software for magicians

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condemagnum
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software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » February 12th, 2009, 2:37 pm

I'm preparing a product for magicians.
Well, it is geared speciffically for magicians but any kind of variety artists can benefit from it.

It is basically a place where you can collect all the information for each of your tricks or acts, write scripts for them and then stitch them up to create entire shows.

It will be very cool.

I'll post some more about this project later on.
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Comedy Writer
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Re: software for magicians

Postby Comedy Writer » February 12th, 2009, 3:30 pm

Sounds interesting...

condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » February 13th, 2009, 10:28 am

Heres the story.

After reading "Scripting Magic" and "Maximum Entertainment" I began to write scripts for my acts.

After a while I got very messed up trying to keep things organized and wondered if I could devise a database.

Then I heard about Celtx, an open source scriptwriting software. That program can do a lot of stuff. But the learning curve is HUGE. Also I wanted to be able to keep my growing list of magic acts in YouTube videos.

Talking to other magicians I realized there was a need for a program such as this. I looked around, but found none, so I decided to create my own. And thats where I am right now.
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Joe Pecore
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Re: software for magicians

Postby Joe Pecore » February 13th, 2009, 11:11 am

Sounds cool.

Have you checked out any of these http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sc ... g_software for more ideas?

What kinds of functions are you looking at implementing?

Will you be making your software open source?
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condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » February 13th, 2009, 11:51 am

Yes, I bought at Ebay a Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000 cheap.

The functions are very much the same as Celtx, and the learning curve is similar.

My script editor will be much simpler. Similar to Writepad.

In this release what I wanted simplifyied was not the toggle between Parlaments/Action/... etc function, but the organizing and search capabilities.

In a future version I'll try to use a simplified version of the Celtx text editor instead of the Windows standard Natepad editor.

It will not be open source, it will be a marketable product.

The functions that I want to implement for the Act creation are search by prop, by keyword, by author, attach files, add comments/instructions,link to hyperlinks, time act duration, Print act script, print comments, print act prop list.

In the Show Building section the functions will be add/remove acts, rearrange acts, total show duration, print complete show script, print complete show prop list.
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Pete McCabe
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Re: software for magicians

Postby Pete McCabe » February 13th, 2009, 1:28 pm

About six months ago I began using Scrivener, a word processor that is based on outlines, which makes it very easy to organize projects. I immediately transferred my file of trick ideas into the new program, and the file of material I am collecting for Scripting Magic 2 as well.

The program was immediately indispensable and I have never looked back. The interface is very simple and the program, for all its usefulness, is easy to learn and to use. It was written by a writer who couldn't find the program he wanted, so he put this one together.

I still use my regular word processor for any job that requires layout, tables, etc. But Scrivener is a great word processor for writing and organizing large projects. It does have a built-in screenwriting module, and another feature I don't use but which might be useful for a show-building project: it allows you to include non-text items, like songs, images, video files, in the project so everything is in one place.

Scrivener is for OS X (i.e. Mac) only, and is just $40. There's a free demo. You can find it at the Literature and Latte home page.

I have no connection to this product, except that I think it's great and I would hate to live without it.

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mrgoat
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Re: software for magicians

Postby mrgoat » February 13th, 2009, 1:46 pm

Pete McCabe wrote:About six months ago I began using Scrivener, a word processor that is based on outlines, which makes it very easy to organize projects. I immediately transferred my file of trick ideas into the new program, and the file of material I am collecting for Scripting Magic 2 as well.

The program was immediately indispensable and I have never looked back. The interface is very simple and the program, for all its usefulness, is easy to learn and to use. It was written by a writer who couldn't find the program he wanted, so he put this one together.

I still use my regular word processor for any job that requires layout, tables, etc. But Scrivener is a great word processor for writing and organizing large projects. It does have a built-in screenwriting module, and another feature I don't use but which might be useful for a show-building project: it allows you to include non-text items, like songs, images, video files, in the project so everything is in one place.

Scrivener is for OS X (i.e. Mac) only, and is just $40. There's a free demo. You can find it at the Literature and Latte home page.

I have no connection to this product, except that I think it's great and I would hate to live without it.


Tis an excellent application, well priced, and yes, developed by one man because there wasn't something that did this.

Outline(r)s are so the way forward. I rely on them all the time. If you do to, or want to try, another Mac OSX app I'd highly recommend is OmniOutliner. Just wonderful. As are all the Omnigroup products.

I must say, creating some software from scratch to sell to just magicians seems a very narrow market...

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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » February 13th, 2009, 1:55 pm

Hi Pete,

If you have access to a PC, I would love to have you try the program and hear your comments.

Scrivener looks good.

Something like that was what I was after, but for Windows.

This is more geared to magic tricks, but you can also use it for puppet shows, ventriloquists, stand up comedians, etc.

For longer projects I use just Word (and Dramatica Pro, for sketching the plot and the characters)
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condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » March 11th, 2009, 11:48 am

Hi. again.

Now I have a working Beta Version of the program and I'm looking for 10 reviewers.

If you are interested please contact me by private message.

-------------
Salvador Calderon
(Conde Magnum)
Conde Magnum
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Jim Sisti
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Re: software for magicians

Postby Jim Sisti » March 11th, 2009, 1:18 pm

I'd be interested in being a beta tester. My direct e-mail address is: jimsisti@comcast.net

Thanks!

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Re: software for magicians

Postby Frank Starsinic » March 11th, 2009, 2:15 pm

Here's a product (free) that I really like but it's not for scripting so I don't feel bad putting it here. I think it would be a good companion product.

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/in ... /Main_Page

It's mind mapping software so it's great for getting your ideas down QUICKLY and re-organizing them as you go. Much better than an outline where you need to try to be organized at the same time. Not required here. You can do that later.

I think this with a combination of the scripting software would be the perfect combination. It does not require a mouse for the functionality so you can really work quickly to get things "on paper". The features are too many to mention.

One thing I like most is the ability to drag information from a different application right onto the map and it will make separate nodes for each entry, joke, line, bit, gag, whatever it is you're dragging automatically.

Ex: you see a list of jokes you like, select them from your browser and just drag them onto the part of the map where you want them added.

Here's an example screenshot of how a map might look
Image

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Joe Pecore
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Re: software for magicians

Postby Joe Pecore » March 11th, 2009, 4:14 pm

Frank Starsinic wrote:Here's a product (free) that I really like but it's not for scripting so I don't feel bad putting it here. I think it would be a good companion product.

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/in ... /Main_Page


I integrated that, just for fun, with MagicPedia http://www.geniimagazine.com/forums/ubb ... Post182407
Share your knowledge on the MagicPedia wiki.

condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » March 24th, 2009, 9:17 pm

As some beta testers decided not to review the software, I have room for a few more.

Please PM me if you want to dirve test it.
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condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » April 13th, 2009, 2:02 pm

Magic Show Builder will launch on April 15
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condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » April 15th, 2009, 3:15 am

Magic Show Builder is live now.

Go to

http://www.magicshowbuilder.com
Conde Magnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby Magic Mike » April 15th, 2009, 10:27 am

Will this work on a Mac OS computer?
It looks like a very handy program.

condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » April 15th, 2009, 3:03 pm

No, sorry.

I will have a Mac version in a few months
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Re: software for magicians

Postby Magic Newswire » April 15th, 2009, 6:04 pm

You could run it via Boot Camp, Parallels VM Ware on a mac though.

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Re: software for magicians

Postby Magic Mike » April 15th, 2009, 6:35 pm

Thanks for the responses.

I would rather run the program natively, rather then using Boot Camp etc.

Conde, please do keep me posted if there is a Mac version.

Cheers!

condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » April 20th, 2009, 5:35 pm

I have found a software that does run on Macs.

It is MagicBasePro. (http://magicbasepro.com)

I know my opinion is skewed towards Magic Show Builder but I find MagicBasePro a lot more complicated to use, and the price (at $199) is a lot higher than my program.
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condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » May 1st, 2009, 1:31 pm

The Affiliate program for Magic Show Builder is now open.
Anybody can earn good money promoting it. Free members earn 35% and paid owners earn from 40 to 60% depending on the number or leads the bring in.

Just register at the site to get the whole scoop.
http://magicshowbuilder.com
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Re: software for magicians

Postby Ray Haddad » May 16th, 2009, 6:53 pm

condemagnum wrote:The Affiliate program for Magic Show Builder is now open.
Anybody can earn good money promoting it. Free members earn 35% and paid owners earn from 40 to 60% depending on the number or leads the bring in.

Just register at the site to get the whole scoop.
http://magicshowbuilder.com


You have not once mentioned the cost of the software either here or on your web site. Would you fix that?
Best Regards,
Ray
http://www.rayhaddad.com

condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » May 21st, 2009, 9:46 am

I have changed the webpage. Hopefully it now explains in clearer terms what the software does.

Also the price is now mentioned (and BTW, I'm testing a new reduced price point)
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mrgoat
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Re: software for magicians

Postby mrgoat » May 21st, 2009, 11:35 am

Hmm, weird package you now get.

1) professional (ahem) software for the pro magician to help build an act

PLUS

Someone's exposure of David Blaine's tricks (twice), and some other tat aimed at a youtube audience?

Weird?

So your target market is 14 year old professionals?

condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » May 21st, 2009, 11:54 am

As the page says, it is aimed for professionals, amateurs and begginers.

Yes, the bonuses are aimed to the begginners. I could not find any other thing worthwhile aimed at professionals that I could buy resell rights for.

BTW, what do you mean by saying that I am a clueless c**t who steals other peoples work?
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Re: software for magicians

Postby mrgoat » May 21st, 2009, 12:26 pm

Actually, life is too short.

Good luck with your product.

I'm sure it will be a great success.
Last edited by mrgoat on May 21st, 2009, 12:40 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason: can't be bothered to point out the obvious.

condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » May 21st, 2009, 12:46 pm

1.-Beginners also dream to make a professional show, and would welcome all the help they can.

2.-I bought the rights to resell those books from their makers.
I ignore if they had the rights to use those pictures. Go pick on them.

3.-I did not translate the sales pitch. I hired a professional copywriter from Elance. But I'm curious. How come does it look like a con?

4.-Beginners need a little more enticing, as they might find difficult grasping the value of the software.

5.-Excuse me if it was not you who just send me this feedback to the question "What is your biggest objection to this offer?"
(edited for this forum):

VISITOR ANALYSIS
Referrer http://magicshowbuilder.com/bm/
Host Name cpc5-brig15-2-0-cust936.3-3.cable.virginmedia.com
IP Address 81.102.251.169 [Label IP Address]
Country United Kingdom
Region East Sussex
City Brighton
ISP Virgin Media
Below is the result of your Add2it WebForms Pro form submission.
It was submitted by () on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 11:34:38
from 81.102.251.169 using Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10_5_7; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.16 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Safari/528.16
----------------------------------------------------------------

message: Because you are a clueless xxxx who steals other people's work.

----------------------------------------------------------------
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mrgoat
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Re: software for magicians

Postby mrgoat » May 21st, 2009, 12:59 pm

condemagnum wrote:5.-Excuse me if it was not you who just send me this feedback to the question "What is your biggest objection to this offer?"
(edited for this forum):

VISITOR ANALYSIS
Referrer http://magicshowbuilder.com/bm/
Host Name cpc5-brig15-2-0-cust936.3-3.cable.virginmedia.com
IP Address 81.102.251.169 [Label IP Address]
Country United Kingdom
Region East Sussex
City Brighton
ISP Virgin Media
----------------------------------------------------------------

message: Because you are a clueless xxxx who steals other people's work.

----------------------------------------------------------------


What a weird coincidence! *I'm* in Brighton too. Crazy.

All the best with your efforts.

condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » June 1st, 2009, 2:53 pm

I am testing price points. So for the moment I have drastically reduced the price for Magic Show Builder to it's lower price ever.

Also, a new version has been uploaded that deals with many request from the users.
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Gord
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Re: software for magicians

Postby Gord » June 1st, 2009, 7:01 pm

Will upgrades be made available to those who have purchased it or do we have to re-download?

Gord

condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » June 1st, 2009, 7:19 pm

The upgrades are available free of charge, but you have to redownload them.

The file to download is the Setup.msi file which is 3018 KB. You DO NOT have to download or install again the .NET Framework patch.
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condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » June 13th, 2009, 8:03 pm

Magic Show Builder is now available in CD ROM for just $2.00 plus shipping (about $4.00 or less).
Includes jewel case.

http://kunaki.com/sales.asp?PID=PX00ZJEPUA

Note: It does not include the license. You still have to get it from the site.
BUT it includes the setup program for the .NET Framework which can take a lot of time to download, so if you have a slow internet connection this is the way to go.
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condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » June 23rd, 2009, 10:23 am

I have uploaded a video showing how to use it.
I will be uploading more videos soon.

http://magicshowbuilder.com/new/How-Does-it-Work.html
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condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » September 11th, 2009, 11:07 am

I'm looking for two Mac and two Linux users to beta test the multiplatform version of Magic Show Builder
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Re: software for magicians

Postby Todd Brown » September 12th, 2009, 1:10 am

I'm a Mac user and would be happy to help beta test....

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condemagnum
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Re: software for magicians

Postby condemagnum » February 10th, 2011, 9:53 am

The Mac and Linux version is now available!
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Re: software for magicians

Postby Magic Newswire » February 10th, 2011, 11:17 am

Boy ... That thread came back to life after a long nap. ;-)

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Re: software for magicians

Postby IrishMagicNews » February 10th, 2011, 4:53 pm

lmao
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Re: software for magicians

Postby J-Mac » February 14th, 2011, 1:25 am

Has this ever been updated?

I purchased the original version and to be honest, I found the program to be not very unusable. Main problem is that the program's window is so tiny. I am using a 24" monitor at 1920 x 1200 resolution but the program window is sized at 890 x 650 pixels and cannot be changed according to support. They told me to change my resolution to 800 x 600. Also I found I couldn't paste test into the database fields and a host of other issues.

If there is an updated version I sure would like to get a peek at it.

Thank you.

Jim

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Re: software for magicians

Postby Jeremy Greystoke » February 15th, 2011, 6:21 pm

Pete McCabe wrote:About six months ago I began using Scrivener, a word processor that is based on outlines, which makes it very easy to organize projects. I immediately transferred my file of trick ideas into the new program, and the file of material I am collecting for Scripting Magic 2 as well.

The program was immediately indispensable and I have never looked back. The interface is very simple and the program, for all its usefulness, is easy to learn and to use. It was written by a writer who couldn't find the program he wanted, so he put this one together.

I still use my regular word processor for any job that requires layout, tables, etc. But Scrivener is a great word processor for writing and organizing large projects. It does have a built-in screenwriting module, and another feature I don't use but which might be useful for a show-building project: it allows you to include non-text items, like songs, images, video files, in the project so everything is in one place.

Scrivener is for OS X (i.e. Mac) only, and is just $40. There's a free demo. You can find it at the Literature and Latte home page.

I have no connection to this product, except that I think it's great and I would hate to live without it.


I was browsing this thread last night and Pete's endorsement of Scrivener caught my eye. I was wondering if there was something equivalent in Windows World, and a search produced the happy news that Scrivener is being ported to Windows. Scrivener For Windows is currently in the Public Beta test stage, and it can be downloaded from http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivenerforwindows/.

Like Pete, I have no connection to this either, but it appears to be a great tool and I thought others might be interested in taking a look and giving the Beta for this a try.

Jeremy


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