Tag: survival

Event Debrief: 29 June 2017

In 2017, I was very glad to be invited back to the Frazier International History Museum for a second set of summer camp presentations.

Like last year, I would give a short talk on survival needs in the Galaxy, teach cordage with raffia, and then have Q&A time. This time around, however, I would present on different days to smaller groups. For this first session, my audience were 8-10 younglings in 4th-6th grade.
A year’s worth of research and refinements meant that I had a more detailed persona (Silo the on-the-run Jedi washout), and the event was highly successful thanks largely to my commitment to the First Person approach.
Continue reading “Event Debrief: 29 June 2017”

Event Debrief: 20 July 2016

As they (probably) say on Kamino, when it rains it pours! That’s right, my first two public GFFA reenacting events were back-to-back!

Venue: Frazier International History Museum‘s ‘Jedi, Wizards, and Time Lords!’ summer camp
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Compared to the day before, this event was Much more to my liking. I debuted my basic (then-unnamed) Agricultural Corps persona, and presented (in First Person!) to two groups of about 15 campers each. I gave a 15-20 minute talk on contents of a basic survival kit (i.e. Dave Canterbury’s ‘10 Cs’, translated into GFFA terms), taught the reverse-ply cordage-making technique with raffia palm fibers, and then had a few minutes for Q&A.
Continue reading “Event Debrief: 20 July 2016”

Searching for winter headwear in the Galaxy

Hats of any type are comparatively rare in most Star Wars sources (especially when it comes to main characters), and hats for cold-weather scenarios are doubly rare. Since the main films only depict one cold-weather setting (Hoth in Episode V), we have an extremely limited pool from which to draw inspiration for cold-weather gear. As a result, most depictions tend to use variations on the Episode V ensembles, such as an obscure ‘cold weather gear’ Obi-Wan action figure based on Han Solo’s parka, or the Jedi Academy PC game, which outfits Jaden Korr for his mission to Hoth in the uniform of an Echo Base technician.

 

However, having proper GFFA cold-weather items is necessary if, like me, you don’t want to be limited to three-season excursions.
Continue reading “Searching for winter headwear in the Galaxy”

Artifact ID: Refugee’s water bottle

In the spirit of Christmas and the Nativity (even though Jesus of Nazareth was most definitely Not born at midwinter), I wanted to publish something with a Mary and Joseph, poor-folk-on-the-road theme.
On a recent rewatch of Episode II (focusing on scenes with background commoners), I noticed something in the scene on the refugee transport. I’m surprised I never noticed it before, considering it’s so shiny and eye-catching…
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They couldn’t even bother to swap out the stopper for something even slightly more in-universe.

Yes, as Obi-Wan says, “Your eyes can deceive you” and that we shouldn’t trust them. However, in this case, seeing is believing, because that is quite clearly an unmodified, off-the-shelf, stainless steel water bottle sitting on the table between Padme and Anakin.

At first, a small part of me wondered if it was even meant to be there. Continue reading “Artifact ID: Refugee’s water bottle”

Building the Jedi Persona: 4.1 – Canteens

As promised earlier, I’ll begin with a quick writeup on the mysterious canteen which DK has put to triple use as a GFFA prop-base.
canteen-plasticDimensions: approximately 6 x 8 x 2 inches.
Capacity: approximately 1250 milliliters, which is about 250 more than most of my other canteens (my WW2 Russians, US, and UK are all just a hair over or under a liter), which is pretty nice. However, getting this maximum capacity involves getting any air out of the top section next to the spout. I wonder if–based on the similar shape of my vintage icepack–this canteen was meant for cold weather use?, as the top section might allow for extra expansion during freezing?
My canteens are both clearly marked ‘US’ in a recessed area (on the other side of the props), and ‘1 US 1993 H.T.P.’ on the bottom. Continue reading “Building the Jedi Persona: 4.1 – Canteens”

Building the ‘Outer Persona’: Backpack

If you want to get some authentic ‘woods time’ in your GFFA pursuits,  you’re eventually going to need something to haul your gear around. I’ve had this trusty 1950 pack (made, as far as I can tell, by Bergan’s of Norway?) for seven years now, and I’ve been tweaking it here and there almost since I bought it.DSC05127I thought it would be a good idea to share all the various mods and justifications I’ve made over the years to make it roughly fit the GFFA commoner’s ‘aesthetic’. Continue reading “Building the ‘Outer Persona’: Backpack”

Building the Rebel Persona – 5: Hard Kit

#1 Helmet:
This is my take on a standard Rebel ‘swoop’ helmet as featured in Episode IV, but which has been commonly depicted in various planetside conflicts in plenty of secondary materials. It is made using the Pepakura technique (cardstock hardened with fiberglass resin and Bondo putty).
(Full, detailed account of construction found here).
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Naturally, we have zero hard references to specific gear that local Rebel cells received from Alliance Ordnance and Supply, so I don’t know how appropriate the swoop helmet is for my context—versus something like the ‘Endor donut’ helmet. My main issue with the swoop helmet is that the light color clearly stands out in outdoor settings (although it’s still frequently shown worn in such settings), but I’m hesitant about painting it a light brown or something, which might deviate a bit too much from the accepted visual norm of what we’re used to seeing. Continue reading “Building the Rebel Persona – 5: Hard Kit”

Building the Jedi Persona – 4: Hard Kit

agribeltkit1The assembling of appropriate items of ‘hard kit’ is the point at which we move from only having a outfit to truly having a cohesive Kit. Using pieces of gear that are what they are (in the list below, only the comlink is a prop) makes a kit functional and brings it into the realm of living history. Let’s see what I mean: Continue reading “Building the Jedi Persona – 4: Hard Kit”

Step 3 – Who Are You? (Personas 101)

Folks who are new to living history (or the ‘costumed arts’ in general) may be surprised to see that Step Three isn’t ‘Go Out And Buy A Bunch Of Stuff’ or ‘Time to Start Sewing!’. Many reenactors have done that very thing, only to find that what they wound up with was A Bunch Of Stuff they didn’t really need once they got more involved in the hobby. At this point, you should simply take a deep breath, and read on!

Now that we have thought about the opportunities that exist around you (or ones you can create!)—the What—it is time to think about Who will be doing the What. It is time to pick a persona. What do we mean when we speak of a Persona? Simply, this is the individual that one ‘portrays’ in one’s ‘impression’ (this step is very similar to the character-creation process at the start of a role-playing game). Continue reading “Step 3 – Who Are You? (Personas 101)”