however, kramer soon learned that financing such independent films was a major obstacle, as he was forced to approach banks or else take on private investors. he did both when necessary. but with studios no longer involved, rival independent companies were created which all competed for those limited funds. according to byman, "there were no fewer than ninety-six" other companies in competition during that period, and included some of hollywood's biggest names: frank capra, john ford, william wyler, howard hawks, leo mccarey, and george stevens. kramer explains how he tried to differentiate his new company from the others, noting that he was less interested in the money than having the ability to make a statement through his films: