I sort of have another issue with youtube magic...
Intentional vs. unintentional exposure.
I think it's important to recognize that some people have the intent to expose - they post tutorials. From skimming this thread, this seems to be where most of the energy is directed. I agree they can be an issue.
There is, however, a lot of people who unintentionally expose effects. Not to say that they perform poorly (though some do), but some just need to watch their angles and really pay attention to trick subtleties (there's one or two in pressure [just using this because it's a current example - it's a great effect when performed properly] that can make or expose the trick)
Why did I bring this up? Because I think it's important to realize that these two situations need to be dealt with differently.
In the first case, you need to explain how exposure can negatively affect magic as a whole, and to help them determine a better way to channel their energy. Obviously, in some situations, "what's done is done" - The Masked Magician specials exposed some stuff, and there's no hiding what's been recorded for national TV. But in smaller effects that are less widely known, there's still a "special" component to them - that sense of wonderment and awe from not knowing how it's done. We need to explain that that needs to be preserved. A message to the poster would probably be something like this:
"Hey bud, I know you're trying to do what you think is right, and I respect that. I'd just like to give you a quick perspective on the video you posted. As a practicing magician, I put a lot of time into making my presentation of the effect just right. I spend hours upon hours practicing moves, tweaking patter and overall trying to make the effect as enjoyable as possible for the spectator. It just kind of sucks knowing that despite all the work I put in, that it goes unappreciated - a spec can just shout out they know how it's done because they saw a tutorial on youtube. I agree, a lot of it is in the presentation - but with no effect, there's nothing to present. I'd like to ask, on behalf of magicians everywhere that you at least
consider taking down that video. I'm not trying to force you, but it would be nice. Also, you should come check out the forums at
www.theory11.com (or your other favourite magic site) Thanks.
In the second case, you need to be careful not to attack the ego. The best way to do this is a "feedback sandwich". The key to a sandwich is to compliment, explain the fault, and then compliment overall. I.E. - Commenting on an ACR -
"Hey I was checking out your youtube video and you have a great double lifts and I love your energy, but I noticed a little flash on your pass @ 1:57-1:59. Other than that though, your presentation was awesome! You should take some time and refilm it - it would be awesome!"
While not everyone will respond, many will - the key is to try and to be respectful about it. Obviously there will be those one or two people who are going to do it as a way of acting out, but they're such a small portion of the population and their effect will be minimized.
Another thing too (and I'm not sure if you guys already do it - I don't make exposure vids, lol), would be to have the actual creator of the effect write a nice e-mail to the guy about taking it down. Alot of the time exposure is just a cry for attention, and once they've gotten it, they'll take it down. You don't even need to threaten, just send a message like the one above. I'm sure if Danny Garcia or Wayne Houchin e-mailed some dude something like the messages above, the guy would be like "Wow. Yeah, I guess I was kind of a **** for exposing his effect. And he's such a nice guy about it, so I'll take it down out of respect."
