Lessons I’ve Used to Make Movies Myself: Robert Rodriguez’s original “10 minute film school”

Here’s the original “10 minute film school” from Robert Rodriguez talking about EL MARIACHI.  I watched them back in the day (mid 90s) on LaserDisc and absorbed them like crazy. Some of these early lessons I keep with me today as I make my films.

Case in point, we didn’t use a slate at all on WHAT’S UP LOVELY (2-person crew) and I thought of this video to give me the confidence that it could be done.

Having directed and edited previously helped me shoot SCHERMANN SONG myself with the cuts in mind.  But it was Rodriguez’s video and his philosophy that instilled that mindset for me — where now his lesson and my hands-on experience are major contributing factors to becoming an economical filmmaker during production.  I’m proud to say I’ve never gone into heavy overtime (12+ hours) on any of my film sets.

Enjoy!  Now go make your film.