Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we're jumping
into the source material surrounding a truly
unique figure in filmmaking. Yeah, we're looking
at Robert Rodriguez. You could argue he's really
the definition of modern independent filmmaking,
couldn't you? Absolutely. The ultimate DIY success
story. And we're going to unpack how he built
this incredible career. Our sources really point
to two main things. speed and just complete creative
ownership. He doesn't just direct. He basically
builds the films himself piece by piece. So our
goal today, our mission for this Deep Dives is
to get past the, you know, the cool action scenes
and the style and really understand the philosophy
underneath it all. Exactly. How did this low
budget filmmaker become someone who builds massive
franchises? That's what we want to figure out.
OK, let's get into it. We want to give you that
solid, structured look at how he pulled it off.
Using smarts over cash. And it all starts with
one number. One film. El Mariachi, 1992. Oh,
yeah. The $7 ,000 legend. It's almost mythical
in Hollywood circles. $7 ,000. It sounds impossible.
It's less than a lot of people spend on coffee,
like you said in the outline. Just $7 ,000. But
that tiny investment blew up. The film made,
what, $2 .6 million back then? Yeah, and adjusted
for today, that's more like $5 .5 million. The
return is just... astronomical. It immediately
showed everyone, here's a guy who gets how to
work with limits, maybe better than someone with
a $100 million budget. It really is. It's the
proof of concept for everything he did later.
A ratio like that tells you he's not just talented,
he's a master of resources. And that's the core
idea we'll keep coming back to, right? His mariachi
-style filmmaking. Exactly. Solving problems
with creativity, not money. That's the mantra.
And the sources really bear out that this wasn't
just about being cheap, it was about efficiency.
giving control, and then scaling that idea up.
All the way from a tiny indie film to, you know,
directing Star Wars stuff, it's quite the journey.
So to understand that efficiency, we gotta look
back. Where did it come from? Right. He was born
in San Antonio, Texas, 1968. Big family, Mexican
-American parents, a nurse and a salesman. You
can kind of see resourcefulness being baked in
early on. And then there's the VCR story when
he was 11. That seems pretty pivotal according
to the material. Totally pivotal. His dad buys
one of the very first VCRs that actually came
with a camera. Think about that. It put the tools
right in his hands. Yeah, at a time when most
aspiring filmmakers were dreaming of film school
or saving up for like... clunky 16 millimeter
gear he had a camera at home ready to go so he
just started messing around learning by doing
constantly developing his eye his style just
through endless practice which leads to that
great story about the high school football game
oh it's classic rodriguez he gets the job filming
the games for his high school saint anthony seems
perfect but then he gets fired fired because
he wasn't shooting it the way they wanted no
boring wide shots of the whole play he was already
doing his own thing cinematic style right focusing
on the ball the slow motion tracking shots yeah
he was telling a story focusing on impact not
just recording the game like a security camera
it shows that his style the fast cuts the zooms
it wasn't learned it was just how he saw things
and this energy connected him with Carlos Gallardo
in high school They started making videos together.
Right, but getting into the formal film world
wasn't easy. He went to UT Austin, but didn't
have the grades for their film program. So another
barrier. How do you get around that one? Classic
Rodriguez move. He used a totally different skill,
cartooning. Oh, Los Hooligans. The comic strip
he did for the student paper. Yeah, for three
years straight, drew it every day, based characters
on his brothers and sisters, like his sister
Mara Carmen. So he stayed visible, stayed creative,
even without being in the film program officially.
Exactly. Kept his foot in the door, showing his
discipline. And then came the short film that
changed things. Bedhead in 1991. Bedhead. That
was his calling card. Totally. 16 millimeter.
It had all his trademarks already emerging. The
quick cuts, the zooms, the humor. It won awards,
got attention. And that finally got him into
the UT film program. It proves the point again.
Traditional path blocked. Engineer your own way
in. Which brings us back to financing El Mariachi.
Okay. The $7 ,000. How on earth did he scrape
that together? It wasn't family money. No. Some
came from his friend, Adrian Cano. But the rest?
This is the amazing part. He volunteered for
medical testing studies. Wait. Like, pharmaceutical
trials. He was a human guinea pig. Pretty much.
Putting his health on the line to raise cash
for a movie nobody thought he could make? That's
commitment. That goes way beyond just bootstrapping.
That's intense. It's the definition of using
every available resource. And here's a great
little twist. While doing those medical studies,
he met Peter Marquart. No way. Yep. Who he then
cast as one of the main villains in El Mariachi.
So the hustle didn't just get him money. It got
him talent, too. Serendipity. That's incredible.
And the film itself, it wasn't even meant for
U .S. theaters initially, right? No, not at all.
It was made for the Spanish language straight
to video market in Mexico. Shot fast, cheap,
in Spanish. But then Sundance happened. It won
the Audience Award in 93. And Columbia Pictures
saw the potential. They didn't remake it, but
they invested a few hundred thousand in cleaning
it up sound mix picture grade for the U .S. release.
But they absolutely leaned into that $7 ,000
budget in the marketing. That was the hook. It
instantly cemented his image. And that whole
insane experience, the medical tests, the guerrilla
filmmaking became the basis for his book, Rebel
Without a Crew. Which came out in 95 and is still
essential reading for indie filmmakers. Absolutely,
a bible for doing it yourself. Okay, so that
origin sets the stage. Let's talk about the method
itself, the one -man film crew idea. Is that
literal? It's pretty... close to literal seriously
look at his credits director producer writer
cinematographer editor composer visual effects
supervisor production designer sound editor camera
operator steadicam operator yeah he does it all
often operating the main camera himself yeah
which leads to those famous credits like on once
upon a time in mexico shot chopped and scored
by robert rodriguez right it's a statement cinematography
editing music all him or sin city Shot and cut
by Robert Rodriguez. He owns the look, the rhythm,
the sound. So mariachi style. Let's really define
that beyond just being cheap. What does it mean
in practice? Okay, the core idea from Rebel Without
a Crew and everything else is creativity, not
money, solves problems. It's about efficiency.
So if you need a big crane shot but can't afford
a crane. The mariachi style asks. how do you
create the feeling of that shot differently?
Maybe it's a super fast dolly move, a whip pan,
a smash cut, an intense zoom. You use the tools
you do have to get the emotional beat. It sounds
like he's using his editing skills, his camera
skills, to almost disguise the budget limits,
like he learned filming those football games.
Exactly. His editing is key. Because he knows
he's cutting it himself and he's often holding
the camera, he only shoots what he absolutely
needs. Less wasted footage, less setup time.
Dramatically less. He visualizes the edit while
shooting, so he gets maximum coverage with minimum
takes. It speeds everything up. Now, there's
this concept that seems really practical, the
Robert Rodriguez list method. Stu Moshwood's
coined that, right? Yeah, in the DB Rebels guide.
And this is something anyone can potentially
use, not just filmmakers. Okay, how does it work?
It flips screenwriting on its head. Instead of
writing a script and then figuring out what you
need, you start by making a list of everything
you already have access to. Like physical assets.
a cool car maybe your friend's weird apartment
specific location like a desert road or props
swords old computers a unique costume whatever
you can get your hands on easily and cheaply
or for free You inventory all that first. Right.
And then you write the screenplay specifically
to use those things. Got access to a warehouse
and a forklift. Write a scene set in a warehouse
involving a forklift. Don't write a scene needing
a spaceship if you don't have one. It's about
building from your strengths, from your existing
resources, turning limitations into the actual
story engine. It completely removes that excuse
of, I can't start until I get funding for X,
Y, or Z. You start with what you have now. That's
a powerful mindset shift. And this efficiency
even extends to his work schedule, doesn't it?
The whole working at night thing. Yeah, the sources
mention he prefers working late, believes creatives
are often night people. But it wasn't just artistic
whim. It was practical. How so? Because he had
five kids. Working at night meant he could spend
daytime hours with them when they were growing
up, when they were home from school. Ah, so he
structured his creative work, the writing, editing,
composing around his family life. Exactly. It's
another example of strategic resource management,
managing his time to maximize both creative output
and family connection. Okay, but this absolute
need for control, the mariachi style. It eventually
led to a major conflict, right, with the DGA,
the Director's Guild. Yeah, that was a big one.
It all came to a head with Sin Saiya in 2005.
Because the look of that movie was so directly
taken from Frank Miller's comic book panels.
Literally. It was a translation. And Rodriguez
felt Miller's contribution was so fundamental
to the film's direction, the visual language,
that Miller deserved a co -director credit. Makes
sense. But the DGA has rules about that. Very
strict rules. They only allow shared credit for
what they call legitimate teams, like the Coen
brothers or the Wachowskis, long -established
partners, not for a comic artist, no matter how
visually integral. They said no to Miller getting
the credit. And Rodriguez's response? He didn't
argue. He didn't negotiate. He just resigned
from the DGA, quit the union. Wow. Before they
even started shooting. Yep. He said he wouldn't
be forced into compromises he didn't believe
in. And importantly, he didn't want to set a
bad precedent that could hurt other directors
down the line who might want to properly credit
key collaborators. That's a huge move. Most directors
wouldn't risk losing DJ membership. That affects
working on big studio films. It had immediate
consequences. Because he resigned, he had to
drop out of directing John Carter of Mars for
Paramount, a project he was already signed on
for. So he walked away from a massive studio
picture, a huge payday. For the principle of
crediting his collaborator correctly, it shows
you how deeply he believes in that creative control
and fairness. Pure conviction. That's the price
of that independence. But you could argue that
standing firm like that actually strengthened
his brand in the long run. I think it did. It
showed Hollywood exactly who he was. Uncompromising
on his vision, incredibly efficient, but you
had to accept his method. It probably made him
more attractive to studios like Lucasfilm later,
who needed someone exactly like that. Okay, so
he establishes this independent method. How does
he build on it? Let's talk franchises. Right
after El Mariachi, he proved he could scale up.
Destorado in 95 had a bigger budget, bigger stars.
Antonio Banderas came on board. And it was Salma
Hayek's big English language break, wasn't it?
Huge for her career. And that film felt like
Rodriguez. bigger. He finished that Mexico trilogy
later with Once Upon a Time in Mexico in 2003.
But maybe the smartest move, financially at least,
was shifting into family films. Oh, absolutely.
The Spy Kids universe. That was the game changer
for his infrastructure. Spy Kids in 2001 was
a massive hit. Totally different vibe, fun, techie.
And it launched a huge franchise. Four movies
now, plus the recent Netflix one, Spy Kids, Armageddon.
And those hits gave him the capital to build
his own studio, right? Quick Draw Studios in
Austin. Exactly. He used Hollywood money to build
the infrastructure he needed to stay independent,
to keep making films his way outside the main
studio system. It funded the one -man crew model
on a larger scale. And the family connection
kept going with the adventures of Sharkboy and
Lavagirl. That origin story is pretty unique.
It's amazing. The whole idea came from his son,
Racer, who was only seven. Seven years old. Yep.
Rodriguez took his son's drawings, his concepts,
and turned them into a feature film. And Racer
got screenplay credit. That's incredible. Talk
about collaboration starting at home. Echoes
of Los Hooligans using his siblings. It's all
woven together. And he revisited that world recently
with We Can Be Heroes on Netflix in 2020. Okay,
switching gears back to the grittier side. Yeah.
His collaboration with Quentin Tarantino. That's
been hugely influential. Started way back with
From Dusk Till Dawn. But yeah, Grindhouse in
2007 was a major moment. The double feature they
co -directed. Rodriguez did the Planet Terror
segment. Wild zombie stuff. Over the top. But
the thing that really lasted from Grindhouse
was actually one of the fake trailers. Shitty.
Shitty. Starring his second cousin, Danny Trejo.
The idea for that character went way back. Rodriguez
had it in 93. He apparently told Trejo on the
set of Desperado. You should be the Mexican Charles
Bronson starring in a movie called Machete every
year. And it finally happened. First as a trailer,
then as full movies, and here's that Rodriguez
cross -pollination again. Where did Machete first
appear as a character? In Spy Kids. He was Uncle
Machete, PG -rated intro for an R -rated action
hero. He just weaves everything together. It
really shows the strength of his network. Trejo's
his most frequent collaborator, right? Ten projects.
Ten projects. It's like a family. Banderas, Hayek,
Cheech Marin, they've all done seven films with
him. Alexa Pennevega. Carmen from Spy Kids. She's
done six. He even walked her down the aisle.
It shows that trust, that loyalty. It's not just
business. It's a community he's built, which
ties into how he shares his knowledge, too. The
10 -minute film school segments on his DVDs,
those are legendary for film students. Pure gold.
He doesn't hide the secrets. He literally shows
you, step by step, how he pulled off shots cheaply,
how he made things work. And then the cooking
segments. The 10 -minute cooking school that
came out of nowhere but became so popular. It
started with Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Johnny
Depp's character is obsessed with puerco pibil,
this slow roasted pork. So Rodriguez just showed
everyone how to make it on the DVD. Yeah. Apparently
he cooked amazing meals for the cast and crew
during those late night Austin shoots. So he
shared the recipe. And then he did it again for
Sin City. Right. Breakfast tacos. Sin City breakfast
tacos using his grandmother's actual tortilla
recipe. It just perfectly shows how his whole
life, family, food, filmmaking, it's all interconnected
in the final product. It's personal. Okay, so
he's got his method, his studio, his network.
How does he expand beyond just making movies?
Well, he realized pretty early that controlling
distribution was almost as important as controlling
production. Which led to El Rey Network in 2013,
his own cable channel. Yeah, a dedicated home
for the kind of genre stuff he loves. It gave
him a pipeline he owned. And he used it right
away to launch the From Dusk Till Dawn TV series.
Based on his earlier film, yeah, it ran for a
few seasons. Showed he could build out his own
IP on his own platform. He was also really ahead
of the curve on digital filmmaking. The sources
say he was a big advocate early on. Makes total
sense, right? Digital is inherently mariachi
style. Cheaper cameras, nonlinear editing, faster
workflow, more accessible. It democratizes the
whole process. Exactly. And George Lucas himself
apparently introduced him to digital, let him
play with the tech at Lucas's place. Which is
fascinating considering where he ended up decades
later working within the Star Wars universe.
Big time. Directing that key episode of The Mandalorian
Season 2, The Tragedy. His style, fast action,
practical feel, but handling big digital effects
seemed like a perfect fit for what they needed.
Totally. And that led to him being a major force
on the book of Boba Fett as executive producer
and director. Still being the one man crew even
there. Well, maybe not one man, but still doing
a lot. He even did voice acting for two characters
on Boba Fett, Doc Strassi and Mock Shays. Always
finding ways to contribute across the board.
And he's still making deals like that first look
deal with HBO and HBO Max. Securing premium outlets
for his future projects. Always thinking strategically.
OK, let's touch on the what ifs. Yeah. The projects
that almost happen. They often tell you a lot
about someone's interests. Oh, yeah. His unrealized
projects list is fascinating. Like Madman, the
comic book he's owned the rights to since 98.
Mike Allred's comic. It never got made, but there's
a key connection there. Yes. According to the
sources, it was Mike Allred who introduced Rodriguez
to Frank Miller. So no Madman movie, but that
connection led directly to Sin City. Wow. Exactly.
Then there was Barbarella. He was attached to
remake that in 2007, wanted to cast Rose McGowan.
And that actually delayed Sin City 2 for a while.
It did. Barbarella stalled, so he pivoted quickly.
By 2008, he was planning a Red Sondra remake,
also with Rose McGowan. You see his loyalty to
certain actors and IPs. He also had plans for
animation and fantasy. Heavy metal. Yep. bought
the rights in 2011, wanted to do a new animated
film, and after Frank Frazetta died, he wanted
to do a live -action remake of Fire and Ice,
the Frazetta Bakshi film. Yeah, even an Escape
from New York remake. Attached in 2017 with John
Carpenter himself producing, it's like a dream
list of genre projects, shows his deep love for
that kind of material. So even while playing
in these huge Hollywood sandboxes, he's still
doing really unconventional, almost conceptual
stuff too. Absolutely. Which brings us to...
maybe the weirdest project on his resume? Hundred
Years. The film they made in 2015 with John Malkovich.
That won't be released until the year 2115. A
hundred years later, it's locked in a safe. A
literal time capsule film. It's such a contrast
to his usual fast -paced output. An incredible
act of, I don't know, artistic patience. Faith
in the future. He'll never see it really. Mind
-boggling. And then right up to the present day,
he's still innovating on the community and funding
side. Yeah, very recently announced at SXSW in
Austin, his new company, Brass Knuckle Films.
And this sounds like mariachi style scaled up
for today's world. Totally. It's built around
fan investment. Fans can actually put money in,
become stakeholders in these low to mid -budget
genre films. But it's more than just crowdfunding,
right? Fans can pitch ideas. That's the key part.
Fans are invited to pitch their film concepts
directly to Rodriguez. He's planning an initial
slate of four films, directing one himself. The
audience becomes the backers and part of the
creative pool. It's democratizing that very first
step. finding the ideas, the energy, the resources
within the community, not just from studios,
it's the $7 ,000 El Mariachi spirit, but as a
formal company structure. Okay, so wrapping this
up, looking across this incredible career, the
through line is definitely that ingenuity, that
efficiency. Yeah, the one -man crew wasn't just
a quirk, it was a business strategy, a way to
maintain control and beat the system. He showed
that starting small, like $7 ,000 small, could
lead to massive success if you're smart about
resources. And that creative control is worth
fighting for, worth sacrificing big paydays for,
like quitting the DGA. Whether it's action films,
kids movies, cooking shows, it all comes back
to maximizing what you have. And he's proven
that method works at the highest levels. Lucasfilm,
HBO, while still launching grassroots fan -driven
ventures. It's all integrated. His life, his
family, his food, his filmmaking. So the story
of Robert Rodriguez, this whole deep dive, it
really answers that classic question creatives
always ask. How do I start with nothing? It does.
And it leaves us with a final thought. Something
for you, the listener, to take away. If Rodriguez
could turn a $7 ,000 budget into a global career.
by using what was right in front of him, the
Robert Rodriguez list method, turning constraints
into the actual story. Then what's the biggest
barrier stopping you right now, creatively or
professionally? What barrier could you maybe
just eliminate? by looking at the resources,
the skills, the connections you already possess.
Maybe you don't need the big budget or the perfect
conditions. Maybe the key element, that unique
prop, that location, you know, that family story
is already right there. Look around. Ingenuity,
like Rodriguez shows, is often way more valuable
than cash. That's our deep dive on the mariachi
maverick, Robert Rodriguez. Thanks for joining
us.