Pepper's ghost
Encyclopedia
Pepper's ghost is an illusionary
technique used in theatre
and in some magic tricks. Using a plate glass
and special lighting techniques, it can make objects seem to appear or disappear, transparent, or make one object seem to morph
into another. It is named after John Henry Pepper, who first demonstrated the technique in the 1860s.
s and in the James Bond
movie Diamonds Are Forever
.
The mirror room may instead be painted black, with only light-coloured objects in it. When light is cast on the objects, they reflect strongly in the glass, making them appear as ghostly images superimposed in the visible room. The reflections in the glass, which is vertical rather than angled, create the appearance of three-dimensional, translucent ghosts. In the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland/Disney World, this is used to make "ghosts" appear to be dancing through the ballroom, seeming to interact with props in the physical ballroom, disappearing when the lights on the animatronics are turned off.
was a 16th century Neopolitan scientist and scholar who is credited with a number of scientific innovations, including the camera obscura
. His 1584 work Magia Naturalis (Natural Magic) includes a description of an illusion, titled "How we may see in a Chamber things that are not" that is believed to be the first known description of the Pepper's Ghost effect.
Porta's description, from the 1658 English language translation, is as follows.
was a permanent science-related fair, first opened in 1838. With a degree in chemistry, John Henry Pepper joined the institution as a lecturer in 1848. The Polytechnic awarded him the title of Professor. In 1854, he became the director and sole lessee of the Royal Polytechnic.
In 1862, inventor Henry Dircks developed the Dircksian Phantasmagoria, his version of the long-established phantasmagoria
performances. This technique was used to make a ghost appear on-stage. He tried unsuccessfully to sell his idea to theatres; it required them to be completely rebuilt just to support the effect, which proved too costly for them to consider. Later in the year, Dircks set up a booth at the Royal Polytechnic, where it was seen by John Pepper.
Pepper realized that the method could be modified to make it easy to incorporate into existing theatres. Pepper first showed the effect during a scene of Charles Dickens
's The Haunted Man
, to great success. Pepper's implementation of the effect tied his name to it permanently. Though he tried many times to give credit to Dircks, the title "Pepper's ghost" endured.
and Phantom Manor
attractions at several Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
theme parks. Here, a 90 feet (27.4 m)-long scene features multiple Pepper's ghost effect, brought together in one scene. Guests travel along an elevated mezzanine
, looking through a 30 feet (9.1 m)-tall pane of glass into an empty ballroom
. Animatronic
ghosts move in hidden black rooms beneath and above the mezzanine.
The walk-through attraction Turbidite Manor employs variations of the classic technique, enabling guests to see various spirits that also interact with the physical environment, but that are viewable at a much closer proximity. The House at Haunted Hill
, a halloween attraction in Woodland Hills, CA, employs a similar variation in their front window to display characters from their storyline.
An example which combines the Pepper's ghost effect with a live actor and film projection can be seen in the Mystery Lodge exhibit at the Knott's Berry Farm
theme park in Buena Park
, California
and the Ghosts of the Library exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
in Springfield, Illinois
(both created by the company BRC Imagination Arts using the patented technique known as "Holavision"), as well as the depiction of Maori legends called A Millennium Ago at the Museum of Wellington City & Sea
.
More modern examples of Pepper's ghost effects can be found in various museums in the United Kingdom and Europe and use a video variation on the illusion known as the Musion Eyeliner
and Arena3D's XSTAGE®. Examples of these in the United Kingdom are a ghost of John McEnroe
at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum
, which reopened in new premises in 2006, and one of Sir Alex Ferguson
, which opened at the Manchester United Museum
in 2007. Other examples include the ghost of Sarah (who picks up a candle and walks through the wall) and also the ghost of the Eighth Duke at Blenheim Palace
.
In October 2008 a life-sized Pepper's ghost of Shane Warne
was opened at the National Sports Museum
in Melbourne, Australia. produced by The Shirley Spectra. The effect is also used at the Dickens World
attraction at Chatham Maritime, Kent, United Kingdom.
The latest example can be found at Our Planet Centre in Castries, St Lucia which opened in May 2011, where a life size Prince Charles, and Governor general of the island appear on stage talking about climate change. http://www.ourplanetcentre.org The exhibit was designed by LCI from London.http://www.lci-uk.com
s are a modern implementation of Pepper's ghost used by the television industry. They reflect a speech or script and are commonly used for live broadcasts such as news program
mes.
Two companies produce versions of this effect using a video as the source. Shirley Spectra Australia's product, "SpectraVision", is aimed at the exhibition market. A recent production is a life-size Shane Warne at the National Sports Museum in Melbourne. Musion's product Musion Eyeliner
is aimed at use on stage, a recent production being Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
.
The South African Jewish Museum in Cape Town uses elaborate Pepper's ghost video technology in their permanent exhibit. The Artist Group PXNG.LI is showing evolutionary processes in a Peppers ghost box at the Natural Science Museum in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
technique used in theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and in some magic tricks. Using a plate glass
Flat glass
Flat glass, sheet glass, or plate glass is a type of glass, initially produced in plane form, commonly used for windows, glass doors, transparent walls, and windshields. For modern architectural and automotive applications, the flat glass is sometimes bent after production of the plane sheet...
and special lighting techniques, it can make objects seem to appear or disappear, transparent, or make one object seem to morph
Morphing
Morphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes one image into another through a seamless transition. Most often it is used to depict one person turning into another through technological means or as part of a fantasy or surreal sequence. Traditionally such a depiction...
into another. It is named after John Henry Pepper, who first demonstrated the technique in the 1860s.
Technique
In order for the illusion to work, the viewer must be able to see into the main room, but not into the hidden mirror room. The edge of the glass may be hidden by a cleverly designed pattern in the floor. Both rooms may be identical mirror-images; this approach is useful in making objects seem to appear or disappear. This effect can also be used to make an actor reflected in the mirror appear to turn into an actor behind the mirror (or vice versa). This is the principle behind the Girl-to-Gorilla trick found in many haunted houseHaunted attraction
A haunted attraction is a form of entertainment that simulates the experience of entering a haunted location that might be inhabited by ghosts, monsters, criminals, humorous characters, and other such creatures...
s and in the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
movie Diamonds Are Forever
Diamonds Are Forever (film)
Diamonds Are Forever is the seventh spy film in the Eon Productions James Bond series, and the sixth and final Eon Productions film to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film is based on Ian Fleming's 1956 novel of the same name, and is the second of four James Bond films...
.
The mirror room may instead be painted black, with only light-coloured objects in it. When light is cast on the objects, they reflect strongly in the glass, making them appear as ghostly images superimposed in the visible room. The reflections in the glass, which is vertical rather than angled, create the appearance of three-dimensional, translucent ghosts. In the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland/Disney World, this is used to make "ghosts" appear to be dancing through the ballroom, seeming to interact with props in the physical ballroom, disappearing when the lights on the animatronics are turned off.
Giambattista della Porta
Giambattista della PortaGiambattista della Porta
Giambattista della Porta , also known as Giovanni Battista Della Porta and John Baptist Porta, was an Italian scholar, polymath and playwright who lived in Naples at the time of the Scientific Revolution and Reformation....
was a 16th century Neopolitan scientist and scholar who is credited with a number of scientific innovations, including the camera obscura
Camera obscura
The camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side...
. His 1584 work Magia Naturalis (Natural Magic) includes a description of an illusion, titled "How we may see in a Chamber things that are not" that is believed to be the first known description of the Pepper's Ghost effect.
Porta's description, from the 1658 English language translation, is as follows.
John Pepper and Henry Dircks
The Royal PolytechnicUniversity of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
was a permanent science-related fair, first opened in 1838. With a degree in chemistry, John Henry Pepper joined the institution as a lecturer in 1848. The Polytechnic awarded him the title of Professor. In 1854, he became the director and sole lessee of the Royal Polytechnic.
In 1862, inventor Henry Dircks developed the Dircksian Phantasmagoria, his version of the long-established phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria can refer to:* Phantasmagoria, a type of show using an optical device to display moving images* Phantasmagoria, a video game* Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh, a video game sequel to Phantasmagoria...
performances. This technique was used to make a ghost appear on-stage. He tried unsuccessfully to sell his idea to theatres; it required them to be completely rebuilt just to support the effect, which proved too costly for them to consider. Later in the year, Dircks set up a booth at the Royal Polytechnic, where it was seen by John Pepper.
Pepper realized that the method could be modified to make it easy to incorporate into existing theatres. Pepper first showed the effect during a scene of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
's The Haunted Man
The Haunted Man
The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain, A Fancy for Christmas-Time, is a novella by Charles Dickens first published in 1848. It is the fifth and last of Dickens' Christmas novellas...
, to great success. Pepper's implementation of the effect tied his name to it permanently. Though he tried many times to give credit to Dircks, the title "Pepper's ghost" endured.
Modern examples
Theme parks
The world's largest implementation of this illusion can be found at the Haunted MansionHaunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride located at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland. A significantly re-imagined incarnation of the ride, known as Phantom Manor, is located in Disneyland Paris...
and Phantom Manor
Phantom Manor
Phantom Manor is an attraction located in Frontierland at Disneyland Park in Disneyland Paris. Sharing a similar theme with the Haunted Mansion attractions at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland, it opened with Euro Disneyland on April 12, 1992...
attractions at several Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is the segment of The Walt Disney Company that conceives, builds, and manages the company's theme parks and holiday resorts, as well as a variety of additional family-oriented leisure enterprises...
theme parks. Here, a 90 feet (27.4 m)-long scene features multiple Pepper's ghost effect, brought together in one scene. Guests travel along an elevated mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
, looking through a 30 feet (9.1 m)-tall pane of glass into an empty ballroom
Ballroom
A ballroom is a large room inside a building, the designated purpose of which is holding formal dances called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions contain one or more ballrooms...
. Animatronic
Audio-Animatronics
Audio-Animatronics is the registered trademark for a form of robotics created by Walt Disney Imagineering for shows and attractions at Disney theme parks, and subsequently expanded on and used by other companies. The robots move and make noise, generally in speech or song...
ghosts move in hidden black rooms beneath and above the mezzanine.
The walk-through attraction Turbidite Manor employs variations of the classic technique, enabling guests to see various spirits that also interact with the physical environment, but that are viewable at a much closer proximity. The House at Haunted Hill
The House at Haunted Hill
The House at Haunted Hill is a high-tech haunted attraction at a home in Woodland Hills, California. The attraction showcases a number of age-old tricks such as Pepper's ghost, and advanced special effects and multi-channel audio.- The attraction :...
, a halloween attraction in Woodland Hills, CA, employs a similar variation in their front window to display characters from their storyline.
An example which combines the Pepper's ghost effect with a live actor and film projection can be seen in the Mystery Lodge exhibit at the Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
theme park in Buena Park
Buena Park, California
Buena Park is a city in northwestern Orange County, California. As of Census 2010 the population was 80,530. The city is adjacent to the city of Anaheim and is 12 miles northwest of downtown Santa Ana. The Current OMB metropolitan designation for Buena Park and the Orange County Area is "Santa...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and the Ghosts of the Library exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum documents the life of the 16th U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln, and the course of the American Civil War. Combining traditional scholarship with 21st century showmanship techniques, the popular museum continues to rank as one of the most visited...
in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
(both created by the company BRC Imagination Arts using the patented technique known as "Holavision"), as well as the depiction of Maori legends called A Millennium Ago at the Museum of Wellington City & Sea
Museum of Wellington City & Sea
The Museum of Wellington City & Sea is a museum in Wellington, New Zealand. It occupies the Bond Store, a historic building on Jervois Quay on the waterfront of Wellington Harbour. The conversion of this building into a museum building was completed in 1999....
.
Museums
Pepper's ghost exhibits are beginning to be more widely used in museums, as they attempt to create livelier attractions that will appeal to visitors. In the mid-70s James Gardener designed the Changing Office installation in the London Science Museum, consisting of a 1970s-style office that transforms into an 1870s-style office as the audience watches. It was designed and built by Will Wilson and Simon Beer of Integrated Circles. Another particularly intricate Pepper's ghost display is the Eight Stage Ghost built for the British Telecom Showcase Exhibition in London in 1978. This display follows the history of electronics in a number of discrete transitions.More modern examples of Pepper's ghost effects can be found in various museums in the United Kingdom and Europe and use a video variation on the illusion known as the Musion Eyeliner
Musion Eyeliner
The Musion Eyeliner is a modern commercial variation of a stage illusion called Pepper's ghost, using high definition video projection or LED screens to allow moving images to appear within a live stage setting....
and Arena3D's XSTAGE®. Examples of these in the United Kingdom are a ghost of John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum is the largest tennis museum in the world. The museum was inaugurated at The Championships centenary event in 1977. On the 12 April 2006, HRH The Duke of Kent declared the brand new Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum open to the public inside the grounds of the All England...
, which reopened in new premises in 2006, and one of Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
, which opened at the Manchester United Museum
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
in 2007. Other examples include the ghost of Sarah (who picks up a candle and walks through the wall) and also the ghost of the Eighth Duke at Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, residence of the dukes of Marlborough. It is the only non-royal non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, one of England's largest houses, was built between...
.
In October 2008 a life-sized Pepper's ghost of Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
was opened at the National Sports Museum
National Sports Museum
The National Sports Museum is a museum dedicated to Australian sport and is located within the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. It features exhibitions and galleries of items related mainly to Australian Rules Football, Cricket, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the Sport...
in Melbourne, Australia. produced by The Shirley Spectra. The effect is also used at the Dickens World
Dickens World
Dickens World is a themed attraction located at Chatham Dockyard in the English county of Kent. Privately funded, it cost £62 million to create, and was opened to the public on 25 May 2007.-The concept:...
attraction at Chatham Maritime, Kent, United Kingdom.
The latest example can be found at Our Planet Centre in Castries, St Lucia which opened in May 2011, where a life size Prince Charles, and Governor general of the island appear on stage talking about climate change. http://www.ourplanetcentre.org The exhibit was designed by LCI from London.http://www.lci-uk.com
Television and video
TeleprompterTeleprompter
An autocue is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. Using a teleprompter is similar to the practice of using cue cards...
s are a modern implementation of Pepper's ghost used by the television industry. They reflect a speech or script and are commonly used for live broadcasts such as news program
News program
A news program, news programme, news show, or newscast is a regularly scheduled radio or television program that reports current events. News is typically reported in a series of individual stories that are presented by one or more anchors...
mes.
Two companies produce versions of this effect using a video as the source. Shirley Spectra Australia's product, "SpectraVision", is aimed at the exhibition market. A recent production is a life-size Shane Warne at the National Sports Museum in Melbourne. Musion's product Musion Eyeliner
Musion Eyeliner
The Musion Eyeliner is a modern commercial variation of a stage illusion called Pepper's ghost, using high definition video projection or LED screens to allow moving images to appear within a live stage setting....
is aimed at use on stage, a recent production being Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds is a 1978 concept album by Jeff Wayne, retelling the story of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Its format is progressive rock and string orchestra, using narration and leitmotifs to carry the story via rhyming melodic lyrics that express...
.
The South African Jewish Museum in Cape Town uses elaborate Pepper's ghost video technology in their permanent exhibit. The Artist Group PXNG.LI is showing evolutionary processes in a Peppers ghost box at the Natural Science Museum in Karlsruhe, Germany.
External links
- The History of the Discovery of Cinematography An Illustrated Chronology, Paul Burns
- A description and illustration of the illusion
- Shane Warne Hologram
- The Shirley Spectra Australia