For Victor Northmoor, the Wraith, we used puppetry, smoke, video projection and audio.
Story
In 1860, the social climber Victor Northmoor was tricked by the villain of our story into spending more and more money on lavish parties in an attempt to impress society as a whole and, in particular, a wealthy heiress.
Eventually he became destitute, all his so-called-friends turned away from him, and he didn’t even have enough money to pay the servants. He became a recluse and froze to death by himself in Northmoor House.
Discovering the Story
There were a number of documents around the house referencing Victor’s fate. Receipts and demands from creditors, letters and the like. The servants knew his story. And then, tucked away in a book of children’s poetry, was the rhyme:
Old Mister Shiverbones
Spending all his gold
Old Mister Shiverbones
Sitting in the cold
Old Mister Shiverbones
Ain’t got naught to eat
Old Mister Shiverbones
No boots upon his feet
Old Mister Shiverbones
Can’t afford a bed
Old Mister Shiverbones
Showed off and now he’s dead.
Manifestations
On the Friday evening the players heard, from time to time, a crackling, freezing sound, and the sound of crystals and a strange howling.
On the Saturday night they encountered the ghost of Victor himself, a floating, shivering figure, surrounded by falling snow.
Audio
Behind the Scenes
For Victor, we used:
- Projected video of snow falling.
- Audio of ice, snow and crystals
- A puppet rig similar to the Soldier (see here for design) floating a long way in front of the puppetteer
Here’s a very early work-in-progress of the Wraith just to test the basic principles.
Here’s the snowfall footage we projected around him.