A normal living room has a mirror installed above the mantelpiece (e.g.).
The mirror is actually not silvered; it is merely a sheet of glass. Behind the glass is a reversed full-size replica of the room and all of its contents.
Beyond the door(s) of the reversed room is a workshop for the production of necessary props. This includes large 3D printers, colour laser printers and copious workbenches for cutting out and assembling cardboard mock-ups, as well as a substantial library of objects and garments. There is an observation tower to allow the workshop operators to see what unusual items visitors to the house are bringing with them.
Black-clad ninjas lurk behind the furniture to move and adjust the positions of the objects. The walls of the reverse room each side of the “mirror” are fitted with giant video screens, displaying feed from concealed cameras looking into the real room, so that the ninjas can accurately position things outside of the direct line of sight of the “mirror”.
For special occasions, a team of actors can be drafted in to mimic the poses and actions of users of the actual living room.
All movable items in the reverse room include powerful electric motors to allow them to be remotely moved. Some of these (e.g. door and window opening) can be automated from sensors in the real room.-- pocmloc, Feb 06 2013 less elaborate and ninja-less mirror of this idea http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=01XKCsyIZxE [swimswim, Feb 07 2013] Mirror scene from Duck Soup http://www.youtube....watch?v=j5lU52aWTJo [mitxela, Feb 08 2013] I think it would be helpful to do this with a much more limited room, such as a bathroom.-- Kansan101, Feb 06 2013 More useful might be a mirror designed to trick real vampires into thinking they're fake. They then step into the sunshine, and Boom!-- RayfordSteele, Feb 06 2013 To really sell it you could get identical twins to come in and perform a perfectly coordinated set of actions.-- ytk, Feb 07 2013 I was hoping this idea would be just this. [Bun].-- UnaBubba, Feb 07 2013 A lower-budget version is baked <link>.-- swimswim, Feb 07 2013 [ytk] I had not considered having plants as users of the real room. That would make it easier to have people who do have “reflections”. I thought it would be a good challenge to do it using actors who have to react to whoever comes into the room.
Nice link [swimswim].-- pocmloc, Feb 07 2013 This reminds me of the scene in "Terminator" where Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) looks in a mirror and the camera pans round behind her and yet is not reflected in the mirror. This is easy to do with CGI now but then they had to do it the hard way, by building a fake mirror-image room behind a sheet of glass and getting Linda Hamilton's identical twin sister to stand in this room pretending to be Linda Hamilton's reflection.This device also has a useful role in inducing paranoia in people - just get them to look in the 'mirror' while someone who resembles them but who is slightly uglier/ balder/ spottier pretends to be them behind the sheet of glass.-- hippo, Feb 07 2013 What happens if a real vampire stands in front of it? Will it reflect an image of the vampire?-- UnaBubba, Feb 09 2013 It doesn't reflect anything, [ub]. That's the whole point.-- pocmloc, Feb 10 2013 That's no fun. I think it should reflect real vampires and ignore fake ones. That would be freaky.-- UnaBubba, Feb 11 2013 The "reflection" is (tediously explained) caused by actors in the fake room. SO as ling as the director of the fake room knows how to spot the difference between reals and fakes, the effect you desire can be implemented.-- pocmloc, Feb 11 2013 The real ones always have their collars upturned, I think.-- RayfordSteele, Feb 11 2013 Thanks, [Rayf].
I'm disappointed at your lack of imagination, [poc]. Sorry, but your responses are dull and unenthusiastic.-- UnaBubba, Feb 11 2013 I was under the impression that my responses are no duller and considerably less unenthusiastic than would be warranted by the circumstances. If you have evidence to the contrary I would be pleased to consider it.-- pocmloc, Feb 12 2013 This is brilliant. [+]-- doctorremulac3, Jul 22 2024 random, halfbakery