Writing assignment (to be posted on Harvey): write three paragraphs to explain how Meliès’s aesthetics differs from

the Lumière Brothers'.Try to focus on three different aspects, for example scenery/settings, narration, acting, editing,
position of the camera or relation to reality.

From having watched L’Arrivée d’un Train ã la Ciotat and The Sprinkler sprinkled by the
Lumière Brothers and Le voyage dans la Lune by George Méliès one can notice distinct aspects
of these directors’ aesthetics. From Singerman’s text, we learn some of the histories of these two
pioneers in French Cinema. Differences in their productions arise from the different backgrounds
that each of them comes from. The Lumière Brothers were both scientifically oriented, and most
of their films are documentaries and with few acting skills being portrayed. On the other hand,
George Méliès has much of an artistic side to offer in front of the camera. He was a professional
magician and the director of a theater, no doubt that his expertise is reflected in the works he
produced. We will focus on the acting, editing, and settings of these two films.

The setting of L’Arrivée d’un Train ã la Ciotat by the Lumière Brothers is precisely a train
station of the time. The camera angle does not change during the entirety of the 49 seconds that
the film lasts. Also, the camera angle is a wide shot which lets many of the elements of the clip
be captured in only one shot. This is the same for The Sprinkler sprinkled the action is mostly
focused on the acting, but the camera stays still on one shot. On the contrary, with Méliès, the
film itself is much longer, lasting 16 minutes. In Le voyage dans la Lune, probably due to its
length, there are several settings including an astrology classroom, an industry room where they
are assembling the rocket takes place, a platform where the rocket launches from, the moon
being impacted by the rocket, and multiple scenes in the moon. These settings are particularly
different from those by the Lumière Brothers as these are proposed from a fiction story. The
Lumière Brothers, on the other hand, portray reality through their film. Similarly, in terms of
acting, they remain close to reality. On the other hand, Méliès’ film seems almost extravagant
when being compared to L’Arrivée d’un Train ã la Ciotat or The Sprinkler sprinkled. The
multiple factors of acting in it make it a successful fiction film, having multiple scenes and a
much more extensive plot.

Lastly, and yet most distinct about these two films is editing. The short films by the Lumière
Brothers do not have many components of this. Again, this once reflects their background of
being scientists and not artistic entrepreneurs. Le voyage dans la Lune by George Méliès has
many editing components going on. Starting with multiple shots, a storyline is being created, one
that has a clear start and end. In the part of the film where the rocket is being launched to the
moon, he includes two different angles of this event, giving different perspectives to the
audience. Another important component is the dramatic close-up that is made in the most famous
scene where the moon is hit in the eye by the rocket. Lastly, another editing detail that he
accomplished in this film is the fact of having a still frame with a moving background. This is
portrayed in the second half of the film that is set in the moon; many things are going on in space
while humans are exploring the moon’s surface. These differences teach us the evolution of film
through the very pioneers of French cinema and also lets us understand how these differences
arise.