Georges Méliès - PowerPoint

    Georges Mêliès, born in Paris in 1961 was one of the first ever filmmakers to discover the 'moving picture' which he did in 1895.  He is known today as 'The Father of Special Effects'. He was the first ever person to use the most common used effects in film today, such as; fade in, fade out and dissolve. Also, by accident, he discovered by using stop motion photography he could render thick visual effects.

    His most famous and well-known film that he directed in 1902 was 'A Trip To The Moon' which he also starred in. It was a silent film and lasted for 13 minutes. Unlike the technology used today, the cameras used in this only filmed in black and white, so Mêliès took it upon himself to have this film hand coloured.  The budget that Mêliès used to create this film was approximately 30,000 FRANCS.

    So, why do we care about him all these years later? Firstly he was a pioneer in filmmaking with his special effects. Without him fade in/out and dissolve may not have been discovered. He has also been a huge inspiration to filmmakers today. The production of Katy Perry’s song 'Wide Awake' at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards was based upon 'A Trip To The Moon'.

    Georges Mêliès was the first ever person to add special effects into his films. He also built the first ever movie studio in Europe. Still used today, he was the first ever person to use production sketches and storyboards. And finally Mêliès was the first ever person to show movie trailers, he would do this by projecting images above a Theatre in Paris in 1898 to show passers-by an idea of what was inside and on the screens.