Club Obi Wan

Scout and I had the pleasure of appearing on the NBC 2NEWS morning show yesterday morning in Dayton, Ohio.

Jim Bucher of the local “Bucher’s Beat” segment came out to The Whip Artistry Studio for a live feed for the Live at Sunrise edition at 5:30am – 7:30am. They showed some taped clips on the 10 p.m. news last night as well. Of course they asked me to do it in all "Indy" attire.

Thanks to John Pugnale of MVP Video Creations we have a really nicely compiled video of the piece.
The clip is on YouTube but you can watch it right on the Home page of our website: http://www.thewhipstudio.com/
It was a lot of fun to do so enjoy!

Thanks to these morning news segments and some great contacts, we now have two local network affiliates who are coming out to the Annie Oakley Western Arts Showcase to cover the whip competitions and showcases July 24-27. http://www.ohiowesternarts.org

Gery L. Deer
The Whip Artistry Studio
3604 N Lake Shore Dr.
Jamestown, OH 45335
PH: 937-902-4857
Email: gdeer@thewhipstudio.com
www.thewhipstudio.com
www.gerydeer.com

ANNIE OAKLEY WESTERN ARTS SHOWCASE
World Class Whip Artistry, Lariat Artistry, Knife & Tomahawk Handling, & Gunspinning.
July 24-27, 2008 : Darke County Fairgrounds – Greenville, Ohio
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Before the website was remodeled we were on the vendor's list.
I surely FEEL like a vendor. Performances and workshops as well as individual student enrollment is up a great deal and I can't make the Indy styled whip belts and holsters fast enough.


Gery L. Deer
The Whip Artistry Studio
Jamestown, OH
PH: 937-902-4857
Email: gdeer@thewhipstudio.com
www.thewhipstudio.com
www.gerydeer.com

ANNIE OAKLEY WESTERN ARTS SHOWCASE
World Class Whip Artistry, Lariat Artistry, Knife & Tomahawk Handling, & Gunspinning.
July 24-27, 2008 : Darke County Fairgrounds – Greenville, Ohio

Cool Video. My wife would never go for that.

That's a great video GD,looks like it was a lot of fun!,thanks for sharing ,your hat looks exactly like my TOD AB!

Very cool video. What are some of the things that you said looked good in the movies but are unrealistic or can't be done???


Brad

Well the number one thing is swinging from the whip. The average Australian style Indy whip won't hold someone's weight, especially in motion. Generally they break at the fall keeper knot. Also, the odds of getting the kind of wrap that MIGHT be able to take the torque of the swing without coming loose are a thousand to one.

That being said, when I was a kid, I weighed less than 100 pounds until well into adolescence. I broke more than one cowhide whip, a much sturdier and heavier leather as well, trying to swing on it. I sometimes managed to get it to wrap. I sometimes managed to swing across the creek bed on my family farm. And generally the whip was stuck in the tree, or the fall broke, or the leather tore. We've all done this stuff as kids I'd say, but that doesn't mean it works. When we supply equipment for whip stunts in movies or for an amusement park stunt show, the whip is essentially a steel safety cable with leather braided over it to 'look' like a bullwhip. The stunt performer often has a harness that clips to the 'whip' cable and suspended from a support overhead. There's no chance for he or she to have the whip break because there isn't one there.

If you do manage to get a wrap, and it doesn't break right off, the thin leather strands of the body of the whip will be so stretched out from one attempt that the whip is pretty much ruined. It will never function properly again. You don't know how many people have tried to return whips to makers and retailers with 'stretch marks' and severely damaged.

The next thing is disarming the bad guy. Can you get a wrap on someone's gun or knife? Sure, can you safely 'disarm' not a chance.
In 2003 I had an article published called "Whips as practical weapons" that detailed some of these movie stunts and why people who try to do them are generally disappointed when they attempt them. You can read it on our website on the following page: http://www.thewhipstudio.com/Articles.htm

The whip stunts done in movies are great story segments but are nearly all impractical if they are possible at all. Needless to say this isn't a popular opinion, especially among martial artists and disciples of action movie whip stunt trainers. I have worked with weapons experts, police officers, and combat instructors to get their opinions as well and all agree: never take a whip to a gunfight.

When I am asked to perform on stage or consult on a theater production of film project they often say "what can we do to make the scene look realistic," my answer is sometimes, "leave it out."

Gery L. Deer
The Whip Artistry Studio
Jamestown, OH
PH: 937-902-4857
Email: gdeer@thewhipstudio.com
www.thewhipstudio.com
www.gerydeer.com

ANNIE OAKLEY WESTERN ARTS SHOWCASE
World Class Whip Artistry, Lariat Artistry, Knife & Tomahawk Handling, & Gunspinning.
July 24-27, 2008 : Darke County Fairgrounds – Greenville, Ohio

In my opinion part of the charm of the whip is its implausibility, or mystery. It's most unlikely to work consistently as a tool to disarm someone, and yet.....it is possible. I've seen some things with whips that are surprising - like cutting things, and breaking bottles (dangerous - don't try it). There is at least one instance in Australia's pioneer North of a policeman disarming someone with a whip - it can't be proven, and may have been a tall story, though I doubt it. Those Northern territoreans are pretty tough, and no-nonsense. I know from experience.

Applying weight to a whip is definitely not advised, we all agree, but a solid roohide point is much stronger than the admittedly more resistant-to-abrasion cowhide. If a whip were wrapped further up the thong, on a long whip, and around a suitable branch, avoiding the point near the fall, this again is at least feasible. If a whip is only good for making noise or cutting newspaper and dandylions, it tends to reduce the appeal, imo. I appreciate what you do to promote the whip, btw, Mr Deer. Good job!

Thanks. I agree and your support is appreciated.
We all love Indy and we want to continue to see the whip used by the good guys in movies.

Gery L. Deer
The Whip Artistry Studio
Jamestown, OH
PH: 937-902-4857
Email: gdeer@thewhipstudio.com
www.thewhipstudio.com
www.gerydeer.com

ANNIE OAKLEY WESTERN ARTS SHOWCASE
World Class Whip Artistry, Lariat Artistry, Knife & Tomahawk Handling, & Gunspinning.
July 24-27, 2008 : Darke County Fairgrounds – Greenville, Ohio

Great video, Gery! Your gear looked fantastic, too! I love the brim on your hat - I'm not one for wide brims, and yours looks like just the right width.

Great stuff!

Shane

Thanks. The outfit is by no means perfect. My favorite piece is my Wested jacket and I have one of the shirts they produce but I doubt much of the other stuff is what might be called 'screen accurate.'

In an audience of 500 or so, most people aren't close enough to see details on costuming and when doing any sort of stunt demonstration I don't want to ruin the expensive stuff by rolling on the ground in it so I generally wear a duplicate set of clothes that is close enough to pass at a distance. It's funny you mention my hat because it's one piece of the costume I don't really like. It's not the proper style and doesn't have the pinched back but it works for a costume for now.

Indy is one of my favorite characters, as he is with all of us and since Lucas modeled him after the characters that I grew up watching in tv broadcast and home 16 mm versions of old movie serials. One of my favorites is Zorro's Fighting Legion - check it out if you haven't seen it.

But over the last 20 years I have RARELY used Indiana Jones as a theme unless someone requested it and today about 1 out of 5 show requests are for an Indy-style theme. I generally don't portray a 'character' in stage whip artistry performances or any of our stage acts but I have a couple of themed shows that require specific costumes.

We have one show that is essentially a Harry Potter-type theme developed for kids that is just a re-work of our popular "Whips & Wands" nightclub show show for the younger audience. We've been doing that show about 3 years and it's very popular with schools and fundraisers. The main difference in costuming there is a shirt and tie with a striped scarf added. And, of course, we do the cowboy look - both a formal and outdoor version.

This year Annie Oakley Western Arts Showcase will include a category in the annual costume contest for Indy fans. The majority of attendees every year are whip artists and knife throwers and since we'll have so many really great whip professionals on hand it's a great time for Indy fans to come and learn and enjoy the comradary.

Thanks again for your comments!

Gery L. Deer
The Whip Artistry Studio
Jamestown, OH
PH: 937-902-4857
Email: gdeer@thewhipstudio.com
http://www.thewhipstudio.com

ANNIE OAKLEY WESTERN ARTS SHOWCASE
World Class Whip Artistry, Lariat Artistry, Knife & Tomahawk Handling, & Gunspinning. July 24-27, 2008 : Darke County Fairgrounds – Greenville, Ohio. http://www.ohiowesternarts.org