Shakhouri Thompson: From Film Enthusiast to Award-Winning Cinematographer and Visual Effects Artist

Many people believe excessive television viewing may have negative impacts, but for Shakhouri Thompson, countless hours of watching movies and anime in his youth, have contributed to him having the career he loves now: cinematography.

The musician, cinematographer, and visual effects artist recently won multiple awards at the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) awards ceremony held at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium.

Thompson walked away with awards including the 50th Anniversary of NIFCA Award, the Prime Minister’s Award for Best Original NIFCA Entry, the Business Entrepreneur Prize, and the ICON Award for his music video entitled Do The Thang, featuring musician Kweku Jelani.

He said that after finally convincing Kweku to do a music video for his song, they exchanged ideas and shared visions, and the music video was shot and put together in a week.

His interest in cinematography all began when Justin Went wanted a second editor. He got the job and ended up shooting, editing, and studying all the elements of production.

Fast forward to today; he has his own company called Rkt Cinema and enjoys being a ‘magician for the screen’.

He emphasised how much he loves visual effects and cinematography because it involves the skills of storytelling and problem solving to make the impossible happen.

Being in the special effects department for the Netflix series, Outer Banks, was another accomplishment added to Thompson’s list.

“It was cool to see the budget to create the effects and see how they organise teams. Seeing creatives and non-creatives working together, I learnt a lot in that environment,” he stated.

The self-taught cinematographer has been pursuing this craft for five years but has displayed other talents throughout the years, including a professional music career.

Reggae on the Hill, Honey Jam Barbados, Gospelfest, and the Spirit of the Nation Show are just some of the major local events he has performed at over the years.

His love for music began at a young age, when he sang at church. He started playing trumpet at the Alleyne School and was later inspired to play saxophone by his tutor. Along his music journey, he attended the Barbados Community College to pursue music and met renowned musicians, including one of his mentors, Arturo Tappin. (KS)