George Méliès’s personal contributions

In the famous "Dreyfus Affair" (1899), he used meticulous realism to direct, imitating some photo materials, using a newsreel style, allowing actors to perform in real time, and filming It develops into a 15-minute long play. There are close-ups and mid-range shots of the actors, as well as scenes of crowds running away, which pioneered the art of "realistic acting".

Although the Montelui Studio that Méliès built for himself was a few years later than the "Black Maria" built by Edison, it was larger in scale and more sophisticated in design, and a movie studio appeared. and factory-style operations.

The top of Montelui's studio is entirely made of glass, so that natural light can be fully utilized when shooting, the use of artificial light sources can be reduced to a minimum, and the curtain can be used to adjust the intensity of the light. Méliès also personally designed a set of complex mechanical devices that could shoot those complicated scheduling scenes at any time.

Méliès screened films in his Rope-Houtin theater and set up a photofinishing workshop and film sales office next door, selling copies for 550 francs. At that time, French film distribution had not yet formed a large scale, and there were only about 50 people in total. According to the needs of his own career development, Méliès promptly established the "Star Film Company", integrating production and distribution, regularly holding film release premieres, and also convening distributors to watch. He also designed movie posters for it, which can be regarded as the earliest movie promotion.

The one-stop "Star Film Company" composed of the Robe Utan Theater, the Montluy Studio, the laboratory and the film sales company has transformed the film from a market game to a movie. The vaudeville venue has become an elegant art venue for the upper class. Opera Street, where Star Company is located, was also called the "World Cinema Center" by people at the time. At the same time, the Star Company also achieved great development in the United States, and Méliès, who was a producer, screenwriter, director, set designer, stunt expert, costume designer and actor, also became world-famous with the many excellent films he shot. countries.

Méliès’s contribution to film is multi-faceted. He once said of himself: “Georges Méliès led the film to the path of spectacular drama, and was the first to shoot movies with gorgeous costumes and grand scenes. Drama... The commercial success of the invention of film was first of all due to a group of people who used film as a tool to record their personal creations. My role was to open the way for film work and to create the film. Most technical techniques.

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