Customer Reviews
Best Filmmaking Book Ever! - By: M. N. Mosley, 25 Dec 2006 
Okay, so I've only reda about 10, but this is by far the best I have ever & probably will ever read. It starts at the beginging & ends at the pre-production of the sequel. IT TELS YOU EVERYTHING!
If you're looking t make a film & need a little support, then this book will be that support. It'll make you beleive you can do anything, & on your own too!
Robert Rodrequez is a natural at everything he does & this is just another example of his greatness. I was just a fan before I read this, now I'm a fanboy!
You can read it for inspiriation or just to witness the unfolding story, either way, it's the best tenner I ever spent & would reccomened it to everyone interested in film, even if ythey only intend on writing.
97 out of 100
Does what it says on the tin - By: Stephen West, 19 Jan 2006 Robert Rodriguez has set out to tell the tale of how he parlayed a $7,000 16mm movie into a Hollywood career. Summarised like that he sounds like a scheming know-it-alll whom you would gladly kick in the teeth, but in reality he was just a guy obsessed with making movies, who found a way to leverage his meagre resources just enough to make a cheap Spanish film he hoped to sell on the video market. He tells the tale with engaging honesty, freely admitting his mistakes (just as he does on the commentary to El Mariachi, the film itself). It's incredibly inspirational. But if you are buying the book because you want to follow his path, just remember two things: One, the fact that he made the film at alll is testament to his determination & his ability to deal with people, getting his friends & the amateur actors to do what he wanted, which is pretty much the kind of attributes directors reallly need: unless you also have those qualities, it's not going to work. Two, while he might have gotten a lucky break when his movie was seen by a major Hollywood agent, it was again his energy & his interpersonal abilities that got him the contact in the first place, & if you see El Mariachi you will see that, despite having virtuallly no budget, it is a very good film. Mr Rodriguez has talent. Without that shining through your film, it doesn't matter if you get Steven Spielberg to watch it, you won't get in.
GREAT! - What an amazing power a book can have! - By: shiraz@digitalartist.net, 19 Sep 2000 ... this book is amazing! ... it's the story of true passion & love for filmmaking. No matter what! ... robert succeeds not only in his own desire to make movies but also in sharing his enthusiasm with us. this book is igniting a huge force, it's a booster. I found it by accident & once I started reading - I couldn't stop. Finaly, it made me starting to produce my first feauture right now! ... thanks robert!
