Category Archives: Magic Theory

Remember Magic Can Come To You

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Enjoying Magic

Enjoying Magic

In this age of demand media we love to watch our entrainment when we want and how we want. We use our computers, DVRs, iPhones, iPads, video games consoles and a lot more devices to watch TV, movies and consume content when and where we want. We have busy lives and many of us prefer not to go to the entertainment but rather have the entertainment come to us. Well, I feel magic is one of the few art forms which can come to the customer. Depending on the needs of the customer we can perform at almost any venue, from a clients home, office, or theatre. We magicians can bring the entertainment to our clients. We can create the entertainment in the comfort of our clients most conformable places. I believe we should work hard to be able to perform for clients and where they want and bring a magical entertainment experience to them. I believe this to be very powerful and one of the reasons why I love magic. Magicians can bring a magic experience to groups, then bring more powerful experience to individuals in those groups in their own spaces. This I truly believe makes magic unique and fit the entertainment needs of the modern age. Just something to think about.

Aaron

What I Learned From Jamy Ian Swiss

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Before you read my blog you need to watch the video below if Jamy Ian Swiss on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

I really enjoyed Jamy’s spot on this show. Thanks to the Internet I was able to see it here in Japan. There are a few things that I really learned from this spot, and they are also the main reasons why I really enjoyed it. One of the reasons is that Jamy had a conversation with Craig. The whole performance is like a conversation with magic as the glue. He interacted well with Craig without any strange awkward feelings of trying to get back on “script”. He was able to go with what Craig said and worked it into his performance frame work and used it for the effect. This made it feel so real and at the moment, which make it very entertaining.  Another reason each of the effects he performed had a reason why it was next. When Craig asked him to do one more he had it ready and linked it with the previous effect by talking about the ways one can choose a card. I loved this premis and made sense for this set. Lastly his effects were perfect. The effects were simple to understand to Craig, the studio audience and on TV. They were powerful and enjoyable with out needless ramble.

So what did I take from this and what should we take from watching this as Magicians. Well we need to enjoy showing magic to our audience and engage in a conversation with them. Clearly Jamy enjoyed talking with Craig and the same with Craig. This then transferred to the live studio audience and to the TV audience. Magic allows us to interact with the audience and Jamy does this without any awkwardness as I mentioned. I feel motivated to create this same kind of feeling in my own shows. For me it really shows how magic should be performed, no ego, no showing off, but and entertaining experience of magic between the Magician and his audience. Well done Jamy you are truly one of the greats of our time.

Aaron

What Was That Effect Again?

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It has been a while since I have had any time to blog. I have been busy working on some projects which has kept my brain busy so I have not had a chance to blog or AudioBoo. However this week I should be back at it at a regular pace! Anyways What I wanted to talk about today is making you magic understandable to the audience.

Over the past few weeks I have had the chance to see a few magic performers perform live and watch some magic on the Internet. I saw some great magic and great technique. But one bad thing I saw a few times was some magic that was a bit confusing. What I mean the effect was not clear. Even I did not understand what the trick was supposed to be, so I figure a non-magician would also not understand what the effect was. One video I was asked to watch, I watched it over five times but I failed to see what the effect was. The flourishes were great but I did not see any magic and I was supposed to be a routine. Some of the live ones I saw again, I saw great technique but the effects were so long and complicated that sometimes after the magician had o explain what had just happened. It was not clear to the audience, which I think makes them feel very uncomfortable on a few levels. I think that when an audience member sees and effect and they don’t understand what happened they feel that maybe it is their fault, and that other people do understand when in fact they don’t. This makes it hard for the audience to react to the magic and the applause and feedback from them comes back all staticy. The last thing you want to do is make your audience feel awkward. So when you work on routines check them and make sure the effect, and the motivation for the effect is crystal clear. This will improve your show and improve the experience for your audience as well.
Aaron

The Magic Effect

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Bicycle 125 : Anniversary Edition Playing Cards

Today I have a nice but simple story about my magic. A few weeks ago I went out to a farewell party for a friend, after the party I went to another place close to my apartment that I often go to, with 3 friends.  I have never done any magic up till now there. Well that night I my friends asked me to show some people at the small pub/bar some magic. So I did. I just did a bit of close-up magic I had with me and it went over well. We finished eating and headed home. On Thursday my friends went back there, however I could not go. On Friday they told me that  the small pub had placed decks of cards at each table. It was because the owner really liked my magic so he put card at the tables to give it a magic feel. I felt that was cool because my simple magic I did that night effected someone in a cool way. Next week of course I am going to go back there and have a look. To me this show that magic can have a strong effect one people. This is just a simple story but over the years I have heard many stories , I am sure if you are a magician you have too, about how strongly magic has effected a persons life in a positive way. To me this tells me magic is a powerful tool and helps motivate me to work on my magic so that it can be the best it can be and a powerful entertainment and art form, as all artists want their art to effect the people that see it. This of course is the same for magic. So let’s go the best magic we can do for the people we show it to!

Aaron

Setting Up My New Close-Up Rehearsal Space

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Close-up Rehearsal

Close-up Rehearsal

I am currently setting up my new close-up rehearsal space. I have mentioned before in other blog postings and my Magic AudioBoos about having a set rehearsal space. Well it is time I set up a new space for myself t get the best out of my practice and rehearsal time. I set up my video camera so that I can record myself then watch it back, to check my performances. As I have mentioned before, I practice moves, then routines, then rehearse my full show in full dress. This way I can find any problems with prop management in my suites, settings etc. It’s also important to always set regular rehearsal and practice times. It a part of your job as a performer to do this and should be a part of your regular magic work day. Once you set your rehearsal space, and time when you will rehearse you will start to get in the proper mind set to work through your show in a structured way, which will show when you perform in the real world and make your show look a lot more professional. the last think you want to do is just put a bunch of tricks together in a string with no reason and perform them. Make sure you spend the time and put them together as a complete show.

Aaron

Inspiration

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Relaxing

Relaxing

Finding inspiration for you magic can be difficult sometime, at least it is for me time to time. When working on my show and creating routines for my show or reworking my show I sometimes can’t find the right inspiration for what I want to do. For me, like creativity, inspiration can’t be forced it has to occur naturally or things don’t work out well or seem too contrived. What I do to find inspiration for my magic is not to even think about it. This is why relaxing and taking time to enjoy things not related to magic are good. I find for me when I do things like take trips, go sightseeing, watch movies, read books, inspiration for a new magic routine, or effect will just pop into my head. At this time I try not to act on it right away, but I do try to write it down, because I if I don’t I will forget it. The reason I believe this works for me is that when I relax my brain and do something not related to magic, my sub-conscious is working and finds some connections to magic naturally that can’t be forced by my conscious mind. So the point of this post is try to relax and find inspiration for your magic naturally, don’t try to force it and worry only about magic that will work for you and your show. Good luck!

Aaron

Simple and Clean Magic

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Working Hard

Working Hard

I like simple and clean magic. My goal is try to make magic look and feel like the look of Apple Computers, clean, efficient, and look great. That is one way I can describe the way I want my magic to look. For me I feel this way the audience does not get any extra unnecessary noise during the performance. I try to cut out any extra things that really has no theatrical or performance meaning. I remember the first time I saw Martin Lewis perform I thought wow, there is a show that is clean, entertaining, and effective. I also saw a lecture years ago by John Lovick and what I saw of his performance he also had this simple and clean look. Their magic is strong and their performances flawless. Not only these, but both of these magicians have high entertainment value.  Their characters well developed, I love the Handsome Jack character that John Lovick performs as, both these guys have a great style of performing and both I admire greatly. Since I have seen both of these magicians at a convention in Vancouver in the 1990′s I have strived to push my magic performance in a direction that is similar to them but yet my own. The main thing I learned as I mentioned over and over is the simpleness and the cleanness of their magic, staging and performance. This works for me, but may not work for others. The point of today’s blog post is find some style that you want and work to create that. For me its this clean and simpleness. Like I mentioned my idea is the stylish simpleness of Apple computers is what I want to portray in my magic, but then again I like to connect magic to many things outside of magic. Well that’s all of my thoughts today poured out and may make no sense. Something to think about.

Aaron