Magic Tricks: Discussions

I HAVE VARIOUS MAGIC TRICKS AND DVD'S IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED. I ALSO HAVE MANY SPECIAL DECKS OF CARDS AND DVD'S AS WELL. THIS IS MY PERSONAL COLLECTION I AM DEPARTING WITH. I hope someone can get some use out of them, just email me and I can give your more information about whats included. If we agree then i will post it to Ebay. My user name is ee4ever and email is ericledford@hotmail.com

Thank you:)
Eric

What is your favorite close up effect?

AND DISAPPEARED..

COME ON... I WANNA SEE YA PULL A RABBIT OUTTA YOUR EAR ! WHERE IS EVERYBODY...?
LOL
SPARKLES THE CLOWN

As a seller I am often asked whether an item 'can be examined'. For some reason there is a misconception amongst some magicians that a trick is not complete without the examination of the magical item by one or more spectators after the trick has been performed. My personal advice, and based on my own experience, is NO. Having your props examined does not enhance the trick or you as a magician, it just adds to the spectator’s intrigue as to how it was performed. Clearly there are props that seem to lend themselves to examination and those that do not. You know the secret, you don’t want your audience to as well.


There are several reasons for offering this advice. Firstly, once you have performed the magic the spectator knows what has happened, they now want to know how it was done. Secondly by handing your costly apparatus out for examination you are giving them the opportunity to discover the secret. No matter how clever, discreet or cleverly engineered an item is it is now in the hands of someone who could spoil not only your trick but your reputation too. There are some people out there who are so determined to discover the secret that they will do so, or worse, they may end up damaging your prop. Thirdly there are some who want nothing more than to make YOU look like a fool. I know, it’s happened to me and I have learned from experience.


There are plenty of tricks on the market that could be examined with little chance of the secret being discovered. However, think of this. Once you have handed a prop out for inspection and your next trick uses a prop that can’t be examined you have immediately brought suspicion on yourself when you don’t hand it out. Your audience should be entertained, baffled and wanting to see more.


There are of course some exceptions. For example, a regular deck of cards can pass the minutest examination as there is nothing to discover, again though subsequent tricks that may use a trick deck immediately come under suspicion.


There is one tip though regarding the examination of props. To let a spectator view or handle an item briefly BEFORE you perform the magic; after all at this point they have no idea what you are going to do and therefore do not know what to look for. Just allow a cursory inspection of the prop(s) and, unless the trick requires it, don’t bring attention to anything specific. Besides you also run the risk of boring the rest of the audience while they wait for someone to tear apart your tricks.


As a magician I am sure that you too want to keep our methods and apparatus secret, to keep the art of magic alive. Let’s keep it that way.

Hey, y'all! My name is Kenn and I'm new here, but I've got a feelin' you'll be seein' a lot of me. (Hopefully not enough to make you sick. lol)

Anyway, on with the subject at hand... I just finished watching "The 2008 World Magic Awards" a few minutes ago. Hosted, once again, by Neil Patrick Harris, who was wonderful. I didn't see them last year, because I didn't even hear about them until after the fact. (I know, shame on me.)

It seems that these two hour specials are intentionally reminiscent of the annual "World's Greatest Magic" specials from some years back. (Two hours, night before Thanksgiving, same exact routines by two of the performers, "big" trick by Franz Harary...) Those specials were a tradition for me for that five years and it was fun sharing that experience with my sons.

First, what I liked: That fifteen year old was great. He did some solid magic, and his comedy had me cracking up. That was actually my favorite segment of the show. Also, what a fitting tribute to Mark Wilson! Thirdly, Hans Klok's segment was quite strong. A fast-paced string of classics... (Metamorphosis, Assistant's Revenge, Modern Art, etc.) I wondered if that very last segment (an underwater metamorphosis) was another nod to Wilson.

Ok, here's some, er, uh, observations: :-) 1. There wasn't even one close-up segment. I thought that was a little strange and disappointing. 2. I like Franz Harary as a person, but I've never been too impressed with any of his "super illusions." Knowledgeable magicians will probably know what I mean here. 3. This is probably my most important point. The camera work need to be more thought out and rehearsed. More than once throughout the show, climaxes happened that weren't even on camera! The most noticeable one was when the large bells appeared on Topaz's harp stand. That moment is great, and it didn't even happen on the screen. :-(

Still, maybe I'm being too nit-picky. Overall, I definitely enjoyed watching the show. I hope they keep making them. What did you all think?

Well I guess I'll get this started.
I'm Justini. An eBay seller and Kid's Show Magician.

What is everyone doing to amaze your friends and family on Halloween?

Did you know that October 25 - 31, 2007 has been designated as National Magic Week by the Society of American Magicians. National Magic Week occurs the last week of October every year and commemorates the death of Houdini on Halloween, October 31, 1926. Magicians are to give of their time and talents to charitable causes during this week every year.

Let's discuss our plans to AMAZE our family and friends with Magic during this week!

In the mean time, check out the SPOOKY tricks availabe in my eBay store - Justini's Magic Shop!

Your Friend in Magic,
The Amazing Justini