Méliès, the Master of Illusion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XaUjhEx3mo

"The Man with the Rubber Head" (L'Homme A La Tete En Caoutchouc, 1901) in its original format is regarded as one of Georges Méliès most remarkable works. In the film, Méliès plays the part of a scientist who has made a copy of his own head, and has discovered that he can make it expand to gigantic proportions and shrink back to its original size. As pioneer in early cinematic visual effects, Méliès achieved the illusion through a series of in-camera edits with the use of mattes and double exposures.

Méliès' work was also greatly influential to other early filmmakers, who were exploring the possibilities of illusions. The theme and the effects used in his film, "A Trip to the Moon" were appropriated by the Spanish filmmaker Segundo de Chomon in his film, "An Excursion to the Moon," shot in 1908.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwvVnXtobwU

A more in depth critique of the films of Georges Méliès can be read at:

http://filmjournal.net/melies/category/special-effects/camera-movement/