In honor of the third Pirates of the Caribbean film, At World's End, hitting DVD, Disney takes journalists to Pirate School.

Sometimes, this is truly the coolest job in the world. Sure, as a movie journalist, you spend a lot of your time watching and writing about movies you never would have even considered seeing if someone weren’t paying you to do so. On the other hand, you are being paid to see movies for a living and, when it’s a good movie, all the better.

The icing on the cake is special promotional events. Most are of the standard variety, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Hor’dorves and open bar – I know, I know, tough life…

But once in a while, there is an event that goes above and beyond the norm and makes you wonder how someone could possibly be paying you for this. And after three wildly successful entries into the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Disney decided to blow a little cash and throw journalists a pirate party on Santa Monica’s Will Rogers Beach which was affectionately referred to as Pirate Boot Camp.

Now this wasn’t your usual corny pirate actors and bowls of grub - sure there was some of that too… But Disney truly went above and beyond the call of duty for this event. And after a day of pirate-themed events, while I may not be ready to hit the high seas just yet, I can say with little uncertainty that I have gained a greater insight into the behind-the-scenes process of making a Pirates films.

First up was the most lighthearted event – "Talk Like a Pirate." Beyond the usual “Arrrrr” and “pour me a beer wench” (okay, that’s one I made up) they taught us about putting together phrases and even how to challenge someone to a stand-off (assuming we one day find ourselves in a pirate scuffle 200 years ago…)

Of course, now that we've learned how to insult our fellow pirates in the appropriate language, the next section of the Boot Camp was teaching us to defend ourselves. For this, it’s time to learn a little swordsmanship.

As you can see with the image to the left, we got a full run-down in sword-fighting technique from the actual team of stuntmen that worked on the three films. Beyond the  techniques of proper sword handling, achieving a truly great sword fight on screen involves careful choreography.

After rehearsing a planned battle that involved each journalist taking on multiple attackers at the same time, we had to give the full action scene a go all at once, putting each and every technique into play in quick succession. I did all right myself, although I wouldn’t bet too highly if we were moving at the full-on speed we saw demonstrated by the stunt team before journalists were allowed to join in on the fun.

Next we saw a demo of a Pirates trivia game based on the three films. The interactive DVD gives younger fans the chance to interact with the characters from the three movies and test their knowledge complete with clips and even some behind-the-scenes footage. Might make a fun stocking stuffer for the little pirate in your life.

After getting a little physical with the sword fighting, we got to expand our workout with a climb up the rope wall. If you made it to the top (and there were a few people that had some issues here) you got strapped to the zip line, which is a total blast. The zip line guys didn’t mind me returning for two more rides later in the day. And yes, I know, I’m a child… So be it.

At this point, we knew the ins and outs of acting like a pirate; it was time to get the look of a pirate. The wardrobe and makeup department that worked on all three films was on hand and their expertise was immediately apparent. In a few short minutes, wardrobe had helped me pick out all the proper components of true pirate fashion. I climbed within the changing tent and re-emerged completely, well, pirated-out!

But the clothes alone do not make the man, my dear matey… (Okay, I fail the “talk like a pirate” class). From here we were given the finishing touches – from a wig of nappy dreadlocks to a beat up old Jack Sparrow-style hat. After that, we were thrust into the makeup chair and given the full treatment, from a general “dirtying up” to my favorite touch – scars. I told them the bigger the better for myself and they didn’t skimp on the details. You can call me X!

Sitting in the chair for no more than 10-15 minutes felt like an eternity. While we got roughly the treatment a pirate background extra might experience, it’s hard to imagine sitting through the more detailed jobs that can sometimes require hours in the makeup chair. Personally, it was also a little disconcerting to have someone poking at my eyelids with a paint brush.

When I opened my eyes and looked in the mirror in the end, it was certainly worth the time. I was almost completely unrecognizable as my pirate alter ego.

And with that, the transformation was complete. I had gone from making fun of the idea of Pirate Boot Camp to embracing the experience wholeheartedly. Now that I had the full look down, I got the chance to go back and work on my swordsmanship a bit more and, of course, ride the zip line one last time in all my full pirate glory! Arrrrrrrrr!!!

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End hits DVDs December 4th, 2007.