Why can Paradox Entertainment make quality feature films for so much less? The filmmaking process is highly complex, typically involving 200-300 people working across multiple locations worldwide. It has been likened to waging a small-scale war. In the mid-1960s, the average film budget was just over $1.5 million. These budgets supported the construction of the iconic Hollywood mansions. However, by the 1970s, the average budget had nearly doubled. For example, the original studio budget for Jaws was $3.5 million, but the final cost was reported between $7-12 million due to overruns. Despite this, the film went on to gross over $470 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film at the time until Star Wars in 1977. The film industry underwent a dramatic shift as directors like James Cameron and Kevin Costner competed to make the most expensive films. For Terminator, a $60 million production, Cameron paid himself and Arnold Schwarzenegger $20 million each, effectively doubling the film's actual cost. This type of extravagance, with filmmakers demanding luxuries and the "best of everything," has become the norm in the "Big Dog" filmmaking world. For instance, Costner's suite during the filming of Waterworld cost over $250,000, though he rarely used it. In his next film, Costner paid himself more than double this amount, while Cameron later earned $100 million for a single film, setting a new average for leading directors. This rampant excess has driven up salaries for lead actors to $20 million per role, and even "average" producers and directors can now command $2-5 million each. Additionally, these filmmakers often negotiate for a share of the film's profits. As a result, only 1 in 10 Hollywood films are now profitable, due to the poor quality of the content produced. If everyone in the production was paid according to the SAG-DGA scale, feature-dramatic films made in the Hollywood style would cost $3-5 million, depending on complexity. Action and heavily special effects-driven films would be more expensive, though the same rules of extravagance are clearly a part of that genre as well. The Role of Movie Genres in Budgeting Analyzing data from IMDb and Statista, we can see that some genres cost more on average than others. For example, adventure films are typically the most expensive cinema genre, with an average budget of roughly $76 million. Sci-fi, animation, and fantasy films are also among the most costly genres, with an average budget of over $60 million. In contrast, music-based, horror, and romance genres tend to have a relatively low median budget of less than $10 million. Movies with Breakdowns of the Budget Example: Unbreakable 2000 Story and Screenplay Rights: $5,000,000 Producers: $1,878,260 Directors: $5,081,749 Cast: $35,068,388 Bruce Willis: $20,000,000 Samuel L. Jackson: $7,000,000 Robin Wright Penn: $2,500,000 Rest of Cast, Casting, Stunts, & Travel: $5,568,388 Production Costs: $26,214,709 Visual effects: $1,000,000 Music: $2,253,456 Total Budget: $74,243,106 While many films have large budgets for visual effects, location costs, transportation, and set construction, the money often goes to other areas as well. Dr. Houck had several mentors, including the famous cowboy actor Dale Robertson and filmmaker Dan Nichols, Director for Universal Studios-West. Dale taught Dr. Houck the "shoot to edit" method, which can easily save 25-35% of the production budget. Dan taught him the "floating lunch" method, used in England in earlier days, which saves 2 hours per day in production costs by not stopping everything for lunch and restarting afterward. Though many American unions may oppose it, this method can save a real 15% of overall production costs. Another valuable tool Dr. Houck discovered was the "edit at night" method, where the previous day's production is edited and ready for the director's review the next morning. This allows the director to do any necessary retakes or repairs, audio or visual, that same day. With the preliminary edit complete the day after principal photography, this saves an enormous amount for the above-the-line team, reduces their time on the project by 20% or more, and eliminates nearly all "call-backs" for the cast and crew to fix botched shots or scenes. Applying just these three methods can provide the same screen value for 60-70% less cost, turning a $3-5 million film into a $9-15 million one. These are just some of the major points of being an effective and responsible filmmaker for the Kingdom. AI-animation costs have plummeted to unbelievable levels. What once cost $6-10 million to produce five years ago can now be made for under $250,000. Judgment Seat will be produced to the highest standards, utilizing great casts, crews, and production teams to create captivating entertainment that will impact eternity at remarkable value. The movie industry has long been a prominent player in the world of entertainment, captivating audiences with its awe-inspiring productions and intricate narratives.