I'm a very excessive person when it comes to magic, I have to get the trick down perfectly before I perform it. The problem is I drive my self crazy during the process. So I'm practicing an effect, and during the move, I sort of switch the cards out, but when I do this, if I don't get the angle right, you can sort of see, the cards coming down to switch. But its just a flicker sort of. So I'm sort of worried about a spec seeing it and saying something. So this brings me to my question. Am I over estimating my specs? I mean in your experience do they tend to notice things like this? Or am I just being excessive? Its just bugging the heck out of me.
Am I overestimating my specs?
- Thread starter S3al
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I wouldn't let it take complete control over your decision to perform or not to perform. Though, I must comend you for actually taking the time to practice and perfect your effect before you show it to the masses. *Applauds*
However,
Just make sure that you aren't analyzing yourself doing the effect too much. Just because you know what to look for doesn't mean that they do. If anything, a flicker (if its truly a slight flicker) can be solved by simple misdirection. I read somewhere that you must be able to perform your sleights without looking at your hands. Until you can do that, you would be comfortable performing the effect.
Take your time, and don't try to force anything. It should come out smoothly. Heh, a made a pun...sweet. "Force", Hah, I'm a dork.
Good Luck,
Shane K.
However,
Just make sure that you aren't analyzing yourself doing the effect too much. Just because you know what to look for doesn't mean that they do. If anything, a flicker (if its truly a slight flicker) can be solved by simple misdirection. I read somewhere that you must be able to perform your sleights without looking at your hands. Until you can do that, you would be comfortable performing the effect.
Take your time, and don't try to force anything. It should come out smoothly. Heh, a made a pun...sweet. "Force", Hah, I'm a dork.
Good Luck,
Shane K.
From my experience, which frankly isn't much, if your patter is strong and engaging you could pass openly in front of their face and they won't see anything it is only when you give attention to the deck that they will give the deck attention. Again that is just my experience I may just have a bunch of gullible people here.
and remember the way you structure you patter will create the proper misdirection at the correct time so that any minor movement will be completely missed by a spectator. if you ask them a question they usually look at you right at your eyes which means there is no one looking at the deck.
Well the problem is I have to be talking about the deck at the time, theres no way out of it. Because of the angle I have to do it from the side, so it looks as if I'm displaying the deck to them. So they will look at it, but I don't think they will see it. like others have said they don't know what to look for.
If you are not completley confident that you can perform a move, neatly and with the correct timing, speed, etc. Don't perform it.
Practice it until it is to the point where you don't flash and gain confidence with the move. Do it while watching tv, reading, etc.
Keenan
Practice it until it is to the point where you don't flash and gain confidence with the move. Do it while watching tv, reading, etc.
Keenan
It's good that you want to look like a pro out there, but if you're just starting out and your obsessing, just relax. If you've worked this hard you probably have it down far better than you even know. I remember I sat in my room for a long time just practicing the Ambitious Card Routine because I had a similar problem. In the end when I performed for my friends, they couldn't catch a thing! Just remember, the biggest form of misdirection can be from your mouth... ... ... Or... Like Sankey said, ask them a math question =P Since it uses a different part of the brain, they tend to look up. Makes your sleights much easier 
This may or may not help you but if your like me no matter how much experiance i have with other tricks the second i know a new trick i think everyone knows it so sometimes i pay so much attention to every little thing that happens in the trick that even if i see something that normally would take a microscope to see i think everyone can see it but once i start doing the trick and getting good reactions i start to loose that feeling, and patter and misdirection goes along way also
Hope i helped
Hope i helped
Get out there, perform as much as possible to as many different people as possible, and use that time to practise managing your audience's attention.
I do a trick where at one point I need to secretly load 3 cards which are sitting in my pocket into a packet of 4 cards which I'm holding in my hands. I spend ages figureing out a covert way to do this, but after a few performance trials I realised that the simplest option was to simply create a situation where they wouldn't be paying attention. The trick is one of the strongest FASDIU tricks that I know do.
So, if it is possible to reach into your pocket, grab three cards and load them into a packet without anyone spotting it, then it is definitely possible to take your techniques out on the road - if they are at the point you say they are.
With regards to your comment about "I have to be talking about the deck at the time", I do not believe that that is necessary at all. Everything important should be done on an offbeat - you really don't want to be executing sleights whilst calling attention to them. It really is so easy to create an offbeat, there's no excuse for not using it. Make a funny comment, address a question to one of your spectators (use their name!) etc. - do the move then, THEN call attention to the deck. Or do it after. Sleights are not time sensitive, so long as they go in the right order and all.
Happy performing!
I do a trick where at one point I need to secretly load 3 cards which are sitting in my pocket into a packet of 4 cards which I'm holding in my hands. I spend ages figureing out a covert way to do this, but after a few performance trials I realised that the simplest option was to simply create a situation where they wouldn't be paying attention. The trick is one of the strongest FASDIU tricks that I know do.
So, if it is possible to reach into your pocket, grab three cards and load them into a packet without anyone spotting it, then it is definitely possible to take your techniques out on the road - if they are at the point you say they are.
With regards to your comment about "I have to be talking about the deck at the time", I do not believe that that is necessary at all. Everything important should be done on an offbeat - you really don't want to be executing sleights whilst calling attention to them. It really is so easy to create an offbeat, there's no excuse for not using it. Make a funny comment, address a question to one of your spectators (use their name!) etc. - do the move then, THEN call attention to the deck. Or do it after. Sleights are not time sensitive, so long as they go in the right order and all.
Happy performing!
hey man a helpful tip is look at your specs before you perform it doesn't have to be long just so you know do they catch small things
a story that tells you how much they can miss is i did hedbergs peak to one of my friends and did the switch WAY to early but i kept on going and he still didnt know how i did it
so what im really saying if you think your specs will see something they probably will (dont try and take extra measures to make sure they dont see it)
JUST DO IT, if your confident it will add to the effect
a story that tells you how much they can miss is i did hedbergs peak to one of my friends and did the switch WAY to early but i kept on going and he still didnt know how i did it
so what im really saying if you think your specs will see something they probably will (dont try and take extra measures to make sure they dont see it)
JUST DO IT, if your confident it will add to the effect
I'll go back to what Keenan said. If you aren't confident, there isn't a reason you should do it. Spectators can see what you see...well to an extent of course, they are us, people.
Us as magicians just have the priority, the allowed view of what is really happening, but spectators are smart, which is just another reason why you should practice everything to the point where to you, it's flawless. Performance, the effect's sleights, etc.
brian.
Us as magicians just have the priority, the allowed view of what is really happening, but spectators are smart, which is just another reason why you should practice everything to the point where to you, it's flawless. Performance, the effect's sleights, etc.
brian.