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i think i know how he did it but i need help making it look good

Sorry I think you are on your own. My advice is that if you like it then you could try to make it yourself, then refine it. But where are you hoping to perform this? It's a pretty ridiculous illusion if you ask me, but never mind...

Do undertstand however, that this effect is an exclusive of Mr. C's and he don't really care who you may think you are, he will take you to court and make your life a living hell if you try to copy it... he's just that kind of guy.

The Laser Cutting was designed by Andrew Mayne and sold to David as an exclusive peice. My recommendation is that you just walk away and don't even try.

r u serious???!!?!?!? we cant even make it ourself and do it? so he basically copyrighted a magic trick?

carey wrote:so he basically copyrighted a magic trick?

No, he bought it and also the performance rights. Of course there's nothing to stop anyone making their own version and doing it at home but as soon as you do it anywhere else you'd be breaching copyright legislation.

all i wanted to do was make my own version of the trick and make a video of me doing and post it on youtube. jwould that be ok???

Are you willing to deal with a court case? That's what you need to ask yourself.

David can be a very nasty person when it comes to people stepping into his world. He's kept effect developers from being allowed to do their own tricks for years, so what do you think he'd do to a virtually unknown person?

so if i came up with some amazing trick then i could copyright it and sue anyone who did it? i guess i just dont understand how u can keep people from doing a magic trick. i'll pass on it then

carey wrote:so if i came up with some amazing trick then i could copyright it and sue anyone who did it? i guess i just dont understand how u can keep people from doing a magic trick. i'll pass on it then

You have to look at it from a business perspective. It's all a part of keeping himself unique and making himself stand out. Mr. Copperfield paid a hefty sum (I'm sure) for the rights to perform the effect, as such - why should others be allowed to cop the method and do it for free?

I look at it this way. Basically, you're asking why it's not ok for you to come up with your own way to present the same effect. To me, that's like asking if it's ok to write and release a song by U2, so long as I play it on a pan flute. Yes, it's a different presentation - but it's still the same song.

Think of it like that. And while we're at it - yes, if you develop your own effect and copyright it - yes, you CAN sue anyone who uses it without your permission. That's why we have copyright laws.

thank u for clearing it up and i will be thinking very hard on a new effect over the next couple of days here (or weeks:)

Carey

You have to understand that the world of big illusion (most particularly) is very cut-throat. When Ken and I first introduced Shadow Vision I dropped off video of the effect at David's warehouse as well as Siegfred's office... in the 15 minutes it took me to get home from Siegfred's he & Roy had watched it and the phone was ringing as I came through the door... it was a first come, first serve situation. S&R paid extra money for a 2 year performance exclusive within the greater Las Vegas area as well as North American broadcast rights. David called me sounding a bit wounded and quickly decided to visit the shop in order to see what else we could offer him that was as unique.

These big illusions sell for tens of thousands of dollars when they first hit the market. A piece like SV going for around $15,000.00 or more and that's almost average for those effects that aren't classified as being "show stoppers"... effects, such as the Flying, start at around $50,000.00 which is why there are fewer than a dozen and a half acts world wide using it (not all in the same manner).

Even in my world, the world of the Mentalist, there are codes and techniques that are so highly guarded no one knows who else has it, only that less than X number of booklets or whatever, are in circulation. Material that sometimes sold for tens of thousands of dollars for a page or two of hand-written notes.

Magic is fun, exciting and inspiring but it is a BUSINESS and it can get very nasty, very fast when it comes to treading too heavily on another person's toes, as it were. The other thing I'll warn you on, is your creativity... embrace it but know that chances are strong that at least 3/4s of what you come up with won't be "original"... that's a very ugly truth most of us have to deal with. But, if you can come up with an idea even once a week and work on it all week long until you have at least a half-dozen ways of accomplishing the same effect, then you have a very good chance of beating the odds and too, establishing yourself as a sound thinker and creative mind in the craft.

STUDY... learn all you can about technique, construction, lighting, costume use, etc. and then dream... take your vision and work backwards, that's how magic is created!

i like how u say "take your vision and work backwards." i ask people like my brother to tell me some type of an effect that he would think is impossible. then i try and think of ways to make that effect possible. that's how i figure out most tricks that i see.

I think you guys take it a bit too far.
I find it hard to believe DC will sue someone for breaching copyright legislation if he performed something that only remotely works like his laser illusion. I'm not talking about fully copying the effect; I'm talking about performing something of similar nature.
For example, the first time I saw this DC effect I thought about combining it in a routine with bisection, and in that way only using the methodology on the torso and performing it in a VERY deferent way. I find it hard to believe such a thing will be considered as breaching copyright legislation, and not to mention hold in court.

No matter how 'nice’ people are or seem to be, the big names are not just on their own, they have lawyers, accountants, business advisors, researchers, assistants, venues, advertisers, publicists etc all depending on the performer’s activities for their income. Any threat to that income will have to be dealt with seriously to make sure nobody else tries the same thing. OK, you might be able to do something in your own locality for a while but you’re certainly on fragile ground the longer you do it.

I find that many tricks of this nature can only be amazing when done on stage. Otherwise (without the music, smoke, and stage props) it seems to flat. Although, if it works out for you, good job.