A study on the production management of small-budget films in China: based on three-dimensional controlling factors of project management

Abstract

At present, the market for small-budget films in China continues to expand and the production proceeds to soar with the amount having become the most in the world. But at the same time, there are many irregularities and even chaos in production management. Based on the theory of three-dimensional controlling factors (time, quality, and cost) of project management, in-depth interviews with veterans of the industry are combined with case studies into six small-budget film crews for practical observation in this article. The uniqueness of the article is in that it firstly explains the production management of small-budget films from the perspective of project management, explores how three-dimensional controlling factors are applied in small-budget film production, and then probes into the four-dimensional controlling factor and its application according to the characteristics of small-budget films, establishes a four-dimensional controlling model for the production management of small-budget films, and expands the theoretical framework of project management in this field. This article can also be applied to the entire TV and film field to a certain extent. Moreover, this study can provide a relatively systematic production management model for managers and practitioners in this field.

Keywords: China's Small-budget Films, Production Management, Project Management, Controlling Factors