Capturing the storm's soul

Su at a recent screening of Soul of the Storm 2: Cruise in Beijing, and a poster of the film. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Their dedication exemplifies the creative passion of Generation Z, who approach content creation with a pure and sincere attitude, says Li Bo, an associate professor of the intelligent imaging engineering institute of the Beijing Film Academy.

Platforms like Bilibili have further fueled this creative wave by providing creators with cutting-edge tools.

According to Yuan Jiahao, head of Bilibili's science popularization sector, the platform became the world's first of its kind to support the sharing and viewing of videos in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos upon its launch in August 2021. This advanced feature has attracted a wave of young creators, including renowned natural landscape photographer Ji Changyuan, known online as "linksphotograph", and technology product reviewer Tim Pan, known as "yingshijufeng (media storm)".

Ji's video documenting his trip to Norway's Svalbard archipelago — the northernmost inhabited islands on Earth — has amassed over 3.9 million views. Similarly, Pan's video about being entrusted by a business tycoon to purchase a commercial satellite has been watched more than 13 million times on the platform.

"The digital era has really given us more possibilities to chase our dreams," Su says, adding that his documentary isn't just about storms — it's about how his generation sees the world.

"The core of my film is to show how two curious young people observe the sky and the world, and what our generation cares about," he concludes emotionally.