Georges Melies

Born in Paris France on December 8, 1861, Marie Georges Jan Melies is a professional magician turn filmographer. When he first saw moving pictures he began filming and projecting his own film projects. He found that using stop-motion photography to render trick visuals he could fade-in and fade-out and dissolve times to create narrative films. Melies is the inventor of special effects.
Melies made over 500 films and his most famous is A Trip to the Moon made in 1902. He also built the first movie studio in Europe. While shooting on of his movie scenes in the Place de L'Opera in Paris his camera jammed. He resumed filming and when the films was process Melies saw items change in an instant. This led to his discovery of motion trickery.
Melies often filmed himself doing magic tricks and used filmography to fade in and out on this tricks. When Melies stopped film production he allegedly destroyed the original elements of his films.
Melies was married to Eugenie Genin from 1995 to 1913 when she died. They had 2 children. He then married Jeanne d'Alcy in 1925 until his death on January 21, 1938.