George Melies

George Melies

What new techniques did he create?
When he was filming he accidentally discovered the technique of stop frame, as his camera jammed while filming. Stop frame was used to move objects and characters around the set or in and out of frame to make them seem as if they were moving all by themselves. These techniques lended themselves effectively to the science fiction, fantasy and Horror genres, which George Melies was one of the early pioneers for.

He also created many transitions such as fade ins, fade outs, cross dissolves, reversed film and cutting in. His passion for film is obvious, with over 500 created, and with a great number of new techniques, ideas, and the fact his movies were defining parts of the genre.

Some of his more notable works include Haunted castle (1896), Man with the rubber head (1901) as well as A trip to the Moon (1902).

His creation of many transitions has definitely shaped the world of cinema, as these are frequently used even today to show the passing of time, or a change of scene.While the techniques he pioneered have definitely been immortalised in their use throughout the history of cinema, He also challenged other film makers perceptions of what was possible. His willingness to experiment lead other film makers to follow in his footsteps, and the movie industry today has many different types of filming techniques and styles thanks to the experimental style of George Melies

In my top ten list, George Melies is likely to have influenced many of the staff working on the films, especially through his imaginative ideas and film techniques. Many of the films in my top ten list are animated, meaning that the way the frames are shot do not have to be dictated by the normal restrictions that filming in a physical space proposes. Because of this, many shots and scenes can have more interesting and dynamic looks. George Melies was very much restricted by the technology of the time, but his imaginative ideas gave way to many great fiction films. For his transition work, his influence can be clearly seen in J.J.Abrams Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Star Wars is a franchise that uses many scene transitions such as the cross fade, fade in/ fade out, a technique that Melies first created.

 With many of my other picks, it is quite hard to pin down a direct influence, but Melies films have shaped the way that films have been created for over 100 years now, and in the film industry, people will always borrow and take inspiration from the works of other directors. there have now been generations of film makers, and while many modern directors have more recent influences, they were likely influenced by the film makers before them, this trend continuing on all the way back to the early directors and producers of the medium.