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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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 Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 7:13 am Post subject: Discovery's "Big Giant Swords" |
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I stumbled across a show on the Discovery Channel called "Big, Giant Swords.." Has anyone else seen it or heard of the people involved?
The swords have nothing to do with history, so there's no point in discussing that aspect. However, I don't think it's a series that will paint serious collectors in a positive light.
ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
Last edited by Chad Arnow on Sun 18 Jan, 2015 9:26 am; edited 1 time in total
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Joel Chesser
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 8:03 am Post subject: |
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Ooooh. It makes me sad this exists. For so many reasons. 
..." The person who dosen't have a sword should sell his coat and buy one."
- Luke 22:36
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Peter Lyon
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 9:36 am Post subject: |
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Oh Dear.
I looked at the webpage and intro video. The level of Q&A and premise of the whole show makes my brain hurt. This won't help anybody to understand swords better, or to be taken seriously.
Still hammering away
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Mark Griffin
Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys. Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 802
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 11:17 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | After completing each job, Mike musters all of his strength - and his wild imagination - to put his creation to an outlandish test, to prove that it is a real, working sword. |
what, like dropping it on someones foot?
Currently working on projects ranging from Elizabethan pageants to a WW1 Tank, Victorian fairgrounds 1066 events and more. Oh and we joust loads!.. We run over 250 events for English Heritage each year plus many others for Historic Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland, the National Trust and more. If you live in the UK and are interested in working for us just drop us a line with a cv.
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Ben Coomer
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 11:53 am Post subject: |
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Sigh.
After all the work in getting our culture aware that swords are generally pretty light and maneuverable, we get this.
100 lbs as a "real working sword?" Really?
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Matthew P. Adams
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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Is this the guy on the Vineyard? I should see if I can show him what real swords were like, maybe he'd be interested?
"We do not rise to the level of our expectations. We fall to the level of our training" Archilochus, Greek Soldier, Poet, c. 650 BC
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Mark Griffin
Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys. Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 802
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 1:11 pm Post subject: |
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He probably would. But would it get him a craaaaazy show on tv? probably not. Although you might get a slot on an episode as a nice juxtaposition. Bill yourself as some kind of mystic bladesmith who only forges by moonlight and only drinks pure dew from jasmine flowers and off you go.
Currently working on projects ranging from Elizabethan pageants to a WW1 Tank, Victorian fairgrounds 1066 events and more. Oh and we joust loads!.. We run over 250 events for English Heritage each year plus many others for Historic Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland, the National Trust and more. If you live in the UK and are interested in working for us just drop us a line with a cv.
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Joe Fults
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 1:20 pm Post subject: |
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Seems that these shows are about characters, not concepts, and it would appear they have found a character from a quick look. Bully on him for figuring out a way to get paid.
"The goal shouldn’t be to avoid being evil; it should be to actively do good." - Danah Boyd
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Mark Griffin
Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys. Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 802
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 1:34 pm Post subject: |
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I'm doing one over here right now. No matter they have the best people in their game with awesome kit, its all about how we react to stuff and our emotional baggage.
Currently working on projects ranging from Elizabethan pageants to a WW1 Tank, Victorian fairgrounds 1066 events and more. Oh and we joust loads!.. We run over 250 events for English Heritage each year plus many others for Historic Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland, the National Trust and more. If you live in the UK and are interested in working for us just drop us a line with a cv.
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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Eric W. Norenberg
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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I dunno guys, I think we just found a pop quote goldmine...
"Did that moth just fall out of your beard?"
"Yes, yes it did. Don't dwell on it."
And now we've met the "historical antecedent" of the Klingon Battleh-thing.
Seriously, I think the only people who will be lead astray by this show are the ones who are already convinced that all European swords were 100-lb barely -edged things that had to be straightened out after every encounter - and that the only thing that outperforms a katana is a lightsaber.
I might actually watch this show a few times before my true guilty pleasure programming returns... "Irish Mike" makes it pretty clear that he's a creative nut, making nutty things, for nutty people. Gods bless him for it. The program makes it pretty clear too. I love creative nuts, even if I'm not enthralled by the specific thing they are creating.
All these "reality" artisan shows seem to require some antagonist factor, but hopefully they don't depend on Mrs. Irish's financial worrying. If I want that kind of conflict I don't need to turn on the telly.
Imagine the creative team's pitch for this show: "Well sir, we found this crazy artist who makes crazy big ass swords..." "Okay. What do you call the show?" "Um. 'Crazy Big Ass Swords'. If we can get away with it."
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Mark Griffin
Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys. Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 802
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 1:56 pm Post subject: |
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tv would like to do worthy historical stuff but stuff keeps getting in the way. Series 2 of Hollow Crown about to air, stack heels and rubbery breastplates ahoy! But its billed as must see worthy historical edutainment. I've been in loads. Keep your head down, try not to make waves, cash the cheque. I try harder when I'm in a position too and that's my job of course.
'No! those barrel bands are wrong!' was one memorable cry of angst on location.....
Currently working on projects ranging from Elizabethan pageants to a WW1 Tank, Victorian fairgrounds 1066 events and more. Oh and we joust loads!.. We run over 250 events for English Heritage each year plus many others for Historic Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland, the National Trust and more. If you live in the UK and are interested in working for us just drop us a line with a cv.
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Mark Griffin
Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys. Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 802
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 2:07 pm Post subject: |
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Oh and Wolf Hall is a bit bettter than most. I tried...I tried..
Trouble is, you can give advice, they don't have to listen. It comes down to 'I don't care if its right, its not as pretty as the alternative'.
Currently working on projects ranging from Elizabethan pageants to a WW1 Tank, Victorian fairgrounds 1066 events and more. Oh and we joust loads!.. We run over 250 events for English Heritage each year plus many others for Historic Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland, the National Trust and more. If you live in the UK and are interested in working for us just drop us a line with a cv.
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Neil Bockus
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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Someone at work mentioned this and I cringed. Taking a look at the website, the "25 Amazing Sword Facts" are not helping the situation. One of them reads: "The earliest swords known to mankind were from the 6th Century." - WTFO? That's horrendously off even if they meant BC!
Another: "As technology improved, single edged swords became increasingly more popular and these were commonly found throughout Asia with such swords as the tachi and the katana."
Well, it looks like we're being set back again...
"The Sword of Freedom is kept sharp by those who live on its edge." - Scott Adams
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Mike Ruhala
Location: Stuart, Florida Joined: 24 Jul 2011
Posts: 335
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| Posted: Sun 18 Jan, 2015 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, I saw this in the listings the other night. For half a second I thought it might be a good show with an awful name... now I know it's an awful show with an awful name. They should have called it "Big Giant Weird Art Projects." 
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Jouni V.
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| Posted: Mon 19 Jan, 2015 1:17 am Post subject: |
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| Neil Bockus wrote: | | Taking a look at the website, the "25 Amazing Sword Facts" are not helping the situation. One of them reads: "The earliest swords known to mankind were from the 6th Century." - WTFO? That's horrendously off even if they meant BC! |
Is there any "Sword Fact" among those 25 that isn't downright wrong or at least grossly misleading? I looked through them and found big problems with practically every single "fact".
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Tyler Jordan
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| Posted: Tue 20 Jan, 2015 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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It looks like they're just cutting enormous SLO's out of bar stock and welding decorations to them. This is going to be worse than Man At Arms.
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Michael Beeching
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| Posted: Tue 20 Jan, 2015 10:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Tyler Jordan wrote: | | It looks like they're just cutting enormous SLO's out of bar stock and welding decorations to them. This is going to be worse than Man At Arms. |
You know, it's funny you say that, as despite all the issues with Man At Arms, they do produce functional weapons, so long as the original design was itself at least somewhat functional. Obviously, what what most of us want to see here is the forging of weapons in a historical vein, even if the methods are modernized to a degree. Man At Arms tends to cut a lot of corners in that regard. On the other hand, if you have a much more historical basis for the work, most people would not be interested in a series on it, as it takes a long time to produce work of exceptional quality by hand. For instance, in the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_PS2l31EhM
...This sword, or at least the blade, took THREE MONTHS to forge. A weekly television series would in all likelyhood not appeal to a large audience if they focused on just one smith for that timeframe to make a good sword. With the Irish Mike fellow, they have an amusing, eccentric fellow who makes interesting novelty items, which will attract viewers. For realism's sake, yeah, I'd actually rather see Man At Arms on television, as they make more realistic weaponry, but the characters would likely not be as entertaining, the fake drama would be there, and what have you. I think the truth is that people tend to be more interested in people than in things and processes; as a result, you end up with these goofy television programs with all manner of nonsense. And the nonsense is there too, as escapism appeals to everyone in some form or fashion... unless you happen to be a robot.
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Greg Ballantyne
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| Posted: Thu 22 Jan, 2015 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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The time when the Discovery Channel programming made a pretense toward living up to their supposed charter for existence disappeared in the rear view long ago.
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Mike Ruhala
Location: Stuart, Florida Joined: 24 Jul 2011
Posts: 335
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| Posted: Thu 22 Jan, 2015 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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I liked Ancient Warriors, if you remember that series from the 90's. A modern and improved version of something like that would be awesome! Big Giant Swords just isn't designed in a way to appeal to our demographic at all.
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This is a standard topic