Hello all,
You know, a hot topic nowadays seems to be the comparitive strengths and weaknesses of books vs. DVDs (or indeed, instant downloads) as reference material. People seem very keen to jump into either camp, and stanchly defend the merits of their chosen delivery system. Of course, there are many who have a collection of both.
I think its time we all wake up and smell the coffee on this one. DVDs are fantastic learning resources - provided the content is there to learn from. Magic is - as we are often reminded - about timing, angles, misdirection, audience management, body language etc etc. There can be little doubt that these are best observed through actually seeing the magician in action in front of an audience. Watching a technique being broken down can provide a different perspective on it than reading the description and that can make the difference between correct exectution and...well...not.
BUT - yes, there is a but - books do have their merits also. A well thought out, carefully considered description can often be more revealing than that you may give in front of a camera - little details which may slip your mind on filming day tend to make it into a text which you have revised many times. Commentary, variations, history etc. all tend to be emphasised more in books and correct use of illustrations highlight the most important aspects of a technique. There is also a tendancy for books to contain a lot more material (although quantity isn't necessarily the same as quality).
I am hoping for more magicians to release their material with both a written and a recorded description - a book with descriptions and commentary with a DVD of performance footage would be a marriage made in heaven, and would not necessarily add to production costs that much. Some magicians have already gone this route of combining text and video footage, to good effect. Many times I find myself underestimating an effect that I see in print only to get enthused and go looking for it again when I see it performed - by putting both media together publishers stand a greater chance of having their material truely appreciated.
In the meantime though, keep an open mind about how you get your fix, and judge each release on its individual merits.
Cheers,
David
You know, a hot topic nowadays seems to be the comparitive strengths and weaknesses of books vs. DVDs (or indeed, instant downloads) as reference material. People seem very keen to jump into either camp, and stanchly defend the merits of their chosen delivery system. Of course, there are many who have a collection of both.
I think its time we all wake up and smell the coffee on this one. DVDs are fantastic learning resources - provided the content is there to learn from. Magic is - as we are often reminded - about timing, angles, misdirection, audience management, body language etc etc. There can be little doubt that these are best observed through actually seeing the magician in action in front of an audience. Watching a technique being broken down can provide a different perspective on it than reading the description and that can make the difference between correct exectution and...well...not.
BUT - yes, there is a but - books do have their merits also. A well thought out, carefully considered description can often be more revealing than that you may give in front of a camera - little details which may slip your mind on filming day tend to make it into a text which you have revised many times. Commentary, variations, history etc. all tend to be emphasised more in books and correct use of illustrations highlight the most important aspects of a technique. There is also a tendancy for books to contain a lot more material (although quantity isn't necessarily the same as quality).
I am hoping for more magicians to release their material with both a written and a recorded description - a book with descriptions and commentary with a DVD of performance footage would be a marriage made in heaven, and would not necessarily add to production costs that much. Some magicians have already gone this route of combining text and video footage, to good effect. Many times I find myself underestimating an effect that I see in print only to get enthused and go looking for it again when I see it performed - by putting both media together publishers stand a greater chance of having their material truely appreciated.
In the meantime though, keep an open mind about how you get your fix, and judge each release on its individual merits.
Cheers,
David
I have the best results actually seeing something done and thus have an easier time learning. I actually do enjoy reading for entertainment , very much so. I read about 20-30 books a year. I just have allways had a hard time using books as a learning tool. I allways considered myself a "visual" learner.
