Advice & Disclaimer

Tonight I have been thinking about how lucky I am. Thinking about how grateful I am for the opportunities that you , the readers of this blog , give me.

I am honored to give advice to all the readers of this blog, the listeners of my podcasts, and the many who I coach via email and phone. I say I am lucky, because I am not a Master Magician or a black belt in our art. I too am just a student of this glorious and vast art and business called magic.

There are so many people that provide me with guidance and advice. I am not the most experienced or the best performer in our art. I don’t come close to having the extensive knowledge of history, theory, or business that many others posses. There are times when I give advice to others that I have learned from books, DVD’s, friends experience and the intense study of magic.

However, I don’t think it is always necessary to have personal experience to be qualified to give advice. I have learned that sometimes you don’t have to touch the fire to know you will be burned. Historians don’t usually live through the history that they teach to others. Most university professors instruct their class in the secrets that many people in their area of expertise have developed together and over a long period of time.

So here is my disclaimer. Much of the advice I give is from my personal experiences as a performing magician in Las Vegas and from the depths of my personal creativity. Other things that I share I have never done myself, just theories that I have gathered from the sources that I have access to. Some of what I say is theory that is accepted by many professionals and some of the theory is inspired by other industries and thinkers. Not everything is tested and none of it is guaranteed.

It is up to you to decide which pieces of advice you will incorporate into your own action plans. There are a lot of people in the magic industry who are eager to advise others (just look at all of the forums). It is up to you to choose the advice that you take and the advice that you discard. In the end, this is your life and your decisions.

In closing, it is important for you and all of the readers, listeners, viewers on Penguin Magic to help and advise those around you. Studies show that we learn the most when we teach others. When we teach, we are working hard on improving the industry and the art that we all love. To those who enjoy my advice and business theory, I thank you for trusting me. But, I hope you always take it with a grain of salt. For those of you who give advice, I am excited to hear your thoughts and I am constantly inspired by the idea that you are here to move magic and all of us forward.

Penn & Teller ROCK!!!!

Go out and buy Penn & Tellers DVD from their show B.S. season 5. This may not be the best video for some viewers. I should warn you that almost every episode has topless women, lots of swearing, and plenty of blasphemy. So if that stuff bothers you then you can disregard this blog. It doesn’t bother me.

On the second disk they have an episode on Mount Rushmore. To be honest, I didn’t think it was their best episode. They close that episode by showing a video of them performing a routine from their show that involves an american flag and a copy of the constitution. You should buy the DVDs just so you have the opportunity to watch, study, and learn from this routine.

The routine is technically a vanishing silk routine and I would wager that it is the greatest vanishing silk performed today. It has meaning, ark, levels, content. This routine is amazing. I have watched it live in their show many times and it moves people. It give the audience something to think about. This is what magic can be. It can be a form of expression. A means of communication. Its thought provoking and worth every penny to see it.

Your very own audio system

When I do smaller shows I like to control my own audio. There are a couple of products on the market that are designed for this purpose. The Showtech from www.wirelesswizardry.com has been massively popular for years and with good reason. The product works and works well but its very expensive, doesn’t take advantage of some modern technology, and can be time consuming to setup.


Then there’s the iQue from www.virtualsoundman.com. This unit cost a little less and uses some more advanced technology. The biggest problems with the iQue is that its not completely reliable and all the components are sold separately to jack up the price. So if you want an off the shelf solution you need some cash and maybe some time to trouble shoot.


The other option is to take advantage of some of the technology you may already own and turn it into a remote controlled audio system. You can save some money.....a lot of money and take control of your audio on your own. Here is what you will need.

1. Audio cables. Ipods and laptop headphone jacks are 1/8th inch jack. You will need to get a cable to convert the 1/8th inch plug to 1/4 inch. 1/4 inch plugs are what most soundboards and stand along speaker systems require.

2. A place to hide the remote. Each solution I will show you, uses a remote and you will need to either hide it on your body or on a prop.

3. A sound source. You are going to need either an iPod or a Laptop computer to run the sound from.

So lets talk about how to turn your ipod into an audio solution. The first thing you will need is a RF remote for your iPod. RF stands for radio frequency and means that the remote does not have to be in a direct line of sight of the iPod. A good remote is the iJet, available at www.ijetwireless.com.


Now the iPod has one distinct problem that you will have to overcome. When the iPod is left on it will automatically turn off after a few minutes if it is not playing music or pressing buttons. This is a problem because if you are going to talk without music, the iPod may shut off on its own and you will be without sound for the rest of the show. Here is how you overcome the problem.

What you will need to make is a blank track. This is a long sound file that has nothing but silence on it. Instead of stopping the music, you will go to the next track (the blank or silent track) and let that play while you talk. This way the iPod wont shut off. If you want a long blank track and can’t create it yourself email me at Tyas@penguinmagic.com and I will send you one. This solves a big problem but it doesn’t solve all the problems with using the iPod.

One of the problems with an iPod is that it doesn’t have any automatic fade out/in of the music. You would have to press the volume down button and then stop the track, and then turn the volume back up again so that there will be volume when you press play again. The other problem is that there is no feedback from the iPod to tell you what track you are on.

This is where the laptop solutions come in. If a laptop is at he back of the house you can easily see what is on the screen. Here is a great way to do it. You will need a laptop remote. The one I use is called the AirClick from Griffin Technology and is available at www.griffintechnology.com/products/airclickusb. It is RF has a good range and decent features.


The next thing you’ll want need is some software. If your a mac fan (I am a mac fan as I used to work for them), then you can use apples front row software or iTunes to control your show. It was Keynote and PowerPoint that was the solution for audio control the very first time I used my mac.

With Keynote you can embed the music into the slide and on the slide you can put display how long the show has been going on for, what time it is, notes, the next track and the current slide. This is a lot of information and a very good way of controlling your shows audio.

There is one final way to control your shows audio on a mac that is a bit more involved. Its a solution that is a bit more involved but has a lot of benefits. I am not feeling ambitions enough to write it all down right now so maybe this is going to be a two part blog.

Non Disclosure Agreements

Do you have a non disclosure agreement? Do you use it? Do you know what it is? When I arrive at a new venue there are a few things that must happen. I must load in my equipment, and mark the stage, but before all that happens I make sure to have my non disclosure agreement signed.

A non disclosure agreement is a simple contract that prevents the signer from revealing any secrets or information regarding your show. It means that they wont tell the people how your effects are done, how your equipment works or even any details about your staging, blocking, or cues.

Now I don’t think that very many people use non disclosure agreements because you can’t really make anyone not say something. You can discourage people though. I have used my non disclosure on minors (people under 18), who cannot be held liable for their signature.

In addition to discouraging people from revealing secrets, it also give the crew a sense of value for your intellectual property. It makes a crew feel special about being trusted with exclusive information and it protects you as a performer. Consider getting one. If exposure in magic is something that concerns you, a non disclosure is something you can do to help.

Give me your vote

So I have had a few different logos and graphics for letterheads over the years. I don’t know which one I like best/worst. Here are three different options. Tell me your thoughts on which one I should use and why. You can give me your thoughts on it by commenting back on this post or by shooting me an email at Tyas@penguinmangic.com.

Option 1
This is taken from a real phone that was turned into a silhouette via photoshop.

Pros: It illustrates the escape artist and it’s a nice graphic

Cons: I don’t do as much escape work as before and some people who look at it don’t realize that those are chains, which makes the graphic unclear.

Option 2
This is a combination of my first and last initial combined together.

Pros: This graphic is simple and clear.

Cons: The graphic does not say anything about what I do or even who I am.

Option 3
This is an optical illusion which says “magic mystery & illusion” when looked at it one way and “Tyas Frantz & company” when looked at the empty space.

Pros: This logo is clever and says who I am and what I do.

Cons: I am not completely confident that those who look at it will understand it and it must be looked at for a while to understand it.



So please tell me your thoughts on which one I should use.

Building a Routine

Many performers find it very difficult to create new routines. Many performers never change their show once it is finished because of their fear of developing new routines. Millions of dollars are spent each year, purchasing other peoples routines so that a performer doesn’t have to come up with their own.

There are many good reasons to come up with your own routines. When you purchase a routine from someone it doesn’t mean that the routine will work for your character, venue, audience, and performance style. If you create your own routine it will work best for your capabilities and no one else will be performing it because its original.

One of the reasons few performers develop new material is because they don’t have a system in place to create a routine. This is an easy problem to remedy. I am going to give you a 5 step system for creating new routines. They are; finding your premiss, finding a method, choosing your conditions, adding entertainment and honing the routine.

Premiss

A routines premiss is the most basic elements of it existence. There are two things that must be decided upon in order to have a premiss to your routine. One is what effect is taking place and the other is what the routine is about. If the routine is about a broom and the effect is a levitation, then the premiss of the routine is that of levitating a broom or perhaps flying on a broomstick.

Choosing an effect is simple. We have already spoken about the different types of magical effects earlier in these pages. What is important is that the effect makes sense in regards to the equipment used. Lets use a penetration for an example. It makes sense to walk threw a wall because a wall is a barrier but it would not make sense to walk threw an open doorway because its just not magical.

When choosing what the routine is about, you are primarily deciding on the equipment that you will be performing magic with. For example a deck of cards, a rope, or cups and balls are very popular. When selecting your equipment make sure it fits the size of your venue and if possible find a way to make it relatable to your audience. A teddy bear may be more relatable then a car key to an audience of children.

Once you have chosen your equipment and your effect you successfully have a premiss. If you chose a production and a book you will likely be making a book appear. If you chose a guitar and a restoration, you will likely be destroying a guitar and magically restoring it. Now its time to decide upon a method.

Method

The method within a routine is how the magic is accomplished. Every effect has a number of possible methods. I do not have the time or the energy required to discuss all of the possible way of accomplishing any particular effect but I can point you in the right direction. I always recommend the Mark Wilson's Complete Coarse in Magic as well as the Tarbell Coarse of Magic.

When working on a method, I try to find at least ten possible ways of accomplishing the effect. Some methods are better for specific venues while others are more cost effective. Compare the various methods pros and cons until you have one method that has clear reasons for being the one you select. Once you have selected a method you need to add some conditions to the effect.

Conditions

The conditions of a routine are the audiences perceived requirements that the routine must be performed under. The conditions of an effect are the elements the convince an audience that it is impossible. For example, passing a hoop over a levitating woman provides the audience with the condition that she is not held up with any wires or supports.

Conditions do not need to be true. They simply need to appear true to the audience. Often times adding a condition will require a change in method for the effect. Sometimes adding a condition requires a method just to accomplish the condition. It is very common to negotiate your method with your conditions until a balance is found that provides maximum theatrical impact and a convincing method.

Many amateur s are completely satisfied with a routine once it has an premiss, a method and convincing conditions but not a professional. Just being able to fool an audience isn’t enough to get hired back. For that they performer must make the routine especially entertaining.

Add Entertainment

Entertainment value is the single element that will take your routines from adequate to extraordinary. Magic is often thought of by performers as entertaining and while that is sometimes true, it is important to look at all the various ways a routine can entertain its audience.

Look for places to add elements of humor, sound effects, large actions, moments of suspense, and emotional climax’s. It is best to add as much entertainment value as possible before performing it live, but once it is on stage you will find it much easier to find and add entertaining moments.

Hone It

Honing a routine is a process that is constant. It is the act of enhancing and improving your routine. There are BLANK steps in honing your routines they are, find areas to improve, create solutions, implement a solution and then repeat. The process is simple.

Find something in the routine that can be improved. It may be a mistake, a joke or slow moment. Brainstorm ways of overcoming the area of improvement. Perhaps writing a new joke for that moment is enough. Now perform the newly revised routine. It may have worked and it may have not. If it didn’t work try a different solution. If it did work, look for the next weakest moment in the routine and hone it.

The Bill Change

I was at a birthday party for a very respected magician, who shall remain nameless, about 6 months ago. While I was there we got into a conversation about bill changes. Bill changes, for those who don’t know, is an effect where you turn one kind of bill, like a dollar, into a different kind of bill. It may change denomination, country of origin or even color of the ink.

So while we where talking about this effect, we noticed a recent change in the how it is most commonly being performed. It used to be an effect that was only performed with a single bill but of as of late it is all the rage to perform the change with a stack of bills all at once. Both versions have their advantages and disadvantages.

The standard single bill change is usually done by folding the bill up and when it is unfolded it has changed. This version is so simple and clear in nature that audiences really understand it. The Multiple bill change doesn’t require all the folding but does appear much more complicated. What do you prefer?

Michael Moschen at TED

A rare glimpse into the mind of the revolutionary Michael Moschen. Pure pleasure for any performer.



Visit TED.com (my favorite website) for more. I watch one talk every night before bed.

Cool Magicians

When you hear one magician complementing another, you assume that they are referring to the magicians performance ability and skill.  On this particular blog post, I want to talk about a couple of characteristics that make a magician a good guy outside of performing and skill.

Someone that keeps their mouth shut

There are so many magicians out there who love to run their mouth.  Roomers and gossip move like wildfire in our community.  Its important to have a strong sense of discretion.  Along the same lines you should never tell a performer your opinion of their performance unless you are asked.

A Magician who encourages others

We have so many opportunities to encourage and help our piers develop their art and carriers.  If we can take our energy collectively toward the common goal of improving each other then we can make a real difference.  Lets all be constructive.

Act like an audience and not a judge

There are times when you see a performer who is of a lower caliber then you may be.  Instead of judging this performer, act like the kind of audience you would want to perform in front of.  Smile, applaud, laugh, give them a standing ovation.

Create and Develop

No one likes someone who steals the material of others and watching the same old material, over and over again can get repetitive and stale.  Performers love others who create something original.  If your not at a level that makes you ready to create, then buy strong material and work hard on adapting it to make it your own.

Don’t covet

Even though it doesn’t always feel like it, there is more then enough audiences in the world.  If someone is performing the same routine as you, it is unlikely that they will ever perform for the same audience.  If you are getting booked for a show that you are not the best person for, then call up those who are right for the job and let them have it.  They will return the favor.

Let me know of some other characteristics of magicians that make them all around good people.

First Impressions

I was hanging out with a big group of magicians and of them all, one stood out. Now when I speak of a magician standing out in a crowd, it is usually a good thing but when a magician stands out in a group of magicians it is something special. I could imagine being special as a good thing but in this case it was a really bad thing.

This magician looked like he stepped out of a really bad vampire movie. He dressed in a long trench coat and wore a hat that seemed like a keepsake from the first Indiana Jones movie. He was overweight, pail skinned and had long unkempt hair. When he introduced himself to me, he seemed pleasant and as socially well adjusted as most magicians can be.

He showed me some magic and it was top notch. He was a really skilled guy. I bring all this up because I think there is a lot to be said about first impressions. The first impression that this person gave me was poor but that didn’t make him a poor person or a poor performer.

I think I really need to focus on peoples initial interpretation of me and I would suggest that we all look a little closer at what people think of you.

Magic Exposure

So I got this phone call lest night from a fellow magician and he told me to go online and check out a video that a magician had posted of himself. The video was of a live performance of a card routine. There was only one thing about the card routine that made it truly exceptional. He revealed the workings of the routine in great and accurate detail.

On the video he explains the different grips on the cards, different spreads, multiple turn overs, and even the appropriate names of each move. You can check out the video for yourself below. Then you may want to ask yourself the fallowing questions;

Was there entertainment value?
Did it hurt his performance to explain the routine?
Did his explanation hurt or help magic?
Why did he add the explanation in?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I have my own opinions but I would love to hear others first so that I don’t influence peoples responses. Comment back or write me at tyas@penguinmagic.com.

The King of Magic

I had the please to watch Mac King....again.  I must have seen Mac King’s show fifty times.  The first ten times was for me.  The other times was in an attempt to share that entertainment and mastery with those around me.  Mac King is the best comedy magician in the world.  Don’t take my word for it.  Magic Magazine recently rated him the best comedy magician in the world as well.

So I set down for a variety show full of magicians as audience members.  I happen to know that nearly all of the people in the audience have not only seen Mac Kings show, but know the show line for line.  So what does Mac do when faced with an audience who already knows his material.  I think most magicians would have attempted to come out and do something new and possibly untested.

Mac got up on stage and told the audience that he was aware that they all new his material.  Then he proceeded to perform his show.  The audience was with him.  The jokes that most people would have thought to be stale got laughs.  The magic was still strong.  He held nothing back.  In a word it was Awesome.

I learned two things from this experience.  The first thing I learned was not to change up material based on my audience.  The second thing I learned was that good material works any time, any where, under fire or not.  Mac King is a master of his craft and if you haven’t seen him perform yet I truly hope you do soon.

Showgirls

I wanted to share an idea that was presented to me from the great Scotto.  When working with assistants, it is important to know what kind of assistant they are.  Here are a few different kinds of female magicians assistants (aka showgirls); posers, kickers, lookers, and helpers.

Posers are girls that know how to stand there and look pretty.  A power is the kind of person is that they can make fantastic stage dressing.  They are pleasing to the eye and yet do not draw attention to themselves so they are well suited to stand and hold needed equipment.

Kickers are girls that like to show off.  They love to be the center of attention and demonstrate their skills and abilities.  They are often very good at holding the audiences attention on their own without the need for props or other performers.  Their singular weakness is that they are sometimes not team players.

Lookers are the girls who are masters of social dynamics.  They are very good at being able to direct the audiences attention to where she wants it to go.  These kind of performers are the actors.  They are the ones who have a solid performing and/or acting background.  These are keepers.

Finally helpers are the girls who like to work hard.  They put in as much effort off stage as they do on stage.  A good helper will setup the stage, help in advertising and marketing, look for areas of improvement in the show, and take care of challenges as they arise.

If you know anyone who has all these abilities, is shorter then 5 foot 5 inches, and lives in the Las Vegas area, then let me know.

Performance Hierarchy

When a professional performer is not on stage you will find him or her spending most of their time working on their show, because that is their livelihood. By contrast, most amateurs spend most of their time working on flourishes and moves. It is possible that the focus of a professional vs. that of an amateurs is the distinguishing factor that separates them.

Shows are not something that come together overnight and they are definitely not something that falls into someone's lap. The reason for that is that a show is a structure that requires many complicated elements in its construction. Within the next page or two, I hope to give you a better understanding of what key elements are required to build a show. Those elements are equipment, effects, routines, acts, and shows.

Equipment

There are three basic forms of equipment that performers have. One kind of equipment is visible to the audience. These pieces of equipment would be your props, your sets, and your stage dressing. The second kind of equipment are devices like your microphone and your curtains that audiences can see but disregards. The final type of equipment are the things the audience never sees at all.

There are many things to consider when choosing your equipment. Some of those elements would be the equipments reliability, its theme, its value, and its scale. A performers equipment are the tools he or she needs to accomplish their task and as such could be considered a logical place to start.

Effects

An effect is the magic that the audience experiences. There are a limited number of effects in existence. An effect is comprised of a performer using a piece of equipment and doing something magical with that item. For example a piece of equipment, like a coin may have an effect happen upon it like a vanish.

The effect is the only thing that the audience experiences that they relate to as magic. As a magician you will be defined by the magic you do and therefor you will be defined by your selection of effects.

Routine

Many people do not know the difference between an effect and a routine. An effect is just an element of the routine. A routine uses your equipment, at least one effect along with scripting, production value, structure and plot.

A routine is the smallest element that a performer has that can be performance ready for an audience. Routines are often freestanding performance pieces that can be interchanged with other routines to make acts and shows.

Act

It would be so nice to have our act together. An act is a series of routines that make a portion of a show. Good acts usually have a very strong well thought out transitions between one routine and the next. Many of the strongest acts are capable of having a theatrical ark, where your audience goes through a variety of emotions and experiences.

Acts can range in length from a few minutes to nearly an hour in duration. A performers act is often in reference to the strongest portion in a performers show. Many performers only perform their act in variety shows and comedy clubs across the country without going to the final step of having a full show.

Show

The highest and largest performance for an entertainer is that of his or her show. Shows may be a close up, parlor, stage, or television performance. A show is a series of acts, usually between two to five, that are combined to create a full scale production.

Most strong shows fallow a theatrical structure. Each act in a show is sets in positioned to enhance that theatrical experience. Shows can range in length from fifteen minutes to three hours in length.

This hierarchy can provide performers and aspiring performers with a system for developing their shows. By using each step in the hierarchy as a building block for the next, it breaks down the monstrous workload of creating a show into bite size chunks that are more manageable.

I offer two ways to develop a show by using the steps of this hierarchy. The first way is to start at the bottom. Simply collect your equipment by gathering props and all the utility devices you may need. Once you have all your equipment, you can choose what effects to do with that equipment.

With all your effects in place, you can add production value and entertainment around that effect to create a routine. You can then stick one routine next to the other to build an act. Finally you can put the acts together to finish off your show. This is a fine way to create a show and is the way I created my first show.

Instead, I propose you start by envisioning your show and its structure so that you can better understand the acts it will require. Then think about the routines it would take to make up those acts and what effects you would need to accomplish those routines. Finally you would gather the equipment that best meets the needs of your show. Once you word on the show from the top down you can then rebuild it from the bottom up.

Our Strategy

Had an interesting question come up yesterday...

The question was from a supplier we work with heavily.

They had heard about one of the features on the new Penguin site where we list the manufacturer of each item on the product detail page, and they questioned our strategy:

"Isn't that gonna make it easier for customers to buy around you guys and go straight to the manufacturer?"

Our answer is simple.

People don't buy from Penguin because they lack information or other buying options.

People buy from Penguin for four reasons:

• Price
• Convenience
• Service
• Added Value
  

We're betting on our ability to beat the competition in all four categories and get the sale IN A WORLD where customers have perfect information and always make the smart decision.  Because that's the future.

Videos Content

I had a great conversation with some magicians over the different trends in magic videos. We talked about what kind of effects fade in and out of popularity, and about the ratio of effects to theory in videos. What I wanted to write about today is the amount of effects on a video.

About ten years back every video released had about thirty effects on it. In present times, it has been very common to find videos with just a single effect on it. This trend of single effect DVD’s are becoming more and more prevalent within our industry. So why is this occurring and is it a good or bad thing for us?

At first glance, it would seem that having more routines on a video would give the video more value because there would be more information. On the other hand if a video focuses all of its attention on only one effect my have less total information but all the attention is focused on a single routine and there for may have more quality in the information.

By really diving deep into all of the facets of a single routine, a performer can get all that the routines inventor desires. One reason that I think consumers are so interested in single effect videos is because of the perceived value of the product. If one effect is good enough to constitute an entire product, it most be equal or better then the combined thirty effects of competing videos.

In my opinion, there are amazing possibilities hidden in the effects that most people don’t look at. So here is my conclusion. When a newcomer to magic is interested in a new video, they should highly consider a single effect DVD. This way they can get all the thought process of the routines creator.

If however, you are confident in your own creative process, and you know what your doing in creating a performance piece that works for you and your show, then I would recommend a video with more routines. This way you can sort out and filter the routines that work best for you to invest time in developing them further.