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Just as important as any other rule in magic, is your selection of the "type" of magic you do. "Mentalism", "Close-Up", "Kids Show", "Street Magic", "Cabaret", "Night Club", "Cruise Act", "Comedy Club", "Stage" and "Grand Illusion" are just some of the many various types of magic. But each type often requires the use of different skills and abilities on behalf of the performer, in order to be presented correctly and with maximum impact. For example, the "Close-Up" entertainer might concentrate on different things than the "Grand Illusion" entertainer. The "Close-Up" magician may need to be seated at a table and often might rely upon a mix of sleight-of-hand skills, small props such as playing cards and coins, and a pleasing personality while talking throughout a performance. The "Grand Illusion" magician might not speak to the audience and may rarely use sleight-of-hand, but rely more upon the use of additional assistants, large cabinets, special lighting, background music, and the timing of hidden stage hands during a performance. Understanding that each type of magic requires focusing within a different set of parameters, might help you make an intellegent and logical choice as to what type of magic you choose to pursue. It should be obvious that certain types of magic are better suited for certain types of people. Although magicians come in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages, your natural talent and abilities, combined with your skill level, age, physical appearance, personality and performing potential will all provide clues as to what type of magic is best suited for you as an individual. Whether you've already selected a "type" of magic or not, it's a good idea to take a closer look at each of the above attributes, and see where your strong and weak points are realistically located. This will help you see yourself as others see you. Once you know how others see you, it can help you in knowing how others perceive your actions as well. How others perceive what you do, often determines your "believability" to them, and that "believability" is often the key to success in magic. PHYSICAL APPEARANCE - A good long honest look in the mirror should show you how others see you, from a physical point of view. Are you tall or short? Underweight or overweight? Neat or unkempt? Obviously, there is no right way or wrong way to look like a magician. But asking yourself these questions while seeing the results in the mirror might help you decide if you should really be wearing a business suit or tuxedo while performing, instead of a sequinned lycra-spandex jumpsuit. Perhaps the most important question you should ask yourself is, would YOU believe that the person in the mirror is a magician? If not, why not? Too much dirt under the fingernails? So what! Maybe the magician with the "dirty fingernails" specializes in tricks with greasy nuts and bolts, making them disappear and reappear under old rusted tin cans. If you're dressed in a mechanics jumpsuit with the words "Mystery Mechanic" on the back, someone just might think those stained fingernails are part of the act and believe you are a magician. It's all in how the audience perceives you. Obviously, the "Mystery Mechanic" is not the image we think of when we hear the word magician, but it could be. Selecting suitable magic that enhances who you really are is the key. If you're middle or older aged, meticulous, slow talking and look fairly intelligent, perhaps "Mind Reading" or "Scientific" magic will bring you more success than tricks with brightly colored silk handkerchiefs and rock music. If you naturally look believable as a "Mentalist", go with it. If you're young, sprightly, and don't mind standing up in front of a large audience, perhaps you would be more believable doing stage magic with brightly colored silk handkerchiefs, and maybe even doves (if you like animals), rather than trying to convince an audience that you have special mind powers. If you naturally look believable as a "Stage Magician", go with it. Your physical appearance need not be one of the classical "top hat and tails" magician. Penn and Teller, the famous and fantastic magical duo, truly look like the business men they pretend to be. They would look totally rediculous in sequinned costumes (sorry Penn). But dressed as business men, the audience easily follows their lead and gladly buys into their unique style of deception. Again, it all depends on how the audience perceives you. Another part of your physical appearance is how you move. Do you move slowly and deliberately? Quickly and carefree? Selecting a type of magic that fits the way you naturally move is important too. If you generally walk and talk slowly, attempts at fast paced magic will most likely look unnatural. Likewise, a fast talking, almost hyperactive person will almost always look unnatural while attempting to perform in a slow and delicate manner. Either way, if you look unnatural, your "believability" will be dimminished. It's a good idea to always select a type of magic that naturally fits in with the way you normally act and move. That rule can generally be applied to selecting individual magic effects as well. Fast paced effects work best when performed by fast paced people. Likewise with slow effects performed by slow paced people. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule, but those exceptions are usually well rehearsed and thought out by professionals in advance, usually under the watchful eye of an educated and experienced theatrical coach. Unless you're willing to undergo the expense of countless hours of acting classes and theatrical training, stick with magic that looks natural for who you are and how you move. PERSONALITY - The one true way to discover a person's personality, is by listening to how they talk, and the way they say things. If a person at a dinner table says "Please pass the salt", we deem that person as being polite. If a person says "Hey, gimmie the damn salt", we deem that person as, well, less than polite. You get the idea. If you have the kind of personality that automatically evokes smiles, then by all means, don't be afraid to use it with your magic. Likewise, if cats, dogs and small children run away when you simply say "Hi", then maybe your sparkling demeanor could use some work. There's an old saying, "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all." That applies when speaking to an audience too, no matter how large or small. The general rule regarding your personality is always try to be polite without being fake. If you can't be polite without being fake, then learn how to fake it in a believable manner, and learn fast. How the audience perceives your personality from the moment they see you, is probably what they will judge you by, long after you leave. If they like you, your magic is wonderful, no matter how simple the tricks may be. If they don't like you, your magic stinks, no matter how difficult the tricks may be. It's plain and simple. The true trick is to allow the pleasant part of your personality to shine through, while supressing the not so pleasant part. Anyone can be polite and nice when they want to be. That's the part of the personality you want to show. But don't be fake about it. Be natural. If you don't look like the type who says "Good evening Ladies and Gentleman", then don't say it. Perhaps you feel more natural saying "Hi everyone." If so, say that instead. The audience may not feel as formally respected by such a greeting, but they will appreciate your honesty. They need to see your personality, as honestly as possible, so they may decide if they like you or not. If you show them a true, pleasant, honest side of yourself, they will generally like you. Honesty provokes trust, and trust provokes "believability". Once they trust you, and they feel you've been honest with them, you can begin to deceive them. At that point your magic will look more like magic, rather than a bunch of well rehearsed lies. The more you develop your personality through experience (learning what manner of speaking suits you and your audiences best), the more style you will develop as a magician. Naturally, always keep your personality honest, pleasant, consistant and appropriate throughout your performance. AGE - Luckily, magic is one of those hobbies and professions that can be practiced at any age. However, some types of magic are more "believable" when performed by individuals of a certain age. "Mentalism" seems to look more realistic when performed by older, more experienced and wordly individuals, whereas, "Cabaret" and "Stage Magic" have a more main-stream likeability when performed by the younger and middle aged sect. "Grand Illusion" is often associated with the seasoned professionals, usually middle or older aged, although many new young performers have been known to perform illusions as well. Mostly, it's the occasional teenage showman who wants to be a magician overnight, so he/she invests the large sums of money needed to purchase illusions, thinking that "bigger is better". Unfortunately, they usually wind up selling their illusions at a huge loss, after the novelty has worn off. Only the top professionals work enough to earn back the exorbitant amount invested in illusions. "Kid Show", "Comedy Club", "Street Magic" and "Cruise Act" magic seems to be a more appropriate and profitable route for the younger 20-something magicians. Your age can certainly enhance or diminish the presentation of any type of magic. If a 70 year old magician walks out on stage, holding an old lamp which he claims came from a journey he once made to India, his audience will most likely believe him. That same lamp, when held by a 21 year old magician, is doubtful to be from India, regardless of what the 21 year old magician claims. That kind of believability just isn't there with a younger magician. It comes with age. Knowing your age and the "believability" that comes with it can definately help in selecting the type of magic you do, as well as the effects you do. SKILL LEVEL - How much you know about magic is one thing. How well you can perform what you know is another. Knowing the difference between the two, plays a very important role in the type of magic you choose. If you excel at sleight-of-hand, naturally "Close-Up" magic should be your forte. If however, you can't palm a card or coin well enough to fool somebody, no matter how hard you try, then the only "Close-Up" magic you should do, should be of the self-working variety. Don't fool yourself into thinking you're better than you actually are. Knowing what your skill levels are, and honestly admitting your strong points and weaknesses, can only help to make you a better magician and performer. Also knowing what "type" of magic you are capable of, and likewise not capable of, can be an extremely valuable asset as well. An excellent example of how this can work in your favor, or against you, follows. I once saw a top-notch professional "Close-Up" worker (I won't mention his name) take the stage at a magician's convention in an attempt to be the shows M.C. (Master Of Ceremony). He might have been an excellent card worker, filled with personality while seated at a small table with a few spectators around him, but he couldn't handle a large audience to save his life. Heck, he couldn't even handle the microphone without it falling out of the stand. He was awful. Sure, he could do 50 card tricks flawlessly, but he was out of his league when standing on a stage. No stage skills whatsoever. Needless to say, the underground talk going around the convention was that "So-and-so really bombed". The fact that he never did a single trick on that stage didn't matter. Unfortunately, I quickly changed my view of his professional status, as did most of the audience, into now believing he is nothing more than a talented amateur. He made the grave mistake of letting his cockiness as a "Close-Up" worker fool himself into thinking he was better than he was, thinking he was some sort of stage celebrity. Nothing could be further from the truth. A professional would never do that. Truly knowing and respecting your capabilities as a magician and performer, and staying within your own limits, will always ensure that your audience sees you at your best at all times. PERFORMING POTENTIAL - Just as knowing your skill level can be important, knowing your performing potential can be equally as important. Performing potential means getting the most out of what you do. Whether it be pushing yourself to the brink of your talent, or pushing a trick to the brink of it's effectiveness, knowing the potential of each, can be the difference between success and failure. Usually, working up to your maximum performing potential comes with experience, since that's how most people find out what their potential seems to be. Very often, your potential grows, as you become more experienced and learn more about the magic you do. A good way to help you find out what your potential might be is, the next time you perform, whether it be for a large audience or just for a few friends, try video or audio taping the show. Afterwards, study the tape, and pretend you're watching or listening to someone else. Honestly judge and criticize whether you think the performance was at it's best. Notice what was effective and what wasn't. Try to figure out why something was effective or not. What did the audience react well to, and what seemed to just lay there? What needs work? How could you enhance what you do for the better? You will be surprised at what you will learn about yourself and your performance. Don't dismay, all can be fixed. Sometimes, a simple change in the way something is physically presented can make a world of difference. Perhaps the climax of a predication trick would look better if someone else opened the sealed envelope and read the prediction aloud for all to hear. Maybe the handkerchief that was shown to be empty, was shown too fast, and nobody saw that it was truly empty before the dove appeared. Or maybe, you showed the handkerchief to be empty 10 times too many. Most mistakes involving the performance aspects of any particular effect can be easily remedied once they are identified. But if you don't know what they are, it's doubtful you can correct them, and doubtful that you will ever live up to your true performing potential. Sometimes it's the simple wording of something that can be changed to enhance it's effectiveness. Instead of saying "Take one" when offering a spectator a choice of 52 playing cards, you might say "Would you kindly affix your fingerprint to the back of one of these cards, and while you're at it, remove it from the deck so as to not leave behind any evidence that you've actually participated in the upcoming miracle of prestidigitation of which I am about to show you". Sure, it's a lengthy and long-winded thing to say, but think of the reaction it might prevoke. A laugh perhaps, or maybe a smile, or maybe just a whimsical look. It certainly shows more personality and entertainment value from a performance point of view than the simple words "Take one". Of course, that's just an example. You don't need to say a speech in order for someone to pick a card, but I think you see how the novel wording of something can affect it's presentation. Small changes in the way you do or say something during your presentation can easily affect the outcome, bringing you closer to your desired result. Trial and error should be a welcome excercise as you discover your performing potential. And as long as you carefully monitor your progress and stay within the parameters of your capabilities, you shouldn't have to worry about excessive failures. NATURAL TALENT AND ABILITIES - Obviously, adding whatever natural talents and abilities you may already have to your magic performance can be a big plus, regardless of what type of magic you do. The magician/musician, who plays a flute (and plays it very well) while a snake rises from a basket, will surely be remembered for doing such. The magician/juggler, who tosses around 5 eggs (without breaking a single one) after they magically appear from his mouth, won't be forgotten so quickly. The magician/unicyclist, who sits atop his wheel (without falling) and produces hundreds and hundreds of playing cards from his bare fingertips, is certainly more unique then the one who does it standing on the floor. Almost everyone has some sort of hidden additional talents and/or abilities that can be incorporated into a magic presentation. And usually, no matter how insignificant that talent may seem, when cleverly employed within a magic trick, almost always enhances the effect. I once saw an oriental female magician who worked with a travelling Chinese Circus troupe. She was producing yards and yards of silk handkercheifs from an empty box. The music playing in the background was an original composition which she had written, recorded, mixed and played, all herself. I wished they sold CD's of it, as I would have bought one on the spot. It was great. And the silk handkercheifs she produced were absolutely spectacular. Each one was hand embroidered, by herself, with colorful dragons, flowers and designs. They were the result of years of meticulous work. Each one was pure art. Although the magic wasn't particularly the strongest presentation I had ever seen, it was a fantastic act, showing culture and talent on many different levels, in many different ways. The audience whole-heartedly enjoyed her, as did I. It was presented well, staged well and it was very entertaining to watch. Her music and sewing talents, combined with a simple magic trick, made for a great act. Ask yourself "What kind of talents and/or abilities do I have?" Can they be incorporated into an act? Can they enhance a particular effect? Can you use whatever it is that you can do well, in your magic? Think creatively, and you'll be surprised at the ideas you come up with. Do you like to golf? Maybe an appearing "Wedge or Nine Iron" trick might fit in well after a trick with a golf ball. Perhaps you like tennis? A racket might be made to vanish while wrapped in the sports section of your favorite newspaper. With some ingenuity, you can devise original tricks or revamp old ones to suit your needs. Literally, all sorts of magic suitable for who you are as a person and performer, can be invented or adapted. Put on your thinking cap. The ideas are endless. Hopefully, after reading this section, you will understand the importance of selecting suitable magic for who you are as an individual. It's really not as hard as it sounds, and in the long run, it will save you countless hours of practice, and many hundreds of dollars, by avoiding the purchase of tricks that really don't work for you. Once you take a good, long look at yourself, and see who you are, it should be pretty easy to see what type of magic tricks suit you best. Finding out what comes naturally to you, and seeing what works best for you, are really vital steps which will help increase your "believability" to an audience. Whether you choose magic as a hobby or profession, the road to success can be greatly shortened by choosing magic that fits more naturally and easily with your personality. |
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