[cageface]

I worked at Pixar from 2000-2010 and I can tell you that a really good director definitely earns his/her salary. A good director can mean the difference between a bad, overbudget film and an on-budget success. You're going to have a lot harder time cutting costs than you might think too. Salaries dominate the budget of films like Avatar and Toy Story 3 and the kind of talent it takes to make those films can't currently be had for less. Maybe you don't care if films like that disappear from the market but you should at least acknowledge that is what will happen if DVD and ticket sales continue to slide. None of the alternatives currently on the table compare.