A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by Cyril Takayama. It was amazing! But I found something out that was news to me. Cyril created this routine:
Justin Willman gave Cyril permission to perform one of his routines, and Cyril gave Justin permission to perform this. They traded. Then Justin gave Cyril permission to teach this effect as part of his lecture.
Well, if you have been in magic for very long you know that many people have performed that routine without Cyril or Justin's permission.
Then there's this:
This was created by Daniel Martin and Brent Braun and used with permission by Justin Willman and Nate Staniforth. Maybe you've seen a few people do it without permission?
I'm sure you have seen this:
Yeah, Dan Harlan used this in his show first, and David Copperfield asked for Dan's permission to do it in his show. Dan then taught David how to do it...now everyone does it!
This last week a friend of mine posted a routine of my own creation without my permission. I wasn't totally bothered by it but it rubbed me weird. On one hand, I was flattered that he liked a trick of mine enough to do it (he flashed a little but it wasn't awful). Then there was part of me that felt like he had just figured out my trick and decided that was enough for him to perform it. I wish he would have talked to me about it first!
I think it's clear we have an issue with originality in the community. I feel like we should do away with, "NEVER REVEAL THE SECRET" and move to "NEVER PERFORM AN EFFECT WITHOUT PERMISSION". I think nailing down the ethics when it comes down to performing others material is a vitally important conversation to have.
Apparently, professionals like Justin Willman, Cyril Takayama, and David Copperfield have ethical considerations they take into account that the hobbyist or semi-professional magician is unaware of.
What do you feel are the ethics in using another's piece of magic?
(Let's not bring FU, Ellusionist, or Adam Greenbaum into this discussion)
Justin Willman gave Cyril permission to perform one of his routines, and Cyril gave Justin permission to perform this. They traded. Then Justin gave Cyril permission to teach this effect as part of his lecture.
Well, if you have been in magic for very long you know that many people have performed that routine without Cyril or Justin's permission.
Then there's this:
This was created by Daniel Martin and Brent Braun and used with permission by Justin Willman and Nate Staniforth. Maybe you've seen a few people do it without permission?
I'm sure you have seen this:
Yeah, Dan Harlan used this in his show first, and David Copperfield asked for Dan's permission to do it in his show. Dan then taught David how to do it...now everyone does it!
This last week a friend of mine posted a routine of my own creation without my permission. I wasn't totally bothered by it but it rubbed me weird. On one hand, I was flattered that he liked a trick of mine enough to do it (he flashed a little but it wasn't awful). Then there was part of me that felt like he had just figured out my trick and decided that was enough for him to perform it. I wish he would have talked to me about it first!
I think it's clear we have an issue with originality in the community. I feel like we should do away with, "NEVER REVEAL THE SECRET" and move to "NEVER PERFORM AN EFFECT WITHOUT PERMISSION". I think nailing down the ethics when it comes down to performing others material is a vitally important conversation to have.
Apparently, professionals like Justin Willman, Cyril Takayama, and David Copperfield have ethical considerations they take into account that the hobbyist or semi-professional magician is unaware of.
What do you feel are the ethics in using another's piece of magic?
(Let's not bring FU, Ellusionist, or Adam Greenbaum into this discussion)