The wind grows cold. The days grow short, and all the leaves that brought such peace and life throughout the summer now wither, change, and fall. We've celebrated the last great harvest of the year, pulled the shutters tight and prepare for the long, cold sleep that will soon be coming as our land angles ever so slightly away from that which gives all things life.

It's that time of the year again. The celebration of those who have passed. The scaring away of evil spirits, the high witching hour, the leading of those lost to their eternal rest. All Hallows Eve, the Day of the Dead, celebrate what you will. It's a great time for stories of enchantment, the supernatural, and the unexplained. I love this time of year.

We've all seen the movies and shows. The undead walk the mortal plane helping, avenging, or just plain scaring the people of the world. Thousands of tales explore the afterlife; some of them even do it well. It's an area that, if done correctly, can draw a viewer in like no other, but if done wrong, can ruin an otherwise good idea. People get picky about effects, especially in these modern times of computer-generated artistry. Unfortunately most of us don't have the budget for massive render farms and compositing teams. We must do the best with the funds at hand. So the question becomes, "how can we effectively create the supernatural realm with our own limited resources?"

A Hauntingly Tricky Concept

How do you make a ghost for movies? To make a ghost effect seem real it takes more than techniques, there's also the psychology of the rules of ghosts movies.

Let's tell a ghost story. We have an idea that involves a group of characters receiving information that only someone who has passed beyond knows. There are three major elements to pulling this off successfully.

• The first, and most important thing one must remember is that spirits, when you boil it down, are still characters. They must be thought of, and portrayed as such. Make them well-rounded, give them a back-story. Give them quirks; needs and faults, just like any other character in your story. You don't need to show all these things, but having them even in your mind will help with the realization of your vision.
• The second element is how your ghost will appear (or not) to the others in the story. Make the spirit a spirit. If your character isn't fantastical in some way, you might as well make them a regular person. Are they human looking, like Dr. Crowe (Bruce Willis) in the Sixth Sense? Are they a floating mass of energy and light like the classic Poltergeist movies? Are they somewhere in between like those in Ghostbusters? Can the audience see them? Can the characters? Your entity is a character, but they are a special kind of character. You must present them as such both in motive and appearance.
• The third element is often the aspect that gets ignored or forgotten. Enhance the performance with the illusion. Don't let the illusion ruin the show. You can have the best effect ever, but if it doesn't work for the story, it's just an effect. There's an old editors adage, "If the audience says 'wow, that was good editing,' then you've failed to edit the scene properly." When an effect is done right, people should not be saying "wow." The best effect should simply be accepted as status quo in the world that is presented. The successful portrayal of the supernatural lies in integrating the character into the effect, and the effect into the story. So you don't need the greatest, most exotic effect to pull off a successful tale, you only need the right ghost effect for your story and your character.

Non-conventional Conventionalism

We hold in our collective minds beliefs like ghosts are pale and pass through things, and zombies are decaying and move slowly. These are rationalizations whose logic extends back to the origins of the creatures themselves. Many accepted standards are rather convenient for video as well, whose limitations necessitate compromises. If we see a translucent person in flowing white, we immediately accept them as a ghost. It all works rather nicely.

These concepts should be seen as starting points though, not an absolute. Some of the most notable afterlife characters have been the ones that have broken the standards. Adding a touch of blue to a spirit might make them stand out from the rest. What if they were gold, or bronze? What if the zombie was suddenly faster than when he was alive, and never got winded? Take a look at the resources you have at hand, and the effects you have in your palette and consider ways you can bring a fresh approach to your character. Do this not just to be cool, but for the proper enhancement of character.

If you want your ghost to be more humanized, take the Sixth Sense approach and make them essentially "corporeal". If, on the other hand your poltergeist is more "infesting", then give them a touch of distortion. If they are more ethereal, add some particles. Make the particles move in different directions based on how the spirit feels. This, more than anything else, will sell your concept and make a look meaningful rather than trendy. But before you add the accents, you need to shoot the scene. Let's explore how this can be done.