Movie stuff or historical fact?

[Charity]

Hi,

I was wondering what those skeletons in the moonlight are doing hammering away in POTC.

I've got pretty good screencaps of them and can see they hold hammers but i cannot figure out what they're doing, don't know enough about what went on back then on those ship.

I wondered if it's just something to look cool in the movie or something they actually did on ships, and if so, what it is they're doing?

[blackjohn]

I've not studied it in detail, but I remember the scene. I was under the impression they were beating on some big kettle drum.

Blackjohn

[JoshuaRed]

Yes, they are drumming. I love that scene.

[Silver Steele]

I thought they were sealing wooden barrels? Because it looks as if they are using wooden mallets to "hammer" on another tool around the edge of the barrel.

[blackjohn]

Hmmm... hard to say... in the specials isn't there a section where they show how this scene was created? I seem to recall seeing computer line graphics stuff in with that which may be a little easier to see.

Looking at the above pic, it does appear that in one hand is a wooden mallet and in another a metal hammer.

Blackjohn

[Silver Steele]

You mean this picture?

[blackjohn]

Yes, I believe so. It does seem that something other than drumming is going on. This looks like a job for super cooper!!!

Anyone here every sealed a barrel?

[the Royaliste]

Yep, but never seen a mallet with the 'flats' on them extending past the body of the head.they would break off if wooden,( except possibly lignum vitae )and ruin the stave if metal. Accuracy as far as the 'cooperage', mebbee, but not the flats, IMHO.

[Captain_MacNamara]

I took apart and re-sealed a 3 gallon keg... course, I only used what hammers I had on-hand. But it *does* like like all three are pounding the last band on?

Wierd...

[Charity]

hm.. *blush* i am totally lost with the terms yáll use but i understand they're closing barrels with a metal edge around it?

I guess after beeing in port Port Rpyal they could've brought along new water to put in them and might be getting the job of securing it done.

Thanks sofar :)

[Nelson Cooke]

I say they're banging on the barrels cause the barrels are empty and the fool skeletons want grog. I say they're fools, cause the stuff'll just spill right out of them since they got no skin or guts or nothing--a total waste of alcohol. I'd say we should kill 'em but the boney bastards're already dead.

[Mission]

Well...it IS a movie. They're probably just beating on the most likely thing that the movie-makers could come up with and using the most interesting tools a movie-maker could think of putting into an undead sailor's hands.

I've never seen a cooper wail on the top of a closed barrel like that before. (Not that I've seen a lot of coopers...)