How to do Magic Tricks

Advice and Support for Magicians

Social Distancing For Magicians – After The Covid 19 Lockdown

by Jason Dicks 1 Comment

Social Distancing for Magicians

The lockdown is slowly ending and things start a slow return to normal… but it’s a ‘new normal’. As magicians resume performing at events, social distancing is going to be a key issue that needs to be planned.

Social distancing in one form or another will be here for some time so if you are planning to perform magic in live situations, it’s important that you spend time planning how your close up effects need to be changed to suit the new environment.

How can magicians adapt their material when live events resume?

Not so ‘Close-up’ magic

The key here is ‘distance’. Even as things begin slowly returning to normal, many spectators will still have their own level of what feels ‘too close’. You can’t know that in advance.. so you need to assume a level of distance always.. unless invited to be nearer by the spectator.

No Touching

The effects in your performing sets need to be chosen or adapted to remove the need for spectators to touch the props. Having a spectator name a card, rather than pick one… placing props on a small table or just keeping them in your hands… Changing routines so coins jump from one of your hands to the other, rather than to a spectators hands..

Lots of changes and challenges there. But it’s really not as hard as it first appears. We’ve all experienced spectators that like to examine everything.. They usually have to be controlled carefully.. The plus side of social distancing may be a decrease in those attention seekers. Can you use this distance to your advantage..

Can they see you?

Performing magic from a ‘comfortable’ and ‘safe’ distance means you should ensure the magic you do is very visible and clear. For card effects, use​ large index playing cards​ that are easier to see at a distance or even use a jumbo size deck for some effects.

Jumbo Index cards

As you won’t be able to stand too close to your spectators, your effects need to be performed at chest level or head height (rather than at waist level). Effects performed at waist height will not easily be seen by your spectators.

Make small changes to the magic tricks you already perform

It’s easy to panic and think that you will have to change your whole working material, but it really isn’t that hard to adjust, once you relax and think about the small stages within each effect. Tiny adjustments are all that’s needed in many of the staple magic tricks magicians perform close-up.

Magic Tricks For Social Distancing Magicians

Let’s look at some examples of magic tricks that are perfect for social distancing situations. These effects can be used by any magician performing magic after the Covid-19 lockdown ends.

Ambitious Card​ – As picking cards and getting them signed could be problematic get them to choose a card by:

  • Dribbling the cards

  • Riffle and ask to say stop

  • Ask them to name a card and use that one

  • Deal and say stop

  • Use blank face cards and write their name on them. 

Card to Mouth​ – No card to mouth so change to card to top pocket or card under glass.

Sponge Balls

With card tricks, it’s a great opportunity to open it out and perform to a group as much as you do individually. The distance allows you to hold a larger group’s attention. For example: Multiple Selection routines will play well to a crowd or table -​ See Card Revelations

Sponge Balls​ – The staple effect in most sponge ball routines has always been the balls jumping to the spectator hands or multiplying in their hand, but that can be adjusted..

If a table is available you can utilise 2 squeakers, one that works and one that doesn’t.

Can’t use a spectators hand so change the ending to:

  • Changes to large sponge ball

  • Changes to sponge rabbits

  • Changes to a square

  • Something & Nothing sponges

  • For the right crows use a sponge ding dong?

    You don’t get the surprise of the spectator opening their hand, but the effect above each to produce a nice surprise climax that will compensate nicely.

    Bill Switch ​- Rather than borrow money, use blank paper and write or draw on it. Use fake money, you could make up a template that you can add your contact details on.
    Invisible Thread/Levitations​ – If you currently use Loops, consider trying ITR’s instead so the effect/levitation can play bigger

    Sven Pads​ – Go large with a big​ SvenPad A4​ or A5 so the audience can see from further away. Include page numbers on the bottom of each page so rather than flicking and asking to say stop you could just ask for a page number. This could work if every force page (short page) has the next page number written on it i.e. long 1 short 2, long 2 short 3, long 3 short 4 etc. So a number is named (eg 25), you slowly flick through the pages, showing all different, and stop at page 24. Show this page saying, if you said 24 you would have this. Now turn the next page (short 25) rather than flick and show the force page.

    Alternatively you could have the force pages as the long pages so you can flick from the back of the pad (which may be easier and give a better view for the audience). In this case the force (long) pages would be numbered so as you flick backwards through the pad, you stop at 26, then turn the next page to the long 25

Jumbo Invisible Deck – ​There’s not much need for me to go into the reasons why you should perform the invisible deck.. Every magician knows how powerful a device this is.. Time to go for a ​large invisible deck

Ring Flite​ – As you can’t borrow a ring, use your own, but attach a tag to it which you can write the spectators name across. 

Ring on String​ – Again, can’t borrow a ring so why not Go Large and learn a version using a large ring and rope – see David Williamson, Daryl etc.

  • The Charming Chinese Challenge

  • The Houdini Ring

    Mentalism​ – May be a problem getting people to write down information on your business cards or billets/pads etc. If they have a business card use theirs, this could still be placed into a peek wallet​ to gain the information.

Anything By Ben Williams

Ben Williams Anything​ would still work well as this uses a “verbal” peak.

Apps​ – There are many great Apps out there that work with a spectator using their own phone.

  • Wiki-Test
  • Inject 2.0
  • Real List
  • Xeno
  • Picasso

Portable Table/Case ​- Why not use a ​portable magic table​ when performing walk around or table magic. You could even carry larger props in the case that you wouldn’t normally use your close up set eg Large Sven Pad, Magic Square (A4 or white board), Staple Gun Roulette, larger 21st Century Phantom.

You can also use the case/table for a chop cup or cups & balls routine. Also the magic table can be used as an anchor for an ITR routine

Go Stage

For years, close-up magic has dominated magic performance, but now it’s time to look at many of the stage magic effects available, and consider how these could be scaled down for a magician practicing social distancing.

Learn a few stage or parlour effects that can also work in a close up situation such as:

  • Magic Square
  • Heads & Tails
  • Primal Prediction
  • Confabulation
  • Memory demonstrations
Maximum Entertainment For Magicians

Read books such as ​Maximum Entertainment​ that talk about scripting, stage presence etc.

Social Distancing for magicians is not as difficult as if first appears

There are thousands of effects that are perfect for performing magic whilst socially distancing. It doesn’t require you to throw away your whole act and start again.. Just work through it and identify the ‘touch points’, moments when your spectators hold a prop or come close to you. Work around those moments, and look for ways to build a connection with a spectator through the routine itself.

If you have any questions about anything in this post, or would like one of our magicians to help you pick material for your specific act, just contact us and we will be happy to help. 

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Filed Under: how to do magic tricks, Magic in Resturants, performing for the public, showmanship Tagged With: Social Distancing

How Much do Magicians Make?

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

How much do magicians makeWant to know how much do magicians make performing magic? The the true profits may shock you..

By Dominic Reyes

It’s an exciting step to take when you start performing magic for a fee. It could just be a side income for you, or the start of a jump into making magic your living. However, there’s something you should always remember:
Performing magic as a paid performer means you are starting a BUSINESS.

The money you receive isn’t all income. It’s revenue, rather than profit. Only a part of the fee is clear profit for you to spend. The rest needs to be treated with care…

Feeling rich as a magician.

When I first started performing, I was a student. I’d go out in the evening, perform at an event, and come back to my rooms, with a few hundred pounds. It seemed too good to be true. Especially when I watched my friends working five days a week to make the same as I banked in a few hours. I didn’t see the full picture. I thought all the fee was just profit, and mine to spend.

Over time, I realised that the fee you get as a magician needs to be treated as your BUSINESS income. Only a proportion of that should be viewed as your own ’salary’. The rest needs to be spent on maintaining and growing your business.

The business has many overheads.
Rent
Computer, Printer, Paper, Ink
Business cards, flyers
Tax
Advertising
Insurance
Society membership
Exhibition fees
Travel costs
Props
Consumables ( playing cards, Sharpies, etc.)
Business Phone
Costumes and Clothing
Dry cleaning
Backdrops
Website hosting and design
Sustenance
Business growth fund
etc etc

Basically, there is a tonne of costs involved in delivering a ‘magician’ as a product. Those costs need to be accounted for out of the money you receive from performing. All those costs; your clothing, consumables, props, travel… need to be added up, and their projected total divided by the number of bookings you get through an average year. Once you know the REAL cost of being a working magician, you will see how much of your fee is used to provide your service, and how much is actual profit.

Only a small portion of your fee is profit

The magic secret is to put your income from magic in an account, away from your personal account. All your expenses relating to your magic business come out of THAT account. What’s left, is your salary… Unless you keep that money separate from your personal income, it’s very hard to know how much you are TRULY making from your magic, and how much is left for you to grow your business.

Once you start doing this, how you view how much to charge for a magic show will change dramatically.

After costs, your fee only generates a fraction of its value as profit to you.

The hours you forget about

Now, calculate the average number of hours you spend practising, replying to emails, working on marketing, attending exhibitions or networking, travelling… You may charge several hundred pounds per hour when performing, but after expenses and the ‘admin hours’ you put in to run the business, your hourly rate is probably quite modest.

You’re not always busy

You may not get a consistent amount of bookings each month through the year, so you need to account for some months that will be quiet, but the costs of running your business and your need for a ’salary’ will still be there.

I don’t mean to be negative here. Performing magic can be highly profitable, and immensely fun. However, in order to understand how much do magicians make in relation to their earning, you NEED to see exactly how much it costs for a magician to run  their business. You need to make sure your activity is as profitable as you think, and you have the budget to make it grow.

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Filed Under: how to do magic tricks, Marketing for Magicians, performing for the public Tagged With: fees, magic business, Price

Magic Tricks Go Wrong – Here’s What to Do

by Dominic Reyes 3 Comments

Magic Tricks Go Wrong.. What do you say?

By Dominic Reyes

Thomas writes:

Sooner or later, someone will catch me out performing a magic trick. They will look were I don't want them to. It doesn't happen very often, but still it does happen. What do I do if I have just done a move and someone says "wait a moment, that's not right"? Do I just say "OK, you caught me. Good job" or is there something else I should do or say?

 

Every magician gets caught out by spectators eventually. It's simply the nature of the game that magic trick go wrong sometimes. Even tricks that require no skill can fail.

 

Close up magic is unpredictable

Just like anything that's based on personal interaction, you can't control all the conditions at play. Stage magicians have it easy. They can control how the audience experiences the show. They can set the lighting, sound, angles of view, and the degree interaction allowed. The audience remains more passive, only taking part in the show to a controled degree. Not so for close-up magicians. Close-up magic happens surrounded by the audience, in chaotic situations, and active participation by the audience is almost always present.

People are smart

Regardless of what magic tricks instructions tell you, people ARE smart and do notice small details. It's true that misdirection and psychology can be used to control them, but it's not guarenteed. Sometimes, people just notice things by chance. Other times, they may not follow your instructions, or get distracted so your misdirection techniques don't work. People may have seen a similar magic trick before, and be less likely to be taken by surprise.

Some people treat the magic they watch as a puzzle to solve. They may jump to a false conclusion about how the magic trick is done. Their solution may be wrong, but it's good enough for them.

If you perform magic for the public on a regular basis, sooner or later you will get caught out.

The danger of too many close up magic tricks

Slow down the quanity of new magic you are learning. Problems with the performance of the tricks you are currently performing are not solved by adding more tricks to your practice program. Strip your workload to the bare minimum. Your job to make sure you practice, practice, practice and learn all you can and focus on where you are getting caught. Make sure you get EVERY trick in your working set, as perfect as possible, and to a standard where they happen without much effort. This will reduce the amount times your magic tricks go wrong.

Scared about being caught

When beginners first start practicing magic, they often worry about this happening. Just the thought of a magic trick going wrong fills them with dread, and can be enough to prevent them showing anyone their magic. However, the more they perform, the more they realise that a magic trick going wrong, is not the end of the world. It's far worse to have a bored or indifferent audience than it is to have your magic tricks go wrong.

The real secret of what to do when magic tricks goes wrong

Here's everything you need to do: Laugh it off, and make no big deal about it…

'Yep, you caught me' isn't the end of the world. As long as you make sure you make no big deal about it, and just move on quickly.

'You're sharp! I'll have to up my game with you then… I only show THIS next magic to magicians..'

You stay cool and act as if it doesn't matter. Well, that's what you should appear to do. Secretly, you REMEMBER what happened and think about WHY it happened. When you are not performing, you should start a practice drill to cover that moment, and make sure you work on the material so the same mistake is unlikely to happen again. Over time, you will hardly EVER be caught, but there is always a small chance, so be prepared. Your practice will make you confident that your tricks won't go wrong again.

Having an emergency OUT

Many magicians have a few emergency 'out's they can use if a magic trick goes wrong. It might be an invisible deck, or even just a thumb tip. If a trick goes totally wrong, they just move the moment along and into their emergency out trick. Let's say you had a card picked and 'lost' in the deck. You were about to make it appear on the ceiling. OH NO!! The card really is lost and the trick has failed. It's time for the emergency out:

1) You pull out an invisible deck and place it on the floor, still in it's card box.

2) You then drop/shower all of the original deck of cards over the floored card box. 

3) You open the box to show that the card value they picked is the only face up card in the deck…  WOW.

Ok, it's not the trick you were going to show, but it's still a win. As the magician you control what will happen next in the show, so you just steer the original trick into something else.

 

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Filed Under: Approach, how to do magic tricks, performing for the public, showmanship Tagged With: magic advice, showmanship

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