It seems to me that B-level actors sometimes agree to do a movie for the experience and practice as much as to further their career and get a paycheck. Other times, the opposite is true, and major stars purposely chose to do a small independent production following a major success, knowing that they could never top their last picture. Often times, it is obvious when an actor has their personal motives in mind when choosing to do a film. Kate Winslet's decision to shoot Hideous Kinky following the hugely-succes...ful Titanic comes to mind, as does Elijah Wood's decision to take part in All I Want, following his work on The Lord of the Rings.

These films are usually great for everybody except the audience. The obscure filmmaker gets a "name" in their film, the actor gets to work in a more relaxed environment, everybody gets to work a little and the studio will hopefully break even in the accounting department. The film is almost secondary, and while the finished product usually has a bit of low-budget charm, it's certainly not going to be an award winner.