STREET MAGIC LINKS

"Street magic effects have to pack small and play big... High-impact, raw, real magic.”

Check out the following links to learn more about street magic -

• http://streetmagic.info/
• http://www.1streetmagic.com/street-magic/street_magic.htm
• http://www.goodtricks.net/david-blaine-street-magic-tricks.htm

For all your street magic needs, go to http://www.ellusionist.com

Wanna watch clips of magic? Youtube has everything. Best bet is to look for specifc magicians or routines that you wanna see. Or if you have alot of time.. slowly watch all the home videos of people performing magic. There was one kid who perfromed the ACR that was quite good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AveqS9Lbq0o

Another great site to find magic clips are on http://www.metacafe.com/

Evolution By Jeff


For all of you who want to learn how to do card flourishes and look really slick,

check out these clips -

SIMPLE SYBIL CUT

TOMAHAWK CUT

CRAZY CUTS

Guess I kinda went OTT with the clips. What can I say... I've always liked flourishes.

That's all for now!

STREET MAGIC (I)

After writing the article in the newsletter, I realize that it might not be enough and further explanation might be needed. So here goes…

There is a big difference between performing STREET MAGIC and a STREET MAGICIAN. All magicians can perform street magic. But that DOES NOT mean that all magicians can be street magicians.

Sounds chiem doesn’t it? ;)

Let's deal with one thing at a time. Nowadays, the first thought that comes to mind when you mention Street Magic is… Self Levitation. Well at least I did! When I first learnt magic, I thought street magic the ‘cool’ version of tricks. Style of performing: fast & furious.

Hence the first few tricks that I learnt involved using ravens and loops. First card magic I first learnt was the Ambitious Card Routine (which by the way… is now known as ACR). Other than that, I only bothered learning all sorts ‘tricks with cards’ like card cuts and flourishes. I thought that the magic had to be visual and instant, be it cards, coins or anything else.

I still remember the first time I did a ‘Street Magic’ shoot. It was in 2002, where my friend Ferris and I did a street magic shoot for HTV. We shot around the Esplanade and along Orchard Road. By then, I learnt that eveb quick flashy effects needed some sort of build up in order to create a visual miracle for your spectators. However, the choice of magic performed was really based on what we thought was ‘cool’. I remember working coin tricks, card tricks, mental magic and even tried David Blaine’s self levitation.

This is how I stereotyped street magic. Nothing wrong with that! Many still perceive street magic as such, especially with so many local magicians now on TV.

Check out this clip. The magician not only performs good visual card effects, but teaches them as well.


Magic Exposed

DOES CLOTHES MAKE A MAN? in our case.. does clothes make a magician?)

In the corporate world, we always hear the term ' Dress For Success!". And as all youths know, IMAGE COUNTS!

Let's say you're quite a good magician. You have a decent repertoire with some great effects. You’ve practiced it thousands of times, perfected it in front of the mirror and now are ready to take your act to the streets. Ok... maybe not the streets but you are ready to perform a 15 min segment for a small group of people at an informal gathering.

But wait....what are you going to wear???

You say “What?, who cares what I am wearing?”.

Let me tell you something, image and presentation is everything. What is the first thing people see when you start performing?? It’s you of course! First impressions last. You only have one chance to make a great first impression even before you do your magic. You might think, I can wear anything to do my magic trick and it will still amaze them. You're probably right! A great effect is a great effect! But with a littlle style and imaging, you can take your performance to a whole new level.

Imagine with me.
2 cars side by side. Both have the same high powered engine same sport suspension. The first car is dull mustard in color. The interior is basic grey. Very functional in its look. The second car is a shiny orange in color and looks stylish inside. There are some titanium-effect trims on the dashboard with the top patterned so it almost resembled carbon fibre. Feels expensive.
Now, which car would you instinctive go and look at first? Let me rephrase that... Which car will your friends go and look at first? *grinz*

Get the picture right?

Likewise, if you are dressed in just your regular clothes (jeans & t-shirt or pants & short sleeved collared shirt) and performing tricks, yes you will still probably get great reactions. But consider the possibilities if you stepped up your dress code slightly. Now, I am not saying that you have to wear branded clothes nor spend alot of money on your imaging. Just be aware of what your are wearing and what you want to portray. It can determine the type of impression you leave behind.


~ A rule of thumb I always follow: Don't dress for the occasion, instead dress slightly better than what the occasion requires. ~