Low Budget Hell Making Underground Movies with John Waters [Paperback]

Robert Maier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2011

Low Budget Hell is an insider’s story of the outrageous 70s and 80s, where every rule was broken in a mad world of sex, drugs, rock & roll, and hilarious low budget movie-making. In his underground journey, Maier rubs shoulders with Johnny Depp, Ricki Lake, Andy Warhol, Jack Palance, Tab Hunter, Divine, Bill Murray, Sonny Bono, the Coen brothers, artist Jean-Michel Basquait, The Ramones, and Blondie.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Maier is a writer/producer/production manager who worked for fifteen years with John Waters on Female Trouble, Desperate Living, Polyester, Hairspray, and Crybaby, as well as a dozen other low-budget movie-makers in New York and Baltimore.

Product Details

• Paperback: 346 pages
• Publisher: Full Page Publishing (August 19, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983770808
• ISBN-13: 978-0983770800
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,057,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Guerilla Filmmaking 101: Surviving The Humiliations Of True Independent Cinema January 14, 2012

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Having dabbled in the filmmaking community with some short amateur films (both behind the scenes and in front), the process of movie making has always been of interest to me. With advances in technology and easier access to equipment, it has become much more conventional to see people putting together their own projects. But I'm awed by the commitment, energy, expense, and sheer scrappiness that fledging artists needed to make independent films in days gone by. Perhaps one of the more unlikely success stories was that of John Waters. In Baltimore, with a renegade band of misfits including the divine Divine, Waters started out as a gross-out counterculture visionary but transformed himself into a mainstream success. But it wasn't an easy road. One of the people in the trenches with Waters and crew was Robert Maier, and this is his story as only he can tell it. It features many celebrities and known personalities in key roles, but this is about the journey that Maier chose to undertake.

The book starts with an introduction to John Waters and charts the tumultuous days of shooting the films "Female Trouble," "Desperate Living," and "Polyester." With each film, the budget got bigger and Maier's role expanded. There are a lot of harrowing and hysterical details about doing what needed to be done, at any cost of humiliation! Sometimes gross, sometimes excruciatingly unpleasant, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny--this is a real insider's peek behind the magic of movie making. The book also details the periods between these films as Maier engaged in studio politics, hung out with Andy Warhol's crowd, and took part in non-Waters films that shared some of the same production issues, if not more. Reunited for "Hairspray," Maier and Waters found themselves in entirely new territory with studio involvement and it changed the course of their relationship forever. Maier ably demonstrates the sting of this new development, and much of the story plays out as a cautionary tale about success (and its cost) within the Hollywood machine.

As a personal memoir, scenes are filtered through Maier's vantage point and perspective. I think that's to be expected as Maier is the one and only source for these recollections. So don't expect this to be a definitive portrait of Waters or even of the films it describes, just enjoy it as personal storytelling. It is a thoroughly engaging ride. Truthfully, I didn't take anything as a hundred percent fact but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of Maier's tale. It showcases a lot of inherent truths about the filmmaking business, things that are just as true now as they were then. Anyone interested in Waters and/or independent movie making should appreciate this warts-and-all portrait of guerilla artistry. KGHarris, 1/12.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for the John Waters Fan August 29, 2011

By cliffnotes

I just re-read this book and it was even better the second time around.

An incredible retrospective and entertaining look at the behind the scenes trials and tribulations behind the seminal work of John Waters from the film maker responsible for much of the camera work in many Waters Cult Classics as well as his own path breaking film: Love Letter to Edie [VHS] (1975). Also contained in this thoroughly enjoyable work is the authors amazing insight into the world of pop art integration in film making as well as just plain funny experiences making the transition from student film making to professional production. Highly recommended and a damn good read, especially for those interested in film making and broadcasting as a career choice.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Low Budget Hell - An Entertaining Cautionary History May 26, 2012

By Alan K. Sumrall

Amazon Verified Purchase

Low Budget Hell succinctly tells the personal experiences of the author in the low budget film industy in the 70's and 80's. Mainly but not totally, under John Waters, he recalls events and how they affected him and the many people who sacrificed and worked their heart out trying to create films under crushing pressures and often incredibly unreasonable demands of often clearly sociopathic people intent on only their own visions and needs. Maier writes in a very smooth, pleasing style, like he is talking to a friend over a cup of coffee. He also creates the imagery that puts you comfortably there by his shoulder as he works in interesting situations with some people that are as good as gold, others that are flawed and damaged and yet fighting to stay relevant, and others that are near demonic in their nature. As in life, some of the situations are humorous and you often find yourself chuckling when you feel you shouldn't be, after all it is reality. What is described in low budget hell was intense, deadly serious, incredibly hard, sometimes passionate, and in some cases pathetic, especially in those cases where individuals would place themselves in positions of physical and mental abuse for the "artistic" vision or financial greed of people that really didn't give a damn for them but would use any means to get to their personal interpretation of "the top". The book also shows the many very good people that contributed and sacrificed much just to be a part of the "film industry"; a few succeeded, some failed, and many just got by until they found themselves kicked or pushed out. Maier, who apparently was able to hang on through the thick and thin much longer than most, does not get bogged down by details, he includes in a seamless style many of the challenges of the film projects he worked on and he finds different interesting things to say about each project, but but he does not dwell on any of them. You never get bored. You share his frustration and sometimes despair when working with often ill-spirited, selfish people. Yet, you also share his own amazement when most of the projects actually get completed despite all the odds, surviving the bizarre incidents and interference. You are introduced to the constant emotional and financial bribery in the low budget film industry, the constant swallowing of elephants yet choking at gnats mentality of low budget film producers and backers who are everything but professional. But occasionally you do meet a professional who is also a good human being. You also find yourself often in sympathy with many people that you would walk on the other side of the street to get away from. Maier succeeds in showing the humanity of some very bizarre folks and you find yourself linked to that person and their often bitterly hard lives that they tried to overcome, but as this is reality, some succeeded, some survived, some didn't. Of course you meet those that wallow in illegal, immoral, and self destructive behavior also. There is sleaze (especially in some mentioning of film content which was at times beyond the pale of any form of decency) but you do see at least in Water's films, an attempt at making things professional. The films themselves are only discussed in terms of the particular event of production described. You see people driven to desperate and sometimes underhanded behavior, usually needed to get what needed to be done, but also creating at times potential loss and damage to others. Occasionally you get to see some real stars in their more human form. Maier shows them as real people, often when they are working the business end of their "craft". And yes, you get interesting insight in what makes some creative people "tick", especially John Waters. You find out that there are little people and big people in the industry and rarely do they meet except in fleeting moments of creation. All of the above makes for a very entertaining and interesting book and I am glad the author has shared his experiences. There is much to learn from this book. You don't have to be a fan of John Waters, you don't even have to know him as you will learn about him in the book from Maiers personal perspective, and if perhaps you think you know him you might find something new in his personal dealings with Maier. There is something here for so many people, especially those who dream of creating something from nothing, especially on a low budget. But beware of the Hell that awaits....the human cost which will never be "low budget".