5/5 Robert Rodriguez amazes me.
  by Donald E. Strong (Mesa, AZ USA)
Not because he's a great writer or director, but because with every single project he makes me feel like I can DO this. I can make good movies that people will enjoy watching. And you can, too.

This is one of the most inspiring books on filmmaking I've ever read--it depicts, in detail, all the ups and downs that went into making and selling EL MARIACHI, the $7000 sensation that opened doors for Rodriguez.

A lot of filmmakers argue that EL MARIACHI isn't a great film, that the story's kind of silly, that the version that most of us saw had $500,000 worth of post-production work added, and on and on.

But they're talking about it. It's 2003 and people are still talking about the amazing feat Rodriguez pulled off with this film. For $7000 of his own money, plus a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears, he got himself noticed and made a career out of his hobby. "Do what you love, then find someone who will pay you to do it."

This is a how-to manual for the basement movie-maker, written by a man who is excited about using movies to tell his stories: in this book, in the commentary tracks for his movies, in his Ten-Minute Film School installments, I have never once felt like Robert Rodriguez was bored with either his work or his achievements. The guy has fun, and his personality gets its fingerprints all over his work--if you can't enjoy yourself while watching a Rodriguez movie, you're expecting too much and thinking too hard.

This guy is not changing the face of American cinema: he wants all of US to change the face of American cinema, and this book is an open invitation to do just that.

Devour Rodriguez. Consume this book and engorge yourself on his DVDs. Chow down on special features on how he did it that also show YOU how to do it. If, after a week-long diet of Robert Rodriguez, you DON'T want to make your own movie IMMEDIATELY, seek a different destiny: making movies is not for you.

5/5 Journal of an Indie Filmaker
  by the wizard of uz (Studio City, CA United States)
El Mariachi is a Comedy Of Errors. (Hey, what a catchy title for a play !) A poor man's " North by Northwest" wherein a mariachi looking for a job gets mistaken for a killer seeking revenge because they carry identical guitar cases.

It's a funny, fast paced and an extremely well plotted film, shot without a crew and only one camera. Rodriguez used a wheelchair for a dolly and a ladder for a crane. It works beautifully.

He recounts his adventures, including raising money by submitting to medical experiments, in this --to some--inspiring book.

I say 'to some' because if you want to get a rise out of an aspiring director who is working "through the system" i.e; editors, directors of photography, cameramen, 2nd A.D.'s, the guy brings the coffee, in short ANYONE in crew on a Hollywood set or in postproduction, all you have to do is casually mention 'El Mariachi' and they'll start grousing about how it really cost a million bucks after it got picked up to bring it up to quality prior to release.

Hmm. . .slightly untrue but a face saving urban myth. In a few years they'll be saying it took 10 million.

They're not alone. Film schools and some other Indie filmakers also dislike him.

Why?

Simple.

Rodriguez is a throwback to the Golden Era of silent films and the early twenties, prior to the star/ agent system.

(Gee, however did D. W. Griffith or Erich von Stroheim manage it without ever having attended a film school? Boggles the mind, doesn't it? )

BTW, Rodriguez' appendix 'The Ten Minute Film Course ' is worth the price of the book alone. Cheap really, considering he tells you how to save 20k from a school that will , after all is said and done, qualify you after four years to be the guy that brings the coffee to the set--or if you're extremely well connected and lucky, the 2nd A.D.

Which explains the dislike from both film schools and wannabe directors who already plunked downn their dough and have little to show for it ten to twenty years after.

But why would some Indie directors dislike one of their own?

Simple again.

Envy.

You see we have now a new myth in town--similar to the myth in the 40's that you were going to get 'discovered' sitting at Schwab's cafeteria , namely the myth of the YOUNG FILMAKER.

HEY KIDS, LET'S PUT TOGETHER OUR MASTERCARDS, SHOOT A LOW BUDGET FILM AND HAVE IT PLAY IN THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT!

Good luck.

The truth is that for every Robert Rodriguez there's ten thousand intolerable idiots who couldn't direct traffic, let alone a film, and whose idea of writing a 'small movie' is a self indulgent sentimental auto biographical P.O.S. about the meaning of life, which ususally means scenes with teenagers drinking espresso and talking about their angst, or a study of a failed relationship, or a cynically dark vision from hell, or the plight of the (fill in the blank).

Zzzzzzz....................

But well written with a good plot? Forget about it! A comedy? Unimaginable.

After Mariachi's success, R. R. was given money (and a crew!) for his subsequent projects. He amazed the establishment by shooting as many as 70 camera set ups on a single day!

Well, why not? Without stars demanding changes to the script (Please read 'Adventures in The Screen Trade ' by William Goldman ) and other idiocies, it can and has been done.

Furthermore R.R. believes that the reason overblown and overbudgeted Hollywood productions are usually so stale is because of all the waiting actors have to do as the crew lights and sets up the next shot ( Oh, about 3 hours each on a good day ) which robs actors of energy and films of their vitality.

Along with Goldman's books ( He folllowed up with 'Which Lie Did I Tell? ' ) and Robert Evans 'The Kid Stays in The Picture' R.R's book is among the wisest and wittiest renderings on Hollyweird.

5/5 Best, maybe only book you need on filmmaking; Most fun too!
  by Mercy Bell
When I started this book I didn't have the motivation to get up and make a movie. I wanted to, but it was all a big intimidating blur. The minute I finished it, 3 days after I started (and I'm not a fast reader) I decided to make a movie, and several months later had actually made a short film, as crewless as Mr. Rodriguez had been, and had an absolute blast doing it. Then it hit me, c'mon, how hard could it be from here to make a full feature? That's exactly what he'd been saying all along. This is the only book you need.

Aw, what do I know, right? Well let me revise myself a little bit. This is the only book you need to read to be PREPARED to actually get up and make a movie, whether it's two or 120 minutes. If you still need tech and history books, all good, all good, but if you want some kind of a degree or certificate that says "Official Filmmaker", forget it, this is the only,well, ANYTHING, you need. If even! Rodriguez would probably say you don't even need to read the book, just go out and make movies. That's what he did.

This book is as simple as it sounds. A production diary, edited here and there, highly informational introduction and appendices, and the most lively, vibrant, good natured, humorous, validating, and incredibly UN-intimidating (as said by my brother, he seems incredibly laid back) narrator you could ever wish for. Sometimes you honestly forget you're reading a book about movies and are just listening to a friend recount a few crazy harebrained adventures. The book flies by and I enjoyed every minute of it. I happily list it as one of the best and most entertaining books I've ever read, next to even my very favorite classics in literature!

But Rodriguez' adoration of, common sense, and maverick independence regarding film is what takes the cake. He realized that there's a labyrinthian system of bureaucracy, upper crust of snobs, and far too many negative folks controlling the main highway of the business, from the schools to the studios, and he, a film student at the time, decided that the actual flesh and bone mechanics of film are available to anyone and that there was another way to go. He didn't like the idea of being taught how to make movies the way someone else wanted you to make them, he wanted to be himself, and he thought that if you have talent that's all you need, it can't be taught to you. So he got up and made some short films for festivals, then decided "shorts are easy, couldn't be that hard to make a feature". So he went to Mexico and made his indie hit, El Mariachi, all by his lonesome. The actual diary takes place during the making of El Mariachi (and the post production and "getting discovered" frenzy), and is a day to day account of imagination, creativity, ingenuity, a makeshift and anything goes sensibility, and old fashioned elbow grease, told by a fabulous storyteller. Everything afterwards is equally thrilling for anyone interested in filmmaking as it offers a VERY revealing glimpse into the studio system, and ends up being humorous as Rodriguez, an overnight golden boy in Hollywood, was able to deflect it and still float along doing his own thing. (Some great pictures too!)

Other than relaying some of the philosophies and wisdom he's picked up along the way, he doesn't tell you what to do. By recounting his own adventures, he aims to inspire the reader to go off and do their own thing. And it works. It's magically inspiring.

For anyone out there wanting to make movies for the sake and artistic joy and satisfaction of making movies, which is one of Rodriguez' tenets, this is the book for you. It won't tell you how to become famous or successful or how to work a field mixer, but he tells you to get up, there's another door that is open with no line and no barriers except for the one in your mind, and there are millions of possibilities and routes to take on the other side.

5/5 To call it Inspiring is an Understatement
  by Kevin Alphonso (Canton, Michigan)
Robert Rodriguez, Texas-born filmmaker tells us how his attempt at honing his filmmaking skills jettisioned him straight into the big time.

This diary book tells us of the frustrations and nightmares of making his debut feature film "El Mariachi". He also tells us of his interesting and amusing stories of entry into Hollywood: like getting representation from a major Hollywood agent at one International Creative Management (the biggest talent agency in the world). And he tells of his adventures and misadventures in a such a friendly style, you'd swear you were speaking to your best friend.

This is the only book I've ever read that can genuinely constitute as inspiring. I'm dead serious. I'm 17 years old and an aspiring filmmaker. Before I read his book, I was trying to make movies and was more than a little discouraged at how things turned out. But, that all changed when I heard what this book was about. I requested it for Christmas and couldn't believe my eyes. If Rodriguez, for some reason, decides that he doesn't want to make movies anymore, he should seriously consider being a motivational speaker. In this book, he tells of his filmmaking experience -- all the trials and tribulations and encourages and inspires people by telling them how easy and straightforward the filmmaking process, always known to be daunting, really is.

And as an added incentive -- frosting on the cake, really -- Rodriguez includes his "10 Minute Film School", telling how you can make a movie in a few easy steps. Again, this guy speaks to you on an equal level -- he doesn't patronize, which is what makes the book even better.

Robert Rodriguez does an excellent job of entertaining and inspiring us in this book on how easy, sometimes challenging, and rewarding the filmmaking process can be.

Take a bow, Mr. Rodriguez.

5/5 You wanna be a filmmaker...fine, you ARE one!
  by Angelo.Bell (Los Angeles, CA)
I have a library of freakin' Hollywood how-to books. Filmmaking. Screenwriting. Treatments. Pitching. Blah-blah-blah. This book by Robert Rodriguez is the ONLY book in my library that actually inspired me to get off my [couch] and make a film!

I read Robert's book in the summer of 2003. By February 1, 2004 I had written, produced, shot and directed my own short film. People said it couldn't be done.

I'm about to submit my short film to the Los Angeles Film Festival. My film has a cast of 7 people and more than a dozen extras. I had seven crew members. I shot it using someone else's Canon GL1 miniDV camera. It was edited on Final Cut Pro 4 by someone...for free. People said it couldn't be done.

I needed to shoot my film in 2 days -- Super Bowl XXXVIII weekend to be exact. People said "you'll never be able to get people to show up." I did.

They said, "You can't shoot an 18-page script in two days." I did.

They said, "You'll never be able to afford to pay your crew." Everyone worked on my production for FREE.

They said, "You need a $5 million production insurance policy to book a location." I had everyone sign release forms and I filmed in my own condo and 'guerilla style' at night, at my employer's office.

They said, "You need expensive lighting equipment costing $1000+." I paid $126 for lighting equipment from an online auction site.

Robert's book shows you how to work around "the system" and do what you've always wanted to do: make films. Hollywood is an exclusionary environment where the powers-that-be want to keep as many people OUT as possible. You don't have to follow their rules. Make your own rules. The point of RR's book is for the reader to gain experience MAKING FILMS, not making coffee for some other director. Your first film may not be great, but so what? You've only spent maybe $100 on it, whereas film school grads plunk down tens of thousands of dollars only to see their films crash and burn.

An acquaintance I know is trying to get in the business "the Hollywood way." He went to film school. He tried to do a student film. Now he wants to do commercials in hopes that he'll get "discovered". He turned up his nose at me when I said I was going to make a short film. But while he's working on everyone else's film, sitting in lecture halls, taking tests and being a PA I have already directed my first film and I'm about to see it premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

So you wanna be a filmmaker? Fine, you ARE one! Now go print some business cards and make a film!