The Sword Spectacular Weekend
A chance to cross swords with the stars of Highlander: The Series

Article and Photographs by Genise Graham

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Demonstrations Galore!

There were other demonstrations, Q&A sessions, etc. that were most successful. Sadly, we were unable to cover them all thoroughly, as many functions ran concurrently.

Members of The Albion Schoole of Defense gave an incredible display of well-executed, elegant swordplay. They delivered their choreographed sequence with such spontaneity that the fighting was dramatic and riveting. Eyes, gazes, and blades were locked, and the intent of each opponent could be felt blazing from the stage. Slices which came within inches of their targets were avoided by ducking, somersaulting and sometimes with controlled falls. Sword points always looked dangerously close, as if near enough to actually draw blood, yet in all this none of the members of the Albion Schoole were hurt. They had practiced this sequence to precision, and with that came many measures of safety, and a synergy between students which allowed them to read each other's moves before they were executed.

Bob Goodwin - an instructor Westside Fencing Center in Culver City, California - gave an eye-opening class on choreographed fighting with one of his finest students.

An Observation of Theatrical Combat Prop Weapons

Just as F. Braun McAsh described theatrical combat as simulated combat intended to create dramatic value, the theatrical combat prop sword was shown to be no less important.

Theatrical combat prop weapons are designed to facilitate the dramatic delivery of the choreographed sequence. Because actors typically work many long hours in film, television, and theatre, it becomes necessary for the prop weapon to be light and strong. In many cases, the personal swords of the guests were swept hilt rapiers outfitted with aircraft aluminum blades. Since aluminum is much softer than steel, one must remember that the goal was not to recreate a real-life weapon. Rather, the intention was to create a prop strong enough to withstand usage but light enough to inflict minimal wear-and-tear on the actors' arms.

In pursuance of this goal, prop makers such as Tony Swatton (prop maker for films such as Blade, Batman, and The Mask of Zorro) and David L. Baker of the Hollywood Combat Center create aluminum swords that are expertly fashioned and polished to look like steel.

For example, the scimitar that T.J. Storm modeled for us looked like it was constructed of 5-6 lbs. of steel. Amazingly, the sizeable sword was incredibly light and weight less than 2 lbs.! In addition, the sword had a 3/8" (approx. 1 cm.) edge that allowed for rigorous use without significant damage. This beautiful prop was made by David L. Baker, who mentioned that aircraft aluminum can be polished to a mirror polish and, from a distance, pass as steel. For close-up shots, a steel-bladed version of the prop might be used, as was done in Highlander: The Series, because the hues of steel are different than those of aluminum alloy.

We were also able to meet with wonderful representatives of the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) - Payson Burt and Dr. Julia Rupkalvis.

Enter Tony Swatton

We had a chance to hold one of Tony Swatton's props that Antonio Banderas used in The Mask of Zorro. To our surprise, it was amazingly light. Upon closer examination, it turned out that the entire sword - hilt, basket, and blade - was made of aircraft aluminum! Tony related that a movie can go through dozens of aluminum blades, as they scuff, nick, and ding much more than steel blades. However this is an acceptable trade-off in the film industry - there can be over 30 blades made for one actor in a movie, but the tired actor has only two arms!

Many fans of sword movies are unaware of the differences between real swords and movie prop swords, believing that the performance they see on the silver screen is the same performance of a real sword. In real life, there is simply no way a steel blade of the Blade movie sword could truly go through a concrete pillar. Tony showed us a prop from Blade of the sword used by the vampire hunter. Ironically, the handle which looked like metal on the screen was, in fact, a black-colored, brittle resin handle which housed a 1095 steel blade. Technically, this would work as a real sword, right? On the contrary - the 1095 blade was only used for close-up shots in particular scenes. The blade had a short tang and, since it was cast in fragile resin, even Tony admitted that it might crack and break under the stress of some swinging!

The Blade sword prop did not have the spiked contraption which destroyed the hand of the vampire trying to use the sword against the title character. When asked about the mechanism, Tony explained that the contraption actually was not automatic, but was performed by someone pulling a string off-camera! The master prop maker was equipped with a good sense of humor, "attacking" our poor Editor with a lethal-looking blade, which bent against our Editor's chest. Is Adrian Ko the true Man of Steel? On the contrary - the Klingon knife which looked like metal was, in fact, made of rubber! Tony showed us more movie magic - an Excalibur sword which had found its way deep into a 300 lb. rock - which he picked up easily with a single hand! Tony Swatton truly is a maker of magic, and thanks to his work, we have the stuff of dreams.

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