Hero.

As 25, Zhao was encouraged by his friends to enter Beijing Film Academy (BFA) and once graduating he began his professional career with government-funded films. He started to shoot advertisements in the early 1990s and grew to become one of the most respected commercial cinematographers in the advertising field.

Using his expertise to team up with Zhang to help Beijing's Olympic bid, their last collaboration, Under the Hawthorn Tree was also a success, according to Zhao.

Jin Ling Shi San Chai is a war film about the 1937 Nanjing massacre. According to Zhao, it will be mainly shot in a purpose-built studio in Nanjing with actors from Nanjing and one A-list Hollywood actor playing the priest.

"The film will be shot partly on film and partly digital to give a realistic portrayal. We are trying out and testing cameras and lighting equipment now. It will be a very large-scale production," Zhao said.