Crowd Control And The Call Forward.
-busking techniques and strategies.
Essentially a busker's job is to get them to stop, get them to stay, and get them to pay.
He does this by using entertaining routines that are constructed to guide the spectator to do what he wants them to do.
The name of the game for busking is crowd control.
Below is the breakdown of steps the busker uses to do this.
Notice the busking terms and links for definitions.
The Call Forward.
Today we are going to be talking about the second step, The Call Forward, a very important technique that is the first step in getting the casual spectator to commit to watching your entire show.
In short, The Call Forward is when you tell your first spectators to move in close to you or "Call Them In."
But before a busker can do The Call Forward, a busker must have someone to Call forward in the first place.
So, before The Call Forward, the busker does a Bally Routine or a Trailer to stop the passer-bye.
The Bally Routine builds a seedling crowd that's used to build into a bigger crowd as the show progresses.
If you don't have A Bally, Click here to learn how to make one.
The most effective The Call Forward is an Entertaining Bit and a valid premise to get them to come forward into a tight unified edge.
This will prepare them to come in as a group and meet you, be a family, and to receive The Show Intro that will tell them what to expect in the show and their time with you.
The show Intro is the next step after The Call Forward.
The Premise In A Close Up Show.
The entertaining Bit and valid premise I use to call them in, is to throw a very small object on the ground and then suddenly realize that my spectators will not be able to see it from far away. So I call them in close to see what it is going to do.
The valid premise here, is that they really do need to move forward to see what the small object is going to do.
Without a valid premise they will stand their ground and not move in.
The Premise For A Big Circle Show.
When I do a big circle show, I don't need to move them in close, but I do need to get them into a tight formation to create commitment and to create the feel of a family unit.
So the premise I may use here, is to tell the spectators, that I need them to move into a proper edge, because I want to make the show look like a real professional show and to make room for the people in the back to see better.
A great way of doing this is to have a very long rope on the ground, laid out around you, creating a stage area, and tell them to come up to the rope, which will create a perfect edge around you.
Crowd Control.
Another very very important reason to do The Call Forward, is to keep your crowds orderly and out of the way of traffic, whether it be keeping them out of the street safe from cars, or simply keeping them out of the way of foot traffic trying to get by, which will keep the cops and the shops happy. Not to mention your fellow buskers trying to work in the area.
The Call Forward is merely one aspect of crowd control. If you do not control your crowds you are going to lose a lot of money because you will get more walk offs from uncommitted spectators. You will notice this when half of your crowd walks off without tipping at the end of your show.
Worse yet you will lose the respect of your fellow buskers, the cops, the shops, and people in a hurry, because your crowds are in their way.
If you fail to use crowd control, everyone is going to hate what you're doing and try and run you off the pitch and you will not be able to work there any more.
If you get giant crowds that are sprawled haphazardly, no one thinks you're good at what you do, they think you're a beginner who just figured out how to get crowds, but isn't professional.
I can't tell you how many buskers I've met who worked so hard to get to the point of getting big crowds only to lose any place to work.
Do your duty and control your crowds.
If you do, you'll earn respect quick and triple your money overnight.
Your Pal Jimmy.
Oh boy! Ask and ye shall receive.