Social Distancing For Magicians – After The Covid 19 Lockdown

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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.

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.

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:

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. 

Who Cares How Magicians Bend Spoons? 

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Strongman by Jimmy Strange and Merchant of Magic

If they can bend metal with their minds, why do magicians bend spoons!?

By Dominic Reyes

I’ve been using a Strongman  nut and bolt at almost every gig for the past year. Starting with the prototypes and moving through each of the versions as different metals and designs were tested. If you are new to Strongman, it’s a device created by Jimmy Strange that allows you to have a nut and bolt inspected, before and after it is slowly bent by the touch of a spectators finger. It’s a powerful moment of magic, and I enjoy performing it very much.

Using Strongman made me think about an aspect of performing metal bending close up: The emotional meaning of why magicians bend spoons..

I started to wonder why I do many of the things I do as a magician. Would someone really do these things with magical powers? Why are all most of the things I do with my magic trivial?

Magic doesn’t HAVE to have meaning. We can change the colour of a playing card, or make a matchstick float in the air just for the fun of it. But.. is it more powerful for the audience if they see magic that has a valid purpose?

  • The magician uses magic to escape from his bonds.
  • The magician uses magic to heal.
  • The magician uses magic to win a lovers heart
  • The magician uses magic to win a fortune.

All these presentations have motivation and meaning. They are things someone who has magic powers would spend their time doing.

The favourite objects for magicians to bend using magic or their mental powers are forks, spoons, and coins. I understand why.. They are the items commonly around where magic is performed. The items have context within the environment. However, in the context of meaning, who really cares if magicians bend spoons or forks? Equally, a bent coin still maintains it’s purpose, it is still a coin and can be spent so no real harm is done.

A Nut and Bolt on a Playground Swing

The whole reason for being an nut and bolt is to be strong, supporting and dependable. Our lives often hang on the strength of just a few nuts and bolts. I think about that every time I fly..

I remember being a kid and swinging as high as I possibly could on the park swings.. I’d look up and see that single bolt holding the chains.. Did you ever do that? My life hanging from a single bolt…

This is why I like the Strongman nut and bolt so much. It’s not only a self working examinable metal bending trick, it’s also a way of presenting metal bending with drama and meaning.

It makes me look at the other tricks I perform and ask myself: How can I change the presentation or props for this trick so that the effect created is less trivial?

Adding a  ‘story’ to provide meaning doesn’t have to make  your presentations serious. A funny or light hearted presentation works just as well. For example, one way to introduce the Strongman nut and bolt is to bring it out, and explain that you helped put up the DJ’s light system (or the awards stand, speakers stage etc) with him earlier. You’ve just found this… Should we be worried…? or something similar..

Hope this helps

Dominic

How to Perform The Same Magic Tricks To Groups Close To Each Other?

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same magic tricks to groups close together

How do you manage to present the same routine to groups that are very close to each other?

Hi, I’m enjoying Dominic Reyes’s videos very much, it’s really helping me a lot.

My name is Rodrigo, I’m 27, from Brazil, and  love magic since I’m little, but now I’m going to make a living of it. I have a question, and I would be very pleased if you could help me with it.

How do you manage to present the same routine to groups that are very close to each other?
(and if not, how many different routines do you usually have to use at a same gig)

I’m asking it cause I’m worried that it could be bad for my reputation, appearing for them that I only know that tricks, or worse, happening one guy stars to tell things by viewing the same trick again.

Thanks a lot, I hope you can help me with this question that is really troubling me.

I hope some day I can go to the UK to visit your magic shop.

Gratefully, Rodrigo

 

Hi Rodrigo,

Great question and we are more than happy to help and reassure you! Firstly, here’s a video Dominic made at a recent gig, where he talks about this situation:

Professional Magician Vs Casual Magician.

Firstly, you must understand that when working as a professional it is very different from performing casually for many reasons. One of those reasons is the material you perform. When you perform causally you show the same people different tricks, when you perform professionally you will mainly be performing the same tricks for different people.

A professional will hone their material so it is well structured, patter and scripting will be much more of a factor with your routines, your props have to be managed well and organized neatly within your pockets so your performance can flow well. All of these things are important when performing magic tricks professionally, it is no good going to a gig trying to do loads of different tricks to everyone as that will result in your quickly losing any organization in your pockets, you will need to go and reset everything far too often and you will come across as disorganized and it may even result in you not getting to show as many people magic as you or the client would like.

How do you manage showing the same magic tricks to everyone?

The answer to this is that you don’t have to deal with this too much. Mostly when you go from group to group each small group feels like they have your undivided attention. This means that they will respect you giving other groups your full and undivided attention and they will know their ‘show’ is over when you move on. You can help this by saying something along the lines of:

‘Thank you so much, I have so many people to get round today, I must go and mingle with some other groups, but I will come back and show you some more later if I have the time’

This is a subtle and kind way of saying show time is over now, now I have to show some other people magic. Mostly you will find people will understand this anyway. You will also find that a lot of people don’t want to follow you around, they are happy with the time you spent with them. You will most likely be booked to perform magic at a party or wedding or corporate event where other things are going on, they have people to see and other things to do. This doesn’t mean you were bad and did not entertain them, not at all, it is just they came to a party/wedding or other type of event and not to a magic show. They never intended on watching magic all night. Of course, some people will not want you to go, these people are golden and you should try to go back to them at some point if you can, they may even follow you a bit or watch you perform to another group later.

What happens if someone does follow me from group to group?

I will go into what sets of tricks you should have in a bit. However, if you do get someone to follow you then remember, they are only doing it because they like what they are seeing. Take it as a compliment. You must be aware of the fact that they have seen some of the tricks so try to speak with them to misdirect them at key points, the other lay people will follow that misdirection but you will also misdirect the spectator who has followed you. You can jazz up your routines as well, for example, I perform Omni deck as a finale to my card magic, sometimes I will do it after card to mouth, sometimes after a double lift or after a triumph routine, just to jazz it up and keep people on their toes so they don’t get used to seeing that trick at the same point.

How many routines and magic tricks are best?

This is my own personal way of doing things and it works for me. I have a few sets of tricks on me when I perform, I will most likely perform 3 – 4 routines per small group before moving on when performing Walkaround magic. I will always have at least one ‘powerhouse’ routine with these, this might be a coin bend, Omni deck, it might be Ring Flight, I will try to make it something unique and not just a card trick. This is what I will finish each set on and it will change between groups. I will be set up for about three or four powerhouse routines within my pockets for a walk around set. Some of these powerhouse routines need a quick reset, it may be an envelope needs reloading or something needs to be reset in a wallet etc. So when I go from group to group I can do four groups before a quick reset. If I am super busy and have lots of people to get round then I will maybe only do stronger routines that don’t need a reset, maybe card to wallet instead of card to envelope, you have to judge this when you get to your gig each time. By having four powerhouse routines it’ll be rare that someone sees one of these any more than once or maybe twice, which is fine.

For the other routines that go in between I will obviously have a deck of cards and I have a tonne of card tricks I can do off the cuff, I will also have a few gaff cards on me in a pocket I can easily load onto the deck should I want to. I have a coin or set of coins for a one coin routine or a coins across, with these I can add in a watch steal if I see the chance. I will have a thumb tip for other effects such as a liquid vanish, sugar packet effect or bill switch. I will also have a wallet, I can load into and a couple of gaffed banknotes in that wallet for tricks such as £10/£20 transpo, extreme burn or similar. With all of these together if organized well, you will have a core list of about 10 tricks and 4 powerhouse finishers that you can easily chop and change between so it is not a never ending list of tricks but you have ample variety for the small groups. Of course you will repeat tricks, but that is good, people love talking about when you did that trick where the coin bent in their hand and comparing stories.

How to deal with a repeat spectator that spoils any surprises.

Finally, this is how I would deal with a spectator that did follow me and ruin things by saying things like, ‘show them the trick where you turn the cards into glass or do the trick where the coin bends’. You have to understand, most people do not do this to be a pain in the butt to you, they are doing it cause they are excited and would like to see the trick again because it impressed them so much. They don’t realize that by them saying these comments it makes it harder to perform them. So here is a line I say in these situations, I say it very much as a joke and lighthearted response (I hope it will translate well for you).

Spectator, ‘Show them the trick where you bend the coin’

Me, ‘Oh, that’s it! Just tell them the punchline before I can tell them the joke!’

It is said with a smile and a laugh, but it gets my point across immediately that I do not want them saying things that may ruin the climax of my effects for everyone. I will most likely then say, ‘well, I tell you what, I’ll show you something different’ and then I will show them a different powerhouse routine. Unless it is something like Omni Deck which only takes a moment of misdirection. In that case I will say, well, I can’t do it now! I will show you later, then I will do a simple double lift and immediately do Omni deck as no one will be expecting it and you will catch everyone, even the repeat spectator off guard.

So those are my tips and suggestions to help you in this situation. Essentially though, if you perform with confidence and charm people will like you whatever you do.

I hope this helps, please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you.

Best,

Ben Williams
Merchant of Magic
www.magicshop.co.uk