March 14, 2006

Virtual Kate Moss on the Runway

Style.com features a video clip of the Alexander McQueen collection at the 2006 Ready-to-Wear fashion show in Paris, which took place earlier this month, that includes a pre-recorded holographic-like image of Kate Moss projected on to the runway. To watch this captivating effect, you first have to watch the opening video ad. Then, go to 5:40 minute mark of the video to watch the 3D image of Kate Moss. (via reBang weblog).

An Associated Press article describes the virtual appearance of Kate Moss as a "symbolic resurrection for the supermodel, who lost several advertising contracts after she was pictured in London tabloids last year linked to drugs."

The apparition of Kate Moss is not a holographic image as the MIT Advertising Lab points out. The 3D image is actually an example of Pepper's Ghost (Wikipedia), which was first used, as The Independent explains, in the 19th Century by John Henry Pepper in a production of Charles Dickens' "The Haunted Man."

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Visit diagram description

As the Wikipedia article explains, the Pepper's Ghost effect uses plate glass, special lighting techniques and a hidden room to create ghost like images that can appear and quickly disappear or morph from one character into another. The set-up at the Ready-to-Wear fashion show was an updated version of this technique that used pre-recorded video and a projector - and, I'm guessing, a transparent screen of some type but there is no further explanation.

As I was watching the video clip of Kate Moss I was wondering what types of applications there could be in the dance world for this updated version of Pepper's Ghost. It would be especially intriguing if this ghost-like effect could be created in real-time so that an apparition of a dancer at one location could be dropped-into the middle of a dance performance at another location.

Posted by Doug Fox at 5:55 AM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)