Making The Magic Memorable

Why should they remember you?

There is an old saying in magic that "people do not remember what you do they remember how you make them feel"

So how do people want to feel when they watch magic?

If I was to brainstorm this question you will get a list something like the one below (or we did!!!)

• Engaged
• Amused
• Entertained
• Astonished
• Surprised
• Comfortable
• Included (without being picked on)
• Relaxed
• Happy
• Special

This list is not in any order but if you leave any audience member feeling just half of the above they are definitely going to remember you for a long time.

My first observation of the above is that most of the list is not necessarily related to magic at all.The fact is most magic is not about the effect or the trick being performed.

Yes it is really important that any magician performs amazing magic but what makes individual magicians stand out is the way they interact with their audience.

"How they make them feel"

If people have seen me perform you will know there is a section of my close up act where I use the word awesome a lot.I get the audience to repeat the word awesome and at the end of the effect I can almost guarantee someone will say "that was awesome"

This is because by the time I get to this effect everyone feels Engaged,amused,entertained,comfortable,included and I hope special

I sort of hope they are astonished as well but I am sure you get the message

On many occasions I have met people who have seen me perform at another time and they always remember the Awesome thing!!!!! 

As I have touched on in previous blogs it is so important to listen as you perform so you can respond and make an audience feel included instead of feeling they are being performed at.

Next time you are interacting with people whether you have met them before or not consider how you made them feel and how or if they will remember you in the future

This goes for Magic and none magic interaction

Comments and questions welcome

Carl Royle

www.magicbycarl.co.uk

www.facebook.com/magicbycarl

Just Listen And Think

Some of the best lines come from nothing!

When performing I always try to have a friendly, natural relaxed approach that appears to be quite unscripted.

The truth is I plan and rehearse every routine I perform a great deal.

The thing that makes every performance of the same effect unique is the way you interact with the audience.This can only be done if you listen.

Over the years I have tried to develop a skill for taking in all the activity going on around me when I am performing which can create some little gems.

An audience does not always think you are listening as they make comment to the person stood next to them when you are half way through a routine.

When you react in a friendly way magic can become more conversational and personal for the spectators. This makes them feel more involved resulting in them investing more attention into your performance.

By listening as well as talking you will open your mind to some well rehearsed ad libs and even the odd new line that comes from nowhere.

A couple of examples from this weekend came when performing at a wedding and a corporate event

Corporate Event

With five people on stage ready to perform my version of the black ball game (Kurotske) I always go down the line and ask names and pass comments if we have met earlier whilst I was performing Close Up Magic.This is to relax spectators and also build trust and rap poor establishing that this ill be fun and nobody will be made to look silly.

On going down the line I established the first spectator was called Andy (do they call you andy because you live around the corner?) Then I found spectator number five was also called Andy!

Without missing a beat I announced we had an Andy sandwich!!!! and the other spectators were the meat in the sandwich!!

"Have you ever been in and Andy Sandwich before?" Etc Etc

(by the way all the helpers were men I may not have used that line if a lady had been in the middle!!!)

The Andy Sandwich became a thing 

People ran with it as being amusing and funny

After the show as I was leaving a member of the audience asked me how I managed to arrange to get two people called andy at each end of the line!!!!!! (True)

This is just one example of creating something from nothing by just listening

Wedding

Whilst performing my routine of The Baby Book by Stephen E Young and John Morton (which i can highly recommend) I was asked "How can you tell"

As this was being sold as a voice reading test I answered by saying "I could tell by the big pause"

As I was in a conversational relaxed state to perform I realised I had told a joke but had to give the punch line.

The spectator actually said "what pause"(thank you magic gods)

So I got the gag in of "the paws on the Teddy Bear"

I suppose you had to be there but I have now used this joke every time I have used the baby book since

Listen Listen Listen

By listening and formulating on the go you can create personal magical moments for your audience 

Whether consciously or subconsciously they will feel that the performance was personal to them and not just the recital of a script

Have a magic day

Carl

www.magicbycarl.co.uk

www.facebook.com/magicbycarl

Any questions or comments welcome

To Walk Away Or Stay?

Reacting to an audience members objection to magic

As my first real post on this Blog I thought I would share an experience from a wedding event I entertained at just this weekend

I entertain at a lot of weddings and as much as they are all different they can be very similar

It is very easy to go onto auto pilot as a magician and not react to your audience 

I believe not going on auto pilot is one of the ways to keep every performance fresh and as unique as it can be.

What happens when a person you approach makes it abundantly clear they do not want to watch magic,they do not like magic and would prefer it if you walked away?

I have had this happen on many occasion over the years for many reasons

• Some people do not like magic
• The group could be in deep conversation about business (Bad Timing)
• Family members have not seen each other for years and want to chat
• Some people think they do not like magic!!!!!!!

I would like to concentrate on the last point

I had a wonderful experience just last weekend where I approached a couple at a wedding reception who were stood on their own

They could have not been more pleasant as I struck up conversation but when it became apparent I was a magician the wife in the couple seemed to withdraw and shrink into herself visibly

I feel it is so important to observe your audience and their reactions to anything you say or do

This lady was so friendly to start with and then decided she really didn't want to watch any magic as "she didn't like to fuss"

Do I stay or walk?

On many occasions I would have walked and thanked them for their time and searched out a new audience

On this occasion though I just had an inkling that the husband wanted me to do something and also the lady might actually enjoy something she didn't have to be involved with 

My gut instinct was right I coaxed her in slowly and at the climax of the routine I did she had a beaming smile and started to gush on how the magic was just "wonderful" 

As a magician I do not see audiences as a challenge and am not a particular fan of any kind of challenge magic but if you are pleasant and conversational most people do want to watch good magic

In the case above I got so much satisfaction from the way this lady changed after watching one magic effect.Her husband later told me she was painfully shy and he had never seen her come out of herself like that before.

As Magicians we carry a great power and responsibility.If you wanted to you can make people look silly with sarcastic remarks and glib comments but as magicians we can make people feel so special even if it may be for a short time.

I am so glad I did not walk away from this couple at the weekend because that would have been the easy thing to do.

In assessing the situation and using experience I think I created a moment of magic not just for the spectator but for myself as a performer

Have a magic day

Carl

www.magicbycarl.co.uk

Any questions or comments welcome