Two young film-makers are hoping to see their work featured in pop star Lady Gaga’s latest world tour.
Robbie Kay, 19, and Rob Hesp, also 19, are entering their work, loosely titled ‘Apocalypse Bar T’at,’ into a competition aimed at fans of the US singer.
If successful, their production, which was filmed on the dark brooding landscape of Ilkley Moor, could be seen by thousands of fans visiting the pop sensation’s latest tour, The Monster Ball.
Robbie and Rob first learned of the competition on Lady Gaga’s website inviting fans to take part in a one-off collaborative project.
The topic was the Apocalypse – “a symbol of both destruction and rebirth”, and the winning entries will be chosen by Lady Gaga alongside image maker Nick Knight and fashion filmmaker Ruth Hogben.
Each video will then be spliced together and reinvented as exclusive imagery to be played alongside the pop star in her live performances across the globe.
Rob said: “I am a big fan of Lady Gaga and am going to see her in February. When I saw the competition I decided to enter it straight away. It would be fantastic if ours got chosen to be shown.”
Rob, who has just finished a foundation art course specialising in film and installation, met with friends on Ilkley Moor in the early hours of Sunday morning to make the movie.
He said: “I thought the moor would be a good setting for the Apocalypse. I started thinking about what people would do before it and looked at the idea of what people in Yorkshire would do because I wanted to add a strong sense of cultural identity to the piece.
“I thought that people in Yorkshire might just have one last cup of tea before the end and the idea was that they might have a tea party. Because I wanted the film to have a Victorian feel to it, we decided to dress up in Victorian costume and hold a tea party on the moor.”
The silent movie, which was filmed during a heavy downpour on Sunday morning, tells the story of two couples playing croquet and enjoying a cuppa in the countryside.
However as the story progresses, their behaviour becomes more carefree and erratic, in keeping with their wild surroundings.
Robbie said: “Actually filming it was a bit of a nightmare. We had to carry a generator up the steep hill and all of our props, for lighting and filming.
“We started at 2am in the morning and didn’t finish until about 11am. We were absolutely soaked through and freezing, but the minute we needed to get into character we managed to pull it off – despite the fact that we were shivering like mad.
“It was very hard work because of the weather, but it was worth it – the grim atmosphere and the dawn light gave the film the perfect atmosphere.”
Both Rob and Robbie work in Ilkley and are members of Ilkley Playhouse.
They teamed up with actresses Cresseda Ford, 23, and Rosa Warren, 19, Rob’s brother Alastair, 21, and his girlfriend Sofia Ronja, 23, to make the production.
As well as sending the footage to Lady Gaga, they will be looking for a venue to showcase the film in the near future.
Rob said: “In an ideal world we would like to act and produce our own films and have really enjoyed working together.
“We will just have to wait and see whether or not the film is chosen as part of Lady Gaga’s act. I hope it will be because I really admire her. She is an example of someone who stands up for what she believes in and is very unique.”
Lady Gaga – real name Stafani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is an American singer, songwriter. Her debut album The Fame was released in August 2008 and went to No 1 in four countries, with the album’s first two singles, Just Dance and Poker Face becoming international number one hits.
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