Lesson from the Road: What Not To Do

IN my six months on tour, co-starring in a grand illusion show, I believe I learned a lot more of what not to do than what really makes a successful show.

That may sound a bit pretentious, but that's actually the truth.  The organization I was with and the man I worked for actually taught me more about the pitfalls of unprofessionalism than what makes a great illusion show.

For starters, let's get the big stuff out of the way.  As an employer, this man claimed to be very "anti-drama," and in fact had a no tolerance, one-strike policy concerning drama in the workplace.  The application, the job advertisements he posted, everywhere it was made very clear he didn't tolerate drama.  In fact, had fired an entire staff and started fresh because he was tired of the drama associated with that staff.
The irony? Every single issue, every dramatic element anyone ever encountered while on this crew stemmed from the boss himself.  The man created the very drama he railed against, lived in quite possibly the most dramatic atmosphere because he made it that way.  I doubt very seriously the man could have a decent day, by anyone else's standards, because his world isn't fine unless there is something wrong.

The real problems stemmed from basic issues, I believe, of business 101.  Here is a list of "Don't's" that I've picked up over the last half year just from watching my boss:

*Don't hire someone just because you want to fuck them.
*Don't hire someone just because they want to fuck you.
*Don't threaten your employees to get results.  Especially not for every task you assign.
*Don't talk bad about everyone behind their backs.  People quickly realize you talk shit about everyone, and everyone gladly takes sides against you.
*Don't break laws just to assert your supposed authority.  (smoking in a strictly non-smoking building was the annoying one)
*Don't pretend like you know everything.  Your, "I've been doing this 11 years and this is the way I've always done it and that's how we're going to do it!" doesn't cut it in this economy.  Either you want a good show or not, and either you'll listen to countless people who have told you to fix the same things or you will sink. Period.
*Don't spend your payroll money on an ATV, or new boat, or new car, or videogames, or tattoos, or liquor, or drugs for your boyfriend.
*Don't take all the money you make off one show and sink into cheap, ridiculous halloween props you get at the mall just to "dress up the stage."  It gets in the way, and you pay WAY too much for it at a retail store.
*If a prop is broken, don't say, "well, lets see if we can fake through it for this week and we'll fix it later, I'm tired."
*Don't be such an obvious drug addict, especially when your show preaches about the dangers of doing drugs.

Those are just the highlights...

I will write more about the theory behind a GOOD show tomorrow...

Website Critique

    I don't typically go on long-winded rants about how much I hate mediocrity (okay, maybe I do, but this is special).  I stumbled onto a website that "sells" stuff.  At first I almost clicked away because it looked like just another shit job that someone threw together -- until I realized this child is trying to pass off this templated cheap (free) website as a professional job, bragging on forums to his friends that he made it himself.  This debacle is nothing more than a cheap sham fabricated by a youth dying for the approval of his peers, forgetting altogether the fact that it's a real website and therefor blinding himself to just how horrible it is.
    Enjoy.
    www.cardfinesse.com

~Aaron

Subtle Stage Alteration

I noticed, while watching a video over on WMF, that one video was particularly horrible.  Now, I know there were huge things wrong, but one tiny thing I noticed that I had never noticed before and would like to address...

When you are on stage and you are introducing your assistant (in this case, to music), stop moving.  Don't half-assed dance while you wait, especially if she's dancing onto the stage.  It's distracting.  Do your movement to draw the audiences attention to whichever direction she's entering, then stop moving.  You'll thank me, later.

Products

I hate this trend of releasing material that isn't new, and obviously ISN'T property of the guy releasing it. I can understand releasing notes on a different presentation or a modification of the handling, but when you're releasing a well-known bill switch and claiming it's new and completely unique (and obviously, obviously isn't).. THAT is morally wrong.

http://www.elmwoodmagic.com/?nd=full&key=7894

A better calling?

I need to stop browsing artistic websites. Mainly deviantArt, but a few others come to mind. Whenever I see poor, shoddy work -- whether it be the victim of a lazy artist or they just didn't know better -- I feel compelled to help and let them know what can be improved and, more importantly, how.

So, which is the better path? Focus that effort into improving my own crafts, or continue to help where I see the need? I hate seeing lazy work. Edges of subjects "magic wanded" away, careless selections before major filters are run, poor blending, bad photography technique, etc. It's very frustrating. Card tricks with no decent patter, shitty sleight of hand, stealing jokes (not just that, but usually BAD, UNFUNNY jokes seems to be more common), and worst of all: blatant stealing of entire effects with no changes or credit to the originator. I know it's rampant -- and there is nothing I can do to eliminate it... but it really pisses me off.

However (there's always a however), part of me wants to not say a single thing and just use that as motivation to keep all of my material top-notch and more unique than most. Greedy? I think so. But at least I feel like I should do something...

Any thoughts?