PURE by E. Dobrokhotova... what is going on?

[Seanhawk23]

Hello forum members,

This should probably be in Product reviews, but then again this isn't really a review, more like me wondering about the nature of something peculiar.

It's about Ekaterina Dobrokhotova's release on Theory11, PURE. Supposedly her debut cardistry release anywhere (at least for this particular set)...

or is it?

I work at the local Goodwill store every so often because sometimes it helps me gain some regularity in my life. Plus, I need the spending money LOL. On one end is a book section with DVDs, vinyl LPs, VHS tapes, audiotapes, you name it. It's a mess.

Anyway, a few weeks before the release of the DVD on theory11, I came across a set of magic DVDs. "SCORE!!!!" I immediately thought, so I bought the set along with a black velvet cloak (it was near Halloween after all). It was a set of three, a Scotch and Soda DVD that might as well have come from the local magic shop, WAVE from papercrane magic by Blake Vogt (without the gimmick, sadly) and PURE by Ekaterina Dobrokhotova.

Now let the last one sink in. I receive PURE months before it's supposed to be released off of Theory11, and apparently, someone's owned it before and only then donated it there. So give or take about 6 months.

If this is supposed to be her debut release, what is THIS then??? Did she pre-release this as a set of lecture notes some time ago or what??

I'll upload the images soon, but this is the text I got from the cover:

DVD cover: SLIM, thinner than the regular theory11 DVDs. Paper was standard quality for official DVDs, though the text was a bit on the blurred side.

Front cover: PURE (stylized boldface text in a square inside of a teardrop) inside of a circle cut into a grey background. On the bottom is "EKATERINA DOBROKHOTOVA" in white text.
Back: the message "15 FASCINATING EYE CANDY CARD MANIPULATIONS PERFORMED AND REVEALED BY PURELY SKILLED ARTIST, EKATERINA DOBROKHOTOVA" followed by the names of the flourishes taught; {Felidae Sybil} {Funnel Fan} {Candle Spread} {Russian Pyramid} {Viereck Perch} {Sputnik Fan} {Surf Box} {Stage Remora} {False L cuts} {Double Perching Routine} {Felidae Shuffle} {Pentagon's heart} {2-handed deck twirl} {Moonwalk Fan} {FanRail}

It then has the url www.ekaterinamagic.com, followed by "Copyright © 2011 Ekaterina Magic All rights reserved" on the bottom middle. To the left of this is the logo for something called jawdroppers. (I could not find this) and to the right is the logo for Ekaterina Magic. To the right of this, barely visible is the text "Design by Anne Lagace" (I think).

Disc: looks professional with label in the same style as the cover (grey gradients mostly)

Is this a pre-release version? I was able to access the flourishes on the DVD itself, and the playback was reasonable. Please, if anyone can help shed some light on this, I would appreciate it

Thanks,
Sean

 

[GarethNg]

The one produced by Theory11 is her second attempt on the DVD. She didn't like the outcome of the first and that is why there is two. The original was supposed to be priced at 50 dollars.

 

[Ekaterina]

Hey this is Ekaterina,

Allow me to explain. What you have in your hands, is the prototype for PURE, I had produced 50 copies of this project myself for the IMX Magic Convention. The only way to have obtained a copy was to show up at my lecture in Las Vegas. Jeff McBride got himself a copy as well as others who attended my cardistry lecture. I sold the copies for $40 because I knew this was only a prototype and I did not want it to end up either online or in bad hands. Most likely you have a signed copy in your hands, right?

Why is this a prototype?
I was short on time. I produced the prototype in a record time because I knew I had to have material for my lecture. It's very difficult to follow a cardistry lecture and have no material reference afterwards. I invested a lot of time in performances, but simply did not have enough time to capture great quality sound and picture for the explanations section. Also, I did not like the quality of the cover of the DVD nor the graphics. I am very picky, but it was just not what I had in mind. After I met Andrei, I also met the Theory11 crew and it clicked, so PURE was re-filmed and produced by Theory11 the way it should be. They really made the project come alive and although you can learn the flourishes from the prototype, the explanations on the final version of PURE with theory11 are so much more in-depth and cover a lot more ground. In fact, the core of the DVD are the explanations.

I couldn't have worked with a better team than Theory11, it was truly a pleasure and a lot of hard work and time was put into this project making it very special for me. In fact, I think when I started this project in April 2011, I under-estimated the amount of work it required.

Hope this helps!
Thanks
Ekaterina

 

[Shea]

She released a few copies a while ago through her youtube channel so that is not suprising at all. I think there just wasn't enough support to get the project of the ground, so she joined with T11

 

[Seanhawk23]

The one produced by Theory11 is her second attempt on the DVD. She didn't like the outcome of the first and that is why there is two. The original was supposed to be priced at 50 dollars.

$50????!? Bad idea... the price here is much more reasonable.

Youtube channel... That explains it... huh. The donatee mustn't have liked it either so he tossed it out... ah well, that answers my questions

 

[Ekaterina]

Hi Sean, please view my reply above. I really care about my YouTube subscribers and I had saved 15 of the 50 copies for those who requested it via e-mail. Then, I picked 15 people I know and talk to via the social inter webs and sent them personalized copies. I have their names and full trust that the item would be treated with respect. I never charged $50 for the copies, in fact one of the e-mails touched me so much, I sent it as a gift. I'm not a greedy person and I'm very pleased with the fact that via theory11 this project is very affordable and thus more accessible. Next time, don't hesitate to get in touch with me directly for any specific questions that I can help with.

 

[Seanhawk23]

Hi Sean, please view my reply above. I really care about my YouTube subscribers and I had saved 15 of the 50 copies for those who requested it via e-mail. Then, I picked 15 people I know and talk to via the social inter webs and sent them personalized copies. I have their names and full trust that the item would be treated with respect. I never charged $50 for the copies, in fact one of the e-mails touched me so much, I sent it as a gift. I'm not a greedy person and I'm very pleased with the fact that via theory11 this project is very affordable and thus more accessible. Next time, don't hesitate to get in touch with me directly for any specific questions that I can help with.

I suppose I was quite flippant in my previous replies; I apologize if my tone offended anyone. As I had said before, though, this explains quite a lot and I feel so lucky that one of these copies is in my hands. Considering where I found it, though (the local Goodwill), it must have come from the other 35, one of whom surely lives in this area. Not many surprises there; papercrane magic's office is right across the road from my new jobsite and they are NEVER open.

Heh... guess I'm taking the flippant voice again. But seriously... Master Dobrokhotova, I was quite honored and pleasantly surprised that you took the time to respond to my comment here on the forums. I'm sorry if I didn't send this thanks earlier considering when I made this; I will certainly contact you in the near future should any questions come up.

Anyway, до встречи!

 

[Josh Burch]

Wow that's a lucky find dude!

The reason she asked you to reread her first post isn't because you were "flippant" it was because she said "I sold the copies for $40 (For my lecture at IMX)" and then you said "$50????!? Bad idea... the price here is much more reasonable." Then she said "...I knew this was only a prototype..." and then you quoted Gareth talking about how this was her second attempt. I didn't see it as rude it just looks like you missed her first post.

What a lucky find dude! I check antique stores and thrift shops all the time for stuff like that with very little luck

 

[William Draven]

I'm way late to the table here, but Ekaterina confirmed my suspicion. I was going to suggest that it was some kind of prototype or first run attempt at creating the product. I'm sure what Theory11 is producing will be more fleshed out, better material, and better filmed.

A lot of the time when a performer releases material to DVD or production it is of things they've been working on for years. That's probably what happened here.

 

[formula]

I'm sure what Theory11 is producing will be more fleshed out, better material, and better filmed.

Don't go too far William, we are talking about Ekaterina.