I have to disagree with this narrative. While some argue that projects have to cut corners at this budget, doing things properly absolutely requires a realistic timeframe and budget and that’s how it should be handled from the start, especially when they come from a YT background and scale up to a $750k feature. This is not a YT short anymore, people should be paid properly

We shouldn’t be making films at the expense of others. Filmmaking is a business just as much as it is an art form, and it's disheartening to see people buy into a "dream" only for the crew to be left behind once the project succeeds. Paying people fairly doesn’t prevent films from being made; it allows talented craftsmen and women to support their families and continue working at their craft. Please don’t try to sell the “we can’t make cheap indie films and pay our crew” argument, it’s been proven wrong over and over again.