I really enjoyed Jacobson’s intervention into the story of Méliès and his particular emphasis on the studio as a “greenhouse.” Like Courtney, however, I would have liked to have seen a greater emphasis on materiality within the essay. I’m also wondering about the role of the “greenhouse” as metaphor as well as a more a literal manifestation of the studio. In this vein, I think I would have liked to have learned, if we have the records, how Méliès’ films grew within these spaces. In other words, what was the day to day like? The emphasis on technology is fascinating and resonant, but I’m wondering about the technical aspects of the stories that were enacted within his studio.

I’m also devastated but mesmerized by the fate of Méliès’ studio. It seems particularly poignant somehow that the first film studio was destroyed like so many elements of this art. This leads me to ask, at what time did films really start being preserved? And is it even possible, or desirable, to preserve sets for contemporary film productions? Are the films of popular culture fundamentally tied to waste?