REI SHIMOMURA
Wildlife Biologist & Cinematographer
REI SHIMOMURA
About
I was born and raised in Japan. My family was not particularly nature or wildlife oriented but I was obsessed with watching natural history TV programmes as a kid. I went to the University of Queensland in Australia, where I followed my passion for wildlife and conservation and obtained a Master of Animal Science specialising in wildlife biology. In the course of learning and research, I have developed a particular interest in bird life. Since then, I have involved in various local and national research & conservation projects in Japan, Australia and South Africa. I also worked in various roles such as a black bear managemet officer, nature guide and ecologist on sea turtles and bats. Besides these work, I maintained my passion for storytelling in the form of films and I was lucky enough to grab an opportunity to get involved in a big TV programme. From there I became a freelance cameraman. Although I am at an early stage of my career as a full time professional filmmaker, I consider myself as very useful on & off location.
My favorite bird is the Latham's Snipe, which migrates from Australia to Japan over 8,000km every year. Migratory birds connect different countries and people, and I am among them. One of my goals as a filmmaker is to maintain or recover the world where birds and other wildlife can keep doing what they are doing.
I donate part of my earning to conservation organisations such as Bird Research.
Skills
I am capable of doing various roles on and off site and can quickly adapt to new camera systems and environment.
Camera operator
I have various working experience from long lens, macro, super slowmotion, timelapse to motion control. I am not only a Sony FX6 owner, but I can confidently operate RED, Phantom, Blackmagic and Canon camcorders. I am also keen to keep up with the latest technology and the theories behind. Through my career as a biologist and guide, I have spent a lot of time in freezing snowy world to steamy hot and dense jungles, which now enables me to adapt myself to any new challenging conditions.
Drone pilot
Being able to confidently operate drones definitely adds a value to my skillset. I am mainly used to DJI drones.
Researcher
With my academic background, I have great relationships with scientific researchers. I always try to get myself involved in research/survey projects as well when possible. This helps me a lot to gather new information about interesting animal & nature behaviour. Thus I am extremely useful for you to find a new story.
Writer
Not only as a researcher and biologist, I am also good at writing stories to tell the audience in an logical but also emotionally engaging way.
Post production
I exclusively use Davinci Resolve Studio to edit and colour-grade, but I can also use Premiere Pro. I understand what kind of shots a editor would want to make a nice sequence.
Guide
My experience as a nature guide still extends. I can guide you safely in some national parks in Hokkaido.
