Tomb Raider Reborn

Astounding details, love your work!!

Lady nerd - as always, wonderful photos and work on the outfit. As to the shooting stance looks great! Drawing arm is very good directly in line with arrow. Three fingers on string, and a wonderful instinctive anchor point near the crook of your mouth. I can't tell from the perspective of the shot if you are leaning or straight posture. This would affect where/if you drop one eye over the top of the arrow. Also, if your third finger on the string (the bottom one), pulls a bit more on the string than the other two, it slightly counteracts the fact that the arrow is above the centerline of the bow. I also can't see clearly if your bow arm is hyper-extended or not. If the string was released at full draw, would the string strike you on the inside of our elbow? Easiest correction would be to keep your wrist right where it is and swing your bow arm elbow up. It is a bit uncomfortable at first, but you find your own body's natural position. These are such minor things if you are not actually shooting, so I hope you don't feel like I'm bagging on you. Like I said at the beginning of the post, you look great an the stance looks a hell of a lot better than Hawkeyes!

Rue

great work!

Astrokid248 said:

I literally just bought the game during the weekend sale, but finals are this week. After Thursday I'll start my playthrough and can take screencap requests. About when will I get the markers?

Click to expand...

As soon as you get to woman vs wild.

For screen caps there is a free program called Fraps that sets up a capture button (F10).

LaMelody said:

but two things I am looking for are the gun holster, I DO like the one from the new game
Also the necklace.

Click to expand...

The holster isn't any known item that can be purchased. It's an amalgam of parts put together. The best way forward is to either craft one from scratch (as TheLadyNerd has done) or begin with a holster that looks very close, as I have done with a USGI WWII .45 Shoulder holster. In making mine I ultimately cut quite a bit off the holster to shape it correctly, and cut slits in it for it to slip onto the gunbelt, which in looking at reference shots of the game model Lara's appears to do as well. There are also three distinctive "D" rings suspended from keepers on the rear of the belt which will have to be made and added to be accurate.

As to the necklace, though many of the designs being hand made are beautiful, they aren't technically the same as what's in-game. Many are based on early concept art, and feature a Phoenix-like figure. This was thought at the time to be correct, but now that we've had hi res screen caps from the PC version we can see that the in game pendant is the same as the one that comes with the Strategy guide... although in game it has the Japanese Royal Seal superimposed behind it, and it's somewhat smaller.

Each of these is subject to the question: "How accurate do you want to be?" For purposes of your fan film I would think that you'd want to get as close as you can without breaking the bank or taking too long in fabricating, yes? My recommendations would be to buy the official pendant (they can be had on Ebay separately from the Strategy Guide now) and make the gun belt by starting with an existing holster (I can help you here if you like, as I've made three of them. PM me if interested).

You may also have a look at my progress shots, and see if the work on the holster and gun belt are what you're looking for:

http://www.therpf.com/f9/tomb-raider-reborn-prop-progress-180395/index6.html

Hope that's helpful... and welcome to the RPF!

K.

I haven't been watching this thread for sooo long. But well... That's probably one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

I'm a big fan of the game... you look perfect... if you'd shown me that archery photo I wouldn't have known it wasn't a rendered image from the game. Amazing work and attention to detail.

Ladynerd - As I said on facebook, your photos look AWESOME!!!



since you asked...

Your archer stance will look great to 99+ percent of people. To the archery nerds like myself, there's a couple of very minor things I noticed.

Rue said:

I also can't see clearly if your bow arm is hyper-extended or not. If the string was released at full draw, would the string strike you on the inside of our elbow?

Click to expand...

Rue is right. I noticed that too. This is common beginner thing, because the better way to hold your bow arm doesn't feel very natural at first. If you roll your left elbow so that the point of the elbow is out rather than down, it will present a flatter profile for the inside of your arm and the string will fly past, not hit, the inside of your elbow. As I like to tell beginners when I'm teaching "if you forget to roll your elbow out, the string will remind you."

The other thing has to do with your grip on the string. You're probably gripping the string in the groove behind the first knuckle. This is another beginner thing where the way that seems natural at first, isn't really the best way to do it. It makes for a smoother release if the string rests about halfway between the tip of your finger and the groove behind the first knuckle. I know it seems like it's not a very sure grip, but if the string has to roll out and over more of your finger, it's a slower release, and it screws up your aim. The way to tell this is by how straight the archer's fingers and arm are just before release. The fingers, wrist and forearm are all in a nice straight line. Gripping the string farther up can end up with more bend in the wrist. Here's a recent example of what I mean:



See how straight her fingers are, and how close the string is to the tip? The animators at Pixar really did their homework to get the archery slow-motion scene exactly right. (It was one of my favorite parts of the film.)


But again - this is nit picking. Your costume looks great, and these are archery snob issues, not anything that the vast majority of people would notice.



ETA:

Please don't think I'm being critical, or saying your work isn't "right" or "good enough", because I think it's really impressive.
I've seen big budget Hollywood movies with far worse archery flubs. (In one of the trailers for The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, the girl's bowstring was on upside down!) I just wanted to add this note to make sure my comments were taken in the constructive spirit they were intended.

robinhood jw said:

Rue is right. I noticed that too. This is common beginner thing, because the better way to hold your bow arm doesn't feel very natural at first. If you roll your left elbow so that the point of the elbow is out rather than down, it will present a flatter profile for the inside of your arm and the string will fly past, not hit, the inside of your elbow. As I like to tell beginners when I'm teaching "if you forget to roll your elbow out, the string will remind you."

Click to expand...

Oh, so that's what I'm doing wrong! Holy crap, no wonder I keep striking my arm. Thanks for explaining that. (Co-opting LadyNerd but I don't care because I'm trying to learn archery with no teachers at all, and it's very difficult)

Thanks everyone! Your compliments are extremely appreciated. Seriously.

LaMelody said:

Hi All!

I'm new here but I do believe I am in the right place! I'm an actress working on a Tomb Raider fan short and I'm looking for some costume help. First I should note that I am NOT out to copy one particular Lara look completely. Instead I am mixing and matching (because of the time frame in which the film takes place) but two things I am looking for are the gun holster, I DO like the one from the new game... and I LOVED yours TheLadyNerd!

Click to expand...

First, welcome! Second, good luck with the film! Please share a link when it's posted. Third, as Kristen Anne said, my holster was a custom make by a local leatherworker from a shoulder hide along with a lot of antiquing, distressing, and trips to Tandy Leather. So I'm not sure of an easier way to recommend procuring a holster.

Bring it on, you archers! No one's stepping on my toes, in the least. I took your critiques to heart when I went out to do the shoot initially. More critiques will just help me on down the road as, no doubt, I will be wearing this costume again. (Rue - the string didn't clip me in the elbow as far as I can remember the few times I let the string go. I'm sure the rest of my stance was off though. My archer friends were getting on me for that in some of my practice shots. Can't help it, I kept doing a fencing pose!)

Kristenhenry70 - Waitwaitwaitwait....are you telling me that my beautiful handcarved jade pendant is wrong?! *flips table* (I'm just teasing! I just can't believe there's been so much discrepancy between the different pendants. I guess either pendant - phoenix or strategy guide can pass as correct then, if it's the right size and coloured correctly.)

Thanks ladies!! I guess I'd better get to being crafty then. It's gonna be a trick given that I only have a few weeks. The good thing is, IF the first short does well, it's designed to become a series in which case the character's wardrobe will evolve and will allow for lots and lots of growth and trying new things!

Now... over the the props thread for hunting!

Oh, and I concur with robinhood jw on the archery!.... I've learned the hard and painful way. LOL

Lady nerd - the stance is really not a huge issue given that you are not target shooting or stand-hunting. If you were walking/hunting, and needed to take a shot at some bad guys, you really might not be able or willing to take a perfect archery posture. The top half of the body and the profile to your target would be the only necessity. But if all things were equal, and you could make the proper stance with balance, proper foot spacing, and correct posture.

Btw did you solve your quiver issue?

Rue

I'm newish here (I've been a lurker for a while) especially on this thread. You guys have the best Tomb Raider information/screen caps/specs out there and I appreciate the attention to detail.

Lady Nerd - I just saw that the official Tomb Raider tumblr reblogged your photos, Congrats!!!! thumbsup:cool They look awesome. Here's the link:

Lara Croft cosplay by The Lady Nerd Really... | Tomb Raider Blog

Alas, I have yet to solve that quiver issue. It's driving me batty! But I'll look at redoing the quiver once I have extra time. I didn't really have time to test weights and supports before the photoshoot. But I'll definitely have it worked out by Dragoncon.

Looking back at the new pictures, I offer my new opinion....which is probably not what you want to hear. It looks like your quiver is too shallow. Your arrows extend quite a bit more out of the quiver than normal. Two fixes I can think of without redoing the quiver. 1). Shorten the arrows. Or 2). Put floral foam at the bottom to "grip" the points of the arrows. Just my two cents.

Rue

I have a bit of bad news on the quiver.

I recently found a few high def PC images and it's pig skin leather with (as I had suspected) lacing at the top and bottom.
The pig skin makes perfect sense since there are lots of them on the island.

So much for my original theory that it was canvas covered in white paint. (where does all the white paint come from?)

Rue said:

Looking back at the new pictures, I offer my new opinion....which is probably not what you want to hear. It looks like your quiver is too shallow. Your arrows extend quite a bit more out of the quiver than normal. Two fixes I can think of without redoing the quiver. 1). Shorten the arrows. Or 2). Put floral foam at the bottom to "grip" the points of the arrows. Just my two cents.

Rue

Click to expand...

This isn't a bad idea anyways, since (if my archery sources are right, correct me if I'm wrong Rue) you should have only two inches of arrow or less sticking out past your bow hand when drawn all the way.

division 6 said:

I have a bit of bad news on the quiver.

I recently found a few high def PC images and it's pig skin leather with (as I had suspected) lacing at the top and bottom.
The pig skin makes perfect sense since there are lots of them on the island.

So much for my original theory that it was canvas covered in white paint. (where does all the white paint come from?)

Click to expand...

My theory is that occasionally Walmart/Amazon shipping boats go a bit off course and get caught up in the island storms, which explains both the copious amounts of white paint and the high volume of identical compound bows.

Astrokid248 said:

you should have only two inches of arrow or less sticking out past your bow hand when drawn all the way.

Click to expand...

That's pretty much correct. Some people go for even less. Less extra shaft = less weight.

However .....

Just like in my earlier (probably unnecessarily lengthy) description of good archer stance, Lara's situation of being stranded on an island fighting 'bad guys' would not really lend itself to the kind of precision that target archers can achieve. In a situation like that, "perfect" shaft length would be as low a priority as "perfect" stance. "Whatever works" would just have to do.

Astrokid248 said:

My theory is that occasionally Walmart/Amazon shipping boats go a bit off course and get caught up in the island storms, which explains both the copious amounts of white paint and the high volume of identical compound bows.

Click to expand...

That and the flashlights and the batteries to power them.
Lot's of booze and canned food, firearms and ammo.

robinhood jw said:

That's pretty much correct. Some people go for even less. Less extra shaft = less weight.

However .....

Just like in my earlier (probably unnecessarily lengthy) description of good archer stance, Lara's situation of being stranded on an island fighting 'bad guys' would not really lend itself to the kind of precision that target archers can achieve. In a situation like that, "perfect" shaft length would be as low a priority as "perfect" stance. "Whatever works" would just have to do.

Click to expand...

Playing Devil's advocate: the Lara I played had time to trick out all of her weapons with stuff, so I think that she'd have time to saw down the shafts and reattach the heads. (Which leads me wonder why Lara didn't just hand over the screwdriver she was clearly using to attach the hose clamps when Reyes needed tools...really wish they'd have shown something more than just a wrench and a Phillips head in those scenes.) But honestly, I didn't even notice the shafts sticking out too far on Lady Nerd's quiver. So really, either one works (and either can fit the "universe") and it's a matter of taste.