Change is good. Change is evolution. Change is growth. Change is inevitable. Me? Well, I had to change. I had to mature into a standard where I can take Magic to a greater level far higher than I've been in order to be bigger.
Sean Mergard was my consultant at the time and still is til this very day. Sean and I started working together on small projects and simple stuff. Nothing major but one of the things we did was the first thing he ever shot for me. It was a spoof parody on a Magic trailer for a made up effect. It was called 'Subordinate'. Hahahahaha... What a crazy day, what a crazy idea!!! The story behind this was that:
In the world, there are lots of products and services out there not necessarily for Magic, have some sort of media marketing or advertising behind it. Now here's the thing, they tend to really exaggerate and amp things up more than they really are. Magic effects that are new and that have just been released sit in this category. Nothing wrong with it but there's a common style to which it gets across to the audience with what ever it is they are trying to sell. When I first purchased Magic DVDs or lecture notes etc., my first DVD was from a company called 'ellusionist.com'. These guys were essentially my starting point to basic beginners Magic. The teacher/tutor on the video, Brad Christian (also founder of ellusionist.com) I have got to say, is one of the BEST mentor/teacher for Magic. I've watched countless videos and explanations and Brad by far has the most in-depth and detailed explanations. The learning experience through Brad Christian I can guarantee easy understanding and a very fast turnaround in performing. You will literally perform in minutes after learning. So the trailer we did, we originally used the ellusionist logo (that's not to have a stab at ellusionist, but just to demonstrate the style of Magic videos out there), but soon after we made our own brand for these kind of parodies. That was called 'THE REALIST'. I still today highly recommend ellusionist.com to any new beginners in Magic or even the more intermediate and advanced performer. They are a great source and have very cool tools for you to grow your Magic career which ever direction that may be.
Click on the video here to see our trailer on 'Subordinate'.
The video choreography:
- We filmed proper Magic effects to people with real reactions.
- We then performed a silly effect that made no sense at all.
- Then we edited the trailer to show a silly effect with REAL reactions.
- Welcome to Subordinate.
 |
| Season One - Opening titles screen shot |
In essence, the change that I went through was adjusting to a new style of performing. Getting use to how Sean was filming and being able to perform the Magic to the people as well as making it clear to understand if you were to be watching it on video. It just had to be portrayed in a way that you as a viewer was actually there at the scene of the Magic also. I mean, even when I first filmed myself performing with my old team, it was more or less just filming for our own feedback and seeing how we looked on video. Not so much of what we are doing now.
My change in style had evolved. I did more street work and endured a lot of difficulties along the way. The fact that I'm out on the street already says it all. Casually dressed and going up to strangers to show them some Magic doesn't exactly attract a positive response. On occasion, I'd have to deal with a lot of rejection. And that's fine. We all go through it and as you continue to grow, you'll start to experience that there are plenty of ways to initiate and be able to steer into a strangers comfort zone and perform to them some Magic. I found the perfect technique and it's what I've been using ever since. I've become more sociable and quite warming to people I first meet. That was from all the initiations, interactions and rejections I went through to get to where I am now. I still sometimes find it nerve racking but it just takes that first little step and you're there. Besides, What I've learned through my mentors is that being nervous before a show even after years of performing is VERY healthy... It's a rush... It's good to have that adrenalin and the fact that you're feeling pumped to get out there on stage and give the best performance you can give is why I love doing what I do.
I have written all my experiences and ideas into a journal in which I will share with the next big Magician or performer coming up. My career extends as far as passing on the Magic secrets, tips and advice to the new young performers out there who are keen and willing to put in the effort it takes to being a unique elite performer. There are so many amazing talents out there. I've been out to countless street shows and festivals and circus tours and I can say that seeing these different shows have allowed me to see the dedication other performers put in to their art. It's a motivational thing to see.
This is the kind of stuff that allows change.
...To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment