How's my ACR?

[YRAMagicMan]

I seem to be posting this often, I hope that's not a bad sign, and I hope I get better with each post. Please look at the video below and tell me what you like. And probably more importantly, where do I need to improve? (I know I over did the bend at the end, that's a habit I'll need to break.) I often feel like I fumbling around. How can I eliminate that?

[video=youtube;r3bgEjklaAM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3bgEjklaAM[/video]​

This is slightly stripped down from normal due to the fact that a camera is my only spectator. Usually I do Card to Mouth and a few other things that don't work on film.

 

[BRoop13]

if thats the way you perform it than u will need to do alot more magical gestures to sell it n the bend is a good way to end have u ever taken into consideration a card to mouth with a deck vanish or the glass deck to finish off and maybe throw in a color change at one point using the old line "your card has risen to the top cleverly disguising itself on the way" then changing it just a few tips it looks great now but just selling it some more and i say perfect great job

 

[Slicke]

I liked it. However, i know that you are performing for a camera and would probably go unnoticed while performing live but you should tilt your hand a bit when you get the pinky break. Also you should find some new (to your repertoire) controls to control the card to the top ...

The only thing i didn't like is the fact that you bent a Guardian card ...

 

[YRAMagicMan]

Thanks for your advise. About the bent Guardian.... sorry

I like your suggestions about the color changes. From the responses I've gotten so far, I'm improving

 

[praetoritevong]

You don't seem to have much sense of rhythm or timing. The thing that brought my attention to this was when you took a break. Be casual about it. Tilt your hand while you do it. The quicker you try and do it, the more obvious it becomes because the eye is developed to catch motion.

Also, to state the obvious, you have no presentation...

 

[JNGmagic]

it's good, but don't do the same thing over and over. look at other ACR's off youtbube so you can get more ideas

 

[D ICE R]

I am not too sure to begin, firstly as others have mentioned your breaks are defiantly a flaw. I know that in the real world that would not be as much of a problem but you do it in the frame of vision. Think about this revealing the card is the climax of the effect and you are getting the break whilst the selection is in only millimeters form the dirty work.

Your handling (not just yours most ACR's actually) make no sense, the first and last phases you use a tilt and the other ones you use a an x-card. The point is you insert the card in the back twice and the front 3 times. I know many people who recommend you use different ways to set it up the next phase, I personally disagree because for the most part it makes no sense.

As for the structure of the effect its too repetitive, your AC goes to the top 5 or six times and only the last time is it any different from the others. Whilst this is not particularly your fault as much as a fault with the effect as a whole, I am a firm believer that you should never do anything more than twice without adding something to the effect. The first time it is startling, second time is more of a shock because they will be watching more closely and the third time the climax is gone. The Braue pop-up is a great example to add something new to the effect, other examples of this are face up reveals, colour changes (a good friend of mine has a great presentation for the twirl change), card to mouth and to a lesser extent (yes I said lesser) slow motion raises.

Check out Kamm's ACR there are a few things I don't like. But on the whole it reflects most of what I was trying to inform you of.

 

[SJBrundage]

Hey!!! Add card to mouth!!! and clench by Calen!!! Then you will be beast!!

 

[YRAMagicMan]

Usually I have more variety. I wasn't feeling very creative. I should have called this "How's my Double Lift." Also, this being a solo video with no audience, I can't do my usual moves like card to mouth, a phase involving the Classic Pass (risky, but I've only been called on it once) and a few other "audience participation" moves. I didn't do the Classic Pass phase because my pass isn't good enough for such close camera work, but it's good enough for use with proper misdirection.

 

[Blindside462]

What are you trying to achieve?

How much audience participation are involving in your ACR other than just telling them to watch and it jumps back up to the top?

Have a set ACR routine that works for every situation. If a classic pass is too risky for you, don't use it. Try other methods.

I have a 3 phase-4 phase ACR that works in every situation. I either drop or add the last phase depending on if the last group is watching me or not because I know they will be watching for the card to mouth.

75 percent of my ACR involves audience participation as well.

Try building your own from the ground up and start practicing it on real people.

_____ I do also do a one phase routine that sets up impossible conditions and a build up...and that's it.

So I have a ACR for group situations and an ACR for a mystical/personal small group situation
__________________________________
Try this for a few people.

Do a one phase ACR.

Place their card in the middle and place the deck onto their hand.

There alone you setup some impossible conditions right there.

Clean.

That's $$ right there.

Don't do anything else.

Happy Birthday.

 

[ZachMueller]

What you have is a really good start. I agree with whoever wrote that you need to be consistent with how you place a card in the middle. It doesn't need to be repetitively the same every time, but there are other ways to spice up the same action that is making the card rise to the top than using different methods. This is the same with the way you turn over the card - it doesn't make sense to the spectators as to why you sometimes turn over the card like a double lift, or flipping over a single card. Stay consistent with it, or it doesn't make sense - turn over a single card the same way you'd do a double.

With that said, it doesn't matter too much to lay people, honestly. This routine exactly as you performed it will get identical reactions to if you finessed it to perfection. To magicians, of course it can be better, and things can be perfected. For lay people such as school mates or strangers on the street, I honestly don't think it makes a difference. People will disagree with this, just my 2 cents