Welcome to the Moon

Back in 1902, a silent, French short film called “Le Voyage dans la Lune” (A Trip to the Moon) was produced. The movie was written and directed by French director and actor, Georges Méliès. This movie was created during a time where technology was very new and the concept of “sci-fi” hardly even existed. It follows a group of astronomers throughout their journey to the moon, travelling via a canon-propelled capsule that launches towards the surface of the moon.

Filming the Moon

The budget for the film was ₣10,000 (French Franc) and took approximately 3 months for the 13-minute film to be completed. The majority of the budget for the film went towards the making of the scenery and the costumes. For the costumes, Méliès himself would create the costume prototypes for the head, knees and feet in terracotta and then create plaster moulds for them. For filming, most of the special effects in the film used the substitution splice technique. This was a technique in which the cameraman would stop filming for a moment and an object would be altered, added, or removed before filming resumed. In a way, much like stop motion.

A Legacy for Sci-Fi

As a personal fan of sci-fi, I have yet to even view the film, I would like to watch it. This film would be even more intriguing to watch during the time it was released. The concept and the visuals surrounding the film itself were very unique for the date it was released, yet it opened up another world to the sci-fi movie industry, despite there not being much for technology. The sci-fi and fantasy themes showed the viewers that reality itself could be altered behind the camera for cinematic purposes. Today, “A Trip to the Moon” remains to be Méliès’s most popular film. The image of the moon with the capsule stuck in its right eye remains to be the most iconic scene from the film, it has been referenced in present-day films such as “Hugo.”

Sources

http://brainknowsbetter.com/news/2014/2/21/georges-melies-a-trip-to-the-moon-reveals-the-psychology-of-film

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Trip_to_the_Moon#Legacy