Pepper's Ghost

[Suzette]

I've been asked to create a Pepper's Ghost effect for the end of a play ... but I'm having trouble working out how (or if) I can hang the glass panel without spending a massive amount of money.

 

The set is a fragmented attic room - USR is an attic window set in a freestanding sloping wall; USL is another section of sloping wall; DSR again some more sloping attic wall. DSL is a section of wall with a door that leads to the rest of house. The whole stage area is covered with boxes, trunks, pieces of furniture etc. The back wall of the set is a set of black drapes.

The show is set in the present day but has characters which "flashback" to the WWII. All the characters in the present day enter the set through the door (as though they are walking into the room from the house). All the "flashback" characters appear between the wall & window sections - as though they have just appeared in the room rather than actually entering. One of the characters is a surreal type "The Ratcatcher" which appears through the window, out from an ottoman and then finally at the end of the show as "Pepper's Ghost".

 

The only position to place the glass will be USC - can anyone think of a way I can make this stand up without being seen by the audience. It would have the full black drapes U/S of it, if that helps? My only idea at the moment is to sandwich the glass between 2 x 3"x1" black painted frames (weight and braced) but I'm not sure if the audience would still see the framework - however black it is!!

 

I can't see of anywhere else in the set to place the glass, as the "Ratcatcher" has to be in front of the glass (albeit off to the side and out of view of the audience) and several characters have to appear through the gaps between the fragmented walls and windows, so having a large piece of glass in the way may be an hindrance!!

 

(And I don't suppose anyone in the London area has a large piece if glass that I could borrow for a few weeks, have they?!?)

 

EDIT - does the glass have to be set at an angle or can it be straight on to the audience? If it is at an angle I'm not sure all the audience would see the effect....

[Jivemaster]

Pepper's ghost is a reflection so the glass needs to be big enough that all the audience can see the effect. The Glass will need to be hung at approaching 30 - 45 degrees so that the audience can "see" into the wing when the actor is lit (we wish! prob illuminated is better!) Unless you have a single flat seating you are going to need a huge glass - think shop window size! Think about the cost of hiring it and the weight you will need to fly at that strange angle. Does your establishment use a glazing contractor often?that would be a start.

[wycome5]

One of my regular touring shows uses big sheets of macrolite (bullet proof plastic), when new and unscratched it is pretty transparent so might work for you? Can't think of cost per sheet at the moment but PM me if you want more details. Would also mean if it fell over it would be a whole new sheet required!!! They could manufacture a frame as well I expect as they use a frame and peg system to support theirs.

 

Also Paul Kieve might be able to help, he is an illusionist and this is the effect he is most regularly asked to create. His site is www.stageillusion.com

[ImagineerTom]

Pepper's Ghost is almost never the right solution to the problem - there's 101 better and more practical solutions but the theatre world is locked in to a couple of ancient ideas whilst the effects community has moved on by 100 years //gets off soapbox//. Ideally you should get a professional in to do the job for you but I appreciate it depends on what your budget is etc.

 

Plastic's don't work for the effect - you need the strength to thinness ratio that only comes with glass otherwise you end up with a distorted image.

 

What's the show / budget / touring & staging situation?

 

 

oh and being Pedantic for a moment Peppers Ghost is an entire glass front for the stage reflecting actors in the orchestra pit who then appear to be on stage interacting with the performers. Using a 45degree glass in a small part of the stage reflecting to somone or something off stage is (suprisingly)known as "the blue room" effect after the first time this perticular configuration was used (with some other effects) to create nothing short of a miracle in a small blue room that formed part of the set in a playlet.

[Roderick]

Have a chat to Musion - Linky

I have worked with their Australian office and the effect is absolutely stunning.

They use a stretched foil and video projectors usually, but may have some helpful advice for you.

[JDP]

Musion are indeed a good company. But their screen is £1000 per square meter. Plus a license to use it, plus a mirror, projector, fixings etc.

 

Musion are not cheap, but BY FAR the best company to do it, probably the best company in the world, if I am honest, as I know most of their London-based guys go all over the world doing it.

[Suzette]

Thanks for all the replies ... seating is tiered up from the stage, 10 rows of 15 seats each row. Stage is flat - floor level.

 

I'll contact the people/companies suggested but budget is fairly limited so we may to have shelve this idea ... shame, it would have been a great finish to the show.

[tlc]

why not go the cheap and cheerful route

 

use a video projector to make the ghost appear against a flat piece of the set

 

 

film the actor with side light (for high contrast definition) against a black box set

 

tweaking the exposure setting on the camera to make sure there is no shadow detail being filmed is a good idea.

 

 

remember to work out how big the actor needs to be in the frame and where in the frame you need him.

 

(projecting a wide tall image is better than a close up of just the actor , if its a window with the actor filling it you almost always see the " black" frame around the actor , making it almost the size of the set with just a small figure somewhere disquises the black frame effect , definition may be a little blurry but he is a ghost after all)

[Seano]

why not go the cheap and cheerful route

 

I'd have thought the cheap and cheerful option is a gauze and bleed-through effect, innit? Easy enough if there's a bit of space behind that upstage black drape.