**LCC XI BEGINS**

If the choreography is simple enough, I could be the third fighter.

How are you on cameras? I have two that can shoot 1080p/24p.

 

Well, I'm thinking that I'll have an HV-40 by then, at least. But, I was planning on renting a decent camera with a high speed function. Found a somewhat local place with great prices on a 10 day rental, with weekends free, and free shipping.

 

One of my cameras is an HV-20, and the other is a Canon ELPH-110. The HV-20(and 30 and 40) can do slow-mo to some extent. They can shoot in 60i, so you get 60 frames per second (though at half the vertical resolution), which allows you to slow the footage down to 40% of the original speed. It seems to me that for a saber fight, that's basically all the slow-mo you'd ever need. My other camera has a Super Slow Motion mode which gives options of shooting 640x480 at 120fps, and 320x240 at 240fps. From running numerous experiments, I've learned that when it comes to slow-mo, slower isn't always better. Sometimes making things move extremely slowly works if that part of the film needs it for emotional reasons, but you generally only want the action to move slow enough to allow viewers to see details they wouldn't have seen or comprehended otherwise. Film at a too high a framerate and you'll be waiting a loooong time for anything to happen.

 

Filming at a higher frame rate allows more flexibility. I can speed up the footage until the part that the slow motion is required for. Like 300, (though I have no plans on going that far with it, lol).

 

(Sorry for double posting, it wouldn't let me edit the other post)

I meant that I could set the footage at normal speed, until the slow motion part, then pull a speed ramp.

 

Is Ricky doing the bumper this year?

 

Wink. Wink.

Unless someone else wanted to? I'm willing to relinquish my duties knowing I made the best bumpers there ever was and will never ever be topped by anyone in their right mind.

 

Hey, the man himself. The reason I asked was because I had an idea for one. That being said, I'm sure there are people way more qualified than me to do it, seeing as I've only been around here for one LCC. If there is anyone who has been dying to do the bumper, then just ignore me, but if it's okay with everyone, I could give it a go.

 

Well... It looks like I have no chance of doing what I was planning. It's May, and there has only been about two facebook messages worth of communication between myself, and the guy who had said yes to being in it. And the last message kinda eluded to him only being available for about a week, that that week isn't when I was going to be able to film, not that it matters, since we won't be able to get together for any choreography sessions.

But, I think that a few friends and I will get together and do something quick and cheesy. Something that can be done in a single weekend. Makes me depressed, since what I was planning was amazing.

 

So... How's everyone progressing?

 

I built a new lightsaber prop, and I must say, I like what I came up with for it just being some parts that I had laying around the shop. My brother and I also filmed a really short fight; mostly to test a new saber fx workflow I've been developing for Blender. I'm nearly finished with the effects for it, and I might enter it just for kicks.

Dx6Channel and I have begun planning our entry, and we've done a couple of preliminary choreo sessions. I might be breaking out my curved katana saber out again this year, so we are doing some tests to see if there is a way to roto it faster and better than it was for me last year. To anyone else who might want to do a curved saber this year; it took an insane amount of control points for mine to look even decent, so know what you are getting yourself into.

I did a bit of work on my bumper idea, just to get what I was seeing in my head onto something I could see with my eyes. I might use it for some main titles if anyone else wanted to do the bumper. Okay, I'm done rambling... Anyone else?

 

Awesome.

Today, a friend and I went out on a whim, and filmed a little prequel to the fight. Wasn't easy, since it was just he and I, and isn't going to be all that great, but we managed. It's cheesy as heck... But it's something. I have to do the editing, and the one effects shot, and then I'll upload it, (it's not actually going to be part of the entry).

 

Oh dear, I feel another few all-nighters coming to help out on Roto xD

Might actually enter this time since I moved to London and lots of my VFX buddies live here...

 

Whoa...HUGE typo. Just to clear things up folks, the contest deadline is September 8th, not September 1st.

Again the deadline is September 8th.

 

So how is it going for everyone?

 

Well, I picked up my old plastic goodie lighsaber props from home in the Netherlands...

That's about as far as I've come

 

The bumper is out:

http://www.benmcewan.com/files/LCCXI_Bumper.zip

 

Well... I was going to film this past weekend, but, I discovered that I need new friends... A group of people, (literally all the friends I have in Texas), all agreed to take part and help out, (giving me their word), but surprise surprise, once again like every other year of this contest, once the time come everyone had either made new, very vague plans, or just plain ignored me, leaving me hanging on my own without a rope...

So sadly, until I've made new friends that can keep their word, I've given up with trying to enter any future lcc's...

 

Hi. I'm planning on entering this year, and if I do, this will be my first time. I've watched the entries every year, and I've always wanted to enter, but I never really had anyone to enter with. (That, or I was just lazy. ...that's probably more likely...) Anyway, I've been "training" someone special for the past few years, and if we're going to enter, this has to be the year.

I'm hopefully starting production next week (cutting it close, I know...). What have you guys used in the past for sabers? I know a lot of people use the Novuses (is that the correct plural form?), but that option is utterly out of my price range. I was just planning on grabbing some aluminum tubes from my local hardware store to use as the sabers' blades, but what I'm worried about is making the hilts.

I have no idea how to make a hilt that will securely hold an aluminum tube for dueling... If any of you know how I could do that successfully, it would be awesome if you could share your wisdom with me. Or if you have a completely different idea that would work for me (next to no budget...) that'd be great too.

One think I've been thinking about is building hilts out of PVC pipe, and spraypainting silver. But, like I said, I don't know how I would go about securing the blades in...

 

My brother and I used 3/4 - 7/8 wooden dowel rods for our first entry, they held up really well (only broke a couple if I remember right). I got bright orange paint for the rods but it was kind of pain because it would fade after a while; now I just use orange duct tape from Home Depot.

 

Hey, thanks for the reply, man! I'm not too worried about procuring blades. I can just use some some aluminum, PVC, or wooden dowels like you suggested. What I'm more worried about is finding/making a hilt that will house the blade. It needs to be at least sturdy enough so that the blade stays secure when swinging it around in circles near people's craniums...

After some Google and YouTube searching, I have found quite a few ideas for making prop hilts on their own. However, few of these designs, if any, discuss making these props "stunt-ready," so to speak. Like, with blades incorporated and stuff...

 

I have used 3/4" CPVC for my blades in the both last year and this year. CPVC is formulated for hot water and isn't as brittle and won't shatter like regular PVC. I'm not wild about aluminium because once it gets bent, it's done. Straightening it can cause stress fractures, making the bend point weaker and more likely to bend again until it breaks. Also, unless you have a set of taps and dies, it is going to be difficult to secure them in your hilts. Wood is workable, but more likely to snap if your fighting gets too intense. Obviously the best blades are the carbon fiber stunt blades that the Novus uses, and you can get those separately for about $36, but Sabershop.com is out of stock right now, and it sounds like you need them yesterday. Another option is the poly-carbonate blades that Ultra-Sabers use. You can get mildly used ones for about $10, although shipping time is still an issue.

I would recommend switching up your current plan and using 3/4" CPVC for the blades. The 3/4" is the inside diameter (ID) and the outside diameter (OD) is around 7/8", which means that it fits nicely in a 1" ID tube with 1/16" clearance all the way around. You can use a couple wraps of tape to make the fit tight and put a screw through it somewhere along the hilt to hold it in place. (See picture)

 

Thanks for the advice! This is just the kind of wisdom I was hoping someone here would be kind enough to share. I think your solution is the best option I have, so I plan on going with it.

Would you at all mind explaining a little more about the design of the hilt pictured above (I assume it's yours.)? I plan on going to the hardware store in the next day or two, but I want to go with a plan. I know I need 3/4" CPVC and 1" steel pipe. As much as possible, I want to avoid just going to the store and then trying to figure out there what will work.

My first question concerns the set screw. Did you drill through the pipe to make a hole for the screw? If so, is there any special way to do it, or any certain precautions I should take?

Also, I would like to know about the grip, and what's going on at either end of the hilt (emitter, pommel).

You've already helped me out a ton. I could probably find my way from here with the information you gave me, so thank you very much. However, answers to these questions would most definitely be appreciated!

 

Sure thing. One thing to note is that I didn't buy any of the parts on the saber above. I tend to collect scraps and miscellaneous parts, and I just scrounged around looking for interesting saber-looking things to stick on it. Every one of my sabers ends up being rather one of a kind, so I'm not going to be able to give you a "shopping list" for the saber above.

The set screw goes through a hole drilled in the hilt and into a threaded hole in the blade pipe. I used a machine screw about 1/2" long. Make sure to drill the hole in the hilt slightly larger than the screw and the hole in the blade pipe sightly smaller. The screw will cut its own threads in the soft CPVC. I cut the steel tubing out of an old piece of exercise equipment, and the emitter end of the saber is just a bunch of parts from the steering bearing of an old bicycle and a pipe clamp. The black grips are bicycle handlebar grips, and the gold on the end is a part from an old upright lamp along with some parts I made to serve as a belt hook ring.

You should be good to go as long as you have a snug fit on the blade and a set screw; any other parts are just afterthoughts to make it look cooler and/or add weight. I like my sabers to be balanced at the emitter and have a bit of heft to them, but that's not for everyone. (Don't tell Ryan Weiber but I think the Novus should be heavier, longer, and a bit smaller in diameter.)

Just look around for things that might work, and use tape to fill in the gaps. Have fun and good luck.

 

Well, I'm officially back in. It's not going to be anything elaborate, but still going to be fun at least. I recently got an Ultrasaber, to carry at a local convention. My cousin and I went in Jedi like costumes, and ended up joining a local saber fighting group, that's officially Lucas Film acknowledged. So, I ordered her an ultrasaber, and took her on as my "apprentice". We're going to put something fun together as an entry, maybe some kind of saber training thing. I might get a couple more people from the group to help out.

This all means that next year, I have about thirty saber wielders with kick arse costumes that are more than willing to do an entry... So... There's that...


As for what I use, it used to be dowels, about 1/3 ish inch wiht hilts made of electrical tape and duct tape. Now, going to be using ultrasabers. The blades are insanely durable, (could run over it with a bus and it wouldn't get a scratch, lol).