I agree with you 100% Wayne. I really think that we don't take as much pride in our magic and in ourselves as we should. I mean, an effect is only as good as the performer. We all need to forfill our obligation to practice as much as we can. We need to make sure that the work we produce and show to the masses isn't the half assed garbage that some heckler would post on youtube just because he can...and no one's there to stop him.
I also agree with those who said we need to make it our responsibility to guide those dubbed as "newbies". I remember when I first started out, I had no clue how disrespectful it was to perform an effect that you didn't pay for. When you buy a DVD or a book that explains every detail on how to perform an effect it's like buying the rights to perform it and signing a contract saying "I swear never to screw this up in front of my audience."
We do need to take some form of effective action against exposure. What that is yet...I'm not sure, but I'm sure that we'll have an effective solution sometime in the future.
As of now, all we can do is practice our sets and place ourselves under a magnifying glass. We've all got what it takes, right?
Shane K.
I love the way you worded that post, good job Shane.
As for the buying the DVD's part and saying it's a contract. It's such a contract but more of a right to the perform showing your loyal. When you illegally watch things like The Trilogy your disrespecting not only the art of magic but, the performer. And some people don't realize that. I won't lie, yup I've seen pirated stuff, doesn't mean I've downloaded a whole bunch stuff. It's a simple matter of knowing right from wrong, and that big red "WARNING!" screen on DVD's should give an indication.
Being honest is a simple solution to this ever-going problem but, like I said in my previous post it won't solve it. We can only buy dvd's a practice tricks like mad and respect the art of magic and hope others catch along. Practicing I believe is the ultimate way to show your respect (as well as buying dvd's but you need the DVD to practice.) I myself practiced all the effects from E's gaff deck, for a combined 10-12 hours. Just to get it right, I can perform it great for audiences but, there's still things I always tweak. Magic is a very complex thing to perform and talk about, you need to pick your card, much like your challenge, and need to find a way to reveal the card, much like trying to find the solution.
Cheesy analogy FTW
-RA69