17/12/2022
Constructing and scripting a successful and commercial magic act that integrates with the Enigma System
Way back in the fifties I was a young man, obsessed with magic, my magic consisted of tricks purchased from Davenports, Linking Rings, Rice Bowls, Pom Pom Sticks, Evaporated milk jug. Etc Etc. Many magicians seem to think that any group of random magic tricks such as these can be built into an entertaining act.
When we start to enjoy magic we learn and perform as many tricks as we possibly can .
During the early stages of learning magic, most magicians don’t think about performing a properly constructed magic act. The emphasis is usually put on cramming as many effects as possible into the time alloted.
It’s only once we acquire a good range of tricks, that we begin to think about how to merge our tricks together with a common theme,but by then it’s too late. We have spent out time collecting random tricks, and have a chaotic collection of magic with no common thread ,
I had no mentors or magic clubs to guide me, no video sand very few books, but this did not matter as I was only really interested in buying Off the shelf items that I could quickly master and then perform straight away. I performed at village hall concert shows and was in great demand for children’s parties.
My performances were not scripted and my shows were listed on scraps of paper that only showed the order that I would perform each miracle.
Times have changed, Magicians now have Clubs, Videos, You Tube, Books, and TV with such shows as Penn and Teller Fool Us to draw inspiration from.
The Enigma System requires a performer to have a structured act, with a certain amount of scripting
(I personally believe that a rigidly scripted act is not necessarily a good thing, ) however it is a good discipline.
“Sam the bellhop “ requires you stick to the script, also rope routines benefit from being scripted, however it would be impossible to tightly script a children show, as most of the fun come from the unpredictable things that occur during the performance. This should not stop you from tightly structuring you show, the music, the effects , the lighting and the gags.
Enigma works on a pre programmed time line that sets of effects such as Card Fountains
Bubble Machines and Robots. I know what you are thinking “ What happens if something occurs that effects the continuity of my act, or if I want to milk a certain trick that is getting an exceptional reaction, will this screw up the remaining performances or time effects or sounds on the time line ? “
Enigma allows you to add pauses on to the time line that you can pre programed in advance at the time you construct your sequence this will pause the animation at any time that you consider you might need to include some ad hoc action. For instance at a certain point in your show you might want to interact with the audience with some jokes, or bring somebody on stage, “this can not be timed”. so at your pause point you are free to continue your show without the time line running. You can use your remote to restart the timeline whenever it is suitable for you.
Another Alternative is to use the remote to stop the timeline whilst it is running, this can be done at any time. This is especially handy for pausing the timeline prior to an effect such as a card fountain, or flash pot, Lets say you are performing a routine with a sound track that your timeline has enabled such as background music to a silk fountain” at the end of performing this routine you can pause the timeline. Your next action on the timeline is to activate the card fountain. When this action required just click the remote and the fountain will activate, you could then have a pre planned pause inserted on the timeline prior to your next requirement It might be a new music track that starts at the same time as a bubble machine activates. Now you can see the importance of having a structured show when using Enigma..
Many successful, professional magicians don’t work with a tightly planned structure and that’s OK. You can very easily continue to perform random unassociated tricks and get great reactions. I would suggest that your magic will probably be getting a good response despite the lack of a theme, rather than a great response because of having a structured scripted and themed act.
A little thought into act construction will lift your performance to a new level, leaving the spectators amazed at your magic, and feeling that they have seen something greater than the sum of it’s individual parts.
