How to do Magic Tricks

Advice and Support for Magicians

How to Build Magic Tricks into a Routine?

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plan magic tricks to build into a routineWe get plenty of emails asking how to organise and build magic tricks  into a routine that flows smoothly so they can perform with confidence and know that by the end of their routine, everyone will have had a positive experience.

Professional magician, Ben Williams gives his top 3 tips for creating a close up routine that flows:

1) Every routine should have a Start, a Middle and an End

First, you must concentrate on your magic tricks, which effects to use and which ones not to use. Every routine should have a start, middle, and an end. This is something that you may have heard before. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? Let me explain what I mean and what each part of the routine should convey to your spectators.

The Start
First impressions count. Your introduction and first magic trick are when your spectators will make their judgement of you and your magic. An opening effect should be something that is not too long and does not involve too much process. Most spectators do not want to invest too much of their time in you and for magic… Yet (unless you have a spectator that is either very polite or really LOVES magic, in which case you will have time to perform a lengthier effect to them later). A spectator needs to be satisfied straight away with your promise of magic. Produce your deck of playing cards in a magical way or make your Sharpie pen appear from nowhere, these are great ways to establish magic within your performance. Your first magic trick (not counting pulling the pen from behind their ear!) should still be punchy and to the point, visual magic is great, magic in their hands is even better. When working professionally and performing my card effects, I almost always start with a card being selected with some amusing patter, shuffled back into the deck and then having an indifferent card placed in their hands which magically turns into their card. There is little process; it can be performed within a minute, and the revelation happens in their hands.

It is only now you can gauge their actual interest and see how far down the rabbit hole they are willing to go with you.

The Middle
This is the part of the routine that you can tailor the most with your own preferences and to how you feel the spectators are going to accept your performance. For instance, you can add some routines that you personally enjoy; they don’t have to be as short and punchy. This is also the time in the routine where you can try out your new material as they have been shown something impressive already so the pressure is off and you can really relax. I usually have a few magic tricks on me that I know can work together, and what the spectators say or how they act will affect what I do next. Sometimes the spectators will say they love card magic, and this may influence me to perform a lengthier routine with the cards such as Triumph or a signed card effect (that has a good kicker ending) like Ambitious Card ending with a deck vanish or card to wallet. Maybe they mention a famous magician and say what they saw him do on TV, like David Blaine biting a coin in half, in which case I would probably go into my coin bend routine or ring flight routine. If you have given yourself a choice of magic tricks, make sure you limit them somewhat to a few effects that will fit this segment of your performance so as not to confuse yourself!

The End
This is the routine that you will perform and leave your spectators with; this has to be memorable. Maybe you set out a premise for this in your introduction—for example, you hand a prediction to your spectators at the beginning and come back to it at the end of your routine, allowing the performance to go full circle. You may want to save something very strong for this performance like a drawing duplication. You have earned their trust, gained their respect, and now you can really hit them between the eyes with a meaningful performance that will leave them with something as a reminder of your time together. Remember, they make their judgements about you at the beginning, but after you have gained their respect you can leave them with whatever impression you want. If you want to be remembered then this is your chance, make it count.

 

2) Don’t confuse yourself.

I touched on this, albeit briefly earlier. It is very important not to over-complicate things for yourself. It is too easy to cram as much magic as you can in your pockets and not think about where it is going. If you do this when you are performing, your routine, you will be fishing around in your pockets trying to identify your props sight unseen, just using the sense of touch. It will look awkward, and your spectators will definitely notice this, it will look like you don’t know what you are doing and add pressure upon you which will compromise your performance. Take a moment to think about pocket management (we have an article talking about this in a lot more depth lower down in the blog); make sure you know where your props are before you go to get them. It will help you keep a clear head and improve your performance as it will minimize thinking about things other than your performance.

3) Script your patter.

It is very important for the flow of the routine if you have a scripted patter. This is your safety net. I don’t necessarily mean that you have to stick to the script word for word—it is more a script that you can fall back on that can help you keep on track with your routine. By all means, improvise with your performance and be personable with what you are saying, but having a script can help to get your routine moving along smoothly. I personally have a set script that I use. It changes frequently as sometimes you think of a funny line or try something new that works amazingly well, but it helps me should the spectators cause the routine to go off track. I have, many times during performance, being in the middle of my ambitious card routine when something funny has happened, after laughing and joking with the spectators, I have not known where I am in the routine. It was only when I returned to my script that I knew which sleight to perform so I could continue with the routine successfully.

By all means, enjoy your performance. Go off on a tangent, and if there is something that you wish to add or take out, then do so (after all, trying new things and jazzing with your magic or script a little, is the only way to develop and improve), but having the script as a backup can help in times when it is needed. Scripting is just another tool in your arsenal that can help the flow of a routine, like good pocket management, and it is all these little details that count.

So in summary, keep it simple! Make sure that the effects you choose reflect your personality but also take into account what your spectators think. Everybody has a preconceived notion as to what they believe magic to be, make sure you are aware of this when you plan your routine.

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Pocket Management for Magicians – Advice and Tips

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Pocket Managment for Magicians

What is pocket management for magicians?

I have always been fascinated by magic, but before I studied the art and began performing I clearly remember one evening being out with friends when and a guy came up to us and said “Hey guys, do want see some magic?” Of course we did so happily accepted his request. He proceeded to do a pretty impressive card trick. Then the problems began. He put the cards away and started rummaging in one pocket then another, and then after what seemed like 5 minutes he pulled out another deck of cards from a different pocket, as he removed the cards a silk fell on the floor. He bent down to pick the silk up off the floor, and in the process some loose cards and a pen fell from his breast pocket. He picked the items up, and then spent a good 20 seconds trying to cram them into any pocket he could. By the end of his ‘performance’ he thanked us and walked off with the lumpiest disfigured suit jacket known to man! What began as an impressive performance ended as a miss mash of messiness, in my mind the guy had gone from hero to zero.

What is even more important is that this memory sticks in my mind to this very day. First impressions are paramount when performing. This can make the difference between the spectators liking you and therefore wanting to engage with you, or judging your appearance and therefore any tricks you perform for them.

The moral of this story? If the guy had taken 5 minutes to stop and think about his pocket management he would have left the impression of a guy who knew his art well, and all our attention would have been on his performance.

 

So, how do you put pocket management for magicians into practice? 

It’s very simple really…

Firstly, stop reading this for a moment and go and put on what you would wear if you going out to perform magic… don’t worry I’ll wait.

Wow, that was quick!

This will help put you in the right frame of mind for when you are performing. Now that you’re wearing your gear, it will help get the enthusiasm going. Grab a piece of paper, don’t even look in your close up case yet. Establish exactly which items you perform the majority of the time. Personally I have 3 or 4 items that I always perform. I keep those items in separate pockets. For example, a deck of playing cards in one trouser pocket, rope in jacket breast pocket and coins in my other trouser pocket. Oh, and a sharpie pen (top outside jacket pocket for that one!).

It is best to keep flat objects (coins or playing cards) in trouser pockets as this keeps your clothes looking less bulgy and tidy. This also leaves your inside jacket pockets for larger items and for any extra magic tricks.

Whilst deciding on which pockets to place the items in, take a good few minutes to think about your routine. For example, can you reset as you go? If you make a deck of playing cards vanish for example at any point, can you ditch the deck of cards into the same pocket from which you start? This can apply to any trick where items change or vanish or you need to ditch a gimmick. Not only are you then managing your pocket space effectively but you are also eliminating any unnecessary reset. This can be aided by performing your whole routine start to finish, noting where the items start and more importantly where they end up.

I’ve run out of pockets!

So you simply don’t have enough pockets for the tricks you want to perform? Doh!

Fear not! There are many ways around this. For example, the props you have can be used as dividers. Here’s an example. A deck of Bicycle Playing Cards is one pocket. If you arrange your routine accordingly, this deck could be used as a divider. You could have your coins in the same pocket but placed behind the cased deck nearest side to your body (this also reduces the sound of clinking coins), and then on the outside place a small packet trick for example. By doing this you have created an extra pocket. Another option is that if you use a card to wallet, this also could be used as a divider. Also why not utilise the space in the unused pockets in your wallet for gimmicked cards, packet tricks or even coins. Essentially the goal of good pocket management for magicians is to simplify things as much as you can.

Another tip is to use your sharpie. I always have two spare sharpies clipped to the inside jacket pocket as back up, and the sharpie I’m using in performance is clipped inside the outside breast pocket, this makes an impromptu card clip, which I use in walk around and close up situations. This is brilliant as it allows cards tho be displayed up high (in the eyeline of the participants), whilst allowing you to use your hands as usual, this will also eliminate the need for a surface.

When performing you want to know exactly where each prop is before you approach an audience, and also know where they are when you finish your performance.

Hang on, I want to use a large prop too!

No problem! Once you have ‘managed’ your pocket space, you should be able to begin with your hands empty. This allows you to carry an item of interest, a prop that wouldn’t fit in your pockets. For example, a chop cup, a box or even a prediction. Personally, I find this important, it immediately gains the attention of the spectators. I use this item as a point of interest saying we will come back to it at some point in the routine. You can then place the item on the table creating a focal point, and also establishing your ‘area’, this frees up your hands enabling you to greet your spectators and gesture. All of these subtleties help frame your performance and create an area of interest, your platform so to speak. If your item is a chop cup or a box it can be used throughout your performance as a raised platform to display items, again, framing the magic. You can then return to the item at the end of your routine and make this your closing piece.

So, what is the benefit of pocket management for magicians?

Pocket management is very important not only for you, but the spectators. Why confuse matters for the spectators and yourself? By simply taking 10 to 20 minutes going back to basics and putting on your performance clothes you will establish which magic tricks you like performing most. You can then toy with different pockets until you are comfortable, your performance will improve ten-fold I can assure you of this. You will also be very surprised how quickly it will become second nature as to which pockets you go to each and every time. Much like when you are learning a trick, think of your act as one trick. Once you have managed your pocket space, your pockets will become part of the routine, as your hands will, by second nature, go exactly where they need to go. Your spectators will instinctively be relaxed.

Last of all you will be amazed at how much confidence this will give you in your performance. Your spectators, and of course you will benefit hugely from it. Remember, its supposed to be fun for all involved. Simplify where you can and leave room for the entertainment.

Do you have any advice about pocket management for magicians? Please leave your comments in the section below.

Magicians at Wedding Exhibitions – Essential Advice for Magicians

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marketing-magicians-weddingsWedding exhibitions are a great source of magic gigs for magicians. It’s the perfect environment for close up magic. Mixing with the guests during the drinks reception, performing at their tables during the wedding breakfast or doing walk-around magic tricks as the evening reception warms up. But where are you going to get those gigs? It’s easy… Wedding exhibitions!

The Merchant of Magic has created a free 41 page guide to promoting yourself at wedding fayres and for magicians at wedding exhibitions. The following are a few quick tips from the guide.

Why are magicians at wedding exhibitions having such success?

Although wedding exhibitions take place all year round, the vast majority tend to take place in January/February  and then September/October.  That’s pretty handy for a close-up magician, as it falls nicely just after and just before the Christmas peak season. Most exhibitions take place on a Sunday, another quiet day for gig’s, so it’s an ideal marketing opportunity to build up work for the following year. Generally, the bookings will be for the following year, so unlike parties and trade show work, it’s possible to fill your work diary a year or more ahead, simply by attending a few exhibitions.  Much of a magicians work tends to come from referrals. Each event bringing in future work from guests who are planning their own event.

Getting a space

Checking your local what’s on guide or a little google-fu will bring up a good list of wedding exhibitions in your local area. Most major hotels will probably host a couple each year, or will be able to point you towards the events company that runs their exhibitions for them. Make a list and contact a few to see which have spaces. Because magicians are a specialty for a wedding exhibition, many events will only give spaces for one or two magicians per event. You may need to look around for new exhibitions, or wait for a space.

Tables

When you arrive at the exhibition, you will be shown to your table. There are a few things you should do right away, to make the most of the space you have.

1) Push your table back. You want to give yourself the most space in front of it as you can. You don’t want to be behind the table, as that acts as a barrier between you and the spectators. Most stands have products on display, placed out on a table for examination. In your case, YOU are the product and should be out on display.

2) Lose the chairs. You don’t need them. Never sit behind your table. It makes you look bored, defeated and unapproachable. Stand in front of your table and interact with as many people as possible.

3) Lose the table altogether.  Ideally, don’t have a large table at all. A small, close up magic table and a pop up banner give you loads of room, somewhere to put your cards, and a few props and sets you appear from all the other tables lined up around the exhibition.

Who to approach.

Everyone. Don’t just perform for the clients. If another stand shows interest (and they will) take a moment, when it’s quiet, to show them a trick. You may well get referrals from them, or even a recommendation on their website.

Standing still or moving around.

Magicians at wedding exhibitions have a cheeky advantage. We are not tied to our table. You should NEVER perform in front of another persons table or stand. But you can move around the venue. Use the busy common areas, near the stage, if the show has a bridal show. In the cafe, in the entrance hall. You can stroll around, just like on a gig, performing suitable magic tricks for a wedding and handing out cards. While you do this, your table is there with your cards on it too. A little card on your table saying where you currently can be seen performing, will allow clients who are searching for you, to meet you when you are away from your table area.

Did you find these excerpts interesting? Download the full 41 page guide for free: