Have any of you ever thought you did a great set to only later look at the video, and then think I should never gotten out of bed that day?

Well, i came pretty damn close the other day. I was asked to do a set for my local Magic club. (RISM) Seeing how I am a new member and it was going to be a new member show. So, I wanted to do Cups. As if I was going to do anything other then Cups.

I worked my brain night and day to come up with a routine that a magician could enjoy. At the same time, one that a laymen would find fun too.

Well at last I came up with one I liked. I worked on it over and over. I had it down dead to the rights. (Well that was until I thought it would look better to work out of a jacket than a pouch.) I did not get to really get everything worked out after the last minute change. (looking back it was not a good idea.)

The show time came, and I was picked to go on first. (Oh Joy, no pressure...) Well, I felt great and I was having a great time. A few of my jokes flew right over their heads, but to tell you the truth a lot of times I put the jokes in there to make me laugh. I felt myself make a small mistake, but no one seemed to see it, and I was not going to let it stop or throw me off.

It looked as if everything went well, and the kicked blew them away. (it was not a hat load, and that is what killed them too.)

Well I had my wife record my set so I could look at it later. Well, I can not tell you just how bad I felt when I watched it. I had entertained the idea of posting my set on YouTube for everyone to see. I can tell all of you right now. "That is not going to happen." I like all of you too much to pain you with that.

I will give you an idea of one of the BIG mistakes I made. Let's say I say I am going to put one of the balls in my pocket, and I only let my hand go HALF-WAY to my pocket before moving on to the next step. (Yes, I did that.)

Now, I know I am my worst judge. That is true on so many levels. I don't think I have like any of the sets, and shows I have recorded. So, say I am just being too hard on myself. That would not be true for this one. I wanted to slap myself though the TV.

As to the point of all of this. The video is a great tool to see your mistakes, but make sure you are not just looking for the mistakes. Try and look for the feeling of the set. By this I mean, try and look at it as if you are a laymen. Try and look for the show in the magic.

Till next time,

Sean

I have been trying fruitlessly to make vieo clips of many of my Sway Moves that only get rave comments when performed live but seen silly on video.  I rely heavily on "Inattention of Vision", "Directed Attention," and full body movements that just don't come across in a tiny window.  So, don't dispair ...

I have avoided releasing some of by "Alternative Cup" Routines for the same reason.  Many younger types insist on seeing a video before they will buy, but no video can properly show the impact of the moves and sleights.  Sigh!  Someday, I will get an assistant who can should zooms and pans effectively -- then, who knows.

'til then videos can be a good self-training tool, but will never replace live audience interaction, and IMHO effects that look good on videos rarely measure up when performed live.

No one ever likes their own picture / video. The camera never blinks, but with an audience, you can fudge it a little bit.

Sure wish you would change your mind and put it on YouTube!

Tom

Sean don't feel bad. It was a new routine. The only suggestion I can make is that you probably should have had it video'ed before performing it so you could look for little things to improve.
I practice sleights in front of a mirror, but once the sleights are mastered I have to construct the routine.
So I video all routines I'm developing, over and over and over.
Mostly I'm just working on presentation. I have my script. I think I have it committed to memory. In front of the camera I practice the motions and the timing while speaking my script, until I get it all where I want it. My scripts are written with the motions and the timing in mind, but it doesn't always work until you actually do it.
Basically I'm talking to an imaginary audience!
It's a great way to practice and critique yourself. You can start, flub your lines and start over. You can just leave the camera rolling and do it over and over until you've got it. Then delete all that junk and start over. Once you think you've got it, watch the video for where you can make improvements.
 
Watching your routines on video is a great way to improve your scripting and improve any sleights that are not covered by misdirection. You should really be able to see if your routines are entertaining, rehearsed and fluid.
BTW, nobody but me ever sees these rehearsal videos!

Though, like Funsway says, what you can't see in video practice or video demonstrations is the real effectiveness of misdirection or audience management. You need to go out into the real world and work with real people to see the effectiveness of those types of sleights and effects.
You CAN practice those moves on video so you can include them in your script (because in the real world they are going to work), but don't expect it to be convincing on video playback as you are just making sure your timing is right.

Filming yourself performing can be an expensive proccess.  I bought a video camera and filmed my routine and then.. went out and bought a treadmill!

Bri… That was funny; I spit my coffee all over when I read that.

Bruce

Nice! Glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read this!!! 

One of the most important things you can do if you make a video of yourself is to purchase a wireless lavaliere microphone. You can get a fairly decent one for about $150.

Why do you need a wireless lavaliere microphone? Well, if you use the mike that is built into the camera, you pick up a lot of background noise and room reverb. The wireless lavaliere mike eliminates most of that.