OK we all do it! We see something that looks awesome on video or written up so well that we think we have to have it? But how many times are we disappointed with our purchases? While this thread won't be the definitive be all to evaluate effects, I offer it perhaps as a starting place to analyze what may be right for you.

1. We must learn to read between the lines.

A. Just because something says for instance no sleights necessary doesn't mean it doesn't use slight of hand. It just means it's not necessary, which really means nothing because the effect will probably look better with sleight of hand.

B. Nothing extra needed, we provide you with everything you need to get started right away. Well fist of all if you can do this right away, then how good can it be? Magic takes work it's not instantaneous. But lets suppose that by some miracle it is that easy to learn, many times the manufacture will assume you already have something you need. This is especially true with DVD's.

C. A sell out at the last magic convention. We don't know how many they brought to the convention? Maybe they had one and sold it? That would indeed be a sell out.

D. Many great names in magic have already given it their endorsement. Like in all branches of entertainment, creators of magic have learned that if they give something away to a celebrity, they can often get some "word of mouth" advertising that will push their product. This is the whole idea behind the gift bags at say the academy awards shows. Same is true in magic, if you give something away, chance are you can get somebody to say some good things about it.

E. Priced to keep the curious away. Just a justification for overcharging you. What would keep the curious away is not offering it in the first place.

F. For working professionals only. Another justification for overcharging.

G. Nothing else like it. There is always something LIKE it, you just have to do you research. All effects have to come from someplace and that someplace is what's come before.

H. No expense has been spared. OK a million dollars went into this? Sure it did?

I. 5 years in the making. The time it took to get it to market. No relation to how good an effect is.

J. Amaze, Bewilder, Fool, your friends. Probably not a professional routine.

K. Direct from my own show. Be careful with such statements as often this just mean that it suits that performer and wouldn't work for you. Also most performers don't want to compete with themselves, so they may leave things out "the real work", so that you can never look as good as they do.

I could go on and on and will come back with more on the subject but for now just remember that they are trying to sell you something and in business anything goes.

Till next time.

Cheers.

Most of these are pretty true. There are diamonds in the rough.

This is why I go rsvpmagic.com all the time many diamonds

Definitely some truth in that list.

I, personally, do my best to be very straight forward about my stuff. It always does what it "says on the tin". When I released my card at number effect "Convergence", I even said in the ad copy that it's not a holy grail ACAAN. Might not seem like such a good idea to make that statement but I didn't want people who bought it to be mislead into thinking that it was going to fulfill their dreams and make them a magic god. It still sold extremely well, though.

Cool list, how true.
Cameron, your stuff is great. Thanks for keeping it real.

Cameron's Annihilation Deck is the only gimmicked deck I carry

The ability to "cut through the hype" and "read between the lines" so you'll know what you're buying before you put your money on the line is something that is only gained through EXPERIENCE. And that is the one thing that a lot of subscribers to forums like the Café seem unwilling to invest the time, effort and -- last but hardly least -- expense to acquire.

A seeker of wisdom once asked a guru "What is the secret of success?"

The guru replied "Good judgment."

"And how does one acquire good judgment?" the seeker inquired.

"Experience" said the guru.

And the seeker asked "How do I gain experience?"

"Bad judgment" answered the guru.

Very true.

And thank you, Blindside. I'm honored.

True that, but a list can and will help those who have not yet spent the 10s of thousands I have. It won't save them much, but maybe a couple a hundred or two?

Cheers

More to come.

Saving a couple of hundred or two is a lot of money for me.

And your welcome.

Come back soon for more.

Sorry, I did not thank you for the tips you wrote up.

My bad.

Rule #789. Never get hyped up about self-levitations on the magic Café.

I actually took your first response as a thank you.

No worries.

Ok in my first post I was talking mostly about the written word. I'd like to try in this segment to address video presentations. Remember these are my views, not the definitive view of how to evaluate hype.

When I watch a demo vid these are the things I look for.

1. Is the entire trick filmed from start to finish? Often times only a brief look at the trick is offered, and then quick cuts to the reactions of spectators. This can all be editing and, may not be honestly representative of what's going on.

2. Is the vid shot from different angles or just straight on. Chances are, if only shot from say a straight on view, the trick is very angle sensitive, and wouldn't work surrounded. So if that's important like in a busking situation, you may want to leave it alone.

3. I listen to what is said and apple the things I've posted about written hype. The words used in marketing have been used for decades because they work. Today we even have to contend with the psychological techniques used by social psychologists to get our money.

4. I usually shun special effects like the negative image. Not that special effects aren't nice to look at but I figure if they are using them in the commercial what would prevent them for using them in the effect?

Well that's just a beginning, and I'll come back with more, but I truly dislike typing, so that's all for now.

Till next time.

Peace.

"No wires, no strings, no threads!" means 'Rubber bands'.

"No Rubber Bands, no strings, no threads!" means wires.

I got my first education in magic from the Abbott's catalog. Parsing different descriptions of similar effects led to a larger understanding of how things work.

What they leave out is sometimes more important than what they leave in.

Good thread.

If pre-show work is so acceptable as a legitimate method for accomplishing miracles, why do so many effect ads deny it so vehemently as a part of their method?

My favorite: "Perform it close-up and surrounded!"
Translation: "They'll all immediately figure out how it's done, but where did we say you could perform it close-up and surrounded and still FOOL them?"

Also, describing an effect from the spectator's POV in an ad is fine, but only if they describe what the spectator sees, as opposed to what the seller thinks the spectator "remembers," which is a fuzzy concept at best that of course will vary from spectator to spectator. This is a tough one to catch if there are no cues in the ad copy, or if terms of art such as "free choice," which should put the effect in a particular category, are misused. The original marketing copy and demo video of "Cansposed" comes to mind.