Reading:
Robert Rodriguez, Rebel Without a Crew (excerpt)
Question:
Discuss what stands out to you most about El Mariachi (make mention of both Rodriguez's account of the film's production as well as the film itself). Do you think it received attention and acclaim simply because of its budget? Talk about how this issue factors into your response to the film.
24 comments:
What stands out to me most in the film El Mariachi is the locations Robert Rodriguiez shot at. The locations were perfect for each scene, and there actually were quit a few locations (that looked like they would be expensive to use). I would not think that for the budget, the mansion location could have been afforded, or that the jail would have been so cooperative in shooting there (especially when the jail accommodated Rodriguiez by taking a prisoner outside to avoid the prisoner making noise). Also, the stunts were performed flawlessly, such as the squibs used and blood gags. The post production used to make the guns looks semi-automatic was effective, because I would have never guessed they were not!
No, I do not think the film received attention and acclaim JUST because of the budget. Like Rodriguez said, if he received 50 million to make a film he would make it for one million and keep the rest, and nobody would ever know. He knows how to use his time well, only shooting one take every shot. This film looked like it had a much higher production value and was shot on a very comfortable budget and a leisurely pace (more than what it was actually made for). This is because he wrote his script around things he already had access to. Thus, he knew how to use his resources well to make the film look like it had a higher production value. Robert shot this film quickly, with the film being done on a large account of luck. This film received much attention because it appeals to an independent crowd (especially motivating young filmmakers) and to a Hollywood crowd. It also received a lot of attention because it was inspiring to filmmakers (especially young filmmakers) that independent or a low budget does NOT mean low quality. Young filmmakers did not have to have an access number of resources. In response to the film, I thought it looked flawless and had great shots. It seemed everything was followed through very well. To me the film looks like it had a large budget and it is inspiring to me as well, that I can make something look like $100,000 and only spend $15,000. I appreciate the film more because it did not spend money or time on unnecessary costs (such as Rodriguez's ploy to have short shoots so he would not have to feed actors or ordering more film than he needed).
What stood out to me about El Mariachi are the camera angles and the editing styles. Unlike most independent film we’ve seen in class, El Mariachi didn’t really have a controversial issue it was trying to present. It seemed like a Hollywood type film filled with pure action, romance, and violence. The camera angles are shot stylistically like a Hollywood action film. It had multiple cuts during actions scenes and seen in typical Hollywood action films is when the el Mariachi walked out the door and we see him turn back to look at the place. The framing and pose is very familiar to that of Hollywood. Rodrigeuz mentioned doing a lot of home videos base on what he saw on TV and in this movie it really showed.
After reading the production journals of Rodrigeuz, I’m blown away on what he did to cut back on the budget and how good he hid them. Having Moco read off cue cards under shades and having wardrobe malfunction that went unnoticed because the action was so interesting. I’m amaze because I couldn’t even tell. I do think his movie received attention for its low budget because the end result had a Hollywood like quality to it that’s amazing at such a low cost. I mean, the acting and voice over was obviously amateurish, but the camera work and the editing style was that of an experience director.
I think what stands out to me the most was just how good the images looked for being on a cheap video camera. I was very impressed with Rodriguiez's compositions. This just goes to show that it doesn't always take an expensive camera and 35mm film to make a movie "look" good. It all has to do with the director's talent and his eye for great shots.
I don't really think that this movie received all of its attention simply based on the fact that it was so cheap. That might have had to do with the hype it received at the time, but for what it was it was still an extremely great achievement. I mean it is a fun movie to watch. The acting wasn't the best I have ever seen but again with such a small budget you are not going to be able to pay your actors a lot of money if any. I think what made this movie stand out was not only the fact that it was shot for so little money, but that Rodriguiez utilized the financial situation to the best of his ability. By having a great continuity of quality shots from beginning to end and having a cohesive and interesting script that keeps the audience's attention.
While watching “El Mariachi,” I kept trying to figure out how such a fast-paced, dynamic film could be filmed on such a low budget. Overall, the film seemed to have really good production values and an interesting and complex story. I did not know that there was not a crew and I did not know that Robert Rodriguez basically created the film with friends and locals. When reading his introduction into his journal, it showed that he had been preparing for a career in filmmaking since he was a child. He was extremely knowledgeable on how to improvise and work with very little, which was very beneficial for making “El Mariachi” work so well.
When Rodriguez revealed all his secrets about the film, I was stunned at all the “errors.” When there was a continuity error, he’d chop the film up to confuse the audience. When the actors went out of sync, he would overlap with a cutaway. The film was smart, which I feel led to its ultimate success. When people hear that each scene was shot with only one take, they cannot help but be impressed with the outcome. When a film is so well planned and a director can exercise his vision without interference, Robert Rodriguez proved that a Hollywood budget does not even matter.
--Anne Snyder
What stands out to me most about the film itself is look of it. I am sure everyone has heard of this film and the amazing story on how it cost only $7,000 to make, but I never saw the film until now. It looks like the film was made for at least $100,000. What I feel lead up to that is what he discussed in the beginning of the article with us. I found it interesting to hear about how he made family films with his ten siblings. I agree that all that work he did when he was younger with the video recorder and the two VCRs paid off for him in the long run. A lot of filmmakers could save more money if they shot the way Rodriguez did. He always made sure they got the right shot on the first time, so he didn't waste film. During production they would shoot when they could. I feel he shot off the top of his head, never having a set schedule. Whatever worked for that day they did it not wasting any time.
I think the budget played a big part in receiving attention, but I don't feel it could take credit for the whole thing. Most of the credit has to go to Rodriguez and they way he produced this film. The acting was good, the story line was good and cinematography was also good. And he did it all for very little. I am very impressed that it was created the way it was. It also gives me hope that movies can still be made like that if you take the time to use all your sources and budget well.
Bryan P
What stands out most to me about El Mariachi is probably what stands out to must people which is the insanely low budget used to create the film. But it’s more than that… Watching the film for the hour and a half span I became engrossed in the story and forgot about the low budget costs. What amazes me is how I just accepted El Mariachi as a Hollywood film despite its low production cost. To me it looked so professional despite the lack of funds that it was basically indecipherable from many Hollywood pictures one would see today.
In Rodriguz’s account of the making of the film he talks about how he wrote, directed, shot, and edited the film. He explains how he found actors on the spot to play certain roles at various bars and clubs, and explains all the impromptu scenes he made up on the spot such as the coconut vender and the explanation of how coconuts are free because he forgot to shoot the scene where the actor pays for the coconut. It’s also quite impressive that Rodriguz only shot a couple of scenes more than once due to his lack of money. All these different signs of a low budget film could have come across as an amateur production, however, Rodriguez is obviously smart and talented both on set and in the editing room. I never once questioned these “flaws” when watching El Mariachi. The fact that the scenes weren’t even recorded in sync-sound so he had to record the dialogue after shooting the scenes in silence also amazes me.
That being said I think a large factor of his acclaim is due to the low budget used because it’s one of the main reasons I am so inspired and in awe of El Mariachi. However, this film is also quite engrossing and the shots and scenes are stylized in a very interesting manner that makes the film remarkable. I feel that El Mariachi received a bit of attention because of the interesting story, the way it’s narrated and the interesting shot selection. As a result of a bit of acclaim when reviewers found out about the low budget, this probably made the film much bigger than it would have been without the impressive feat of creating a visually appealing and interesting film on a such a low LOW budget.
I remember reading this book when i was in high school and thinking how if this guy could pull it off why couldn't i. But anyways this film is one of the controversial things in the vain of 'o thats good for a student film'.The reason why people would say that is because it didn't have the stars, the money or the backing a major production would have. But because it didn't have all of those perks i thought the film was able to excel on its own merit. I personally found the film to be amazing on its own right, the editing was amazing and comedic timing is fantastic. The direction of the film certainly had what i would call personality, it was dramatic, suspenseful and comedic. I think Rodriguez was able to do what few can and that is make the audience feel a particular emotion that he wants them to feel. Not only that the story of the production itself could be turned into a decent inspirational film. I mean the guy put himself in a medical testing facility to just get enough money for film stock, and did so much pre planning that he rarely shot the same angle twice. That is dedication. What i felt to be interesting was the fact that the film still held up, often we see a big budget action flick and by the same time next year the film looks outdated either by style or effects. The effects and style of this film were very classical yet edited in such away to make your average viewer hold interest.
The thing that I find most interesting about Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi" is how he filmed it, where he filmed it, and who he filmed it with. I would first like to voice that I really enjoyed this movie, and reading "Rebel Without a Crew" gave me an enormous amount of inspiration as an aspiring film student. I have also been a fan of Rodriguez's work before hand, so it is wonderful to see where he came from and where he got started. What stands out to me is that Robert Rodriguez wrote the script around what he already had access to. He had a ranch, two bars, friends who were willing to act, a beautiful small town in Mexico, and his own creativity. While watching the film, I did not see any low budget qualities or armature mistakes. I found the plot invigorating, the actors natural, and the editing and sound to be right on.
Prior to viewing the movie, I knew that Rodriguez made the film for only $7,000, but it did not change my perception of the film or my viewing experience. It was not until I read the piece that I found out that Rodriguez did mostly everything on the film. He continues to do so, and that is what got him the nickname of "the one-man crew." I do not believe that Rodriguez only won at Sundance because of budget of the film, but I am sure that it did cause a stir among those present in 1993. A lot of people did not believe him, and this is why he gave long explanations of the background of the film. The film did sell out all of its screenings at Sundance before anyone had ever viewed it, so maybe the budget did create the huge buzz for the film. But, I believe that the plot was fantastic, it was an entertaining action film, it presented a Latino man as a hero, and its innovative style is what ultimately gained it praise.
Lastly, I applaud Robert Rodriguez and I thank him for his inspiration and the speech that he gave after winning at Sundance. Without him, his innovative way of film making, his willingness to break the norm, and his love of film, independent cinema would not be the same.
There were a lot of different aspects of the film El Mariachi that stood out to me. Most of them involved the thought of a higher production value. The film had a lot of different venues for the different scenes. For example the multiple bars and the mansion. I also enjoyed the acting, it seemed very professional ( at times it reminded me of a soap opera). He mentioned that he liked to make scenes with only one take which saves time and money. I also noticed the very clean transitions from scene to scene it looked very “Hollywood” and the camera angles were also very “Hollywood”. I noticed that this made it easier for me to watch because this is what I am used to watching.
The price of the film did not affect my opinion about this film. Although I was amazed at the story of how little it did cost him. I do not fully understand all of the little things and prices that go into making a film but I do know that this was made for almost nothing compared to other high budget films. I liked it, you can tell that a lot of time and effort went into making this film, after watching it and reading the journal. And that is why I think that it deserves attention.
To me, the thing that stands out the most from “el mariachi” is the overall look and feel of the film. It was not filmed on expensive 35mm film, therefore the picture isn’t quite like a Hollywood film, but because of Rodriguez’s superior directing, the film still has that Hollywood feel to it. I knew that the production cost was near to nothing, however when watching the film, I didn’t get a sense of “this is a cheap home movie” in my head. I think the acclaim of the film does directly reflect from the low budget of the film, because people actually saw what really good film making actually was. It wasn’t all flashy lights and special effects, with huge star studded casts, but instead a very well made independent movie proving that smaller budget films can be just as good as the normal Hollywood studio blockbuster that are more hyped up.
While I was watching El Mariachi, the entire time I could not get over the fact the budget of the film was only $7,000. When the budget was previously mentioned in class, I was anticipating a poorly made film. However to my surprise, it was really well made film. I was especially impressed with the action scenes, since they turned out very well and believable in spite of the budget. Also after reading the article, I was impressed as to how the movie came together in the end. I was surprised on how much improvising came into play when dealing with whole scenes (the coconut stand scene) and small details (the turtle.)
I think the film did receive a lot of its acclaim simply because of its budget. However, I don’t think that this is necessarily a small feat. Yes the budget was made on a low budget, but that low budget forced Rodriguez to be extremely creative. Not every filmmaker could have done to that film with that budget as Rodriguez did.
The first thing that stood out to me about El Mariachi was how for only $7,000 this extremely good movie was made. The elaborite plot really amazed me in this film. The whole character depth and how you really get to find out the background about almost all the main characters really amazed me as well. Every action sequence was shot and choriagraphed very well. The action made it look like a hollywood action film made for millions of dollars.
After reading the journal by Robert Rodriguez i was amazed at how many mistakes were really made, and edited to look good as well. The whole bit about the guns not being semi-automatic in real life but afte post-production they were made to be that way really amazed me.
I personally do not believe that the sucsess of the film was due to the fact that it was made for cheap. I'm sure that it created a buzz for the film but when it comes down to it it was a good movie and if it wasn't it wouldn't have gotten the praise it did.
In El Mariachi what stood out most to me was the fact that even though it was made on a 7,000$ budget it had a lot of action scenes that seemed pretty realistic. Also, even though is was technically an action movie it had a lot of funny, and at times sad moments to it. I didn't think there was a lot of substance to the screenplay, but Rodriguez still had me wanting more at certain times in the movie. Another aspect of the movie that Rodriguez talked about in the production reading was how hot it was while they were shooting. In a lot of the scenes I thought someone was going to collapse with heat stroke, you could just see the humidity in the air.
I hate to say it because I actually do like Rodriguez as a director and I personally like some of his latest work, (Sin City, Grindhouse/Planet Terror) but I honestly thought that the main reason this movie got a lot of publicity was because he made it on a 7,000$ budget. I will give him credit for making a pretty decent movie with a semi-creative plot with only that amount of money, (God knows I couldn't) but I just don't think that the same movie on a 30,000$ budget would have created as much buzz.
My impressions of El Mariachi (and its famed low budget) before reading Rodriguiez's excerpt was how i was impressed that for such a low budget, the film looked really good aesthetically. I thought i had seen worse in acting and dialogue, though its always tougher for me to tell with foreign languages. The special effects and props were better than any amateur could hope for.
After reading parts from his book, I continued to be impressed all the same, this time by his methods of making this film using its low budget. From his wheel chair dolly(which is even hard for a few UWM film student to come by, to the borrowing of cranes from the electricians next door and even to the spontaneous use of kids or turtles he and his crew encountered along the way that added great little characteristics to the film.
However, Rodriguiez says at one point,"id made an Artsy Foreign Action Film with his summer, but i missed the artsyness in it. It was undeniably a foreign, action film and an independent film but it was like any other traditional Hollywood storyline, shoot 'em up kinda movie i'd ever seen. So i guess in the end, the film's low buedget is impressive in the sense that he made a Hollywood quality action movie with it. Interesting what that says about Hollywood.
I think what stands out to me most is the number and variety of shots and camera angles that were packed into such a small amount of film. With each roll 10 - minutes and shooting 25 rolls you wind up with a ratio close to 3:1 for the 81 minute film, far below the 10:1 common in many Hollywood productions. The amazing thing is that it still looks like a film shot between 6:1 to 10:1... there are close ups, point of views cutaways... all happing in a very fast paced edit that captures the typical hollywood action style.
This really is a testament to Rodriguez's experience cutting in the camera and making a film right there while he is filming.
The story for the most part is like a Hollywood film. I like what he said about the writing process of the film, to make it in three parts and intend to make all three but basically throwing them away. Its easier to make a film when there is not too much pressure on the success of it. I think it did get a lot of credit for being such a low budget film, but who’s to say that it doesn’t deserve it. It is quite a task to make a good quality made film on a low budget. It is also very inspiring to aspiring film makers like myself, almost like a little engine that could story that all you need is determination to be proud of the final product you’ve created. I think he puts a lot of pressure on each take which is a scary tactict but when you can pull it off it shows the tremendous vision. I also like the low budget behing the scenes production values such as using the turtle as a marker.
While watching El Mariachi and remembering what was said earlier about the budget I couldn’t help but wonder how this was possible. There were several different locations that were shot at and they seemed to get away from the normal shoot inside a house to keep things cheep kind of deal. The mansion, the jail, the bars, and the apartment seemed like a lot of places for such a small budget. Im extremely surprised and impressed in what Rodriguez accomplished wish such little money.
I read the reading and was blown away. It really showed that Rodriguez was an amazingly creative person. The different ways that he used to keep the budget as low as possible was not an easy task and could not have been pulled off by just anyone. In the end I believe that it wasn’t just the budget that got him the attention but more of how great the movie was with such a little budget. Anyone can make a movie on a low low budget but his movie felt like there had been several more thousands of dollars put into it.
Anthony T. Radloff
After viewing the film El Mariachi and being informed of the extremely low budget what stood out to me was the fact that even though Rodriguez had such a low budget for the film, he still gave it a Hollywood style feel. All of the scenes seemed to work almost seamlessly and kept the story moving. After hearing about the $7,000 budget I came in expecting something that looked like it was filmed from a little hand held camera like a little film I’m sure most people have made during high school for a class project or something along those lines. I also think the budget did come into play with the attention it received. If the film didn’t look and have the feel that it did I don’t think it would have gotten the same attention. People would of just blown it off as some cheap independent film that was poorly made due to the lack of funding for it, but since the directing was so well done people were blown away like I was about how they actually accomplished to create the film.
I feel that in the film “El Mariachi,” the attention the film received was due to the movie, not the low budget it was produced on. I find it extremely hard to believe that the film only cost seven thousand dollars to make because of the fact that it was in color, and there were no dead spots in the movie. I also think that the acting was very good also. I agree with Rodriguez when he says, even if he were given 50 million, he would have only produced it for 1 million. I think that Rodriguez was determined to produce and a quality movie for as little as possible. I find it amazing that the scenes and the characters were very well developed and very well thought out, and that the plot was that of a typical “Hollywood” movie. I also think that this was the first movie I would watch again out of the ones we have watched up to this week.
Mike Norgord
What stands out for me is how well put together the film looks. While it maintains a grittiness, it has a layer of gloss that is simply unexpected. From the weapons that in production, jammed after firing just one round to the guns we see in the film firing several rounds in rapid succession, what was achieved with this film is amazing. When you hear that the budget was 7,000 dollars, and then you watch El Mariachi, it's unbelieveable. While I do believe that the film received most of its initial attention due to its insane budget, most of that turned in to attention to the film and the story it tells.
I think that the budget for "El Mariachi" is definitely one reason why the film gets so much attention today. It is a very cheap film in a genre that is traditionally overtly expensive (action). A film this cheap is bound to turn heads, just because of that. And, because it in turn became so successful, it caught even more attention for it's budget. I also think that the tight budget really transformed "El Mariachi" into the film that it became. Rodriguez says, "Instead of writing two scripts and throwing them away afterwards, why not take the scripts and make them for really low budgets? That way while you're practicing your writing skills you can also practice your filmmaking skills." It is this attitude that drove Rodriguez. This was one of his first projects in film. If it turned out well, then great. But if it did not do well, who cares? He would get practice and possibly sell it to low quality TV. His attitude basically said, "Yes, I am making this film for cheap. But I could care less. It's just for practice." That, I believe, shaped his film into being more highly regarded for the budget. And also, I believe it's that attitude that made it possible to be "independent" not only in money but in style as well.
What stands out to me the most are little things that Rodriguez does in his editing. For example, his use of cuts. In "Mariachi," Rodriguez does numerous cuts that are not really expected or even necessary to the plot. Such as when he cuts to the dog's eyes. These instances are completely non- important, but they are a way to just show off his personality of having fun in editing and directing. Another thing is when he speeds up images, such as dialing the phone, taking bribes, etc. It actually confuses me whether this over or under-dramatizes the scene when he does this. It brings attention to the scene, but sometimes it makes me just think about how its a little silly that the image is moving too fast. But it is merely a stylistic choice, and it actually is something that carries all the way through every "Mariachi" film. Rodriguez strange little choices in editing are what make this film, stylistically, an independent.
No I don’t think that the film became popular just because of it’s budget. In the article it’s mentioned on how Robert Rodriguez was complimented on his editing style, how the dialogue scenes were just as exciting as the action ones because of all the quick edits. He explained, howecver, that this was done because the sound and the visuals did not match up. Also, the fact that Rodriguez used a one-man crew (himself) was awfully impressive. This way there were no hassles for him, he didn’t have to feed anybody, and he was the only one who could make mistakes. Rodriguez also used all non-actors, mostly people he knew.And of course, th most known astonishment is that the film was made for only $7000. After knowing these things, such as the Sundance audience knew before the film, makes it even more impressive, but I don't think that's the only reason why this film received so much acclaim, but simply a factor.
Just by watching the film, it stood out to me because of the realistic looking characters. I thought they seemed very genuine and could tell that they were more real than just actors. The pace of the film made it very entertaining to watch. It was constantly moving even if there was actually little action in the scene. I thought that the shots were interesting to look at as well. For example, the shot where you see Moco floating in his pool with that chic catering to him. I thought that was very humorous and fun to look at. So I would say that to me El Mariachi got the acclaim it did almost equally due to the film itself and to the production of it.
One thing I gathered from the reading was Rodriguez knows how to tell a story. And that is what stood out to me the most. Yes there were some cheesy parts and some of the action was cliched and cheesy as well, but it was all handled with such focus to the story that the film still sucked you in. Also, what I gathered from his journal entries was the luck he had with the town and people he used in his film.
I do not think the film got attention because it was made on such a low budget, I think it got attention because the film was so good for being shot on such a low budget. I think people must have been saying, "you can shot THAT for $7000". But again, I don't think just anyone can take $7000 and shot a film like El Mariachi. Rodriguez mentioned several times that his years and years of experience shooting home movies was his most valuable tool when shooting his features, and I think it certainly shows in his films.
Cory Gorman
To me the biggest thing was the camera movement and the overall flow of the movie, always keeping the pace quick. In action films you never want the action to stop because the in-between stuff is usually scripted poorly or just bad all around, any one can kick down a prop door on film but not everyone can act. Rodriguez kept you interested by keeping movement in the camera and the edits. He states in his book that the reason the quick styled editing was used only as a cover up to mask when the actors voices weren't synched with the image, so he would cut away from them while we heard the rest of their line. On hearing that almost everything that happened in El Mariachi was just luck, you might think that he isn't really credible. However, the fact that he had made up words of 30 fully completed short films by the time he came around to El Mariachi lets you know he has experience. Without that experience he would never have been able to take the opportunities which he calls luck. They would still have been their he just wouldn't have recognized it or if he had he probably wouldn't have known what to do with it, but thankfully he did.
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