Attitude and Range of Expression in Magic
Well, for any of you still following me here, I have to ask your pardon once again for the inconsistency of my posts. Hopefully I'll remedy that sometime in the near future. We'll see. In the meantime...
This morning I was thinking again about the importance of having a performing character or persona as the foundation for performing magic. I've written about this many times before, but thought perhaps I could go into a bit more depth with it.
One reason your character determines everything else about your magic, is that your character determines your attitude and your range of expression.
If you have a good overall sense for "who you are" as a performer, then you know what your attitude towards your audience, your attitude towards the magic you do, and your attitude towards performing in general will be. Of course, these are all basic acting techniques, described in my own personal terms.
A David Copperfield, for instance, has a drastically different attitude towards the audience when performing than does a David Blaine. And each has his own attitude towards the magic he does and how he expresses himself through the performance of that magic. And these attitudes, regardless of whether they are consciously and specifically identified, or or unconsciously and subliminally "sensed", will nonetheless have a profound impact on the type of magic, and the style of performance that each of these types of performers will choose to do.
Each of these performers also has a certain range of emotional expression beyond which they cannot reasonably go, if they are to remain true to their performing characters. And this will also have a determining factor on the technical aspects of the magic they do. To give an obvious example, David Blaine is unlikely to ever do a grande illusion show with glamorous assistants in sequined costumes. And he would be just as unlikely to use the types of props that you'd see in such a show. Simply because none of this fits in (easily at least) with his emotional range as a performer. It doesn't fit "who he is".
So what is your attitude? Towards your audience or spectators? Towards the magic you do? In terms of the types of magic you choose to do? What are you expressing about yourself and your relationship to the audience and to your magic when you perform? And how does all of this relate to the magic you choose, to how you structure the routines, to the techniques you use to accomplish specific effects, and to how you end up actually performing them?
Even if you don't necessarily analyze all of this in detail, at least having an ever-present sense for what your emotional range and your "performing attitudes" are, will help you to remain consistent, natural, and believable as a performer. And it will help you in making the essential choices about selection of material, scripting, routining, and all the other elements of structuring your magic.
This morning I was thinking again about the importance of having a performing character or persona as the foundation for performing magic. I've written about this many times before, but thought perhaps I could go into a bit more depth with it.
One reason your character determines everything else about your magic, is that your character determines your attitude and your range of expression.
If you have a good overall sense for "who you are" as a performer, then you know what your attitude towards your audience, your attitude towards the magic you do, and your attitude towards performing in general will be. Of course, these are all basic acting techniques, described in my own personal terms.
A David Copperfield, for instance, has a drastically different attitude towards the audience when performing than does a David Blaine. And each has his own attitude towards the magic he does and how he expresses himself through the performance of that magic. And these attitudes, regardless of whether they are consciously and specifically identified, or or unconsciously and subliminally "sensed", will nonetheless have a profound impact on the type of magic, and the style of performance that each of these types of performers will choose to do.
Each of these performers also has a certain range of emotional expression beyond which they cannot reasonably go, if they are to remain true to their performing characters. And this will also have a determining factor on the technical aspects of the magic they do. To give an obvious example, David Blaine is unlikely to ever do a grande illusion show with glamorous assistants in sequined costumes. And he would be just as unlikely to use the types of props that you'd see in such a show. Simply because none of this fits in (easily at least) with his emotional range as a performer. It doesn't fit "who he is".
So what is your attitude? Towards your audience or spectators? Towards the magic you do? In terms of the types of magic you choose to do? What are you expressing about yourself and your relationship to the audience and to your magic when you perform? And how does all of this relate to the magic you choose, to how you structure the routines, to the techniques you use to accomplish specific effects, and to how you end up actually performing them?
Even if you don't necessarily analyze all of this in detail, at least having an ever-present sense for what your emotional range and your "performing attitudes" are, will help you to remain consistent, natural, and believable as a performer. And it will help you in making the essential choices about selection of material, scripting, routining, and all the other elements of structuring your magic.
Labels: attitudes in performing magic
posted by Mitch Williams at
8:03 AM
