Thanks to the advent of digital video technology, it’s cheaper than ever to produce and shoot a film, and wannabes across the U.S. are taking their shot. But so few of these films will ever actually be seen by a paying audience that it often seems a terrible waste of talent and resources. “[Even] if you successfully navigate Hollywood’s gauntlet and your movie is made and released, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see real money from it. A studio movie costs on average $64 million to produce and $62 million to market, for a total average investment of $128 million per film… and, after the theaters take their share, only about 50 percent of the box-office gross revenue comes back to the studio.”