Lumiere and Melies: Opposing Views

In Siegfried Kracauer's "Basic Concepts" from Theory of Film, we learn the beginnings of film and what events transpired to help bring us one of the most important mediums of our time. Lumiere's films focus on what happens in real life, but Melies chose to do something that Lumiere did not understand could be done. Melies made film into a storytelling mechanism and created fantasies that would do something completely different than before. As Lumiere's cameraman, Melies was able to see that there were endless possibilities for film to be used. He was not single-minded about the medium and was able to create effects that we use today, like "multiple exposure, superimposition as a means of summoning ghosts, the lap-dissolve, etc," as stated by Kracauer. Lumiere was able to use film in order to bring real events to the screen, much like documentaries, while Melies creates new worlds that we may not have heard of, like most fiction films. The ideas that these two men had about film created something that has become a major part of our lives, but they were both equally important in their contributions. Lumiere brought us moving pictures, but Melies had the imagination to see what film was capable of. He attempted to tell stories that we could watch and enjoy. His imagination helped to give film its true beginning because we were no longer just watching average events unfold, but we could see stories that would create higher meanings for the viewer. Melies does not seem to be remembered as well as Lumiere, but they both made important contributions to help make film what it is today.