How to Stop Feeling Guilt When Doing Magic Tricks and Sleight of Hand

Ben Williams suggests ways to reduce feelings of guilt when performing close-up magic tricks and sleight of hand.

Guilt is something every person has to deal with at some point when studying sleight of hand and magic tricks. Simply because you have to lie to your spectators faces about what you are doing sometimes. Simple statements like, ‘we’ll lose your card in the deck’ or, ‘if I place the coin in my hand’ sound easy to say. However, these statements can be tougher to say convincingly whilst performing your sleight of hand.

Telegraphing.

Another common issue with guilt can be the guilt of performing sleight of hand in general. Some moves (especially ones that you worry about performing) may become apparent to a spectator simply because you are telegraphing the fact that you are performing a sleight. You must learn to feel at ease with all the sleights you perform. If you feel guilty when performing a move like a shuttle pass or false transfer it will only give the spectators more chance to catch you out. The more you worry about the move, the more you transmit through non verbal communication that you are doing something fishy.

When you have to perform a move you are worried about, the body tenses up and you may stutter or hesitate. You may even become slightly more withdrawn, and look at the cards, or your hands instead of the spectator. All these subconscious clues tell the spectator that something dodgy is about to happen. Relax and believe you are doing what they think you are doing, and it will all become easier and more enjoyable!

The solution to magicians guilt.

If you have guilt about doing something secretly in your pocket, like load a box, or switch an item, and you really don’t want to draw attention to it, then there really is only one answer for this: practice! Practice the load or switch over and over again, and also make sure you practice in the clothing you will be performing in. If you practice in baggy clothing, and are wearing tighter clothing when you perform it can really make a difference with the handling. Use pocket managment. Try to look at where things are in your pockets, or if there is another pocket you have that it would work equally well with but be less fiddly. If you are fidgeting and people pay attention to it, simply joke and say, 'sorry I am not being rude, I just have so many things in my pockets, like fairy dust, and whatchamacallits. I cannot find my little box!' A simple comment like that, and they will be thinking you have all manner of things in your pockets, so the fidgeting is now justified. People don't really know what a magician has in their pockets! You can help to draw attention away from your pockets by asking the spectators to do something at the same time. Ask the spectator a question, or hand them something like the deck of playing cards to shuffle. Any action will buy you a few more critical seconds.

Once you are practiced, and up to speed with all of your sleight of hand and routines then all you need to do is perform, the guilt will disappear. You can always justify it by telling yourself that you cannot give someone the wonderful experience of magic without a little white lie here and there!

The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Close Up Magicians

by Dominic Reyes 3 Comments

By Dominic Reyes

Over the years, I've had the pleasure of working with some of the most talented close up magicians in the world. By viewing these successful working magicians in action, it's possible to spot several factors that they all have in common. We can copy these 'habits' and add them to our own practice and performance of magic. Lets look at the 7 performance habits most often found in the behavour of successfull magicians:

1) Keeping control of the audience

It's important to learn how to control and direct your audience. Successful magicians take time to learn how to capture attention, foster interest, and control a group of spectators. Reading books on direct sales and showmanship just as much as you read magic books can help you learn ways to gain control of your audience and keep their attention throughout your performance. Discuss audience management with other performers. Take note what works well in a live situation. Successful magicians will often spend just as much time relating to their spectators as they do performing the mechanical aspects of their magic tricks. Time is taken to perfect posture, eye contact, and pacing, to control how a spectator reacts. Learning how to control an audience will ensure that you don't hesitate if a spectator suddenly asks you a question in the middle of you trick. You learn to keep your cool by anticipating this behaviour in advance, whilst not appearing to ignore the interruption that may have taken place.

2) Punctuality.

Successful magicians make a habit of arriving in plenty of time for their shows. Being on time is vital if you want to build a great reputation. In fact, being on time is not good enough. Arriving early to a gig gives you time to check out the venue, chat with the client and the event staff, and address any unexpected problems that may have occurred. If you are booked to start at 8pm, make sure you arrive by 7pm. An extra hour may seem excessive, but it pays off over the long term. Being relaxed, ready and prepared is far more important than an extra hour before you set off for a gig. That hour is usually spent in 'preparation limbo' anyway, so spend it at the venue instead. Being early means that you stay calm and relaxed.

3) Pocket Management and Resets.

Do you remember your first magic gig? I do remember my first time performing as if it were yesterday. I took way too much stuff with me, and loaded my pockets with as many magic tricks as I could carry. I remember laughing after the gig that I really only needed 20% of the items I carried with me that night. In fact, the gig was harder because of all the equipment getting in the way. Successful magicians know exactly what they will need for each gig and streamline their pocket management, so every item has its place. The magic tricks that successful magicians perform tend to be built into working sets. Each set is designed to have the right resets and the magic props have locations on the magician which allow him or her to move through the set without fumbling for pens, cards or any of the props needed for the set. Good pocket management will make your magic seem effortless and spontaneous.

4) Knowing when to arrive and leave.

The best close up magicians know just when to join a new group and when to leave. They don't just plough into a new group as they stumble through the room working. They look for 'in' moments, when there is a break in the conversation, and they can engage the group without interrupting a guests anecdote or joke. Successful magicians know how to leave a group wanting more. Their magic are constructed to:

Introduce
Engage
Create energy
Build to an applause.

Knowing when to stop performing is just as important as the choice of magic tricks that you perform. Successful magicians perform just enough to entertain the group, but not so much that they are taking over the whole event. The secret is to leave them wanting more. Perform a few tricks, and promise that you can return later if they request it.

5) Effective use of space.

Close up magicians don’t use a stage for their shows. The magic happens right in the thick of the action. That means there is little or no control over the performing environment. Successful magicians will have already scouted out the venue before they start performing. They know the blind spots in the room, the walkways, serving points and access channels around each table. When they perform, skilled magicians move around through the show, making sure that everyone is engaged and gets to see the magic tricks up close. Motion is life, and motion created energy. Standing in one spot though your whole set of tricks, doesn’t help build energy. It’s one of the reasons modern comedians tend to pace up and down the stage as they deliver their stand up comedy. Movement keeps peoples attention.

6) Simplification.

There are commercial magic tricks, and tricks designed for entertaining magicians. One of the most common differences between the two forms of magic is simplicity. Successful magicians understand that the magic tricks they perform need to be simple to understand. A general rule of thumb is: A magic trick should be easy to explain in a single sentence. When it comes to casual walk-around magic, effort= boring to the spectators. That doesn’t mean that the magician can’t perform magic that touches on complex concepts, but the presentation needs to be clever enough to reduce the complexity to it’s simplest form, so most of the thinking has already been done for the spectators. A great example of this in action is the work of Derren Brown. Many of these presentations involve quite heavy theories or concepts. However, his entertaining presentation simplifies this for the audience, so they don’t feel like they are having a mental workout.

7) Timing.

Probably the most important skill of successful magicians, yet one that is so often overlooked, is timing. Knowing just when to pause, when to speed up, and when to pass a cheeky smile to the spectator. Timing is everything, once the mechanical aspects of a magic trick have been mastered. Despite this, it’s often not discussed in the instructions for most magic tricks. Timing comes from rehearsal of the whole trick, including the patter and physical actions. It’s then developed through live performance and remains in a constant state of development though out the magicians whole experience performing the act. There are many courses and books for actors on timing, and it’s effort well spend, building up as much knowledge as possible on this key skill to becoming a successful magician.

Where the 7 habits of sucessful magicians come from.

What do all 7 habits of successful magicians have in common? None of them are found in the instructional DVD that comes with most magic tricks. They develop through performance. Not necessarily live to the public, as performance can be simulated in rehearsal, but they only develop through applying each magic trick into the environment that it will be presented within. To develop the 7 habits of successful magicians, I recommend getting as much experience as possible, performing your magic to strangers in a social setting. This doesn’t need to be paid gigs, you can do charity events, fund raisers or community social gatherings. The key is to get out and find out how magic is presented in the real world, with all the distractions and interactions that provides. The rewards you will gain, in the development of your magic performance will be limitless.

How Magicians Build Magic Sets For Their Acts – Choosing Magic tricks

by Dominic Reyes 3 Comments

By Dominic Reyes

We discuss how to build your magic tricks into magic sets that flow together. Constructing a magic act.

One of the most common questions our magicians get asked is how to order magic tricks into sets for performing to the public. Let’s look at the types of magic tricks that can be built into working magic sets, and how to order them into your act to get the best results.

Getting ready.

The first step is to understand what kind of magician you are. Do you enjoy comedy magic? Perhaps you prefer a more serious style, featuring hard hitting mentalism? Your magic style should dictate the shape and style the magic sets, and how you will be perceived by your audience. Take time to decide exactly which style of presentation would suit you best. Choose tricks that compliment and communicate the ‘style of magician’ you want to be.

Once you have a style, it’s time to build magic sets. We will build 3 magic sets, each containing 3 magic tricks. The three sets will each have a different pace, designed for specific parts of an event, and types of spectator.

Set one: The approach.

Magic Trick 1) The Impression.

The first magic trick will be your opener. This is the trick you will use when you join the first group of the evening. It needs to be quick, with a goal of capturing the attention. The magic trick must show that you are professional and skilled. When you join your first group, they may not know that a magician has been booked, so may not have anticipation of the magic they are going to see. Choose a magic trick that requires little initial attention. Think quick, fast, and impressive! A simple coin routine works well in this position, especially a 3 fly coins across. Perhaps a colour change card trick with a little flourish built in? If you use comedy, make sure you get a laugh with a strong line. The aim is to make everyone notice, and focus on the magic as quickly as possible.

Magic Trick 2) The Build.

After your opener magic trick, you will have the group engaged with your magic. This is the time to perform a longer trick that will stand up to focused attention. You are now interacting with the group. Start using spectators names, and get them involved. It’s this point that will most often have new spectators joining the group to see what is going on. Open up the circle if you can. Involve a few spectators, and look for magic that takes place in their hands. This could be a strong card routine, an expanded sponge balls set, chop cup routine. The aim is to relate to the group and expand it.

Magic Trick 3) The Shout Out.

Your final magic trick in this set should cause people to freak out. The aim is to have people getting noisy about what they have just seen. The goal is to capture the attention of other people in the room. Go for a magic trick that blows people away, and gets a round of applause, or some high fives. A bill in lemon, an omni deck, a bottle through table. This trick is a closer, so should end in an applause cue stance, with your arms open.

Keep it to three.

Each set should contain maybe 3 tricks. You want people to remain hungry for more. Explain that you need to visit everyone, but will show them more later.

Set Two : The group next door.

This set follows set 1 as you move to a group nearby. It may be the case that some of the first group will follow you as they want to see more. The new group may have watched a little of you magic from a distance as they heard the reactions form the first group. You now need a new set of magic tricks to perform for the new group.

Magic Trick 1) Moving house.

You are already warmed up, and the reactions you have been getting from your first set, will have been notices around the room. This first magic trick also needs to be quick and capture the attention. This magic set doesn't need to demonstrate your abilities as much as the first trick in set 1. A three card monte works well in this position, or an ambitious card routine. Short, punchy, and lots of climaxes and the secret to opener tricks. Your aim here is to move to the new group and get them engaged quickly to keep the buzz about you going from the first groups reactions.

Magic Trick 2) The Meat.

Now is the perfect position for a more meaty routine. Perhaps some mind reading, metal bending or a levitation routine. Play to the whole group and expand it. Card magic works well here as you could do a multiple selection routine such as the MRD deck by Liam Montier.

Magic Trick 3) The Big One.

To end the second set, we recommend that you hit them hard with a signature piece that will cause a stir. Ring flight, ring in walnut, bottle through body. Something that makes everyone applaud and freak out.

Set Three) The Circus.

You’re in the middle of the room and at a point where a large group is all around you. Most of the people have already seen your magic from sets 1 and 2. This set is almost like a theatre show.

Magic Trick 1) Helpers.

Use 2 or 3 helpers for a routine and bring them into the center of the group. In the hands chop cup routine, a rope routine like fiber optics extended, or a mind reading routine may be perfect here.

Magic Trick 2) Comedy.

Look for a magic trick that allows a few of the spectators to be comic if their personalities suit this. A street hypnosis routine, or an arm bend/twist routine would work well here.

Magic Trick 3) The Closer.

To end The circus set, you need your most dramatic closer. Something that gets 3-4 people joining you to help. Bring in some interaction from tables near you as well, and address the whole room. At the end, go for an applause stance. If you are performing to a single table, have the guests stand during the trick as this is a feature effect and should aim to be as visible as possible.

It's about pace.

So there you have three sets of magic tricks. Each set designed to be used at a different point in an event. You repeat sets 1 and 2 around the room, working towards the middle of the room, stage, or towards a top table. If you have the whole rooms attention, set 3 brings everything to a climax.

The pace for each set is different. Building from fast and flashy, to engaged and interactive.

Once you understand the flow and goal of your magic sets, it becomes much easier to choose new magic tricks to include, and to be able to order the magic tricks you already know, to be positioned within your sets to get the most out of them.