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Flying Canoe Traders

Information

Flying Canoe Traders makes clothing, gear and accessories for 18th century reenactment for museum, movie business, and convention...

Website: http://flyingcanoetraders.com/content/accueil.asp
Location: Montreal Canada
Members: 21
Latest Activity: Jan 6, 2014

Presentation

Today Animation d'Autrefois is the biggest privatly owned full time supplier of 18th century props for the movie business in Quebec and one of the major group that supplies re-enactement for schools, major museums, private corporation, city's and much more. I'm lucky to have 5 great full time employees and a warehouse of over 17000 square feet full of nice stuff... from the birch bark canoe in "Black robe" to over 40 replicas and original flint lock weapons, while passing by a complete indian village and tons of costumes.

Flying Canoe Traders is a company that has been involved in reenactment since 1996. At the beginning making some clothing for her sister company, Animation d'Autrefois (www.animationdautrefois.com) who specialized in 18th century reenactment since 1995 for museums, movie business, conventions and Parcs Canada. But as you all know, Reenactment in Canada, especially in Quebec, is way behind you folks from the United States who have several years of experience. Well, to get Animation d'Autrefois started and properly geared up with a very small budget, I've tried to make everything by myself, and as you all know it never works on the first time (or if it does some of the results are questionable). Even if I was able to make part of the clothing my self, it was not as simple for the rest of the gear, accessories and weapon that I would need for my compagny.

A major contract in the movie business kept me occupied for more than a year on the shooting of "Marguerite Volant", a series of 10 episodes on CBC that was a great hit around 1996 or 1997. I was the weapons technician on the set at only 24 years old. My experience in the Canadian armed forces as a weapons-technician and my personal knowledge on black powder got me a full time job on the set that lasted for a one full year shooting of 4 seasons. This thrilling experience showed me a whole new aspect of the hobby of re-enacment. Renting "props" was lucrative but the down side of it was that you needed tons of money to get a tons of props and with tons of props you needed a tons of storage. So a few years later (and with a big loans to carry) here I am!

But what started it all? It was when I found out about a nice event that was going on at Fort Ticonderoga, an F&I event. Uninvited, without any idea or concept of a re-enactment unit that would tutor me. I loaded up my home-made clothes in my very small and old car with half a cooler full of junk food and 50$ Canadian in my pocket (OUCH!!) and a map of the USA that I could't find the Fort Ticonderoga on. But I knew that it was at a couple of hours of driving from Montréal because people from Chambly talked about it.

Crossing the border for the first time: Well after shaking my head and raising my shoulders in a doubtful manor way more often in 10 minutes than Customs usually see in one week, it seems like all of the questions asked were answered by '' I don't know'' or ''I don't even have a clue''. For example, when he asked me "where are you going?" I looked at the man in the eyes and I told him with an inquiring look I didn't really know. Like you guys probably know, it is not the kind of answer a customs-officer wants to have at 11.30 pm a friday night. Well from one supid answer to another I finally told the man that I had heard about these wonderful things that were supposingly going on in a mythical Fort named Ticonderoga. Then, the customs-officer with a serious look but a small smile in the corner of his face started to figure me all out, me a little 24 year old French guy with a gleem in his eyes and a lot of funny clothes in my car was heading for a reenactment. As soon as he started asking me questions about me and if I was part of a unit, I interupted the guy ( another thing you don't what to do at the border) and started flooding the poor guy with a tons of questions with an over welcomed enthusiasm and he probally told himself "O God" a new Rookie Reenactor who has no clue what Reenactment is all about. Well he was right...

But after checking that I had no guns or black powder he let me go and probably laughed at me for the whole remainder of his shift.

Well folks this is how it all started for me. I am thankfull every day of my life to be able to earn my living in the best way I could ever imagine: with great people that love history.
http://flyingcanoetraders.com/content/presentation.asp

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