I have some very SHOCKING news for everyone, especially those who make magic DVDs.

I bought a Ball & Vase that included an instructional DVD all for under $6. It is a plastic Ball & Vase, a cute little gem from Andy Comic magic tricks.

The SHOCKING news is that the instructional DVD included SUBTITLES. Yep, someone had enough sense to include something that is LONG everdue. Because of this, I can now go out with confidence and entertain people using patter that I am not afraid to try.

I started magic about 2 years ago and have so many DVDs that I cannot stand to look at because they do not include Subtitles or Closed-Captioning. This has always been a discouraging effect that I get from these DVDs, they are too boring to watch. Yap, yap, yap, yap they go on and on and on, and I cannot hear a thing. What a waste!

If Andy Comic can sell a trick and a DVD with subtitles all for less than $6, then everyone else that sells their DVD for an average $30 without subtitles or closed-captioning is full of GREED!

As you can see I am angry, very angry. I feel cheated by their lack of respect. From this day on I ABSOLUTELY refuse to buy another DVD from anyone until the day they do the right thing to include Closed-Captioning or Subtitles.

Do I have a right to complain? ABSOLUTELY! I don't really think I am asking too much from them, NO WAY!

Hey madkiki,

don't get angry with all the other companies. In fact, I think that if you are going to get upset, should probably be upset with Andy Comic magic tricks. By putting the sub-titles they are sending the message that they don't think that the people who purchase the DVD are even going to be able to come up with their own unique performance.

Doc Eason once told me a story about when he was in the Magic Castle. A young guy came up to him and performed Doc's three card monte routine, word-for-word. He told me that he was absolutely stunned and didn't know how to react. It took him a few seconds to get back then he patted the guy on the head and said that next time he wanted to see more of that guy in the performance not himself(Doc).

You need to watch a performance, then come up with your own patter and then perform that. Make your performance your own. What's the point of having 90 Doc Easons in the world if only the original patter works for the original Doc. Make it your own madkiki performance.

I don't think subtitles are good.

Fraser Orr-Brown

I have been hearing impaired since birth and have always wondered what it is that people say, and because of all that wondering I don't know what to say. It's like body building, you got to lift weights to get bigger. If you want good social skills, you have to go out and socialize, but this only works if you know what is being said.

Before I can begin to use my own patter I have to know what others are saying. Most people who can hear have the advantage of hearing others before they even begin to think of their own material.

NEVER tell a deaf person what is important or not important to hear, let them have the freedom to decide for themselves. Close-Captioning and Subtitles is the answer. It's that simple.

If there was any truth to what you were saying, then those other companies can forget about saying anything at all. Just a 5 second visual demonstration without patter or any sound. This would cut the value of those DVDs to about less than $2. Who on earth would want to buy that?

After 2 years of studying magic, I am fully aware that it's best to come up with my own presentation/patter.

Those DVD are not just talking about presentation/patter, but other things as well. What those other things are, I don't have a clue.

Gee I wonder why?

Subtitles for hearing impaired? Sounds like a great idea.
I doubt greed enters into it.
Lack of foresight and understanding, yeah that's it.

I apologize if I sounded rude. I must have taken your message a bit too lightly. The yap, yap, yap part of the message was when you made reference to your hearing impairment and I took it metaphorically. I thought that you meant that because of the lack of subtitles you couldn't catch what the magician was saying and couldn't possibly write it all down or memorize it. Obviously if I had known this I would not have posted it. I do not need a reminder of what I should or should not be telling a deaf person what to say. You could have made the original message a lot more clear by mentioning your hearing impairment a bit better.



Don't be rude. I was trying to help. and I didn't catch the full message because of lack of information.

So I apologize for the mis-understanding.

Fraser

And I agree with Jerrine for the lack of understanding and foresight. I'm pretty sure that they don't mean to be greedy. You can always write L and L Publishing or other publishers and suggest it.

Fraser

Yep...what a great idea! Hopefully the other companies will "hear" about this and add subtitles so that EVERYONE will be able to get the most from their products.

Mark.

Madkiki,

Like Frasier, I don't think greed is behind it. It's more likely that the producers of magic videos simply never considered the idea. Your post above is the first time I've ever seen anyone ask for subtitles. (Although, I admit, I haven't really been paying attention.)

But if they had considered subtitles and rejected the idea, a more likely reason would be time considerations. Subtitle production can only begin after all editing is finalized -- only then can a transcriber do up the subtitle script and the subtitles can be timed accurately to the program. If a producer wants to rush the DVD out to the distributors, those extra days and weeks might be a hard thing to accept.

On the other hand, they would be overlooking additional possible sales when they exclude subtitles. Not only the hearing impaired, but also those for whom English is a second language. Many non-native English speaking friends make use of English subtitles to supplement their understanding of Hollywood films or TV shows.

One more thing. I've worked for companies that do video production in the past (in a different industry than magic), and it's hard to compare the cost of production between companies or even between different projects in the same company. Just because a 6-dollar trick with a DVD has subtitles doesn't mean that companies selling 30-dollar DVDs can afford extra expenses. Ball and Vase requires no royalties to anyone. Did the talent get paid? There are too many variables in the video industry to make generalizations.

Still, I hope your ambition is fulfilled. I think that subtitles would be an asset to magic videos.
Bill

I can see the problem though. It must be terribly anoying

ADA compliant DVD's - nice touch.