George Méliès

What were Méliès' contributions to cinema? Why is his work so significant?

    Some of George Méliès' contributions to cinema include creating the first European film studio—which was made with glass walls and ceilings—and being a key player in the development of narrative story and visual effects. He experimented greatly with filmmaking as a medium, finding creative ways to produce incredibly unique visual effects. His films were the first to include visual effects and it used editing to create illusions and tricks. For instance, he figured out how to make it look like someone vanished or changed into something different by stopping the camera and rolling it again after changing what it's filming. Is work was so significant because of the experimentation he did. Some of his works had the earliest examples of superimposition, split screen, editing within a scene, dissolving, double exposure and reverse shots. His masterpiece A Trip to the Moon is considered the first ever science fiction film and his films were one of the earliest fiction narratives on film, helping to pave the way for future filmmakers like D.W. Griffith.