This’ll give you a taste of some of the weird stuff I’m writing about. It definitely fits the purpose of the Roots and Branches column for sure. As you read this, look for the root and the branch or better said, look for the opportunity to improve your magic.

Paper Balls Under the Head

Another one of my all-time favorite concepts comes from new version of  War of The Worlds – The one with Tom Cruise.  During the behind-the-scenes interviews on the DVD, one of the producers talked about the fact that often when creating a movie, they ask the question, “What if we went the other way?” That was how they came up with the idea of having the aliens come from under the ground rather than coming from the sky. They “went the other way.”

That concept has inspired a lot of journal entries for me as well as routines, ideas and thoughts. One of my routines, Miser’s Nightmare (from Gemstones) comes directly from this line of thinking. The traditional idea, Miser’s Dream, is the old classic routine where seemingly endless coins are produced from nowhere. Ah, the dream of a miser indeed.

Well, what if I “went the other way?” The opposite of a dream is a nightmare. What would be a miser’s nightmare? All of his money disappearing. So I created a routine where I borrow four quarters, and one at a time they vanish into thin air. Some of the vanishes happen in my hand, some in the spectator’s hand and ultimately right after the final vanish, my hands are totally empty. I’m left with nothing. Ah the nightmare of a miser indeed.

This line of thinking lead me to look at other classic ideas such as the Ambitious Card. Of course the old-school presentation was about the fact that this card was very ambitious. He was a go getter; he always rose to the top of everything in life. So what if I “went the other way?” What’s the opposite of ambitious? Lazy? So what would the “Lazy Card” do? Maybe he would always sink to the bottom . . . maybe he would get lost in the shuffle (i.e. he starts on top, but magically ends up in the middle).

I never fully developed the concept. Feel free to take it run (just give me some credit if you ever publish it).

Another one I played around with was Slydini’s Paper Balls Over The Head. What if I “went the other way?” What’s the opposite of over the head? Under the head? What if, instead of throwing the balls over the head of the spectator, I threw them under his head, in his lap?

Well . . .  not bad, but it would kind of be obvious to the audience. So what if I “went the other way?” What if I turned the volunteer around and put his back to the audience? Then, rather than fooling the spectator (not the audience) by secretly throwing balls over the spectator’s head to effect a vanish, you’re throwing paper balls under his head (i.e. in his lap) to fool the audience (rather than the spectator).

However, it’s still not quite there because if I’m standing in front of the spectator and apparently performing the effect for him, then the audience won’t really see much. So what if I combined the two concepts?

Then you might have something like this:

Sir thank you for joining me on stage. Please . . . take a seat here. This next effect is just for you sir. I have here a wad of paper that you just have to merely guess which hand it is in.

As you apparently place the ball into one of your hands, toss if over his head (per the Slydini original effect). Of course, he’s baffled, and the audience is laughing hysterically. Milk this until you feel like it’s time to move on.

Sir, I’m sure you’re probably a bit confused. Why are they laughing? And Why are you baffled? Well, let me show you how the effect is done.

Turn his seat around to have his back to the audience.

Here’s a back stage view.

He’ll see the balls on the floor.

Let me show you how it worked.

Then perform the effect just as before, but rather than tossing the ball over his head into the audience, toss it directly into his lap while feigning a toss over the head. Of course, the audience is expecting the ball to come flying toward them, but it never does. As you perform the effect several more times, you continue addressing the spectator as you explain to him the method of the original. It might sound like this:

So as you can see, I pretend to put a ball in my left hand like so, but in reality, I toss the ball over your head so that it lands on the stage behind you. Hence the audience’s laughter and your surprise. But now the surprise is ruined for you because you know the secret. However, the audience is now baffled because even though I tossed the balls over your head, they vanished in midair as you can see if you turn around.

He turns around and is apparently shocked at the missing balls.

The method I’ve come up with actually reminds me of Paul Harris’s suggested method for a theoretical effect, The Vanishing Man. He proposed the idea of everyone being a stooge. But there were two categories of stooges, the audience, and the “invisible” man on stage. It was dual reality to the nth degree.

Applying that to this effect and, you get an audience who thinks that the volunteer on stage is fooled by the paper balls flying over his head. He’s quite the actor. His act of astonishment gets the audience laughing. Then when you switch gears and turn him around, the acting continues. He pretends like he really thinks you throw the balls over his head even though you’re throwing them in his lap.

Of course, before he turns back around and heads back to his seat, he’ll need to stuff these paper balls into his jacket pocket, but this shouldn’t present too much of a problem because he can do it immediately after each ball is thrown. As you start to throw another one, he’s pocketing the previous one.

Once he turns around and sees that the paper balls are not behind him, he continues his snow job by showing his “genuine” surprise at the lack of balls.

Of course, you could just use a toppit or a pull or some other method of vanishing the balls during the “expose” portion of the effect. In fact, you may even be able to get away with not having your volunteer be a stooge. Rather than tossing the balls in his lap, if you use a toppit or some other method, you may be able to convince him that you threw them over his head when you really toppited them.

That line of thinking got me to wonder if you could do the original effect using a toppit or some other method. Of course in that case, there would be no part 2 expose, and the overall effect (that of a gag with the audience) would change to an effect where the audience and the volunteer have no idea what happened to the balls. Obviously this may not be as fun, funny or even entertaining as the original Slydini effect, but it is a possible effect nonetheless.

I’ve never tried any of these ideas in real life. They were just journal entries that were sparked by simply asking the question, “what if I went the other way?” The real point here isn’t that I’ve come up with a different (better or worse) version of Slydini’s effect. The point is that asking that question lead me to start thinking, brainstorming and coming up with ideas. Some ideas lead to new routines (Miser’s Nightmare). While others lead to fun discussions and possible routines ideas.

Next time you look at adding a routine to your repertoire, ask the question, “What if I went the other way?”

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We often hear it referred to as The Rule of Three. So what is it?  Well I’m no expert in psychology or human thinking by any stretch, however, consider what wikipedia has to say:

The rule of three is a principle in English writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things.

The reader/audience to this form of text is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of three’s. From slogans (“Go, fight, win!”) to films, many things are structured in threes. There were three musketeers, three little pigs, three billy goats Gruff, Goldilocks and the three bears, and Three Stooges.

A series of three is often used to create a progression in which the tension is created, then built up, and finally released. Similarly, adjectives are often grouped together in threes in order to emphasize an idea.

What the crap does that have to do with Pillars of Stone? Well simply this. I like this column to be thought provoking and to get you thinking about things that may help improve your magic. This is a pillar of stone to me . . . presentation. Take my effect Triptych, for example. It was the free trick of the month back in March 2008. This is a three card selection/revelation effect.

It’s pretty simple and straightforward, however, each revelation builds on the next to the point that the third reveal gets gasps. Does every trick need to have three climaxes? No. Of course not. However, consider looking at some of your effects, especially ones that have 2 climaxes. Evaluate them. Would a 2 climax routine be better as a 1 climax or a 3 climax, or is it best as a 2 climax?

Evaluate any tricks you do that already have 3 climaxes. Do they build on each other? Do you have effects that have more than 3 climaxes? Maybe that’s a bad idea. Maybe not?

The bottom line . . . I want you to think about your magic. Give it purpose. One simple way to do that is to look at the final moments, the impact moments, of the effect. Do you have the correct climax count? Do they build on each other? Are they in the right order?

I’m not here to give you the answers, only the questions. Finding the right questions is much better than finding the right answers. The questions lead you down paths. The answers end the search.

Short, Sweet, Sincere . . . That’s it for this month’s Pillar.

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This issue of No Stone Left Unturned just may spark controversy and debate. Just keep in mind that this is my opinion and my experience. So please keep an open mind as you read this article. The question at hand is should you take tips or not, and should you work for tips or not… these are two different questions.

First, “should you work for tips?” This question is asking if your method of payment for the gig should be tips or should be payment by the owner, planner, etc.

Second, “should you take tips?” This question is referring to someone who is working a paid-by-the-hour or flat-fee gig who is offered a tip by the spectator.

Let’s address the first question: Should you work for tips or for a fee?

My experience has been that each of these options have their place. However, they create a completely different dynamic between you and the spectator. For example, let’s take the person who works for tips only. Let’s say he works at a restaurant doing table-hopping. First of all, the relationship you have with the audience, subconsciously starts off as “I’m going to interrupt your meal and show you stuff, and you have to give me money.”

Of course I’m oversimplifying it, but the point is that once the audience realizes that you work for tips, so many things happen. First, they suddenly become your unwilling employer. Second, the relationship is not about “I’m trying to share an experience with you.” It becomes a business transaction. Now it may be the most fun, exiting and best business transaction that the audience members have ever experienced, but it’s still more of a business transaction and less of a moment of astonishment.

Back in the day, when I would approach a table, I would often be asked, “how much does it cost for the magic.” I was more of a solicitor than an entertainer, in their eyes. Now remember, as I mentioned in last month’s Roots and Branches, if one person speaks it, several thought it. This means that often, people were assuming that they had to pay me to see magic. So, in their eyes, I’m just there to make a buck. They may have fun and enjoy giving me that buck, but it’s still all about an exchange… 1 trick, 1 dollar please.

Take the person who is paid by the owner or manager of the restaurant. There is still a business transaction and an exchange of tricks for dollars, but it happens between the business people (the magician wearing the marketing hat and the business manager), not the patrons of the restaurant.

When approaching a table under this condition, the dynamic is different. Suddenly you are part of the meal, the experience of eating at this restaurant. It’s more like, “the cool thing about so and so restaurant is you get free soda, a cool atmosphere, and free entertainment.” You have an entirely different relationship dynamic with your spectators.

I feel that this rule applies for the most part to just about every venue where you are directly and intimately interacting with your audience. One exception, of course, is street magic (no, not David Blaine). I’m talking about busking. Do your show, then pass the hat… I still feel that the dynamic is more of a business transaction as I mentioned earlier, however, it’s one that feels more voluntary.

At a table with five people, “holding out your hand” for a tip can be a bit awkward for the spectators.  However, with the hat passing, you take a bit of the pressure off of the audience. It’s also a situation where the audience more or less came to you, whereas at a restaurant, you go up to them and they’re “trapped.”

Now, I’m not telling you that you should not work for tips. I’m just telling you that the magician-audience dynamic is different in each situation. One isn’t necessarily better or worse, although, you’ve probably guessed which one I prefer. The ultimate decision is up to you. Do you like one dynamic over the other?

Here’s one more thing to consider, however. I’ve had several occasions where I was at a restaurant and was approached by a balloon sculptor who was working for tips at the restaurant. A few things went through my mind:

1. I never carry cash, ever. period. So I can’t give him a tip.
2. I look like a jerk to my kids for turning him away.
3. I felt as though the restaurant was doing him a favor by letting him tap into their client-base to make some “sales.”

Remember if those thoughts came into my mind, they likely came into other people’s minds as well.

With paid-by-manager gigs, the mentality is that you are doing the restaurant a favor (rather than them doing you a favor) by improving their product, atmosphere, experience, etc. You are providing the restaurant a service for which they, not the patrons, pay you.

One other point about tips in a restaurant environment: you suddenly become competition for the servers. Remember, they work for tips too. The last thing you want to do is have the servers feel that you are cutting into their bottom line. You want them on your side. Also, think about it from the customer’s perspective… it’s like everything is ala carte:

• You sit down and order your food, and you pay for it.
• You then have some one serve it to you, and you pay for it.
• Then someone comes to your table and makes you watch a card trick, and you pay for it.
• I’m afraid to use the restroom; I’ll probably have to pay for it, especially if it’s a fancy place with the blind towel guy in the restrooms.

So when all is said and done, my view is do not take gigs that are strictly tips. You then can approach your guests and say, “Hi my name is Jeff. I’m the paid entertainment. How are you folks doing?” That’s my intro guys, and it works great. After I take a moment to “break the ice” I spend time connecting with the audience and then move in for the MAGIC!

(On the subject of approaching spectators, check out Jay Sankey’s (filling in for Jason Montoya) article this month about what to do after the first 30 seconds as a great next step)

Finally, this approach allows me to focus entirely on the audience. Much like when you have an effect that is overly technically demanding, sometimes it’s hard to focus on entertainment because your brain is distracted by the moves. My brain is distracted when I think about the fact that the audience might view me as “just a guy trying to make a ‘sale’.”

When I’m there truly to share astonishment, not do business, with the audience, I’m much more relaxed and therefore the chances of astonishment happening are drastically increased. Hopefully you’ve read this with an open mind. Think about this and what you want out of your relationship with your audience.

Remember, the whole point of No Stone Left Unturned is to help you improve your magic business. Part of doing that is knowing when to be the businessman and when to be the entertainer. Go back and read the first (The Beginning) and second (The Color of Business) articles in the No Stone Left Unturned column. This will help remind you of the purpose of this column along with what your role is with your business and the “hats” you wear.

Next month we’ll talk about what to do when you’re not working for tips and you get offered a tip. Until Next Month…

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