Entirely unsurprising, but I’m still very tired
If the film had a small budget it's not like the worker who took out a few months to work on it for $7000 has taken on much less risk than the writer or producer that chipped in $50,000. This is capitalist apologia. The risk the art lead had was if the movie flopped they might not get much work ever again, leaving them destitute and having to pick up work elsewhere. The same risk that someone who offered up a little seed capital to kick the project off.