Most Southeast Asian producers chase Hollywood's big budget projects, but here's the counterintuitive truth: large budgets prevent the knowledge transfer that regional film industries desperately need. When millions are on the line, there's zero room for crew training or experimentation—you need your best people, period. After a decade building Wave Films across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines, the real learning happens on smaller, intimate projects where producers can bring on trainees, interns, and volunteers who absorb international working methods. This creates crew members who seamlessly transition between local and international productions, solving the talent shortage nobody talks about. While most producers optimize for immediate revenue, Wave Films focuses on capability building that creates sustainable competitive advantages and breaks the dependency trap.