Angle Zero = Stage Effect?

magicbysage

magicbysage

Feb 8, 2008
95
0
So, my church's youth pastor found out that I was a magician, and to make a long story short, now wants me to do some stage stuff at church every once in a while. Herein lays the problem: I am mainly a close-up magician and have never done a piece of magic on stage before. My segment is supposed to be pretty short, so I am intending to do angle zero and have the ripped piece travel across to the back of the room. I need some tips on how to make this a big effect and one suitable for stage. As it is, it is an excellent trick, but maybe someone could help me with making it mind-blowing for the entire audience, not just the ones in the front who can see the piece easily. This is an audience of 150 MAXIMUM.

Thanks for the help,
Magicbysage.

P.S. Could flow by Dan Hauss be a good effect for stage?
 
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ElisG

Sep 1, 2007
655
1
The key to stage is to make everything bigger, so if you're going to do angle zero do it with jumbo cards. I'm not too sure about flow, could it be done with like a 2L bottle? I doubt it would have the same effect to be honest, I'd leave it out.
 
praetoritevong

praetoritevong

Nov 20, 2007
4,410
6
Sydney, Australia
I disagree with Saw and Stigmata - no-one will be able to see it after about the front two rows. Thread is too thin, and Stigmata is too located. Also, I'm not sure it'd be appropriate to perform wounded at a church, and perhaps not control either - I don't know what warning is.

Basically, for stage, you need big things that everyone can see - which means no cards unless they're jumbo and the view is really good. Soon as you make the corner appear - who's gonna see it? Seriously, next time you're at church, stand in one corner of the room, and put the corner in the other. If you can't see the corner against wherever you put it, it won't be big enough in my opinion.

Similar for flow - it's been suggested a 2L bottle could work, but again, I'd leave it out as ElisG said.

To be honest, I can't see angle zero working for stage. If people can't see what's going on themselves really clearly, they won't be interested - and it'll be a disappointment, you can't rely on other people who can see to spread the word.

Effects like Control though, they work because the entire audience clearly knows what's going on - they don't have to see anything, they just have to pick up the atmosphere. If you can, I'd avoid cards completely, and coins too, stuff like ropes and mentalism would work well if you can do that (you haven't mentioned what sort of magic you perform though.)
 
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ElisG

Sep 1, 2007
655
1
To be honest I'd go for some kind of magic comedy routine, I don't know why but if I was going to perform in church i'd want to try and get a light atmosphere going with gags etc. Joshua Jay Close Up Up Close Vol 2 has an awesome comedy routine on it called Jumbo Homing Card, that would definately be suitable, it depends on your style though.
 
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ElisG

Sep 1, 2007
655
1
Volcan said:
That is the whole point..
Click to expand...

It may seem funny, but seen as he's doing it out of good will, and is probably hoping for good publicity from it, I doubt he wants to ridicule the church by performing that style of magic in the wrong setting...
 
d34thg0d

d34thg0d

Apr 9, 2008
325
0
Singapore
Maybe you can have a projector on stage to project whatever you're doing on a big screen. So that the spectators are able to see clearly.
 
bad06denby

bad06denby

Aug 6, 2008
10
0
me to

dude, im in the same boat. my youth pastor likes my tricks and he wants me to do some stuff for our sunday school.

i think saw would be a perfect one for stage, but i dont know about wounded. its hard to see.

check out Michael Kent on youtube for some stage stuff. he's realy gud at making it kool and modern. minus the language for church of corse, lol.

keep it up man. it's nice to find someone "wearing my shose".
 
brainblower

brainblower

Jul 21, 2008
94
1
33
Finland
If you do in a church you should change water to wine :D

And yes, Angle Zero should work fine in stage. At least i can't see a problem.
 
praetoritevong

praetoritevong

Nov 20, 2007
4,410
6
Sydney, Australia
Angle Zero plays big - but how on earth are you gonna make it appear in a visible place? Even in the Dangerous performance video on Mystique, I think a lot of them are a little is that what I think it is? - because they're not sure if it is the actual corner or not.

magicbysage, I just tried a little experiment for you in my apartment. I live in my apartment, and the living room is small. In fact it's about 7-8 metres from one wall to the other - about 25 feet, I think. In a few weeks some friends are coming over to watch me perform, and Angle Zero is one effect I plan on using. From that space about 25 feet out, it's small but but you can make it out as a card corner - but you can't see the pip value (obviously, depends on eyesight, but to give you a general idea...). So I'd say that about a little under 40 feet is the maximum range you should perform this to - if your spectators are further away than that from the torn corner appearance, it'll basically be invisible to them. Also, will they be completely silent during your performance, and do the walls of your church echo? The tearing subtlety taught on Mystique sells the trick hugely, so if they don't know you've torn it definitively there'll be a bit of confusion over that.

Good luck with whatever you decide :)
 
Ineski

Ineski

Sep 1, 2007
279
1
I think it would work on stage very well. There is an eye witness with you on the stage that confirms to the audience that everything is legit. When you tear the piece everyone can see it even far away. They can see that the piece disappears and the spectator on stage with you will confirm this once again. Have it appear have a spectator to match the corners and verify to the rest of the audience that it really is the exact same corner.

When you're working with smaller objects you just got to make sure everyone understands what's going on. They will have no troubles seeing the actual effect (the disappearance and the appearance) so if they can follow the selection and the ripping they will be able to follow the parts where the actual magic happens.
 
Randomwrath

Randomwrath

May 8, 2008
1,081
0
Cumbria, UK
How about if it was by the door so everyone could see it on the way out? You could leave the card on a table and the piece pinned(?) to the wall by the door and invite anyone and everyone to check it afterwards.
 
BlueCuzco

BlueCuzco

Apr 24, 2008
133
0
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Also, I'm not sure it'd be appropriate to perform wounded at a church, and perhaps not control either - I don't know what warning is.
Click to expand...

I know some churches are like this, but I don't think all are (I know mine isn't). I actually considered doing control as a stage effect, and my pastor was fine with it (though serious about me not hurting myself).
 
praetoritevong

praetoritevong

Nov 20, 2007
4,410
6
Sydney, Australia
Hmm. Ineski, that's not a bad idea - that's why Control works for other people. Still, I think it reduces its effectiveness - maybe that's just my eyesight though.

How big is the place you want to perform this in, and where is the corner going to reappear?
 
magicbysage

magicbysage

Feb 8, 2008
95
0
Wow, thanks for the quick feedback everyone! Anyways, this is a large auditorium -about five hundred square feet. But the last row is only going to be about 75 - 125 feet from the stage. I'll try to make it as close as possible. And one of my ideas was to have it appear pinned under a seat, and then have the whole audience check under their seats for it. And I don't know about control myself. Number one, I don't own it. Number two, it would be kind of an eerie effect for church, having a person die on stage, that is. :p I don't know about the whole camera thing because it might take a looot of setup. Oh, and about using jumbo cards, I don't think it'll be possible for angle zero. I figure since there will be a volunteer there to verify that the piece has disappeared, everyone will be satisfied. And no, I don't think that it will be possible for everyone to hear the ripping sound. The stage is about two feet in the air.
 
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