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7th out of 204 books
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Rebel Without a Crew, or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player
In Rebel Without a Crew, screenwriter and director Robert Rodriguez 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.
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
September 1st 1996
by Plume Books
(first published August 1st 1995)
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Really, really interesting book. It's essentially the diary Rodriguez wrote while making his famous debut film "El Mariachi." He redefines creating by the seat of your pants. Rodriguez does everything from volunteering for a medical experiment to raise much-needed funds to casting people who don't even speak Spanish into his Spanish-language movie. He shoots for an insanely short number of days, hardly sleeping and improvising as he goes--he admits, for instance, that the theme song to...more
I think I would give this book 2.5 stars really. Rodriguez definitely knows how to craft a story, whether it is in a film or this book laid out in diary form. It moves quickly, like the movie he describes making, but sometimes he goes a little too quickly, especially once he becomes enamored with Hollywood (he protests he isn't, but I think what he tells us about really shows that he is). One of the most frustrating parts is when Rodriguez tells us that Quentin Tarentino gives him some writing a...more
While Robert Rodriquez's "Rebel Without a Crew" will not win any literary awards, it is still a fun read. The book is an account of the director's personal journey to get his low budget movie, "El Mariachi" produce and sold. The novel is a collection of journal entries (from Mr. Rodriquez) on the process of: finding funds, getting actors, acquiring locations, filming the feature, and submitting the final product to film festivals and potential video and Spanish TV buyers. ...more
This was a really helpful, inspiring, and often humorous novel, written by one of my favorite directors, Robert Rodriguez. He tells the story of how he wrote, directed, and cut El Mariachi, but he also includes bits of his previous life, such as getting rejected (then later admitted for his award-winning short film "Bedhead"), to becoming a lab rat for money, to his adventures in Hollywood, and his meeting with various people such as Roger Moore, Quentin Tarantino, and Steve Buscemi. T...more
This book is fantastic- A real page turner! I began reading it two days ago, and have barely been able to put it down since. Rodriguez' account of his trials, tribulations, and incredible adventure as he rises from a 12-year-old amateur filmmaker to a 23-year-old writer/producer/director/cameraman thrust into the Hollywood limelight make for very engrossing reading. The book contains Rodriguez' almost daily journal entries that he wrote while filming "El Mariachi," as well as during a ...more
What an inspirational story! I'm not even an inspiring film maker! It's the quintessential American Dream. It's a step by step how he made a straight to video movie with no money. It's great about achieving dreams. Call in favors and borrow equipment from friends. Get on the phone, a lot, and figure out the details of the steps that you need to do. Sell your body to medical science.
Most of all his energy is infectious and really brings across the point that is you work hard enough y...more
Most of all his energy is infectious and really brings across the point that is you work hard enough y...more
I'm a fan of Rodriguez, so naturally this was an interesting read. He writes so matter-of-factly about the whole process that he makes it seem easy to get noticed by Hollywood. It was inspiring, particularly at the end when he went back and examined how insanely fast all of his fame developed. As with any diary, certain facts are repeated quite a few times, but, for the most part, they deserve repetition. How the hell did some guy from Austin make a movie with $7,000 and sell it for a few hundre...more
An exceptionally bland read which could essentially be condensed down to a blurb-Man sells himself to science to fund film, man makes cheap said film for 7,000, man becomes overnight Hollywood royalty. Everything else is just laboured repetition.
Also in order keep up with the nonchalant pretence of effortless film making vital information is constantly left out, often going from A straight to D.
A prime example being while struggling to write for film Quentin Tarantino gives him some ...more
Also in order keep up with the nonchalant pretence of effortless film making vital information is constantly left out, often going from A straight to D.
A prime example being while struggling to write for film Quentin Tarantino gives him some ...more
Film director Mat Whitecross has chosen to discuss Robert Rodriguez’s Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Film-Maker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player , on FiveBooks (http://five-books.com) as one of the top five on his subject – Film Directing, saying that:
“…I remember growing up and really wanting to be a film-maker but it seemed like an impossible dream. When this book came out it was so inspiring because Rodriguez said, just grab hold of a camera and go off...more
“…I remember growing up and really wanting to be a film-maker but it seemed like an impossible dream. When this book came out it was so inspiring because Rodriguez said, just grab hold of a camera and go off...more
I've been a casual fan of Robert Rodriguez for a while-basically I think he makes damn fun action films with some inventive ideas in each, even if they're not "the best movie evar" kinds of deals. So when I saw this at the Traveler Cafe I snapped it up. About a year or maybe more later I've finally read it, in quite rapid-fire (I think it took less than a week). It's immensely readable, just Rodriguez's diary from the time he conceived of the idea of shooting a "practice"...more
now that i'm a month from earning my bachelor's degree in film production here's how i would do it if i were to do it all over again:
1. take out a student loan, but use it to buy a camera instead of classes.
2. get the super maxed out netflix subscription that allows for 10 dvd's at a time. start from the silents and watch every important film anyone ever mentioned (and some bad ones for balance)
3. purchase 'rebel without a crew'. read it in two hours (it ...more
1. take out a student loan, but use it to buy a camera instead of classes.
2. get the super maxed out netflix subscription that allows for 10 dvd's at a time. start from the silents and watch every important film anyone ever mentioned (and some bad ones for balance)
3. purchase 'rebel without a crew'. read it in two hours (it ...more
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This is the story of how Robert Rodriguez (Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Grindhouse, Machete) created his own path to Hollywood and a successful film career. I read this when I was in high school multiple times, and it is by no means a work of literary genius, but there is a beautiful simplicity to the journal-style presented in the book. The honesty in this book gave me hope when I was younger, and for me it made writing not so much about what I wish I could write, but more about what was and is.
Very inspiring. The book is written in diary form from when he started El Mariachi to when it was bought by Columbia and shown at film festivals. I read it in 2 days. I think his film making strategy of not worrying about doing it right, just go do it, is applicable to every creative process. Learning by doing will beat learning and then doing every time. Lots of very funny parts while filming Mariachi that reminded me of movies I used to make. I'm a big Robert Rodriguez fan now.
Robert Rodriguez is the director of Sin City, Spy Kids and El Mariachi - his first feature film which cost $7000 and looks fantastic. He writes about making movies at home using an old video camera tethered to a Betamax recorder. He's passionate about making good films cheaply - I mean for nothing. Now he's one of the big players but he still turns in great work on time and under budget. It's a great read. Funny and inspiring.
Live the dream, even if it means giving your body to science for 3 months to fund you movie.
This is the diary that Robert Rodriguez kept when he was making El Mariachi. Very inspiring, informative about the process of film creation, and extremely entertaining. Robert has a very candid sense of humor, and it bleeds thru the ink here.
If you ever considered film school, or working on TV production, you must read this.
This is the diary that Robert Rodriguez kept when he was making El Mariachi. Very inspiring, informative about the process of film creation, and extremely entertaining. Robert has a very candid sense of humor, and it bleeds thru the ink here.
If you ever considered film school, or working on TV production, you must read this.
I wish I would have read this book 15 years ago. How inspirational to see how a neophyte filmmaker made a well-received, theatrical movie for under $7,000. He did almost everything himself and showed how you don't have to attend film school or be a Hollywood insider to break into the film making business. He had creativity, passion, determination, and a maverick attitude.
A great history of how Rodriguez created El Mariachi on a shoestring budget and farmed himself out as a guinea pig in science experiments so he could buy film stock... a very entertaining read especially if you have aspirations of making your own movie some day, I found myself screaming and cheering in places throughout the book.
This is the very entertaining story of how Robert Rodriguez made and sold his first movie! He is the master of doing action on a low budget and has lots of wisdom on how to get this done. This book, like his movies, is very fun. Highly recommended for fans of Rodriguez or low budget filmmaking.
Rebel Without a Crew is the perfect book if you need some motivation to start making your own movie, or even just to learn about an inspiring experience.
Robert Rodriguez really has a style of filmmaking that I admire, so hearing about it in a book where he gives us all the details, I couldn't enjoy it more.
Robert Rodriguez really has a style of filmmaking that I admire, so hearing about it in a book where he gives us all the details, I couldn't enjoy it more.
Rebel Without A Crew is one of the more inspiration books about film making I've ever read. Telling the story of a very young Robert Rodriguez going through medical testing to make money to make his film, the book flows beautifully.
Truly one of the best books about film making. As told in diary form from day 1, Rodriguez takes the audience on the journey that lead to making his first film, which only cost $7000, but looks like a million dollars.
Very inspirational book for anyone wanting to make a film. Robert Rodriguez literally sells his body to science to raise money for his Mexican Shoot 'Em Up "El Mariachi" and becomes the Hollywood golden child.
I couldn't resist borrowing this book and starting read the author's story of how he made El Mariachi (his first feature) for $7,000.
This book is an edited journal of his film-making experience.
At the back of the book is a short chapter titled "10 minute film school"
as well as the original screenplay of El Mariachi.
This book is an edited journal of his film-making experience.
At the back of the book is a short chapter titled "10 minute film school"
as well as the original screenplay of El Mariachi.
I learned more from packing a car & driving to Hollywood with this book than I did in 2 years of film school. If you're even remotely interested in this industry (or what's left of it), Rebel's a must-have. Go forth.
As an aspiring film maker, this book helped me to stretch my imagination about what's really possible for a movie with a small budget, and gave a lot of insight as to what to expect when trying to get a movie bought. Rodrigues' humor and the story of his humble beginnings as a lab rat adds a nice twist to it and made the book quite enjoyable to read. The book started to get a bit dry after El Mariachi started to take off as it didn't offer much other than a long list of awards, but otherwise, no...more
Funny, honest, and well written, this book makes me want to create my own independent film.
I read this before rewatching El Mariachi and Desperado, and highly recommend it to anyone interested inn those films or independent film-making in general.
I read this before rewatching El Mariachi and Desperado, and highly recommend it to anyone interested inn those films or independent film-making in general.
This is a great book about making smart choices for making your film that will save you money in the long run. I really liked the advice he gives in this book and a huge insperation to me personally
an easy read from a sensible, likeable artist ...great inspiration for anyone wanting to go into the film business...particularly those just starting out.
He's full of himself, but it does offer some inspiration for aspiring filmmakers. I read this book when I was really into making short films.
Robert Rodriguez's grammar sucks but other than that this is a fairly entertaining story of making it big in Hollywood with one small-budget success.
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Robert Anthony Rodriguez is an American director, writer, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician perhaps best known for making profitable, crowd-pleasing independent and studio films with fairly low budgets and fast schedules by Hollywood standards. He shoots and produces many of his films in Texas and Mexico.
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