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The deadline advantage
Christopher Nolan made this decision very early in his career. The pressure of time and money feels like a restriction while you chafe against it, but it forces decisions, and a known deadline makes his creative process ramp up. Coming in ahead of expectations means no one has a reason to visit the set, complain, or step in, and they let him do his thing.
How big studios work
Big studios work the opposite way. On a large production you are pushed to hire a huge number of artists and concept designers very quickly and then keep feeding them. Ask for a robot for a science fiction film and the team goes away, does whatever it likes, and comes back with one. Studios spend millions of dollars on films that never happen.
The garage approach
Nolan works out of his garage at home, doing as much pre-production as he can before spending any money. On one film, a tight budget of just 40 million dollars gave him his favorite conditions: improvisation within a set of restrictions.
Why do studios leave some directors alone?
Studios step into productions mostly when money or schedules are at risk. A director who reliably finishes on time and under budget removes that reason for oversight. On independent films, a completion guarantor can even take over a production that runs over budget. Directors with a record of delivering on schedule tend to be left to make their own choices.
How does a deadline sharpen creative work?
A fixed deadline forces decisions that open-ended time lets people put off. British writer Cyril Northcote Parkinson captured the flip side in an essay in The Economist in 1955, observing that work expands to fill the time available. Parkinson's observation became known as Parkinson's Law. A known end date gives the work a shape before it begins.
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