george melies

blog question: What were Melies' contributions to cinema? Why is his work so significant?


George Melies's A Trip to the Moon was the first creation of science fiction and invented special effects. There was a time when filmmakers hadn't yet thought of using camera tricks to create illusions. George not only was a film pioneer artistically, but also in terms of industry. He built the first movie studio in Europe, which was made completely out of glass walls and ceilings on his own property outside of Paris. He was also the first filmmaker to use production sketches and storyboards, and would help paint the sets and create props for his film. Artistically, he was the first filmmaker to experiment with double exposure, split screen, dissolve, superimposition, and reverse shots. A Trip to the Moon was internationally famous, from France to the U.S.. To this day, it is considered one of the world's first blockbusters.