There is a very old illusion known as Pepper's Ghost, which
wowed them in the days before movies and television by being able
to make a person fade in and fade out before a live audience. It
required a huge stage and large, expensive stuff to make it work.
No wonder it isn't seen very often these days.
The Wizard, dressed in white robes (magicians, get out your
white dress suits!), is seen on a stage against a black nighttime
background of bright glowing stars and moons arching high over
his head. When ready to demonstrate the materialization, he
unrolls a sheet of colored cellophane. He holds the colored
cellophane in front of himself, so all can see its transparent
nature. Then he holds it out away from himself to either his left
or right side. Suddenly, a person materializes behind the
cellophane- fading in as if in a movie. The Wizard drops the
cellophane to the floor and holds out his hand to greet the
person he has just materialized. Other variations are also
described in the article.