How do I make a prop baseball bat for fight scenes?

H

harmonica44

I googled it and was not able to find much useful info, as oppose to prop guns and knives. I have a real bat which I plan to use for shots when the actors are not being swung at, and I want to make a fake bat replica that is much safer for them. One that will look like the real bat, in between shots. It's a dark wooden bat.
 
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Paint the silver in dark wood.

IMG_4624.jpg
 
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IT is right about one thing -- this question is best suited for google. But IT, that's a real bat you linked, isn't it? Or is a PVC bat soft (honest question)?

H44, you can do a google search for baseball bat props, and I'm sure you'll find one (I did).

I actually made one. I wanted a breakaway bat because I wanted the actor to be able to swing it with full force, all the way to contact. It was so flimsy that it just didn't look realistic, so we ended up using the real thing and just being really careful with it. It should be noted that in my instance, the person doing the swinging was fully-trained in stage fighting, and very good at controlling his body. Not sure that I would employ that method with just anybody.
 
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Cracker Funk said:
IT is right about one thing -- this question is best suited for google. But IT, that's a real bat you linked, isn't it? Or is a PVC bat soft (honest question)?

H44, you can do a google search for baseball bat props, and I'm sure you'll find one (I did).

I actually made one. I wanted a breakaway bat because I wanted the actor to be able to swing it with full force, all the way to contact. It was so flimsy that it just didn't look realistic, so we ended up using the real thing and just being really careful with it. It should be noted that in my instance, the person doing the swinging was fully-trained in stage fighting, and very good at controlling his body. Not sure that I would employ that method with just anybody.
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Yeah I too, want to swing with full force, all the way to contact. But if I can't make one in time, how about this. I have Actor A, swing towards Actor B, without B being in frame. I then shoot from an angle with the bat on B. The bat is placed on B, and Actor A pulls it off quickly. Not hitting the actor, but he start rolling with the bat on B, then lift it off real fast. Thus making it look like he was hit, when it cuts from one take to another.

Just so long as it looks real, and doesn't look like it was cut way too quick before the bat is lifted off. I've used this method for punches so far, and it's worked well, but punches are different, cause you can fake punch with less injury, then a bat.
 
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I think you should get a prop bat.

I'll tell you the method I used, but I must reiterate that the person swinging the bat is not just fully trained in stage fighting, but is very athletic, strong, and in control of himself, physically. I don't recommend this method for just anybody.

We broke it down into 3 shots. The first shot was BadGuy picking up the bat, and beginning a swing. He stopped the swing very well short of even coming close to making contact.

The second shot just showed BadGuy swinging, from a different angle, coming closer to striking his contact. This angle was from the front, and zoomed-in, so that the audience could not tell that the bat actually stopped short of making contact, by about a foot.

In the third shot, we made contact, but the bat only started about 6-inches away from the subject. In such a short distance, there's not really any worry of injury, especially with the person swinging only going 75%. The "forcefullness" of the hit was sold by the actor being hit.

You can see the first two shots, near the end of the trailer.
 
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