i remember when i was in undergrad in nyc in the mid 1990s and i had friends at nyu film school. they didn't have fully digital video editing back then.
it cost a lot of money to make a short film. I think some classmates of hers were spending up to $10,000 on a film
i remember a similar situation for press, printing
the cost has gone down so much now. you can make a film for almost nothing; even cartoons and animations
most of what you have to do is find focus and time.