How to do Magic Tricks

Advice and Support for Magicians

Merchant of Magic Podcast 4 – Performing Time, Small Hands, and Card Control

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Merchant of Magic Podcast Episode 4Merchant of Magic Podcast Episode 4 : In a dark corner of the Magic Shop, Dominic Reyes, Ben Williams and Paul Knight chat together about:

  • Running out of time when performing magic at a gig.
  • Which tables or guests to entertain first.
  • Overhearing feedback from spectators.

 

 

The team also answer some of the questions sent in to the magic shop, including:

 

  • How easy is magic for people with small hands?
  • Ways to keep your playing cards in control.

 

The Merchant of Magic Podcast is recorded liveat the magic shop.

The motivation behind the Merchant of Magic podcast is to recreate the feel of visiting the magic shop and joining in with the conversations about magic that happen through the day.
Because all the core team are working magicians, we spend much of our time talking about the gig’s we have done that week, and the experiences we have as magicians. We think that there are enoughmagic product review podcasts and shows available to magicians. We don’t want a show that is nothing more than a commercial for the magic tricks the shop is selling.

The Merchant of Magic is in a very lucky position that we are truly grateful for. The success of the magic shop means that our customers fund us to be at the shop, helping magicians and giving advice. The podcast is funded by that support, so it does not need to be a commercial, plug products or promote sales. If you get something out of it, it’s time well spent. After all, we are in the shop talking about magic anyway, so why not record it!

The format
We plug a mic into a macbook pro, switch on Garageband, and record the show. No editing or effects, just a recording of the chat we are having in the shop. Five minutes after we stop recording, it’s live. That’s very easy, fun to do, and feels organic, but it does mean that the show is not ‘produced’.
The other option would be to have regular ‘sections’ within a show. Each section having intros, and running on a set theme each episode. For example:
  • Q&A
  • Our week in magic
  • Magic at a gig
  • Practice tips
  • etc etc
What do you think? Just us chatting in a rambling splurge of conversation with no real direction, goal or structure? Or a more formal show with regular sections? What would you like included?Please share your thoughts in the comments section below:

Should a Signed Playing Card be Given to People by Magicians?

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Getting Playing Cards SignedWhen it comes to a spectator choosing playing cards, magicians can’t help saying:
“Pick a card. Now please sign your name on the card..“

Why do magicians have playing cards signed by their spectators? It’s such an odd thing to do. Playing cards aren’t supposed to be signed. There’s something else making the magicians get the names of their spectators on the playing cards.

The most popular reason magicians do this to playing cards.
It’s a time stamp.
Having a spectator sign a playing card is a proof that the playing card was in THAT space at THAT time. It elevates the impossibility of the effect, should the playing card be found in another location moments later.
Why do we give the playing cards to spectators to keep?
Hands up, who needs a playing card with their own signature on it?  Anyone…?
Our own signatures are not rare, we can make one whenever we want. What’s the value in keeping a playing card we sign ourselves? It doesn’t refer to the magician, it doesn’t even point to what happened in the magic trick. It’s just a playing card with our name on it. Spectators do often keep the playing cards magicians make them sign, as a reminder of what they saw. It’s something to take out at the office a few days later as they tell their friends about the magician. But it could be so much better.
Dominic Reyes talks about alternative ways to give out your playing cards:

DO THIS: Next time you need a playing card signed, try one of the following:

1) Give an autograph – If a spectator signs a playing card, add some text yourself:

To
(signature)
Best wishes
(your name)

2) Make a wish – Ask the spectator to write on the card, a wish that they would like to come try in the year ahead.

3) Draw a picture – Ask them to draw a picture and then you can add a funny comment under it.

4) Turn it into a spell – Have them sign the playing card at the top. Under it, write: A wish to come true.
Explain that they should keep the playing card safe, and if they ever need a single wish granted, they should make the wish as they tear the card in two. They must keep the playing cards pieces safe, and it may come true.

Why Magicians Should Talk Less and Listen More

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Magicians stop talkingMany magicians find that they practice a magic trick until it seems to flow perfectly, but when it comes to a live performance, things don’t go as well as they should. There’s a BIG difference between live performance and a practice session. We are going to recommend that you change how you practice your magic tricks. It’s a very small change to make, but should give you a huge step forward in your performance.

A magic trick practiced Vs. a magic trick performed.

Magicians build up to a magical event happening, after all, that’s the whole point of their magic tricks. However, many magic tricks have several magical events happening in a series. When magicians practice a magic trick they usually do it in private, towards an imaginary audience. It’s this audience of ourselves, silent in its reaction, that causes us a problem. We already know what’s going to happen, and our attention is on the next part of the routine to be performed. We don’t react to each magical event and give ourselves the same feedback that a live audience does. We run through our practice sessions, mastering the moves, then work through our rehearsal sessions, polishing the routine, but we never work on the feedback we will get when we perform. Here’s Dominic Reyes talking about this, and how it relates to magicians performing for the public:

   

During a performance, it’s tempting to move on to the next magical event in the routine, without stopping to allow the reactions of the spectators to play out. As soon as the coin vanishes, or the playing card changes, we start talking about what will happen next. We sweep the spectators along to the next part of the act.

Being eager to move on, prevents the spectators from giving your magic the reaction it deserves. It reduces the impact of a magicians magic tricks and turns the performance into a passive form of entertainment. Being a magician is as much about engagement with the audience as the magic tricks themselves.

DO THIS: Make a note of each magical event that happens in a few of your favourite routines. As you practice them, pause at the moment that something magical happens. Relax. Imagine making eye contact with some of the spectators and smiling. Make a little comment and imagine an answer to it. Breathe. Then move on to the next phase of the trick.

When you perform, pause after something magical happens. You want to slow down the performance, and also focus the spectators minds on what they have just witnessed.

Use the moment of misdirection to set up the next phase if needed, but once you are in the clear, smile at someone and laugh with them. Make a comment or answer a question. Make your audience feel that this isn’t a magicians stage show, up close. You are with them, performing something that they also play a part in. You will be very pleased with the results!