When the Russo brothers did their first feature film "Pieces," the process was a nightmare. They had to have their father dig into his pension and go into massive credit card debt themselves to finance the 30k film "Pieces" which premiered at SLAMDANCE. They stayed in debt for close to 10 years and it only built up over time, while simultaneously receiving help from family.
It is true that no path in filmmaking is the same but it is interesting to trace the humble origin story of two young kids from Cleveland, now some of the most well respected commercial directors working today. Video below of an event they attended.