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Magic Roadshow November 1st, 2005 Issue# 34 Rick Carruth / editor (C) copyright 2005, all rights reserved worldwide ~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~ Hello All..
Welcome to another edition of the Magic Roadshow! Thank goodness, this one isn't late. Actually, it's a day early so I could encourage you to have a happy, and safe, Halloween. I must first 'Welcome' all the new subscribers. There's been a small boatload of you guys since last issue, despite three days of down-time by my list server. You're the reason for this insanity, be it good or bad, and I hope you fit right in. (Don't we all sort of march to a different drummer anyway?) I encourage you to pass this link on to others, and invite them to sign up as a 'roadie' as well. If you have ANY complaints, suggestions, rants, or raves, let me know. Email Me Here.. My wife and I were gone to the mountains ( Great Smoky ) last week, and I think the mountain air and cool temperatures did me a little good. It put me in a better frame of mind and made putting out this issue a piece of cake, at least compared to the last two, which were completed under duress caused by our 'big move' and my inability to find anything. Just couldn't get in the groove... Well, the Wizard of Odd is Back! ------------------------------- In this Issue: (1) Audience Warm-ups - Dennis Reglings solution to bringing your audience alive. (2) Magicians, Clowns, Success, Marketings, and Being Prepared - by my favorite clown in the world, Esther Beris (3) Sawed in Half - Fearson's version revisited with NEW video (4) Ghost Deck - It's halloween, you better pay tribute to the spooks, or "look out - front yard.." (5) Card Sorcerer - Card flourishes and poker chips caught on video. Learn to mark cards.. (6) All you need is Cards - Free PDF detailing the Beatles greatest feats of mental magic (7) Colm Mulcahy's Card Colm - Mathematical magic by a mathematical genus (8) Magic, Close-Up, and Bob - What happens when 225 top close up magicians get together? Be there and find out! (9) K.I.S.S. - A simple feat of mentalism with plenty of punch (10) David Blaine's latest - What does David have to say in his latest note ----------------------------- As the great Satchel Paige once said.." Don't look back... something might be gaining on you!" ~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~ :: Audience Warm-ups ~ by Dennis Regling Too many children's performers miss a great opportunity to increase the overall response to their show. They'll hide behind the curtains, waiting for their introduction. They never interact with teir audience and wonder why they can't hold the little ones attention for 45 minutes. One of my favorite parts of each program is greeting the students as they enter the auditorium. I like to walk among them, shake their hands, and get them excited. With the "Magic of Science" program, I'll "pull lights" from behind their ears. The little ones love it. I will also take a small hanky, display it, shove it in my fist and ~ viola ~ it vanishes.Then I'll make it reappear in a boys shirt pocket. Sometimes I'm getting applause even before everyone has arrived. Sometimes I'll go through the audience, asking silly questions. I might ask a boy and girl how long they have been married. Or ask a little one how old they are. "Six." "Sixteen?" "No, six." "Oh sixty?" "No, SIX" "Sixty! six?" These things can really get the audience ready for the show to come. The students know I'm FUN! And they want to see what happens next. Nothing is easier than performing for a warm audience. The children no longer see you as something distant, but as a person they are interested in. Someone who makes them laugh. Sometimes, it is not possible to warm up an audience before the performance. In those instances, I will do something before we start to get them relaxed, laughing and interested. After the applause dies, I may signal for them to applaud again. Calm them done and then get them clapping a third time. I do this simply with hand gestures. Kids find this bit hilarious. Another favorite is to tell them my name and then ask them their's. They all yell out their names and I exlain that I couldn't hear them all. I'll have just the girls yell their names, then challenge the boys to be louder. As soon as the boys yell out their names, I'll respond, "Who said Sp!ongeBob Squarepants?" This is always good for laughs. Use whatever character is popular at the time, preferably with a funny name. "Now that we all know each other, let's start." Use your imagination, but any interaction you can create early with your audience will make your job easier and your show better. Send me your ideas on how you work with your audiences. Thank you and God bless. - Dennis Regling magic@bellaonline.com ~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~ :: Magicians, Clowns, Success, Marketings, and Being Prepared.. My friend, Esther Beris, is quite a clown. No, really.... she's a clown, as in a professional clown. Esther is also one of my very favorite writers in the performing arts market. Her advice is absolutely dead-on. Although geared toward the clown market, her articles are a perfect fit for magicians as well. If you get to the major national conventions like SAM, you will probably see Esther there, as she also carries about a love of magic and performing magic. Her newsletter, the Clown Marketing Blueprint Update, is full of gobs and gobs of valuable info, and is one of only four newsletters in the world I read as soon as it hits my inbox. Others may have to wait a week or more before I get around to opening them... but not CMBU.. Go to ClownMarketingTips.com and sign up for her free report and newsletters. I guarantee you'll thank me for the tip.. Here's a perfect example of right-on marketing advice for those of you who want to advance your magic beyond the birthday party market.. ------------------- Let's get right to the point ...how do you effectively move your Clown (magician) Business BEYOND the birthday party market? When you decide to move beyond the birthday party market, you open up a whole new arena to play in. Now you can consider moving into Corporate market, School market, Trade Shows, and the list goes on. But the first step comes with making a definite decision that you want to PLAY BIGGER. Here's 8 practical tips you can start with right away: 1) Promotional material on your website Most of these markets want to see a demo tape of your performance. They don't usually buy sight unseen, especially when you are breaking into a new market without an established reputation. Mailing out demo videos to all the prospects can be very costly and ineffective. So consider putting a demo tape on your website! It doesn't have to be anything fancy. All they want to see is how you present yourself. Hire a wedding videographer for $25 to $50 an hour to tape you in action. He can put the tape on digital format for easy download to your website. Be sure to keep the clip short so that it doesn't slow down how long it takes for the video to download. And check out what the clip looks like thru several different website browser, like Netscape, Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc. And remember, approximately 50% of the computers out there still have dial up modems with slow speeds. And put your promotional material on the website so they can download your flyers or posters. ( Need help? Call a teenager... :) 2) Seperate Websites for Each Market Consider having seperate websites for each market. If I am a corporate event planner and I visit your website, I probably don't want to hire a "do-it-all" clown. I want to know that I am hiring one of the best entertainers for my corporate client. My reputation is on the line too. 3) A Strong Money-Back Guarantee It is a sign of confidence and professionalism to offer a very strong guarantee with your show. Yes, I am talking about a "100% of your fee is refunded if my show does not absolutely delight your audience" type of guarantee. I have offered this guarantee for all my shows for years and have yet to have a problem with it. When I offer a strong guarantee it means I know what I am doing. 4) Get an 800 number These days, getting an 800 number is much more affordable. People are still reluctant to call long distance and by offering an 800 number it gives them one more reason to call you, right away! 5) Don't Require a Deposit Now, I know this can be a controversial subject, but hear me out. Dealing with a professional organization is much different turf than dealing with the birthday party mom. Professional organizations are accustomed to handling business through the use of contracts and invoices. They typically plan well in advance and rarely cancel a major event as they usually have lots of marketing dollars tied up in the event well in advance. On the other hand, unlike the birthday party market, you may not receive payment for 4-6 weeks after the event. This is just due to the red-tape many organizations have around how many days later they pay their bills. So be sure to budget your business to be able to handle this. Your paycheck should be bigger now. 6) Get Real Live Testimonials Birds of a feather flock together...the best way to book a school show is for one school to read or hear about you from another school. Have some pre-printed comments cards available after all your shows to get their comments about your show while it is still vivid in their minds. Be sure to get their permission to use their name with the testimonial too. 7) Get Better Results with a FAX machine Fax machines are so inexpensive these days. And you don't even have to have a seperate phone line coming into the house. Just ask for a fax line number for your regular phone line. My fax line costs $3 per month. But what it does is well worth the cost. With a fax line I can make a verbal presentation on the phone, they agree to go ahead with the booking and I can fax my Performance contract to them that same day. This means the commitment is sealed and I avoid dragging things out, possibly delaying the transaction by using snail-mail. 8) Be Prepared for ANYTHING Even though they said you can use their sound system, bring your own as a back up. You never know...I have arrived at a show prepared to use their sound system and found out the batteries were dead in the hands-free microphone because they don't use it that often. Your own sound system is a great investment, keeps you in control of your show and can also makes you more marketable. Its all about YOUR success, Esther Beris Clown Marketing Institute 440-298-1536 ------------------------- ( editors note: I personally use Total Call for my 800 service. [ http://www.totalcallusa.com ] They charge one dollar a month for your own personal 800 number, plus , if memory serves correct, 3.9 cents a minute. If you don't receive any toll free calls during the month, your cost is one dollar. This is also a perfect service for those of you who travel and want to call home from any pay phone or hotel room phone for about forty cents for a ten minute call. I have paid up to twenty dollars for similar calls when placed collect... If you're interested, call them at: 800-330-6895 ) ~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~ :: Sawed in Half (video) Check out this video featuring Steve Fearson's version of being sawed in half. I featured another clip similar to this of Steve performing the sawed in half illusion on Japanese TV. This version is much clearer, and in english as well.. I love reading all the 'know it all' comments responding to the video. Everyone has their own notion how the effect is performed, but no one gets it right.. The torso is actually disconnected from the legs by a new technique known to insiders as "Discombobulated Molecular Decimation and Reintegration..." Keep it secret please, as the main stream media has yet to stumble upon this technology. Anyone sharing this info with anyone else outside the magic community will probably be visited by two men dressed in black, driving a Ford LTD, carrying brief cases and displaying ID badges from the National Security Agency. Of course, once they visit, you will have no memory of the event.. so there you go. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/36717/body_magic/ ~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~ :: Ghost Deck Since it Halloween, it's only right that you should check out the new Ghost Deck. I have mine, and I love 'em. This is the best deck of cards, straight out of the box, on the market today. Only once have I opened a deck and been as impressed, as that was a special deck of casino grade cards not commonly available to you and me... -------------- "Ghost marks a new era in white playing card design, bringing elements of the Tiger and Viper into pure white format. The back is reverse imaged while the front is nearly completely black also, leaving just the tiny pips on the hearts and diamonds a deep red. Most striking is the Ace of Spades... a blend of beauty and vague terror, reminiscent of 19th century playing card work. Bicycle can finally lay claim to the same or greater beauty for its Ace of Spades as the magnificent Tally-Ho Ace. Designed by Brad Christian and graphic uber-pro Justin Kramerer from an original Bicycle design, the deck is destined to sell quickly as global fans snap it up in record numbers. The United States Playing Card Co. couldn't be more proud." -------------- I've even put up a special Ghost Deck video on my homepage. http://streetmagic.info You can check out Ghost Decks web page here... http://www.ellusionist.com/cart/?aid=732 ~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~ :: Card Sorcerer Where did the movie " Shade " get it's name? From the luminous liquid which, when applied to the back of playing cards, becomes visible only to someone wearing a certain type of sunglasses. Where do you get 'Shade' ? Right here.. More importantly for magicians though, is their wonderful selection of free videos displaying various card flourishes and poker chip tricks. These videos are so well done that I have found myself going back there time after time this past week to re-watch certain videos. Free Card Flourish Videos-- Card Spread Flourish, Center Lift Flourish, Multiple Charlier Cut, One Handed Cut Charlier Cut, One Handed Shuffle and Cut, Perfect Faro Shuffle, Tactical Green Bicycle, Copag Card Bend Free Poker chip trick videos-- Twirl Combo, Pinch Flourish, Knuckleroll, Chip Shuffle ( A certain website named after a small, wobbling artic animal, is currently selling a video of poker chip maneuvers, mainly the knuckle roll.. I'm not sure how this compares, but hey, it's free...) In addition to selling material to mark decks, which can be very helpful to magicians, they have a special section devoted to detecting marked cards... "As with most areas of card magic, marked cards have evolved significantly over the past century. Magicians often have no idea how unbelievably deceptive the marked cards of today have become. To detect a deck that has been marked by modern methods requires training and plenty of experience. Any expert who specializes in marked cards will respect how difficult it is, and how time consuming it is, to thoroughly check a deck and determine if it has been marked. However, the majority of marked decks that magicians are typically given access to are marked with obsolete methods. As this guide will show, detecting an obsolete marked deck is fairly easy given a little knowledge and experience.. " Check it out.. http://www.cardsorcerer.com/index.asp ~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~ :. All You Need is Cards As John, Paul, George, and Ringo sat on the floor between sessions, each attempted to outdo the other with feats of card magic normally reserved for the great mathematical minds of our age. Read on as Paul takes all the spades from the deck, mixes them thoroughly, places all the cards face up on the floor, except four, and proceeds to tell the others the identity of each of the face down cards. Sounds simple, right? Yet Paul names the identity of each card in order as he picks them up. Identifying the face down cards is a simple act of elimination.. naming the identity of each face down card as its picked up is quite a magical mystery tour.. This brilliant little PDF file harbours the secret. Written by great mathematical minds far beyond the calculating abilities of mere mortal minds, "All You Need is Cards" should be a part of your collection. Although I can't say that I understand it, I sure appreciate it... You will too... http://www.spelman.edu/~colm/epstein.pdf ---------------------------------------- :. Colm Mulcahy's Card Colm "Colm hails from Ireland, where he earned batchelor's and master's degrees in Mathematical Science at UCD. He then went to Cornell - more or less along arcs of two great circles - where he did research in the algebraic theory of quadratic forms for his PhD, under Alex FTW Rosenberg. In 1988 he joined the department of mathematics at Spelman College, where he currently serves as the Chair in his copious spare time. His music and food fetishes far predate his recent obsession with mathematical card tricks." More mathematical card tricks? Absolutely... I'm on a roll here. You see, these aren't your typical mathematical card tricks. These are tricks developed by great minds. Minds that are not amused by simple mathematics. Minds that are entertained by the Mathematical Association of America's online journal - MAA Online. Colm Mulcahy writes a bi-monthly column exploring mathematics and it's partnership with the world of magic. Each column features about six different effects, along with the mathematical explaination- for those of you who really must know... For example, in the column titled " Sheer Luck "... ------------- "We begin by reviewing a well-known elimination deal first published in 1936 as "The Spectator's Choice," by Stewart Judah. A volunteer is invited to shuffle a deck of 52 cards. You take the deck back and fan the cards face down from hand to hand, requesting that one be chosen and remembered; this card is then replaced in the deck. Have the volunteer deal the cards into two piles on a table, A to your left, B to your right, starting with pile A. Have pile B picked up, and again dealt into two piles, by first adding to the existing pile A, while creating a new pile B beside it. Have this repeated, always dealing to pile A first, until one card remains; in the hand or preferably in a new and much deminished pile B. Before this card is revealed, stress that the deck has been in the volunteer's hands throughout the dealing process. One pile grew steadily thereby increasing the chance that the chosen card was in that pile. The chances were 26 in 52, or 50%, after the first deal, then 39 in 52, or 75%, and now that the elimimation is complete the chances are 51/52, which is over 98%, that the card is in this big pile here. "The very last place you'd expect it to be is over here alone," you say teasingly, pointing to the lone card beside the larger pile. Ask the volunteer to look through the larger pile of 51 cards seeking the card selected. It will not be found. Say, "As Sherlock Holmes once said, `When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth'" and have the card named. The last card is revealed to be precisely the named card. "Sheer luck!" you say, feigning surprise." -------------- Colm not only reveals the 'secret ', which may already be know to some of you well-read magicians in the audience, but gives a thorough analysis of percisely WHY this tricks works. Using the skills of a trained mathematician, Colm then takes the effect on step farther by showing you how to have TWO different audience members each pick a card, and reveals that the two remaining cards after the elimination are the two pre-selected cards.. Heady stuff here... But highly interesting! http://www.maa.org/news/cardcolm.html ~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~ :. Magic - Close Up - and Bob :. Sunday, November 6th, 2005 :. The Meadowlands, N.J. Are you one of the top 225 close-up magicians in the country? If you are, even if you THINK you are, you are invited to attend an exciting, brand new, annual, one day, close up convention, conveniently located the the NJ Meadowlands.. Featuring - the legendary Steve Dusheck, one of magic's most prolific and imaginative minds. - Darwin Ortiz, one of the very best card technicians in the world. - And Bobby Gallo, who regulary performs over 400 shows a year throughout the country. ( Plus.. a special surprise performer will be interacting with the crowd ) Sponsored in part by my friend Bob, as in http://www.bobsolarimagic.com , you can get more details at http://www.metro-magic.com -or- call Bob at.. 973-546-6110 or 973-773-8818 for all the details ... Make plans to be there.. Times short.. And whatever you do, DON'T tell Bob I said he's under priced tickets by a least fifty percent - he might get a wild hair and up the price.... ~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~ :. K.I.S.S. Some of the best magic is the most simple of magic. Not every confounding effect involves sleight of hand or complex memorization. And not all good effects have to be a total perplexity to other magicians. If you find yourself performing your effects for the amazement of other magicians, then your performing for the wrong audience.. As you remove a deck of cards from the pack, remark of your recent 'jolting' experience with a screwdriver and an electrical outlet, and the astounding mental abilities you've acquired since.. " A deck of cards is a magical thing, for sure. Consisting of 52 cards that represent the 52 weeks of the year, four suits to correspond to the 4 seasons, 13 different values to represent each of the 13 symbols of the lunar calendar, and a total of 365 pips to represent - what else than - the 365 days of the year, a deck of cards is the perfect tool for a sensitive magi like myself.." "I want you to take this deck, look throught it to make sure all the cards are different, and then shuffle the deck to your hearts content. Satisfied? Good! Now, look at the bottom card, memorize it, and carefully slide the deck back into this pack, face down of course, as I hold it open for you.." "Now, I'll close the top, completely isolating the deck from the outside world, but not from my probing mind. I'll place the deck against my forehead, like this, as my subconscious mind gently whispers to my conscious mind that your selected card, hereto unknown only to you, was a.... a..... a..... ( and name the card. correctly of course..)" How did I do it? As the name implies - K.I.S.S. . KISS is a marketing term commonly used by copywriters that means " Keep it simple, stupid". Copywriters need to compose simple and straight-to-the-point copy, ( unlike what I've done to this point..) to help the readers fully understand the offer and motivate them with simple keywords. How simple is this trick? Take a razor blade or box cutter and cut a small window in the lower corner of what will be the underside of the pack as you hold it for the cards to be inserted. Cut properly, when the cards are placed in the pack, only the number and pip of the bottom card is visible through the opening you cut. Your fingers will conceal the opening as the deck is being placed inside the pack by the spectator. As you bring the pack forward to your forehead, carefully turn the pack around, glimpsing the cards identity. Your work is done, and the rest is a matter of patter. Remember, magic like this works particularly well on the typical audience. I know many of you may already know this effect, but I'll bet your audience doesn't... and thats what matters. I know magicians who make a full time living performing tricks like this. It's ALL in the presentation - if you know how to KISS... R.Carruth ~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~ :. David Blaine What'd David been up to? Well, he says he's working on a new special due out on May 23rd, 2006. David says to keep in mind that " you can't judge a book by it's cover.." Go to http://streetmagic.info/david.html to see Davids note, semi-detailing his special... ~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~ Ta Da ! Another issue in the box - It's a good thing too, as my wife threatened to throw me, and my computer, and desk, and chair, and... out after working so dilligently on this issue. I've worked five straight days, going without food and bath for the duration. She didn't mind that I lost seven pounds, but the smell got to her after day three.. Just kidding !! I've NEVER gone ONE full day, much less five, without food... I hope you found something useful, or entertaining, in this issue. It was my pleasure to put everything together and send it your way - regardless of what corner of the world you live in. (At last count, I think I have readers in about thirty-three countries now...) Email me Don't forget to visit http://streetmagic.info and http://magicroadshow.com . Also, check by Magic Bullets - the blog every couple of days and see whats new. If you enjoy Magic Roadshow I suspect you'll enjoy the blog too... http://streetmagic.info/blogger.html May my next issue find you well.. Rick Carruth / editor ---------------------------------------- |
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