Why the Glambot was missing from the Met Gala

Cole Walliser is a familiar face on red carpets, shooting stars with his Glambot camera

It’s not just paparazzi waiting for celebrities on the red carpet.

The Glambot – a camera that captures glamourous slow-motion videos of A-listers – has captured hearts on social media.

It’s also made a star of its operator, director Cole Walliser, and the pair have become a regular sight at industry events.

But any fans hoping to see looks from the Met Gala through its lens will have been disappointed by its absence.

The motion-controlled high-speed camera works by moving while it shoots thousands of images per second, giving a slow-motion effect.

“Together, you get this dynamic combination of these two types of camera tricks that make this really surreal, glamorous, gorgeous effect,” says Cole.

The effect has been used for years in advertising but Cole says he was the first to bring it to the red carpet.

Cole has previously explained to his followers that the nature of the Met Gala, where celebrities climb dozens of steps straight from the street, makes it impossible to install the equipment.

“It’s a camera that’s on this giant robotic arm that moves very quickly,” he told the BBC, in an interview recorded before the event.

“There’s a safety component as well,” he says. “It’s relatively close to talent.”

And the Metropolitan Museum in New York, which hosts the event, doesn’t have the room outside.

But if Glambot couldn’t come to the Met Gala, Cole suggest a plan B for A-listers – although not many rose to the challenge.

In an Instagram post Cole and E! Entertainment, which runs the Glambot, came up with a possible solution: “A DIY Glambot in the Met bathrooms”.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6pVGlXvehv/?hl=en

Cole told the BBC he’s seen a growing trend online of people trying to recreate the Glambot’s shots on their phones.

“I think it’s so awesome,” he says.

“This thing that I’ve been doing for years is now a trend at home because of technology and phones and accessibility.

“It’s just so cool to have people doing the thing that they see at home. I’m honoured and flattered.”

He does admit though that he’s seen “varying levels of like success” with the DIY videos online.

Cole has some tips for anyone trying to recreate the look.

“The best way to do it is to use slow-mo on your phone,” he says.

Opt for that over slow-mo settings in editing apps like TikTok, Cole advises, saying you’ll get the smoothest results using your camera.

“Part of the reason why the Glambot’s so good is we shoot at 1,000 frames a second.

“Obviously, a phone can’t do that but newer phones can do like 240 [frames] which is pretty slow.”

Cole says celebrities are excited to take part in the Glambot on red carpets

The next thing you’re going to need is good lighting, he says, and once that’s sorted, it’s time to work on poses.

Some of the Glambot’s most popular shots include a hair flip from Anya Taylor-Joy and Ariana Grande twirling her dress.

“The more you move, kind of the better,” says Cole. “So I always push for movement.

“But sometimes talent does almost nothing and it’s like the most gorgeous Glambot ever,” he adds.

“Billie Eilish one year just put her hand on her face, she didn’t really move otherwise and it was stunning.”

So if you’re trying at home – or in the Met’s bathrooms – Cole says pose however you feel most comfortable.

“If you move in a way that’s very natural to you, and you like feel good as you do it, this is most likely going to be a great Glambot,” he says.

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