A few weekends ago I was at the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick for my first taste of the Church and Media Network’s MediaNet Academy; There were a lot of media people and BBC employees, it was made up of all types; sound people, techies and geeks. Everyone was very friendly.
I first learnt about theMediaNet through working at Greenbelt in the media team, where I was helping to put together media for there online offerings.
In the Academy, I was part of the Video/TV team, and our brief was to produce a short video clip about gaming, We produced a short Documentary featuring one of the Keynote speakers (mp3), Jason Gardner (Fuse Think Tank).
Our guidance came from Jeremy Higham, Director of J&E Higham, a great time was had learning how to use the equipment; and I found the introduction into media very useful.
This is the Video interview we produced of Jason Gardner:
Huge thanks to Jeremy Higham, Jason Gardner, Tarsila Burity, Nicola De Boo, Daniel Gaine, Josh Lynch, Ralph Mann (and), James Robinson, and Sophie Willis for making the weekend an enjoyable and informative experience.
A trebuchet is a siege engine that was employed in the Middle Ages. It is sometimes called a “counterweight trebuchet” or “counterpoise trebuchet” in order to distinguish it from an earlier weapon that has come to be called the “traction trebuchet”, the original version with pulling men instead of a counterweight.
The counterweight trebuchet appeared in both Christian and Muslim lands around the Mediterranean in the twelfth century. It could fling projectiles of up to three hundred and fifty pounds (140 kg) at high speeds into enemy fortifications. Occasionally, disease-infected corpses were flung into cities in an attempt to infect and terrorize the people under siege, a medieval form of biological warfare.
The trebuchet did not become obsolete until the 13th century, well after the introduction of gunpowder. Trebuchets were far more accurate than other medieval catapults.
The Medieval Siege Society’s Trebuchet is a one third version of the full sized siege engine, here you can see it being demonstrated at Ryslip (Video by Ron Chant)
Get the video here.
Gunpowder, is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. It burns rapidly, producing a volume of hot gas, Because of its burning properties and the amount of heat and gas volume that it generates, gunpowder has been widely used as a propellant in firearms. Gunpowder is classified as a low explosive.
Gunpowder was discovered in the 9th century by Chinese alchemists searching for an elixir of immortality. This discovery led to the invention of fireworks and the earliest gunpowder weapons in China.
Gunpowder production in Britain started in the mid 14th century AD with the aim of supplying The English Crown. Records show that gunpowder was being made, in England, in 1346, at the Tower of London.
The Medieval Siege Society’s Members have a number of reproduction firearms; here you can see them being demonstrated at Ryslip.
The DeCobham Household is part of the Medieval Siege Society representing military life in the Wars of the Roses period (1455-1487), as the personal retinue of Sir Peter Samworth, who in turn fights for the Lords Cobham. We are principally a Man-at-Arms unit, by which we mean heavily armoured knights & soldiers who fight at close quarters on foot with swords & poll-axes. We also portray the camp life of a military household on campaign. The household is currently interpreting 15th Century Fencing Manuals, principally the German Fechtbuchs. These authentic techniques are demonstrated by the household members in their Man-at-Arms demonstration.