El Mariachi [Low Budget Masterpieces]

Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi sparked a revolution in the independent film community. The film demonstrated what could be achieved with a very modest budget and an enormous amount of determination.

It was shot in the northern Mexican border town of Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila completely in Spanish, using primarily amateur actors and on a budget of only US$7,000. Rodriguez raised almost half of the film''''s budget by volunteering for experimental clinical drug testing in Texas. Every scene of the film was shot in one take, as the budget eliminated the possibility of a second take.

The DVD release of El Mariachi contains an inspiring insight into the production of the film. Rodriguez talks about how he editing a gun that kept jamming to make it look like it was firing like an automatic, and how condoms filled with fake blood fixed over weightlifting belts can double as convincing squibs! The 10 Minute Film School on the DVD is worth the price alone. The full account of the film's production is published in Rodriguez's book Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player, which has inspired many film makers over the past decade.

Since the release of this film, Robert Rodriguez has enjoyed a successful career as a highly popular film director, including two sequels to El Mariachi - Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

More information on El Mariachi.