Hello - I am new to this forum, and really glad that I found it!
I'm hoping for some help and advice here. I'm making props and some set pieces for a RH Panto this year. I have searched the topics here and found a few threads relating to Robin Hood props - the archery board and options to make the arrows - concealed within the target, appear on cue. All very interesting and useful.
I'm also wondering if anyone here has any ideas/experience of the bows and arrows themselves and how best to go about them. I'll try to explain..... The director would like several cast members inc Robin and Marian to (appear to) to pull an arrow from a quiver, place the arrow in the bow and then pull back and release. Then at precisely the same moment of release - arrows within the set and also the target will spring up - therefore creating the illusion that the arrow has been fired from the bow. The more I think about it, the more I think that perhaps the most practical and effective way of doing this is that the arrows themselves - (that are taken from the quiver and put into the bow) - simply don't exist and are 'mimed' - and it's down to the artist, the movement of loading the bow/releasing and most importantly the reveal of the arrow as it 'springs' up from the target that will really sell it. This illusion could be further advanced by perhaps the actor pulling just the fletching of the arrow from the quiver (which is preset atop the quiver) and then holding it in their hand as they pull back the bow - then concealing it with slight of hand as they release - all eyes would hopefully be on the target by that point anyway? I hope that makes sense. Maybe I'm overcomplicating it? Very interested to hear if any readers here have any thoughts or other suggestions or even resources that they can share. I do have some other questions too - but thought this a good starting point. Many thanks in advance! David.
Rare
