Rules for the Close-Up Magician Pt. 4

“Bert Allerton’s Rules for the Close-Up Magician. “ Part Four

Please note that each element of “Bert Allerton’s Rules for the Close-Up Magician“ has been reprinted with the express written consent of Magic Inc. (no part may be re-printed in other media without consent of Magic Inc.)

To get a copy of, “Bert Allerton: The Close-Up Magician.“ Visit: http://www.magicinc.net/closeupmagician.aspx

We continue with our next point in the series…
“To be a really successful close-up magician you must:”

4. Be a salesman to the extent of giving the public what you can do that really entertains them and not using the effects that you merely think are good or merely like to do.

Ever see a magician who is more entertained by his or her routines than you anyone else? There can be a couple different reasons for this; some magicians are just self centered…These are the ones who are really just “in their own head” self centered in thought and action.

Then there are the others – normally good and “with it” pro’s who are in the process of working out a new effect or tweaking a part of their act.

Magicians have different criteria for liking effects than laymen do. Because they know many of the methods behind tricks they are often more entertained by the subtleties of an effect than the trick itself. It’s like appreciating the color of a car more than the car itself.

Additionally a magician may invest hours and hours into the practice and routining of any effect. They analyze the timing, angles, motivations – they live with it. Then they take it out into the world and it flops….

In these cases a pro won’t simply abandon the routine. They do their best to figure why it didn’t go over the way they thought it would. They will analyze, test and tweak. The process may take several performances and sometimes it’s the kind of thing that can only be worked out by performing it in front of an audience.

But in the end no matter what the cost in terms of time (and often money) invested the ultimate test as to whether or not an effect stays must be the audience reaction.

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