The Magic of Joe Ferranti has entertained numerous audiences for over a decade. He has gained a reputation as one of the best in Close Up/Comedy Magic in the Greater Boston area.
Joe Ferranti presents two styles of Close-Up Magic. Strolling/Walk Around Magic and his very popular Intimate Parlor Show.
We would love to have a conversation with you about your event. Please call 339-927-4710 for a no pressure consultation.
Friday, May 26, 2017
Don’t
Try This at Home…or Worse, Don’t Try this With Paying Clients!
Joe FerrantiCocktail Magician Boston Mass.
Think of the Jazz musician…now think of the Jazz Magician,
hmmm? That’s what I’d like to do! …maybe not?
I have many magic friends in social media. They kindly share
their experiences in the performance arena. Just recently a more than capable
performer (Top Professional) told how he had improvised a performance with a
borrowed deck of cards. He was not bragging, just telling what resulted in a
non-prepped performance. Another well respected pro commented that this is the
only way he performs. Unfortunately, these real experiences are usually misinterpreted by the less experienced, and the result can be disastrous.
Just because someone else can do it, does not mean that You should attempt this.Do you really believe that you can
borrow a pack of cards, go out unprepared and deliver a performance that a client will pay for, and be happy that they did? Why would you take such a chance?
Why does this bother me? Because I’ve seen the results of
“Magicians” who fancy themselves capable of “Jazzing”, when they are clearly
not. I wish those capable of Jazzing
would give a warning, “this performance is by a trained
professional, this is very dangerous…do not attempt this in your performances.”
My caution will fall upon deaf ears. The cocky magician does
not want to put in the work; he just goes out and “astounds the masses”. (Yeah…right!)
Not the ones I’ve seen! They stumble on their words; they have no idea when the
time is right to do the “Move/Sleight”.
Our routines/tricks need structure. It’s your choice if you
remember each and every word, despite what the Lazy ones say, this can sound
fresh and new during each and every performance. It damn well sounds better
than not having a clue. At the very least, have a basic frame work.
As I said, I have heard the success of Magicians I respect, who
can succeed in this type of performance, but here’s what you should know before
you go out on the High Wire.
These pros have spent uncountable hours in practice,
uncountable hours in performance situations; they have encountered things you
cannot even imagine.
I’m sure some will accuse me of being a robotic performer,
no not at all. I do consider myself well-rehearsed and even so there are times
we I have to go off script, it’s just a reality of Strolling Magic. Sometimes
when performing a “Think of a Card” trick, a suitable ending may vary…S*it happens.
So...maybe Mercury Fold??? Card under watch???…card in Altoid tin???… (Jonathan
Kamm)
The lay person still reacts...“Damn, I only thought of that card!”
Truth be told, the card under watch, etc. are also well
rehearsed, just not part of the original plan.
If you want to "Jazz it" put in the hours...and take a good hard look inside, even then most of us should not attempt this for our paying customers.
The Magic of Joe Ferranti provides the Very Best in Close up magic in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
In this video at an Adult Birthday Party , held at The Whiskey Priest 150 Northern Ave. Boston Ma. You will see the excitement, astonishment and laughter that a professional magician brings to your event.
The Strolling magician is ideal for Weddings, Cocktail hours, Adult Birthdays, Holiday Parties, Corporate entertainment and much more.
I have been providing cocktail Hour Magic for Weddings in
Boston, Mass. and New Hampshire for quite a few years…Having successfully
entertained hundreds of people, I just recently came upon an article which gave
me a reality check. It seems just when you think things are running smooth, you
realize no amount of marketing will get you over a mind that is already “made.”
Here is a quote from the article…
“We were thinking of
hiring a magician for our cocktail hour to keep guests interested and to fill
in time. Is this lame?”
What I’ve learned about humans offering advice is that you
will hear mostly, if not exclusively from individuals who have zero experience
in the subject at hand.
Conclusion: Lame!
Here’s another open minded answer…
“I think any form of
entertainment other than music is unnecessary.Adults should be able to interact and carry on conversations with people
and entertain themselves.”
There is no question that a good time will be had at a
wedding without additional entertainment…face it, it’s not a funeral. But…maybe…just
maybe, various entertainment might make an event memorable, unique, or dare I
say “more fun.”
Whether you hire a magician or a string quartet, it will not
make your event worse. If your budget allows, you can ramp up the Cocktail
hour.
Conclusion: O.K. people…entertain yourselves.
Here is an answer
from someone who has witnessed a real pro in action. (Sarcasm)
“I find magician's
tacky and I would find him annoying and out of place at a wedding.More something for a birthday party.”
Conclusion: Annoy at a Wedding, less annoying at a
Birthday Party.
And finally, it’s really about semantics.
“Definitely not tacky,
but maybe on the cheesy side.”
Conclusion: O.K. Cheesy
Do you need a Magician at your Wedding? Definitely not…here’s
a link to other thoughts of mine.
OMG…I’ve actually been pulled into this conversation. What a
waste of my time, Yet…Magicians continue to discuss/debate/argue, whether it is
easier to fool adults or children. (BTW, the overwhelming consensus is that
children are harder to fool.)
Why is this important? It is not! What is important is the
understanding of the basics of critical thinking in children and adults.
Now let’s get this out of the way…Being fooled is not about being made to seem foolish. Every
Magician should know this, those who don’t…not my problem or my intent here.
Alright, so…. we are not going to make anyone feel foolish. Can we agree temporarily
that to “fool” will mean to give an audience a positive experience in which
they will experience degrees of belief, disbelief, shock and awe? Good! So for
the moment we will agree that “being fooled” is about being entertained by
tricks and illusions which should be presented in an entertaining fashion.
Children Fooler # 1
If I were to tell a five year old that there is a creature
that eats children living under their bed…well, suffice it to say, this poor
kid won’t be sleeping well for at least the near future. (BTW, this is the bad “fool.”) The reason is simple, children have
little choice but to believe what an authoritative adult tells them. Personally
I’d prefer telling them there is a Santa Claus, but that’s just me.
Adult Fooler # 1
On the other hand, If a so called “medium to the Stars”
tells people he/she can talk to their dead relatives…sadly, an amazing amount
of adults will buy in. (Bad Fool) Sometimes the belief can be quite costly to
one’s pocketbook. Why does this work? This may be an over simplification,
but…who wouldn’t feel some comfort knowing their Mom is doing great, and further
than that, she is eager to help you overcome a current obstacle in your life. (Feels good, huh?”)
This fooling stuff is easy…especially when used in a
negative way.
More on Fooling Kids!
Let’s return to some entertainment. It’s hard to count the
number of times I have “sawed a sponge ball into two” for five and six year
olds. If you’ve done it, you know they will take a single sponge ball and
attempt to saw it into two, for what seems to be an eternity. This is an easy
“good fool”. Not so hard, right?
How about the “See, don’t see” premise. Those less than
critical thinkers will scream and scream louder each time you turn around and
don’t see the spider on your back. Meanwhile, the adults are amused and happy seeing
the fun their kids are having. (Remember, the Adults are not “fooled” here.)
BTW, this may border on making one look “foolish” but it won’t occur to
any of them for at least ten years, and you’ll be long gone by then.
Additional note: I heard
one “magician’s” explanation why kids are harder to fool…He explains that they
have good eye sight and also view card tricks from a lower level, therefore
they can easily spot a Double lift.“O.K.,
I’ll give you a pass on this for one time, if it happens again, shame on you!
Make an adjustment.”
More on Adult Foolers
Back to the adults, I love the “think of a card” effect. The
adult thinks of any card they see in a widely spread (fanned) deck of cards…the
Magician removes one card and places it in his pocket. That’s right, the card
in the pocket is the very one the spectator is only thinking of. (“Good fool”)
Yup, good fool, because no one has ever asked how I did that, or even ventured
a guess as to how it is accomplished.
In fact, the only group who might “know” how this is done is
an alien from who knows where, known as the teen ager. OMG, these are the
hardest people to “fool”. Just kidding!
For the best sources
to learn to fool with integrity, I suggest Reading Darwin Ortiz’s works,
For several years I have performed, Jim Swain’s Air Mail
Card for all my adult Birthdays. Since I needed a no table method, I was
fortunate to find a handling by Shaun Robison. (Done Crediting)
I am sharing the different reactions I got, compared to my
present reaction. Now, I have always got good reactions, that’s not what I am
addressing…just the difference. I used to prepare the effect by writing Happy Birthday, with
their name on the back of the card. In case you don’t know the routine, the selection
is made, and the spectator signs their name on the face of their card. The
effect proceeds into a “triumph” routine with their signed selection being the
only face up card in a face down deck. I then explain that I have brought them
a card for their Birthday, and as you would expect in the zipped compartment of
the wallet is a card with Happy Birthday [name] on the back. At this moment the
card is handed to the spectator…and more often than not, they anticipate that
this will be their signed selection. This is a shocking moment, but still it is
anticipated. You may even get the reaction of “No #^*N Way!” This is fine, I
never had any complaints.
As years go on, I started printing Happy Birthday Balloons
on a blank backed card. Resulting in a “more unique Memento.” I also feel this
is slightly more “professional” (IMHO)
The next progression was to have the signed card in a sealed
envelope. Years earlier I remember Jean Jacques Sanvert, on his L&L DVD set…saying
that the sealed envelope was a stronger effect. So I decided to give it a shot.
Of course, Mr. Sanvert knows of what he speaks…reactions up a couple of
notches.
This brings me to the last year of performing the effect. Since
I was taking the small amount of time to prep the envelope, I decided to add
staples on all four side of the envelope. Why not, it requires no extra effort,
maybe 45 seconds of my time. I had no particular expectation…the reactions were already
over the top, but I got a surprise. Now I’m not saying the reaction is “better”,
what I am saying is this has changed “the moment” in a big way. As usual, I tell
the spectator I have a birthday card for them. They undo the Zip…I remove the
sealed and stapled envelope, tear it open and hand them their Birthday card.
This gets a moment of silence…I believe they are thinking, “this is nice…some
Happy B’day Balloons”. So far, no one has turned the card over in expectation
of seeing their signature. I have to give a little prompt, and when they do…”Boom!”
Personally, I enjoy this a little more. Either way I am sure the client is happy.
See for yourself, here is a clip showing the reaction.
I've edited this Birthday promo video down to 50 seconds...I realize that most viewers will not watch the entire video.
I know that a large percent of viewers will watch ten seconds, or less...that's just the way it is.
Here is my message. See what you will get when you hire one of Boston's Best Birthday Magicians.
All you have to do is invest 50 seconds, if this doesn't give you all the info you need, I have plenty more videos
and testimonials. I just thought I'd save you some time.
Your Welcome...www.ferrantimagic.com 339-927-4710
