TAKE A CLOSE LOOK
For a VERY long time, comedians have recorded their performances, to later "listen for the laughs", to help edit their acts. I am sure that many performers have long been using video to help them improve their acts, both of their performance and their practice and rehearsals, but it wasn't until several years ago that I joined the tradition and began filming practice sessions in order to study and improve more detailed aspects of a bunch of card techniques.
Video, it turns out is not only a great way to improve your overall performance, but also to take a close look at the minute details of your technique.
This clip shows my analysis of a simple false cut technique. In order to achieve the illusion of a genuine cut the technique itself relies entirely on it being consistent with your genuine cutting technique. This type of bold tehcnique convinces by being consistent with the general rhythm and appearance of its genuine counterpart, rather than relying on invisibility or speed. Watching the false cut on its own, it's hard to imagine that it would be convincing at all, but techniques like this work because they are idiosyncratic. In a way you are selling your movements, not the move.
This clip allows me to observe the legitimate cut alongside the false cut, specifically to compare them both for uniformity of action. Rather than seeing two clips in which the techniques match perfectly you will see some areas of each technique which look very similar and some differences betweens the techniques too, where there is room to improve. When practising a technique and trying to achieve uniformity of action you have the option to either adjust the false move to match your honest technique, or vice versa. But first you must "spot the difference."
This clip does not show my subsequent improvements, but simply reveals the main problems that I discovered through the use of video critique, and shares some simple ways to look at your moves in closer detail.
1. After filming the two techniques back to back, I've layered the two clips to be able to observe the rhythm when viewed simultaneously in the same space. Watch the clip to see what I mean.
2. Then I've played them alongside eachother and used freeze-frames to analyse the finger placement at key moments in the handling.
3. Finally I've played them alongside eachother three times slower than normal speed.
Generally I was pleased with the rhythm of this false cut, but I found several areas where finger movement was inconsistent with my regular cut, specifically where the packets seperate, the right fingers stay in contact with the edge of the packet during the genuine cut. Also the straightening of the left fingers to provide clearance for the lower packet.
This is just one example of how video can be used to help improve technique. I hope you get some ideas from watching this clip.
Password: uniformity
