Unethical to perform tricks you've figured out?

Mark · 10-15-2011, 04:17 PM

I think I read something similar on T11's Facebook. I absolutely disagree with it and think it's just some unwritten law created by magic sellers and stage illusion designers for the sake of making money.

Truth of the matter is that 1. stage illusions are crazy expensive so basically you only give rich people or performers that are willing to get in debt to buy your illusions the ability to perform them (and some stage illusions include patented mechanics which you would need a license for in order to be allowed to perform them so then you can just use the law against those performers anyways if you feel the need to, being the creator), and 2. as long as the performers don't claim anything to be their own inventions, what damage could they possibly do? That is, unless they perform things really badly, but else they would have other magicians check out the original and perhaps have them purchase it. Part of the business is getting recognized, and having more people perform your effects helps a lot as for that.

That being said, if you didn't buy an effect and you need and ask for help with it, yes, then it is getting unethical (maybe all help you need is in the actual product). Or if you start performing someone's trademark illusion as your own trademark illusion in a similar way (image theft). But I doubt there is any magician out there who only performs tricks they have actually bought, unless they have a pretty limited repertoire or own a huge collection.

I think people who own a lot of material also are more close-minded, and you will find that exactly those people are against performing-without-purchasing too. The more they own, the more frustrated they get when they see something that uses none of the principles described in their collection, and the sooner they will be calling fake on things, similar to those who have been mentored. You could almost literally say it's been a waste of money in those cases.

And I am pretty sure that being self-taught is one of the reasons why I can come up with things that have been overlooked by previous creators, so I am very much against E's and T11's statements since recreating and figuring out tricks without purchasing them triggers people their imagination much more and leads to much more notable creations.

10-15-2011, 04:17 PM	#2
Mark Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 935	I think I read something similar on T11's Facebook. I absolutely disagree with it and think it's just some unwritten law created by magic sellers and stage illusion designers for the sake of making money. Truth of the matter is that 1. stage illusions are crazy expensive so basically you only give rich people or performers that are willing to get in debt to buy your illusions the ability to perform them (and some stage illusions include patented mechanics which you would need a license for in order to be allowed to perform them so then you can just use the law against those performers anyways if you feel the need to, being the creator), and 2. as long as the performers don't claim anything to be their own inventions, what damage could they possibly do? That is, unless they perform things really badly, but else they would have other magicians check out the original and perhaps have them purchase it. Part of the business is getting recognized, and having more people perform your effects helps a lot as for that. That being said, if you didn't buy an effect and you need and ask for help with it, yes, then it is getting unethical (maybe all help you need is in the actual product). Or if you start performing someone's trademark illusion as your own trademark illusion in a similar way (image theft). But I doubt there is any magician out there who only performs tricks they have actually bought, unless they have a pretty limited repertoire or own a huge collection. I think people who own a lot of material also are more close-minded, and you will find that exactly those people are against performing-without-purchasing too. The more they own, the more frustrated they get when they see something that uses none of the principles described in their collection, and the sooner they will be calling fake on things, similar to those who have been mentored. You could almost literally say it's been a waste of money in those cases. And I am pretty sure that being self-taught is one of the reasons why I can come up with things that have been overlooked by previous creators, so I am very much against E's and T11's statements since recreating and figuring out tricks without purchasing them triggers people their imagination much more and leads to much more notable creations.