Pepper's Ghost from "Popular Scientific Recreations" by Gaston Tissandier (ca. 1890).
Pepper's ghost is an illusion technique used in theater, haunted houses, dark rides, and magic tricks. It is named after John Henry Pepper, a scientist who popularized the effect in a famed demonstration in 1862. An audience views a stage or room with various objects in it. On command, ghostly objects appear to fade in or out of existence in the room, or objects in the room magically transform into different objects.
Pepper's ghost is as useful today in live theater as it was one hundred fifty years ago. The basic trick involves a stage that is specially arranged into two rooms, one that people can see into or the stage as a whole, and a second that is hidden. A plate of glass (or plexiglas or plastic film) is placed somewhere in the main room at an angle that reflects the view of the hidden room towards the audience. When the lights are bright in the main room and dark in the hidden room, the reflected image cannot be seen. When the lighting in the hidden room is increased, often with the main room lights dimming to make the effect more pronounced, the reflection becomes visible and the objects within the hidden room seem to appear in thin air.
Want a clearer explanation? Mr. Wizard explains Pepper’s Ghost here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hkl-0bi8HA
Now, when Pepper’s Ghost is adapted to 21st century technology, truly fantastic live-action effects are possible:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqfa-u3DSdk
Pepper's Ghost from "Popular Scientific Recreations" by Gaston Tissandier (ca. 1890).
Pepper's ghost is an illusion technique used in theater, haunted houses, dark rides, and magic tricks. It is named after John Henry Pepper, a scientist who popularized the effect in a famed demonstration in 1862. An audience views a stage or room with various objects in it. On command, ghostly objects appear to fade in or out of existence in the room, or objects in the room magically transform into different objects.
Pepper's ghost is as useful today in live theater as it was one hundred fifty years ago. The basic trick involves a stage that is specially arranged into two rooms, one that people can see into or the stage as a whole, and a second that is hidden. A plate of glass (or plexiglas or plastic film) is placed somewhere in the main room at an angle that reflects the view of the hidden room towards the audience. When the lights are bright in the main room and dark in the hidden room, the reflected image cannot be seen. When the lighting in the hidden room is increased, often with the main room lights dimming to make the effect more pronounced, the reflection becomes visible and the objects within the hidden room seem to appear in thin air.
Want a clearer explanation? Mr. Wizard explains Pepper’s Ghost here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hkl-0bi8HA
Now, when Pepper’s Ghost is adapted to 21st century technology, truly fantastic live-action effects are possible:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqfa-u3DSdk