One of the main goals of this documentary was to capture a global audience of film and photography professionals. We shot footage in Japan and the United States, as well as in Egypt and the United Kingdom. This global approach to the production also helped strengthen one of the underlying themes of the film – the idea that powerful images can transcend barriers of language and culture and bring us closer together. Since its initial release, the film has been translated into several additional languages.

The level of craft that goes into making camera lenses is not widely understood or appreciated by most photographers and cinematographers. The challenge for Canon was to find a relevant and authentic way to share the story of their lenses with the professionals who buy them. They wanted to make something special about the art of cinema and photography, something that would enter the lives of photographers and filmmakers organically.

Rather than take a traditional advertising approach that would simply educate consumers, we wanted to connect with the target audience on a deeper, more artistic level. We decided on an approach that would creatively link the artisans who make Canon lenses with the artists who use them.

To explore this connection, we enlisted renowned filmmaker Michael Apted. Under Michael’s assured direction, the film became a powerful portrait of two very different groups of people. Despite being separated by culture, language, life experience and geography, “Bending the Light” reveals the deeper connections between artist and artisan. What unites them is their love of film and photographic art, and their intense passion for what they do and why they do it.