Magic to impress people

[John B.]

So on youtube a guy commented gay on one of my videos. I decided to check him out and retaliated a bit letting him know his stuff was crap. We then got into an arguement because I mentioned the fact that I like impressing people. And he says that I am showing my ignorance and lack of knowledge regarding performing.because magic should not be about impressing people. What do you guys think? I feel that people are impressed by magic. And I enjoy that, its part of the fact of doing something they can't.

[Don Boyer]

Magic, done by a real performer, is meant to entertain more so than to impress.  It can be the case that you impress someone without entertaining them, in which case, are they really enjoying what they're seeing?

[John B.]

But I feel that if you really entertain them, that they are impressed.

[Don Boyer]

Not always.  Some people are insecure and seek attention - if you merely impress them, they think you're trying to steal their spotlight and will look for ways to get it back.  But if they also find you entertaining, they feel included.

Others are "masters of the universe" who think they know and understand everything - if you impress them without entertaining them, they think you're just messing with their sense of reality, something they don't handle well.  It's akin to giving a mathematician a working proof that 2+2= (two plus two equals "Apple logo", for you Windows users)...

[Curt]

In general, I have to agree with what Don has written. To me, trying to impress someone sounds much more like somebody trying to seek approval from others, while entertaining them is more the creating of enjoyment, that is just how I perceive it to be. Having knowledge of slight of hand, I am impressed by someone doing very skillful techniques flawlessly but that does not necessarily mean that I would enjoy it as much as watching an act that, although may be less intricate technique wise, that makes me laugh and have fun.

From previous experiences, it seems that magicians performing magic to each other has the goal to impress since they both understand the field and understand the practise that goes into some effects. Magic geared towards a audience of laymen is better received when the goal is to entertain.

[John B.]

I see what you guys are saying, what I am saying is if I truly entertain you, a part of you should be impressed by what I am doing. If I impress you that does not mean I entertained though. Its like A gets A and B while as B is only B. By entertaining they enjoy it and are impressed. I see plenty of reactions and my only thing was instead of doing magic that had no performance and nothing that amazed anyone, is that really magic? Magic is when you make the guy who never shows his reaction start flipping out and asking you how you did it, since he is impressed that your doing something he has no idea how to do. Its like when I get my car fixed. I have no idea how they do what they do, I am impressed that they can do it because from what I do see I never could. And its the same way with magic. Most people know its skill, so they know you doing something they don't think they ever can.

[Curt]

All I can say is that I feel the best magic is not where the magician focuses on the tricks but the performance. Having a highly enjoyable performance can lead to a much greater entertainment value than simply being impressed that the magician did some magic tricks I couldn't figure out. I do agree that you can have both feeling of being impressed and entertained but I would say that there should be a much greater emphasis put on the entertainment aspect rather than just trying to impress your audience.

I think people tend to be impressed more by something that they understand the basics of how to do and cannot do themselves. If I took the time to learn about engines and what it takes to become a mechanic, then I would be more impressed by their work if I found it was something very difficult to do.... as of now I have not tried but I am confident that I would be able to at some level with a bit of effort. Same goes for magic, I think that people may be impressed by the confidence of a magician and patter of their routine since people can relate to public speaking, but not necessarily the magic trick itself since they may not even begin to understand how it is done.

[John B.]

Yes I agree with you curt, my focus is on the performance, the are not grand but the performance makes it great. I feel if you focus on that you will impress them. Which I feel is a good thing.

[Don Boyer]

Yes I agree with you curt, my focus is on the performance, the are not grand but the performance makes it great. I feel if you focus on that you will impress them. Which I feel is a good thing.

It's not just impressing them, it's entertaining them.  The entertainment factor is the key.  I've had performances at the hospital where I was blowing every other trick I attempted, resulting in a very less-than-impressive set - and people still laughed and had a great time and enjoyed the show, because I was there to entertain them first and foremost.  If anything, my fumbles showed them that I'm human, just like they are, and I make mistakes, but I can still "get 'er done" once I've settled down and stopped screwing up!

[John B.]

I see what your saying Don, I will say that when I made this post it was more in the heated arguement kind of view. After my head cooled down a bit I understand it a bit more.

[agera94]

A good analogy is by Justin Miller and his latest torn and restored effect on E. A lot of torn and restored effects are simply, 'Hey look what I can do with your card,' as opposed to taking the spectator on a journey and involving them. The same principle can be applied to single effects and webcam tricks. They're made to impress, not to entertain. Yes seeing a street performer doing tricks with a soccer ball is impressive, but the great ones are the guys that will talk and engage the audience in some way or another. Always remember, people like to feel involved.