Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player

By Robert Rodriguez

Categories: Arts & Photography, Biographies & Memoirs

Rebel Without a Crew (1995) is Robert Rodriguez's diary of making his first feature, El Mariachi, for about $7,000. He describes joining a medical research study to raise the money and shooting the film in Mexico with friends and borrowed equipment. The diary follows the unexpected aftermath, as the film led to a Hollywood studio deal and festival screenings. The book closes with his ten-minute film school, practical advice for making movies on a very small budget.

Recommended by 1 person

• Edgar Wright: “Great book.”