The Armour Archive

I've seen a few clips of video from wars and there don't seem to be too many that aren't from a distance that makes the action almost indiscernible. The footage taken with long-lenses is usually much better though it still lacks a certain... "immediate perspective" if you will.
How well received would a noncombatant cameraman be on the field? This would assume that the cameraman would be someone intimately familiar with SCA heavy combat and currently authorized to participate in heavy and/or light combat activities. They would at the very least wear a light-fighter's minimum field gear and display appropriate noncombatant markings. And at no time would the cameraman be involved in a thick press of fighting, like on a bridge or castle gate engagement, instead keeping to rules of engagement much like combat archers.
He'd be sort of like the guys who tagged along behind SEAL Team 6 during their "Red Cell" assaults on Navy bases, or the cameramen on "Cops."
This individual would not be on the field for every combat, but would instead augment traditional long-lens filming techniques with the SCA heavy combat version of an "extreme close-up."
My other whack-ass imagery idea is to use those "stick-anywhere-spycam" things to fashion some kind of helmet-cam. But that would necessarily yield up a lot of Blair Witch-quality footage and I'd rather not have to eat Dramamine before watching a fight video.

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Long live the Prince and Princess of Cynagua!

Someone has a website that has either a helmet cam or shield cam setup...

I have some footage from the Hastings 2000 re=-enactment taken by someone who (dressed in 11th century gear) went up the hill with the Normans. VERY immediate footage of combat, VERY impressive. I was facing ths guy as he was filming, and I didn't see him, so he must have been pretty inconspicuous.

So, it CAN be done.




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Egfroth

Major Bloodnok, Queen's Forty-Third Deserters (retd.) "Do you know what it's like to be in the thick of a bloody battle, with bullets flying and sabres clashing?"
Ned Seagoon: "No."
Bloodnok: "Pity; I was hoping you could tell me . . ."
see my webpage at www.geocities.com/egfrothos

Marshalls aren't required to wear armour. As a marshall, my only concern for the cameraman would be if he got too involved in what he was filming and lost awareness of what might be about to run his ass over.

I thought they had a cameraman at gulf wars for the field battle? I remember seeing him and an audio person walking around, and the marshals made an anouncement that the guys with the yellow caution tape around thier helmets were not to be hit becuase they were filming and had expensive equipment.

RE: a cameraman getting too wrapped up in the subject and getting run over - assign him a spotter who watches his back.

A fellow in our barony mounted a webcam on his pauldron and shot footage of one battle via a laptop he carried into battle in a backpack, but I don't think I'd recommend that. The risk to the gear's enough to give me the shakes...

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"Or, a pall inverted surmounted by an orle Azure counterchanged"
mka: Sam Pearce

"As a marshall, my only concern for the cameraman would be if he got too involved in what he was filming and lost awareness of what might be about to run his ass over."

How about a two man team? one to film, wearing little to no armor, one to look out for trouble and good footage wearing armor and even armed or with a shield to act as a bodygaurd/interceptor for the cameraman. Both very clearly marked as non combattants. That way you have a guy who can just focus on getting the good footage, a guy who can watch for combat getting too close, and can in an emergency hold off an overzealous fighter long enough for a hold to be called before breaking expensive gear.

Hi,
I had to deal with camera crews at Pennsic 25 where I was marshall in charge and except for one French crew, they all listened and filmed from a safe distance. I had to threaten the French crew as they were VERY rude when I asked them to maintain a safe distance. After informing them that I could make their lifes VERY interesting I found a friend of mine who works with camera crews for a living and takes s--t from no one. Promblem solved.
Duke Ronald

Some snippage.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Pietro da San Tebaldo:
<B>
A fellow in our barony mounted a webcam on his pauldron...</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually he mounted the camera in a steel box that was attached to his helmet via the leather strap that holds on the visor. Unfortunately the video doesn't have any sound and is fairly low quality visually, due to the restraints of the program he used to capture it. If only we had real time Divx encoding.

He posts on the archive as "Lubeck" occasionally, and tries to steal my broccoli

Donasian.

Ha Ha Ha
Medieval combat camera, my rating finally comes into play in my post military life.
Seriously I have been keeping an eye open for a video camera that I wouldnt mind putting in the way of danger. But I havent had the extra money yet. Maybe soon, maybe not.

[This message has been edited by Thaddeus (edited 04-08-2002).]

Oh, yeah....I remember the French crew.
Man do I remember them.
I can't believe they didn't get whacked.

I'm not talking on purpose either.
They'd just stroll right out into the fight, and if you said anything to them, they pretended not to know the language.

V

What do you expect???

their French....

Sarnac...I agree. I think Wilmot's entire post could have been shortned to:

"There was a french camera crew at Pennsic 25. 'Nuf said."

the gentle with the shield cam is still active in aethelmarc, and i believe still taking the occaisonal picture; when i get home from work i'll see if i can find his site... he has a small camera aimed through a very small hole in the upper mid of his shield, covered by an aluminum box; he has a short shutter release that runs to his shield hand... takes some very interesting pictures...

I've seen the website with the shieldcam pics. That's one source of inspiration for this idea I'm kicking around. And at Wargy a couple-three years ago there was the guy with the camera box strapped onto his helm, which I thought was nifty though I would be loath to risk even the cheapest camera equipment in that set up.
I'm certain that safety wouldn't be a big issue for the crew. How would you guys - as fighters - feel about having someone out there with a camera though? One of my biggest concerns would be "breaking the mood" by having this cameraman bouncing around the field.
Aside from the natural reaction to the French, how did the fighters at Pennsic XXV feel about having cameras around? Or at the others wars you've seen them? Any gripes from people about seeing cameras in the middle of a medieval engagement?

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Long live the Prince and Princess of Cynagua!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by wilmot:
<B>Hi,
I had to deal with camera crews at Pennsic 25 where I was marshall in charge and except for one French crew, Duke Ronald</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

We had a problem with a French cameraman way back at Burro Creek II or III. After Marshals repeatedly telling him he had to stay back, he actually ran and jumped under someone swinging a blow and had his camera destroyed... then had the nerve to get pissed off. He clearly thought that his camera gave him a special invincibility.

Juliana

Rude Frenchies? The hell you say!

the shield cam picts are at....
www.shieldcam.com (go figure)

bela

He's had the "Pennsic 30 pics coming soon!!!" notice up for over six months now...

-Donasian.

Bella.....
You DO realize that sheildcam guy is "duct tape boy", right?

Yeah.
Were you there for that........incident?

Ah...memories....(grin)

VvS

I viewed the Hastings Video and agree it was really well done.
It was pretty choreographed though, that may be how they were able to get in so close and have such fine results overall.

As I marshall a lot, I get to see some remarkable things very close but I wonder how solid a camera shot from that close would be.

Perhaps I will ask my Lord husband to see about attaching our video cam to me ...what the heck, it may be a disaster, it may be a grand success.

It might look funny though.
Wonder if it could nestle up in my Crown unobtrusively?

I can hear the reactions now, I am notorious for yard of film of the ground, lots of examples of period footwear and no fighting.

~L


[This message has been edited by Dame Lucia (edited 04-09-2002).]

yup... he's gotten much better now...
i was there for the "incident", but i was heavily into "assisted slumber"

ah, the memories...btw, saw rev horton heat a couple of weeks ago...
b

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Vermin:
<B>Bella.....
You DO realize that sheildcam guy is "duct tape boy", right?

Yeah.
Were you there for that........incident?

Ah...memories....(grin)

VvS</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

if I rember right the camera used is mounted just above the shield basket. With a push button triger thingy. I believe that he was using a disposable camera.

At the Antir-West War in 2001, I remember seeing a heavy, without weapons, with a camcorder completely encased in foam padding. He was right in the middle of all the fun, getting really great footage I imagine.

The Wargy helm cam was a lip-stick cam in a 12 ga. box, bolted to a helm grill. The transmitter was also in an armored box, on the belt at the back of the fighter who's name escapes me but will probally come to me a 3am. The video was great EXCEPT for when an armored body came between the xmitter and the reciever (like 1/2 the time!). The suggestion was for multiple attennas to solve it, but the mixer gear would be $$. I have also seen a foam box built around a cam corder with a marshal escort. He got into the pack, but never closer than 15ft. as he volunteered to be treated as a Light (Western missile combatant). Neve did see the video though. Have seen the French problem before


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Sir Theodrik of Skane,
West, Mists, Blackwood Company
'Lude Fortier, Lude Juste, Nemini Damnum!'

WE just got a new camera. I'm taking the old one and fixing it up so it can be taken out on a battlefield. I'm hoping to have it at Steppes Warlord for the melees and such after the single elim competitions. It's a small 8mm camera.

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Krag von Berghen
KragAxe Armoury

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