Gareth Edwards believes blockbuster movies don't need $300 million budgets.
The Big Picture Gareth Edwards is a movie studio's dream. He's had experience on big budget blockbusters in the past, and he was sure there was a better, more frugal way to make an epic film. It all starts with Monsters, his 2010 indie film about a couple trying to escape an alien invasion. Edwards operated with a minimal crew, and operated the camera alone, then created the 250 visual effects by himself at home.
“It made total sense to have 300 people surrounding you when you’ve got tanks and dozens of soldiers running across the Golden Gate Bridge as monsters are attacking,” said Edwards to Variety. “It didn’t make as much sense to have 300 people around you when you’re filming in a room with two actors talking to each other. That’s the bit I wanted to try to do differently.”
“Throughout ‘Rogue One,’ we were always talking about his dream project. Basically, his perfect world would be him, a couple of actors, and that’s it.”