Made in Japan: the world's finest denim makers, filmed on the EOS C300 Mark II

Interview challenges

However, shooting a film in Japan on a limited budget and in a tight time frame was a different prospect to shooting in the UK. Both films focus on interviews with the artisans, so the language barrier was a challenge. It can be difficult to put subjects at ease and coax responses out of them when talking through translators, and many of the subjects weren't used to being interviewed on camera.

"The people were initially quite guarded and reserved about being filmed," says Nick. "The key was to get closer to them. We didn't want to just film how you make a piece of cloth, we wanted to get some sort of human connection and a bit of emotion. Our approach is fairly relaxed, which helps to put people at ease."

With a tight shooting schedule, a skeleton crew and no off-camera lighting, choosing the right equipment was vital. The cameras and lenses had to perform in tricky lighting and be versatile, yet offer enough resolution to show off the fine details of the denim. The filmmakers also wanted their footage to have a distinct, high-grade look.

The compact Canon EOS C300 Mark II fitted the bill perfectly. To shoot some stills, Jack also took his Canon EOS 5D Mark III, and Nick the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, which both use the same Canon EF lenses as the cine camera.

The busy filmmakers needed to record background noise at the factory as well as interviews with the artisans, so a shotgun mic was used on the Canon EOS C300 Mark II to record the factory in action, while a wireless mic with a Zoom H4n Handy Recorder was used for the interviews.

Quiet portraits and busy factories

One of the key shots used throughout both films is a quiet, contemplative portrait of many of the key characters, shot head-on in a contemporary, editorial style with very shallow depth of field, made possible by the wide aperture of the fast Canon prime lenses.

"It's something we've done in quite a few films, and it goes back to photography," says Jack. "Nick and I both had an interest in a similar sort of documentary photography, and we quite like those portraits. They add a lot to the film: when we can see the person, we connect with them."

To maximise dynamic range in such a variety of lighting conditions, the pair used the Canon EOS C300 Mark II's flat Canon Log setting. They chose to record the whole movie in HD, despite the camera being capable of shooting in 4K: "HD was the best choice, because we shot everything at 50fps so we had the option to slow it down in post," explains Nick, who loved the quality and the versatility of the cinema camera's XF-AVC codec.

"The biggest bonus of the camera for us is its incredible autofocus," says Jack. While many traditional filmmakers still use manual focus for most work, Jack and Nick used the camera's Dual Pixel CMOS AF, which is ideal for fast-moving documentaries. "It's really handy, especially when you're shooting documentary, often with only a few seconds to get the shot," says Jack. "You know you don't need a focus puller as the camera can look after the focus itself."

A cinematic look with EF prime lenses

The filmmakers favoured the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM, a wide-angle lens with a natural perspective. "Like the rest of the lenses, it gives great colours," says Nick. For strikingly sharp close-ups, they turned to the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. "Close-ups give you a different shot in the film – a way of getting something you wouldn't normally see with the human eye," says Nick.

Using Canon's fast EF prime lenses meant the pair could keep the camera's ISO down to 800 for most shots, using ISO1600 only in particularly dark places. "The factory situations were a lot darker than I was hoping for but the noise in the footage is really low," says Jack. "There is a little bit of noise throughout the film, but I think it adds to the aesthetic."

The film has a cinematic look, with a stylish palette reminiscent of a high-end Hollywood colour house. In fact, the filmmakers did very little post-production, just playing with curves and colour correction, and brightening a few shots. "I do it myself in Adobe Premiere Pro," says Jack. "That way we can see it all the way through and retain creative control."

Appropriately for a film celebrating traditional crafts, Nick and Jack have produced a film that looks like a big-budget movie, made with no special effects and minimal work post-production. Perhaps the money they saved could go towards a pair of Japanese denim jeans...