talkmagic.co.uk

The4thCircle wrote:
Though the effect is great, the way it's shown on the trailer makes it look like the guy wearing the ring is actually making a cry for help. "PLEASE TALK TO ME, I'm SO ALONE".

I see your point here, but put yourself in the spectators shoes, if you saw a stranger wearing a ring made form a dollar bill would you ask them about it? It may be as hard for a curious spectator to ask you about the ring as it is for a shy magician to approach someone and get them interested in the magic. All Ringer 2.0 is doing is turning the tables and letting the spectator apparently make the first move.

Does it feel more natural for a magician to approach someone with a deck of cards, or for a spectator to essentially ask about a curious object without realizing something magical will happen?

What I can't stand are products with names such as:

[INSERT NAME HERE] 2.0

hds02115 wrote:What I can't stand are products with names such as:

[INSERT NAME HERE] 2.0

Anyone know where that started?

First 2.0 I saw was Extreme Burn, but I'm guessing I'm kind of new in this game.

-Stacy

Ooh, getting back on topic:

"The final word on X"
or
"The only X you'll ever need"

Where X is an effect or gimmick which is as old as the hills.

Particularly amusing when there are three or four near identical effects stating the same thing, released around the same time.

-Stacy

hds02115 wrote:What I can't stand are products with names such as:

[INSERT NAME HERE] 2.0

If we didn't call the FMT2 the FMT2, how would we differentiate between it and he FMT1? Mind you, the difference between technologies is 100% so they warrant a complete version number. Just shovelling out the same with a few changes really only merits version 1.1 status.

Oooh, just thought of one: "AWESOME!!!!!"

Tomo wrote:

hds02115 wrote:What I can't stand are products with names such as:

[INSERT NAME HERE] 2.0

If we didn't call the FMT2 the FMT2, how would we differentiate between it and he FMT1? Mind you, the difference between technologies is 100% so they warrant a complete version number. Just shovelling out the same with a few changes really only merits version 1.1 status.

But that's just it. No one released 1.1 of anything. They go from 1.0 to 2.0, and presumably at some point someone will have the stones to release a 3.0.

the point zero is useless information. It's like when Spock says "collision in 3.4565395739567764027 seconds captain." like the extra decimal places matter.

Releasing Version 2 of something is totally valid. Giving it a fancy title kicker like 'Extended' 'Revisited' 'Improved' all make sense. But 2.0 like it was some kind of software iterative process?

Please....

-Stacy

I told my girlfriend about all this magic marketing and extreme advertising and she couldn't stop laughing at how pathetic it sounded.really really rediculous.

The question is who is worse the fool or the fool who follows?

I REALLY Loved reading this thread. So true!
As a dealer I'm reading this stuff as a full time job and it annoys the hell out of me too.
I think one of the reasons is the creators of the products tend to write their own descriptions, and as it's their 'baby' think its the most wonderful effect ever made.

Most magic shops import descriptions from wholesalers and can't rewrite them. We looked into do it. I could probably rewrite say, 5 product descriptions per day, so that would take around 6-8 years to complete.

With magic trailers, I think the creators of the trick often tend to try to show you the effect as if you were a spectator not another magician watching the performance. As a spectator, the off beat moments go unnoticed and you too are caught up in the reactions of those around you. I don't know if this is good, but seems to be the popular way to do it. Big selling tricks have their description style copied, and so it goes on. A kind of Darwinism in the evolution of magic descriptions lol.

Another reason may be because most sales come, not from experienced magicians but beginners who are searching for that 'next incredible trick' that is missing from their act. The description writers are 'selling a dream' as much as a trick.

I try to make sure all the team know to to cut through that when advising a customer, so when a visitor chats with us, ee can give a no BS evaluation of the trick. Its always worth talking to your fav dealer in person before investing in a new item you are going to send a great deal of time working on and performing.

If you can, visit a real bricks and mortar first and get it demmed or at least discuss it with the shop first. It's well worth it and good magic shops love to help in that way.

Many shops are happy to video skype with you to show you more about the trick, and that can be invaluable.

I guess you can't always judge a book by it's cover and that applies to magic too, so involve your dealer too, as its their job to help you and make sure the magic trick is right for you. Talk to the sales team, as should tell you exactly what they think of each new trick. I know I insist mine do.

We are writing an article on this subject for the Magic blog http://blog.magicshop.co.uk as I think it's a great subject.

Thanks once again for a great post to read. Do you fancy a part time job rewriting a load of our product descriptions? If you do, drop us a line and we can discuss it.

Best wishes
Dominic Reyes

Fun though that job sounds (and I'm not being sarcastic it does sound kind of fun) I already have a full time job which eats half my weekends.

I think you're right about the evolution and it's a sort of parallel to tv advertising. When tv adverts came out they were purely there to show people that a product existed ("Bizzo makes washing powder. It washes clothes. Buy it") but soon they needed some extra edge as similar products started to share shelf space.

That's when we started to get "New Improved Bizzo! Fat free! No oxidants!" and "the best washing powder ever!"

Tv adverts for household products have had longer to develop so they've moved away from that, but it might be interesting to consider what else might leak into magic trailers from tv adverts.

The made up chemicals in shampoo ads like "now with nutrillium-shinide" sort of have their parallel in the names some sleights are given.

"9 out of 10 audiences preferred this torn and restored over our biggest competitor"

One thing consumer products have is diversification of their product line to make people feel like they've got something just right for them (hence why most hair products come in 50 flavours). Brand new 3fly handling for dry skinned performers maybe?

As bad as things are in magic trailers, if they're currently grinding through advertising tropes from the 1970s, we should keep in mind that they could be a lot worse... And may yet go that way.

Remain ever vigilant.

-Stacy

Ooh, back on the concept of sh*t magic trailers say, something non verbal:

Sound effects!

Commonly seen in rubber band magic and effects that have a snap change or instant production. A deep booming noise like reality being torn from inside. Of course when you perform it you don't get that. It just goes click or twang.

-Stacy

Use this effect to really impress the opposite sex

yeah, right ?

So, audiences are never impressed with a magician's natural charm, humour and personality ?
What they really want to see is a card changing colour using a new form of special double undercutting side stealing top change and they will become totally orgasmic.

in your dreams.

Discombobulator wrote:What they really want to see is a card changing colour using a new form of special double undercutting side stealing top change and they will become totally orgasmic.

in your dreams.

Sounds like you're just not doing it right old chum?

*runs off to research magicial orgasm effect*

this topic is absolute genius!! unfortunately being a bit of a newbie to the magic world these trailers catch me and i end up buying something rubbish i never use or don't ever have any intention of using!!

I am quickly accumulating a "bottom drawer" of things i have used once!!

much love

Aza

Any magic ad that starts with the word "Imagine..."

To me, that's a bit like a cinema trailer that starts with the line "In a world where..."