Canterbury

Project: Rugby campaign
Format: Branded social content
Role: Cinematographer
Director: James Copson
Agencies: Laced Creative
Client: Canterbury
Camera: Arri Alexa + Zeiss Ultra Primes

Synonymous with rugby and celebrated across the sporting world, Canterbury commissioned a series of short social films featuring two of their brand ambassadors: England captain Dylan Hartley and Irish international Robbie Henshaw. Each player was filmed in their home training environment, with content designed to reflect both the brand's legacy and the personal commitment of its athletes.

Behind the Scenes

Filming took place at each player’s respective training ground—Northampton for Hartley and Dublin for Henshaw—during both day and night conditions. To adapt to shifting natural and artificial light sources, we worked with fast lenses (Zeiss Ultra Primes) that allowed us to shoot with minimal additional lighting, capturing the authentic mood of each location.

While the majority of the campaign was shot handheld to stay agile and reactive during training and interaction moments, certain scenes required additional stability. For these, we used a gimbal setup, allowing for smooth, controlled motion without losing the raw energy and immediacy of the handheld aesthetic.

The result is a focused, performance-led series that reflects Canterbury’s heritage in rugby, while connecting with modern audiences across platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.