Cinematic experiences have long been influenced by the use of in-camera effects and trick staging. One of the most influential people of this type of ‘old school magic’ was Georges Melies. Melies introduced many cinematic tricks that set the foundations of modern film-making (Ezra, 2000).
An example of a cinematic trick used by Melies is ‘substitution splicing’, which is the sudden appearance or disappearance of an object or person (Ezra, 2000). This technique has been used through modern film-making in numerous films and advertisements. Michel Gondry is heavily influenced by Melies and often uses similar effects in his work. The ‘substitution splicing’ effect is evident in an Ad Gondry completed for Motorola (MUX667, 2012), in one particular scene where the lady is being photographed with props, the photographs begin to appear after each shot behind the camera taking the photos.
Motorola Ad – Michel Gondry ‘The film’ (2012) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aKsEQ6WGXY>
This substitution slicing effect of changing one object into another is also evident in Melies’ The Astronomers Dream (Silentfilmhouse, 2013) when you witness the moon go from a small background piece to a large lively focal point of the film.
Melies’ The Astronomers Dream (1898) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8SMIiQZUcs>
“Indeed it is through metaphor that Melies’s work enters the realm of narrative” (Ezra, 2000 pg. 29). Metaphors throughout the works of Gondry and Melies’ films are noticeable by the sudden replacement of one thing by another, often adding depth to the narrative. Another example of this technique is in Gondry’s Motorola Ad (MUX667, 2012) where it transitions between scenes by replacing the surrounds to create the next feature of the phone, for example, when the lady knocks down the house, turning it into a forest & then opening the window on the floor which sends the envelopes (tree branches/leaves) flying, a metaphor for the phone sending emails and messages.
The influence of Melies in Gondry’s work gives his films an interesting and creative twist, using old school magic and careful camera tricks to tell a unique story within the film itself.
References
Ezra, E. (2000). Melies does tricks. In E. Ezra, Georges Melies: the birth of the auteur (pp. 24-35). Manchester: Manchester University Press.
MUX667 (2012, May 13). Motorola Ad – Michel Gondry ‘The film’. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aKsEQ6WGXY
Silentfilmhouse (2013, May 5). The Astronomers Dream (1898) Georges Méliès. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8SMIiQZUcs
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