you cut me deep shrek you cut me real deep

December 27, 2010 9:17 PM

From the opening frames of this mesmerizing video: "A crazy idea was born. Early sunday on Swordfish 2010 we got a crazy idea of duck-tape our GoPro Hero camera on the tip of a sword and do some swings to see how it looked. We started slow just to see if the camera was holding together, then stepping it up. All recording are done in real speed." The music really makes the video. (via)
posted by SpacemanStix (54 comments total)

duck-tape?
posted by Confess, Fletch at 9:20 PM on December 27, 2010

Neat stuff.
posted by brundlefly at 9:21 PM on December 27, 2010

cue Timur Bekmambetov borrowing this angle in 3... 2... 1...
posted by nathancaswell at 9:25 PM on December 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Their hands don't move relative to the sword, so it looks like they're not doing any work. Pretty cool effect.
posted by breath at 9:27 PM on December 27, 2010

duck-tape?

To be fair, there is a brand of duct tape called Duck tape. But, yeah. Neat video, nonetheless.
posted by mhum at 9:28 PM on December 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Actually, I'm pretty sure that the song in the video is Right Round by Flo Rida which heavily samples the (IMO far superior) song linked to in the post. Cool video, though.
posted by Dr. Eigenvariable at 9:30 PM on December 27, 2010

duck-tape?

now all we need is chicken wire and some pussy-willow and we got ourselves a joke.
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 9:39 PM on December 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

THIS VIDEO IS NOT SUITABLE FOR DRUNK-WATCHING.
posted by artof.mulata at 9:40 PM on December 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

Should've used gaffer's tape....

_{Grumbles, and walks away. Kids these days. Duct tape is nasty stuff that should never be used for anything, including ducts. I'll bet they're still cleaning the goo off of their swords and electronics...}
posted by schmod at 9:42 PM on December 27, 2010 [5 favorites]

I've gotten as far as the duck is in the van surreptitiously recording the chicken in conversation with the cat who is obsessed with a Ron Howard-George Lucas project from a few years back...

But after that, I got nuthin'.
posted by hippybear at 9:44 PM on December 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Gaff tape is king. I'm constantly giving away purloined rolls with a whispered "dude, you'll never use duct tape again."
posted by nevercalm at 9:44 PM on December 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Oh, come now, schmod. There are good uses for duct tape.
posted by hippybear at 9:46 PM on December 27, 2010

Awesome. I'd seen this linked on swordforum.com's Historical European Swordsmanship subforum and haven't been able to find it since. Thanks MetaFilter!

I'm also like is their video of some HES sparring/training that has one camera mounted to one combatant's mask and a second camera capturing the overall action.
posted by Mister Cheese at 9:48 PM on December 27, 2010

I'm constantly giving away purloined rolls with a whispered "dude, you'll never use duct tape again."

I just hate that I can't find it for cheaper than $11/roll. 8-(
posted by mrbill at 9:58 PM on December 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

My fondest memories are of Grandma, shoving a tube down the ducks throat, filling it's liver with grains and her pulling out her leathermen to rip out the ducks intestine so we would would have enough duck tape to fix the fuel line on her cigarette boat and go water skiing.

Thank you, there is something in my eye.
posted by I love you more when I eat paint chips at 10:00 PM on December 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

Actually, I'm pretty sure that the song in the video is Right Round by Flo Rida which heavily samples the (IMO far superior) song linked to in the post.

...which is the song responsible for Ke$ha's career as a pop star.
posted by roger ackroyd at 10:03 PM on December 27, 2010

Duct tape is nasty stuff that should never be used for anything, including ducts. I'll bet they're still cleaning the goo off of their swords and electronics...

This, this, a thousand times THIS.

Sometimes I get the feeling there are a lot of people who somehow don't understand that Red Green's duct tape use was a marker of his absolute incompetence.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:08 PM on December 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

Duct tape, or duck tape, is cloth or scrim backed pressure sensitive tape often sealed with polyethylene.

The original name was possibly duck tape.
posted by eyeballkid at 10:09 PM on December 27, 2010 [4 favorites]

Confess, Fletch: “duck-tape?”

mhum: “To be fair, there is a brand of duct tape called Duck tape. But, yeah. Neat video, nonetheless.”

eyeballkid has it. Duck tape is what it's called. There are earlier uses for the term that way, anyway. And it had nothing to do with ducts.
posted by koeselitz at 10:14 PM on December 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Actually, I'm pretty sure that the song in the video is Right Round by Flo Rida

Yep, that's right. Good call.
posted by SpacemanStix at 10:15 PM on December 27, 2010

I have a headache now.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:49 PM on December 27, 2010

SpacemanStix: The music really makes the video

terrible. The music really makes the video terrible. On mute it isn't so bad, though. Except that:

artof.mulata: THIS VIDEO IS NOT SUITABLE FOR DRUNK-WATCHING

Seriously. I'm going to go crawl someplace, now.
posted by paisley henosis at 10:58 PM on December 27, 2010

ATTENTION. ATTENTION, HAVE JUST BEEN INFORMED:
THIS VIDEO IS NOT SAFE FOR STONED WATCHING.
posted by artof.mulata at 11:02 PM on December 27, 2010

I wish VikingSword posted this.
posted by mathowie at 11:13 PM on December 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Drunk, stoned, whatever. I find the whole concept quite sordid.
posted by 7segment at 11:14 PM on December 27, 2010

Would be fun to have the camera pointing in other directions than at the sword weilders.
posted by jan murray at 11:56 PM on December 27, 2010

Is "duck tape" like a more expensive form of duct tape? You know, the kind that comes with a large bill?
posted by Decani at 12:57 AM on December 28, 2010 [6 favorites]

I'm with Jan Murray. They should have shot also with the camera pointed otherwise. I will allow that this angle was fascinating, but it also got stale very fast.
posted by Goofyy at 1:17 AM on December 28, 2010

I keep seeing amazing videos filmed with this camera. I lust after one myself for two reasons: To film my daily commute everyday and save the 1 or 2 minutes of really interesting or beautiful stuff that I see every month, and to have the kind of stoner fun that this video shows.

The problem is that they are always coming up with new models and better prices, so every time I convince myself to buy one, I instantly convince myself to wait for the next model.
posted by Dr. Curare at 1:40 AM on December 28, 2010

Check your calendar! If it's later than 1632, it's impossible to wield a sword and not look like a dork.
posted by maxwelton at 1:55 AM on December 28, 2010

Check your calendar! If it's later than 1632, it's impossible to wield a sword and not look like a dork.

Incorrect, sir.
posted by Slap*Happy at 2:12 AM on December 28, 2010

Check your calendar! If it's later than 1632, it's impossible to wield a sword and not look like a dork.

I would argue that these fellows aren't so much dorky as they are geeky. People who practice Historical European Martial Arts tend to be super into researching and testing proper technique. They are often scholars who dig about for new manuscripts describing historical technique so they can puzzle through arcane and jargony fighting terminology in order to eventually put it all together into a system that makes sense. Unfortunately I'm a bit biased about all this since I've studied some of the interpretations of Liechtenauer's Art (specifically Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art Of The Longswordby David Lindholm) a teeny tiny bit myself.

Whereas it seems most people commenting so far find this dizzying, I find it fascinating to see the various guard transitions from such a wierd pov... particularly the Zwerchhaus that the first fellow does near the end of his run (a good video demonstrating the use of the strike is here). I'm no expert, but the first fellow appears to be doing more guard transitions (starts in pflug, goes to alber, up to pflug into an oberhau), the second focus striking through the different guards, and the third I'd have to walk though bit by bit 'cause it's so fast.

As for the 1632 date...well, The US Cavalry was still using training swordsmanship as late as 1937. Have a read here.
posted by Mister Cheese at 2:50 AM on December 28, 2010 [6 favorites]

still using training swordsmanship

Unfortunately, it seems I have not trained my wordsmanship well enough to operate properly in a state of sleep deprivation.
posted by Mister Cheese at 2:56 AM on December 28, 2010

This was way cooler then I expected.
posted by delmoi at 3:11 AM on December 28, 2010

I can't imagine how they're able to hold on when the sword is flinging them around like that.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:32 AM on December 28, 2010 [3 favorites]

Oh FFS, it's a viral ad for a camera. Seriously, people.
posted by DU at 7:00 AM on December 28, 2010

DU, you are the most adorable curmudgeon on the internet.
posted by Aizkolari at 7:05 AM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

"Oh FFS, it's a viral ad for a camera. Seriously, people."

Chill, man. We've been vaccinated.
posted by Eideteker at 7:43 AM on December 28, 2010 [3 favorites]

Apple® iPhone 4™ as soon as I get one!
posted by cjorgensen at 7:45 AM on December 28, 2010

Check your calendar! If it's later than 1632, it's impossible to wield a sword and not look like a dork.

As Miyamoto Musashi was still dueling in 1634, I humbly suggest that you may be mistaken.
posted by quin at 8:02 AM on December 28, 2010

I think pointing the camera out would be less interesting. You can wave a camera around all you want, but the fact that it was pointed down the sword and at the hand gave you something constant to anchor the movement in. Watching the ceiling and floor whiz by wouldn't really be that much different than you could do without the sword.
posted by aubilenon at 9:09 AM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

I wouldn't categorize this a "crazy" but it's still a cool effect nonetheless. I also dig this video of Nils Lofgren's guitar cam.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 12:03 PM on December 28, 2010

That 1632 date was rigorously researched by pulling it out of my ass. My point stands. You still look like a dork even if you're doing research.
posted by maxwelton at 12:39 PM on December 28, 2010

I'm constantly giving away purloined rolls with a whispered "dude, you'll never use duct tape again."

I just hate that I can't find it for cheaper than $11/roll. 8-(

Didn't you read what he said? Nevercalm is CONSTANTLY GIVING IT AWAY. By the way Nevercalm, I could use about 5 rolls right now.
posted by pashdown at 1:06 PM on December 28, 2010

Let me know when someone pulls this off with some nunchukas. THEN we'll see some disorientation!
posted by Redhush at 1:11 PM on December 28, 2010

What I'd love to see is a fencing foil with an ultra small and light camera set up like this. To see a bout from the blades perspective could be amazingly cool.

A kendo match from the shinai point of view could be pretty neat as well.
posted by quin at 1:25 PM on December 28, 2010

Didn't you read what he said? Nevercalm is CONSTANTLY GIVING IT AWAY. By the way Nevercalm, I could use about 5 rolls right now.

Where are you?
posted by nevercalm at 7:13 AM on December 29, 2010

Where are you?

I'm in Houston, and could use a couple of rolls.
posted by mrbill at 8:25 AM on December 29, 2010

Sorry, that's a little too far - at a local (read: NYC) meetup, sure. Or just befriend someone in your local entertainment industry......
posted by nevercalm at 9:15 AM on December 29, 2010

Sometimes I get the feeling there are a lot of people who somehow don't understand that Red Green's duct tape use was a marker of his absolute incompetence.

You take that back. Right now. Duct tape is magic in roll form, and Red Green is a SAINT, goddammit. Except for that awful, awful movie.
posted by spoobnooble at 8:07 PM on December 29, 2010

ITALICS FAIL.
*mopes*
posted by spoobnooble at 8:07 PM on December 29, 2010

Put some duct tape on it.
posted by paisley henosis at 8:14 AM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

"Nice to see you Kurgan. Who cuts your hair?"
posted by bwg at 2:17 AM on January 3, 2011

They've recently posted a video from the crossguard. No music. Bonus rapier sparring viewed from camera on the shoulder. Via.

And a correction to my earlier comment: looks more like "up to pflug into an unterhau" instead of "up to pflug into an oberhau."
posted by Mister Cheese at 1:07 PM on January 7, 2011