A Chat With d+M

[SAMdiezel]

This was from a long time ago, but I thought you all might find it interesting. I messaged Daniel Madison via Facebook concerning crediting him for an effect of his that I performed and planned on posting the performance on the internet. This was his response:

"I once dented my image by posting Saw on youtube and titling it 'Saw.' This led the spectator/participant to search and find the method online, as a result I lost a booking as the person in question believed what he saw to be 'real.'
I understand and respect anybody who chooses to remove credits, this helps keep the illusion alive.
Best

D"

Very well written IMO. Thoughts?

 

[j.bayme]

This would depend entirely on the circumstances. If you're showing something to other magicians, or publishing a new take on an existing effect to the magic community - proper credits, historical references, and (in some cases) permission would be essential.

However, if you're performing for spectators, it would be very strange to stop a performance and say "that last illusion was originally published by Daniel Garcia in 1957 in the Magic Man Examiner" unless the history is some part of your patter (which, depending on your persona, may or may not make sense).

David Copperfield certainly doesn't stop in the middle of his performance to thank Chris Kenner, Homer Liwag, Gary Ouellet, and Alain Choquette - but he does thank those individuals in the credits that run at the end of a television special. Giving credit where credit is due is essential, but you don't need to be educating your spectators on where and how to learn your secrets.

 

[Vorezo]

Isnt that what they did on the TA set. Bro Gilbert would kind of... well give credit to invented it... sorta.. in a performance. I thought that was kind of weird, even though they did it with positive intentions, i just didn't get it.

 

[praetoritevong]

Isnt that what they did on the TA set. Bro Gilbert would kind of... well give credit to invented it... sorta.. in a performance. I thought that was kind of weird, even though they did it with positive intentions, i just didn't get it.

Yes, I thought that was poor performing. Although I liked the set overall, I don't think much of his performance from that sample. Ricky Jay, on the other hand, is hilarious and meticulous about crediting mid performance. It suits him, it's absolute genius, and easily one of the most entertaining magical things I've ever seen, I've watched it way too many times and the jokes still make me laugh, and the sleights still fool me.

JB is absolutely right on this one, though. Depends on time and circumstance. Speaking of which, time to edit some old YouTube videos!

 

[Jacob]

I think that on a YouTube video, it isn't necessary to post the name of the effect or who its from but, if posted on a forum or Media section like Theory 11, it is appropriate to state the effect and its creator on the forum.

 

[magicbysage]

"that last illusion was originally published by Daniel Garcia in 1957 in the Magic Man Examiner"

Danny looks pretty sprightly for his 60's.

 

[Elite Prestidigitation]

If I posted a video or performed to an audience I would not title it and credit it....I rather take the credit myself.

 

[saborfang17]

If I posted a video or performed to an audience I would not title it and credit it....I rather take the credit myself.

Come up with your own magic, and don't go crediting stuff anyway. I never name tricks or creators unless they ask where I learned it, in which case I usually just say a book/dvd or I created it.

Post edited by moderator for profanity. Please assist us in maintaining a positive, professional environment.

 

[S.G]

Come up with your own magic, and don't go crediting stuff anyway. I never name tricks or creators unless they ask where I learned it, in which case I usually just say a book/dvd or I created it.

Post edited by moderator for profanity. Please assist us in maintaining a positive, professional environment.

Looks like EP wins again...

 

[Elite Prestidigitation]

Yes because I am an elite..Victory gravitates towards me....

Come up with your own magic, and don't go crediting stuff anyway. I never name tricks or creators unless they ask where I learned it, in which case I usually just say a book/dvd or I created it.

I do come up with my own effects... however I find it easier to master the effects of others and pass them as my own...Is not like laymen know who Stephen Minch is anyways...My money credited them enough...If you tell people you learned your material from someone else then you look just like a cover band.....

 

[CaseyRudd]

Yes because I am an elite..Victory gravitates towards me....



I do come up with my own effects... however I find it easier to master the effects of others and pass them as my own...Is not like laymen know who Stephen Minch is anyways...My money credited them enough...If you tell people you learned your material from someone else then you look just like a cover band.....

I agree. When I'm out performing, I don't want a layman knowing where I got my tricks from. I say most of the time "I made it up myself." It's not like you're talking to a magician who would know what the source is. They are a spectator just wanting to know how it's done and will never perform it, so I say I made it up myself to shy them away. They know I'm not not gonna give up the secret to the trick....

If you are showing it to a magician and they ask where did you learn that, I say I learned it from this book, or this DVD, ect. Like let's say I was doing Bureau d'Echange from By Forces Unseen. When talking to a layman, my response would be "I made this up myself. When talking to a magician, I would say " I learned this from Earnest Earick's book By Forces Unseen, written by Stephen Minch."

There is a very distinct difference in those two answers.

-Casey

 

[Zeedub81]

I agree. When I'm out performing, I don't want a layman knowing where I got my tricks from. I say most of the time "I made it up myself." It's not like you're talking to a magician who would know what the source is. They are a spectator just wanting to know how it's done and will never perform it, so I say I made it up myself to shy them away. They know I'm not not gonna give up the secret to the trick....

-Casey

Yes, because then they couldn't possibly look it up online, because, as far as they are concerned, you are the only one who knows how it is done.

 

[notsoltd]

I always just say I taught myself how to do it.

Not really saying I created it and its all mine, but still not crediting anyone to where they could go search it up