JJ Abrams was tapped to helm Star Wars Episode VII. “2014-11-129_19-10-02” by Dale Jackson is licensed under CC BY 2.0

The path to big budget blockbuster film-making has both changed drastically, and remained roughly the same during the past few decades. While advances in technology have opened up the cinematic world to a much broader range of filmmakers, many successful directors still use smaller independent films as a way of catching the attention of studio executives. From young directors working in the 1970s to modern filmmakers who took Sundance by storm, there is still a sense that one big break can help you join the elite ranks of master filmmakers. Despite the advantages this offers both directors and studios, recent trends are showing that not every jump from the independent world to the Hollywood blockbuster scene is successful.

This idea of using smaller-budgeted films as a jumping off point for a director is nothing new. Filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Martin Scorsese have all started out making films that sported small budgets, unrecognizable casts, and experimental elements, as these directors worked on defining what their style would ultimately be. George Lucas would not have been able to make “Star Wars” without making “THX 1138.” Martin Scorsese would not have been able to make “Goodfellas” without making “Mean Streets.” Steven Spielberg would not have been able to make “E.T.” without making “Duel.” All these directors, including others from their generation, were instrumental in the dramatic changes resulting from the so called, “New Hollywood” generation that also included Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Zemeckis, and even Stanley Kubrick to a certain extent. One thing that appears to be lost in the fold, though, is the fact that pretty much all of these directors worked up to the budgets they command now. Before becoming the 80s king of blockbusters, Spielberg had to work within the constraints of more marginally budgeted films. The same can be said for Lucas (the original ‘Star Wars’ at the time was considered to be an independent film) and Scorsese as they had to work on both their respective styles and their relationships within the industry before they could ask for several hundred million dollars to make a groundhog wink.

Steven Spielberg (left) and George Lucas (right) in much younger days. “Spielberg Lucas 1984” by Raymond Twist is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Nowadays, the way directors enter the studio system is much more streamlined than it was before. It is extremely rare for a young, up and coming independent director to have made more than one film before jumping into the world of blockbuster movies. Gareth Edwards, who is currently in production on the Star Wars spinoff film “Rogue One,” made a substantial leap from his debut film, “Monsters,” which had a reported budget of $500,000 to 2014’s “Godzilla,” which had a reported budget of $160 million. Colin Trevorrow, who was recently announced as the director of “Star Wars: Episode IX,” jumped from the $750,000 budgeted “Safety Not Guaranteed” to the 2015 summer smash “Jurassic World,” which cost a reported $150 million. While both these risks ultimately paid off (at least for the studio; both films had a decidedly mixed audience reaction upon release), the fact remains that this is a huge gamble by any studio that decides to hand the reigns of an expensive property to an unproven talent, and despite the successes with “Godzilla” (worldwide gross: $529 million) and “Jurassic World” (worldwide gross: $1.5 billion), any reasonable gambler would probably fold given the significant risk involved in the move.

The independent movie scene is currently thriving, with many commenting that independent films are the only place where directors can take risks with how they tell a story. Given that there is less money invested in the project, independent filmmakers do not have to worry about money men breathing down their neck and pressuring them for success. There is also a distinct possibility that a winning formula in the independent arena could be a fluke in an otherwise middling to bad director’s filmography. Josh Trank’s recent fall from grace with the flop of “Fantastic Four” is a prime example of that. Trank’s first film, the found footage film “Chronicle,” is for the most part a good movie, but that doesn’t mean that everything that Trank will be involved with in the future is going to be amazing. While he has shown promise in “Chronicle” and certain parts of “Fantastic Four,” the jury is still out on whether he is talented enough to become one of the elite directors of his generation. There is a benefit to having a series of mid-level budgeted films behind a director. This allows them to have more confidence when dealing with a studio higher-up, and allows studios to see if a promising young director can handle a bigger production and still make a good movie. M. Night Shyamalan got his career break with “The Sixth Sense,” and impressed with his follow ups “Unbreakable” and “Signs.” But those now appear to be outliers in his filmography, as everything he made after that became progressively worse.

M. Night Shyamalan (left) with Mark Wahlberg (right). “Wahlberg and Shyamalan” by Cynthia appears courtesy of CC BY-SA 2.0

The cynical interpretation about why studios take this risk relates to the fact that these directors are much easier to boss around and intimidate. Filmmakers like Spielberg, David Fincher, and Christopher Nolan may be some of the best directors working today, but they have a lot of clout and support that makes them much harder to control (Fincher, by example, is known for how hard he fights to keep his vision intact) than someone who who only has one film under their belt, and is now forced to deal with meddlesome studio heads who have the power to derail promising careers. Even successful first time blockbuster directors have said that they have had to deal with and respond to orders and notes from higher-ups who are less concerned with making a good film, and more concerned with how much money the film makes in its opening weekend. Gareth Edwards stated that he embraced the film-by-committee approach with Fantastic Four, but did he really have a choice? With a $160 million budget before the cost of advertising, the pressure can easily get to young directors, as evidence by Josh Trank’s experience on that film (Writer’s Note: while this entire article could just be about “Fantastic Four,” too much has already been said about the film’s troubled production both on this site, as well as others.) This trend is showing no signs of stopping. Jon Watts has been tapped to direct the re-rebooted “Spider-Man” film for Marvel, putting him in the unenviable position of having to retell the story of Spider-Man again, despite the fact that his first film, “Cop Car,” cost less than the amount of money that Robert Downey Jr. makes in day for playing Tony Stark. Only time will tell if this move will work for both Marvel and Watts in the long run, but who knows how much control and influence Marvel will allow him to have?

The surprising thing about this trend, though, is the fact that there are still some filmmakers who do manage to make a mid-level budgeted film before making the transition to blockbuster movie making. Rian Johnson, who impressed with his independent film debut “Brick,” made the slightly more expensive film “Looper” before being tapped to direct “Star Wars: Episode VIII.” Jon Favreau made waves in the independent scene as an actor and writer with such films as “Swingers” and “Made” before directing the first two “Iron Man” films. Ryan Coogler is supposedly one of the frontrunners to take over the upcoming “Black Panther” movie for Marvel, but unlike Watts, he has the impressive low budget “Fruitvale Station,” which was also featured Michael B. Jordan in his breakout role, and is currently finishing up the “Rocky” spinoff “Creed” on his resume. While that may not sound like much, Coogler does have an advantage as he has more at his disposal in terms of budget and talent, and can gain confidence, as “Creed” currently is one of the more anticipated films of the fall. All in all, it can be very difficult to determine what filmmakers can rise to the occasion of a big budget film, and who will ultimately pan out.

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