When I look at one of Segundo de Chomon's filmed magic acts, my impulse is to compare it to one of Melies'. De Chomon tries for an air of realism. His set's floor is covered with dirt; Melies' act is undercranked slightly to lend more vivacity to the movement; the print of de Chomon's work is colored more elaborately than comparable prints from Melies, being tinted brown (not sepia) and stenciled. The last may simply be a statement of which prints survived a hundred years. Both make extensive use of cuts in service of their transformations. Melies also uses lifts and wires, which creates a lot more movement. There's much more posing in this film, from the chorines holding fans to the magician lying on a divan.
It's the liveliness that makes the Melies films better. It wouldn't make much difference in the long run. Pathe, with their greater resources, including equipment manufacture and exhibition, could outspend Melies. Eventually, they would swamp him.