Steve Ralphs is a classic example of the sort of guy who, once his reputation is made , will end up being used by the film industry for ever, despite his bows and techniques bearing no relationship whatever to medieval archery, and this is why you will never see accurate portrayal of archery in the movies. To date I only know of three programmes where real medieval/Mary Rose replica bows were shot; the history channel's "Warriors" programme (which got torn to shreds on this very forum), the BBC's "Ghosts of the Mary Rose" and a programme on Tudor cuisine. All these programmes used English Warbow Society members, although these guys rarely, if ever, have any impact on the overall production of the programme, which is why so many other inaccuracies creep in. Bit by bit the real bows are making some headway, but I doubt that any of us will live to see this make its way into the movies.
Dave
Can't really help but respond to this. The entertainment industry does ENTERTAINMENT, not history - which is why so many inaccuracies exist. There is no reason at all to infer that what Steve Ralphs does for the entertainment industry has much to do with his abilities as a bowyer or his knowledge of archery generally - they ask, he provides, and at a price and volume which suit I guess, given that they keep coming back. Not an easy thing to do methinks, but, paradoxically, more consistent with what was expected of medieval bowyers than your modern bespoke counterpart with a 3 -12 month wait. The fact that he has managed to make his living in this way is a credit to his industry and ingenuity, he's a found a niche and hats off for doing well in it.
I owned a Steve Ralphs longbow for nearly 20 years as he used to supply Quicks. It bent into but not through the handle, drew to 32",performed consistently and only lost about 4lbs in weight - still going well so as far as I know - I gave it to a fellow clubmember who became interested in the longbow. I don't know Steve personally, but in a conversation with Chris Boyton, I was told that he knows how to make a perfectly good bow when he puts his mind to it - which is not often enough, given the prolific number of stage props he makes. Given what he charges for said stage props on e-bay, I can't see how anyone can complain there either - except perhaps people who want to charge more!
As to the EWBS members being used by the history channels etc - hats off to them too. Anything that furthers our chosen sport in a public friendly way and engenders interest is a good thing in my view.
I agree that anyone who does that sort of thing will become quickly aware though that even the 'honest' history programme makers come to the table with their own story to tell and that the participants not only have no editorial say, but also can expect to be quoted out of context as various 'takes' get turned into whatever mashup best fits the producers angle - they after all also have to sell their programme and provide entertainment. I know this because its happened to me too. Accordingly, the 'tearing to shreds' that occurs on this forum is mostly focussed at the programme and not actually at the individuals in it, even though it may not always look/feel that way to people who got involved.
C
