[ghaff]

Part of it is that the cameras you can get from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars have gotten dramatically better than the Super8 or even VHS days--and the editing process is also cheaper and easier--but there's so much more in the budget for that AAA teledrama or even a relatively low budget movie. The actors of course but also sets, lighting and sound design, etc. Some types of films can be produced on the cheap under some circumstances but not most mainstream films, especially the popular ones.