Directing the Directors: Training the Directors for Theatrical Illusion Show for 2000 pax

Picture this: the commanding presence of a magician on stage, mesmerizing his audience with grace and aplomb. Just last month, Meta Illusions had the pleasure of empowering the L2 directors of UOB, to do just that.

Welcome to the UOB GTO Dinner & Dance 2019, featuring the dazzling directors of UOB!

It’s one thing for a magician to craft a professional stage act for himself. It’s another to completely customize an entire show for a board of directors to perform, knowing full well that they wouldn’t have the prior experience either.

Of course, nothing is impossible here at Meta Illusions. With no time to lose, our team swiftly kick-started the creative process with the directors

Together, Meta Illusions and UOB agreed on an exciting 4-act performance, one that would build up to a bold, dramatic finale.  But then next came the toughest bit: training. So over 4 intense 4 hour sessions, we worked closely with them, bringing them up to speed with the dos and don’ts of being a stage magician.

But it wasn’t all fun and games with this crash-course on magic! With our close guidance and supervision, the directors worked hard and gradually familiarised themselves with the props, motions and sequences designed for their upcoming show.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and magic is certainly no exception. With their dedication and our direction, these budding magicians learned the ropes and were able to pick up the subtleties fairly quickly. Diligently, they also learned from their mistakes and not before long, were confident and fully ready to take on their Dinner & Dance stage. 

A performance is only as good as the amount of preparation poured into it. On the actual day, we promptly made our way to the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre to get started early with the background work.

Lights, Camera, Action!

With Alexander Yuen coordinating the entire process, the team huddled together for a quick brief. Under a tight schedule leading up to the main event, we had mere hours to set the stage, lights and sounds, as well as run final rehearsals with the directors. The clock was ticking!

The stage was the key platform for our budding magicians to shine that night, so it was only critical that we set it right early for the full performance. Liaising carefully with the lights team, we ensured that it would be precisely illuminated for a captivating night of magic! 

The team began arranging the various props, making sure that everything was aligned clearly and visibly for the night’s audience. This show was made for them after all!

Here at Meta Illusions, it’s the small things that count. Attention to detail was absolutely crucial, so minor adjustments were constantly made until we could get all the perfect arrangements in order.

With multiple props about to be cycled in and out of the 4-act show in a flash, we worked readily to ensure that they could transit smoothly and would function perfectly when it came down it.

With most of the work done we had one last piece to wrap it all up: the ultimate finale!

and expertise, the team was able to improvise, rectifying the problems and adapting to an unfamiliar stage set promptly.

And finally, without further ado, the L2 directors took to the stage and dazzled the guests with their spectacular stage magic!

We dare say that the L2 directors knocked it out of the park with this one! A round of applause to them!

None of this could’ve been accomplished without the efforts of both Team Meta Illusions and UOB. Working closely with them was as fruitful as it was delightful, and we hope that everyone had an enjoyable night of magic at the Dinner & Dance!

Signing off,

Team Meta Illusions

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Article Written by Ryan Yeap, a junior associate magician of Meta Illusions. An excellent card magician and he is on his way to Cambridge to be a lawyer

For more information: info@metaillusions.com

Designing a Customized Illusion Show: Singtel Mambo Jambo Retro Night

In November 2015, I had a brief discussion with Singtel on developing a show as part of their customer appreciation event that would be held in mid-to-late 2016.

The concept was finalized to be about nostalgia and reminiscing the past, witnessing how technology has evolved and how Singtel is at the forefront of this evolution.

Singtel also wanted to showcase their latest Mobile Threat Prevention service that blocks and removes malware in mobile devices. My skills in programming and iPad Magic allowed me to be able to showcase this with a visual simulation of the service.

With this in mind, my magic has to have the element of nostalgia without being old fashion. I designed 2 illusions to showcase various objects from the past. The first illusion was a prediction type effect where a spectator would think of a toy from the 80s and it would match my prediction. And the second illusion was to make a retro toy levitate in mid air.

Check out the video below:

The show progressed to a more modern feel where I borrow a spectator's phone and have it appear inside a Singtel case that has been on stage throughout.

The next segment was the Mobile Threat Prevention feature where I performed my brand of iPad Magic to showcase the effects of malware and the capabilities of the service.

While this was technically the last illusion feature of my show, I wanted to end with an illusion that would punctuate the show as well as show our appreciation to the clients.

For this routine, I made a wine bottle appear and then invited the VIPs to toast the audiences.

The whole process of designing, coding, rehearsing and manufacturing took about 4 months of hard work. But at the end of the night, when the audiences cheer with applause, you know it is worth it! 

Signing Off,

Alexander Yuen (iPad Magician) 

Singapore Magician at HP's DaaS Launch Activation

When it comes to customized magic, my motto is simple:

Don't Tell Them, Show Them.

Instead of adopting a one-way dialogue, I engage my audiences through magic. Using magical effects, I exemplify product features and showcase them to the audiences. Take a look at the diagram below, it might look very technical at first, but with sufficient thought, it can be simplified by magic.

For this HP DaaS activation, the objective of the performance was to:

1. Excite the staff about this new service that HP is offering
2. Educate them on the key features of the service
3. Quiz them on the services with prizes

The way I got around designing the magic was to first understand the brief and develop a script that is cogent. After that, I would think further about how I can show these concepts to the audiences. For example, the DaaS service allows quick and efficient disposal of HP's technological products at the end of the cycle, to showcase this, I make a deck of cards disappear in the hands of an audience member while reiterating the disposal component of DaaS. The training I have as a psychologist have helped me in such divergent thinking. This is something that needs to be improved in most Singapore magicians. 

Being a skilled professional who dresses well certainly made it easier for me to perform in this corporate environment. Since impressions are formed within the first few seconds of interaction, I made sure that I was well dressed and introduced myself with a pleasant demeanor. Of course, being able to perform amazing magic is a must.

With the help of an amazing team from PMG, we were able to quiz the staff and gave them prizes that were thematic to the activation.

In sum, it is not just enough to be able to perform strong magic in such environment. One must be able to understand reports and briefs, communicate effectively and engage audiences visually and intellectually.

The DaaS-ling team from HP!

Signing Off,

Alexander Y (Corporate Singapore Magician)

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Got a product or service to launch and be activated? Want someone to "Show your products instead of telling" them?

Let me help you with it!

Drop me an email at info@metaillusions.com

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