Georges Méliès, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1938)
Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès (; French: [meljɛs]; 8 December 1861 – 21 January 1938) was a French illusionist, actor, and the first film director. He led many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema.
Méliès was well known for the use of special effects, popularizing such techniques as substitution splices, multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, dissolves, and hand-painted colour. He was also one of the first filmmakers to use storyboards. His films include A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904), both involving strange, surreal journeys somewhat in the style of Jules Verne, and are considered among the most important early science fiction films, though their approach is closer to fantasy.
1861Dec, 8
Georges Méliès
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Events on 1861
- 19Jan
Georgia (U.S. state)
American Civil War: Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in declaring secession from the United States. - 21Jan
Jefferson Davis
American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate. - 20Apr
Robert E. Lee
American Civil War: Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the United States Army in order to command the forces of the state of Virginia. - 8May
Richmond, Virginia
American Civil War: Richmond, Virginia is named the capital of the Confederate States of America. - 6Sep
Ulysses S. Grant
American Civil War: Forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant bloodlessly capture Paducah, Kentucky, giving the Union control of the Tennessee River's mouth.