The Perils Of Fast Patter

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If there is one fault that is common to a lot of magic patter acts, it’s that the performer speaks too fast! I know this not only because I have witnessed it on many occasions, but also because I am definitely guilty of it myself.

The fact of the matter is, if you patter too quickly many of the spectators may miss the essence of what you said, and this can have a dramatic effect on how well your act is received. Just think about all the different ways that this could have a detrimental impact for a moment.

For instance, if you gabble out some instructions to an assisting spectator and the person mishears or misinterprets what you have said, they might do the wrong thing and completely ruin the trick. You might imagine that they have deliberately sought to mess you up, but the truth is they might simply not have heard what you said due to the speed of your delivery, and were too intimidated or embarrassed to ask for you to repeat it all. Continue reading “The Perils Of Fast Patter”

Commanding Higher Fees

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In the January 2020 issue of Magicseen I have written a piece on how to go about deciding on the right fees for your shows.

It’s a common worry, especially for those new to paid work, about where to pitch their fees. They don’t want to charge too much, but by the same token nor do they probably want to ask for too little, and finding the right balance and assessing one’s personal value as a performer is a challenging task.

In David Regal’s excellent book Interpreting Magic, there is a quote from Derren Brown on this subject. Derren was reflecting on how as a jobbing close up performer in Bristol, he was commanding £300 fees. Yet the moment that he was seen on TV, his agent hiked his charges up to £3000 per show—overnight! Continue reading “Commanding Higher Fees”

Dealing With Charity Shows

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As entertainers we are always in demand with charity organisations who are looking to raise money by putting on all manner of events. The problem that the organisers face is that on the one hand they need to offer something that will excite the interest of potential attendees, but on the other the likelihood is that they can’t spend a fortune doing so if they want to make any profit for their coffers.

So it is that we performers receive an enquiry for our services, and quite often somewhere in the request will be the phrase “we don’t have much money”. The implication, even if it is not expressly stated, is that they are hoping we will work either for nothing or at least virtually for nothing.

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Building Your Credibility With Bookers

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One aspect of performing that can be, in my opinion, very instrumental to success, is your credibility with the audience.

Famous TV magicians can sell out large venues because they have already been  seen many times on the box and have established in advance with the viewers that they are good at what they do. Their credibility and standing is therefore not in question and the audience are simply hoping that the performer will live up to the reputation that has been created by these television appearances.

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Recreating A Sense Of Wonder

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When you are involved in magic on a regular basis, either as a performer or even as an informed observer, it becomes increasingly difficult for magic effects to recreate in your mind that stunning feeling of total wonder that it can cause in the uninitiated.

If you think back to when you were a child, perhaps, and you experienced magic for the first time, those feelings of awe, amazement and the thrill of witnessing the impossible, would have really excited you. But as with any experience, the more you have it the more likely it is that you will become gradually immune to the effects of the situation, and so it is with magic.

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Advertising – The Importance Of Who Says What And How Often They Say It

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Einstein said, “Insanity is doing exactly the same thing again and again and expecting to get a different result!” Actually, he didn’t really say that, but for some reason it is attributed to him. I suppose whoever did express the idea originally thought it would carry more weight if it appeared to come from a genius such as Einstein.

This does, however, throw up two interesting thoughts. The first is whether the saying itself is actually true, and the second is whether statements or ideas carry more or less weight and validity, depending on who expresses them.

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Why Magic Needs A Context

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I might be old fashioned, but I do prefer magic that has a context or a framework for the impossible event that is happening. For me, a visual piece of magic eye candy is nice, but ultimately less satisfying than an effect which builds through presentation to a satisfying magical conclusion.

Magic is, of course, totally illogical. Most effects that we create have little foundation in reality, and it is that very fact that makes it interesting. If magic was no more surprising or interesting than using a remote to ‘invisibly’ turn on a TV, then it wouldn’t be something that anyone would be prepared to pay to witness.

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Your Self Esteem Makes You A Better Performer

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In order to a good performer I would suggest it is an absolute necessity to be really confident in your ability. That’s not to say that you won’t feel any nerves prior to a performance, but more that once you get out there in front of an audience, you have an inherent self assurance that enables you to be successful.

But where does this confidence come from? Is it purely from having years of successful performing experience behind you? Is it just that you’ve seen it all before, have negotiated previously all the likely stumbling blocks, and so you no longer feel that there is anything very much out there that can surprise you?

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There Are Some Things That Get Better With Age!

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As you grow older, you can be forgiven for thinking that there’s very little which actually improves for you! Your eyesight gets worse, you feel like you have diminished energy, modern gadgets appear to be unfathomably complicated, and your joints ache. Hmmm, not great!

However, I would suggest that for magicians there are a number of things which do improve as you get older, and so in the interests of redressing the balance, I thought I would tell you what they are.

Continue reading “There Are Some Things That Get Better With Age!”