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| A Word From Sam: The Magic of Presentation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Sam Dalal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Undoubtedly,
the single, most important aspect of a Magical performance is the presentation.
It does not matter what you do, - you make or break your reputation by "how
you do it". Performers like Paul Daniels take the simplest tricks and build them into feature effects that enthrall and entertain audiences of millions. And hundreds and thousands of performers fall flat, because even the cleverest of items are presented as puzzles, devoid of entertainment, amusement, or amazement value. Most dealers items come with an "effect" and one of more "presentation ideas". Some of these may be good, some mediocre. But they are only, there to spark your imagination. You must add your own ideas and imagination to this, to make an impact with the item. ----- Perhaps the best way to illustrate the point is with a few random examples, involving props or items everyone is familiar with. The "Card to Matchbox" is perhaps one of the most familiar of beginners' items. A playing card turns into a matchbox. Why? No one knows. How? Almost everyone knows! And so, no one in their right minds would think of performing this trick for a sophisticated or paying audience. But think about it, and you may come up with something. Like this! I have the tip of a card peeping out, just visible, from my shirt or jacket pocket. I pompously declare it is a prediction, a perfect match of a card that will be freely selected by the audience. I now go into an "invisible deck" routine, having a spectator shuffle and cut an invisible deck, and freely select a card, then call out its identity. Then I remove the card from the pocket (keeping the box covered by the palm), and reveal the face. Obviously 51 times out of 52, I am wrong. (On the 52nd occasion I will have performed a "miracle" which shall be duly recorded for posterity in the Unsolved Mysteries Omnibus!) I look surprised. I ask the spectator if he is sure of his selection, and that the cards don't match. The "match" is emphasised so that it sinks in. Then I turn the card into a matchbox. I remove a match, strike it, and hold it up declaring, "of course, it is a perfect match!" Corny? Yes! But different and entertaining. And much more presentable than saying, "There's a card. And now, it's a matchbox!!…" I have done a little magic, but the presentation is what really makes it something a little more entertaining. The above presentation, involved a simple pun, for an offbeat presentation. Think about it, and you will get other ideas. Remember, the die that changes colour on front and back with the 'paddle move'. Well pun on "die & dye," and you have a possible presentation angle. ----- When you get a magic prop, think of what you do and why you do it. Very often you will find there is a meaningless move or action. Build a reason for it. The more bizarre, offbeat, or unexpected the "connection," the greater the climax. Sometimes, even simple effects can be dressed up to create an added element of surprise. Let us take the "Multiplying Bouquet," where a flower bouquet multiplies to two. Good magic by itself, if you pick up a bouquet of flowers, and double it. But is it good enough presentation? Produce the same Bouquet from a "Square Circle" or other production prop, and it's better than picking it up from the table. You have apparently done your trick. You have two assistants on either side. Both step forward to receive the bouquet. You look confused, - you don't want to disappoint either. So you magically multiply the bouquet to two - one for each assistant. You have performed exactly the same trick, with a "reason" for doing it. And the impact will be much greater. Here is another idea off the top of my head. This one with the "Colour Changing Blooming Blossom". You show a barren stalk. Wave a red silk over it, to make the flower appear. The flower is yellow! You are surprised. Scratch your head, then wave the silk again, and it changes to red. And you will learn one of the golden rules of show business, - "He who fails, and then succeeds gets a bigger round of applause than he who succeeds every time!" ----- There are other simple routines, where the impact can be increased many fold, by incorporating bits of business for additional entertainment. Many "bits of business" are worth their weight in gold - and can make a world of difference to even the simplest of Magic effects. One of my favourite routines is an ordinary "Cut and Restored Rope," which used to be a hit with Night Club audiences, who would yawn through a straight presentation, if they were polite enough to sit through it. The "bits of business" cost me a hundred times more than the basic props, and added a thousand times more impact to the "entertainment value". They included an 'Exploding Pen' (to mark the center of the rope), 'Giant Wiper Glasses', a 'Break Apart Ruler', 'a Golden Fun Shears', and on some occasions even a 'Whoopee Cushion'. With a spectator on stage, the simple trick now became a full feature riot of laughs, with a solid5 to 7 minutes of entertainment. ----- For a performer who uses patter, there is unlimited scope for enhancing the presentation. Well planned and well rehearsed patter is a must, even if the delivery seems impromptu and off-the-cuff. I have performed the "Miser's Dream" for over 30 years. It is a perfect example of what a gppd Magic trick should not be, if one is to go by theory. Not only does the routine involve repeating the same effect over and over and over again, using the same method, but it also has no finale, no climax. Yet it has been one of the best received effects I have ever performed, and it has often "stolen the show" surpassing many more clever, elaborate or expensive effects foe sheer entertainment value. The secret of its success is the "patter", collected and refined over decades, so there's a "line" for every coin, for every move, even for the few seconds it takes to walk from one spectator to the other. I hope to publish the complete routine some day, but a few examples will suffice. No two coins appear from the same place - there is never a "here's a coin" and here is another!" Here are some of the lines I use for a single coin appearing from various places of a spectator's body: "This man has money on his mind" "This man has a natural ear for business!" "This is known as pocket money" "This one comes from elbow grease" "This one came from a hole in the pocket" "This man is obviously sitting on money" … and so on. When a shower of coins is produced: "This is called paying through your nose" "… And here we have a human slot machine" "… This is called a loaded wallet (or bag)" There are even associated jokes for the short "breaks" as you walk from one group of spectators to another, or stage to audience and back: "Who says you have to be a magician to get money? Any bank will give it to you, if you prove you don't need it!" "Most coins have a ladies' head on them. That explains why money talks!" "Ever wonder why they make coins round? To help them circulate!" … and so on. None of these lines are very clever of funny on their own. But well rehearsed and rapidly delivered in a seemingly off-the-cuff manner, they make for an excellent presentation of an otherwise ordinary effect. ----- I hope this will give you some idea of the importance of presentation in any magic effect, and how you can enhance any effect with a little thought and effort. The examples I have given are just that - examples! With a little effort of your own, you can and will come up with something much much better! ---------- Reproduced from The EF Magic Update, Issue 7, September 1995 |
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