A motion picture production project’s success can be determined by two measures including the critical and the commercial success (Reid, 2000). Critical success measures depend on reviews, awards and festival exposures. On the contrary, the commercial success is mainly measured by box office revenue (Vogel, 2001), which can be translated as movie sales (business) and reviews of viewers (art) for a particular film (Jowett & Linton, 1980). The dual nature of these success measures seems to reaffirm a belief that motion picture production is both ‘business’ and ‘art’ (Holbrook, 1999; Reid, 2000; Wyatt, 1994). According to Rossiter (2003), ‘success’ is measured by financial measures such as return on assets (ROA), return on investment (ROI), profit, box office gross, box office rentals and length of run. ‘Artistic’ or ‘cultural’ measures of success include reviews and awards that have frequently been adopted in academic models as prospective determinants of success rather than determining success measures on their own (Dominick, 1987; Sochay, 1994; Wyatt, 1994).

According to Rossiter (2003), a film project’s success is also measurable using variables such as development speed, cycle-time reduction, profitability of other products like sequels, company branding, new ventures and product’s technical success. Most movies are not financially successful and only few succeed (De Vany, 2011).

On an average seven out of 10 films are failures and suffer losses, only two of them achieve a breakeven. Thus, only one out of 10 movies is a success (Vogel, 2001). A successful movie usually collects a minimum of 373% returns from its investment. There are three main criteria to determine a film project’s success: critical acclaim, financial performance and movie awards (Simonton, 2004). Other than these, there are a few more factors that contribute towards the success of a motion picture production project which are further discussed.

According to Finney (2008), project management is a central pillar within the film business and each film is a project in itself. In addition, Ferriani et al. (2005) suggested that the activities of a film project occur in phases and are typically structured around interrelated sub-tasks, each of which requires the coordinated action and mutual adjustment of a subset of highly specialised skill-holders who provide their expertise at a critical time or in a critical combination. Filmmaking is a collaborative affair that requires attention to the coherency of a work; thus, a single coordinating sensibility must take the helm (Ferriani et al., 2005).

DeFillippi and Arthur (1998) described that for a production company to make a film, it is a single project that requires vision, strategy and a pre-approved budget. Similarly, project management in the motion picture industry is not so much about controlling the magical and creative elements of film-making, rather it is about managing the business aspects (Persse, 2008). Films share similar characteristics of a project; a film is made to gain profit in return and it is supported by project description. Similarly, a project involves activities with money to be spent, expecting results in return (Gittinger, 1982). Finney (2008) found that the motion picture industry is a highly challenging environment for it requires management of the creative process, the talent and a large amount of money, to ensure returns on investment.

Project management methodologies (PMMs) have been popularised in various industries for over 30 years.

Implementing a suitable project management methodology is strongly believed to be able to increase the chances of completing or finishing projects on time as per schedule, within the estimated budget and deliver the product to fulfil stakeholders’ satisfaction upon requirement. There are few PMMs, such as PMBOK, managing the implementation for total projects (MITPs), administrative information system (AIS), Bates project management methodology (BPMM), customer ownership system teamwork (COST) and initiation, diagnostics, establishing, action, learning (IDEAL) (Axelos, 2017).

Project Management Body of Knowledge offers a general guide to manage most projects, thus it is comprehensive and flexible enough to be adapted by specialised projects (Conchúir, 2010). The method used by PMBOK is well matched with Software Engineering Institute’s capability maturity model integration (CMMI) and ISO 9000. The five processes such as initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing in PMBOK and 10 knowledge areas within it are interrelated throughout a project (Conchúir, 2010). The PMBOK knowledge area consists of integration management, scope management, time management, quality management, human resource management, communications management, risk management, procurement management and stakeholder management. Persse (2008) compared the standard PMBOK lifecycle with the Hollywood production system and found that both lifecycles are similar as they are offering the same functions throughout the lifecycle with the exception of the numbers of phases in both lifecycles.

During the development phase in a Hollywood production system and PMBOK’s initiation phase, potential projects are identified, together with assessment of initial scopes to make a move based on decisions (Conchúir, 2010). At the pre-production phase of a Hollywood production system and PMBOK’s planning phase, project plans, schedules and budgets are developed, staff members are assigned accordingly and project requirements are shared and analysed. During the production phase in a Hollywood production system and PMBOK’s execution phase, activities in product development take place (Persse, 2008). Consequently, controlling, monitoring and adjustment activities against the plan are carried out in the post-production phase. At the distribution phase of the Hollywood production system and PMBOK’s closure phase, the product is packed and delivered to the end users or customers. Project management methodologies could help an organisation to manage projects within the guidelines, policies, procedures, rules and directives of the organisation, and PMBOK is a suitable guide (Zdanytė & Neverauskas, 2011).

In Malaysia, the motion picture industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the economy, averaging at 11% per annum over the last 5 years. A baseline study on figures from the advertising, television and films, radio, animation, games, music, interactive software and new media segments, by Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Malaysia motion picture industry, has found that the creative content industry is reported to have an estimated worth of RM16 billion (Rosnan & Aziz, 2012).

The Malaysian government has invested in the infrastructure, support services, funding, scholarships, global market access and policies, preparing to capture a significant share of the estimated USD 470 billion Asia-Pacific market. These include some of the Malaysian government’s efforts and strategies to achieve this goal (Hoo, 2006). The strategies are (1) 30% rebate as incentives offered by the government for movie producers shooting their movies in Malaysia; (2) policies of various agencies such as Malaysian Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) and Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) should push the creative content industry forward; (3) new platforms for traditionally produced content could be pay-per-view online downloads through the Internet and (4) grants awarded are managed wisely and efficiently, thus giving more monetary mileage to the developer, in return ensuring that the best possible work is produced. For instance, the Malaysia Animation Creative Content Centre (MAC3) laboratory in Cyberjaya, the multi-million ringgit centre, was created to provide resources for content developers in terms of technology, talent and even funding, so it should naturally go hand-in-hand with any new creative content initiatives.

The Malaysian motion picture industry is facing a few challenges in the project management context relating to scope management, risk management, cost management, human resource management and quality management. From the scope management aspect, the Malaysian motion picture industry is challenged by a smaller domestic market and smaller amount of films being produced. It was estimated that the total audience for feature films was approximately 5.29 million in 2008 out of a total population of approximately 28 million (Rosnan & Aziz, 2012). Currently, annual productions of local drama and serials total to about 300–400 programmes, not including the in-house production by individual television stations and an average of 30 feature films (Rosnan & Aziz, 2012).

From the risk-management context, high competition from foreign products in the domestic market has been identified as a greater challenge. Malaysia has no restriction on the import of foreign films; they are free to enter the local market with minimal requirements (Rosnan & Aziz, 2012): (1) it has to pass through the Malaysian Film Censorship Board, which is the government authority that is responsible for granting licences to the film for public viewing, and (2) to provide subtitles in the Malay language. The local motion picture industry is affected by foreign products that undermine the local films in the local market. The motion picture industry is striving to compete with foreign films in the local market (Rosnan & Aziz, 2012).

In terms of cost management, the Malaysian motion picture industry produces low-budget films. It will be tougher for the industry to compete in the international arena. It is especially difficult for local films to compete with big-budgeted foreign films (Rosnan & Aziz, 2012). Human resource management is a challenge when there is insufficient talent in the motion picture industry because of shortage of quality graduates churned out by institutions of higher learning. They lack appropriate practical knowledge in motion picture production.

Malaysia is lagging behind countries like Singapore, Korea and Philippines which have conducive motion picture environments and enough talent to become creative hubs in the ASEAN region. Thus, the Malaysian government should generate strategies to attract foreign film projects to Malaysia to benefit from knowledge transfer and other externalities related to foreign operations in the host country. Film products are not only important as a means of cultural preservation, but films are now traded as commodities (Rosnan & Aziz, 2012). In terms of quality management, the local films do not seem to attract enough audiences in most cases. The new Malaysian cinematic scene needs young filmmakers to explore new themes and content (Hoo, 2006).

A few dependent variables with possible influences towards other factors were identified. The relationship between the level of production, the rate of local production and genre popularity was developed using Smart PLS. Figure 4 shows the partial least squares path modelling estimation for the relationship among level of local motion picture production, the rate of local motion picture production and film genre popularity, with the following preliminary observations.

The questionnaire survey analysis was further compared with the findings from the interview survey conducted on three film directors, including K.K.K., B.C.C. and D.D.T. K.K.K. and B.C.C. were local film directors, while D.D.T. was a film director from India who made Tamil films in Southern India. The scope of the selected filmmakers was varied, which definitely provided an advantage of comparing their knowledge and experience in filmmaking. K.K.K.’s films were more focused towards the local Tamil audience, while B.C.C.’s films catered to Malaysian, Singaporean and Brunei audiences. On the contrary, D.D.T.’s films focused on international Tamil audiences. Table 6 shows the output from the content analysis conducted through the coding process.

The questionnaire survey outcomes were tangible with the interview survey conducted with the directors. All the directors and their teams were using Microsoft Excel Sheets to manage the schedule and the budget of film projects. They were aware that Hollywood was using the Movie Magic software to manage time and cost, but they never had a chance to explore the Movie Magic software because of current practices. Director B.C.C.’s films have received positive review and feedback from the media, the audiences and belonged to the love genre. His projects were mostly a combination of both love genre and drama. According to B.C.C., local audience preferred the love genre, and he believed that these genres could give more fruitful outcomes compared to the rest and he was not in the line of directors and producers who were prone to the horror genre, though the Malaysian motion picture production trend had been inclined towards the horror genre during the past few years.

According to B.C.C. and D.D.T., quality was the most important criteria that should be given a high priority to produce a successful film. While qualities were measured in three ways such as assuring progress close to expectation (during production), movie preview (after production) and box office or awards (after release), they also agreed that the genre selection was as important as knowing the target audience and their population, as it could lead to a good marketing strategy. Malaysia cashed on Korean Pop or K-Pop by following the Korean wave known as ‘Hallyu’. B.C.C. believed that implementing ‘Hallyu’ in local films could attract more audience especially urban citizens. Surprisingly, catering to the audience with a new concept or approach through creativity was the main factor for a film’s success and in project management, and it could be achieved through triple constraints consisting of cost management, time management and quality management. All the three directors admitted that they never implemented any project management tool or technique as per PMBOK and PRINCE2. They agreed that complying with PMBOK might be useful but only after practising through proper coaches and guidance by responsible bodies. Figure 6 shows the flexibility of motion picture production activities adopted within 10 knowledge areas in PMBOK.

Motion picture production and film success rely on effective project management, and PMBOK is not limited to time and cost management, but there are various knowledge areas to be incorporated into motion picture production, as shown in Figure 6. Market analysis and inspiration generation are fundamentals in initiating a film project, which are link to the scope management at the film development stage. Project Management Body of Knowledge areas such as project plan development, scope planning, schedule development, quality planning, cast and acquisition, communication planning, risk management planning and procurement planning are involved in the pre-production stage. At the production stage where shooting takes place, project plan execution, quality assurance, team development, information distribution and contract administration are to be conducted. During the post-production stage, all knowledge areas in PMBOK are involved through editing and monitoring processes. The administrative closure and contract closure are within the distribution stage when a film is released. A motion picture production project management model is shown in Figure 7, which is experimental yet gives a fundamental understanding on the strategy to focus and to conduct a proper film making or motion picture production. It is necessary to study the audience’s requirement to deliver a product as per their expectation. Once the genre is confirmed, the film project can be kicked off using the regular Hollywood motion picture production method which consists of development, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution processes. The uniqueness of this model is the integration of the Hollywood motion picture production method with the 10 knowledge areas of PMBOK.