Rebel without a crew, or, How a 23-year-old filmmaker with $7,000 became a Hollywood player/Robert Rodriguez

"In Rebel Without a Crew, famed independent screenwriter and director Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Sin City 2, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Spy Kids) discloses all the unique strategies and original techniques he used to make his remarkable debut film, El Mariachi, on a shoestring budget. This is both one man's remarkable story and an essential guide for anyone who has a celluloid story to tell and the dreams and determination to see it through. Part production diary, part how-to manual, Rodriguez unveils how he was able to make his influential first film on only a $7,000 budget. Also included is the appendix, 'The Ten Minute Film Course," a tell-all on how to save thousands of dollars on film school and teach yourself the ropes of film production, directing, and screenwriting."--Publisher description

In his own witty and straight-shooting style, Robert Rodriguez discloses all the strategies and innovative techniques he used to make "El Mariachi" on the cheap—including filming before noon so he wouldn't have to buy the actors lunch. You'll witness Rodriguez's whirlwind, 'Mariachi-style' filmmaking, where creativity—not money—is used to solve problems. Culminating in his "Ten-Minute Film School," this book may render conventional film-school programs obsolete. Rodriguez also offers an insider's view of the amazing courtship he enjoyed with Hollywood's A-list. It's an entertaining tour of Hollywood's deal-making machine as he navigates you through studio meetings, pitch sessions, and power lunches. Candidly divulging all the tactics and tempting lures the warring studios used to win him over, he admits that he barely escaped with his movie and his soul intact. Exploding the conventional wisdom that you need at least a million dollars to make a feature film, this nuts-and-bolts account features the full "El Mariachi" shooting script, postproduction tips, film festival anecdotes, and publicity blitz secrets. He demonstrates the countless ways to do for free what the pros spend thousands (or more) on without a second thought. "Rebel Without a Crew" is both one man's remarkable story and the essential guide for anyone who has a celluloid story to tell and the determination to see it through.

In his own exceptionally witty and straight-shooting style, Robert Rodriguez discloses all the unique strategies and innovative techniques he used to make El Mariachi on the cheap - including filming before noon so he wouldn't have to buy the actors lunch. You'll see firsthand Rodriguez's whirlwind, "Mariachi-style" filmmaking, where creativity - not money - is used to solve problems. Culminating in Robert Rodriguez's "Ten-Minute Film School," this book may render conventional film-school programs obsolete. Rodriguez also offers an insider's view of the amazing courtship he enjoyed with Hollywood's A-list. It's an entertaining tour of Hollywood's deal-making machine as he navigates you through studio meetings, pitch sessions, and power lunches with the biggest names in the industry. Candidly divulging all the tactics and tempting lures the warring studios used to win him over, he admits that he barely escaped with his movie and his soul intact Just how did this amateur filmmaker from Texas -- with only one camera, no crew, and a budget largely raised by subjecting himself to medical experimentation -- manage to complete a feature film for $7,000 and get himself wined and dined by Hollywood's biggest movie moguls? Now, in his own words, Robert Rodriguez discloses all the unique strategies and innovative techniques he used to make his first movie, El Mariachi, on the cheap. You'll see firsthand Rodriguez's whirlwind "Mariachi-style" filmmaking, where creativity -- not money -- is used to solve problems. Culminating in his "Ten-Minute Film School," this book may render conventional film-school programs obsolete. Rodriguez's nuts-and-bolts account features the full El Mariachi shooting script, post-production tips, film festival anecdotes, publicity blitz secrets -- and even an insider's view of the courtship he enjoyed with Hollywood's A-list