Bizzaro.'s guide to making your own download links

 One of the things I am pretty proficient at is finding ways to make various things, both physical and technological, do stuff it wasn't intended for. 

"Just like Michelangelo saw the angel in the stone, I look at a guy like Kevin Costner and see a giant peach grub who can fart the Blue Danube!" - Elijah C. Skuggs 

 Much like Karl Marx, I tend to believe the means of production should be in the hands of the people, at least when it comes to selling your own magic products. Obviously not everyone has that desire or ability but for those that do, here is a hot tip for all of you. 

 In an attempt to move into the modern age I decided to make a lot of my DVDs into downloadable videos. To do this I looked into various shopping cart software that wouldn't ding me left and right and that is when I found the company Vibralogix. They have a few code based programs and one of them is called "Vibracart Pro". 

One of the many things you can do with this program is send a download to someone in case something messes up or you just need to send a gift to someone. I realized that it generates a unique download code every time you do this. I realized I could use this to make download slips for my physical products that I sell in my lecture. It also lets me control how many times the download can be accessed and how long until it self destructs. When combined with something like a Tinyurl shortener, I can print out slips and even have QR codes. I made a video below to show you just how easy it is!

 Why is this important you ask? It adds another layer to prevent theft. Obviously once one person has it, they can send/give it to their friends and there isn't much you can do about that. However, this prevents them from just sharing the download link as if it was a password protected YT or Vimeo link. This adds an extra step which might deter some since it has a download limit. 

It will take some set-up but the manual is very robust and yes, they do have a Wordpress plugin to interface with the backend if you prefer that. The nice thing is you never have to implement the shopping cart anywhere if you just need the codes. (I've even used this shopping cart as a personal materials calculator for our escape room company on a private page)

There are places like Amazon that can also kind of do this, but you have to give them money and for a bit more effort, you get to retain control over everything.

If that's your kind of kink, then you might just like this set-up. 

Sym-Pathetic Magic....

 Thievery in magic is nothing new. Hell, in the world it's pretty commonplace no matter what practice you engage in. I have encountered my fair share of sticky fingered fuckery and it's always amusing to hear the justification for such behavior. 

Sometimes it's a legit case of independent creation. However, in the this digital age, it's pretty easy to debunk certain claims or at least cast a dubious light upon their statements. 

When someone who has created something with or without the inspiration of someone else's hard work you tend to encounter two reactions to being told they have re-invented the wheel:

1. "I am so sorry. I had no idea. I will remove it/take it down/etc. How can I make this right?"
   
   Or...
   
   
2. "Wellllllllll......"

Obviously, the first response is the favored one but it seems to be the more rare of the two. Have you ever heard someone joke about a magician saying "You use a red deck while I use a blue so they are totally different". Well, that is more than a jape my friends. The moment someone gets defensive, they move from "independent creator" to thief and should be treated as such.

If you are a creator who has been taken from does this little ditty sound familiar?

    "I have had things stolen too so I know how you feel"

 It's almost as if they think this gives them license to steal from others because of some sort of "dicked over club" you are all part of now. In a sane world, that statement would mean they know how much it sucks and don't want to do it to someone else, but when used as a battle tactic their deception becomes transparent.

What's worse is companies like Murphy's Magic have made it easy for a knock off effect to spread like wildfire before anything can be done about it.

Did you know most of the online magic shops have their stores tied directly to Murphy's database and when something new gets uploaded to the site it gets pushed out to ALL of these online shops instantly? Most of those online shops have NO idea what is listed on their site. You have to go to the source to get the infection removed and by the time they decide to contact you back (Anubis forbid it's a weekend) 100s of people have probably bought the stolen effect and is well on it's way to being exposed on youtube.

You see, you always give up something for convenience, and in this case it seems to be a bit of artistic integrity.  

So what do you do when someone shows you their ass? That's kind of up to you. Naming and shaming is time and soul sucking. Ignoring it to prevent the "Streisand Effect" can work but that means the offending idea is in the wild. You can threaten bodily harm or litigation but that can come back to bite you in the ass. I sadly don't have an answer. Sometimes you can shut it down before too much is done, provided you have the right amount of evidence in your favor but even then the damage could already be done.

At the end of the day, it sucks no matter which way you slice it. Hopefully these words of "wisdom" have prepared you to be a little less taken aback if someone 5 finger discounts your work.It helps to know the warning signs and know you are not alone.

And if you have to punch someone in the face to feel better so be it.

Invisible touch...

I want to start this post by saying I am not against people trying to improve a magic effect for their own amusement/benefit/style/etc. However, I am against trying to convince people it has shortcomings that it doesn't have like it's fact just to sell it as a product.

Why do I bring this up you ask? This recent release caught my eye. Now there have been various "improvements" to invisible deck over the years. David Regal had a blank deck version, the Other Brothers have a borrowed deck variation, and there have been many presentation ideas explored with it (including the awesome Steve Bedwell version).

I bought my first ID when I was 8. That was (hand over mouth and garbled talk) years ago. It's the only gimmicked deck I use on the regular. The claims in the aforementioned video are borderline offensive. If you are having THAT much trouble separating the cards, that's a YOU problem, not the deck. Also, not ONCE in all my years of doing ID has anyone ever asked to see the backs of the cards. I am not saying it has NEVER happened, but the strength of ID is that it just seems like a normal deck of cards and the effect feels like skill and not a gimmicked deck. If you handle it like one however, it might be why people get curious.

Again, you want to make an "improvement" for yourself, cool. Just don't try and convince everyone else the original is bad as a selling tactic when there are so many people who know better.

Over the shoulder magic holder...

Ok I really want to talk about this because I have seen it happening more and more in magic videos, demos, etc. How many times have you seen a magic demo and they shoot the effect from THIS angle:

Nice kitchen counter top...

I see magicians hold props so they can watch themselves do it while they are showing other people, but this is a little much. Are you showing us what the magician sees because if so, that's not a great selling point. How many times have you ever told someone to look over your shoulder to show them a trick? I'd wager little to never.

If that is the best angle, maybe it's not worth selling huh?

I decided to remove my pants for this post...

Lets talk about magic demos. There are more or less three prevailing kinds.

Filmed Live during a Show : These might be the most preferable for the serious professional entertainer. You can see how it works in front of a normal audience and hear/see the impact. Scott Alexander is pretty good about doing this as he pretty much lives on a cruise ship it seems.



Sometimes it's a teaser, sometimes it's a full performance, and sometimes he is black. Regardless, it's likely he has done these routines more than thrice and it shows. His stuff does tend to be on the expensive side but at least you know these tricks have seen battle.

Filmed using random people who said yes to being on camera:  This is the kind of demo you usually see for the bigger stores like Penguin, T11, E and so on. They walked up to someone and asked if they wanted to see some magic (or more likely lied to them about filming for a TV show and testing out effects on camera all without signing film releases). This kind of editing usually cuts around the important moments and might even splice in some reactions from other magic effects or jokes. There is no real way to know.



You have to be careful with these videos as what you see may not be what you get, especially if it's chopped all to hell and you don't see how they get into or out of the effect. I wish more of these demos would specify if it was for your social media feed or for real world performance.

Filmed in your parents living room a studio for just the camera: This one you tend to see for solo releases and kids who own a smart phone and don't tend to see sun light too often. This one tells us the LEAST of the three. You don't see real world reactions, handling, or practicability (I'm not entirely sure that's a word). If the ad copy sounds too good to be true it likely is. Here is an example:



On the website it says "Examinable Box has been Blake's GO TO opener for years" and yet there is no live video to be seen. You'd think after all these years he would have recorded at least one of those shows right? For the price tag of an effect like that, I'd like to see real people reacting to the prop to see if it justifies the price tag.

There are hybrids of all of these and some outliers obviously.  Just make sure you educate yourself.

Buyer beware.

Door to the mind...

This should be app lied to more magic efefcts on the market...

Bridge and tunnel magicians...

"The creation of content is not a hobby. It is a profession." - Jean-Claude Junker

I found this quote while reading an article about the creators of Spinal Tap seeking remuneration for their work in the extremely shady industry of film and music.

For those of us who take it very seriously, creating magic is indeed a profession that borders on the obsessive. There are a number of things that take away what some of us spend a lot of time on.

• FAKE! - A lot of the younger and unlearned magi apparently just assume something is camera edits when it's "too good" and they can't figure it out. When you do this you belittle the hard work many of us do to make it look that good. 
• Actual Fakes - They have good reason to yell fake tho'. There are people like Zack King who (obviously) use video editing tricks to make magical things happen. However there are also people who more subtly use After Effects to create seemingly impossible tricks and don't own up to it. Those people are jag offs who will never escape their instagram account.
• Weekend Warriors - Then there's THESE assholes. People who create magic for the sake of magic... and a paycheck. They are not making magic for the art. Oh I am sure they THINK they are but what they really are doing is looking for a way to get paid because A: they are terrible with money and 2: don't actually perform for real people and couldn't entertain a thought let alone a group of people.

It's these last ones that make me the most mad. They want money and notoriety and think releasing magic tricks will accomplish that because a few other slugs managed to do it. Every time they put out some piece of  lackluster crap tied together with elastic and magnets, they cover up the good stuff other real creators and performers have released.

Obviously the ones who dig through the mire to find the gold are the ones who will likely triumph but it's getting harder and harder every day because of these "creators" foisting their hobbies on the actual professionals. It also discourages better stuff from being produced as it's not monetarily worth the effort because a gem will soon be obscured by shit.

Fuckin' tourists...

Let's define the terms...

This shit right here makes me mad.


These companies are allowing half wits with half baked ideas to get an ego about being inventors and then they start touting themselves as such and then pump out MORE magic bile into the world.

Let me get something straight here. Just because you come up with some piddly ass magic trick it does NOT make you a "creator". It makes you someone with an idea.

Also being a "creator" doesn't make you a magician. If you can't perform your own creations you are just someone who makes stuff.

In my opinion, a creator does their due diligence. They research, they perfect, they make something the best it can be. What companies like Murphys are perpetrating is if you come up with some terrible idea they can help make it "marketable" thus making them more of the creators and the person who comes to them a kind of figurehead. "We did all the work to make this not suck but because we can't just cut this idiot out of the loop we have to put his name on it".

I don't care if you don't agree with me or think I am way off base. I am just sick of our profession being choked with mediocre magic and fevered egos who think they are somebody because a bunch of pre-pubescent humans think they are hot shit.

Obviously this doesn't go for EVERYONE. Some people are prolific creators. (Not necessarily GOOD ones) However in magic everyone wants to be on par with the people who have achieved legit "fame" for making something and magic companies keep enabling this to happen.

The urge to create is deep in our core and I understand that, but too many are creating for the wrong reason: money. If you create for yourself and your audience, the money will come but if you forgo those first steps you are going about it the wrong way.

There's enough terrible magic out there. We don't need sponsored posts on message boards encouraging more greed and terrible tricks.

Thanks Obama...

A bit much?

Let's talk about magic trailers for a bit shall we?

I just watched one for a self bending screwdriver. Yes you read that correctly.

The prop itself is fine but the trailer... it's a bit... like a Sylvester Stallone movie about arm wrestling. I can appreciate good film technique but sometimes you have to reign it in for the prop you are shilling. (I know, I know this coming from the guy with an epic demo for an Oreo cookie trick. That wasn't my choice or idea. Trust me.)

If this was a clip to sell a movie, that would be different but things like this alone don't show a real world application... possibly because there isn't one? I dunno. You wan to give me a trick that's handy? See if you thought the same thing I did when he smashed the phone. "It would be a better trick if he could fix the cracked screen on that thing. That would be useful".

Also, thankfully, they didn't use that guys real voice to narrate. Anyone who is familiar with their other products knows what I mean.

I understand creating art and an interesting demo to sell something. I really do. However, you need to know your audience. While there are people who like that kinda thing, it's not what will usually sell to the people with money. (Of course if you just sell directly to Murphy's then who cares right?)

If only they would have had the guy get dosed...

Oh internet....

You get me.

It's amazing what you can find on Google image search sometimes...

T.K.O.

Technically Knock-Offs don't just happen in the marketplace. Another magician can rip you off and there isn't much you can do about it other than flood the market so they will just blend into the background with everyone else.

If the product is so good that other performers want to steal it then once you sell it more thieves will appear. I myself have had one of my own things reproduced overseas and I will tell you that the quality is TERRIBLE. Thus let me get to the point...

If you buy knock-offs to save a few bucks because you are a cheap asshole then you deserve what you get.

To be fair it can be difficult to tell because other people will use your demo, images, and whatnot to sell the unauthorized copies. However, if you are on a site where English is obviously not their first language you might want to not buy from them. There are clues everywhere. If the item is sold for 20$ everywhere else and they have it for 3$... you might just be getting screwed.

Your best bet is to go right to the source and, if possible, buy directly from the creator if you can. If not head to a reputable dealer. It's really not that hard. However, if you are lazy or cheap then, once more, you deserve what you get. If the deal is too good to be true...

it most likely is.

That little red line...

In today's world almost EVERYTHING has built in spell check somewhere. It really makes me sad when I see spelling mistakes on a product that's being presented as professional quality. The fact that most trailers, books, videos, etc usually or should go by at least 2-3 sets of eyeballs before release and still fuck up huge fascinates me.

Why do I bring this up? The new trailer for Giovanni Liver'a effect Rope, Nut, Knot has a bit of an oops moment in it:
Even if English is not your first language someone should have said something before this got posted EVERYWHERE! Did Giovanni not see this before it went live?

Ok well I guess one little slip is fine. It happens. However...
 
HOW THE HELL DOES IT HAPPEN TWICE!? On his second product trailer for Salt and Silver the above screw up happens and I am pretty sure Eric Mead knows how to spell sophisticated so we can't blame him.

I am eagerly awaiting the third effect trailer to see if they just unleash the trifecta of "how the hell did that slip through"?

If you ever release any product make sure you get some people to preview it before it ever hits the eyes of the public. You don't need to look like an idiot and if you hire someone else to do it and they do this kinda stuff FIRE THEM...

Out of a cannon if need be.

Trailer hitch...

More and more I have been seeing magicians disgruntled at misleading trailers or effects making claims that, like a hooker with beer flavored nipples, might be too good to be true.

Some have taken a pro-active approach to call some companies and performers on their BS while others merely sit on forums and complain. A recent post about ANOTHER post elsewhere suggested magicians are cheap bastards (and they are) and if they figure out an effect from the trailer they won't buy it because the EFFECT is the important factor not the handling. Due to that fact trick trailers are having to be "faked" in spots to prevent said cheap-assedness from occurring.

My personal belief is that if your effect isn't good enough to hold up on camera without some tweaking then maybe you need to work on it some more or not put it out at all. Anyone who has been reading this journal the last ten years (Holy crap it's almost been ten years hasn't it?) knows that I will call attention to fake demos. I haven't had to do it as much because others have taken up the task as well and tend to get to it before I do which is great!

However, the fact it still happens just goes to say a lot about our profession. The biggest problem of course is magicians suffer from one inherent flaw... we're still only human. We like to get away with things when we think we can and when we're caught we don't apologize for inconveniencing anyone... it's because we are sorry for getting caught.

Mind you some people straight up refuse to admit to shinanigans when busted but ultimately the reputation damage has been done. Magicians People will bitch about anything given half the chance, but when you know that you can limit that percentage by just doing a little thinking....

and that might be where the fault lies.

A little plug....

So recently I added a news feed to my storefront. I've got a poll up about a possible new product right now so if you have a second go take a look.

While I have you here I wanna talk about magic products. In the last year I was working with a couple companies to release a few products for various reasons. The main one was to see what it's like. It was... interesting to say the least.

Regardless, I realized something along the way to here. We see a lot of guys in magic who seem to only make their living creating and selling (at times mediocre) magic effects. They flood the market with whatever leaks out of their ears. While some of it has merit they are seldom fully formed ideas and need more work that just a webcam audience.

This led me to the revelation that if you release too much it ceases to become special.

Magic companies fall prey to this too. They pump out other people's tricks at an alarming rate and therefore the items that could have a very long life in the sun only briefly get to bask in the light before they get buried under a deluge of crap. Thus I have become very careful once again about what I put into the hands of others. I want to know if it's something they actually want or would like, not purchase as an impulse only to die a slow horrible death in the dungeon of unwanted magic effects (ie: a virgin's er... magician's magic drawer).

I advise any of you reading this who want to release product to heed my words. Don't let your babies grow up to be magical landfill...

or cowboys.

Learn from your mistakes...

Every so often a new product pops up in magic making claims that it simulate something that is "too hard" to do. You know where most of these products end up? Magician Limbo. They spend the rest of their days being bought, sold and/or traded at magic auctions or on websites. Eventually they come to rest in the back of a closet or buried under other regretful magic purchases in a drawer soaking in the tears of yet another hobbyist.

Why not save yourself the grief and the next time some shiny new toy claims it "makes you a pro without learning the skill" just go and learn the damn skill? Sure it might take longer but it's more gratifying, far more impromptu usually and it costs you nothing but your time (time you usually spend bitching on magic forums anyway).

Sure there will be that handful of guys who will effectively utilize this wonder gimmick and it might even be their gateway drug to learning the real deal but those mythical dedicated people are few and far between. Learning some actual moves won't kill you I swear...

And if does no one will know.

Slug trailer...

Over on the Magic Soup Kitchen there has been some interesting talk in some various threads. One thing came up about removing the fluff from magic explanation videos. People on the street screaming, 30 second intros (or more), and other extraneous BS.

Today I saw this trailer and I am immediately reminded of why I hate trailers like this. Right now I am out in the Grand Canyon doing a gig and the net connection is iffy at best. I have to wait longer than any sane person would to see anything happen because of too much artistic crap going on in the demo. I don't care how cold you are I don't need to see you sitting by a fire. Just show me the bloody trick. You are not Theory 11. Just get on with it!

Oh if that were my only issue with the video. I am usually put off by over-boasting in magic videos. Saying something is "the most" anything in magic is ridiculous. You don't know what I have seen. I promise you a self lighting match is not the "most" anything I have ever seen. Don't turn yourselves into a liar before I even buy the product.

While we are at it, let's leave out the phrase "reputation maker" too. That's just a bit presumptuous doncha think? I could stab a bunch of people and get a reputation for that. Not sure I wanna be "the guy who sets off fire alarms by accident".

As a last thought, do you think people put bleeps in magic videos even when no one said something offensive to make it seem more edgy? I wouldn't put it past most magicians. Personally I'd rather see a studio performance of the effect straight thru...

but that's just me.

Knock, knock...

Just a little side note to any of you who support the Chinese or knock-off magic sites/products.

You deserve what you get.

Same old boring routine?

So tonight I performed close-up magic for the first time in a long time. My opening gambit was three tricks with a beer bottle (it's Vegas, what you gonna do?): A production, the bottle cap penetrated into the neck of the bottle and then the cap vanished in a puff of smoke and re-appeared on top of the bottle.

Why do I tell you all of this? Because fuck you that's why It's because I want you to think about how you can take some one trick effects and turn them into something that is a piece in a bigger puzzle.

It's not hard to take those things you have and find a common thread to make them all play nice together. Not only does it help flesh out a full presentation piece but also makes you look like a better performer because it seems like you thought all of this out... even if you haven't.

So my challenge to you is to sort thru all of that one trick pony BS you have that you don't use and see what you can build with it.

Think of it as magic Legos.

But it's the pelvic thrust!

Hey I remembered to update this every day this week yay!

*Ahem* So it's the last day and what have we learned? That you DO have options when bringing your magic afterbirth into the world. I offer you a final wrap up.

My personal opinion is to just do it all yourself. You will ultimately end getting what you want in every respect. If you build it (and it's a hit and you pimp it right) they will come.

However if you have no artistic vision and just want quick cash the distributors are there for you. (just don't expect long term income) If you are tapped by a magic company just remember to read the contract carefully. Some of them will give you cash up front as a buy out and that's it. Others will offer you a percentage. Make sure you know what you are getting into.

The biggest advice I can offer up is to sit on your creation for a bit. Really decide what's best for the community and art, not your bank account. If it's a variant, just hold onto it and put it into a collection of things. If you are gonna explode if you don't share it, try a download. That way you can keep the cost down and not clog magic stores with "just another card trick".

Now go forth and don't multiply!

Bring you knees in tight...

As we close in on the end of the week and my guide to releasing magic stuff we look at the dangers of your actions.

To be frank, distributor companies such as Murphy's have kinda fucked up the magic marketplace. Very few companies or shops will go directly to the artist when they can get huge amounts of stuff in the same place at once. The problem is distributors ask for a jobber rate (which is usually 60-65% off retail). This is where it gets kinda funky.

In the real world jobber rate is usually gotten when a gross or more of something is ordered. Magic distributors will make a big order right at first (anywhere from 200+ pieces give or take) and make the jobber rate worthwhile. Later down the line they expect that same rate for a dozen items. You are now making crap money on that and passing the savings on to everyone else. It's kind of a raw deal.

However if you just want fast cash to recoup costs and then go buy your crack rock that's fine I guess. (Especially if you have a name and can keep pumping out mediocre crap) There is a way for everyone to be happy though. You can go the wholesale route THEN hit the distributors.

The biggest issue with just wholesaling yourself is there is more work involved but on the upside you make more money in the long run. You have to contact the stores, you have to ship the items, you have to set aside time to run a business. However wholesaling is 40-50% off retail. Do the math on that for a second.

You have a 20$ item. Wholesale is around 10-12$ profit for you. Jobber is 8-6$ for your lonely pocketbook. I would rather take the little bit of time and effort to make that extra cash and build a client base than be another faceless item on a shelf. When the momentum dies down, you can then contact the distributors and let them pick up the slack, but as mentioned above, you will likely get less wholesale orders once they can get it with everything else.

The third option we discussed yesterday was letting someone else do the heavy lifting. Most of these companies (T11, Papercrane, Blue Crown, etc) look for something unique (usually anyway) that will hopefully turn a profit. Once you catch their eye the pros of this route are they do all the legwork. Advertising, packaging, producing, filming, etc. You will only get 25-30% of the profits but you just gotta sit back and do very little. This may sound appealing at first but you don't get as much control or say so as you would self-releasing (that sounded dirty). Again it's possible to release something, sell it wholesale yourself, and then be spotted by a bigger company and let them take it further than you ever could. One big negative point can be it will be anywhere from months to years before the item can be released for various reasons or another.

So while you chew on that I'll leave my wrap up for tomorrow...