Improve your performance
Good for all stages of skill
Easy to Perform
Easy to learn
Back in Print! Why is it that some magicians get great audience reaction while others who are just as skillful leave audiences so cold? The answers are in Strong Magic, the first -ever book on showmanship specifically for the close-up magician. As a successful professional magician for almost twenty years, Darwin Ortiz has appeared before thousands of audiences of all kinds. During that time he has studied what it takes to really move an audience. In Strong Magic, he presents the results of those years of study and experience in a way that every magician can benefit from. Do you want applause, gasps and praise? Do you want your performances to be talked about and remembered? Strong Magic tells you how. You already own countless books on card and coin manipulation. Here is a book on something far more important: audience manipulation. Not a dry, boring treatise, it's funny, fascination, exciting reading. Not a book of vague theory, it's loaded with countless examples and concrete techniques that you can put to use right away to give your magic more impact. These are the real secrets of close-up magic--and they are all in Strong Magic What People are Saying: "The book is readable, it's extremely clear, it's clear, it's thrilling in its intellectual adventure. And it's also, clearly, enormously practical. It makes you think. It enriches you as an artist (and therefore as a human being.)" - Juan Tamaris' wonderful, wonderful book filled with practical advice. It should be every serious close-up worker's next purchase." - David Williamson Says "A thought-provoking analysis of the performance of close-up magic. Just reading it was motivating. I incorporated some of Darwin's suggestions in to my presentations the same day I read them. Highly recommended to the serious student of close-up magic." - Paul Gertner.
Author(s): Darwin Ortiz
Year: 0
Language: English
Pages: 446
Tags: Darwin Ortiz, Strong Magic, Showmanship, Magic Theory
Front Dust Jacket
......Page 1
Dust Jacket Flaps
......Page 2
Contents......Page 7
A Hand of Cards–A Game–A Book(Juan Tamariz)......Page 17
Introduction:Showmanship As Technique......Page 19
Memorable Magic......Page 21
The Magical Experience......Page 22
The Challenge Attitude......Page 24
The Puzzle Mentality......Page 27
The Illusion Of Impossibility......Page 28
2. Reaching The Emotions......Page 30
Intellectual Vs. Emotional Belief......Page 31
3. Narrative Art......Page 32
Part One:The Effect......Page 34
The Goal Of Clarity......Page 35
Interpretation......Page 38
Selection......Page 39
Easing The Audience's Burden......Page 40
Clarifying Techniques......Page 43
The Expository Phase......Page 58
Degrees Of Conviction......Page 60
Emotional Memory......Page 61
Deteriorating Conviction......Page 65
2. Conditions......Page 67
Identifying Important Conditions......Page 75
The Must–Believe Test......Page 76
The No–Contact Condition......Page 78
Dramatizing Conditions......Page 81
Accidental Convincers......Page 89
Incidental Convincers......Page 90
Why Convincers Work......Page 91
Does Anyone Notice?......Page 95
Weighing Pros And Cons......Page 97
What Is Suggestion?......Page 99
Prestige......Page 100
Atmosphere......Page 105
Reinforcement......Page 108
Desire......Page 109
Planting Suggestions......Page 110
Negative Suggestions......Page 112
CHAPTER FOUR:SUBSTANTIVE MEANING......Page 113
Gambling......Page 114
Grifting......Page 118
ESP......Page 119
The Occult......Page 121
Magic......Page 122
Money......Page 125
Sex......Page 128
Me......Page 129
Universal Experience......Page 138
Surrealism......Page 144
Subtext......Page 148
The Inherent Meaningfulness Of Magic......Page 155
Credibility......Page 156
CHAPTER FIVE:SITUATIONAL MEANING......Page 160
Conflict Against Spectator......Page 161
Conflict Against Machine......Page 163
Conflict Against Imaginary Character......Page 164
Essential Elements......Page 165
Optional Elements......Page 176
Avoiding Pitfalls......Page 177
Conflict Between Spectators......Page 188
Other Conflicts......Page 192
Risk......Page 193
Failure......Page 196
Magic Happening To The Spectator......Page 199
The Intriguing Statement......Page 203
The Intriguing Question......Page 204
The Spectator Question......Page 205
The Inverted Question......Page 206
The Intriguing Prop......Page 207
What Is Progression?......Page 209
Intrinsic Progressions......Page 212
Artificial Progressions......Page 214
3. Surprise And Suspense......Page 216
Twist Endings......Page 217
Kicker Endings......Page 220
How Much Surprise?......Page 227
What Is Suspense?......Page 228
Mystery–Curiosity......Page 229
Conflict–Uncertainty......Page 239
Tension–Anticipation......Page 242
Milking Suspense......Page 249
Combining Suspense Elements......Page 254
End On The Climax......Page 257
Unresolved Suspicions......Page 258
Extended Climaxes......Page 259
Anti–Climaxes......Page 260
Simultaneous Climaxes......Page 265
Underselling The Climax......Page 268
Part Two:The Character......Page 272
Character vs. Magic......Page 273
Character And Effect......Page 275
Character And Audience Interest......Page 277
Why You Need A Character......Page 279
Finding Your Character......Page 280
Reconciling Character And Daily Life......Page 284
CHAPTER NINE:CONVEYING THE CHARACTER......Page 286
What You Wear......Page 287
What You Say......Page 290
What You Do......Page 297
What You Use......Page 300
Exercises......Page 302
The Elements Of Style......Page 305
Developing A Style......Page 307
Working At Your Style......Page 312
Style As A Conscious Act......Page 313
Considerations Affecting Style......Page 315
Naturalness In Style......Page 316
Part Three:The Act......Page 319
CHAPTER ELEVEN:STRUCTURE......Page 320
The Opener......Page 321
Build......Page 323
The Closer......Page 325
CHAPTER TWELVE:UNITY......Page 327
Theme......Page 329
Motifs......Page 333
Theme......Page 336
Dramatic Structure......Page 337
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:THE INFORMAL PERFORMANCE......Page 339
Part Four:The Audience......Page 342
Magicians And Consensus Reality......Page 343
The Blind Leading The Blind......Page 344
Commercial Sense......Page 345
Feedback......Page 346
Debriefing......Page 348
Performing Experience......Page 349
What Is Timing?......Page 352
Timing In Sleight Of Hand......Page 353
Timing In Misdirection......Page 355
Timing In Patter......Page 356
Learning Timing......Page 358
What Is Pacing?......Page 359
Pacing In Magic......Page 360
Pacing And Patter......Page 361
Pacing And Business......Page 367
Pacing And Audience Participation......Page 371
Striking A Balance......Page 373
3. Tempo......Page 374
Planned Spontaneity......Page 377
Induced Responses......Page 378
Special Effects......Page 382
Audience Interaction......Page 384
Situational Meaning......Page 387
Mapping The Route......Page 389
Tools Of Attention Control......Page 391
Directional Misdirection......Page 393
Intensity Misdirection......Page 396
Distractions......Page 398
CHAPTER NINETEEN:AUDIENCES......Page 400
Attention Span......Page 401
Size......Page 402
Magicians......Page 407
The Importance Of Assistants......Page 409
Qualities Of A Good Assistant......Page 410
Who Chooses?......Page 412
Choosing An Assistant......Page 413
Getting Them Up......Page 415
The Psychology Of Heckling......Page 418
Theorizing......Page 421
Challenging......Page 422
Grabbing......Page 425
Interrupting......Page 427
Getting Nailed......Page 428
Practice And Rehearsal......Page 430
Screw–Ups......Page 433
Unforeseen Distractions......Page 435
APPENDIX ONE:DARWIN'S LAWS......Page 437
APPENDIX TWO:GLOSSARY......Page 440
Back Dust Jacket
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