Projected Ghosts

Projected Ghosts

Projected Ghost Machine

The machine consists of:
A toy slide projector ($3.95 closeout at Toys R Us). The projector uses slides on cardboard strips and projects them on to walls. It's like a flash light in that it uses a flashlight bulb and 2 D batteries. The slides look like they are standard-sized 35mm slides.
Two 5"x7" mirrors ($1.99 Wal-Mart) The mirrors are glued back to back to form a 2-sided mirror.
A slow 5-6rpm AC motor (from a animated Santa figure from Wal-Mart).
10 yards of ultra-sheer bridal veil material ($0.79/yd Wal-Mart). The material comes 54" wide and I use 2 15 foot lengths side by side.
A ghost cut-out to use as a slide for the projector. I made mine out of a piece of acetate. The area around the ghost has to be opaque so that stray light doesn't get projected along with the ghost.
Wood and screws.
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The machine is with the projector pointing towards the revolving 2-sided mirror. I positioned the axis of the mirrors slightly askew so that the reflected images would look like they were coming from different locations.
The ghost image is reflected onto the sheer veil material. The material is transparent enough to allow objects (tombstones, crypts etc.) to be seen through it, but will still refect the projected ghost image. The revolving mirrors make the ghost appear to rise out of the ground and fly upwards. It looks like the Haunted Mansion projected ghosts in their graveyard.
The veil material has to be hung in darkness because any stray ambiant light will refect off the veil and spoil the effect.