A Trip to the Moon

Film: A Trip to the Moon (Méliès, 1902)
Reading: Thomas Gunning's "An Aesthetic of Astonishment: Early Film and the (In)Credulous Spectator"
Write a 700 to 800-word analysis of one film from this module. You must incorporate at least one reading from this module. Your response should demonstrate your understanding of the reading and the film, including its historical significance. Do not simply summarize the film. Rather, discuss how that film has contributed to the aesthetic and/or technical innovations in film history. Also, consider how each film reflects and influences its socio-political context. You must use proper citations for all sources in your response. Below are some questions to serve as prompts for reflection. You do not have to address all of these questions in your response.
What are the central arguments made by the films and/or the texts and how do they relate to each other?
What social, cultural, political, or historical issues are brought into focus in the films and how?
What themes emerge from the films or texts and how do they relate to the historical context?
Describe the aesthetics of the film and discuss how they contribute to the development of film language.
What role does this film play in the history of film in terms of its aesthetic, technological, and or socio-political contributions?
Grading Rubric: Please be advised that your assignments will be graded on the following criteria:
(25 pts.) Understanding of the readings and notes: The post responds to the prompt and shows that the author has synthesized the readings and notes. When sources are required, they are used effectively and ethically.
(25 pts.) Engagement with the films: The post shows in-depth analysis and responds fluently to the weekly films by providing specific examples to support the author’s stance.
(20 pts.) Proper use of film terms: The response uses terminology appropriate to film, such as long shot, mise-en-scène, and parallel editing. Additionally, the post refers to characters and places by name and names directors, actors, and film release years.
(20 pts.) Organization and elegance of expression: The response has an overall point to make and sentences stay on topic. Paragraphs stay on topic. In other words, the response is focused. Also, it shows creativity of expression. Sentence structure varies within paragraphs to achieve various effects. The prose contributes to the persuasive appeals of the post. The writing seems natural and thoughts appear to flow into each other.
(10 pts.) Following the conventions of edited written English: The response uses proper vocabulary, sentence structure, and additional conventions of edited written English (such as verb forms and tenses, correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling). There are few to zero grammatical errors that get in the way of the author’s purpose or the reader’s understanding.