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Good!
Hard to say. Maybe 70%?
Doubt it. Worth the wait. -
Hey!
One such instance I'm particularly fond of involves me losing the break after returning a selection to the pack. I try to see if I can maybe look for a place where the pack was slightly unevenly squared, but as I didn't want to fidget around too much, I decided to improvise and I made the whole thing into a joke. I told them to name their card, they said it was the six of spades, to which I reply "Why, that's correct!". It got a faint laugh - and I immediately had them pick another card. When they freak out, I ask what all the fuzz is about. It turned out they had picked the same six of spades again. It later turned out I had two 6oS in the deck - so I guess it sort of increased the chances of this happening, but still.. -
Hi!
Thank you very much.
I would see myself working in the film industry in ten years. Whether I'll be directing, or I'll be a cinematographer, I don't know. Perhaps both!
What I do know, is that I'll never live off magic professionally. It just isn't my thing. It's a wonderful hobby, though- and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as it's possible.
Thanks for asking! -
Hey, Jordan! Thanks for the great question.
My ideal performance setting would probably be in a restaurant with people surrounding me. You're seated at a table (with friends), you've got many props on the table that may be used for misdirection or directly interacting with the magic, such as glasses, forks, napkins etc. There will usually be a table cloth, eliminating the need for carrying a close-up mat, and so on. In addition I think the atmosphere really pays off. Everyone comes there to eat and relax and they'll be in a very receptive mood for magic. I went for lunch/dinner with a group of friends yesterday (Friday) to a local restaurant, and I performed a couple of pieces while we were waiting for our food and after we'd done eating. These are friends of mine that I don't usually perform for - but in this setting, it worked very well, and I'll give a lot of credit for the success to the restaurant. I also fondly remember the day I graduated from secondary school (in June, last year), I went to a restaurant with my former class. We sat down and throughout the course of the evening I performed a couple of pieces - and it worked so well it was on everyone's mouths the rest of the evening. Such a good night that was.
If I could have any audience reaction, I'd have them smile and laugh as the magic happens, then talk about it afterwards. I want the magic to have made their night/day/morning/afternoon and in general fascinate them and make them feel that sense of wonder where something you cannot explain has happened right in front of your face. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I've also had the kind of reactions where the person simply freaks out, screams in disbelief and in some cases run away, if only for a short while. I'm sure you've experienced this - let's label it the 'TV Street Magic reaction' - and I'm sure you'll agree with me when I say it's not nearly as rewarding as having people talk about you and what you did all night, and making comments like "I'll be sleepless now".
I hope this answered your question! -
Hey, Erik! That's a really good question.
I would say the pre-production phase is extremely important. You set the stage for what happens next, and you're also at a stage where making changes and revisions won't affect that much, because if you're in the writing stage, improving the film as much as possible at that stage is free, as compared to shooting it, then revising it in post production because you were too lazy to do it properly in the pre-production. While I think most time should be spent on planning and pre-production, being a cinematographer, I still think the actual execution is the most important part. That is when you actually make what will eventually end up on the screen, and the execution, both technical and artistic has to be flawless. There's a lot of practice, and creative work involved, it's often very challenging and you have to be able to make solutions for problems you didn't even know existed on the spot. All in all, it's hard for me to decide - but I think all phases are extremely important, but if I had to choose one, I'll say the production phase, or to be more specific, shooting, is the most important part. You can't make a good film out of poor footage, even though you have a very competent editor. You can make a good film without proper pre-production, but it requires extra effort during the shooting part. Then again, this is my opinion.
Thanks for asking! -
Hey.
Throughout the years, a whole lot of people have influenced my card magic. I'll say it's evenly distributed between my close friends, such as Chris Hestnes, Jordan Lapping and Erik Jansson; as well as people such as Dan and Dave Buck (who I've had the opportunity to get to know and befriend), John Bannon, Ernest Earick, Guy Hollingworth, and even Erdnase, Vernon and Marlo. Reading anything these guys have published/written, seeing them perform (in the extent that it's possible) or simply hanging out with them inspires me to degrees I can't put in words. This is why going to conventions is so rewarding for me, and why I do it even though I don't practice actively like I used to on an every-day basis. It boosts my magic, and I get new amounts of inspiration sufficient to keep me going for a good while. It also boosts creativity.
Thanks! -
Hi.
As you may have noticed, I'm a guy.
Therefore I don't have tits.
Thanks for asking! One can never be too sure!
best,
Allan -
Hi.
It's hard for me to name that many, but I truly love Bannon's simple modification to, and presentation of Dr Daley's Last Trick. I also like Beyond Fabulous and the first phase of the ace assembly; Bullet Train.
All in all I like the entire book, but those are the effects I find myself doing.
Thanks for asking! -
Hi.
As I'm not really an editor, I would rather explain this from the cinematographer's perspective, as that is what I do.
Film is all about interpretation.
It depends on what I'm shooting. If it's a proper project, such as a music video or a short film, then the process is far more elaborate and comprehensive than with a cardistry video or something like that. With card-videos and the likes, I usually have a concept or an idea in mind when shooting it, but usually for these kinds of things you just have to 'wing it'. Chris Hestnes and I filmed a little short spot the other day, working in a studio, and we had a concept, a visual style and an idea when we begun, but the actual execution, we had to sort of figure out on the spot. However, short films are carefully scripted in the form of a screenplay before you start to consider the visual aspects. A script generally has no visual descriptions such as "we see the car drive off into the horizon as the camera rises up" and so on. That's for the cinematographer to decide, as he (or she) is in charge of telling the story visually. The camera is not only observing what is happening, it is actually working as a narrative element, and a very large one. For example, by filming someone from a low angle, you can make them appear threatening and mighty. If you shoot an intense war scene handheld, running amongst the soldiers in war, it feels more real and "in the moment" as opposed to having a super smooth tracking shot from the distance, where it would feel as if we were just observing the battle. There are many more, and better, I'm sure, examples, but that's just a few thoughts surrounding that. In short, the cinematographer has to interpret the script into the visual storytelling, and a shot list is created. He lists and carefully plans out each shot you need to grab in order to be able to tell your story properly. This is often planned with a lot of leeway to facilitate spontaneous decisions and unexpected turns in the editing stages. You would want to give yourself as much coverage of a scene as possible, to make the job easier for the editor. Sometimes, when a scene or a shot doesn't work out, you have to cut your way around it, and that's when it's very useful to have plenty of coverage.
Following the shot lists, storyboards often come in handy, but they're quite rarely actually needed. For a recent music video I did, we sketched super-rough storyboards, scanned them into my Mac and did a quick animated previsualization to the song as a background track. It helped us see whether the pacing or the shots worked, and was a very valuable tool when working on the shot lists in preparation for shooting.
The editor then have to use whatever footage is provided and tell the story. Usually, for a first assembly (a very very rough cut where all the pieces are in place in the right order), you try to follow the script, but it very often becomes apparent what scenes won't work. From there you have to work your way around them and see if you can make it work, as the editor re-interprets how the cinematographer interpreted the director's interpretation of the screenplay. Ultimately, the director's vision is what must be brought out to give the project a sense of unity and consistency, and this is why the director is often excluded from the first editing sessions, so that he'll see the film at the earliest when a first assembly has been made, maybe even later. at this point, his visions still remain intact, and he won't have seen the footage as much as to corrupt his original vision and intent. This way he will see things the editor might not have seen.
Regarding how I structure my videos and edits - it's a very hard thing to answer. I don't really know what you mean - but I guess if you mean in the sense of having a progressive structure, how the plot is composed and in what way the story is told and new information is revealed as we go along, it really depends from project to project. If you mean the workflows, I've already explained them in pretty good detail. To sum up: for card videos, I have a general idea in mind. Wing it while shooting, make sure I get some coverage and some b-roll (of shots that help you edit in case you have insufficient coverage of an event). Then I figure out the structure and how to best assemble it in post production. For a film, you usually have the idea, which you write and refine until you feel it works on paper. You do the shot lists, eventually storyboards, then you shoot it. First assembly, refine it. Test it. Do reshoots if you need any, then you make the first cut, you fine-tune it, lock the final cut, then aesthetic improvements such as visual effects, color grading and so on. Sound design is the last thing to be done - but as I'm not really a sound guy, I shouldn't talk about that.
Whenever shooting something I try to figure out what look I want the video or film to have. Having this look in mind will often aid you in shooting it. You have a conscious choice of colors and themes, and a definite, congruent visual style. Just stick to what you've got, and don't try to change it around just because you can. You want to be dynamic in the sense that it will aid your project, no more, no less. Having a consistent visual style and being conscious of how you're shooting something, and why you choose to shoot it like that, and what it communicates will really improve your projects. Add some working knowledge of lighting and what different types of lighting and looks and use of shadows will communicate, and you've got all you need to be a decent cinematographer, of course along with a very high working knowledge of the technical equipment that serve as your tools.
Anyway. I hope this gave you a little insight into my thought processes, how I work and how films work on a general basis.
Thanks for asking! It was both insightful and helpful for my own sake, writing this, as well. -
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What DVD? ;)
If you're referring to what we filmed the other day - it's not for 'the' Hestnes DVD. It might be for 'a' DVD, but it's most likely not what you think. He's got a few new things up his sleeves, yeah. Some of it can be seen in the (very) short Blackpool 2010 video I expect to hit the internet shortly. :) -
Good question! I find hard to pick just three, but at the moment I find myself doing "Final Veridict" by John Bannon published in Dear Mr Fantasy, Between Your Points of Departure by Earl Nelson, published in Variations Revisited (and the original Variations, too), as well as Everywhere & Nowhere by Bebel, published in the French magic magazine Imagii, more specifically Issue 37, page 6.
There are tons of other routines out there that I enjoy performing, but in general, the material of John Bannon, Earl Nelson and such, I think, are brilliant effects. -
Well. The kind of stuff you'd find in my Spotify/iTunes playlists and on my iPhone (I consider that a good indication as to what kind of music I listen to) would be Muse, Sigur Rós, Mogwai, Death Cab for Cutie and so on. I've also started enjoying Apparatjik and appreciate more electronica and its subgenres lately.
I hope this helps! -
No idea. I've seen the URL floating all over the place, never really decided to sign up until I saw a few of the people I'm following on Twitter use it. Seemed like a neat idea.
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Really hard to say. It's like choosing between your babies. Although, favorite short film has got to be Refleks (eng. title Reflector) from last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4EavyYwc14
I also rather like the Senseless music video we did in January of this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDbG86BKVW8
Thanks for asking! -
Because I'm currently in the process of having it redesigned to be more focused on the film-making, rather than the card stuff. More info to come shortly.
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Allan Hagen’s Bio
Freelance cinematographer/director, film student and hobbyist card magician. I like to travel and hang out with people besides doing what I love.
