Technique 01 -Pepper's Ghost
Have you ever seen a visual effect in video or photography and wonder how it was made? For me, that curiosity was the catalyst that led me into a full-time career in design, animation, photography, and all things creative! This ongoing series explores illusions, special effects and other creative techniques that are magical and truly fascinating. Let’s turn our attention to a technique known as Pepper’s Ghost!
THE TECHNIQUE
Pepper’s Ghost
The ghostly illusion, made famous by John Henry Pepper in 1862, is created by reflecting a brightly lit secondary subject (out of sight of the camera) onto a pane of glass placed between the primary subject and camera. When properly aligned the ghosted secondary subject appears to interact with the primary subject within the framed scene.
The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland theme park boasts one of the most elaborate and impressive examples of the Pepper’s Ghost technique. This display is arguably one of the most recognized uses of the practical illusion. The ride takes guests through a haunted mansion, where they encounter various ghosts, ghouls, and other supernatural beings featuring a mix of animatronics, special effects, and live actors.
The Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland was developed by a team of Imagineers, creative designers, and engineers behind the Disney theme parks. The original concept for the Haunted Mansion was developed by Imagineer Ken Anderson who proposed the concept in the 1950s, but it was not until the 1960s that the project was greenlit.
Photo by Bair10 via Wikipedia. Video frames courtesy of Adam Burke
PREPARING THE CONCEPT
INSPIRATION
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles : The Last Ronin storyline (Kevin Eastman,Peter Laird and Tom Waltz) provided inspiration for this photo concept and integration of the Pepper’s Ghost technique. To provide context, The Last Ronin is set in a post apocalyptic New York City, where Ronin seeks to revenge the death of his family. I wanted to create a sense of loss while the ghosted spirits of his family provide peace and comfort.
For this shot I used NECA Ninja Turtle action figures from the Movie line and Universal Monsters line. Though I could have used the stock head that belonged with the Last Ronin figure, I chose to mix and match, also known as kit bash. Of the several options available, Mummy Michelangelo had the perfect weathered head and closed-eye expression to fit the overall emotion I hoped to achieve for the shot. Various accessories including the turtle’s weapons on Splinter’s robe and the additional headbands held by Ronin, help to tell the story while filling out the composition with rich detail.
APPLying THE TECHNIQUE
POSING & TEST SHOTS
Posing the subject is always the first step! In my opinion one of the most important things is the pose. When done well, it can elicit incredible emotion, but when done poorly, it can be distracting and sometimes ruin a great shot. After I am happy with the pose, I start filling in around with diorama pieces and scene lighting.
As I am setting up my shot, I tend to take test shots with my phone to help determine how the scene needs to be arranged and lit. I find that this is a great way to see how well the concept is shaping up before I even take the first shot with my Sony Alpha 7iv DSLR.
REFLECTING GHOSTS
As previously mentioned, to achieve the illusion you position a transparent and reflective material (in this case plexiglass) between the primary subject and secondary ghostly subjects. Placement of the subjects is entirely dependent upon the location of the camera and the orientation of the reflective surface. For this shot it required a good hour of trial and error before I had the ghosts posed and aligned correctly in the frame.
The other important consideration is the lighting in your scene. With the ghosts, single source spotlighting seemed to achieve the best results. Turning off the overhead room lights and/or placing a sheet of black paper behind the ghosts helps to reduce the amount of unnecessary background reflection seen by the camera. You can see that I cut pieces of black paper out and placed them in front of the ghostly turtles to block the legs from being reflected on top of Ronin. This can become extremely tedious and time consuming, but attention to detail can definitely help to elevate an image.
Pepper’s Ghost in action
THE FINAL RESULT
The main thing I love about the Pepper’s Ghost technique is that it is created practically, in-camera without the need of post-process compositing. Could this shot be done by combining multiple shots in photoshop? Of course! However, I think you lose a little bit of magic during the process.
Of course this is just one of many ways that Pepper’s Ghost can be applied to photography, and even video for that matter! This can be used to create a hologram, heads up displays (HUD), and apparitions galore - the possibilities are endless.
Have you tried this technique in any of your work? If so, tag me in your posts on instagram use the hashtag #wmol_peppersghost in your caption. I would love to see your take on Pepper’s Ghost! Since this is an ongoing series, what other techniques should I explore?
Thanks for learning with me and hopefully this inspires you to get creative with your next project.
THE PRINT
As part of my series that explores techniques of visual effects, my study of the Pepper’s Ghost illusion resulted in this concept called “Reflections”.
“Reflections” is an archival-grade print on Fuji Crystal luster photo paper and mounted on black styrene board for long-lasting durability.
This print is offered as a timed preorder which closes on February 1st, 2023. Once the preorder period closes, prints will be produced and processed. Please allow up to 2 weeks before your order arrives.
Currently available for US and Canada orders only. Please email info@invisibleelement.com if you would like a custom quote for shipping or have additional inquiries.
