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George Melies and His Contributions to Cinema History

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George Melies and His Contributions to Cinema History
George Melies and his contributions to cinema history
The film industry encompasses technological and commercial organizations of filmmaking. The story of the Kelly Gang was the first feature film to be produced and its production was done in Australia. This film was produced and directed by Charles Tait and Dan Barry in 1906. By 1911, other countries were also beginning to show some interest in feature films. The modern film industry has evolved over the years and it is still evolving. Famous filmmakers such as George Melies made important contributions to the development of early cinema. He is recognized as the pioneer of early cinema, special effects, and the invention of bizarre ideas about the big screen. Jim Glichrist of the Scotman describes him as “one of the greatest pioneers of the cinema” (Pantazi, 2005). There are special effects as well as the magic encompassed in the production thanks to his innovation. Pantazi (2005) notes that the foundation laid determines the developments of the phenomena in question, thus, Melies laid a good foundation for the cinema industry since his innovation provided room for more developments.
Mini biography
George Melies a renowned filmmaker was born on the eighth day of December 1861. He was born in a family of shoemakers but he was not interested in doing this kind of work. He schooled at the Lycee Imperial where he is alleged to get into trouble with his teachers since he used to fill his books with comic strips. He showed great interest in film work while still at school, at age 10 he built his sets for small marionette shows. His love for stage career was further heightened when he went to the theatre for the first time; he was perplexed by a performance made by Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin who was one of the most renowned magicians at that time.
After retiring from the family business, his father left the business under Melies and his two brothers, since Melies was not interested in the family



References: Boughey, D. (2010). The Film Industry. WA: BiblioLife. Ezra, E. (2000). Georges Melies: the birth of the auteuri. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Pantazi, M. (2008). Supernatural Horror in Film: George Melies. Retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/content/supernatural-horror-in-film-georges-melies-a73225

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