How to Create A Ghost

I found this scrap recently cleaning out an old junk box. It's from circa 2007. As a reaction to the infinite possibilities and seemingly jaded sensibility modern computer generated effects have produced, I became interested in the real-time conjuring and illusions that were used to create special effects in the early history of film.  Filmmakers were producing "movie magic" along with new techniques in editing to trick the audience eye, showing them things they had not seen nor experienced before.

The concept was pretty basic. I wanted to build a tall, narrow glass box, that sat atop a small, low-powered fan. A small amount of powder, such as flour, would be added, and then covered with a lid. As the fan blew, a light, nearly transparent powder would fill the container. When a projector was aimed at it, the images would be displayed in the particles, like a ghost or hologram. I'm sure this technique has been done before, perhaps using smoke in a Film Noir film, but I can't think of any examples. Even though the Star Wars scene of Princess Leia projected by R2D2 was done using an optical printer, the effect would look the same.

Alas, in accordance with this blog, I never did it. I bought the supplies, the glass panels, the fan...I never built it. I really just wanted to see what it looked like in my kitchen.