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EMC 2012 – Session 7 – Yann Frisch – The Eyes of the Writer

July 29th, 2012 - Magic Convention Guide

Essential Magic Conference
Yann Frisch runs a circus arts school, and is a FISM world champion. He talked about creativity, something he knows so much about with his absolutely stunningly original cups and ball routine.

He talked about how playing with a cup and a ball allowed him to create his routine without actually trying directly to create a ‘cups and balls’ routine.

He talked about how we all start with a ‘blank’ space and we can basically create anything we like. He talked in some depth about artistic choices in magic, and how we need to look at magic with artist eyes, and not just performance of tricks.

Yann explained why his act is silent, without speech or music, and how this creates more of an ‘effect’ and ‘experience’ for the audience.

He talked about the concept of ‘a writer and interpreter’, in that finding the right person to perform the effect is important, if he writes (creates) a routine, me may not be the right person to perform it (interpret)

Yann covered choreography of acts and routines and how important these were, and how to treat them.

It was a great talk and worth rewatching to pick up all the points that Yann was putting across.

If you haven’t registered yet. You can still register during the conference, and catch up on the sessions we’ve been talking about on demand.

Just head over to the main EMC page and register now.

We are once again proud to be an EMC media partner. You can read all our reporting (both the really short summaries and the speaker by speaker posts) in our Essential Magic Conference coverage

EMC 2012 – Session 7 – Steve Cohen – Recreating Hofzinser’s Salon

July 29th, 2012 - Magic Convention Guide

Essential Magic Conference
Steve Cohen talked about Hofzinser’s Salon show – ‘An hour of deception’ in Vienna, and how he worked on the idea of being able to create a ‘salon show’.

He talked about how when his calendar was empty of bookings, he looked at creating a salon show, and how he looked at he’s set up this type of show. Hunting for a venue that looks like Hofzinsers Salon show, and how through an initial set of shows, he managed to get a foot in the door at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

He talked about how the show struggled to start with before the media picked up on the shows and it then skyrocketed, becoming almost permanently sold out.

The great part of this talk was when Steve talked about things he’d learned from his experience, and how setting up your show as ‘an institution’, where your audience comes to you, as opposed to you chasing your audiences and bookings. You’re show is a part of the culture. Locals know about the shows, taxi and cab drivers recommend the show to tourists.

The venue is as important as the show itself. The Waldorf-Astoria is a venue people want to go and see, the venue frames you. It also allows you to set things like dress code, in Steve’s case, visitors are required to wear jacket and tie, and arrive in his suite by private elevator

A great team makes you better, although you are the central focus of the show, a team helps create the perfect product for the audience.

We could go on, but Steve Cohen gave some wonderful points, information and guidance if the salon style show is something that you wish to look at.

If you haven’t registered yet. You can still register during the conference, and catch up on the sessions we’ve been talking about on demand.

Just head over to the main EMC page and register now.

We are once again proud to be an EMC media partner. You can read all our reporting (both the really short summaries and the speaker by speaker posts) in our Essential Magic Conference coverage

EMC 2012 – Session 7 – Luis Piedrahita

July 29th, 2012 - Magic Convention Guide

Essential Magic Conference
Luis Piedrahita performed a lovely appearance of coins from bubble wrap, and then proceeded to do a stunning coin matrix using see through squares of bubble wrap.. simply stunningly impossible!!

If that wasn’t enough he then proceeded to do the effect into Eric Mead’s hand..

Essential Magic Conference

If you haven’t registered yet. You can still register during the conference, and catch up on the sessions we’ve been talking about on demand.

Just head over to the main EMC page and register now.

We are once again proud to be an EMC media partner. You can read all our reporting (both the really short summaries and the speaker by speaker posts) in our Essential Magic Conference coverage

EMC 2012 – Session 7 – Professor Richard Wiseman – Perceiving the Impossible

July 29th, 2012 - Magic Convention Guide

Essential Magic Conference
Professor Richard Wiseman talked about how our perception can change what we see. In this example he talked about how our brains can see faces that arent actually there… Demonstrating by showing us a number of images that didnt actually contain faces, but our brains perceived one.

He also showed how our brains are used to things happening, and when they don’t, well, we dont know how to react, a principal which can be used by magicians to great effect.

He continued to talk about some of the early chrono photography film through use of series of consecutive images, including one of the first of a magician and magic.  He managed to visit the location of a large set of these images dating back to a 120 year old set of images of  Raynaly, a simple ball vanish, and showed us the very short clip of these images in motion.

Essential Magic Conference

Richard finished with an effect which demonstrated our perception, and how it can be quite easily fooled.. with a lovely magic square with cards..

Richard’s talks are always extremely humorous, entertaining and thought provoking, this was no exception!

You can also pick up a host of Richard Wiseman books at Amazon

If you haven’t registered yet. You can still register during the conference, and catch up on the sessions we’ve been talking about on demand.

Just head over to the main EMC page and register now.

We are once again proud to be an EMC media partner. You can read all our reporting (both the really short summaries and the speaker by speaker posts) in our Essential Magic Conference coverage

EMC 2012 – Session 7 – Armando Lucero – What is Magic?

July 29th, 2012 - Magic Convention Guide

Essential Magic Conference
Armando Lucero was the first speaker of the day, and chose to look at a very big question… ‘What is Magic?’

He talked about a number of things, including breaking down the wall and letting go, so that we can discover ‘who’ we are.. he recounted a story about how he wasn’t booked as a magician for a cruise ship, but oddly as a comedian and juggler, and even managed to get the gig!

How did he manage ? He let go, and did what comedy came to him, and remained in the show for 3 months. Why was Armando talking about this? He told us that he didn’t realise he had this side of him, as he would like many of us, hold on tightly to what we think we are, and its good to let go, and see where you can take yourself.

He also talked about how ‘tricks’ are the mechanism to get us to ‘magic’, tricks arent magic, the feeling people get from the performance is the magic.

Armando then started to talk about the ‘tools’ that we have in our box, what things can we use to create our ‘magic’, such as affirmation, a reminder that things are as they should be..

It was a great start to the speakers for today.. and a shame the session wasn’t longer.

If you haven’t registered yet. You can still register during the conference, and catch up on the sessions we’ve been talking about on demand.

Just head over to the main EMC page and register now.

We are once again proud to be an EMC media partner. You can read all our reporting (both the really short summaries and the speaker by speaker posts) in our Essential Magic Conference coverage

EMC 2012 – Session 6 Summary – Luis de Matos, Eric Mead, Bill Kalush

July 29th, 2012 - damian

Session Six was hosted by Max Maven with panache.

Luis de Matos came back to explain his Angry Birds trick (Chaos Card Mystery). We’re not going to explain it. Nyaaah nyaah nyaah!

Eric Mead performed Tim Conover’s version of Ramsey’s Cylinder and Coins. I love the original, never seen this version. Blown away.

Bill Kalush have a talk on the history of card magic, explaining a number of methods and principles in books from the 1400’s, 1670’s, 1500’s, and more. Things we think are new, aren’t. He carries on explaining all manner of moves, concepts and sleights we all use now and explains where they come from. Standing on the shoulder of giants.

If you haven’t registered yet. You can still register during the conference, and catch up on the sessions we’ve been talking about on demand.

Just head over to the main EMC page and register now.

We are once again proud to be an EMC media partner. You can read all our reporting (both the really short summaries and the speaker by speaker posts) in our Essential Magic Conference coverage