Dannydoyle wrote:
It is odd how your borrowed, recently filled can has no drops. That took me out of the belief that the can could possibly be borrowed.

Are you using pre sales to fund the video tutorials? I know this is popular now.

On Jan 20, 2026, Johannes Mengel wrote:

Quote:

On Jan 20, 2026, davidpaul$ wrote:
Respectfully then, again, why edit the performance video? This has been a concern for many posting. Doesn't make sense based on how fooling the effect is even for an experienced magician.
 :confused:

David, as you can read in my last message just two posts up from your post: "the routine is probably more fooling to magicians than I ORIGINALLY thought."

And yes, this question has been raised several times - just like it has been answered several times.

But let me copy paste the answers already given for easy reading again:

Watching a performance IN PERSON and watching A VIDEO are FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT, because...

Between being able to:

1. replay a video over and over, and
2. slowing it down
3. pausing it, zooming in etc

...even pretty fantastic mechanics and misdirection can be caught out WHEN IT'S IN VIDEO.

Magic is created to be performed BY magicians not TO them, it’s an experience crafted for laymen. And the trailer successfully demonstrates what this experience for laymen is, which is the point of a trailer.

The trailer shows a clear enough performance video from the spectator's perspective 0:31-0:51

There are 15 different versions and it is not reasonable to show the same trick from the beginning to the end 15 times in 15 different ways. I showed maybe only half of the versions that come with the system/masterclass, which is a standard practice with a project on that scale -  just like with any other comprehensive masterclass or a book with several routines - the trailer is not going to demonstrate every single thing in the masterclass or book.

I hope this helps!

On Jan 21, 2026, davidpaul$ wrote:
I read all your posts and the repost "AGAIN" for "EASY READING". Thanks I think. Respectfully you can repost as many times as you like, I and others still disagree.

why edit the performance video? Doesn't make sense based on how fooling the effect is even for an experienced magician.

On Jan 20, 2026, Johannes Mengel wrote:

Quote:

Dannydoyle wrote:
It is odd how your borrowed, recently filled can has no drops. That took me out of the belief that the can could possibly be borrowed.

Danny, you don't need belief for this, you need logic.

Either:

A.
The effect can be performed with a borrowed can as I say or...

B.
1) The scene in the trailer where 2 guys perform it twice with their own can is STAGED and the person is paid to say: "I would say it is fake, but this is real - it was HIS can and he did it himself."
2) Cyril does not know what he is talking about when he says: "This is genuinely the best BORROWED can routine I've seen!"
3) Gregory Wilson does not know what he is talking about or doesn't care about his reputation.
4) I'm not aware of the consequences of publicly executing my reputation and character by shooting myself in the face by making a claim about this being possible with a borrowed can when in reality it isn't.

How much liquid comes or doesn't come out depends on how long a can has been laying there and I really didn't think that not zooming in on liquid drops might become an issue.

Quote:

Are you using pre sales to fund the video tutorials? I know this is popular now.

As you have probably read on the website:

"PS! Pre-ordering helps me as an independent creator to manage all the costs it takes to deliver the project with highest quality."

If you are looking for an expanded answer and deeper understanding then... As an independent creator I'm covering absolutely all costs it takes to release a product:

1. Trick/routine development
2. Product production
3. Delivery mechanisms/platform
4. Marketing costs
5. Customer support

This is all an immense amount of work, which also takes considerable amount of time and financial investment BEFORE I make a single sale. Pre-sales help me to better manage all the upfront costs of a product release and also makes it more doable for me to do "pre-customer service" - for example being available here for everyone in the Cafe and answering everyone's questions and concerns.

When releasing with retailers I don't have to worry about traffic at all, they have a million people in their lists to send the announcement to and sales start coming in. But being independent I have to now reach those people myself and doing ads and marketing takes money. I'm just hoping it doesn't take the majority of the sales as it does going through the retailers, but maybe I'm wrong.

I also obsess about my teaching/tutorials as much as I obsess about refining my effects. I refine and re-do my tutorials just like I refine and re-do my routines when I'm developing an effect. Shooting a tutorial can easily be a month of work for me. For example I have the masterclass filmed already, which I'm sure the majority of you would be happy with - just like I had the version to perform the trick in the hands of a spectator already more than 10 years ago - but if I MYSELF know that I haven't done my best yet, then I'm not going to put it out yet and keep working on it.

And if anyone is interested about the payoff of doing something like this then... I'm doing all of that with absolutely no guarantees that I even break even. I would be better off just working with a minimum wage than investing my time and resources into a project such as this. But this is the price I pay for doing something I love and care about and I hope by becoming an independent creator and creating a bigger and loyal following, I can make pursuing this passion more feasible and be able to locate more hours to creating and releasing magic I love to people who love it as well.

Johannes

On Jan 21, 2026, Dannydoyle wrote:
Why do so many "magic creators" use an appeal to authority logical fallacy? I don't care what anyone says. There will be liquid in the can when you are done.

On Jan 21, 2026, lunatik wrote:
That is a valid point that there will inevitably be liquid still in the can and when tipped upside down, soda will be on ones hand. Unless either you or the spectator are taking the can and shaking it vigorously, some soda will spill out.

Unless that part was taken out when doing the editing, it'd almost have to be

On Jan 20, 2026, Dannydoyle wrote:

Quote:

On Jan 21, 2026, lunatik wrote:
That is a valid point that there will inevitably be liquid still in the can and when tipped upside down, soda will be on ones hand. Unless either you or the spectator are taking the can and shaking it vigorously, some soda will spill out.

Unless that part was taken out when doing the editing, it'd almost have to be

Thank you now I feel less crazy.

Ironic how it took a lunatik to make me feel less crazy, but that is OK by me.

On Jan 21, 2026, Dannydoyle wrote:

Quote:

On Jan 21, 2026, lunatik wrote:
That is a valid point that there will inevitably be liquid still in the can and when tipped upside down, soda will be on ones hand. Unless either you or the spectator are taking the can and shaking it vigorously, some soda will spill out.

Unless that part was taken out when doing the editing, it'd almost have to be

Thank you now I feel less crazy.

Ironic how it took a lunatik to make me feel less crazy, but that is OK by me.

On Jan 21, 2026, Dannydoyle wrote:

First of all my conversation in no way came out wrong. YOU misunderstood and that is on you. I NEVER said the can "couldn't" be borrowed.

Want to try again being apologetic without the word "but"?

On Jan 22, 2026, Pete Legend wrote:
Johannnes you’re a patient man, I would have bowed out of this thread about 4 pages back.

Best of luck with it!

On Jan 22, 2026, scott0819 wrote:
I can only speak for the original Breakthrough but the can in that effect could totally be borrowed, no gimmick involved with the can at all. Sticky with soda or not, it didn't matter.

On Jan 21, 2026, Dannydoyle wrote:
In the end you are doing something deceptive, and being honest about it. Not sure where that falls on the scale. You are making something look better than it does, so you can sell more of them, to fund your video process. Again not sure where that falls on the scale. I DO know it is not 100% the way it should be.

On Jan 21, 2026, countrymaven wrote:
You can buy Breakthrough by Mengel on Theory 11. at 30 bucks. I would recommend this. Why pay more for more variations. any magician can make 100 variations of their own but this is overkill by 15 times. Also, even if you don't like the trick which is only rated 4 out of 5 stars BY BUYERS here, it can help you another way. even this video has way too much talking and is not well organized. If you have problems getting to sleep, this will take care of that very quickly. It helps me to sleep soundly if I just start watching the video. I am not joking. Everyone in the world can tell me how magical this is, but when are you going to "borrow" a soda can, to do a penetration thAT IS NOT visual at all. Also, so deceptive about not showing where they put the coin/tab into the can (new trailer version). I like doing penetrations that are visual, and clean, which obviously have more impact, I don't care if your Estonian momma disagrees with me. This is one for the drawer.