St.

Cloud State University

theRepository at St. Cloud State
Culminating Projects in Mechanical and Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing
Manufacturing Engineering Engineering

8-2016

Application of Project Management Techniques in

Filmmaking
Raghavendra Santosh Pogaru
St. Cloud State University

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Recommended Citation
Pogaru, Raghavendra Santosh, "Application of Project Management Techniques in Filmmaking" (2016). Culminating Projects in
Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. Paper 49.

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 1

Application of Project Management Techniques in Filmmaking

by

Raghavendra Santosh Pogaru

A Starred Paper

Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of

St. Cloud State University

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree

Master of Engineering Management

August, 2016

Starred Paper Committee:

Hiral Shah, Chairperson
Ben Baliga
Balasubramanian Kasi
 2

Abstract

AV Digital Services is Plymouth, MN based film production company. It had

undertaken the current project of making a feature film project “Mithya”. Though it has

extensive experience in handling shorter film projects like advertisements and web

videos, the company had no experience executing a feature length film project. This

project incorporated a few project management techniques to finish this project

efficiently.
 3

Acknowledgements

This project would not have come to fruition if not for the support of my

professors in the Masters of Engineering Management program at St. Cloud State

University- Dr. Hiral Shah and Dr. Ben Baliga who along with Dr. Balsy Kasi have

guided me to undertake this unusual but highly rewarding project. I would like to

thank Dr. Ben Baliga for his support and encouragement through the Master’s

program. I would like to especially thank Dr. Hiral Shah for her patience and her

expert guidance during the course of this project. I would like to thank Ms. Beverly

Arro and Ms. Sue Pope for their timely administrative support. I would also like to

thank Mr. Anil Kundeti, director and producer at AV Digital Services, Plymouth, MN

for having me on board for this ambitious project. I would like to thank all my family

and friends without whose support I couldn’t have attempted this endeavor.
 4

Table of Contents

Page

List of Table ........................................................................................................ 6

List of Figures ...................................................................................................... 7

Chapter

I. Introduction ............................................................................................... 8

Problem Statement ............................................................................. 9

Nature and Significance of the Problem .............................................. 9

Objective of the Project ....................................................................... 9

Project Questions ................................................................................ 10

Limitations of the Project ..................................................................... 10

Definition of Terms .............................................................................. 10

Summary ............................................................................................. 11

II. Background and Review of Literature ...................................................... 12

Introduction ......................................................................................... 12

Background Related to the Problem ................................................... 12

Literature Related to the Problem ....................................................... 13

Literature Related to the Methodology ................................................ 13

Summary ............................................................................................. 17

III. Methodology ............................................................................................. 18

Introduction ......................................................................................... 18

Design of the Study ............................................................................. 18

 5

Chapter Page

Budget ................................................................................................. 24

Timeline .............................................................................................. 25

Summary ............................................................................................. 25

IV. Data Presentation and Analysis ............................................................... 26

Introduction ......................................................................................... 26

Data Presentation ............................................................................... 26

V. Results, Conclusion, and Recommendations ........................................... 40

Introduction ......................................................................................... 40

Results ................................................................................................ 40

Project Questions ................................................................................ 40

Conclusion .......................................................................................... 41

Recommendations .............................................................................. 42

References .......................................................................................................... 43
 6

List of Table

Table Page

3-1 Project Timeline ........................................................................................ 25

 7

List of Figures

Figure Page

2-1 Filmmaking phases .................................................................................. 13

2-2 Project management phases of filmmaking .............................................. 16

3-1 Organizational structure of film project ..................................................... 20

3-2 Filmmaking tasks ...................................................................................... 21

3-3 Pre-production tasks ................................................................................ 22

3-4 Production tasks ....................................................................................... 23

3-5 Post production tasks ............................................................................... 24

4-1 Project WBS ............................................................................................. 27

4-2 Entire project GANTT chart ...................................................................... 28

4-3 Pre-production GANTT chart .................................................................... 29

4-4 Production GANTT chart .......................................................................... 30

4-5 Post production GANTT chart .................................................................. 31

4-6 Entire project budget breakdown .............................................................. 32

4-7 Production labor budget breakdown ......................................................... 33

4-8 Location/travel/make-up/wardrobe budget breakdown ............................. 34

4-9 Art department budget breakdown ........................................................... 35

4-10 Equipment/miscellaneous budget breakdown .......................................... 36

4-11 Talent labor/talent expenses budget breakdown ...................................... 37

4-12 Post production/editorial budget breakdown ............................................. 38

4-13 Other expenses budget breakdown .......................................................... 39

 8

Chapter I: Introduction
AV Digital Services is a photo-video services company based in Plymouth,

Minnesota that has been a major player in the event photo-video services industry for

the last 15 years. AV Digital Services, had taken up this ambitious, almost start-up

like venture of executing a feature film project, tentatively titled ‘Mithya’.

‘Mithya’ is an action film with a story that requires film production in a variety of

locations- cityscapes, mountains, riversides and countryside. It also involves the

usage of a huge range of and very specific camera, grip equipment and special

effects. Being an action film, it required a crew with not just the technical skills to pull

off the action scenes, but also the common sense and exposure to project

management practices (film production practices) to execute such a complicated

project within the project’s limitations without compromising on the vision of the film

or its quality.

Filmmaking, in general, encompasses a host of diverse activities including but

not limited to story writing, script writing, casting, film production, editing, sound

recording, sound mixing, color correction, multi format reproduction, distribution and

exhibition. Like any other project in any other industry, high-tech or otherwise,

filmmaking also requires sound project management practices and economics to

ensure a smooth execution and an efficient output.

This capstone project aimed to focus on application of project management

techniques to enable financially sound decisions and optimize resource allocation.

 9

The following problem statement, objective and nature and significance of the

problem, delve into incorporating project management techniques into filmmaking.

Problem Statement

AV Digital Services had a limited budget of 150000$ and a tight timeline of 4

months to execute this film project (pre-production to post-production) and it had no

prior systems in place or experience in using any project management techniques to

ensure the project doesn’t go over over-budget and/ or fall behind schedule.

Nature and Significance of the Problem

On an action film project like ‘Mithya’, the film production attracts further

complications because of the nature of the content to be filmed. An action film

requires utmost care and precision in

 the level of coordination between all the departments,

 the cost of the special effects,

 the limited time- window to execute the effects,

 safety of the cast and crew involved, and

 budget control required to execute the scenes.

Objective of the Project

The objectives of the project were:

1. To execute the project within the budget of $150000.

2. To finish the project-pre-production to post-production, within 4 months.

3. To achieve a total savings of 5-10% of the allocated budget.

 10

Project Questions

1. What is the total cost of the film production?

2. What is the total time taken to execute the project?

3. What is the amount of savings, out of the originally allotted budget, realized

at the end of the project?

Limitations of the Project

This project was limited to the pre-production, production and post-production

stages of filmmaking. The sales and distribution phase of filmmaking have not been

dealt with in this project.

Definition of Terms

The following are definitions for the technical terms used in this report.

Pre-production: The process of planning the budget, resources and logistics

for executing the film project.

Production/ Principal Photography: The process of photographing/filming over

a period of time with all the budget, resources and logistics as planned.

Post Production: The process of finishing the film with the various editorial

tools liking editing, sound mixing, Visual effects, etc.

Director: The creative captain of the ship who decides and executes the film

based on the script written by the writer.

Producer: The managing captain of the team who collaborates with director

and the writer to put the project together and execute it.
 11

Cinematographer: Also called the Director of Photography, he /she uses

various camera equipment to capture the script based on the director’s vision.

Production Designer: The captain of the art department who furnishes entire

world of the story with various designs, art materials and art properties.

Editor: The editorial captain who pieces together the various scenes filmed

during the production phases and compiles a coherent end product.

Summary

This chapter dealt with the premise of the project, the problems and limitations

associated with the project, the nature and significance of the challenges of this

project, the questions that are aspired to be answered in this project and the

definition of terms associated with this project to elucidate their usage in this project

report. The following chapter dwells on the background related to the project’s

problem with the regards to AV Digital Services and the literature related to the

project problem and methodology.

 12

Chapter II: Background and Review of Literature

Introduction

This chapter deals with the background of problem of the project with regards

to AV Digital Services. It also focuses on the literature related to the said problem

and the methodology that has been used in this project to deal with the problem.

Background Related to the Problem

The people/talent involved in the film production are its biggest assets and

they can make or break the project. Hence, hiring, monitoring and allocating the crew

for various tasks at all the stages of the project also becomes a very important task of

the producers and the production company.

Film production, with the intention to achieve conventional feature film

standards, entails usage of very expensive and modern camera and other related

equipment. The decision of renting or buying or leasing the required equipment

weighs a lot on the film budget’s line items.

Film production is a highly stressful process even for experienced

organizations because of the volatile and dynamic nature of the problems that have

to be dealt with, on a daily basis. The challenge grows multi-fold for a company like

AV Digital Services which has very limited experience executing a project of this

scale.
 13

Literature Related to the Problem

Rhyne (2008) provides a comprehensive list of literary articles and books that

referenced film production vis-à-vis various project management scenarios. Cleve

(2006) laid out an extensive account of how a film is produced.

The organization structure of a film production, its methodology for film

production, its efficiency in finishing a film project within a given time and budget are

very similar to project management practices in the IT industry (Presse, 2008; Vjeko,

2009).

Project Management Institute (PMI) (2004) also provides a comprehensive

reference to project management theory from which we could interpret how film

production works in project management scenario.

Literature Related to the Methodology

Figure 2-1 illustrates the phases involved in the process of filmmaking.

 14

Figure 2-1. Filmmaking phases.

1. Development

 Story and the script for the film project will be developed.

 The core team for the film comprising of the producer, writer and

director will be formed.

 Financing for the project will then be secured.

 The project charter- ‘to finish the film project within the budget and time

allocated, without compromising on the initial vision for the film’- would

be decided.

2. Pre-Production

 The story and script will be finalized.

 The required resources-cast, crew, equipment, locations, costumes,

properties, etc. will be identified.

 15

 The production dates and the schedule for the cast and crew will then

be finalized.

 The various equipment needed for production would be procured by

buying and/or renting and/or leasing.

3. Production and Post-Production

 The film will be shot according to the schedule in place with the cast

and crew. This process is also called ‘Principal Photography’.

 The daily expenses would be accounted to keep a tab on the budget.

 The editing, sound-mixing and other post-production activities will be

undertaken almost simultaneously.

4. Production and Post-Production

 The key members of the crew would monitor the progress as the

production and post-production will undergo concurrently.

 The schedules will be modified and resources will be allocated

accordingly as required.

5. Distribution and Exhibition

 Once, a ‘picture lock’, the final version of the film is completed, the

project will be opened for distribution and exhibition deals.

 Advertising and marketing campaigns would be carried out to sell the

film and promote it to the intended audience.

 16

 Once the deals are in place and the dates for the exhibition are

decided, the contracts would be drawn and the film will be delivered in

the required digital or analog formats.

Figure 2-2 illustrates how these filmmaking phases may be associated with

the five project management phases of Initiating, Planning, Executing, Control and

Closing.

Figure 2-2. Project management phases of filmmaking.

 17

Project Management techniques and concepts would come in very handy to

efficiently manage and execute any type of project, big or small. The dynamic nature

of resource utilization and requirement, a film production involves, provides a need to

take help from various project management techniques. Work Breakdown Structure

and Gantt charts are some of the project management tools that would be used to

visualize the project enabling the project managers [producers] run a smooth

production. The work breakdown structure (WBS) has long served as a valuable tool

in helping project managers plan deliverables and detail project scope (Brotherton,

2008). The Gantt chart is used to display progress on a project’s activities (Gilyutin,

1993).

Summary

This chapter dealt with the literature behind the problem of the project and the

literature behind the methodology used to execute the project.

 18

Chapter III: Methodology

Introduction

This chapter deals with the methodology used to design the process to

execute the project.

Design of the Study

The team for the film project were organized based on:

 The individual tasks identified for each requirement

 Reporting structure required to incorporate responsibility and accountability

 And the dependency Structure as per the dependency of the tasks and

requirements assigned.

Once a hierarchy is established,

 Each and every player knew where they stand in the team.

 They knew who to ask questions and seek clarifications.

 They knew who is responsible and accountable for specific tasks.

With a framework of project management system now in place,

 The requirements for the team as a whole and individual players were

identified based on the script.

 Each requirement was thoroughly understood and interpreted.

 Priority and sequence of all the requirements were mapped based on the

understandings.

 Each requirement was assigned to the appropriate players.

 19

This clear understanding of the requirements and their assignment to

respective players were used to formulate a WBS-Work Breakdown Structure. WBS

divides the project into smaller tasks which helps to organize work so that ‘the way in

which requirement groups can be addressed will move the process from benign

organization into proactive design (Persse, 2008).

WBS helped the management team in clearly identifying:

 Each member/department assigned for any given task.

 Chain of responsibility and accountability for each requirement.

 A visual roadmap of the entire project with milestones to be reached for

each phase of filmmaking process.

Figure 3-1 illustrates the team’s organizational hierarchy was chalked up that

were based on the tasks, requirements and appropriate assignments. The producer

who is responsible for putting together the project by raising capital, identifying the

story and the rest of team, is at the top of the hierarchy. The director and writer, who

report directly to the producer, work together to formulate the look and feel of the film

based on the story. The rest of the team heads-production designer, director of

photography, first assistant director, editor, sound designer and vfx [visual effects]

supervisor manage their tasks and teams and report directly to the director who is the

captain of the ship once the principal photography phase begins.

 20

1st Assistant
Cameraman

2nd Assistant
Cameraman

Director of
Gaffer
Photography

Grip

Colorist

Production
Art Director
Designer

Location Manager

Production
Manager

Casting Director
Writer
Producer Wardrobe
1st Assistant
Director
Director
Hair And Makeup

Transportation
Driver
Captain

Craft Services
Captain

Production
Assistant

Sound Recorder
Sound Designer
Boom Operator

Editor Assistant Editor

VFX Supervisor VFX Artist

.
Figure 3-1. Organizational structure of film project.
 21

The management team comprising of the producer and the director worked

with the first assistant director in identifying individual tasks based on the

requirements. Figure 3-2 illustrates the main tasks for the filmmaking process.

....
Pre- Production
....

....
'Mithya' Film
Production
Project
....

....
Post Production
....

Figure 3-2. Filmmaking tasks.

The entire filmmaking project may be divided into 3 core tasks.

1. Pre-Production;

2. Production;

3. Post-Production.

Figure 3-3 describes the pre-production [the planning phase of filmmaking]

tasks. The director and writer worked closely with the producer to define these tasks,

execute these tasks and monitor them. These tasks helped in identifying the various

teams, their heads and their corresponding duties for the rest of the filmmaking

process.
 22

Script Lock

Core Team
Identification

Budget Planning

Scheduling

Cast Audtions

Cast Lock and

contracts.

Location Scout

Location and other

Pre- Production
Permits

Buy/Rent Camera
Package

Buy/Rent Prodcution
Material

Buy/Rent Costume and

Related material

Workshop For Cast

Camera and MAterial

Prep

Insurance and other

waiver formalities

Pre-Production Wrap
and Production Kick-off

Figure 3-3. Pre-production tasks.

 23

Figure 3-4 describes the production [the executing phase of filmmaking] tasks.

The director leads the entire crew and cast in capturing the perfomances to bring the

script alive on the screen. Division of these tasks helped in delegating the tasks and

assigning responsibility and accountability to the team captains.

Expenses and Expense

Control

Scheduling and Schedule

Monitoring

Transportation

Craft Services

Production Logistics

Location Control

Production Script Supervision

Camera Package Monitoring

Digital video and audio data

wrangling and management

Costume Monitoring

Art and Property COntrol

Hair and Makeup Control

Safety Control

Figure 3-4. Production tasks.

 24

Figure 3-5 describes the post-production [also part of the executing phase of

filmmaking] tasks. The director works primarily with the editor in compiling the entire

film with the sound department, music department and vfx department supplementing

and complementing the editorial process.

Editing

VFX

Sound Effects and

Foley

Post Production Background Score

Sound Mix

Color Correction

Output Authoring

Figure 3-5. Post production tasks.

Budget

The budget allocated for this project was $150000 which is a par budget

for an independent feature film like ‘Mithya’.

 25

Timeline

Table 2-1 illustrates the timeline for this project. The time allocated for the

project was 4 months from the start of pre-production and the project was finished

within the allotted time. Pre-Production activities took 45 days. Production

[Principal photography] was done in 22 days spread over a 2-month time. Post-

production was completed in 2 months as allocated originally.

Table 3-1

Project Timeline

Activity Timeline

Problem Identification November 2015

Proposal 19th February 2016

Pre-Production 15th December 2015 to January 31st 2016
Production 1st February to 30th March 2016
Post-Production 15th February 2016 to 15th April 2016
Ready for Release
15th April 2016
Project Closure
Final Defense presentation 15th July 2016

Summary

The above chapter described the methodology used to execute the

project, the details about the budget and the timeline of the project.
 26

Chapter IV: Data Presentation and Analysis

Introduction

This chapter presents the data collected in the project and the analysis of the

presented data.

Data Presentation

This project did not warrant extensive data collection and analysis. However,

consequential to the methodology employed to this project, the following were

collected and analyzed.

1. WBS for the entire project.

2. GANTT chart in MS EXCEL based on the WBS designed for the pre-

production, production and post-production stages of the project.

3. Microsoft Project GANTT chart for the entire project.

4. Budget Breakdowns for various stages of the project.

Figure 4-1 illustrates the WBS-Work Breakdown Structure for the entire

project.
 27

0 Project Mithya
1 PRE PRODUCTION PHASE
1.1 Script Lock
1.2 Core Team Identification
1.3 Budget Planning
1.4 Scheduling
1.5 Cast Auditions
1.6 Cast Lock and contracts.
1.7 Location Scout
1.8 Location and other Permits
1.9 Buy/Rent Camera Package
1.1 Buy/Rent Production Material
1.11 Buy/Rent Costume and Related material
1.12 Workshop for Cast
1.13 Camera and Material Prep
1.14 Insurance and other waiver formalities
1.15 Pre-Production Wrap and Production Kick-off
2 PRODUCTION PHASE
2.1 Schedule1
2.1.1 Expenses and Expense Control
2.1.2 Scheduling and Schedule Monitoring
2.1.3 Transportation
2.1.4 Craft Services
2.1.5 Production Logistics
2.1.6 Location Control
2.1.7 Script Supervision
2.1.8 Camera Package Monitoring
2.1.9 Digital video and audio data wrangling and management
2.1.10 Costume Monitoring
2.1.11 Art and Property Control
2.1.12 Hair and Makeup Control
2.1.13 Safety Control
2.2 Schedule2
2.2.1 Expenses and Expense Control
2.2.2 Scheduling and Schedule Monitoring
2.2.3 Transportation
2.2.4 Craft Services
2.2.5 Production Logistics
2.2.6 Location Control
2.2.7 Script Supervision
2.2.8 Camera Package Monitoring
2.2.9 Digital video and audio data wrangling and management
2.2.10 Costume Monitoring
2.2.11 Art and Property Control
2.2.12 Hair and Makeup Control
2.2.13 Safety Control
3 POST PRODUCTION
3.1 Editing
3.2 VFX
3.3 Background Score
3.4 Foley and Sound Effects
3.5 Sound Mix
3.6 Color Correction
3.7 Output Authoring
4 Picture Lock

Figure 4-1. Project WBS.

 28

Figure 4-2 illustrates the GANTT chart for the entire project.

12/21
11/1

3/30

5/19
2/9

7/8
Problem Identification

Proposal

Pre Production

Production

Post Production

Ready for Release

Project Closure

Final Defense Presentation

Figure 4-2. Entire project GANTT chart.

Figure 4-3 illustrates the GANTT chart for the pre-production phase.
 29

12/15

12/20

12/25

12/30

1/14

1/19

1/24

1/29
1/4

1/9
PRE PRODUCTION PHASE

Script Lock

Core Team Identification

Budget Planning

Scheduling

Cast Audtions

Cast Lock and contracts.

Location Scout

Location and other Permits

Buy/Rent Camera Package

Buy/Rent Prodcution Material

Buy/Rent Costume and Related material

Workshop For Cast

Camera and MAterial Prep

Insurance and other waiver formalities

Pre-Production Wrap and Production Kick-off

Figure 4-3. Pre-production GANTT chart.

Figure 4-4 illustrates the GANTT chart for the production phase.
 30

2/11

2/16

2/21

2/26
2/1

2/6

3/2
PRODUCTION PHASE
Schedule1
Expenses and Expense Control
Scheduling and Schedule Monitoring
Transportation
Craft Services
Production Logistics
Location Control
Script Supervision
Camera Package Monitoring
Digital video and audio data wrangling and…
Costume Monitoring
Art and Property COntrol
Hair and Makeup Control
Safety Control
Schedule2
Expenses and Expense Control
Scheduling and Schedule Monitoring
Transportation
Craft Services
Production Logistics
Location Control
Script Supervision
Camera Package Monitoring
Digital video and audio data wrangling and…
Costume Monitoring
Art and Property COntrol
Hair and Makeup Control
Safety Control

Figure 4-4. Production GANTT chart.

Figure 4-5 illustrates the GANTT chart for the post production phase.
 31

2/15

2/25

3/16

3/26

4/15
3/6

4/5
POST PRODUCTION

Editing

VFX

Background Score

Foley and Sound Effects

Sound Mix

Color Correction

Ouput Authoring

Figure 4-5. Post production GANTT chart.

Budget is a creative and organizational tool to help you figure out how to make

your project happen (Ahuja, 2016). Figure 4-6 illustrates the budget breakdown for

the entire project. Each department has their individual breakdown and all their

budget bottom-lines are consolidated in this sheet. This helped the producer monitor

the budget limits for each department and also facilitate any dynamic changes in
 32

budget allocation apart from keeping the total budget within the desired limit. Certain

information is redacted as per the producer’s wish.

Figure 4-6. Entire project budget breakdown.

Figure 4-7 illustrates the budget breakdown for the production labor. This

sheet has the individual salaries or total day rates for all the labor-crew not

including the cast, involved on the project. Certain information is redacted as per

the producer’s wish.

 33

Figure 4-7. Production labor budget breakdown.

Figure 4-8 illustrates the budget breakdown for the location and travel and

make-up and wardrobe expenses. This sheet a section each for ‘Location and

Travel’ expenses and the ‘Wardrobe and Make-up’ expenses. The grouping of
 34

these sections is just a coincidence. Certain information is redacted as per the

producer’s wish.

Figure 4-8. Location/travel/make-up/wardrobe budget breakdown.

Figure 4-9 illustrates the budget breakdown for the art department

expenses. This sheet a section each for ‘Studio and stage rental’ expenses and

the ‘art department’ expenses. Art department takes care of both on-location and
 35

studio/stage rental art/property expenses. This project did not involve any

studio/stage rental expenses. Certain information is redacted as per the

producer’s wish.

Figure 4-9. Art department budget breakdown.

 36

Figure 4-10 illustrates the budget for the equipment costs and

miscellaneous expenses. This sheet has a section each for camera related

‘Equipment’ expense and other ‘Miscellaneous’ expenses. Certain information is

redacted as per the producer’s wish.

Figure 4-10. Equipment/miscellaneous budget breakdown.

 37

Figure 4-11 illustrates the budget breakdown for the talent labor and talent

expenses. This sheet has a section each for the ‘Talent labor’ expenses, which

include salaries and consolidated day rates and ‘Talent’ related expenses. Certain

information is redacted as per the producer’s wish.

Figure 4-11. Talent labor/talent expenses budget breakdown.

 38

Figure 4-12 illustrates the budget breakdown for the post production labor

and editorial expenses. The ‘Post Production Labor’ expenses section includes

the salaries and consolidated day rates for the post production labor while the

‘Editorial’ expense includes rental and license fees for the editorial services along

with other logistical expenses certain information is redacted as per the producer’s

wish.

Figure 4-12. Post production/editorial budget breakdown.

 39

Figure 4-13 illustrates the budget breakdown for miscellaneous expenses.

Certain information is redacted as per the producer’s wish.

Figure 4-13. Other expenses budget breakdown.

 40

Chapter V: Results, Conclusion, and Recommendations

Introduction

This final chapter focuses on the end results the project has achieved, take-

away pointers from the project as the conclusion and certain recommendations

based on the experiences and results from the current project.

Results

The incorporation of project management techniques by AV Digital Services

for the production of their first feature film has shown immediate and remarkable

results. This not only bodes well for the efficiency of the current project but also

towards the efficiency with which future projects may be executed.

Project Questions

1. What is the total cost of the film production?

The total cost of the film’s production [pre-production, production and post-

production] has come out to be $141600.

The estimated cost for the film production was $150000.

2. What is the total time taken to execute the project?

It took 4 months to execute the project.

The pre-production for the project began in December 2015 and the post-

production of the project was completed in April of 2016.

This is in line with the estimated time for the project.

 41

Additionally, this project could also accommodate another ‘mini-project’ of

finishing a teaser/’proof of concept’ film for the company’s upcoming production,

within the timeline of the current project.

3. What is the amount of savings, out of the originally allotted budget,

realized at the end of the project?

The total cost of the film’s production [pre-production, production and post-

production] has come out to be $141600.

The estimated cost for the film production was $150000.

A savings of $8400 was realized over the estimated $150000, amounting to

5.6 % [ 8400/150000 * 100 = 5.6].

Conclusion

The pre-production, production and post-production stages of the film ‘Mithya’

were completed with 4 months and for about 5.6% less budget than originally

estimated. Also, the project could accommodate the production of a teaser for the

company’s upcoming film within the same timeline and same budget. AV Digital

Services is proud about the project’s goals reached and is committed to

incorporating project management techniques into their future projects.

The project management tools of ‘Work Breakdown Structure’ and ‘Gantt

Charts’ helped the project immensely by helping to visualize the complex production

process and identify various bottlenecks and areas of improvement. These tools

greatly helped AV Digital Services to finish the project within the time and budget,

even though they had limited experience executing a film project of this scale.
 42

Recommendations

The project has fulfilled its objectives in efficiently completing the pre-

production, production and post-production phases of the film within the budget and

time specified. It is recommended that, with the confidence gained with implementing

project management techniques in their film production processes, AV Digital

Services could follow these recommendations:

 The project management techniques of ‘Work Breakdown Structure’ and

‘Gantt Charts’ should be applied consistently over every project to gain

expertise over them.

 The company should explore other project management techniques that

may cater to their specific needs of film production.

 For every project, the company should spend some time and effort to

familiarize the heads of each department- Camera, direction,

transportation, catering, production, etc., about the project management

techniques.
 43

References

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rocketjump.com/learn/producing-container/intro-film-budgeting.

Brotherton, S. A. (2008) Applying the work breakdown structure to the project

management lifecycle. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org/learning/library/

applying-work-breakdown-structure-project-lifecycle-6979.

Cleve, B. (2006). Film production management (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Elsevier,

Inc.

Gilyutin, I. (1993, December). Using project management in a nonlinear environment.

Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org/learning/library/using-project-management-

nonlinear-environment-5348.

Presse, J. (2008). Hollywood secrets of project management success (1st ed.).

Microsoft Press.

Project Management Institute (PMI). (2004). A guide to the project management body

of knowledge: PMBOK guide (3rd ed.). Newton Square, PA: Author.

Rhyne, C. C. (2008). Looking behind the scenes-project management in the motion

picture industry. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org/learning/project-

management-motion-picture-industry-7121?id=7121.

Vjeko. (2009, April 9). Hollywood secrets of project management success: A review

of a sort. Retrieved from http://vjeko.com/hollywood-secrets-of-project-

management-success-a-review-of-a-sort.