My Show reel

Grobbelaar

Hey lads,

Pete here from Cork,Hope yer well! Just thought post my promo vid and get yer opinions on it I dont post much here and just discovered the magic section. Tis mighty stuff! Link is : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeokJjrt7Es

P.S. I now tis a tad long but it needed to be for reasons I wont bore you with.

horgan_p

Howdy ,

Saw it when you posted on the cafe, nice bit of video.

Grobbelaar

Cheers man!

horgan_p

Havent seen you gigging around cork , wheres your usual haunt ??

Grobbelaar

Hey man, Im in Cork Comedy Club nearly every Thursday night - It's in Grafton bar next to An Brog. Well I say every thursday night but Im not there this thursday..

Sound man!

horgan_p

Very good, I'll be sure to drop in.
How long is your show ? And do you script it yourself ??

(I've lately been more and more struck with the theatrics of magic)

Grobbelaar

Hey man hope you had a good weekend! Depends really can be 25 mins to 120 mins.

I script everything myself, I do loads of stand up comedy so have a huge amount of comedy in the show

horgan_p

can you give us a run through of how you go about scripting a show , for instance do you sit down and decide that you need to fill 60 minutes ?
Or do you sit down with a list of effects and then write a script to fit ??
Also is it magic with comedy or is it comedy with magic (if that makes sense ?)
sorry for the amount of questions.

Grobbelaar

Of course not a bother!

I write my own script.When I think back to maybe 3-4 years ago I think how my Stand up (comedy) was a mere shell of what it is today. It's evolved over years of performing or though rehearsal. Once your "in the moment" and doing it for real or even acting it out at home it becomes easier to add to the script rather than just sitting at your desk with a pen and paper. Also acting out your script allows you to get a sense of timing for certain key phrases/words for punchlines and at the very least makes you aware of dead silences which should be filled unless used for a purpose.


The mindreading in my stand up gigs(comedy clubs) is a driving force for the comedy. It allows for huge amounts of audience interaction. Getting people involved instantly creates a hook/interest with the rest of the audience. Also it becomes about them, your moving away from the comedy norm, moving off script and basing your reactions,remarks on how he/she responds to you. A comedy audience will view this as a great skill because to them it's clear your in the moment and cant just be going through the motions, your actually there reacting to what happening there and then. In reality the performer should have lines/script that seems off the cuff but is planned well beforehand, all about perception.

To answer your question I would'nt start from scratch of writing a 60 minute set unless you were at it for years. The old mantra of first developing a strong 15/20 minutes and then eventually moving on to a new 15/20 piece is the way to go. It's all about getting each and every part of your show tight as possible through performance and then moving on. Plus it will give you confidence in knowing that your stuff works instead of taking a leap of faith.

When I write I try to include as much of me into the show as possible. Like for example my memory routine(some of it is on the reel) is inspired by my school days. I think it's important to let the audience know about you,let them hear your thoughts,opinions and let them share in your experiences. People are interested in you and a clever audience will appreciate that your letting them in rather than using a generic presentation/script which could be seen as shallow, plus when it's real you dont have to act it out as much.

One last thing (boring you to tears here) the effects are of course important. The reveal to any presentation should get a gasp/laugh (whatever your going for) but the journey to the climax is just as important. It's not all about the end result,the lead in should compliment the reveal.

Hope this helps a little.

Sound man!

zuroph

hi grobelaar, Welcome to boards magic community! Very good post, thanks for the tips!

Grobbelaar

Thanks very much!

wolffe

Not a magician myself, but very nice intro on that Youtube video. Cheers!

Grobbelaar

Thanks! Im back home doing a gig in Mallow, Cork on the 19th in case anyone here from around this neck of the woods. I plan on teaching an audience member how to read minds and bringing back a dead person called Charlie Robinson. Good thing is all money made goes to Charity.

Cheers lads!

Pete

horgan_p

Grobbelaar wrote: »

Thanks! Im back home doing a gig in Mallow, Cork on the 19th in case anyone here from around this neck of the woods. I plan on teaching an audience member how to read minds and bringing back a dead person called Charlie Robinson. Good thing is all money made goes to Charity.

Cheers lads!

Pete

I take it you whisper the instructions ? waiting on my copy of this actually , must PM you when it arrives. did you also find out if it was this way up ?