“A trip to the Moon” 1902 (13 min) (sequence around 6:00) by George Méliès
Méliès, with his magical nature, introduces a novel element to filmmaking that not only captivates the viewer’s attention visually but also piques their curiosity about the process behind shooting such intricate sequences. This segment, known as the Stop Motion Sequence, draws my attention to highlight the fact that cinema has experienced exponential growth since its invention, even before the advent of color. I believe this fragment, and the movie as a whole, holds a crucial place in animation history because it aimed to entertain adults, while simultaneously inspiring children. It seamlessly blends a science fiction plot with philosophical underpinnings, and the crowning touch is its animation.
I would like like to further research several elements of this short: its implications for modern animation, how the stop-motion sequence inspired other filmmakers and how much the stop-motion has been change until now, whether the sequence involved a photo shoot, and if Méliès had an alternate scene prepared in case the primary one didn’t work, how the squence works in terms of apology to the plot concept.
