Sha Qianli, a passionate amateur filmmaker who has generated more than 10k followers on his social media site, is now in Sydney sharing his stories with us. 

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“My mind is always outside”. For Sha, going outside exploring the beauty of urban space is one of his biggest passion. Started in 2014, Sha has travelled over 5 countries to make videos, in which the creative visual content has always been admired by his followers.

 

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Q: How did you get started as a videographer, has urban exploration always been your main passion?

 

A: Before I started making videos I was really into photography and some extreme sports. And then the other day I saw some videos on Youtube from those independent travel film makers, I became really fascinated about such visual content and attracting so many attentions from all over the world. I sort of started trying it out in 2014, and after that I became obsessed with this kind of lifestyle.

 

Q: Do you have any sponsors or partners? Who pays for all of your gears and travel fees?

 

A: I have a group of friends who share the same passion as me, but our activities have nothing to do with business, it is purely about inspirations. We go out there, have fun, and I make videos so my followers can enjoy, too. I got my first two GoPro Hero 4 myself, and then I received Hero 5 as a gift from one of my fans. After my videos became popular on Chinese social media, I receive my first drone from the brand GPI and they asked me to tag the brand once I made a video out of it.

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Q: I’ve seen you doing roof-topping videos, how was the experience of it?

 

A: It was very exciting. The whole building was empty and we got access without anyone stopping us. We spent about two hours shooting inside of the building and we climbed out to the helipad, the view was amazing.

 

Q: Did you recognise the danger of doing it?

 

A: Definitely, not many people can face the fear of standing on the edge of the building, not to say with a skateboard on it. I wasn’t born familiar with that kind of feeling, but at that moment I guess the thrills kind of excited me.

 

Q: Throughout your video-making and urban exploration journey, is there any accident or bad experience that you want to share with us?

 

A: When I was in Indonesia I did a video with me jumping into the water from a high point. I dropped my Gopro when I did a flip, I was quite upset to lose many good footages I made during the day, but I also felt lucky that the Gopro didn’t hit anybody.

 

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Q: What do you want to say to your audiences/ followers, especially those young fans who wants to follow your journey?
 

A: As I said, I always pledge to inspire people to be wild and chase their dreams. My videos are just my vehicles to facilitate my passion of seeing this world and inspire others to share their perspectives. I have never been motived by an ego for attention, when I jump off from a cliff or when I hang myself outside a skyscraper. I’m spreading the message of motivation instead of blinding yourself from fears. So for those young kids, if you don’t know yourself then don’t risk at all, it’s not for you.

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Sha is now staying in Sydney to continue his master degree, where he promised to keep on chasing his dreams as an independent content maker. However, an accident occurred when landing from a skydiving in Australia. He is now recurring from his injured knees as we interview him in his rented apartment.