[Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

The cinematographers for the film are also outdoor sports professionals, and this enabled them to better understand and capture dramatic moments on camera.

Though Bracey grew up in Sydney, and claims that he was "put on a surfing board before he could walk", he says he felt his knuckles go white while making the film, which relies almost entirely on shooting the dramatic scenes on location without using special effects.

"When I climbed Angel Falls, I asked the cinematographer to keep the camera rolling," Bracey says, jokingly. "At least they could shoot some scenes if I fell down."

Explaining why she took the hard way, Wu says: "Today's Hollywood productions usually rely a lot on special effects. We just wanted to offer another possibility of creating something fresh."

Nevertheless, she believes the breathtaking extreme-sports scenes will not steal the charm from the storytelling.

"It focuses on brotherhood and the protagonists' emotions," she says.

So could this film be the start of another Fast and Furious saga－with its sports and crime theme?

Asked about a sequel, Wu says she considers it more important to make this maiden journey with extreme sports successful.

Wu also seems to be getting more confident about leading her team into Hollywood.

The president of Beijing-based DMG Entertainment calls herself "the Chinese woman behind Iron Man 3".

DMG had big role in the production of Hollywood blockbusters Iron Man 3 and Looper.

But despite DMG's role, there are no roles or scenes about China in Iron Man 3 and Looper.

"We may be a Chinese company but that doesn't mean we have to force Chinese elements into such films," Wu says.

"As long as the action scenes are good they will attract fans from all over the world no matter where the film is produced.

"A mixture of Chinese culture and Hollywood blockbusters should be natural."