal attire.

The Magic Castle is situated just north of the Kodak Theater. There is not much parking on the streets, so expect to pay for valet parking. It will run you less than ten bucks, which is a bargain in that neighborhood.

Expect to have dinner in their finest restaurant, also. They have great food – many selections for those who love meat, seafood, or are vegetarians. Prices range from $28.00 to $65.00 for an entrée, and there are plenty of “adult beverages” to be found at the several bars throughout the Castle.

Once You’re Inside

After you enter the Magic Castle, you’ll have to get past the receptionist by showing your identification of adulthood. If you’re there on a guest pass, present the pass and pay the door charge - $20 each. They will also confirm your dinner reservation that you called in earlier. If you are there along with a member, there is no door charge, and the having dinner is optional. You will then be given the secret code word to be able to enter the door to the showrooms.

As for the shows, expect to be fully entertained. There are three major showrooms – the Close-up Gallery, the Parlor of Prestidigitation, and the Palace of Mystery. The shows in those rooms run on a schedule, and you’ll want to be in line early in order to get in. Also, many nights there are other magicians to entertain you in other various rooms -  down in the museum, or in the dungeon, or even roving magicians to show you effects while you are in line for another show. There’s always plenty to see and do at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California.   

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