Over the years I've noticed that there are many magic dealers at there who churn out garbage. Okay, not a brilliant insight I realize, but recently I came across something that really amazed me, and not in a good way.
One of those dealers out there is now selling a product called "The Devil's Bottle."
The effect is simply that you show a glass bottle that is empty, you whack it up against something, but not to hard, to show that it is indeed a solid glass bottle. Then you give it to someone to hold on to (making sure that they hold it over a trash can or something like that) and with the "power of your mind" you cause the bottle to shatter in their hands.
Sounds pretty cool really. On the surface.
Then you start looking into it.
The price tag for this miracle is $1000.00! That's right. $1000.00.
For this miracle you get the secret and 12 prepared bottles.
Prepared bottles? Yes, you get told how to prepare your own bottles as well, but apparently they are expecting to sell replacement bottles along the way. They say so, but they haven't yet stated the price tag on said replacement bottles.
And apparently, from what I now know regarding the secret (revealed to me by someone who saw their science teacher do this about 60 years ago), it's not worth $100.00, let alone $1000.00.
Now here is the thing I mean about "A Solution looking for a Problem."
About three years ago someone was selling an illusion prop where you put a glass on a tray, set the tray down on a table, walk away and the concentrate and the glass shatters. Price tag: $50 (as I recall). Also, that was a remake of an even older version of the same product.
And if you were even remotely inclined towards being a tool user you could probably have built the gimmick for even less then that.
That's what I mean about "A Solution looking for a Problem." They wanted to go further by making the effect involve even less objects and more interactive, both good things, but in the process they "solved the problem" by creating a nightmare.
How much more effective would a good presentation around the old method be compared to creating a new method that is 20 TIMES MORE COSTLY?? Not to mention the replacement bottles in case you are not able to manufacture them yourself!
Great solution. Was there a problem here? Were magicians really clamoring for a "better" way to break a bottle so loudly that they would be willing to spend this kind of money on an effect with limited application anyway?
Or were they just hoping that somehow magicians were just stupid enough that they would part with $1000.00+ on something that would likely only ever get used a few times and then sit on the shelf next to their Imp Bottles?
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1 comment:
"Or were they just hoping that somehow magicians were just stupid enough that they would part with $1000.00+"
Unfortunately, that is probably exactly what they were thinking. Their target audience might very well be those green kids or newbie magicians that think this is the holy grail of effects or that if it is priced so high then it must be absolutely amazing.
Selling an effect for $1,000 is ludicrous. The thought process probably being "if I can sell just one then I've made back all my money and haven't lost anything."
In either case, it's irresponsible of the person selling that product with that rediculous of a price tag on it.
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