NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/alt/magic/1453

Text File | 1993-01-24 | 3.2 KB | 65 lines

Newsgroups: alt.magic
Path: sparky!uunet!haven.umd.edu!darwin.sura.net!news.udel.edu!bach.udel.edu!presto
From: [e-mail] (Jason Y Nocks)
Subject: Re: Close up
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Nntp-Posting-Host: bach.udel.edu
Organization: University of Delaware
References: <[e-mail]>
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 07:05:20 GMT
Lines: 52

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Kronos) writes:
>Stage magic is quite different from close up magic. I find that close up magic
>is a little harder to do, and requeires a little more ingenuity in order to
>keep people interested as well as from discovering how it is done. I work in a

  I would have to disagree with you here. Stage magic is quite difficult to do
WELL. The problem isn't keeping one person's attention. The problem is keeping
the entire audience focused on what you want them to focus on. This situation
requires a great deal of showmanship and stage presence. I'll agree that
sleight of hand requires tons of practice, but effective stage magic requires
months of rehearsals. And, as mentioned, practice only gets you so far.
Particularly in stage magic, you need the benefit of audience feedback to find
out what works and what doesn't. In close-up you can instantly see by the look
on someone's face whether things are going well or not. This is often not the
case on stage. Sometimes the lights are so bright that you can't see the
audience at all.

  I don't remember who told me this, but another magician once talked mainly
to one area of the audience during the show. He couldn't see who was there
because of the lighting, but tried to focus on some guy that he imagined in
the audience periodically during his show. After the show, he was told that
there was nobody at all on that side of the auditorium, and the audience had
really enjoyed watching him talk to nobody at all.

>restaurant where a lot of the customers just come in to see me do a trick or
>two, and usually even though they have seen it a million times, they want to
>see it one more time and they bring their friends in. I find that after one
>night of doing just a few tricks, that I have mastered them to the point where
>I don't even think about doing them anymore I just do them. Granted its not
>the best way to earn money but my tips have jumped to about 200 a night, when
>they used to be 80 a night. Not bad.
>
>I also need a request. Has anybody here ever used the Ultimate Holey Terror
>II? If so... a little tip here or there about the actual execution of the
>trick would be appreciated.... Stupid thing is TOUGH!!!! Thanks a lot!
>
>Kronos

  Sorry I can't help you out here. I am always impressed by an excellent
close-up performer, but stage workers (like Lance Burton, Siegfried and Roy,
and even DC - who reportedly performs over 500 shows each year, yes that
averages to more than one show every night!) probably work just as hard
(sorry, make that TOP stage performers) as top close-up magicians. That's
just my $.02

-Jason


--
| [e-mail]       | A senior E.E. at the U of D with a side order
| [e-mail]  | of stage and close-up magic. The views
| [e-mail] | expressed are exclusively my own (etc).