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Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player Paperback – September 1, 1996

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Robert Rodriguez (Author)
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Robert Rodriguez (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 241 customer reviews
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  • Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player
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  • In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing, 2nd Edition
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  • The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: 2013 Edition
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 285 pages
  • Publisher: Plume (September 1, 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0452271878
  • ISBN-13: 978-0452271876
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 0.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (241 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsNow THIS is how you make a book about movies
By JLR on February 25, 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
After sitting through that vomit bag that was "Make Your Own Damn Movie", reading Robert Rodriguez's outstanding "Rebel Without a Crew" was like seeing the light after spending a week in the hole. Rodriguez, much like many independent filmmakers, entered the cinema world with a movie that cost not even a skirmish of a typical Hollywood blockbuster. To make the movie, Rodriguez used his own money (a piddling $7,000) by participating in a experimental clinical drug testing and even veto some of the seemingly inexpensive movie tools (slate) to keep the costs down. The result was "El Mariachi", the movie that launched his career and showed that with a little creativity, anyone could make it in the business.

No matter what your opinion on the movie is (which is very good, in my opinion), you cannot deny that "Rebel Without a Crew" is a fantastic read. Rodriguez depicts the making of the film and then its subsequent celebration at film festivals in chronological order, breaking them down into dates like a diary. In the process, he shows what he did to keep the costs down and used a variety of techniques to make a movie look like a million bucks, such as using a ladder instead of crane for crane shots, a wheelchair for a dolly a la Godard or using a sound effects track on a VHS camera. It's also important to note that Rodriguez shot this whole film with only one camera and not a single crew member on the set. He was also 23 years old, two years younger than Orson Welles was when he made "Citizen Kane". This is a rags-to-riches story straight out of "Cinderella" and yet it's true. The book is so gripping that it would make an excellent movie. That's how good it is.

This book is extremely entertaining, but it's also very informative and refreshingly without prejudice towards Hollywood.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsThe book is overall a funny tale regarding Robert's rise from nothing to the top ...
By J. Alvarez on August 1, 2015
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
The book is overall a funny tale regarding Robert's rise from nothing to the top of the mountain in a brand new world which is the hollywood industry. It chronicles the days of preparing for Mariachi and it's conception from paper to film and the tricky ways Robert overcame many problems in the days of the early 90s. As it is, the book pretty much serves as a courage pill or a push behind the back to go out and get the film done. Many of the technical stuff discussed in the book is useless in this filmless digital day and age, sadly so. I believe, irregardless to what the book has to offer about on the core aspect of filmmaking. It serves a boarder purpose for any new generation of filmmakers, I say even essential reading. One thing is true.. You don't need a whole lot of moola to make a film, just the bare bones and a simple script that you feel people will want to see. Here's one example, it's Robert Rodriguez's tale, and he tells it good.
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5.0 out of 5 starsBetter than business school and film school combined
By R. Mutt VINE VOICE on November 13, 2013
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This is the book that compelled me to start publishing books. I just did a presentation at USC a few weeks ago on my fourth book, a multi-collaborator version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and I had a slide showing Robert Rodriguez so I could pay homage to the man who kicked out the stop.

The Introduction and first Appendix (10 Minute Film School) have been read and reread so many times the pages in those sections are falling out. I bought a hardcover version so I can have a more permanent copy of what I deem the most valuable book on productivity known to man. I have a few other books that are up there, but this one takes the cake.

Here's the biggest draw for me...

In the introduction Robert explains how he got the idea to make a trilogy of movies as a training method for learning how to produce feature films. How he got to this point (by hijacking his dad's VCR and using his award-winning short films to kick down the door to film school) is also explained. But the key here was learning by doing, and not learning by simulating how to do. There is a massive distinction, one so big that it literally will change your life.

As I mentioned, I make books, not films. But by way of making books, I learned how to manage projects and produce contracts and research, write, design, edit, price, market, and otherwise MAKE books. I don't believe many of my books are worth reading, but as Robert says, everyone has bad movies in them, and they have to get them out of their system before greatness is possible. So failure be damned, do the work and let the chips fall where they may. You can't make the world love your stuff, but if you don't learn the process you'll never get enough exposure to give the world the chance to even see you at all.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsMotivating
By Randy Given on May 4, 2015
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This is a very motivational book for budding filmmakers. Not in the rah-rah, you're-the-best kind of way. But by leading by example.

There are lots of examples of how to get lots done on a tiny budget. But, it doesn't get bogged down in technical details. They're mentioned and then on to the next thing.

It's neat to see a daily journal that's been turned into a book that is very easy to read.

About one-quarter of the book (75 of 285 pages) is the screenplay for "El Mariachi", which is nice to have and provides much to be learned from, but it isn't required reading.

I came away feeling inspired. That's pretty good praise for any book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsarrived the day before xmas!! A!!

arrived the day before xmas!! A!!

Published 22 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsYAY!

Friend loved it!!!!

Published 28 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsGuerilla Filmmaking at it's Peak

Amazing book, written in the early 90s, when you could be picked up by a movie studio. I'm Reading this along with Shut Up and Shoot 2nd edition. Rodriguez is an absolute genius. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Jake
4.0 out of 5 starsThis is a great book for anyone

This is a great book for anyone, but really good for anyone that is interested in getting into film. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Kon_El
5.0 out of 5 starsExteremly insightful.

A real insightful and interesting look at this directors journey into the field of major Hollywood movies.

Published 2 months ago by Charles Minor
5.0 out of 5 starsBuy this book.

I don't really care for Robert Rodrigues movies, but I love him. This book should be mandatory reading to gain citizenship. I've given dozens of them away.

Published 3 months ago by Ray Ballinger
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

A great book and an inspiration to low-budget filmmakers everywhere! A bargain at ANY price!

Published 3 months ago by Rick C.
5.0 out of 5 starsI bought this book as a gift for my boyfriend ...

I bought this book as a gift for my boyfriend who is an aspiring film maker. He did not have a lot of money to produce his films and this book turned out to be incredibly... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsAn absolute joy.

A brilliant look at modern Hollywood, where the old guys who loved making movies have been replaced by bean-counters from Sony and News Corp. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Paul Ambrose
5.0 out of 5 starsMy favorite filmmaking book of all time

My favorite filmmaking book of all time. If you need to feel like "Yes! I can do this!" this is the book for you.

Published 3 months ago by Jeff Morgan

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