Island of virtual creativity

"I visited several film production companies and was very impressed. They had good infrastructure, lots of professional workers, and we made a calculation of how much production would cost in the Isle of Man compared with other European locations and realized it's much cheaper," he said.

The Isle of Man has a strong film production sector because of its natural scenery, said Zhao, but it has weakened in recent years with international filmmakers having more location choices.

Countries such as Australia and China are strengthening their production availability and an increasing number of mainstream films have their outdoor shots filmed there, he said.

"So when I visited the Isle of Man, I realized it was not in its boom time anymore, but the facilities and skills are still excellent, so I decided it would be a good idea to set up a subsidiary and make the most of the country's facilities."

Zhao said work would start in the Isle of Man next summer, with each project taking around one month to complete.

The Gush team will also construct cinemas across Europe with the technology to accommodate Gush's productions.

Its background in exhibition management helped it secure contracts worth a third of the value of the China Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo in 2010. "We have a small team of about 60 people, which is efficient considering the amount of work we do. Our employees are from creative industry and technology backgrounds. As a company we champion the idea of combining creativity and high-tech in everything we do," said Zhao.

He believes it is important to develop Chinese technology. "China's entertainment sector is booming, so we accumulate a lot of experience through doing so many productions each year. This experience will undoubtedly bring innovation, which can create value for an international audience," he said.

"Nowadays the trend in our high-technology world is to make everyone watch small screens - like on their smartphones.

"Users who are frustrated with small screens will want to watch things on big screens - like movies - which is why box office sales are going up so much."

However, Zhao said one disadvantage of the increasing popularity of 3-D movies among children is the eye damage that 3-D glasses can cause. The 3-D productions of Color Panda technology will avoid this side effect, he said.

Steven Beevers, head of special projects at the Isle of Man's Department of Economic Development, welcomed the arrival of Gush. He said more than 100 films have been made on the island during the past 15 years, and that the island's government is also a shareholder in the famous British film studio Pinewood.

The Isle of Man has increased its efforts to attract Chinese companies in the past three years, with the establishment of representative offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen.