Rebel Without a Crew, Or, How a 23-year-old Filmmaker with [dollars]7,000 Became a Hollywood Player

In the world of American independent film-making, no one has landed on the cinema map with more explosive force than Robert Rodriguez did with El Mariachi. And he did so with only one camera, no crew, and a budget largely raised by subjecting himself to medical experimentation. Written in an exceptionally witty and straight-shooting style, this book will render conventional film-school programmes obsolete. Exploding the conventional wisdom that you need at least a million dollars to make a feature film, Rodriguez clearly demonstrates the countless ways to do for free what the pros spend thousands on without a second thought. Rodriguez also offers an insider's view of the amazing courtship he enjoyed with Hollywood. He presents an entertaining tour of the Hollywood deal-making machine as he navigates his way through studio meetings, pitch sessions, and power lunches with the biggest names in the industry. Candidly divulging 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. Rebel Without a Crew 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.