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One of the most useful tools for developing your magic is the video camera. Filming your magic tricks being performed will allow you to critically analyze every part of your routine. You can understand what your audience actually see’s when they watch you. It’s an invaluable learning process and we recommend you seriously consider making this part of your training.

When we talk about filming your magic, we don’t mean quickly filming a half mastered trick and uploading it to YouTube. That’s not going to teach you anything. The only feedback will be flattery or even rude comments, that will do you no good at all. This is not about self promotion or feedback from others, it’s about having a cold, hard, and dispassionate look at yourself. It strips away any ego, and shows you what’s actually really there, rather than what you hope to find. That’s where the true value is gained, and it’s priceless.

Which magic tricks you choose to film doesn’t really matter, but ideally you should be performing to spectators and not to the camera itself. You want to be able to study how you interact with your audience just as much as how well you can do the moves when nobody is watching.

Filming your magic tricks is the easy part, now the painful part begins.

You need to sit down and prepare to take notes as you watch the footage back several times. The first time you watch it, you probably won’t learn much. That first viewing will be spent either feeling uncomfortable about watching yourself, or enjoying the routine and patting yourself on the back for how clever a particular part of it is. The real value comes from the second, third and fourth playback.

After filming your magic tricks, make a careful note of the following 10 action points:

1) Do you look relaxed and natural?

2) Do you look happy to be there and enjoying performing the magic tricks?

3) What does your body movement say about you, the situation, and the magic you are doing?

4) Are your hand movements natural, relaxed and clear?

5) Is your speech rushed. Is it clear and engaging? Do you vary the tone and pace?

6) Do you make eye contact with the audience?

7) Do you hesitate when executing a move or sleight?

8) Does anything look awkward or out of place?

9) How is your audience reacting at each point during the magic trick?

10) Are you performing your sleight of hand at the right moments, when the misdirection is the strongest?

You should have made quite a few notes after running through this process a few times, and it’s very important that you act on every point you find. Use what you learn from this to eliminate all the weak points and reinforce the actions that are working well for you. Tweak the routine and its presentation to highlight your strong points. Make a conscious effort to be aware of the problems you have identified. When you next perform, you will be much less likely to repeat those problems if you know they are there.

Each little adjustment will make your magic far stronger. It’s a better long term investment than simply adding more and more new magic tricks to your knowledge base. You have a tool at your disposal that the greatest magicians through history never had. Make use of it and your audience will thank you for it.

Please let us know your thoughts about this in the comments section below:

1) Choose just one trick at a time.
Most magic shops would love you to constantly buy each new trick they market. But unless you are already at an intermediate or advanced skill level, this may not be the wisest move. Choose just one trick, and work on nothing else until it’s mastered. Only then, should you move onto your next trick to master.

2) Practice.
Every day, in small, quick sessions. Many experts recommend the practice drill principle: Running through the moves 15 times in the morning and 15 times at night for 20 days. If you can’t do that, just try to do 10 minutes practice every day. Short, regular sessions are best.

3) Don’t practice sleight of hand in silence.
Make sure you talk as you practice. Do you find you tend to ‘freeze’ when you perform a move in front of people? Saying the words provides cues for the moves and really helps prevent this.

4) Rehearse.
Don’t just run through the moves quickly. Perform the whole magic trick from start to finish, imagining its a real performance. Do this just as much as you practice the mechanics of the trick.

5) Slow it all down.
Slow is far better than fast. Sudden quick moves raise suspicion. Chances are, the speed you feel naturally comfortable at is still too fast.

6) Check your sleight of hand looks real.
When considering learning a new sleight, make sure it looks natural. Do the action for real, then adjust the sleight to match your real gesture or movement as much as possible. For example: Really turn a playing card over, then make sure it looks the same when you just pretend to do so. Avoid obscure moves that look pretty but nothing like real life actions.

7) Check your sleight of hand looks effortless.
Work on looking relaxed and happy when you execute a move. Make sure you don’t hesitate, close your eyes or look guilty as you perform it. Videoing your performance is a great way to spot this.

8) Make sure your sleight of hand is clear and visible.
Look at your hand positions. Are you covering up the action with your fingers or the backs of your hands? Work on a light touch, showing as much as possible to all around you.

9) Reduce all unneeded movements.
Go over your routine, removing pauses that don’t add to the trick.
Cut out and gestures or movements that may be totally innocent, but actually make the spectator think something suspicious may have happened.

10) Actually perform your sleight of hand live.
Seriously, you will develop your technique way beyond anything you can learn in private, once you start showing people your magic live. Don’t fall into the trap of performing only on YouTube. That will stop you getting real feedback from your audience’s reactions. Instead, show your family and friends, your work, once it’s ready and you will improve it way beyond what you thought was possible.

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below:

Filming Your Magic Tricks – 10 Things You Should Do

10 Quick Tips to Improve Your Sleight of Hand