Indeed. After all, a "big studio picture" is a fairly well-defined genre. That is to say, a tremendous number of choices have been made before any given project

Indeed. After all, a "big studio picture" is a fairly well-defined genre. That is to say, a tremendous number of choices have been made before any given project even begins. Even a director given "full control" can be relied on not to paint too far outside the lines. After all, how do you think he got full control in the first place?