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tahnok100
01-08-2005, 03:59 PM
I finally got to ride ToT and all I can say is "Wow!". However, I am rather puzzled by some of the show effects. Mainly the disappearing hotel guests and riders. I think I may have an idea of how they are both done, but a few things make them weird.

I think the disappearing guests use the same Pepper's ghost effect used in the HM ballroom, it sure looks like it. But how do they do the electrical effect?

The disappearing riders in the mirror are a bit harder. The first time I saw it, it sent a chill down my spine. I think it is either a two-way mirror with an identical empty car behind it or a projection of some sort. I can't figure out the electrical effect for this one either.

Thanks for the help!

Captain Josh
01-08-2005, 05:28 PM
I have no idea how it works, but the first time I realized the mirror shows an empty elevator where you used to be, I just felt really, really terrified.

Boingonut
01-08-2005, 06:19 PM
I am pretty sure how the "mirror effect" is done. There is a video camera somewhere that films the guest in real time as they wave and what not at the "mirror" in front of them. The mirror is of couse a rear screen projection of the real time image of the guests waving. The effect is created by just a simple video effect and distorts and waves the image (I could make an effect just like it on after effects or final cut very easily). It is one of those things that is very simple but comes off as very complex.

crinklebat
01-08-2005, 09:57 PM
I'm going to second Boingonut's statement; my boyfriend and I came to the same conclusion after wondering about it for awhile. It's really cool!

tahnok100
01-08-2005, 10:10 PM
All right, that makes sense. What about the hotel guests? Was I right about that?

I just remembered the other effect that freaked me out. The door shrinking into the distance right before the drop (not when pulling out). It is obviously a projection of some sort (right?). It is done very well and really gives the effect of depth.

Tigertail777
01-08-2005, 10:18 PM
If its the same effect as wdw's, the electricity is done a few ways; fiberoptics embedded into the walls and floor (also how the starfield effect works when the hallways dissappears), and partial peppers ghost effect with a kind of reflected projection of electric bolts.

The mirror could be done several ways, but I am guessing boingonut had the right idea except I think its probably another peppers ghost, where the video is reflected onto a large pane of glass, which has behind it 2 way glass, that would give the slivery mirror effect, and then with a light lit behind it you would see through it and you could have either a projection of a empty car, or even a "half model". This is just a guess, there are quite a few ways it could be done along the same lines.

I will throw one in for you of wdw's TOT in case you have rode it (this effect as far as I know is not in DCA's version) when you get to the end of the 5th dimension, there is a starfield kind of thing that one of the stars grows longer and longer until it sort of "rips" into a doorway. Its a pretty easy effect once you know it; the star that elongates is a laser projected exactly on the door's crack line, once it is elongated all the way up and down, the door slowly opens with a bright light behind it giving the appearance that the "line star" cracked a door in the starfield. This is by far my favorite effect in the entire ride, its so simple, but it just looks so mind blowing. :D

tahnok100
01-08-2005, 10:44 PM
Unfortunately, I have never been to Florida. But I am familiar with the effect. Instead of that, DCA has a door that disappears into nowhere (the one that I mentioned in my second post).

Yes, that could certainly be how they do the mirror. I thought it looked an awful lot like a two-way mirror.

I seem to recall that when they first started building it that there was going to be a burning rubber smell in the elevator. I did not notice anything like that. Did it make it into the finale ride? I did notice that the car shutters right before the finale drop though.

FantasmicFanatic
01-09-2005, 03:46 AM
YAY for ruining the magic!

Wesley815
01-09-2005, 10:25 AM
YAY for ruining the magic!You clicked on a topic called "ToT ride effects"... what did you think you were going to read? How ice cream is made?

Ugh... some people. :rolleyes:

Boingonut
01-09-2005, 01:18 PM
YAY for ruining the magic!

For me at least it makes it more magical to know how the effects are done. I know that is not true for everyone. When you know how things are done, whether simple or complex I think it makes you really appreciate what the imaginars come up with and how truely creative the disney parks are. But agian that is just me. :)

TikiGeek
01-09-2005, 01:28 PM
I finally got to ride ToT and all I can say is "Wow!".... The first time I saw it, it sent a chill down my spine.

Me too! The first time I rode TOT I thought the effects were great - not to mention the ups and downs :p

A door has been opened......:eek:

tahnok100
01-09-2005, 01:35 PM
YAY for ruining the magic!

How can you appreciate what you do not understand?

I for one think it is only right that the effects get the observation that they deserve. What is more complementing to an effect designer than a group of people sitting around trying to figure out how it was done (with moderate success)?

the mad hatter
01-10-2005, 06:54 AM
I love the star effect...when the stars seem to surround the car.

no1here
01-10-2005, 07:15 AM
The mirror uses an infrared camera to get the ghostly image. The image in the mirror appears in real-time, from what I've noticed.

Boingonut
01-10-2005, 07:38 AM
The mirror uses an infrared camera to get the ghostly image. The image in the mirror appears in real-time, from what I've noticed.

I really don't think it is that complex since there whould have to be two cameras, one video and one infrared since video and infrared are very diferent and it would be very dificult if not imposable to do in the same camera. As a filmmaker I have never heard of such a camera so I think I can say they don't exsitst. If there is indeed one inferared the camera ond one video camera the real time image would have to switch between the video image and the infrared image which would be very hard to make the image seamless as it appers on the ride. If you are thinking about night vision that may be what it does but I really think it is just a real time effect. The same kind of thing can be done with a real time analog or digital mixing board (the effect looks digital so I would think it is digital). But again it really is not that hard to do, I could do that same kind of think in real time in any TV studio. Since Disney is a movie studio at its core it is safe to say that they would be very aware of this kind of technology. The effect is custom made to be sure but even that is not that hard you just have to know how to program video effects. Now it being projected on a two way mirror may be the case, I had never thought of that, and that could work although I have never seen what an image looks like on a two way mirror, it would be an interesting video effects experimant.

tahnok100
01-11-2005, 01:09 PM
Why would you need to switch between two cameras? Infrared is a normal light, just not in the spectrum of what we can see. If I'm not mistaken, almost all normal cameras can see infrared. You can see for yourself, point a camera at a remote control and press a button.

The ghosts in the HM that sit in your lap in the mirror are actually on the other side of a two-way. They are the only things being lit up, so you can still see yourself. It looks pretty much like the ToT effect.

Edit: Hmm... I just thought of something. They couldn't be using infrared. The videos that have been taken on the ride do not show any glaring lights shining on you. It must be just a normal camera.