Le Voyage Dans la Lune The silent film, A Trip to the Moon, details a group of scientists that plan and execute a trip into outer space. The director, George Méliès, put a great amount of life and detail into a short fifteen minute movie. Its purpose was to entertain audiences in a small amount of time, and it did just that.
The film begins with a group of mad scientists plotting an expedition to the moon. Throughout all of the scenes, the sets are wildly out of proportion to the actors, but with the limited resources, it is obvious that the sets were designed to give an air of whimsy rather than just carelessly made. There is so much detail and activity packed into each frame, that it is difficult to pick up on all of the things happening at one time. In my opinion, this adds to the whimsical feel of the entire production. The camera shoots straight on without moving at all the whole time, which was a bold choice for Méliès, because during that time, directors were beginning to move the cameras.
During many parts of the film, actors would portray over exaggerated emotions on their faces, which is effective, for the reason that there is no dialogue. The characters are wild and flamboyant, and they made the whole movie interesting to watch. One of my personal favorite clips is when the camera zooms in on the moon, and it is seen that there is a man’s face on the surface. The rocket then hits the moon man in the eye and the camera cuts to the surface of the moon.
A Trip to the Moon was a great success for the era in which it was created. The length of the film added to its brilliance, for even the best movies wouldn't be able to hold an audience’s attention for more than 15 minutes without changing the camera angle. Overall, given the time that the movie was made, it was very well done and really creates a happy feeling for anyone that watches it.
Analysis of a Scene from A Trip To TheMoon The scene I chose was the scene in which the scientists are exploring the caverns and forests of the moon. In this scene, the inhabitants of the moon appear, and are shown as acrobats and contortionists. The scientists are intimidated by these creatures and because of this, they strike them with an umbrella and the aliens disappear in a puff of smoke.
The camera does not change angles throughout the scene, nor the rest of the movie. It is a long shot at eye level, allowing the viewer to see the whole scene, and everything happening. It’s good to have the shot here because there is so much happening the whole time, and we can see it all. Because it is shot at eye level, we do not feel intimidated nor superior to anything or anyone pictured.
The silent film, A Trip to the Moon, details a group of scientists that plan and execute a trip into outer space. The director, George Méliès, put a great amount of life and detail into a short fifteen minute movie. Its purpose was to entertain audiences in a small amount of time, and it did just that.
The film begins with a group of mad scientists plotting an expedition to the moon. Throughout all of the scenes, the sets are wildly out of proportion to the actors, but with the limited resources, it is obvious that the sets were designed to give an air of whimsy rather than just carelessly made. There is so much detail and activity packed into each frame, that it is difficult to pick up on all of the things happening at one time. In my opinion, this adds to the whimsical feel of the entire production. The camera shoots straight on without moving at all the whole time, which was a bold choice for Méliès, because during that time, directors were beginning to move the cameras.
During many parts of the film, actors would portray over exaggerated emotions on their faces, which is effective, for the reason that there is no dialogue. The characters are wild and flamboyant, and they made the whole movie interesting to watch. One of my personal favorite clips is when the camera zooms in on the moon, and it is seen that there is a man’s face on the surface. The rocket then hits the moon man in the eye and the camera cuts to the surface of the moon.
A Trip to the Moon was a great success for the era in which it was created. The length of the film added to its brilliance, for even the best movies wouldn't be able to hold an audience’s attention for more than 15 minutes without changing the camera angle. Overall, given the time that the movie was made, it was very well done and really creates a happy feeling for anyone that watches it.
Analysis of a Scene from A Trip To TheMoon
The scene I chose was the scene in which the scientists are exploring the caverns and forests of the moon. In this scene, the inhabitants of the moon appear, and are shown as acrobats and contortionists. The scientists are intimidated by these creatures and because of this, they strike them with an umbrella and the aliens disappear in a puff of smoke.
The camera does not change angles throughout the scene, nor the rest of the movie. It is a long shot at eye level, allowing the viewer to see the whole scene, and everything happening. It’s good to have the shot here because there is so much happening the whole time, and we can see it all. Because it is shot at eye level, we do not feel intimidated nor superior to anything or anyone pictured.