What’s better than a fabulous Met Gala red carpet look, you ask? A Met Gala look in motion. Video artist Danilo Lauria has been on the scene over the years capturing your favorite stars through the art of stop-motion. “Every time I think of the Met Gala, the sound of flashes comes into my head,” says Lauria. “It’s hard to describe, but that energy is contagious and I feel it brings the best out of everyone.” And in honor of the First Monday in May, Vogue is looking back at some of Lauria’s best—and never-before-seen—captured moments from the fashion affair, where one will find loads of glamour and spontaneous posing.
The artist captures his subjects up close and personal through stop-motion, capturing each frame photo-by-photo and using nothing but an iPhone. “There are many photographers and guests have limited time, so I must capture it fast,” says Lauria. “When Madonna is posing for you, there is only one chance to do it right.” In past years, the artist has stolen a few precious moments with Miley Cyrus, Diddy, Bella Hadid, Katy Perry, and many more.
Shooting stars gives Lauria the opportunity to have a few A-list encounters. He recalls a particular favorite memory back in 2017: “The Met is huge and I was a bit lost, and I needed to edit the video,” he says. “I found a chair next to the Egyptian gallery and started editing from there. Suddenly, a voice asked me, ‘What are you doing there?’ I looked up and I saw Celine Dion, and she started singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” to me. I will never forget that moment.”
And he had a bit of a Cinderella moment with Rihanna, also back in 2017. “I was the last person to shoot Rihanna: she was going to the dinner and her strappy shoes fell,” he says. “She was wearing a very big floral outfit and she could not move, so she asked, ‘Can you tie my strap shoes?’ Imagine my face! I did my best to tie that—after 5 minutes trying, an assistant arrived to fix the mess I did.”
Above and below, three of Lauria’s exclusive star-studded videos.