Don’t Get Taken Advantage Of

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I would guess that most commercial close up magicians have a range of show fees which they select from based on a number of factors pertinent to the booking. So, depending on the travel distance required to get to the venue, how long a show it is, whether it is a business or private social event perhaps, numbers attending and so on.

Certainly one of the ways that I have used to establish a range of show offerings and prices, is to quote different rates for varying amounts of time required for me to work. It makes sense to me that if a booker wants mix and mingle magic for two hours, he should pay a bit more than someone having a smaller event who only requires a one hour performance. Continue reading “Don’t Get Taken Advantage Of”

Making Magic New Year’s Resolutions Stick

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This blog post will be published on the 1st February, by which time the New Year’s Resolutions of many people will have long since been broken! We all start off with the best intentions to lose weight, or to go to the gym more, but life soon gets in the way and it’s all too easy to fall back into the old ways of behaving. It’s human nature.

But what about magic resolutions? Do you make any at the start of the year in the hope of making more out of your hobby, or of learning some new skill, or of catching up with your magic reading? Do those resolutions suffer the same fate as the more general ones? Probably.

So what’s to be done? Well, if you are genuinely serious about resolving to improve your magic life (or your general life, for that matter), there is a way of structuring your behaviour that may enable you to actually achieve your aims. Here are my suggestions. Continue reading “Making Magic New Year’s Resolutions Stick”

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”

The Extrovert Introverts

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Last month the topic for the Mark’s Monthly Message video sent out to members of E-Club Pro dealt with the subject of understanding how spectators may be feeling when we approach them to perform our strolling magic. In this discussion I suggested that most performers present their magic in an extrovert manner which in certain circumstances and for particular spectators might be too much and a bit embarrassing.

One of the E-Club Pro members from the US emailed me to give the opinion that he wondered whether all magicians were in fact extroverts, since many were actually introverts who used magic to perhaps overcome a lack of self confidence.

This raises an interesting point. In the Mark’s Monthly Message I was referring to the fact that most performers present their magic in an outgoing, upbeat manner, not that they were automatically natural extroverts, but it does lead one to consider just how many of us are genuinely naturally self confident. Continue reading “The Extrovert Introverts”

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.

Continue reading “Dealing With Charity Shows”

The Importance Of Reading Your Audience

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It seems to me that having an ability to assess your audience can be a very helpful attribute. By this I mean that when you are interacting with them, it pays you to try and judge, from the way they react to what you say and do, where they are in terms of their intellect and range of interest.

For instance, when I take my lecture round to various magic clubs, as I do every year, the blend of knowledge, experience and understanding can vary hugely from one society to the next.

Continue reading “The Importance Of Reading Your Audience”

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.

Continue reading “Why Magic Needs A Context”

The Power Of A Positive Magical Peer Group

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I have always been of the opinion that who you mix with can have a profound influence on the type of person you are and the attitude that you portray. If you are surrounded by upbeat, positive people, the chances are that this will probably rub off on you and your glass will generally be half full. Spend most of your time with those who find reasons not to do things and for whom everything is a problem that can’t be solved, and you would do well not to become similarly negative.

As in general life, so in magic. When I think back to my early formative years in magic and the people who I met and spent time with during that period, I can clearly trace the positive impact that they had on me. Their knowledge, attitude and drive were terrific role models and had I not hung around with them but chosen the company of others instead, there is no telling what direction I might have ended up taking.

Continue reading “The Power Of A Positive Magical Peer Group”

Pre-Show Anxiety May Not Be Nerves

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It’s probably true to say that every entertainer experiences some form of heightened anxiety just prior to performing. It manifests itself in different ways ranging from a dry mouth, to butterflies in the stomach to even perhaps some sweating or hand trembling. It’s all part of the process of the body preparing itself for something that often takes us out of our comfort zone.

We label this feeling of unease as ‘nerves’, and for those who experience it severely, it can be a significant barrier to a good performance, because if you are unable to cope with these physiological side effects, you may become unable to present your magic adequately.

Continue reading “Pre-Show Anxiety May Not Be Nerves”