Robert Rodriguez: Interviews

Introduction

ix Introduction Robert Rodriguez achieved a legendary status among independent filmmakers by his story of checking himself into a drug-testing clinic for the cash necessary to make his debut feature film, El Mariachi, released in 1992. Allegedly produced for just $7,000—surely one of the most famous budget figures in cinema history—El Mariachi counts as its progeny micro-budget films such as Clerks (1994), The Blair Witch Project (1999), Primer (2004), and Paranormal Activity (2007). While his production budgets may have grown from $7,000 to $40 million (Sin City), Rodriguez indicates in his most recent interviews that he still strives for costsaving measures, believing that creativity always results in a better film than padding the budget. This commitment to economy goes hand-in-hand with his equally famous penchant for guerilla-style filmmaking. This action-oriented, task-driven philosophy inspired Rodriguez to be his own crew on the movie, acting as director, writer, producer, cinematographer, editor, camera operator, and music editor. Rodriguez has continued in this jackof -all-trades approach, assuming more roles in the filmmaking process than arguably any other feature director in history. It’s the basis of his contemporary classic filmmaking text, Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player, which inspired a new generation of filmmakers, wanting to make genre films like El Mariachi on a shoestring budget. The revolutionary El Mariachi is hardly Rodriguez’s only claim to fame, as this filmmaker fascinates on a variety of levels, including his personal story. A fourth-generation Mexican-American, Rodriguez was born June 20, 1968, in San Antonio, Texas, where he was also raised. The third child of ten, Rodriguez established himself as a creative force, making films on Super-8 and, later, video. As with an earlier generation of filmmakers, such as Steven Spielberg, Rodriguez was captivated with filmmaking from an early age but was part of the newer generation that benefited from the lower costs of camcorders. x introduction Family is a major theme in these interviews. Perhaps because of his prolific filmmaking, Rodriguez frequently discusses his attempts to balance a demanding work schedule with his familial duties. For instance, he speaks of working during the night, when there is a lack of distraction , and sleeping during the day when his children are at school, which allowed him to spend time with his family in the afternoon and evening. He also casts various relatives in his films, from siblings to nieces (Planet Terror’s “Babysitter Twins”) to, a regular in his works, cousin Danny Trejo. Former wife Elizabeth Avellan has produced all of his films and continues to do so, after their 2008 divorce. Making family films is far from the Hollywood model, which is heavy with studio executives, and demands the involvement of hundreds of highly paid, so-called experts. In an interview with Keith Phipps, Rodriguez reveals that his motivation to slimming down the crew also lies in a desire to return to cinema’s primitive, pre-Hollywood times. Rodriguez has continually added filmic tasks to his list, including composing and production design. He has scored many of his films since Spy Kids. Rodriguez may be the epitome of the postmodern filmmaker, bucking the Fordist division of labor so entrenched since Thomas Ince’s “assemblyline ” filmmaking in the silent era. In line with romantic notions of the auteur, Rodriguez believes that no one else should be hired to do a job on his movies that he can do himself. Despite this DIY (“do it yourself”) ethos, Rodriguez has collaborated on many of his films with people whom he trusts. These include Scream (1996) writer Kevin Williamson co-writing the screenplay of The Faculty, Frank Miller co-directing the film adaptation of his graphic novel, Sin City, and Ethan Maniquis co-directing Machete. He has partnered most often with Quentin Tarantino, working together on the anthology film Four Rooms, the Tarantino-penned From Dusk Till Dawn, and their collective double bill Grindhouse. Rodriguez also composed the score for Tarantino ’s Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004). This transition from DIY to DIWO (“do it with others”) should help him sustain a long career, and enable him to work on a great number of projects. A proud Texan and often bedecked in a black cowboy hat, Rodriguez has moved his base of operations to Austin, not far from his hometown of San Antonio. He is part of a cadre of Austin filmmakers...