People seem surprised that Herbert did draw inspiration from real life events. Dune is losely based on Russian imperialism in the Muslim Caucasus region. Which is also a region rich in oil deposits. This isn’t Herbert seeing the future as much as history repeating.

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-secret-history-of-dune is an interesting read.

The theory is that the people putting the money into it are the ones taking the risk. If you sign on as an employee you get paid no matter if the film is a flop that never makes its budget back or an unexpected success.

If the rates are low, she could have potentially negotiated a clause in her the contract for a cut of the profits or a bonus. Alec Guiness did that for Star Wars when no one anticipated how big a hit it would become and made millions. But the Art Director in the article is now looking at things in hindsight when it’s easy to say what she should/could/would have done.

I think this guy needs to consider the difference between invisible and intangible.

If I pay for an invisible hotdog, I still expect it to taste delicious.