5 Tips for Live Virtual Magic Shows (For Magicians)

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We live in a very challenging time and though many in person shows have stopped, the new world of virtual shows has come to the forefront. Here are some important and helpful nuggets of knowledge I have gathered doing a variety of virtual magic shows over the last three months on various platforms. You’re probably wondering why you should even care about virtual shows. I’m sorry to break the news to you: unfortunately -- like it or not -- virtual shows are here to stay.

Yes, someday we will be able to return to the tables, stages, trade shows, and cruise ships we used to perform on. We will have live audiences again (even if new social distancing rules are in place) *but* our vocations and avocations will have been forever changed by the events that have taken place in the last few months. One of the repercussions of the pandemic is that a medium to share magic has now blossomed: Virtual Shows. The cork cannot be put back in that bottle.

Virtual Magic Shows are the New “Wild West” of Magic

It’s scary, beautiful and amazing when you think about it. We are living in the middle of history being made. The steps we take as a community now to adapt to social distancing and safety will forever shape how laymen and audiences think of magicians. We need to embrace this change. It can be a little off-putting, especially for a community so enriched by our history and entrenched in tradition but I believe we can adapt: by adding virtual magic offerings as an alternative to live shows you not only provide more options for your clients but also enhance the opportunity to fatten your wallet.

I am not an expert, but in the last few months I have done my fair share of public shows and private events. I recently won a magic contest at the online convention AbraCORNdabra. Since this pandemic began I have failed more times than I can count, but have continued to improve. I hope the following tips will not only educate but also help you learn from my mistakes so you don’t repeat them.

1. Know your platform as a virtual magician

Just as you would arrive early to a gig or research the venue ahead of time - virtual magic is no different. Whether you’re performing on a lawn in the backyard or a stage with many stagehands, you need to be prepared for how the logistics of your show will run. Video platforms are the same in that sense but also extremely different.

Zoom is one of the most flexible applications to use for virtual magic shows because neither Facebook Live or Youtube Live have the high level of interaction available in video chat that exists on Zoom. The number of people who can join a “meeting” on Zoom is also higher than in Facebook Messenger or Google Hangouts. Zoom also has many wonderful built-in features: you can mute everyone in the audience, unmute specific volunteers, pin a video, share normal audio or even just computer audio to play music but not pick up background sounds. One of the best features is the ability to “spotlight” yourself so that even with the audience’s sound on your camera still remains the main focus. This is wonderful if you like hearing the direct feedback of a live audience so you can know in real-time if a magic moment or joke landed. This is great for small audiences but can be rather difficult when you have more people on the call.

Whenever you do a show on a new platform you should offer a test call to the client so you can demonstrate the ins and outs of the program and make the client comfortable. You should discuss the technical details before the show as well.You can discuss making the client the co-host or adding you as the co-host to the meeting. A good option can be to start as host and then hand the meeting over to the client when your magic show finishes, log out and let the client finish having their event. Many people who throw private parties or corporate meetings might not know all the ins and outs of the programs, so offering this special attention and educating them free of charge will really make you stand out as a thoughtful and professional performer. The key is to be very comfortable with the video platforms you are using for your virtual magic show and do your research so you don’t make any mistakes. You don’t want to assume all of the platforms are alike because they are not.

For example, a few weeks ago I performed on Instagram Live doing magic on a client’s site while talking up their product. Due to the fact that I had multiple roles: being the trade show magician, combining magic with selling the client’s product, as well as the stress of being on a new platform, I didn’t want to also have to worry about plugging myself or what I do. So I simplified by making a sign with my website. But I made the mistake of thinking all virtual magic show platforms were the same.

I didn’t realize that Instagram Live flips your video backwards as it records whereas Zoom shows things to your audience as they would look if you were in the same room. This difference is critical when changing platforms. If you have your name, website or logo on your backdrop or your Instagram handle written out on your table it could become unreadable to your audience if you don’t allow for the differences in display on the viewer’s screen.

Fortunately, I was aware of this platform quirk ahead of time, spelled my name backwards and printed the sign out with my name reversed. Unfortunately, the individual letters of my name weren’t also reversed and my name was still illegible.

That didn’t turn out well. Don’t be like me. Be better than me. Make sure you understand how the platform operates.

Fortunately the client didn’t notice. But I lost the valuable opportunity to promote myself to their 50k followers. Since then I have discovered this amazing tool an instagram user invented to flip your image and you can use it as well to avoid the same fate: https://www.instagram.com/a/r/?effect_id=236000317751197

It is even more vital to know the differences for each platform if you are doing a prediction or writing something out that moves your act forward so that the magic doesn’t look backwards to the audience! There are many other differences such as how audio is handled, the size of the cropped frame, audience interaction (is it via chat or video) to consider when using a new platform. I can’t discuss all of the options because they vary so much from each platform. The key is to make sure you have done several tests with the platform your show will use so you can be the expert for your client and make the client feel comfortable and safe when hiring you. Doing so will also ensure that you get the most out of your virtual magic show.

2. Lighting is Everything for your virtual magic show

You and your props need to be seen by your audience! Add this phrase to your vocabulary: Three Point Lighting.

Three point lighting is a way to light a subject and diminish shadows around the subject so it is focused within the frame. Instead of one direct light on yourself you have three. This doesn’t have to be complicated and you don’t have to go out and buy a bunch of new and expensive equipment.

Standard three point lighting set up

All you need is one main light or “key” light. It can be as simple as a desk lamp or ring light. This main light shines on you directly and you should set it preferably behind or next to the camera in front of you. Then you have two “fill” lights which you put to your left and right so that there aren’t any shadows behind you to distract the audience from your magic (which is a topic for another day).

Make sure to also test the lighting on your props as well as yourself by making a short recording. Watch that recording and determine whether you end up underexposed or overexposed and need to dim or brighten the lighting. This process is different for every person. For example, if I make my light too bright and frame myself against a black backdrop my cards (which are mostly white) and my skin (also extremely white) will be washed out and impossible to see. Play with positioning the lights and the wattage of the light and you can get just the right effect for your set up.

This three point standard style of lighting is commonly used in TV, film, and even by actors doing self-tapes and now magicians! You may need to play with the angles and brightness of your lights to completely get rid of shadows and be clear but this little lighting trick can make a massive impact on your show and really take it to the next level.

3. Frame Yourself as a virtual magician

No, not for a crime. I mean for your video, silly. Your virtual magic show framing, camera angles, and background should be thought of as the set for a play or a real live performance. There are no hard or fast rules to how to frame yourself or what to put in the background. Many Virtual magicians use green screens, sheets that have been ironed and clipped up, curtains, or even just their bookshelves in their own home. The key detail is that all of these choices are clear and deliberate. There should not be any garbage, random furniture, unrelated magic tricks, or dirty socks in the background (unless your magician character would have these in their home). Everything on screen should be character driven or relate to your performance.

If you’re not sure what to do, at the very least you can keep it simple and use a backdrop so that your background doesn’t distract the viewer from your magic. On the other hand, you could also use this unique opportunity to get creative with your set and use what’s around. If I wanted to do a comedic magic performance as a character whose life is a mess, I might film my set on the bathroom floor (probably not for a corporate show, though). Who knows? That’s one of the exciting things about this new magic frontier!

If you want to step up your virtual magician game even more you can use a more advanced application such as ManyCam (https://manycam.com) which allows you to stream to Facebook and YouTube, add a picture within a picture (such as a close up shot of your face in the corner of a larger shot of your hands and the actual magic happening). One of the most useful features of ManyCam is the opportunity to use multiple video sources. They make it easy to effortlessly switch from a parlor view to a close-up camera to even a shot of your audience reacting. This allows you to pick volunteers and engage with them smoothly and be able to perform many different types of magic. The idea of having many different cameras to switch between may sound overly complicated or expensive but it doesn’t have to be. You can use any extra smartphone you have and connect it to your WiFi or any other way to access the internet. Just make sure the camera with the best video quality is the one you use for your main establishing shots. This setup can be a little more complicated to get going, but if you have the time and the will you can do it. (Note: ManyCam does require a little bit of technical know-how to make it work with Zoom or other platforms. [But Google is your friend.]).

Simple framing and backdrop with one video source

4. Visual vs. Interactive: What’s Better for Virtual Platforms?

Trick Question! Both are extremely important. I’ve heard many magicians in the last few months say that they are changing their entire stage act to have zero audience participation or saying it’s impossible with the virtual platforms to have a live audience. But that simply is not true. The audience is there and they love live interactive tricks. Many professional magicians are mailing props to their clients to use from home, sending them printable cards or tokens to follow along with that the viewers can print from home, or simply using normal things that can be found in viewers’ homes to get them physically involved.

That being said, there are some platforms like Tik Tok Live and Instagram Live where you can do a live show with an audience but the chat may lag 20-30 seconds and it may not be smart to wait for the audio to catch up because doing so can ruin the flow of your show and you have to fill time between. In that case you may want to experiment with more visual and storytelling magic. I personally think you need a good combination of both tricks that involve audience participation and which are also visual and passive for your audience. Many of the options we had before to interact with

viewers are no longer viable, but these new restrictions will hopefully force us as magicians to be more creative in how we engage our audiences.

There are many positives to virtual shows as well because we can now offer a close up experience and stage magic in the same show for a larger audience. We can control many aspects we couldn’t before more closely such as angles and we should really be taking advantage of these new perks!

5. Don’t be afraid to go back to the basics.

“The simplest tricks are often the most mystifying and never lose their charm.” -Tarbell Course in Magic

If you are a working magician you shouldn’t be afraid to do simple classics that may fit this virtual medium better than the overly complicated slight you love (but looks terrible on Zoom). When performing for laymen you’re not trying to show off your giant elaborate magic vocabulary. You are being paid to bring people joy and make them believe in the impossible. Often the more simple a trick is, the more impossible it seems.

I know some people may disagree. Please don’t misunderstand, it’s wonderful to be inventive but we shouldn’t be performing something that doesn't work for our audiences just because as magicians we like its complexity. This problem can often be seen in live shows and it’s amplified with virtual shows.

Magicians shouldn’t be afraid to do magic that fits the platform even if the tricks are simple like invisible decks. Despite Ambitious being more involved, the invisible deck never ceases to be the highlight... it always seems to get a bigger reaction in virtual shows because it’s a card the viewer chose off of the top of his or her head freely from home. It may be annoyingly simple to the magician but it is really powerful to the audience. It’s the same with swami writing and predicting a volunteer’s number. Both of these effects are pretty easy and we magicians often forget how powerful and interactive they are because we would rather show off or do something challenging for ourselves.

At the end of the day it’s important that we remember we are creating magic and wonder for others. It’s a joy to perform but we are also trying to craft a specific experience for the audience. We are performing for them.

This new “frontier” we are exploring is a confusing, cruel and exciting mistress and It will take everyone some time to fully master this new world. But with these simple guidelines I hope I have given you some new things to think about and tools to help improve your future virtual shows.