One of the popular types of trending videos is when big entertainment channels invite experts
to react to media portrayals of their area of expertise, including FBI agents, special forces,
criminals, doctors, and so on. These can be very fascinating in giving the
audience a different insight into popular culture through the lens of
someone more knowledgeable in the area. I also do this kind of thing on my channel,
specifically my series Archery Popshots where I examine archery in video games.
Not so long ago, the channel Wired covered an episode featuring US Olympic archer Mackenzie
Brown breaking down video game archery. As awesome as it is for Mackenzie and Olympic archery to get
a spotlight, I get the feeling that she may have been thrown under the bus in this episode, and
there was no shortage of comments that questioned not only her enthusiasm but also her expertise.
Now, I practice several different forms of archery, including modern and traditional.
I’m not particularly good at them, but I like to think that it gives me a deeper understanding of
what people do. Anything beyond that and I have to do some reading and research to get my head
around new concepts. I have to be mindful that things that look “wrong” in one style
are correct in another, and that it’s very easy to make inaccurate claims out of ignorance of the
subject area. This is where I feel that Mackenzie got shafted in this episode.
The biggest mistake in all of this is the assumption that Olympic archery is the premiere
form of archery. It’s not – and I’m saying this as someone who coaches this form of archery. Olympic
archery is modern target archery – it is a sport. The form you see with all the fancy bows and
colourful targets developed over the past hundred years from the recreational form of archery in the
19th century. It’s equipment and technique is specialised purely to maximise performance in
this one goal of being as consistent and precise as possible over a long distance static target.
If this was all that I practiced, my qualifications to comment on historical styles
of archery is approximately zero. Apart from the general concept that I’m using a bow and arrow,
the systems are almost entirely different. This would be like getting a modern sport rifle shooter
to comment on sniper scenes, or a modern amateur boxer to comment on kung fu scenes.
There may be some overlapping concepts, but I think anyone in this situation will recognise that
they are entering the realm of the unknown and they are speaking more as a regular viewer rather
than an informed one. And that’s fine, as long is the limits of their knowledge are clearly defined.
That’s where I think this particular video was a disappointment.
This isn’t to take a shot at Mackenzie – it’s not her fault. But some of the
remarks made are clearly from the frame of being a modern target shooter. For example:
Canting the bow isn’t to look cool and comparing it to the gangster pistol grip
is a very bad comparison. While maintaining a straight bow is normal for target shooting for
the purpose of consistency, traditional and historical archers often do cant their bows.
There are different reasons, but one thing that sticks out is the rotation of the elbow
to provide the strongest body structure. Modern target archers actually do the same thing,
but they adapt the grip to facilitate the right alignment, whereas traditional
archers will tend to cant the bow. Plus it also gives more vision of the target.
In addressing The Last of Us,
Mackenzie breaks down the speed at which the character nocks and shoots.
Mackenzie is correct in framing her method within her style of Olympic archery,
in which archers can have 20 to 40 seconds per shot. But it also bypasses the point about
shooting quickly. Without even going into the specific methods of speed shooting, an archer can
pull an arrow from a quiver and shoot in around 2 to 3 seconds, and the best shooters get under
1.5 seconds. It’s still slower than gameplay mechanics, but that’s for gameplay reasons.
Another mistake that was picked up by commentators was draw length:
While Olympic archers have a relatively short anchor under the jaw,
traditional styles do tend to draw very long, to the ear or beyond. To
say that long draws will cause the archer to hit their ear or face is misinformed.
I won’t nitpick every single comment she makes, because some are reasonable.
The problem is that almost all of these observations are general knowledge that
people might have, not the specific expert knowledge that an Olympic archer has.
Really, the only thing that she should be commenting on within her subject area
is Olympic archery, and the video featured none of that.
And that presents the overall problem:
you have to realise that there are many specialisms in archery. There isn’t just ONE
kind of archery, and being an Olympic archer does not make you an expert in other forms of archery.
If you want to get good commentary on the equipment used in The Hunter,
get an experienced bowhunter. If you want good insights into the archery in Kingdom Come:
Deliverance, talk to someone who has years of experience shooting or making
longbows. If you want good commentary on horseback archery, get a horse archer.
This is a wider issue with the entertainment industry
too. Many will know that for her role as Katniss Everdeen in Hunger Games,
Jennifer Lawrence was trained by US Olympic archer Khatuna Lorig. Even Russell Crowe for his
role as the titular Robin Hood received guidance from former Archery Australia boss Jim Larven.
But what they actually do in the films is far different from the expertise that is being sought.
See, it makes sense that if you want to include flashy stunt and speed shooting in a film,
you consult with experts like Lars Andersen.
Another example of the right expert in the right role is Patricia Gonsalves, who teaches different
styles of archery, being the consultant and bow technician for shows like Arrow.
It doesn’t make much sense to seek the advice of an Olympic archer
if you want to create a survival game.
Ultimately, the problem isn’t Mackenzie. I’m happy that she got the spot and she did well
given her level of knowledge and what she had to work with. The problem is the misconception
that Olympic archers know everything about archery. It’s unfair to both the athlete and sport
to respond to questions that they’re not supposed to know. Some individuals may have some experience
in bowhunting or traditional styles, but most are specific only to their chosen discipline.
In conclusion, if you’re going to consult with archery experts for your project,
try to use the right expert for the right context.