photo credit: Florence Montmare
I started as a classical pianist. Interpretive musicians like that study some complex pieces and learn to listen carefully, I think, not just to music, but to the world around. So I try not to wear headphones. I try to listen to my surroundings, and I try to pay attention to my thoughts, and hopefully those combine into more inspired thoughts.
This observing and mixing is how I approach my films. I’m looking for the music in people's steps… looking not just to capture lifestyles, but to turn them into bolder experiences and stories. Maybe this is something of a “creative vérité.” I get real performances from actors – and often non-actors – and I map sequences to give their inner and outer worlds a compelling, playful rhythm and meaning.
Chris Shimojima is based in that city with the famous yellow cabs. After graduating NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Dramatic Writing, he joined the high-profile digital agency R/GA, where he worked as an editor on numerous campaigns you probably saw and thought were cool, while writing/directing his own narrative short films, which he hopes are just as cool. (They've even played at international film festivals.) He is an AICP award nominee for his Arena Water Instinct spot. He is the cinematographer and editor of the webseries “Downsized,” one of YouTube’s Top 10 Made-for-the-Web shows. His debut feature “Alberto and the Concrete Jungle” played Cinequest and numerous other festivals, taking some Best Feature Film and Best Actor awards and will soon be available on VOD.
He has 4 x Vimeo Staff Picks. He really likes to swim. He really hates holding umbrellas in the rain. He adores chocolate covered almonds. He says thank you for checking out his work.