i think they are just trying to make more fans. the current playing card community is pretty angry with their releases with S&M. it's time to let go the old and angry fans and make new ones.
You and Hecrob are talking about this like it's a crappy new deck release. It's not.
It's not about old fans or new fans. It's a documentary that's meant to attract people from OUTSIDE of the community as well as inside. If they kept it on their own website and self-funded it (a costly proposition, but maybe they could afford it), it would end up interesting no one beyond the people who traffic their site, a narrow sliver of the potential audience. This way, they get people who are merely curious about magic, no nothing about magic but think it's cool (or kewl, depending on how old they are) are magic fanatics but never looked into being magicians and never saw the behind-the-scenes goings-on, etc.
I didn't mean it in the crappy playing card release. Sorry if I pass the wrong message.
Magic is a small community. it's a very very niche market. The reason i say D&D are just trying to make more fans is to covert the non magic related people into magic related people. They are trying to get more people into the magic community. They are using this film as a medium to be the face of the magic community.
Why they doing it? because D&D are not really known as magicians.
Let's be honest. what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you go to their web site?
cards. flourishing moves. life style items. ...magic item..somewhere in the shadow area.
The easiest way to make money from newbies is to sell them the tools they think they need.
The very typical thing people think magician need is a deck of cards.
and what does D&D sell?...playing cards! cool playing cards.
They say it's a documentary film about magic. How I really see it is a film that is try to promote magic (which is a good thing). the down side is that it's going to be a bias film(just my opinion). Reason is that this is the best long length commercial to promote themselves! How could D&D and other magicians involved not take the advantage on this.
They are using kickstarter to reach a broader audience and using other people's money to make a long length documentary (self promote film). in the end they get more traffic and make more sales. I have to give them credit for this idea. it's so clever!