A Trip To The Moon
A group of astronomers launches a capsule to the Moon, where it famously crashes into the eye of the Man in the Moon, blending theatrical spectacle with early special effects.
How does the cut between the rocket’s approach and the moment it hits the Moon’s eye create a surprising or magical effect?
What might the audience have thought or felt when seeing this kind of special effect for the first time?
Analysis Questions
- What happens in the moment just before and after the cut? What is added or changed?
- Why is this cut known as a substitution splice, and what makes it different from modern editing techniques?
- How does this early special effect shape the audience’s experience of the scene, especially compared to how theatre would have shown something similar?
Discussion
In the Moon landing scene from A Trip to the Moon (1902), Georges Méliès uses a substitution splice to create one of cinema’s most iconic images: a space capsule crashing into the Moon’s eye. The cut occurs as the rocket approaches from a distance. Méliès stops the camera, inserts a prop rocket into a model of the Moon’s face, and then resumes filming. When played back, the change appears instantaneous—making it seem as though the rocket lands perfectly, and comically, in the Moon’s eye.
This special effects cut was revolutionary at the time. Known as a substitution splice, it allowed filmmakers to change the contents of the frame between shots without the audience noticing the join. Unlike narrative-driven editing, which often aims to compress time or guide emotion, this kind of cut was about creating spectacle and delighting viewers with the impossible.
For audiences in 1902, it was a moment of visual magic—a new kind of storytelling where reality could be altered with a single frame. For modern viewers, it’s an early example of how cinema began developing its own language, separate from theatre, using editing as illusion rather than just continuity.