History Main / OneForTheMoneyOneForTheArt

* Creator/GwynethPaltrow stated that her early 2000s output was this, as art films such as ''Film/{{Sylvia}}'', ''Film/{{Proof}}'' and ''Film/TheRoyalTenenbaums'' alternated with paychecks like ''Film/ShallowHal'' and "[[OldShame this terrible movie called]] ''Film/ViewFromTheTop'' that Harvey Weinstein talked me into doing".

* Dino [=De Laurentiis=] agreed to produce ''Film/RawDeal1986'' because he needed quick cash for his long-gestating project ''Film/TotalRecall1990''. At that time, he owned the rights to the film. The film's failure to make adequate money (only $16 million) resulted in [=De Laurentiis=]' bankruptcy and ''TotalRecall'''s sale of rights to Carolco.
* Creator/MichaelDouglas' [[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/michael_douglas/ Rotten Tomatoes page]] is very telling. He tends to alternate several "rotten" Hollywood films (''Film/YouMeAndDupree'', for example, or ''Film/TheSentinel2006'') with highly rated indie films (''Solitary Man'', ''Film/WonderBoys''). While there are obviously exceptions on both sides, it can be assumed he takes the Hollywood parts to pay for the independent ones.

* Creator/PatrickMcGoohan used his salary from ''Film/IceStationZebra'' to fund further episodes of ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'', which was in the midst of a production crisis at the time.

* Creator/BillMurray agreed to star in ''Film/Ghostbusters1984'' so that Creator/ColumbiaPictures would finance ''Film/TheRazorsEdge''.

* Creator/ChristopherReeve only did ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace'' so that Creator/TheCannonGroup would produce ''Film/StreetSmart1987''.

* Creator/OrsonWelles spent much of his career doing this with money from projects like ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'' and TV commercials for Paul Masson wine used to fund directorial ventures. The only reason he made ''Film/TheLadyFromShanghai'' was to finance a stage production of ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays''. Even his memorable role as Harry Lime in the classic film noir ''Film/TheThirdMan'' came about so he could get the money for ''Film/Othello1951''. Welles used this strategy to good and bad effects on all the films he made abroad. In his interviews with Creator/PeterBogdanovich, he justified this on the grounds of it being a SadisticChoice between being a director-for-hire on stories he didn't care about and acting for others in roles beneath his talent, he [[DoingItForTheArt chose the latter]] as he felt he couldn't devote interest and attention on a subject he'd rather not direct, becoming in the process one of the first independent film-makers. Notably on ''The Black Rose'', which he was doing to finance his version of ''{{Theatre/Othello}}'', he designed his costume specifically to be reused in ''Othello'' later.

* Music/RobZombie originally stated he would never do a sequel to ''Film/Halloween2007'' until the studio decided to make it. Then he signed on to write and direct ''Film/HalloweenII2009'' because he didn't want someone to ruin his vision. He also agreed to make the film in exchange for being allowed to make ''Film/TheLordsOfSalem''.

-->'''Ben Affleck''': What've I been telling you? You gotta do the safe picture. Then you can do the art picture. But then sometimes you gotta do the payback picture because your friend says you owe him. [''AsideGlance'']

* For Creator/GeorgeClooney, Each ''[[Film/OceansEleven Ocean's X]]'' movie allows him to make another ''Film/{{Syriana}}''. Several years after ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', he said the main reason he did it was that the salary had effectively given him lifelong financial stability, thus allowing him to pretty much do whatever films he wanted for the rest of his career. Even now he says he doesn't regret taking the role because it made him a movie star but he also keeps a picture of himself in the infamous Batsuit in his office to remind himself to never take something solely for the money ever again.
* Universal greenlit ''Film/SchindlersList'' on the condition that Creator/StevenSpielberg did ''Film/JurassicPark'' (a project Spielberg liked even before the book came out) first. And Spielberg seemingly repeated this scheme by releasing both ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'' and ''Film/{{Amistad}}'' in 1997, and ''[[Film/WarOfTheWorlds2005 War of the Worlds]]'' and ''Film/{{Munich}}'' in 2005.

* Angela Bettis said as much about her involvement in ''{{Film/Carrie 2002}}''. The film was planned as a PilotMovie for a TV series that she hoped would give her the financial security to pursue indie projects like ''{{Film/May}}''.

* This is Creator/WayForwardTechnologies' way of life. One particularly evident instance of this is making [[VideoGame/TheMummyDemastered a game based on]] ''[[Film/TheMummy2017 The Mummy]]'' in-between installments of ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'' (one of which was a fan-funded Kickstarter project, no less), which ironically ended up being more well-received than the actual film it was based on.

* As a reward for years of work for and loyalty to [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer the Fleischer brothers' studio]], animator Roland 'Doc' Crandall accepted total creative control over the ''WesternAnimation/BettyBoop'' short ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhite1933'', which he completed over six months.

* Creator/ChristopherReeve only did ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace'' so that Creator/TheCannonGroup would produce ''Street Smart''.

* This practice was commonplace during the UsefulNotes/NewHollywood era of the 1970s with numerous directors agreeing to do studio pictures in order to get the funding for the more personal pictures that they wanted to make. However, the studio pictures, which were usually made under [[ExecutiveMeddling some level of overseeing by the studio (however minor)]], would often go on to be widely acclaimed as great films, whereas the director's more [[AuteurLicense artistic pictures]] would bomb disastrously since they were often made without [[ProtectionFromEditors the studio interfering]] to keep the [[PrimaDonnaDirector the director's ego (and the movie's budget) in check]].

* Creator/BrieLarson says part of the reason she agreed to be ComicBook/CarolDanvers in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse was that the stable good paycheck it would bring her would allow her the financial freedom to be in smaller projects.

* Inverted with Creator/MattGroening. Originally, he had wanted to pitch his comic strip ''ComicStrip/LifeInHell'' as an animated series. However, he would lose the character rights to Fox if they adapted the comic. Not wanting to give up such a personal project of his, Groening drew [[Franchise/TheSimpsons a certain yellow-skinned family]] that would quickly eclipse ''Life In Hell'' in popularity.

* Creator/EmilioEstevez used his money from the third ''Film/TheMightyDucks'' movie to indirectly fund ''Series/TheWarAtHome''.

* The late director Gary Winick did a number of cookie-cutter romantic comedies (''Film/ThirteenGoingOnThirty'', ''Film/BrideWars'', ''Film/LettersToJuliet'') and family films (the remake of ''Literature/CharlottesWeb'') so that he could finance smaller independent projects that made use of digital cameras. It ended up working rather well as he produced a number of critically acclaimed films through his company Indigent.

* A group of Baptists financed [[Creator/EdWood Edward D. Wood's]] ''Film/PlanNineFromOuterSpace'' in hopes of using the profits to produce a religious film. One wonders how that worked out.

* This is Creator/WayForwardTechnologies' way of life. One particularly evident instance of this is making [[Videogame/TheMummyDemastered a game based on]] ''[[Film/TheMummy2017 The Mummy]]'' in-between installments of ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'' (one of which was a fan-funded Kickstarter project, no less).

* The late director Gary Winick did a number of cookie-cutter romantic comedies (''13 Going On 30'', ''Film/BrideWars'', ''Film/LettersToJuliet'') and family films (the remake of ''Literature/CharlottesWeb'') so that he could finance smaller independent projects that made use of digital cameras. It ended up working rather well as he produced a number of critically acclaimed films through his company Indigent.

* Creator/GwynethPaltrow stated that her early 2000s output was this, as art films such as ''Sylvia'', ''Proof'' and ''Film/TheRoyalTenenbaums'' alternated with paychecks like ''Film/ShallowHal'' and "[[OldShame this terrible movie called]] ''View From the Top'' that Harvey Weinstein talked me into doing".

* Creator/CyberConnect2 is an extreme example. Many of their games contracted by Creator/BandaiNamco typically take a few years to develop, and when they do have freedom, they use what funding they have left over to create smaller, niche properties. This especially true for their ''VideoGame/LittleTailBronx'' series, with only a few installments to show for it during ''decades'', while still putting out artbooks that develop its setting even further. And with ''VideoGame/FugaMelodiesOfSteel'' being their first venture into self-publishing and cutting the need for them to pitch to someone like Namco Bandai, they now have even more opportunities to develop smaller projects. As ''Fuga'' creative director [[https://twitter.com/YoannGueritot/status/1503700558208978949 Yoann Gueritot]] once put it:

* Creator/CyberConnect2 is an extreme example. Many of their games contracted by Creator/BandaiNamco typically take a few years to develop, and when they do have freedom, they use what funding they have left over to create smaller, niche properties. This especially true for their ''VideoGame/LittleTailBronx'' series, with only a few installments to show for it during ''decades'', while still putting out artbooks that develop its setting even further.

* Famously inverted by Music/DavidBowie. After getting a raw deal on his contract, he spent the next several years producing experimental and [[AcclaimedFlop highly-acclaimed but not very commercial]] material (i.e Music/{{Low|DavidBowieAlbum}}, ''Music/{{Heroes|DavidBowieAlbum}}'', and ''Music/{{Lodger}}''. When his contract expired, he produced some more mainstream (but again, highly-acclaimed) work for the money (i.e. ''Music/LetsDance'', ''Music/{{Tonight}}'', ''Music/NeverLetMeDown'') before ultimately getting dissatisfied and making experimental-oriented music again.

* Famously inverted by Music/DavidBowie. After getting a raw deal on his contract, he spent the next several years producing experimental and [[AcclaimedFlop highly-acclaimed but not very commercial]] material (i.e Music/{{Low|DavidBowieAlbum}}, ''Music/{{Heroes|DavidBowieAlbum}}'', and ''Music/{{Lodger}}''. When his contract expired, he produced some more mainstream (but again, highly-acclaimed) work for the money (i.e. ''Music/LetsDance'', ''Music/{{Tonight}}'', ''Music/NeverLetMeDown'' before ultimately getting dissatisfied and making experimental-oriented music again.

* Famously inverted by Music/DavidBowie. After getting a raw deal on his contract, he spent the next several years producing experimental and [[AcclaimedFlop highly-acclaimed but not very commercial]] material. When his contract expired, he produced some more mainstream (but again, highly-acclaimed) work for the money.

* Creator/CyberConnect2 is an extreme example. Many of their games contracted by Creator/BandaiNamco typically take a few years to develop, and when they do have freedom, they use what funding they have left over to create smaller, niche properties. This especially true for their ''Little Tail Bronx'' series, with only a few installments to show for it during ''decades'', while still putting out artbooks that develop its setting even further.

Can lead to MagnumOpusDissonance if the project done only for the money is the one that takes flight while the project done for the art never gets off the ground.

* Creator/{{Treasure}} agreed to develop ''VideoGame/McDonaldsTreasureLandAdventure'' for Creator/{{Sega}} only so that Sega would help them fund the development of ''VideoGame/GunstarHeroes''. Although ''Treasure Land Adventure'' finished development first, Treasure managed to complete ''Gunstar Heroes'' quickly enough to release a week ahead of the other game so they could claim ''Gunstar'' as their true debut game.

* Dino [=De Laurentiis=] agreed to produce ''Film/RawDeal'' because he needed quick cash for his long-gestating project ''Film/TotalRecall1990''. At that time, he owned the rights to the film. The film's failure to make adequate money (only $16 million) resulted in [=De Laurentiis=]' bankruptcy and ''TotalRecall'''s sale of rights to Carolco.

* Allegedly, the reason that ''VideoGame/AliensColonialMarines'' ended up being such a terrible game was that Gearbox used the money that they were paid to make the game in order to fund their own properties, including ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'', and ''VideoGame/DukeNukemForever'', and only started working on ''Colonial Marines'' in earnest after becoming in danger of violating their contract.