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Killer Magic Interview – Damien OBrien

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

Damien OBrien Killer Magic

By Dominic Reyes

We talk to Killer Magic Magician Damien O'Brien about performing in the TV show, promoting yourself as a magician, and what magic tricks were his favourite in the TV series.

You've done a great job of promoting yourself individually before coming together for the show. Can you give our readers any advice on sculpting their own performing image and style?

I think with style, it's you've got to be true to yourself. Don't change for anyone. Don't listen when people say, 'You can't do that particular type of magic.' or even what you should wear. You've got to feel comfortable. The more comfortable you feel, the better you're going to perform.

When it comes to performing, I think you need to perfect everything you do. You need to work hard on getting your sleight of hand down, how you present it. My personal favorite is to go out and test a lot of new tricks on people in real time. There's only so much a mirror or a camera is going to tell you. You need to test it, you need to make sure it's down and that people are going to be blown away. I think if they go, 'Kind of– sort of–', you maybe work on it a bit, and you keep pushing it. They haven't seen anything unless they're extremely blown away, and then you've got it down.

How do you get to perform for so many celebrities?

[chuckle] I get asked this question a lot. The reason I get to perform for so many celebrities is, I've sort of started off by blagging my way into nightclubs. I was doing magic for loads of artists in a club and I would go out and hand out as many business cards as I possibly to try and get my name out there. I was lucky enough to get my break, and it kind of kept leading on to other things. I didn't look down on opportunities; I took every opportunity I could get. Even when someone went, 'Right, it's good promotion. Come down and meet these artists, perform for them.' The amount of times you end up performing to them, you end up becoming good friends. Most celebrities have other celebrity friends, so they introduce you, and that was it. I got into that sort of circle.

How does your style differ from everyone else's in Killer Magic?

I'm probably the more cocky one out of the lot. I'm very competitive. I always want to win. I always work really hard. I think my style is very flashy. I show off a lot with what I can do and I really do play to my strengths a lot in that.

What is the best reaction you've got so far when filming Killer Magic?

My favorite still is Fish and Chip Shop; the guys just completely lost it. What was really funny was the fact that he actually did spell his name wrong, and then called himself an idiot. Certainly, he was not an idiot but he actually called himself a dickhead too, which was really funny. He kept saying, 'It's in the belly of the fish.'  He even asking if I was a fisherman. I think after that, his whole world was just completely blown away. I don't think he knew what was real or fake anymore. I think that was it; his whole universe was crushed.

Is it fun working with all the other magicians?

It's really fun, because you get to see so many different styles of magic in Killer Magic. Everyone has got a really cool personality and we kind of know what buttons to push with each other, so we know how to wind each other up and bug each other, but at the same time it's all good banter and we have a laugh.

What's the best thing about Killer Magic? What do you think sets it apart from all the other magic shows on TV?

I think what sets Killer Magic apart is there's no this background story of, 'I'm this person, I grew up here.' It's five magicians having fun. We are kind of showing the competitive side of magic, of challenging each other, and it's very fast paced. There is a lot of magic happening, there's a lot of unique styles, and everything is unique and workable. There's no camera tricks. There's no stooges. Everything that's happening is real.

 

The first episode of Killer Magic aired on BBC Three on the 1st April 2014. The series will continue later in the year. You can currently watch the first episode on BBC iPlayer.

To find out more about Damien O'Brien check out his website here.

More interviews with the Killer Magic magicians here

 

 

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Filed Under: how to do magic tricks, interviews Tagged With: interviews, Killer Magic

Merchant of Magic Podcast #5 – Killer Magic Interviews

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

Merchant of Magic Podcast #5

In this episode, we talk to some of the magicians in the new magic TV series Killer Magic. Chris Cox, Ben Hart and Damien O'Brien talk about their experience making the show, how they work together, and give some advice for magicians wanting to improve their performance techniques.

 

For a text version of this interview visit here

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Filed Under: interviews, Magic Podcast Tagged With: interviews, Killer Magic, podcasts

Killer Magic Season 1 Episode 1- The Magic Tricks

by Dominic Reyes 15 Comments

Dee Christopher Killer Magic 

Killer Magic just aired on BBC TV – Here's what I think of the new magic TV series.

The first episode of Killer Magic just aired on BBC three last night and magicians around the country are giving their reactions.


The first episode which was all about food seems to have got a great response from magicians. Before the show aired many magicians were concerned that the show would be exposing magic secrets, but that didn't turn out to be the case. Instead, we were presented with quite a wide range of magic tricks in a format which is very similar to Come Dine with Me, complete with scoring from the other contestants and an amusing voice over.

What magicians can learn from the Killer Magic TV Show.

One aspect of the show that really impressed me was that the contestants gave magic performance tips about each magic trick after it was performed. Chris Cox offered a meal prediction magic trick which the panel all agreed may have been over presented. Jasz Vegas suggested that taking too long to come to the finale of the trek and adding into many failed revelations may have spoiled the climax. Similarly, when Vegas performed a routine on a date, Ben Hart provided some helpful advice about handling everyday objects as props yet making them appear natural. These performance tips are really refreshing and a magic show format. Many aspiring new magicians watch TV magic shows to gain inspiration and hinting at the need to think about presentation rather than just collecting magic tricks is so useful for their development.

The format of Killer Magic.

I was a little bit bored by the format of presenting magic tricks as practical jokes to spectators. It's the same format used in just about every TV magic show at the moment. A fusion of a magic show and candid camera. However, ratings from other magic shows suggest that this is exactly what the public at large wants. David Blaine's original close-up magic series taught this to the television networks, that audience reactions are often more entertaining than the magic tricks being presented.

A simple change to Killer Magic?

A possible addition to the show would be to bring in a guest magician each episode to perform a signature magic trick. This would showcase some of the best talent in live magic at the moment. The panel could watch the performer, get some mentoring help, and talk about aspects of the performance which will help them in their own efforts through the competition.

The magic tricks on Killer Magic.

The magic tricks themselves were very good. Unlike many magic TV series, the tricks were real-world and could be performed outside of a TV production. That's one of the biggest complaints magicians have about television magic at the moment, so it's nice to see a move away from this in the Killer Magic TV series.


In conclusion, I liked the show. Killer Magic will continue later in the year with the rest of the episodes and I'm really looking forward to watching them all. If you missed the first episode of Killer magic, you can watch it online using BBC iPlayer.

What did you think of the show? Leave a comment in the section below:

 

 

Image Source: Dee Christopher

Opinion: Dominic Reyes

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  • Cloud of Smoke Free Ebook
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  • How to Break In Playing Cards
  • How to Learn Magic Tricks
  • Tips for Leaving a Magic Gigi
  • LSQ Ebook - Free
  • Magicians Fees Ebook
  • Mistakes in Magic Ebook
  • More Icandy
  • The One Minute Magic Business Ebook
  • Pitfalls Magic Family and Friends
  • Safe - Free Magic Ebook
  • School of Cool Free Download
  • Sleight of Hand Beginners Course
  • Split Free Magic Video Download
  • Self Working Card Tricks Vol 2 Download
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  • Think Tank Free Magic Download
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  • Understanding Misdirection Free Ebook
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  • Confidence For Magicians
  • The Indian Shuffle

Filed Under: magic on TV Tagged With: Killer Magic, magic on TV

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