Lets Build: Pepper's Ghost!

Improvolone

I am going to build my very own Pepper's Ghost (for obviously awesome reasons). Don't know what that is? Well, I suspect most of you have seen it but may not know the name for it. Lets let wiki do some work for me.

Pepper's ghost is an illusionary technique used in theater and in some magic tricks. Using a plate glass and special lighting techniques, it can make objects seem to appear or disappear, or make one object seem to "morph" into another.

Here are some examples

(From Disney World's The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror)


(From Disney World's The Haunted Mansion)

Also, every other Scooby-Doo episode ever.

Has anyone ever built one before? Perhaps with, or without a projector? How did you go about creating a perfectly looping video if you used a projector? Are there any tricks to lighting it, either from the front or from behind?
I have an old projector I will be using for this and will post updates as I go.

RUNN1NGMAN

This verges on completely unhelpful, but I distinctly remember an episode of Mr. Wizard's World in which he makes one. He does this cool effect where he switches himself with a skeleton, and then does it half-way so he's half Mr. Wizard and half skeleton. I'm pretty sure he shows how to make it (like with everything else).

Here you go: it's episode 23. Looks like you have to buy it, but maybe it's free somewhere else like YouTube. http://www.mrwizardstudios.com/mrwizardsworld_volume6.htm

MushroomStick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMCVqqUzfyQ

That guy seems to explain how it works pretty well.

Roland_tHTG

We did this at a haunted trail a friend of mine had for a few years. It's not very difficult to pull off cheaply and effectively. We didn't use a projector, instead we had one of his daughters morph into a ghost.