I know a lot of people who have this pet hate:
Watching movies that clearly portray archery in the wrong manner.
Now, some movies go to a respectable length to get
archery to look right, but others take a lot of creative
liberties, and while this may make archery look cooler, it
can also upset archers.
Looking at things like shooting multiple arrows,
shooting while falling off buildings, having the wrong
stance, the wrong anchor point, and so on.
And it's not just in movies, it's in games and art, and other media.
My annoyance isn't with movies that get it wrong, it's
with people who feel like they have to point it out.
I get that some things look totally wrong, and I like how
it raises discussion about archery - it gets people talking about it, which is great!
Some people make really good blog posts and videos
analysing movie archery, and explaining the flaws in
detail, and that's actually really interesting stuff.
But then there are people who can't enjoy a movie at face value, because of small things.
And then there are people who go out there to find other images and different sources,
and post them online to get criticisms.
I mean, looking at things like 'here's a school project,
I've made a digital 3D model, and it's holding the bow wrong, go and criticise it'.
Or, 'here's a sketch from DeviantArt'.
I mean, damn! That's taking it too far. Knowing the
correct form, and then portraying that form in a different
medium isn't that easy. A lot of artists aren't archers and vice versa.
You know what, some people just want to make archery
look cool! They just want to draw a really cool looking picture.
Even if it's impractical, artists want to have that action
shot, producers want the best angles, writers want something that can drive the plot through.
Even if it's only a tiny drop of plausibility, it'll look fine!
But beyond that, archery isn't the only victim of creative
liberties - every movie will portray things unrealistically, because that's what movies are meant to do!
Just imagine watching a film with someone like this:
"You can't hold down the trigger - that gun should have overheated!'
'God, you can't be that close to an explosion without internal haemorrhaging!'
"You can't say 'Over & out' on the radio, they're opposite things!"
"You can't run like that in heels!"
"Yelling at someone does not make CPR any more effective!"
Then there are people who claim that these misleading films and posters encourage unsafe technique
and practice, and they'll say that people will copy them.
I've never seen someone actually attempt to replicate movie archery, on the range.
Sure, people will sometimes ask about it, but people generally understand that movie archery is not realistic - they know this.
Yeah, there are people that might try stupid things by themselves, but they'll try stupid things anyway, with or without movie influence.
Just because a film doesn't get it right, doesn't mean people will copy it in real life.
"This movie doesn't follow proper legal procedure! It's gonna mislead lawyers, and criminals are gonna walk the streets!"
I honestly don't see how a few creative liberties can spoil the experience - it may be worth mentioning,
but what's the purpose behind making a thread, then calling people to point out everything that's wrong
with this particular scene, or this particular image.
I get that if they claim it's an accurate portrayal, and it isn't, it's grounds for criticism, but I think that most
people have an understanding that Hollywood archery is not meant to be a realistic portrayal.
If you really get a kick out of pointing out all the errors that movies make, there's a place for you: TV Tropes
((This channel bears no responsibility for time wasted.))
That said, my question for you is: how annoyed do you get when you see archery portrayed incorrectly?
Does it really get you going, or do you go "meh, whatever"? Post your comments below.
This is NUSensei, bringing you another
Archery Annoyance