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Magic Roadshow Nov.16th, 2006 Issue# 59 Rick Carruth / editor (C)2006 All rights reserved worldwide. Street Magic's #1 free newsletter for magicians, street performers, restaurant workers, close-up artists, and mentalists, with subscribers in over sixty four countries worldwide. _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ Hello All
Welcome to the latest issue of Magic Roadshow. I'm grateful for all the new subscribers who have taken time to sign up since our last issue. I hope you find something of interest in every issue. One week till Thanksgiving... Can you believe it? It's been quite a ride this past dozen months. 2006 has definitely not been a boring year in my household. Like last year, there's been a couple of life-altering events.. one that almost cut short publication of the Roadshow, and another that has given me time to stretch each issue out to it's current size. When I look back at those first several issues, and how short they were, it almost makes me jealous! Unless I get a wild hair (hare) and decide to send out a mid-issue email, this is my wish for you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving! My friend, Dennis Regling, has forwarded an article I'm sure you'll find interesting. Dennis always gets into the finer details of being a successful magician, and has done so again with this article. I've included a couple of detailed effects that I've played around with the past few weeks. I honestly think you'll like them as much as I do -if- you take the time to work them out.. And.. there's the usual assortment of magical resources I've found on my journey around the web. I hope you find something that makes you wonder how you've lived without it till now! Remember.. if you have an effect or article you would like to share with several thousand like-minded magicians and street performers, send it today. And, as always, if you enjoy this issue.. tell others. If not.. tell me. EMAIL ME -------------- In This Issue -------------- 1) Show Posters That Sell Tickets - Dennis Regling A) SCANNER - Very visual card magic B) Snap Change - Video C) Uri Geller Promo Video - Not Bad, not bad at all.. D) Uri Geller Bio Videos - 30 minutes of .. Uri E) Card Tricks Site - 8 Magic effects F) MIND MIRROR - Excellent mental magic G) CardWorker - Mick Ayres gem H) US Playing Card Co. - Tons of gaming info online I) Expert at the Card Table - Download for members J) Rising Card Revealed - Video - No strings or bands required plus.. Roadshow resource page.. --------------- I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of MAGIC waiting somewhere behind the morning... J. B. Priestley.. 1894-1984, English Novelist, Playwright, Essayist Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the MAGIC keys to living your life with integrity. W. Clement Stone.. 1902-2002, American Businessman, Author _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ Show Posters That Sell Tickets When doing public magic shows, the key to success is great promotion. One of the simplest and most common promotional pieces is the show poster. However, it is easy to make a beautiful poster that shows all the great things you do and still have an empty auditorium. Unless your poster is created with the right motivation, it will fail. The poster is not about you. If you can grasp that, you can then start designing your poster. Again, it is NOT ABOUT YOU. It is about what your audience will receive by attending and how they may buy tickets. As with all marketing, you need to focus on the customers' needs or desires. What is in it for them. The purpose of the poster is to fill seats. With this in mind, posters should: • grab attention • promote your show • give the performance details • result in sold tickets Grab attention: Your poster needs to immediately grab the eye and stop traffic. If no one looks at your poster, no one buys tickets. Use color and unusual pictures. Have a headlibe that encourages folks to read the rest of the poster. If the headline is "The Amazing Waldo" or "Magic Show," it will grab little attention. However, if it says, "You Will Believe," or "See A Lady Cut In Half," that might catch an eye. The reader has to ask themselves, "I will believe what?" or they will be shocked by a mental image of a mutilated torso. Better is an unusual picture. Many magicians of old used caricatures of themselves surrounded by little devils. This shocked the Puritan mindset of the early 1900's. It required a closer look. Give passerbys a reason to stop and read the poster. Promote your show: Your poster needs to not only tell a little more about the show, but create emotions and curiousity that motivate the reader to want to see the show. Rather than list the effects being done, describe them in a picturesque manner. "Hear The Roar of The Lions," "See The Magician heat Death," "Thrill To The Dance of The Cobra," and "What Is The Secret of Houdini's Trunk?" Make the show something folks feel they don't want to miss. Give the performance details: Tell the prospect When, Where, and How to attend the show. Show location, show times, ticket agents, and other important details must be on the poster in large letters. Result in sold tickets: The poster must sell tickets. Offer discounts for advance ticket purchases, use phrases like "One Show Only," or "Limited Seating," to prompt action. You must have a call to action on your poster. "Call Now To Reserve Your Tickets." These are simple ideas for creating a poster, yet you will be amazed at how many show posters you will see that leave one or more of these elements out. Remember, design your marketing around the consumer's needs, wants and desires, not around you. After-all it's not about you, it's about them. Dennis Regling http://www.bellaonline.com/magic NEWS: Dennis Regling is now a regular performer at the Victoria Vaudeville Theater in Wheeling, WVa. He can be seen Saturday nights performing his comic magic on-stage and also doing strolling magic before the shows. ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~:: SCANNER This is a very nice effect, one of those little tricks that will leave your audience dumbfounded. Unlike most effects that I publish, SCANNER will not be explained in full, but left open-ended for you to do with as you wish. The possibilities are too endless for me to tie it up into a nice little package. Read on and you will understand.. little grasshopper.. The basic premise of the effect is this: A spectator selects a card in an apparently random manner. The card is put back into the deck, and, after a little shuffling by the magician, the deck is handed to the spectator and he is asked to find his card. Flipping through the deck, the spectator is unable to locate his card.. The magician takes the deck back, removes the top card, and informs his spectator that he will reveal the chosen card in a unique way. He picks up his flip style cell phone, and, leaving it closed, slowly pushes the card into one side of the phone and, once in far enough, pulls it out the other side. Now, the card has been scanned with your personal, hand-held SCANNER. The spectator, previously unable to find his card in the deck, assumes that the card just inserted through the phone will be his. He's wrong.. For the first time, the magician asks the spectator to name his card. The spectator replies, lets say, " ten of hearts ". The magician hands the spectator the scanned card, still upside down, and the spectator is allowed to turn over the ten of hea..., Huh? All the spectator finds is a blank card. No ten, no hearts, no nothing... The magician asks the spectator, " Remember the name of this effect? ", and the spectator replies.. " uh.. SCANNER ". And the magician hands the spectator the cell phone and ask him to look inside. There, on the screen... is a photo of the Ten of Hearts.. Yes, I see a bunch of inquisitive magical minds churning. Since there are a number of possible ways to accomplish this effect, I'm not going into great detail. My personal method is to import an image of a playing card into my cell phone. There are many different ways to accomplish this, far more ways than I have space. If you aren't sure how, ask your kids.. You can import more than one image and have the ability to perform this effect more than once at the same event. With a cards image in your phone, you're ready to force that card onto your spectator. You can put it on the bottom of the deck and perform a simple Hindu Shuffle force, or whatever force you're comfortable with.. Catch a pinkie break and bring the forced card to the top of the deck. Now, you can take this effect in any one of several different directions... Personally, I palm the top card, the selected card, off the top of the deck as I hand the spectator the deck and ask him to look for his/her card. I put both hands into my pockets, looking for my cell phone, which is in my right pocket. The selected card, in my right hand, is dumped into the right pocket as I bring the cell phone out. The left hand palms a blank faced card that is in my left pocket. After the spectator is convinced that their card is no longer in the deck, I ask them to square up the deck and hand it back to me. I set the cell phone in my right hand on the table and open my right palm, allowing the spectator to put the deck into the palm of my hand. My left hand remains casually at my side. I 'see' too many magicians putting a palmed card back onto the top of the deck. That's why I take the deck and put it into my left hand instead. This quick motion will not look awkward. It will only look as if you're putting the deck that's in your right palm into your left palm. Of course, the blank card in your left hand is now on the bottom of the face-up deck. Look the spectator in the eyes during the move.. As soon as you put the deck into the left hand, reach for the cell phone with your right hand. Pick up the phone with your right hand.. and put the deck onto the table, face down, with your left. This whole little series of events takes about three or four seconds. The blank card is now face down on top of the deck and you're ready to perform your magic. Aside from the forced card in your right pocket, you're clean. If the spectator wants to see the deck again.. no problem. All they'll discover is - their card is still gone, a blank card that wasn't in the deck is now on the table, and their chosen card is on the screen of your cell phone. As you can imagine, there are many different ways this effect can be performed.. some less complicated, and some more so. Here's another version I found on Magichat. The video wasn't working when I checked it out, but it may be now.. http://www.magichat.co.uk/t1157-Wireless_Connection.html After you make this unique effect 'yours'.. write it down and share it with the rest of us. I'll gladly publish alternative handling... Rick C. ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~:: Snap Change Any type of instant change is an extremely popular move with most magicians. If you don't know how to perform the Snap Change, here's a YouTube video that will teach you one method. With a little practice, you should master this move in a night of practice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGIl208XRVs&mode=related&search= ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~:: Uri Geller Promo Video Uri Geller is one of the more intriguing figures in all of magic. Talk about finding one's niche! He's one of those guys that everyone keeps an eye on, just to see what unusual stunt and/or claim emerges. I like to think of Uri as the Frank Zappa of mentalism. Love him or hate him, Uri has commanded the spotlight for many years. Now, for reasons I'm not sure of, he has published a new promo video to YouTube. Maybe he's counting on publicity much like what I'm giving him at this very moment.. At any rate, I'll watch the video viewed numbers and see if it's paying off. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK6NMXEDDSQ PS.. Very good video.. by the way! ---------------- Geller Bio Video's If you want to catch up on the history of Uri Geller, there are a series of video's published to YouTube that detail the life and performances of Uri. Watch clips of performances and TV appearances dating from his early days to the recent renewing of his marriage vows with special guest.. Michael Jackson. Each video is approximately ten minutes.. Part One.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VQCQ2Oyz1Y&mode=related&search= Part Two.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iudOLXcfvC4&mode=related&search= Part Three. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSfw6jP36AA&mode=related&search= ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~:: Card Tricks Site These eight tricks are brought to you courtesy of Old and Sold Antique Marketplace. Now, I'm not sure exactly why, except perhaps the owner of the site has a love of card magic. Here's an example: 5. A Card Through the Plate. A card is chosen and replaced in the pack. The magician shuffles and cuts the cards. He lays them on the table and exhibits a plate and a hat. He lays the pack of cards on the plate, which is set upon the hat. Then he says "Pass", and when the pack is examined, the chosen card is gone. The plate is lifted and the card is found in the hat! Want the method? Visit the site.. http://www.oldandsold.com/articles02/cardtricks1.shtml ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~:: STOP !! Stop Throwing Money Away on Magic That Sucks. Get Honest, Unbiased Reviews BEFORE You Buy. Know which of the newest magic tricks, books, and DVDs are worthwhile before you waste your money. www.MagicCleaver.com gives you impartial reviews from working pros. Subscriptions are limited... and extremely reasonable. For complete details, go to MagicCleaver.com and watch the demo video. http://www.MagicCleaver.com ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~:: MIND MIRROR Special Thanks to Jack McMillen and Danny Archer for the workings to this nice mental magic card effect. When I'm looking at effects to complement my meager routines, one of my first requirements is that the effect contain a 'twist' of some sort. The proper twist will cover a multitude of ineptness.. 'Mind Mirror' will require a simple stack. Get all of the cards of one suit to the top of the deck. They don't need to be in any particular order. All you need to know is the suit and value of the top card. Personally, I use a faro shuffle, and I will shuffle the deck a time or two even though the top thirteen cards are in place. I simply shuffle deep enough to avoid changing the order of these cards. If done casually enough, no one will noticed what you're doing. Ask the spectator to close their eyes and visualize the face of a clock. Tell them that you will not try to influence them in any way, but you want them to select one number on the face of the clock. Once done, hand the spectator the deck and ask them to please follow your directions as you turn your back toward them. Ask them to 'quietly' count off, and put on the table, one card after another until they have put down a number of cards equal to their selected number. ( eg... If they selected a six, they will put six cards face down on the table.). Now, ask them to look at the top card of the DECK, and tell them they can show it to others as well. Once done, put it back on top of the deck, pick up the six cards on the table, and put them back on top of the deck as well.. Turn around, point to the deck, and ask them to cut the deck so the top cards will be buried somewhere in the middle. Ask them to cut the cards a second time, and then a third. Ask them if they are convinced that you could not possibly know the location of the selected card. ( If you are not sure that the spectator will perform a simple cut, then you can perform the first cut, complete it, and then ask the spectator to cut the cards a second and third time. Once you've shown the spectator how you want them to cut the cards, chances are they will follow your example.) " I've watched you cut the cards and I'm convinced that you have buried the card so deep into the deck that there's no way I could possibly know where it is... but that isn't good enough. I was thinking about this effect as I was on the way here tonight and it brought to mind a book I recently read about Houdini." "You know, Houdini earned his reputation by going a step farther than any other magician in his day. And, I decided that if this effect was to be truly Houdini-like in it's effect on my audience that I was going to have to add a little extra twist..." " I'm sure you've seen magician's have a card put into the deck, have the deck cut, and the magician magically find the card. Well, what you probably don't know is.. cutting the deck doesn't actually change the position of the chosen card, in relation to all the other cards, as much as you think. The only thing that really stirs the brew is this..." And you pick up the deck and perform a riffle shuffle.. "That's what Houdini would do.. But I'm not sure if even good ol' Harry would have done this.." And you pick up the deck and perform yet a second riffle shuffle.. " I haven't seen the face of a single card. Actually, aside from my two shuffles, I didn't touch the deck during this effect. You performed all the important moves.." Turn the deck face up and ribbon spread the deck onto the table. " I'm going to slowly move my finger up and down the length of these cards, and as I do I'm going to look at your face for the slightest hint, the slightest indication, that I am close to your card." Move your finger the length of the ribbon spread and watch the spectator intently. They won't give you any indication of the chosen card, but when you spot the card that was on top of the deck before the trick began, the spectators card will be the next card - of the same suit - to the RIGHT of that card. "As I passed a certain card I saw your left eye flutter. As I passed that card again, I saw your lips tighten ever so slightly. Although this is not a proven science, the FBI thinks so highly of the technology of subconscious transference that they have six full-time agents that do nothing but analyze this so-called science.." Now, reveal the identity of the chosen card.. When the spectator counts off the number of cards matching his selected number, the top card will become the bottom card of those on the table. The spectator looks at the top card of the deck, replaces it, picks up the small stack on the table and puts this stack on top of the deck, and now the card you know... is one card above the spectators chosen card. If you perform two half-way decent shuffles, no other cards of the same suit should find their way between these two cards. I've performed this effect many times, and Danny Archer says he's performed it for fifteen years, without a slip-up. R.Carruth ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~:: CardWorker - (From the Magic Roadshow's Archives..) Are you ready to cross the line? That's the question Mick Ayres asks at his super-informative site -- CardWorker.com . If you're a card worker.. then you're well familiar with Mick. On the other hand, those of you who get the bulk of your magic info from watching reruns of Stars of Magic will offer a blank stare and a polite shrug of the shoulder. Wake up! I have had the rare opportunity to hear and watch Mick perform. When I say rare, I'm talking maybe 'one convention every few years' rare.. Despite Mick's talent as a card worker and entertainer, he doesn't get out much.. Walt Disney won't let him.. As a full-time performer at Disney's exclusive Vacation Club Resort on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, Mick is limited by contract how close, or far, he can perform from Hilton Head. That, and the fact that he performs about 1300 shows a year on the island.. But he's not limited by how much of his material he can share with us through his writings. His CardWorker site features a wide array of effects, sleights, routines, and essays. In Mick's own words: "Early in the 20th century, magic shops often had a white line painted on the floor near the back of the store. Unless you were recognized by the shop owner as a serious student of magic, you were not given permission to cross the line. All the secret props, devices, gimmicks and the 'underground' books were kept behind the white line. The general public wasn't allowed access to these secrets." Mick, through his web site CardWorker, gives YOU the opportunity to "cross the line" and.. "...offers explanations, discussions, and reviews about new and classic card sleights, routine scripting and preparation, rehearsal techniques, little-known finesses and staging procedures for entertainers interested in presenting fresh, new material from the world of card magic. You can learn a lot here...if you're willing to do the work." http://www.cardworker.com ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~:: Do What You HAVE To Do... Do YOU have the tools to become the magician you truly want to be? Do you have access to the absolute ~World Class~ instructions that turns wanna-be's into professionals. If you have the will-power, I have the way... Click Here ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~:: US Playing Card. com What has rules to hundreds of different card games? What has detailed research into the history of playing cards? The US Playing Card web site.. In addition to finding out what's new with Bicycle, Bee, and Aviator brand playing cards, get insight into the history of playing cards over the last, oh, seven hundred years.. I hadn't visited their site in a very long time until recently, and I was pleased to discover a number of interesting features that made my time well spent... http://www.usplayingcard.com ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~:: Erdnases' Expert at the Card Table - Download You can download your free version of Erdnases' classic ebook at this link.. http://www.301url.com/erdnase If you have a problem, let me know and I will send you the ebook as an attachment.. ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~:: The Rising Card Revealed - video Most rising card effects require an elastic band to work efficiently. This one doesn't. You can actually perform this version at any time during your performance without a moments preparation, although there is a one-time prep involved before performing this effect the first * 11-19-2006 This video has been removed from youtube, for whatever reason.. I'll find a replacement.. * 11-20-2006 The video has reappeared, except at another location. To many of you guys must have visited the site, because they now want your email address to direct you to the location of the video. At any rate, it's still a good method, and I'm not going to reveal something that's not mine... http://www.rising-card.com ------------------- Here is a video explaining one of the the elastic methods.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN10FAsR0bw ::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~:: That's all.. for now. Look for another packed issue in two weeks. Really now.. who else sends out a newsletter every two weeks with all the resources and info found in Magic Roadshow? If you know of another, please let me know.. Questions? Rants? Raves? Comments? Email Me ---------------------- To position yourself on the 'Roadshow's Frappr World Map' with other readers from, literally, around the world.... http://www.frappr.com/magicroadshow ---------------------- To view a sample chapter of our best selling magic-related ebook 'Astounding Magic'.. http://www.StreetMagic.info/astounding.html ---------------------- To watch high quality sample video's from our favorite teaching web site CardTricks1.. http://www.301url.com/cardsleights ---------------------- Remember to visit some of my other sites at: http://www.StreetMagic.info http://www.MagicRoadshow.com http://www.Mentalists.info http://www.StreetMagicSecrets.info http://www.BellaOnline.com/site/shareware http://www.StreetMagic.info/blogger.html http://www.MadMarketing101.com ----------------------- May my next issue find you well.. Rick Carruth / editor ============================= |
