That, I think, is an even more valuable experience if you're in a position to see how they put the movie together, what works and what doesn't,

What they're getting out of it may not be money but experience and a credit, which they can use to get themselves a better-paying position on their next film.

[Or it's just a compulsion.] It's not something you choose to do, ... You can't avoid doing it.

Sometimes the things that fall through are a blessing in disguise and you find something even better,

Mostly what I do to pay the bills is a lot of writing for corporate training films and producing those,

They get you talked about as a filmmaker. They'll give you film life, and that will give you life as a filmmaker.