After watching the show on Sat, here are some things which I feel many of us could learn from Lu Chen. Especially those who are thinking of turning pro.

(just to say upfront, I am guilty of them too)


1. Packaging
How many of us can claim to be in good shape? Not the Valentino-model kind of body but at least not looking unnecesarily overweight (or malnourished).

How many of us can claim to look attractive in our performing attire? Again, no need to be so impeccably dressed like Count Dracula but at least presentable and with some style.

How many of us can claim to be someone people wants to look at (during performance)? While we can't do much in our looks department, but we can certainly improve in our grooming.

Lastly, how many of us can speak properly, clearly and with a attractive tone of voice? Once again, don't have to sound like a CNA presenter but at least not talk in a Darth Vader's tone or the speed of the Road Runner.

But look at Lu. He kept himself in shape, dressed in style, spoke well and is visually appealing. Is it any wonder that many who attended the show ranged from little children to old aunties?

Look, how many times have we seen local magicians, who looked in need of some regular exercise, dressing in a way that looked a cross between a homeless person and a Michael Jackson impersonator? Or wore over-sized jacket and pants that looked like they found it at the dumpster?

That, in my opinion, is professionalism.


2. Presentation
Many of his stage effects were actually very standard stuff which have been performed to death over the centuries.

Eg: SAwing lady in half (gasp!!), Escape from Falling Spikes, Metamorphis, Appearing inside a box, Floating Lady (or in his case Floating Girl) etc...

But despite that, I still find myself glued.

Maybe it was his experience, maybe it was charisma, maybe it was his stage presence, maybe it could even be the sexy assistants... but he made ME want to watch him.

So what is THE big difference?


3. Calm.

Here is an encouraging story and lesson for beginners:

Even Teacher Lu Chen can screw up. And he did... with a card effect

But he kept his composure and just went about re-arranging the cards right in front of the camera without looking flustered. In the end, he still managed to finished the effect.

Although, having an appreciative crowd helped. They were clapping for him after they noticed he was taking much much longer than the 10 sec he was supposed to take.

Some lesser performers might have just freeze there and be tramautized for weeks.



To be continued....

Another thing which I thought was a nice touch from him:

He performed a Bill Switch at the start of the show, changing a $100 note into 2 $2 notes. Just when everybody thought he was going to change them back immediately (which most decent magician will do), he actually gave the $4 back to the spec and proceeded to the next effect.

Honestly, I was surprised that he really took money. But I noticed at that point, he nonchantly ditched the dirty THING into you-know-where.

After he finished next effect (a mental effect), and with everybody still recovering from it, he suddenly asked the audience for another $100.

Of course, this time nobody did. So he asked for 2 $2 notes to change to $100 this time. Then "suddenly" he remembered that poor guy above (at that time, he got the THING back) and did the change.

I thought it was quite smart of him. '

Getting the audience to see him "clean" for like 15-20 min during the 2nd effect, and got the THING back at the best opportune time.

I am sure, for most of the audience, they would have totally missed (in their memory) that he ever did something BEFORE and AFTER the two switches. And it would be very difficult for them to guess the method, even if they suspect he was using the THING, because they never remembered him having in on.

A good example of psychological misdirection.

Lu Chen, quite frankly speaking, isn't handsome to begin with. But as Axl as correctly pointed out, he is immaculately groomed.

In my opinion, whether well groomed or not is depending on the persona you want to portray yourself as. Be it David Blaine's street man, Criss Angel's goth look or even Lu Chen's J POP artiste look, it's all about how you want to package yourself. To be fair, it's only celebrity magicians i.e. Lu Chen, Jeff McBride, Cyril, Criss Angel, arguably David Blaine and David Copperfield has a styled public image. This gives them a larger than life presence.

As for the non celebrity magicians, most of them just wear a coat over a shirt and that's about it. Any style to talk about? It just your typical business dress. Anyone working in the business district also wears like that, anything magical about that? At the end of the day, if you want a larger than life persona, you'll need to be able to it carry off.

If you are plump, would you want to spend many hours a day in the gym, pop hundreds of slimming pills to slim down so that you can look sleek in a suit? Or would you spend the time cultivating an image that suits your roly poly size? Think Penn and Teller.

If you had scanned through Lu Chen's early days videos in Youtube when he was in the beginning stage of his magical career, he also wore over sized coats and a floppy early Aaron Kwok like hair style. It was only when he got famous, he could afford an image consultant to style him to what he is today. How many of our local magicians can afford an image consultant?

Quite frankly, if you are a celebrity you can get away with almost anything be it sporting outlandish hairstyles and mismatched clothes and still come across as fashionable and stylish.

There is no right or wrong image about a magician. It's about what image you want to portray to others. Think hard about the image of yourself as a magician that you want to portray to others and work towards it. If you see yourself as a comedian magician (think Taiwanese magician Robin), then start stocking up on puns and jokes. If you see yourself as the next Criss Angel, then it's time to take up some make up classes and start putting on tattoos and piercings.

Only when the image you portray is an extension of yourself, then you will be look and sound natural and become naturally charismatic.

p/s: takes longer than10 secs? he performed 10 exact cuts?

Of course, of course, I forgot to put a caveat that how one dresses really depends on what kind of image one wants to portray.

A children magician probably looked better with a bit of flesh and have that cute chubby look.

But I am really referring to those who are trying to perform "serious magic" (so to speak) but yet do not look the part. Imagine... a bottom heavy magician (sorry, I really have nothing against being overweight people, just for illustration purposes) with a bad hairstyle, wearing a "tugged-out" ill-fitting shirt, faded skinny jeans and trying to portray a "cyril" kind of coolness.

I mean, it just doesn't exactly turn audience on does it?

I don't know the name actually, maybe it was.