Why does the WITNESS trailer not show the first part of the effect?

[trashmanf]

well, my guess is because it's really painfully obvious, and they knew that just by watching it, any magician that wasn't a neophyte would instantly be able to duplicate this trick.

Not that they'd want to if they're more into "strong" magic.

the exact same thing happened with Indecent or whatever , the trailers never showed the part where they pick up the bag with the card in it and remove the card, because it is so insanely obvious what is going on.

what this means is that I really have no idea what the first half of witness looks like, so why would I buy it, unless I was like a lot of n00bs and simply bought into the hype.

i'll have to wait until a you tuber submits a clip of themselves doing the WHOLE performance in order to even really see what the point of the effect is.

since the theory 11 guys clearly are so ashamed of the first part of the trick that they won't even put it in the trailer.

 

[trebmalrolyat]

i understand the way you feell... i feel that way sometime when a new effect comes out.

but witness is a good effect.. this is how it goes.. i dont feel like uploading a vid.. u have the spectator make a selection and then u pull the bag out with whatever card (joker), show them the joker.. touch the bag.. feel it.whatever. then you have them insert their selection, with the bag away from the deck. and u have them hold it, like a cage, or sandwich style... a few magic word.. and PRESTO the transposition has taken effect

 

[trebmalrolyat]

i forgot to mention tat theres a special item that you need in order to perform witness.. but since you are are into the art of magic.. it shouldnt be a problem to get a hold of, youll probably have it lying around.. dont let this worry you about purchasing the effect though

 

[trashmanf]

well thank you for at least taking the time to tell me what the heck this first part of the trick even IS! i appreciate that.

so since you tried to italicize "selection" (you got to close with a backslash [/i] like that) i assume its a force... that and the fact that the trick was originally called "deucebag" (which i will admit is a pretty funny play on words)

i bet i have the needed gimmick in my ears already. well i will take a closer look at this effect once i have actualy seen it performed!

 

[trebmalrolyat]

no problem, but the effect can be with any card. , but deuce bag is a clue

not the 2 of hearts or anything.. but i think u get the drift

 

[TPA]

If anyone know spanish and can repeat Deuce alot of times,it will mean somethingin spanish..just repeat it alot of times.

 

[JackOSpadesNik]

This happens with a lot of tricks nowadays. For example: Digital Dissolve never showed the beggining of the trick. Indecent never showed the end of the trick. Kaos only shows the climax of the effect.

I agree with you. Why market it you think it's so obvious?

 

[flekka]

help... i have downloaded Witness but i cannot play it with media player and i
forgot what media i need to download, can someone please point me in the right direction,......thank you in advance

john.

 

[Jack The Magician]

help... i have downloaded Witness but i cannot play it with media player and i
forgot what media i need to download, can someone please point me in the right direction,......thank you in advance

You need to download QuickTime Player -- http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/ -- and your problem should be solved. If not, you can download VLC Media Player -- http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ -- and play the file with that.

If all else fails, feel free to submit a support ticket.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
JTM

 

[flekka]

Jack,
Yes quicktime was the one i was looking for thank you for your help..

john

 

[Proximo]

I know most of us would like to see the entire performance of a trick, but we must also understand that as Magicians, we can pick up on things that others may not.

The objective is not to hide the start or end of a trick because it's not good, it's simply done to protect the creators of the effect.

The trick can be a very well done effect from start to finish, but exposure is something you do not want to deal with when selling a new product.

As a Magician, you will learn how to conceal the angles and protect the secret, but remember that you perform Magic to normal people who don't even understand how a DL works or a Pinky Break. When Magicians see another Magician perform, we can sometimes pick up on ideas based on the performance.

This is not to say the performer did a bad job, but we Magicians have seen allot of effects and have a better mind about how things could be done.

This is what you must protect from the video trailers of a product you are selling to Magicians.

Just my thoughts.

 

[LeeAsher]

Here's my thought...

Showing an effect in a video that can be viewed over and over again is vastly different than performing an effect in real life for real spectators.

There's a delicate balance between showing the effect as clearly as possible, and not letting the camera see anything the spectators would not.

For anyone with doubts -- Why don't you purchase WITNESS, watch it, practice it a bit, and then try it for several spectators?

http://www.theory11.com/tricks/witness.php
(cut and paste if not clickable)

This is the ultimate test - guaranteed! Everything else is just semantics.

Asher

ps. I won't release anything with my name on it that hasn't been audience tested over and over. WITNESS is no exception.
.
.
.

 

[phrozunsun]

I know most of us would like to see the entire performance of a trick, but we must also understand that as Magicians, we can pick up on things that others may not.

The objective is not to hide the start or end of a trick because it's not good, it's simply done to protect the creators of the effect.

Showing an effect in a video that can be viewed over and over again is vastly different than performing an effect in real life for real spectators.

There's a delicate balance between showing the effect as clearly as possible, and not letting the camera see anything the spectators would not.

I think those two thoughts are the best prequel to what I'm about to say.

How many times have you watched a magician and were able to pick off most (of not all) of his moves?

How many times have you performed, blatantly messed up, and recovered, all without the audience knowing a thing?

The fact is, if you're cheap enough, had enough time, and the whole performance was available to drill frame by frame, you could sit there and watch ANY performance until you figured it out.

In performance, I guarantee regular people won't figure it out, and alot of magicians won't unless they know what to look for. And they won't have the video to analyze over and over until they do.

 

[-Ty]

Here's my thought...

Showing an effect in a video that can be viewed over and over again is vastly different than performing an effect in real life for real spectators.

There's a delicate balance between showing the effect as clearly as possible, and not letting the camera see anything the spectators would not.

For anyone with doubts -- Why don't you purchase WITNESS, watch it, practice it a bit, and then try it for several spectators?

http://www.theory11.com/tricks/witness.php
(cut and paste if not clickable)

This is the ultimate test - guaranteed! Everything else is just semantics.

Asher

ps. I won't release anything with my name on it that hasn't been audience tested over and over. WITNESS is no exception.
.
.
.

I don't think it's the strength of the effect *in the eyes of a lay-person* is in question Lee. To an average-joe spectator quite a lot of magic is amazing and strong.

To deflect the heat of your particular effect for a minute, let's take the example of an effect that has been particularly focused on with regards to this style of marketing.

Connected.

While it says it's amazing and revolutionary, they cut out a COMPLETE PHASE of the routine. Not just a secret move, or the sleight that makes it happen, but an actual phase you NEED to perform this.

A lot of magicians may just look at these products and go, "oh ok, so they're using a _____. Nah, that's way too simple. Ther must be something pretty new here." Then they buy the effect, and whamo! "It really was just a... *sigh*". Because of this false advertising, people are getting ripped off.

This was the same with Indecent (well at least for some of the people I talked to). They thought there was no way it could have been the method they originally suspected. The advertising stated that it wasn't. But guess what...

I have to ask, is the trick so flimsy that it can't stand up to a full demo?

Ty

 

[trashmanf]

this trick is basically indecent in reverse by my guesses.

I appreciate and respect the fact that Lee is providing what is no doubt a lot of very professional advice for the performing magician on the DVD...

but it still is a very weak effect if my guess is correct. which I'd bet money that it is. unfortunately, not willing to bet 30 bucks and lose it when I find out I was right

 

[Jack The Magician]

this trick is basically indecent in reverse by my guesses.

I appreciate and respect the fact that Lee is providing what is no doubt a lot of very professional advice for the performing magician on the DVD...

but it still is a very weak effect if my guess is correct. which I'd bet money that it is. unfortunately, not willing to bet 30 bucks and lose it when I find out I was right

If performed correctly, in my opinion, although Witness may be deemed as simple, the reaction that are garnered are killer -- just watch the preview. Regarding Indecent and Witness, from what I've read Witness is a dynamic prequel to Indecent.

Feel free to check out this review on Witness -- http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?t=2130, and, as an FYI, Witness is $19.95.

Cheers,
JTM

 

[phrozunsun]

Regarding Indecent and Witness, from what I've read Witness is a dynamic prequel to Indecent.

It is. For starters, it actually gives you a reason to carry a ziploc bag on you. I loved indecent but hated performing it because carrying a ziplov bag around is suspect. Witness holds the prediction card, so now it makes more sense...

 

[buitenstaander]

the exact same thing happened with Indecent or whatever , the trailers never showed the part where they pick up the bag with the card in it and remove the card, because it is so insanely obvious what is going on.

Well, I have to say- I agree with the trailer for witness... it said "FULL TRAILER" so I wanted to see the effect performed, but there was more talk about the effect than actual performance of the effect. If it is worth having a trailer for - then its worth the full demo of the product.. if its not worth the full demo, then its not worth my full attention. I like to create effects too, and I have some ideas of how I would make the effect happen ... but without seeing the whole performance I wouldn't know if mine would be even close to what Lee can has created.

I have to disagree with you on indecent. The first time I saw the trick was on wayne houchin's website, and he performed it straight through, one camera shot. With a lot of practice you can be able to perform the effect just as wayne does -- and he really does show this to people - there are several videos I've seen of him performing this trick for more than just one audience. It isn't as obvious to lay people as you might think... a lot of tricks I perform that hit hard, I wonder.. "didn't they see this..." or ... "didn't they realize...." This trick is hard hitting -- get the angles down and performance up to speed and act smooth, then you have a real miracle on your hands.

 

[Twozwozer]

I don't see what everyone is worried about. The "move" is done under completely natural movements. The 'move' wont be that glaringly obvious to Magician's. I manged to fool one of my magician friends with it. But I might just add, this effect is alot easier and better to perform with more than one person. One Person Holds The Card. The Other, The Bag. Twice the reaction....

Cheers, Tom

 

[rjohnson]

If performed correctly, in my opinion, although Witness may be deemed as simple, the reaction that are garnered are killer -- just watch the preview. Cheers,
JTM

Jack,

This looks pretty interesting and I have thought about getting it...but your remark/review confuses me a bit. Do you actually own it, and have you performed it? Are you stating your opinion solely based on reactions on the demo?

Thanks,

RJ